Saskatchewan Roughriders thread

[R.J]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="da" dir="ltr">TRADE ALERT: <a href="https://twitter.com/sskroughriders">@sskroughriders</a> have acquired national DT Gregory Alexandre from <a href="https://twitter.com/EdmontonEsks">@EdmontonEsks</a> for national LB Alex Ogbongbemiga <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CFL?src=hash">#CFL</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TSN?src=hash">#TSN</a></p>&mdash; CFL on TSN (@CFLonTSN) <a href="https://twitter.com/CFLonTSN/status/762760077195538434">August 8, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Jones sure does like bringing in players that he's dealt with before. Good trade by the Eskimos IMO.

[OV Argo]

<twitterwidget class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" id="twitter-widget-0" data-tweet-id="762760077195538434" style="position: static; visibility: visible; display: block; transform: rotate(0deg); max-width: 100%; width: 500px; min-width: 220px; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"></twitterwidget><script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> Jones sure does like bringing in players that he's dealt with before. Good trade by the Eskimos IMO.


Alexandre has shown he can play DT in the CFL; ego-Jones has been starting an ex- DE (Mrabure) he poached off the Lions PR at DT cause of his "ratio problem" due to he has no clue about Canadian talent or figures good "athletes" automatically make good football players; this move makes sense for the Riders - compared to a lot of their other moves this season.<iframe id="rufous-sandbox" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: absolute; visibility: hidden; display: none; width: 0px; height: 0px; padding: 0px; border: none;"></iframe>

[R.J]

http://www.riderville.com/2016/08/09/78914/

SIGNED:

International defensive back Kacy Rodgers



ADDED TO PRACTICE ROSTER:

National running back Dillon Campbell
International running back Michael Ford
National defensive lineman Makana Henry
International wide receiver Caleb Holley
International linebacker Marte Sears


RELEASED:

National defensive back Joel Brtka
International quarterback B.J. Coleman
International defensive lineman Cedric McKinley
National offensive lineman Aaron Picton
National offensive lineman D-Tre Player


RETIRED:

International defensive back Terrelll Maze

Good to see Campbell get another shot in the CFL. Picton and Player being released is interesting considering all of their injuries on the offensive line; I'd like to see the Argonauts take a look see with them.

[ArgoRavi]

Player was let go by Winnipeg just before the Riders released him. B.C. chose not to retain him either. His career may be nearing the end.

[ArgoGabe22]

Jones should probably avoid making anymore trades. Has any trade worked out yet? McKinely was just acquired and now released.

[R.J]

Someone's paranoid.


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Fans are being asked to sign in at Riders practice. Chris Jones says that some information was &quot;leaked to Ottawa&quot; a few weeks ago.</p>&mdash; Rob Vanstone (@robvanstone) <a href="https://twitter.com/robvanstone/status/763812050229301249">August 11, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[AngeloV]

No. It's just that everybody is against him.

:D

[R.J]

No. It's just that everybody is against him.

:D
What makes it funnier is that the Riders beat Ottawa.

[AngeloV]

What makes it funnier is that the Riders beat Ottawa.

LOL. I didn't even consider that.

[Argo57]

Someone's paranoid.


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Fans are being asked to sign in at Riders practice. Chris Jones says that some information was &quot;leaked to Ottawa&quot; a few weeks ago.</p>&mdash; Rob Vanstone (@robvanstone) <a href="https://twitter.com/robvanstone/status/763812050229301249">August 11, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Apparently cavity searches were considered by Jones but the league said no.

[Double Dare]

Apparently cavity searches were considered by Jones but the league said no. Jones was going to administer them personally.

[R.J]

The Riders were fined again.
http://www.tsn.ca/riders-again-fined-by-cfl-for-field-violation-1.546337

[Double Dare]

The Riders were fined again.
http://www.tsn.ca/riders-again-fined-by-cfl-for-field-violation-1.546337 It was all Bo's fault! ; )

[R.J]

It was all Bo's fault! ; )
Chris Jones really is deserving of his nickname this season.

[KCargosfan]

If Orridge wants to send a message he needs to suspend Jones for a game. Fining the richest team in the league meager amounts of money isn't exactly much of a penalty.

[PullTogether73]

If Orridge wants to send a message he needs to suspend Jones for a game. Fining the richest team in the league meager amounts of money isn't exactly much of a penalty.

I mentioned in another thread that Jones has to be VERY close to a suspension.
I'm not sure how, as coach and general manager, he dodged one over the extra players in practices issue last week, but I guess the league couldn't definitively pin that on him.

[mchesher03]

I'm enjoying the dumpster fire that is the RIders this year. Throw the book at them for all I care, rules are rules. Also amusing has been some of their beat writers (cough Pedersen cough) being totally exposed as cheerleaders in this. I follow a few and he's by and far just the worst and imo embarassing himself. must make the more objective (and good) beat reports like Justin Dunk shake their head.

[Argo]

I'm enjoying the dumpster fire that is the RIders this year. Throw the book at them for all I care, rules are rules. Also amusing has been some of their beat writers (cough Pedersen cough) being totally exposed as cheerleaders in this. I follow a few and he's by and far just the worst and imo embarassing himself. must make the more objective (and good) beat reports like Justin Dunk shake their head.

