REGINA

From underdogs one week to being portrayed as the top dogs the next, the Argos have undergone quite the turnaround in such a short time.

The team’s perception has changed dramatically, no longer being asked to comment on when Ricky Ray will return, or asked to offer a reaction to whatever distraction has befallen the franchise.

Before the Argos arrived here in Regina on Friday, their travel schedule went awry when a wildcat strike at Pearson forced a delay.

But the team got here in one piece and now has an opportunity to carry over momentum from last week’s win over Edmonton in Fort McMurray into Sunday’s game against the host Riders.

Football is a game of routine and consistency, the good teams keeping their roster changes to a minimum, the elite teams playing at a high level from one week to the next.

It’s way too early to define this Argos group, but there’s an opportunity to jump out to a 2-0 start against a Riders team that is reeling.

Saskatchewan didn’t play well against Winnipeg last week, a rivalry game to begin the season that laid bare some poor tackling by the home side.

To add injury to insult, starting quarterback Darian Durant, the heart and soul of the Riders, injured his Achilles and is out for the entire season.

Enter Kevin Glenn, an accomplished quarterback who was brought into town as an insurance policy.

When head coach Corey Chamblin addressed the media on Saturday, he was unwilling to offer any excuses for his team.

In total, there are 10 changes to Saskatchewan’s roster from a week ago, not exactly conducive to team chemistry when one considers CFL game rosters feature a 44-man lineup.

In contrast, the Argos will have two changes, the most impactful involving kicker/punter Swayze Waters, who partially tore his hip flexor in Toronto’s win over the Eskimos.

Dealing with injuries and adjusting a roster is as much a part of football as blocking and tackling.

The teams that do it best are the ones that normally have a prolonged run of success.

Shea Emry, the centrepiece trade chip the Riders received from the Argos in an off-season deal that sent Ricky Foley back to Toronto, has been placed on the six-game injured list with what is believed to be a neck injury.

As Emry sits, Foley will be introduced to the place he called home for two seasons as one of Toronto’s co-captains.

Glenn is the proverbial hot and cold quarterback who can easily light it up or struggle.

It seems there’s never a middle ground for Glenn, the starting quarterback for Calgary in the historic 100th Grey Cup in 2012, won by the hometown Argos.

The Argos have a consistent roster on their side and momentum, but there’s no assurance either will lead to anything on Sunday.

The Riders are a desperate side, even though it is only Week 2, and the team’s fan base — as much as it supports the Green and White — can just as easily grow frustrated.

“I know what kind of players they have. I know what kind of coaches they have,’’ said Argos head coach Scott Milanovich, who refused to take the bait when reminded of Saskatchewan’s changing roster. “We’re going to have to play well.”

In Fort McMurray, where Saskatchewan kicked off the pre-season by playing Edmonton, there weren’t more than 5,000 fans in attendance.

Sunday’s game won’t be sold out, but at least 30,000 fans will be on hand.

“It’s always fun to play in a game that feels important and the fans make it feel important here,’’ said Milanovich. “I think that’s why a lot of guys enjoy playing here.”

A superstitious coach, Milanovich will retain the same captains he picked for last week’s game — Jermaine Gabriel (defence), Chad Owens (offence) and James Yurichuk (special teams).

He’ll add Foley, who should get a warm welcome in his return to Regina.

“It’s obviously the loudest place in the league, it’s no secret,’’ Argos quarterback Trevor Harris said. “You have to prepare. We even started to prepare in training camp for a game like this. You have to find ways to get your cadence on silent, make sure it’s not an issue in the game.”

For Harris, Sunday marks his third career start.

“It’s new for me to be playing,’’ said Harris, who completed 24 of 27 passes against Edmonton. “I’ve been here at Mosaic a few times and I’ve played in pre-season games in the NFL. The noise level is there, but at the same time it’s something you have to deal with and we’ve prepared for it.

“Hopefully, it’s not an issue in the game.”

