Saskatchewan Roughriders thread

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Since yesterday was Remembrance Day, I note quite a record of service by Roughriders.

At least 23 members of the 1939 Roughriders served in the Canadian or American branches of the military at various times during the war.

Richter adds that at least four footballers with ties to Regina died during the Second World War — Freddy (Ripper) Ray, Ernie (Si) Simonson, Claude Warwick and Alexander Spencer Page. ...

Richter’s research also revealed that 10 former RRC players did not return from the First World War — Lyman Edward (Hick) Abbott, Thomas (Tommy) Herbert Blair, William Robert (Bob) Boucher, Clarence Russell (Clarrie) Dale, Harold Lamont (Howie) Longworthy, Robert Leggat, Norman Howard Pawley, James Douglas Scott, Merrill Samuel (Sam) Taylor and Russell Barr (Punk) Thomson.

https://leaderpost.com/sports/footba...ied-in-service

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The Riders have resigned three year Canadian veteran OL Braden Schram and Global WR Max Zimmerman who played one game in 2019 and then was placed on the PR.

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Saskatchewan has resigned several Canadians: OL Brendon Labatte, a six time CFL all star and 2013 Most Oustanding Lineman; OL Dan Clark, who like Labatte won a Grey Cup with the Riders in 2013; WR Jake Harty, who played three years with Ottawa where he won a Grey Cup in 2016, and Jordan Reaves, who played mostly on ST where he had 12 tackles in 2019; former three year Argo veteran LB Nakas Onyeka; and 2019 rookie Charnel Dabire, who had 12 tackles and a sack; LB/ST Micah Teitz, who has 24 tackles 27 games for the Riders.

Former 2019 Argo DL Freddie Bishop, who also played for Calgary and in the NFL and AAF has joined the Riders. American all-star WR Shaq Evans, who caught receptions for 1,334 yards in 2019 has signed a one year extension. The Riders have also resigned three year veteran American DB Nick Marshall, who had five interceptions in 2019. Three Americans have opted back into their 2021 contracts DB AJ Hendy, most recently played in New York the XFL after several NFL tryouts, DB Champ Cheevers who played in one Atlanta NFL preseason game; and Chris Livings, DE at McNeese State. American DB Jeremy Clark also signed with the Rider after playing for Seattle in the XFL and 2 games in 2years in the NFL. Blace Brown, another American DB who got into two games with the Riders in 2019, has signed a two year extension. American WR Sam Coates and playing 44 games with three NFL teams over four years, gaining 528 yards on 29 receptions. Saskatchewan added two new Americans to their roster: DL Keion Adams, who has NFL TC experience; and former North Texas QB Mason Fine, who is ranked 28th all-time in US college football history in passing yardage.

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It is increasingly looking like DE Charleston Hughes is heading to free agency due to salary cap considerations.

However the riders have signed a number of other players including: former Argo Canadian OL and Riders 2016 first overall pick Josiah St. John; RB Will Powell, who had three consecutive 1,000+ rushing yard seasons from 2017 to 2019 with the Redblacks and Riders; WR Shaq Evans, who had 1300+ receiving yards in his 2019 sophomore year; DB Ed Gainey, 2017-18 CFL All-Star and 2017 Rider nominee for Most Outstanding Defensive Player; three year Rider veteran OLT Terran Vaughn, with responsibility for protecting Fajardo's blindside; DB LJ McCray, who had 47 DT and 3 interceptions in 2019 in 13 games; WR Jordan Williams Lambert, who missed all but three games due to injury in 2019 but had 764 receiving yards in 2018; three year NFL veteran Demarcus Ayers; two year NFL DB Christian Campbell; OL Andrew Lauderdale, who attended NFL TC with the 49ers and Bills; DL Tim Williams who played 20 games in three NFL seasons; QB Tom Flacco, who finished fifth in voting for the Walter Payton award in 2018 while at Towson University; former XFL and AAF DL Trenton Thompson, who first signed with the Riders in 2020; former University of Alamaba Birmingham first team All-Conference DL Garrett Marino; 2016 first overall pick and WR Carlos Henderson, who had one reception for 15 yards in 2019; and Global OL Rene Brassea, who played 17 games in 2019;

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The Riders have signed six members of their 2020 draft picks.