"Monorail" Jones better have the Riders' trajectory on the upswing by the end of this season or the natives will become rather restless.

[R.J]

"Monorail" Jones better have the Riders' trajectory on the upswing by the end of this season or the natives will become rather restless.
Jones seems to currently have this god like status in Riderville, I wonder how many losses it will take for the shine to rub off ?

[R.J]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Turns out <a href="https://twitter.com/sskroughriders">@sskroughriders</a> not only team fined for midfield logo infraction in 2016, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/stamps?src=hash">#stamps</a> tagged too. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/als?src=hash">#als</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/esks?src=hash">#esks</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ticats?src=hash">#ticats</a> in 2014 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/cfl?src=hash">#cfl</a></p>&mdash; gary lawless (@garylawless) <a href="https://twitter.com/garylawless/status/765261942013431808">August 15, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


This can't be true.................. I've continually heard that the League is only out to get the Riders.
In all seriousness though, is this whole standing on the logo thing only an issue when you're the away team ?

[argolio]

Jones seems to currently have this god like status in Riderville, I wonder how many losses it will take for the shine to rub off ?He's got 2016-17 with an old stadium closing and a new stadium opening. So safe until 2018?

[Argo]

He's got 2016-17 with an old stadium closing and a new stadium opening. So safe until 2018?

This is logical. Also, the Riders have made such a heavy (and drastic as it turned out) investment in Jones that inertia is in effect.
The natives could still become terribly restless along the way of course.

[R.J]

http://www.riderville.com/2016/08/16/riders-acquire-bennett-and-hecht-from-stampeders/

The Saskatchewan Roughriders have acquired international defensive back Fred Bennett and national defensive back Jeff Hecht from the Calgary Stampeders in exchange for two negotiation list players.

Bennett lost his starting job in Calgary, so good to see him get another opportunity. Don't know much about Hecht, but the Riders do need some Canadians.

[ArgoGabe22]

John Chiles just got released.

I wanted him to re-sign here after his NFL stint but was returning from a concussion and it seemed like we had lots of options at receiver. He's familiar with this offence and if he can return to his old form then I do think he'll be an upgrade over Miles and Bates.

[1argoholic]

Hard to tell at this point. Barker might not want to take that path again. Wish he didn't leave but I'm not sure I'd bring him in now.

[Argo]

John Chiles just got released.

I wanted him to re-sign here after his NFL stint but was returning from a concussion and it seemed like we had lots of options at receiver. He's familiar with this offence and if he can return to his old form then I do think he'll be an upgrade over Miles and Bates.

By all means bring Chiles in for a good look.

[AngeloV]

By all means bring Chiles in for a good look.

I wouldn't be against it. What's the worst that can happen? If they decide he can't make them better, they release him.

[ArgoRavi]

I wouldn't be against it. What's the worst that can happen? If they decide he can't make them better, they release him.

This is my feeling as well. I can't believe that the Riders can't use a solid receiver like John Chiles.

[AngeloV]

This is my feeling as well. I can't believe that the Riders can't use a solid receiver like John Chiles.

They may have decided that this year is a throw away season, and are trying to get their younger receivers as many reps as possible. I'm sure they looked for a trading partner first.

[R.J]

They may have decided that this year is a throw away season, and are trying to get their younger receivers as many reps as possible. I'm sure they looked for a trading partner first.
"Extended Training Camp" I think it's called, but yeah throw away season, gotta see what the youth can do. Hey, maybe that's why Jones thought it was okay to have 20 extra guys around lol.

[paulwoods13]

John Chiles just got released.

I wanted him to re-sign here after his NFL stint but was returning from a concussion and it seemed like we had lots of options at receiver. He's familiar with this offence and if he can return to his old form then I do think he'll be an upgrade over Miles and Bates.

I spoze he might be better than our seventh- or eighth-best INT receivers, but so what? I think Chiles is overrated based on his first year here, when he was very good, as well as his speed and his being a cousin of Rocket Ismail. His second year with the Argos, he dropped a lot of catchable passes. His first few games with Sask, same thing. No harm in seeing if he can squeeze past Miles on the depth chart, but I hope we don't see any receiver that far down the chart play another game this season.

[R.J]

Riders ink Canadian RB after he asks for release from Eskimos
http://3downnation.com/2016/09/01/riders-ink-canadian-rb-off-eskimos-practice-roster/

Rider signed Khalif Mitchell to practice roster.
http://3downnation.com/2016/08/31/khalif-mitchell-signing-raises-eyebrows-across-saskatchewan/

^This is scrap heaping at it's best.

[R.J]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Per <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CFL?src=hash">#CFL</a> sources: The Saskatchewan Roughriders have fired their training staff. <br> <br>Typical pro sports. Go 5-13, easy scapegoat are trainers.</p>&mdash; Arash Madani (@ArashMadani) <a href="https://twitter.com/ArashMadani/status/809088319837577218">December 14, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

What the ?

[OV Argo]

<iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="position: static; visibility: visible; display: block; width: 500px; height: 224.616px; padding: 0px; border: none; max-width: 100%; min-width: 220px; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;" data-tweet-id="809088319837577218" title="Twitter Tweet"></iframe>
<script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

What the ?

