CALGARY — Louie Sakoda hardly bristles at the question: ‘Are you a player on this team?’
The kid from San Jose who would look young for a high-school team sure stands out among his Saskatchewan Roughriders teammates.
But then, everything about Sakoda’s past seven weeks are out of the ordinary.
When punter Jamie Boreham injured his neck Oct. 2 against the B.C., the Riders put out an emergency call to Sakoda, a Utah product who was working at his alma mater trying to start a clothing line.
The conversation went basically: ‘We might need you, can you come?’
The initial offer was $500 a week on the practice roster for insurance as the Riders found out if Luca Congi could add punting and kickoffs to his duties.
“At first, I was kind of opposed to it,” said the 23-year-old. “I have to drop all this stuff and come to a league I know nothing about.
“I don’t know if I will get an opportunity to actually play. I decided I don’t have a lot of job opportunities the past few years. The NFL isn’t kicking down my door.”
After a week on the PR in what Sakoda calls a generous tryout, the import was added to the active roster just to do kickoffs, which wasn’t something he did in college.
The following week, a meeting with the Lions, Sakoda took over punting duties.
Now in the Grey Cup, Sakoda is a veteran of four games, and he’s playing in the big one Sunday. He didn’t even know anything about the Grey Cup six weeks ago.
Walking around the Riders breakfast Thursday at the team hotel, the 5-foot-9, 170-lb. Sakoda looks more like an equipment assistant than someone on the active roster.
“I feel like a little boy among men,” Sakoda said about his Riders teammates. “Most of these guys are in their 30s with kids and a career outside of this. They have 10-year plans. I’m just starting to shave.
“It’s been half the battle, just getting over being friends with these guys. Most of these relationships were forged in training camp and were built over the season.
“Everybody has a roommate or there are cliques here and there. I also have to deal with the friendly competition with the kickers (Congi and Boreham). Do these guys hate me? They are friendly, but I don’t know they are thinking.
“It’s been great really.”
Sakoda has a 44.0-yard average on punts and 63.7-yard on kickoffs. His main value is he allows Congi to concentrate on field goals, and that justifies using an import spot on him.
The ratio is just another thing he’s learned about, but what he as also found out is the Riders are a tight team.
How many teams have a quarterback (Darian Durant) who rooms with the kicker (Congi).
So the little punter fits in well?
“It’s a dynamic you don’t see anywhere,” Sakoda said. “I feel like I can talk to anyone on the team, especially since I was able to help. I hope I’ve earned my stripes to some degree.
“Hopefully I’m not just the guy who speaks when spoken to.”
