Jordan Matechuk's stint with his childhood CFL team, the Saskatchewan Roughriders, was short, but not so sweet. In his monthly tenure with the club, he was placed on the practice roster right before the start of the season. Two weeks later, the B.C. Lions claimed him, so Matechuk packed his bags and headed west.
"It's too bad it didn't work," said Matechuk. "They were my favourite time growing up and it would have been nice to play for them."
A hand injury suffered during training camp made it tough for Matechuk to outperform his long-snapping competition.
"It's hard when you're not fully healthy," he said. "I was toughing out an injury and it hurt my performance. It might have been different if I was healthy."
Roughriders head coach Corey Chamblin told the Leader-Post that Matechuk didn't crack the opening day roster because his team is 'overloaded at that (long-snapping) position.'
"He was a guy that we thought could help us down the road. We're overloaded a little bit at that position and they needed it and they came and got him."
Even though leaving Saskatchewan for B.C. was bittersweet, the Yorkton native is eager for the opportunity to earn a roster spot on the Lions.
"I'm honoured they picked me up and believe in me," said Matechuk, who played for the YRHS Raider Gridders in high school. "I want to play and I had to make the move to B.C. to extend my football career. They are giving me an opportunity and I want to prove the Riders wrong for not keeping me on their roster."
B.C. recruited Matechuk for his long-snapping skill set. Over the first two weeks, the Lions' long-snapper Tim Cronk had some wonky snaps that led to a blocked punt and one snap going over the head of his punter, Hugh O'Neill.
"Proficiency and efficiency," said Lions head coach Mike Benevides to the Vancouver Sun. "That was something we saw last year that is not there this year. Tim snapped one over his head (in Calgary) and Hugh had one blocked against Toronto. That's not acceptable. As a coach, you have to look for someone who can do it better."
The 5-foot-10, 254-pound Matechuk's rocky history, which includes an arrest at the American border in 2011 for steroids and marijuana, didn't worry Lions GM Wally Buono. He believes in second chances and is optimistic that Matechuk has learned from his mistakes.
"My reaction to these things always is, if someone sees the error of his ways, and he apologizes for it, then you give him a second chance," Buono explained to the Vancouver Sun. "We all make mistakes. He did something. He got caught. Hopefully, he's learned from it. An apology is the beginning of learning. He was aware enough to realize his action affects all of us."
Matechuk is familiar with living in British Columbia. Back in his junior football days, he spent a year in Victoria playing for the Rebels in the Canadian Junior Football League.
"It's a beautiful place to live," he said. "It's great to be back. I'm living out on a farm right now with a friend and it's beautiful country. I loved living in Victoria and now again it's great."
Although Matechuk hasn't been in B.C. that long, he has gotten good vibes in the dressing room of one of the CFL's Grey Cup contenders.
"I've played for four different teams, and this is the best locker room that I've seen," said Matechuk. "It's a close veteran group. There's a lot of character and talent here. They know how to win and I haven't been here long, but I think this is the right group of guys to go all of the way."
In Matechuk's first game in a Lions uniform, he endured the worst weather he's ever played through in a 17-3 win over the Edmonton Eskimos at Commonwealth Stadium.
"It was the worst weather I have ever played in," said the 27 year old. "It was pouring rain and was really tough to play through. It was definitely quite the experience."