Jonestown. Under the bus you go as the supreme leader has taken some criticism from some non-believer natives.

Big season coming up though. Damn that pesky, nuisance ratio. ;o)

<iframe id="rufous-sandbox" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: absolute; visibility: hidden; display: none; width: 0px; height: 0px; padding: 0px; border: none;" title="Twitter analytics iframe"></iframe>

[jerrym]

DB Ed Gainey has signed an extension through 2019 to stay with the Riders.


The team announced the contract in a news release on Wednesday, saying its policy prevented the release of the financial details.
The 26-year-old has been with the Roughriders since February, when he signed with the team as a free agent.
Last season, he played 17 regular season games and registered 49 defensive tackles, seven special tackles and three interceptions. He also had one fumble recovery that he returned 51 yards for a touchdown.
Prior to joining the Roughriders, Gainey spent the 2012 and 2013 seasons with the Montreal Alouettes, before spending the next two seasons with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.



http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/ed-gainey-contract-roughriders-2019-1.3914453

[jerrym]

Canadian kicker Tyler Crapigna has extended with the Riders for three years.




The Saskatchewan Roughriders announced today national kicker Tyler Crapigna has signed an extension to remain with the team through 2019.
Crapigna was acquired by the Riders in October, 2015 from the Calgary Stampeders after he was originally selected in the 5th round (40th overall) of the 2014 CFL Draft.
Last season, the 24-year-old connected on 36 of 42 field goal attempts (85.7%) with a 53-yard long and 22 of 25 convert attempts (88.0%) while adding 51 kickoffs for 3,110 yards. He was named the Riders Most Outstanding Special Teams Player and Most Outstanding Canadian.
Prior to entering the CFL, Crapigna spent five seasons at McMaster University where he became the Canadian Interuniversity Sport’s all-time leader in field goals. He completed his collegiate career with 84 field goals, six singles and 140 extra points for a total of 398 points, while also amassing 9,489 punting yards.


http://www.riderville.com/players/tyler-crapigna/160702/

[jerrym]

The Riders have resigned Nationals Kelvin Muamba and Jordan Reaves and signed International Daniel Thomas.



Thomas (6’2 – 225) played 52 regular season games through four seasons with the Miami Dolphins after originally being selected by the team in the 2nd round (62nd overall) of the 2011 NFL Draft. Along the way the Florida native picked up 1,480 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on 409 carries while adding 412 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 55 receptions.
Before going pro, Thomas spent two seasons at Kansas State where he was named First Team All-Big 12 in 2009 and Second Team All-Big 12 in 2010.
Reaves (6’4 – 220) returns to the Riders after spending 2016 with the Green and White where he picked up two special teams tackles in five regular season games. The 26-year-old Winnipeg native was deemed a free agent after finishing the season on the teams practice roster.
Muamba (6’1 – 210) also re-joins the Riders after originally signing with the team’s practice roster in October, 2016 where he remained for the final four weeks of the season. The 23-year-old previously spent three seasons with the Laurier Golden Hawks where he caught 57 passes for 621 yards and one touchdown.
He also spent time with the Montreal Alouettes.


http://www.riderville.com/2017/01/03/86123/

[jerrym]

Mitchell Blair reviews the Rider defence below.

http://www.riderville.com/2017/01/05/breaking-down-the-d/

[jerrym]

The Riders have released Jeff Knox, who hopes to catch on in the NFL, early.



The Saskatchewan Roughriders have released international linebacker Jeff Knox Jr. so he can pursue an NFL opportunity, the team announced Saturday.
Knox spent the last two seasons with the Riders after signing with the Green and White in May, 2015. Knox picked up 179 defensive tackles, 30 special teams tackles, one interception and one quarterback sack in 35 regular season games.
Following the 2015 season, Knox was named the Riders Most Outstanding Player, Most Outstanding Defensive Player, and Most Outstanding Rookie after setting a single season franchise record with 114 defensive tackles.


http://www.cfl.ca/2017/01/14/riders-grant-jeff-knox-jr-early-release/

[jerrym]

DL Jonathan Newsome has extended with the Riders through 2018.



Newsome (6’3 – 247) joined the Riders during training camp last season after spending two seasons with the Indianapolis Colts where he was selected in the 5th round (164th overall) of the 2014 NFL Draft.
Through two seasons with the Colts, the 25-year-old product of Ball State picked up 47 defensive tackles, 7.5 quarterback sacks and four forced fumbles. Newsome finished 2014 with a team leading 6.5 quarterback sacks, the second-most amongst NFL rookies that season.
Last year, Newsome played all 18 regular season games, starting nine, collecting 27 defensive tackles, six special teams tackles and two quarterback sacks.


http://www.riderville.com/2017/01/11/jonathan-newsome-signs-extension/

[jerrym]

Rod Pederson discusses the Tyler Crapigna and Jonathan Newsome signings below.

http://www.riderville.com/2017/01/14/rods-blog-january-14th-2/

[jerrym]

DE Willie Jefferson, who signed with the Redskins last offseason but didn't make the team and then finished with the Riders after two years in Edmonton, has signed with the Riders again.



http://globalnews.ca/news/3192778/montreal-alouettes-sign-veteran-quarterback-durant-to-three-year-deal/


http://www.cfl.ca/2017/01/20/riders-ink-jefferson-contract-extension/

[jerrym]

Luc Mullinder discusses the importance of the signing Jonathon Newsome for the Riders below.

http://www.riderville.com/2017/01/20/jonathon-newsome-analysis/

[OV Argo]

Ego-Jones goes out and signs FAs Duron Carter (son of NFL HOFer Chris Carter in case some of you don't know), and all-time great CFL QB Kevin Glenn.