OL Mattland Riley (6’3 – 300lbs) was selected by the Riders 7th overall in the 2020 CFL Draft. The Melfort product spent four seasons at the University of Saskatchewan appearing in 31 games for the Huskies, and playing his final season at left guard. In 2019, Riley was part of the offensive line that lifted its running back to an incredible 1,610 yards and nine touchdowns on 195 carries.

WR Kian Schaffer-Baker (6’4–195lbs) spent four collegiate seasons at the University of Guelph. The Mississauga native played in 28 games recording 95 receptions for 1,544 yards and eight touchdowns. He impressed at the 2019 East-West Bowl where he led all receivers with five catches for 126 yards and a touchdown. 

LB AJ  Allen (6’1–210lbs) finished his fourth year of eligibility at the University of Guelph in 2019 playing in 31 games as a defensive lineman. The Burlington native made 63.5 tackles, five-and-a-half sacks,12 tackles for loss, one forced fumble and three fumble recoveries. Allen has shown tremendous versatility during his collegiate career, lining up at both linebacker and defensive end. In 2018, he was named a OUA Second Team All-Star.

DB Vincent Dethier (5’11–196lbs) completed his fourth year as a defensive back for McGill University.  The 24-year-old recorded 104.5 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, four quarterback sacks, four interceptions, eight knockdowns, six fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles in 34 games played.  

RB Jonathan  Femi-Cole (5’10–218lbs) finished his first season at Western University in 2019. The Ontario native played in eight games for the Mustangs recording 40 carries for 174 yards and five touchdowns while adding four tackles.  Prior to playing at Western, Femi-Cole attended the University of Minnesota where he played in 13 games, making one reception for 13 yards and 15 carries for 67 yards.  

OL  Jesse Lawson (6’6–285lbs) spent two years with the Carleton Ravens playing in nine games as an offensive lineman. Lawson played in the 2019 East-West Bowl and was in the Top-20 on the Central Scouting Bureau list for much of 2019. Prior to attending Carleton, the BC native spent time with the Langley Rams and the White Rock Titans of the Canadian Junior Football League.

https://www.riderville.com/2021/01/1...l-draft-class/

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Word is that former Argo OL and now Rider GM Jeremy O'Day is looking to save money and get younger by allowing Jon Ryan (39), Charleston Hughes (37), Solomon Elimimian (35), and Patrick Lavoie (33) enter free agency. O'Day discusses the Rider's situation as free agency approaches in the video below.

https://www.riderville.com/2021/01/2...agency-primer/

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Saskatchewan has signed American DB Kenneth Acker, who spent five years in the NFL and WR Artavis Scott, who spent four years in the NFL, mostly on PRs.

Acker (6’0-195lbs) joins the Roughriders after five years in the NFL, playing in 40 regular season games. He was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the sixth round (180th overall) of the 2014 NFL Draft. He went on to play 15 games in 2015 making 63 tackles, three interceptions and 21 passes defended. The Oregon native was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs in 2016 and suited up for 25 games, earning 39 tackles, four passes defended and one interception. He also had stops with the Indianapolis Colts and the Jacksonville Jaguars. Acker played four collegiate seasons at South Methodist University (2010-2013) where in his senior year he was named American Athletic Conference Second Team and to the Thorpe Award Watch List. ...

Scott (5’11-195lbs) joins the Roughriders after signing with the Los Angeles Chargers as an undrafted free agent following the 2017 NFL Draft. Scott spent the better part of three seasons with the Chargers, primarily on the practice roster before moving on to the Indianapolis Colts in 2020. Most recently, Scott was on the Houston Texans’ practice roster. Scott was a standout receiver for the Clemson Tigers, earning All-ACC receiver honours in all three of his collegiate seasons. He finished his career with the most receptions in program history (245) for 2,458 yards (10.0 avg.) and 19 touchdowns (fifth in Clemson history) over 43 games.

https://www.riderville.com/2021/01/2...kenneth-acker/

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OT Anthonio Garcia, who was a third round draft pick in 2017 but bounced around the NFL for three years on four teams without playing a down and had a four game PED suspension, has signed with the Riders.

