By his own admission, Tre Roberson didn’t have his greatest game against the Montreal Alouettes two weeks ago.
Like it or not, that happens. It’s just that when you’re a defensive back, your mistakes are generally pretty obvious for anyone to see.
It’s the way a guy responds, though, that matters most.
And Roberson responded in a big way last Friday against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, coming down with two massive interceptions.
It was exactly what the Calgary Stampeders wanted and needed.
“He loves football,” said Stamps GM/head coach Dave Dickenson. “He loves to practise, he loves to play. I’ll be a realist, I don’t think he had as good a week as he wanted the previous week and, you know, whether people listen to this or that or other people talking, Tre didn’t lose a bit of confidence.
“He stepped right back in there.”
Roberson made a statement against the Bombers and not just to the people who were writing him off, but to himself, as well.
It had been five years since he’d put together a multi-interception game, which he previously did against the Saskatchewan Roughriders early in his breakout 2019 season.
But it hasn’t always been an easy path since.
Roberson signed an NFL contract later that year, joining the Chicago Bears, but his stint south of the border was interrupted by bad injury luck.
Then, he returned to the Stamps late in the 2021 season and was productive in the three games he played.
But in 2022, Roberson’s campaign was cut short by a devastating knee injury that also prevented him from doing any real off-season work. His winter was mostly spent on rehabbing his knee, and he’d barely touched a football field before training camp in 2023.
Last year, he was trying to get back to being the player he knew he could be, but it was a struggle — a frustrating one, at times.
With all that in mind, it’s no surprise that a two-interception game like the one he had last weekend was a big deal to the 31-year-old.
“You know, it felt good,” Roberson said. “I’ve been trying to have a performance like that since 2019 with all the injuries, going to the NFL, having another injury and just everything going on.
“Last year, going through the whole year with the injury so I can get my confidence back, and then coming back into this year with the confidence, to be able to make those plays and show those ball skills and show that I still have the ability to do it, that’s good for my confidence.”
The Stamps could definitely use an at-his-best Roberson.
Five games into the season, the defensive backfield has already been hit by injuries. It’s the third straight year where that’s happened, and the team’s system relies on communication and continuity.
Having a veteran and a leader like Roberson firing on all cylinders is a big boost.
And it didn’t go unnoticed that he bounced back from a tough game with a dynamic performance against the Bombers.
“All DBs will get beat, we’re hoping that his instincts are correct and he makes the plays he’s been making,” Dickenson said as the Stamps (2-3) prepare to face the BC Lions (5-1) at McMahon Stadium on Sunday (5 p.m., TSN, QR Calgary). “He does have, I think, the (three) interceptions and a fumble recovery. He’s been one of the guys getting the ball, which is what we want.”
It’s worth noting, too, that Roberson’s three interceptions this season have him sitting second in the CFL. Only the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ Rolan Milligan has more, with four.
That doesn’t mean he’s happy with the way he played against the Alouettes.
But one game does not make a player.
“There’s times in games where I don’t even get a pass even thrown my way,” Roberson said. “People see that as, ‘Oh, he’s not making plays’, but the ball’s not coming. When I get targets like that, it feels good. I gave up a couple big plays last week, but that happens. That happens to every single person, people throw interceptions, people drop balls, things happen. That’s the name of the game, you’ve just got to keep moving forward and keep on playing.”