Incredible moves by a football genius. True Rider fans will hoist a glass of green kool-aid in celebration.


:rolleyes:

[Antwon]

I think half of Rider Nation is ready to kick Jones out of town.
Didn't Jones say they didn't resign Durant because he didn't win many games last year?
Well if he pulled his head out of his a$$ he would have seen Glenn didn't win that many as well!!!!!!

[jerrym]

Riders have cut four players, including two former Argos, QB Gale and RB Curtis Steele, as well as Nationals WR Shamawd Chambers and LB Dylan Ainsworth. I wouldn't mine seeing Steele, Chambers and Ainsworth (who was Riders Outstanding Special Teams Player in 2015 before missing a year due to injury) in Argo TC providing the signing price is reasonable.
http://www.cfl.ca/2017/01/27/riders-cut-four-headed-free-agency-including-gale-chambers/

[jerrym]

It seems the Riders and Als are playing musical chairs as Kevin Glenn has signed with the Riders.



Glenn (5’10 – 200) joins the Riders for the third time in his career ahead of what will be his 17th season. The Illinois State product originally entered the CFL with the Green and White in 2001, spending three seasons in Saskatchewan, before making his second stop in 2015.
Last season, Glenn started nine of ten regular season games played for the Montreal Alouettes completing 222 of 314 pass attempts (70.7%) for 2,547 yards and 13 touchdowns. He was acquired by Winnipeg on September 12th, where he went on to dress for the Blue Bombers final seven regular season games and the West Semi-Final.


http://www.riderville.com/2017/01/23/riders-sign-quarterback-kevin-glenn/

[jerrym]

Saskatchewan has added an International DB, Erick Dargan, following his impressing in a try-out camp.



Dargan (5’11 – 210) joins the Riders after four standout seasons at the University of Oregon. The 24-year-old California native picked up 188 defensive tackles, 15 interceptions and 6.5 tackles for loss in 48 career collegiate games. He was named Second Team All-Pac 12 in 2014 after leading his team, and ranking third nationally, with seven interceptions.
He played with the Ducks in the 2012 Rose Bowl and 2013 Fiesta Bowl.
After college, Dargan signed with the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent. He attended 2015 training camp where he played two preseason games registering three defensive tackles.

http://www.riderville.com/2017/01/27/riders-sign-defensive-back-erick-dargan/

[jerrym]

Here's an audio interview with Duron Carter. It doesn't sound to me like he has changed much.

http://www.cfl.ca/2017/01/26/carter-everybody-knows-what-i-can-do-on-the-field/

[jerrym]

The changes in Riderville continue to come fast and furious under the Jones regime. He has now cut DB Otha Foster.



Another Riders free agent has been granted his release early as DB Otha Foster has been cut loose by Saskatchewan the club announced today in order to pursue potential NFL opportunities. ...
Foster signed with the Riders in February of 2016 (http://www.cfl.ca/2016/02/10/riders-ink-former-eskimo-otha-foster/) and started all 18 games he played in. He collected a team-leading 71 defensive tackles and added three sacks, two special teams tackles and an interception. That performance in 2016 pushed Foster to be named the Riders 2016 Most Outstanding Defensive Player.The linebacker was acquired by the Edmonton Eskimos in May of 2014 and was there until 2015, when he won the 103rd Grey Cup with Edmonton. In his 33 games with the Eskimos over two seasons, he collected 102 defensive tackles, seven special teams tackles, three sacks, two interceptions, two touchdowns and forced two fumbles.


http://www.cfl.ca/2017/01/27/foster-released-riders-pursue-opportunities-south/

[Will]

SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS


<tbody style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;">
PLAYER
POS
NAT/INT
STATUS


Ainsworth, Dylan (http://www.cfl.ca/players/dylan-ainsworth/160670/)
LB
National
Released (01/27/17) (http://www.cfl.ca/2017/01/27/riders-cut-four-headed-free-agency-including-gale-chambers/)


Alexandre, Gregory (http://www.cfl.ca/players/gregory-alexandre/170224/)
DL
National



Bates, Phil (http://www.cfl.ca/players/phil-bates/161483/)
WR
International



Brown, Ivan (http://www.cfl.ca/players/ivan-brown/151379/)
DL
National
Extended (02/01/17) (http://www.cfl.ca/2017/02/01/riders-release-bennett-steinhauer/)


Chambers, Shamawd (http://www.cfl.ca/players/shamawd-chambers/159145/)
WR
National
Released (01/27/17) (http://www.cfl.ca/2017/01/27/riders-cut-four-headed-free-agency-including-gale-chambers/)


Chevrier, Randy (http://www.cfl.ca/players/randy-chevrier/81855/)
LB
National



Coleman, Thaddeus (http://www.cfl.ca/players/thaddeus-coleman/145655/)
OL
International