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Former six year NFL veteran OL Seantrel Henderson, who played in 39 games for Buffalo and Houston, has signed with the Riders.

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The Riders have re-signed DL Micah Johnson, who made $250,000 in 2019 which was the highest defensive player in the CFL. I'm sure he's not getting anywhere near that now.

Rider OL Evan Johnson has also resigned with the team.

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Riders have signed both LB twins Jordan, who had 37 DT and 8 ST tackles with BC as well as a sack and a FF in 2019, and Justin Herdman-Reed, who started 7 games for the Argos in 2019, with similar numbers of 37 DT and 5 STs, as well as 2 sacks and 2 FFs.

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The Riders have been busy following the start of free agency in signing:

Canadian kicker Jon Ryan (6’0 – 217lbs) will return to the Riders for the 2021 season having initially signed with his hometown Club in 2019 after a 12-year CFL hiatus. Ryan played in all 18 games of the 2019 season, making 107 punts for 5,222 yards and a 48.8 yards per punt average. His longest punt spanned 77 yards and he placed nine punts inside the opponents 10-yard line. The 39-year-old was the Roughriders 2019 nominee for Most Outstanding Special Teams Player and was named West Division All-Star. Prior to his return to Saskatchewan, Ryan played in 191 NFL games making 914 punts for 40,985 yards – 311 of which landed inside the 20-yard line. The Regina native amassed a career average punt of 44.7 yards with a net average of 38.7 yards. Prior to his NFL career, Ryan played two seasons with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2004 and 2005. He was named an all-star in 2005 after leading the league with a 50.6 yard punting average.

American LB Larry Dean (6’0-226lbs) joins the Roughriders after returning to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 2020. Dean spent most of his career with the Ti-Cats but played the 2019 season with the Edmonton Football Team. Dean has not missed a single regular season game, playing in 72 over the last four seasons. Over that time, he has earned 365 defensive tackles, eight special teams tackles, six sacks, three interceptions – including one he returned for a touchdown – 16 pass knockdowns and five forced fumbles. He also played in five playoff games. Dean is a three-time divisional all-star (2017–19), was the East Division’s nominee for Most Outstanding Defensive Player in 2018 and was Edmonton’s nominee for Most Outstanding Defensive Player in 2019.

Canadian DB Godfrey Onyeka (6’2-200) joins the Green and White after spending two seasons with the Edmonton Football Team. He played 27 games making five defensive tackles and 13 special teams tackles. Onyeka was selected in the second round (10th overall) by Edmonton in the 2018 CFL Draft. The Brampton native was a standout at Wilfred Laurier University where he was a three-time USPORTS First Team All-Canadian, a three-time OUA First Team All-Star and a 2014 OUA All-Rookie. In 2016, he helped the Golden Hawks win the OUA Championship.

National LB Kevin Francis (6’5-220 lbs) returns to the Green and White after a two-year hiatus, having signed with the Lions for the 2020 season and played the 2019 season with the Ottawa REDBLACKS. The 27-year-old entered the CFL with the Riders after he was selected in the 2016 Supplemental Draft. A gifted special teamer, Francis has played 52 career CFL games making 15 defensive tackles, 37 special teams tackles and two forced fumbles. Francis was also noted for his special teams play in college, where he played 34 games, starting in 10, as a tight end at North Carolina A&T. The Toronto born, New York raised Francis collected 17 receptions for 163 yards in his time as an Aggie and made eight special teams tackles.

American DB Damon Webb (5’11 – 195) signed with the NFL’s Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent in 2018.  He played in four preseason games for the Titans recording five tackles and two pass deflections. Webb spent four collegiate seasons at Ohio State playing in 35 games and recording 131 tackles, four tackles for loss, two touchdowns from six interceptions, seven pass deflections, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries.

