Riders' linebacker Barrin Simpson may need some divine intervention if he's going to be play Sunday.
Whether Saskatchewan middle linebacker Barrin Simpson is physically able to play in the Grey Cup on Sunday is up to him, the team and, to a certain extent, God.
Simpson, an ordained minister whose nickname is The Minister of Defence, has a wonky left ankle and laboured through part of last Sunday’s West final before giving way to backup Mike McCullough.
Simpson will continue to practice in hopes he’ll be ready to play by Sunday in the 98th Grey Cup against the Montreal Alouettes played this year in Edmonton.
"It will be a day-to-day thing," Simpson told Sportsnet.ca.
He injured his ankle in the final regular-season game and was scratched from the West semi-final.
Simpson led the Canadian Football League with 105 defensive tackles this year, following a season in which he was all but run out of town in Winnipeg by head coach Mike Kelly, whose outlandish, bombastic, egomaniacal behaviour led to his dismissal after only one year.
Kelly tried to project Simpson as a bad apple, effectively banning him from the team and then placing him on injured reserve for the final nine games even though the veteran was physically able to play.
Simpson challenged the move with his proactive agent Mark Maren, and had it overturned and found his way on to the roster.
"My play has never changed. I’ve always played well," he said. "Last year’s deal was difficult, but it’s a blessing to be able to move past that without any regrets or without any grudges and come be a part of the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ organization and help the team get here is very fulfilling. It’s truly a blessing to be able to go out there and do what you love to do and still be successful."
Through Riders’ general manager Brendan Taman, formerly the GM of Winnipeg, and various other members of the staff that are ex-Bombers, and the approval of Roughriders’ defensive co-ordinator Gary Etcheverry, Simpson was signed by Saskatchewan this year – and he has done the job.
"The way I’ve conducted myself in the past was the factor in people knowing me already," he said.
Simpson, a surefire future Hall of Famer, is playing in just his 10th season, though it seems like he’s been playing forever.
He was voted Rookie of the Year in 2001 with B.C. and has been a six-time CFL all-star and a seven-time divisional all-star.
This will be his third Grey Cup, each one occurring after a three-year absence beginning in 2004.
"I don’t have until 2013 to try this again," he said. "This is a great opportunity and I look forward to us going out there and getting a victory.
"Win or lose or draw, you give God the glory, but you don’t want to lose," he said with a laugh. "This is a game we play and make a living off of it, that’s a blessing in itself, so I always give God the glory. The prayer I always put in is to ask God to bless us as a team to play to the best of our abilities. If we play to the best of our ability, I believe in my heart it will be good enough to win.