Foster, Otha (http://www.cfl.ca/players/otha-foster-iii/)
DB
International
Released (01/27/17) (NFL) (http://www.cfl.ca/2017/01/27/foster-released-riders-pursue-opportunities-south/)


Fuller, Jeff (http://www.cfl.ca/players/jeff-fuller/159258/)
WR
International



Gale, Mitchell (http://www.cfl.ca/players/mitchell-gale/159472/)
QB
International
Released (01/27/17) (http://www.cfl.ca/2017/01/27/riders-cut-four-headed-free-agency-including-gale-chambers/)


Hecht, Jeff (http://www.cfl.ca/players/jeff-hecht/158150/)
DB
National



Hus, Jorgen (http://www.cfl.ca/players/jorgen-hus/170280/)
LS
National



Irvin, Corvey (http://www.cfl.ca/players/corvey-irvin/160908/)
DL
International



Jackson, Buddy (http://www.cfl.ca/players/buddy-jackson/159793/)
DB
International
Released (12/01/16) (http://www.cfl.ca/2016/12/01/riders-release-three-including-rb-matt-walter/)


Jefferson, Willie (http://www.cfl.ca/players/willie-jefferson/159631/)
DL
International
Extended (01/20/17) (http://www.cfl.ca/2017/01/20/riders-ink-jefferson-contract-extension/)


Knox Jr., Jeff (http://www.cfl.ca/players/jeff-knox-jr/161269/)
LB
International
Released (01/14/17) (http://www.cfl.ca/2017/01/14/riders-grant-jeff-knox-jr-early-release/)


Lue, Andrew (http://www.cfl.ca/players/andrew-lue/160669/)
DB
National



Roy, Bryn (http://www.cfl.ca/players/bryn-roy/159078/)
LB
National



Steele, Curtis (http://www.cfl.ca/players/curtis-steele/155662/)
RB
International
Released (01/27/17) (http://www.cfl.ca/2017/01/27/riders-cut-four-headed-free-agency-including-gale-chambers/)


Walter, Matt (http://www.cfl.ca/players/matt-walter/170223/)
RB
National
Released (12/01/16) (http://www.cfl.ca/2016/12/01/riders-release-three-including-rb-matt-walter/)


Webster, Matt (http://www.cfl.ca/players/matt-webster/160701/)
DB
National



Williams, Jonathan (http://www.cfl.ca/players/jonathan-williams/150686/)
DL
International

</tbody>

[jerrym]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">expect <a href="https://twitter.com/sskroughriders">@sskroughriders</a> OL Thadeus Coleman test the market. Riders quiet last few days, expect them to be busy on Tuesday when <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/cfl?src=hash">#cfl</a> FA opens</p>&mdash; gary lawless (@garylawless) <a href="https://twitter.com/garylawless/status/830163822757429248">February 10, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[jerrym]

The Riders officially moved out of the old Mosaic Stadium Friday. Considering their records there over the years, the Argos are probably celebrating. Unfortunately the new stadium has the same name.



Since arriving in Regina in 1999, Jeremy O’Day has had only one workplace. Not anymore.
After 18 years of working at Mosaic Stadium, O’Day — the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ assistant vice-president of football operations and administration — spent his day Friday at new Mosaic Stadium. Other members of the CFL team’s staff who had been housed at old Mosaic Stadium officially moved out of that building Friday.


“I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t emotional,” said O’Day, who spent 12 seasons at the stadium as a Roughriders offensive lineman and the subsequent six years as a member of the team’s front office. “I’ve come to the stadium just about every day for the last 18 years and I really didn’t ever look at it like it was a bad place to go.”


O’Day has seen the old stadium go through a number of transformations, ranging from the turf on the field to the offices inside the building. He left with myriad memories from his playing career and his days in the front office.
“I spent a lot of time there,” O’Day said. “It’s finally time when you can sit back and think about all of those things that you kind of took for granted just because you were going through them all the time.
“The last night we were there, we sat back and said, ‘This is our last night in this stadium.’ It’s one of those things where you’re sad to see it go but you’re just so excited to get to the new one.”
The Roughriders have been located at the current stadium since 1936, but the aging facility has showed its age in recent years. In 2012, the municipal and provincial governments announced that a new, $278-million stadium would be built to replace the current facility in time for the 2017 season.
Now that new Mosaic Stadium has been completed, moving vans have spent the past few days carrying boxes and equipment down the street from its predecessor.


http://www.riderville.com/2017/02/10/riders-staff-say-farewell-historic-mosaic-stadium/

[jerrym]

Below is a video interview with 2016 Outstanding Rider Naaman Roosevelt.

http://www.riderville.com/2017/02/02/off-season-access-naaman-roosevelt/

[jerrym]

Former National DL Argo Ivan Brown has resigned with the Riders along with International DL Derrick Lott, while International DB Fred Bennett and National Levi Steinhauer have been released.



Brown (6’2 – 240) remains with the Riders after originally signing with the team in August of 2016. Last season, the Regina native picked up six special teams tackles, four defensive tackles and a quarterback sack in 13 regular season games.
With previous stops in Montreal, Hamilton, Toronto and Winnipeg, Brown has totaled 30 defensive tackles and 28 special teams tackles in 70 regular season games through seven CFL seasons.
He was eligible to become a free agent on February 14th.