American DB Lorenzo Jerome (5’11-205lbs) comes to the Roughriders after spending the 2019 season with the Calgary Stampeders. The 26-year-old played seven games for the Stamps, making 11 defensive tackles, six special teams tackles and one interception. Prior to coming to the CFL, Jerome was signed by the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent in 2017 playing in four regular season games and making three tackles. He spent a brief period with the Seattle Seahawks in 2018 playing in all four pre-season games and notching 13 tackles.

https://www.riderville.com/2021/02/1...eturns-riders/

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Rider GM decided he couldn't wait for National LB Cameron Judge to complete his NFL workout and instead used the money to sign Canadian twin LB Herdman-Reed brothers.

Canadian OL Vincent Roy, a sixth round 2019 draft pick who attended TC and then went back to college has decided to retire.

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The Riders have signed former NFL WR Charone Peake, who had 22 receptions for 214 yards in 32 games between 2016 and 2020 with the Jets and Jaguars.

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Saskatchewan has signed American OL Chidi Okeke while WR Artavius Scott, who had yet to play a CFL game has retired to take a coaching job, and several players have been released:

RELEASED:

• National defensive back Shamar Busby
• American offensive lineman Lanard Bonner
• American offensive lineman Devon Johnson
• American defensive lineman Kelcy Quarles

Okeke (6’5-315lbs) signed with the Washington Football Team as an undrafted free agent in 2019 before going on to spend time with the Kansas City Chiefs and on the Miami Dolphins practice roster.
Prior to his time with the NFL, Okeke played two seasons at Tennessee State University (2017-18) after transferring from Louisiana State University. As a Fighting Tiger he played in all 20 games, starting in 19 at left tackle. In his final collegiate season, the 24-year-old helped lead the offensive unit to an average of 431.3 yards per game, a 105 yard per game increase in total yardage from previous season. He went on to be named Phil Steele All-OVC First Team and All-Ohio Valley Conference First Team. At LSU he played nine games, mostly on special teams, after redshirting as a freshman. Okeke had never played football until his family came to the United States from Nigeria in 2013.

https://www.cfl.ca/players/artavis-scott/165910/

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QB Luke Falk, who had a spectacular college career as well as some limited game experience in the NFL, has signed with the Riders. The team also released American QB Justice Hansen.

Falk (6’4-215lbs) joins the Roughriders after spending two seasons in the NFL. Falk played three games, starting in two for the New York Jets in 2019, completing 47 passes for 416 yards. The 26-year-old was selected in the sixth round, 199th overall, by the Tennessee Titans in the 2018 NFL Draft, playing in four pre-season games. He also spent time with the Miami Dolphins. The Utah native spent five collegiate seasons at Washington State University after making the team as a walk-on in 2013. He went on to play 43 career games, earning 14,486 yards passing and averaging 327.6 yards per game, 7.1 yards per pass and throwing 119 touchdowns. Falk’s exceptional college career is highlighted by several record-breaking moments. He is ranked eighth all-time in passing yards in NCAA Division 1 history. He set the Pac-12 Conference and WSU career records for passing yards (14,486), total offense (14,086), passing touchdowns (119), pass completions (357), pass attempts (534) and total plays (2,306) and WSU records with 30 300-yard games and seven career fourth-quarter comeback wins. He is a three-time All-Pac-12 Conference selection and took home the Burlsworth Trophy in 2017, which is awarded to America’s top former walk-on.

https://www.riderville.com/2021/02/1...ack-luke-falk/

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Several more players have signed with the Riders: Canadian Brett Boyko, who spent three years in the NFL and one in the AAF, but was released by the BC Lions after performing poorly on a weak OL; former NFL DL Anthony Lanier II, who played 15 games for Washington in the NFL; former NFL DB Kentrell Brice, who played 36 games for the Packers, Bears, Cardinals and Buccaneers with 94 DTs, one sack and one interception; and former NFL RB Ralph Webb, who rushed for 102 yards in four pre-season games with Tampa Bay, after gaining 4,172 yards and being the all-time rushing leader at Vanderbilt University.