KEEPING IT TIGHT

Until the Argos face some adversity this season, it’s hard to tell what kind of locker room the team has once players convene to the confines of their private quarters.

They won the Grey Cup in 2012 because they found their rhythm at Regina in the season’s penultimate game, and because their locker room was tight with no agenda or ego.

“We have a great locker room,’’ said quarterback Trevor Harris, a rookie on that 2012 team. “I was telling some of the guys the other day that this is the best locker room we’ve had since 2012.

“We have guys who care for each other and it’s really awesome to see.”

One of the leaders on that 2012 team was veteran defensive back Jordan Younger, who helped groom a secondary that began the season with no CFL experience.

Younger is now the Argos’ defensive backs coach and has given the unit a swagger not seen since the 2012 season.

The Argos have a nice mix of veterans and youth, football players who have played down south but have never played the CFL game. For now, it’s all good, but it’s early and there’s a lot that awaits the team.

CHICK'S KIDS KNOW THE SCORE

The CFL lost Cameron Wake to the NFL after the B.C. Lions gave the undrafted Wake his shot at pro football.

The CFL then lost John Chick to the bright lights of four-down football, though he returned to the Saskatchewan Roughriders two years ago.

Besides being elite sack specialists, another common denominator to these two is Ricky Foley, who had the pleasure of lining up alongside Wake in B.C., and then Chick in Saskatchewan.

Wake has turned into an elite NFL defensive player, while Chick remains one of the Canadian league’s best.

“He’s full-speed every single play, doesn’t take any plays off,’’ said Foley of Chick. “I’d say that’s his No. 1 thing, on and off the field.

“John is a great guy and he’s a competitor off the field. I don’t know how many kids he has now — seven, I believe — and he competes with them the same way he competes on the football field. There are no easy wins in the Chick household. That’s what makes him who he is, his fire, energy, and I feel I play the same way. We had a good connection out there.”

Containing Chick is one of the keys for the Argos heading into Sunday’s game.

UNBEATEN REDBLACKS PUSHOVERS NO MORE

Undefeated, 2-0. Buckle up your seatbelts. The Ottawa RedBlacks are showing they’re not going to roll over for anybody in 2015.

Fresh off a Week 1 win over the Montreal Alouettes, the RedBlacks slugged out a 27-16 win over the B.C. Lions on Saturday night at a supercharged TD Place. And, speaking after the game, the RedBlacks are giving plenty of credit to the fans. Yep, the 24,000-plus who showed up Saturday are getting a huge thumbs-up.

“Thank you to the crowd, the 13th man, in the stands. They make this atmosphere what it is,” said RedBlacks quarterback Henry Burris, who connected on 23 of 29 passes for 296 yards. “They’re going to make people dread coming in here.”

Defence? They were very good, twice holding the Lions to field goals inside the five-yard line. Damaso Munoz had six tackles and a sack and Jerrell Gavins had an interception on the second play of the second half.

Offence? The RedBlacks got receiving touchdowns from Greg Ellingson, Ernest Jackson and Brad Sinopoli, all key off-season free-agent acquisitions. Sinopoli had nine receptions for 99 yards, while Chris Williams, another free-agent signing, had four for 82.

“It was a little fairy dust and some good luck,” said Ellingson, who caught a 30-yard pass for a touchdown while on his back after it bounced off the hands of Lions defender Ryan Phillips on the first play of the fourth quarter. “The DB didn’t make the play, I was concentrating and happened to get the ball into my hands.

“This feels pretty good. But we know this is Week 2 of the season and there’s a long way to go,” said RedBlacks coach Rick Campbell.

“Belief is a big part of this thing, that you believe you’re going to find a way to get it done, that (we) will find a way to step up and make plays, and our guys have bought into that.”

Running back Chevon Walker was huge for the RedBlacks, carrying the ball 24 times for 103 yards. His second effort kept several drives going.

“We play for each other,” said Walker. “If we keep being consistent and keep drives going, we’ll be all right.”