Lott (6’4 – 295) has signed with the Green and White after attending 2016 training camp with the Oakland Raiders, playing three preseasons games.
Before going pro, the 26-year-old Georgia native played three seasons at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga where he was named 2014 First Team All-SoCon and played in the 2013 East-West Shrine Game.
Lott also spent time with the Philadelphia Eagles during the 2016 off-season and attended training camp with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2015.


http://www.riderville.com/2017/02/01/riders-transaction-february-1st/

[jerrym]

Rob Bagg talks about what it's like to go through all the changes in Riderville last year and the frustration of not making the playoffs two years in a row below.

http://www.riderville.com/2017/02/08/rods-blog-february-8th/

[jerrym]

Ottawa National RB Kienan Lafrance has been signed by the Riders.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">BREAKING: The <a href="https://twitter.com/sskroughriders">@sskroughriders</a> have signed this year&#39;s East Final Hero, <a href="https://twitter.com/KDidely">@KDidely</a> <br><br>For More➡<a href="https://t.co/HGCOaoRvzr">https://t.co/HGCOaoRvzr</a> <a href="https://t.co/DwIBPC3EqP">pic.twitter.com/DwIBPC3EqP</a></p>&mdash; CFL (@CFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/CFL/status/831643182849019904">February 14, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[jerrym]

Riders have signed OL Derek Dennis away from the Stampeders.



Offensive tackle Derek Dennis, all 6-foot-3 and 341 pounds of him, signed a contract with the Roughriders on Tuesday — the opening day of CFL free agency.
“Just looking at the overall roster, at the O-linemen on the team and at the need, I think I can be a good complement to what the Riders are trying to build and help them be a competitive team in the West,” Dennis said from his off-season home in Phoenix, Ariz.
“Out of all the offers I had on the table, for a team willing to compete for a Grey Cup this season and next, I think Saskatchewan was my best option.”
Dennis, a 28-year-old product of Queens, N.Y., was considered one of the top free agents on the CFL market. As a member of the 2016 Calgary Stampeders, he was named a CFL all-star and the league’s most outstanding offensive lineman.
He addresses a major need for the Roughriders, who were in the market for an anchor at left tackle. Now they have one.
“I think I bring a level of toughness,” Dennis said. “I want to make the O-line one of the best units in the league.
“I bring a certain demeanour and mentality when I play football and I want to be infectious and pick up on some of the other guys. I’ve always been the type of player to help other guys advance and I’m always willing to learn and advance my own play, too.
“I’m looking forward to trying to be a leader for the O-line, trying to bring a certain attitude that other guys can feed off, be infectious in that sense in the locker room and try to help make the culture that Coach (Chris) Jones wants it to be.”
Dennis admitted that leaving Calgary — a team that went to the Grey Cup in 2016 — was difficult, but he decided the time had come to move on. Now he can try to further establish himself after getting a lucrative contract from Saskatchewan.
“I felt like I was at a point in my career where, with the level of play that I was producing, I wanted to be in the conversation with guys like Stanley Bryant, Jovan Olafioye and SirVincent Rogers,” Dennis said, referring to some of the CFL’s top left tackles. “I feel like I’ve put myself in that category.


http://www.riderville.com/2017/02/14/riders-derek-dennis-perfect-fit/

[jerrym]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Riders?src=hash">#Riders</a> agree to terms with all-star Canadian DB Marc-Olivier Brouillette.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CFLFreeAgency?src=hash">#CFLFreeAgency</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CFLFA?src=hash">#CFLFA</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AlsMTL?src=hash">#AlsMTL</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CFL?src=hash">#CFL</a> <a href="https://t.co/BaK85CgUZn">https://t.co/BaK85CgUZn</a> <a href="https://t.co/GYs7fOre52">pic.twitter.com/GYs7fOre52</a></p>&mdash; Justin Dunk (@JDunk12) <a href="https://twitter.com/JDunk12/status/831860318867427329">February 15, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[jerrym]

Former Argo Most Outstanding Player discusses signing with Riders through 2018.

http://www.riderville.com/2017/02/15/february-15-chad-owens-phone-press-conference/
<script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><iframe id="rufous-sandbox" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" title="Twitter analytics iframe" style="position: absolute; visibility: hidden; display: none; width: 0px; height: 0px; padding: 0px; border: none;"></iframe>

[jerrym]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The Riders have certainly been busy during <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CFLFA?src=hash">#CFLFA</a> thus far. Matt Lowry &amp; Luc Mullinder help you navigate it all!<br><br>🎥| <a href="https://t.co/wLd2vEOy8y">https://t.co/wLd2vEOy8y</a> <a href="https://t.co/IOTlXdnAzS">pic.twitter.com/IOTlXdnAzS</a></p>&mdash; Sask. Roughriders (@sskroughriders) <a href="https://twitter.com/sskroughriders/status/832020425953595393">February 16, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[jerrym]

Riders have signed two National free agents, RB Aaron Milton and OL Ryan White, while releasing OL Andrew Jones.