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The Riders have re-signed Canadian kicker Brett Lauther, who was 32/41 in 2019 and 54/60 in 2018 in FGs, as well as American DB Deiondre Hall, who played in 23 games for the Chicago Bears and Philadelphia Eagles while making 13 DTs.

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Below is a look at the Riders' Global draft picks:

• Christopher Ezeala (RB – Germany) – 1st round, 5th overall

• Kaare Vedvik (P – Norway) – 2nd round, 14th overall
• John Henry Nell (K – South Africa) – 3rd round, 23rd overall
• Sebastien Sagne (WR – Finland) – 4th round, 32nd overall

Ezeala (6’0 – 251lbs) spent two seasons (2018-19) on the Baltimore Ravens practice roster as part of the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program, playing in nine preseason games. In Germany, the 25-year-old played for the Ingolstadt Dukes in 2017 contributing on offence, defence and special teams. He rushed for 206 yards and one touchdown, made 61 tackles, 19 tackles for a loss and 10 sacks and recorded nine punts for 326 yards. He played linebacker for the Allgaeu Comets in 2015 and 2016 recording 144 tackles, 31 tackles for a loss, five sacks, one interception, one pass deflection and one fumble recovery. Last name pronounced: eh-ZAH-lah.

Vedvik (6’3 – 210lbs) was initially signed as an undrafted free agent by the Baltimore Ravens in 2018, and went on to spend time with a number of NFL teams including the Ravens, Minnesota Vikings, New York Jets and Buffalo Bills. He played one regular season game with the Jets, and an additional nine preseason games between 2018 and 2019, making 19 punts, seven of which landed inside the 20-yard line and a total 760 net yards. He made five of his eight field goals attempts in the 2019 pre-season and 21 kickoffs for an average of 63 yards. Prior to the NFL, Vedvik spent five collegiate seasons at Marshall. As a senior in 2017 he punted 59 times for 2,597 yards and a 44.0-yard average on his way to being named to the Conference USA all-conference first team. Vedvik made national headlines for a 92-yard punt against Old Dominion which is the seventh-longest in FBS history and the longest by an FBS punter in 45 years.  ...

Nell (5’11 – 207lbs) began kicking in North America in 2018, after growing up playing rugby in South Africa. He has spent the last two seasons with the Indoor Football League and the National Arena League. In his rookie football season with the Maine Mammoth, he broke a NAL record with 13 made field goals while going 52-of-66 on PATs. He also successfully made 11 deuces and scored 99 points overall for the squad while being named an All-NAL Kicker. In 2019, he was sent up to the Arena Football League’s Baltimore Brigade from the Cedar Rapids River Kings after ranking first in the IFL for field goals made and field goals attempted and holding the league’s second longest field goal at 50 yards.

Sagne (6’2 – 200lbs) had a strong showing at the CFL’s Global Combine this year posting 4.53 speed and a 10-foot-five and 3/8 inch broad jump. Sagne spent four seasons playing football in Germany. With the Frankfurt Universe in 2018 and 2019 he earned 1,071 yards and 17 touchdowns despite missing 11 games with an injury. In 2016 and 2017 he played for Dresden where he made 118 receptions for 2,189 yards and 33 touchdowns. The Finnish native started his football career in his home country with the Helsinki Wolverines in 2013. He played in just six regular season games that year making 18 catches for 337 yards but put himself on the map in the championship game with three catches for 138 yards and two touchdowns. In 2014, he was one of the top receivers the league with 1,063 yards and 10 touchdowns on 73 receptions.

https://www.riderville.com/2021/04/1...-global-draft/

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WR Tevin Jones, who attended Houston, KC, Pittsburgh and Dallas TCs, and played five games for the Cowboys, making 4 catches for 61 yards, has signed with the Riders.