The Saskatchewan Roughriders continue to juggle their offensive line, signing veteran offensive lineman Ryan White and reportedly dropping Andrew Jones.
The team has not confirmed the release of Jones, who tweeted he had been released on Wednesday afternoon (https://twitter.com/andrewj9257/status/831981727631319042).
Along with the addition of White, a former Montreal Alouette, the Riders also announced they’ve signed former Eskimos running back Aaron Milton to a free agent deal.
Milton, a 6-foot-3, 215-pound back out of Toronto, joins the Riders after spending the previous three seasons with the Esks. The 24-year-old Ontario native was originally selected by the team in the second round (15th overall) of the 2014 CFL Draft.
Milton has seen action in 14 regular season games through his first three seasons. He won his first Grey Cup with the Eskimos in 2015.
White signs with the Green and White ahead of his fourth CFL season. The 30-year-old Montreal native was originally selected by the Alouettes in the sixth round (44th overall) in the 2012 CFL Draft.
The Bishop’s University product has spent time at guard and tackle through his 25 career regular season games
Jones, 34, followed Chris Jones from Edmonton to Saskatchewan as a free agent one year ago. The Toronto native started 10 of his 15 games for the Roughriders in 2016.


http://www.cfl.ca/2017/02/15/riders-sign-white-part-ways-andrew-jones/

[ArgoRavi]

Lots of money being thrown around in Riderville.

[ArgoGabe22]

Lots of money being thrown around in Riderville.

For the second year in a row.

[jerrym]

Chris Jones has put Vince Young on their negotiation list. Gary Lawless discusses why it is unlikely that he will end up in Saskatchewan (hint: has something to do with not playing a game since 2011 and having to get in shape), even though he has hired an agent and says he wants to get back in the game.

http://www.tsn.ca/video/alouettes-sign-mop-nominee-jackson-riders-talking-to-vince-young~1059247

[jerrym]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/VinceYoung?src=hash">#VinceYoung</a> We have opened discussions with Saskatchewan Roughriders of <a href="https://twitter.com/CFL">@CFL</a> for <a href="https://twitter.com/VinceYoung10">@VinceYoung10</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Longhorn_FB">@Longhorn_FB</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/LonghornNetwork">@LonghornNetwork</a></p>&mdash; Leigh Steinberg (@leighsteinberg) <a href="https://twitter.com/leighsteinberg/status/832310553712300032">February 16, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[argolio]

So the Riders get rid of an active and productive 34 year-old QB and may replace him with a 33 year-old QB who hasn't played in six years. What could go wrong?

[jerrym]

International OL Thaddeus Coleman has resigned with the Riders.


The six-foot-eight, 320-pound Coleman became a free agent Tuesday. Coleman started all of Saskatchewan’s 18 games last year, spending time at both right and left tackle.
The Riders acquired Coleman from Edmonton in May 2016.


http://ottawacitizen.com/sports/football/cfl/scanlan-redblacksdesjardins-had-to-make-some-hard-decisions-after-the-champagne-party

[jerrym]

Riders have signed a starting WR, Bakari Grant, and a ST/LB backup Glenn Love, formerly with the Stampeders.



Grant finished with 44 receptions for 625 yards and four touchdowns in 10 games for the Stampeders last season. For his career, the 29-year-old Grant has 286 receptions for 3,652 yards and 21 scores in 80 games split between the Stampeders and Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
Love finished with 11 defensive tackles and 21 special teams tackles in 10 games for the Stamps last year. The 27-year-old has 53 career defensive tackles and 56 special teams tackles, to go along with two sacks in 44 games over five seasons.


http://www.tsn.ca/roughriders-sign-grant-love-1.675009

[ArgoRavi]

The Riders signed a tonne of free agents last year and have released many of those since. They have basically done this off-season what they did last off-season and it will take them most of 2017 to gel in any way as it did in 2016. Furthermore, they are weaker at the key position of QB IMO.

[Argo57]

The Riders signed a tonne of free agents last year and have released many of those since. They have basically done this off-season what they did last off-season and it will take them most of 2017 to gel in any way as it did in 2016. Furthermore, they are weaker at the key position of QB IMO.

Seems to be Jones's plan, go crazy and sign as many free agents as possible then simply discard the one you don't want to keep.

[jerrym]

Chris Jones discusses free agency signings.



The Saskatchewan Roughriders’ head coach, general manager and vice-president of football operations has signed six free agents since the market opened Tuesday, including one player (offensive lineman Derek Dennis) who was considered among the top free agents available.
Jones also landed a proven return man (Chad Owens) and added to the Roughriders’ Canadian depth with one player (2016 East Division all-star Marc-Olivier Brouillette) who likely will start at safety and another (Kienan LaFrance) who could be a ratio-buster as a No. 1 tailback.
The Roughriders’ efforts over the first two days of free agency have earned plaudits from many CFL observers, but Jones isn’t ready to rest on those laurels. “Every time you win a football game, there’s always something you can nitpick or try to find,” he said while meeting with the media Wednesday at Mosaic Stadium. “We feel like we’re better than what we were a day ago, but we’re still working.”
Asked if he thought the team he currently has on paper was starting to look like a potential contender, Jones once again demurred. “Our thoughts last year were that we were a winning football team quite honestly when we walked out of free agency,” said Jones, whose team went 5-13-0 in 2016. “We’re going to wait and we’re going to hold our comments until we start playing and we see exactly where we are.”
The Roughriders likely aren’t done in free agency — Jones said they’ve got “a couple more guys to wrap up” — and they’ll also keep examining other avenues (including trades and signing players out of tryout camps) to revamp the roster. Jones and his staff still want to find players along the defensive and offensive lines, along with more depth players. But so far, free agency has been critical to the Roughriders’ rebuilding process this off-season.
“I thought Ottawa last year did a really nice job in free agency, so we’re hoping that we can do some similar things,” said Jones, referring to a RedBlacks team that filled gaps well enough to win a Grey Cup title. “We can build some depth on our team. We need to be stronger along the offensive line and (need to) be able to absorb an injury or possibly two. That’s what we were looking to try to do.”


http://www.riderville.com/2017/02/15/chris-jones-knows-work-isnt-done/

<script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><iframe id="rufous-sandbox" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" title="Twitter analytics iframe" style="position: absolute; visibility: hidden; display: none; width: 0px; height: 0px; padding: 0px; border: none;"></iframe>

[jerrym]

New Rider Derek Dennis discusses his route to becoming the Most Outstanding Lineman in the CFL in 2016.



“It’s just work ethic,” Dennis, who signed with the Roughriders on Tuesday, said when asked to explain his progression over the years. “I’ve always been one of those guys who, if I put my mind to doing something, I’ve been able to do it …
“There was kind of a reluctance at first to play O-line. But I’ve had some good O-line coaches in college and my first couple of years at the pro level. I’ve taken tidbits from all the coaches I’ve played for and tried to mould it into one product. That’s what you saw last season.”
But, truth be told, basketball was Dennis’ first love. In high school in New York, he was a 250-pound power forward who drew some interest from college programs.
“I was just playing football as a thing to pass the time and to keep me in shape until basketball season,” said Dennis, who’s now 6-foot-3 and 341 pounds. “It just so happened that I was a big, athletic kid.”
He played tight end and defensive line during football season, but never offensive line. Watching the NFL gave him ideas about his future — but others had different ideas.
“I thought I could be the next Antonio Gates or Jimmy Graham, one of those basketball players who would convert to tight end,” Dennis said, referring to two NFLers who played basketball in college.
“But being that I was a big body, when I got to my college recruitment thinking I was going to play D-line or tight end, they were like, ‘Nah, we think you’ll make a better offensive lineman.’ That’s where it started for me.
“It was one of those things where everybody was telling me that I had a better chance of having a future in football (as an offensive lineman),” he added. “I listened to the people I trusted and it has got me to where I am now.”


http://www.riderville.com/2017/02/17/riders-derek-dennis-found-true-calling/

[ArgoRavi]

Seems to be Jones's plan, go crazy and sign as many free agents as possible then simply discard the one you don't want to keep.

I question whether this will ultimately work. It's similar to what he did with the Argos' defence in 2013 and we all know that largely cost the Argos another Grey Cup berth. Conversely, in Edmonton, he stuck with the same players for two years and it worked and he largely stuck with the same players in Toronto through the 2012 season and that worked too.

[R.J]

Seems to be Jones's plan, go crazy and sign as many free agents as possible then simply discard the one you don't want to keep.
The Riders are nowhere near good enough right now, they kind of have to go heavy on Free Agency to fill some gaps. Winnipeg has done the same the last couple of seasons. Hufnagel is probably the only GM nowadays that doesn't spend much of FA's.

[OV Argo]

Seems to be Jones's plan, go crazy and sign as many free agents as possible then simply discard the one you don't want to keep.

LOVE to see ego-Jones fall flat on his face there and get punted out of town. How much rope is he given though? - new stadium should help his cause for some positives but what if they have few wins by Labour Day - do the natives get real restless?

Kevin Glenn at QB ? - he's got to be joking; signing clown-act Duron Carter plus now Board-hands Grant = shows little respect for the good young receivers they already have. A whole bunch of holes on defence, but ego-J thinks he can just plug-in "athletes" - good size or converted from other positions, and they'll be just fine; typical GOB lack of respect for Canadian talent means he will be all in a lather to pencil-in 7 only at pre-determined positions and will ignore some possible help with pencilling-in imports only at many positions.

Ego got his way and cast-off some all-time Rider greats - Dressler, Chick and now Durant - who weren't his guys, with the dollar$ excuse and thinking they were easily replaceable with his incredible football knowledge. We shall see in season 2. Maybe washed-up ex-NFL er Vince Young or partying Johnny Football save the day there though.

:biteme:

[Argo57]

I question whether this will ultimately work. It's similar to what he did with the Argos' defence in 2013 and we all know that largely cost the Argos another Grey Cup berth. Conversely, in Edmonton, he stuck with the same players for two years and it worked and he largely stuck with the same players in Toronto through the 2012 season and that worked too.

I don't think it will work Ravi.
I see free agency as a tool to strategically augment your lineup and address some weaknesses not rebuild your whole team.
That way you have a better chance at having good team chemistry.
In 2013 I got the sense that the Argonauts thought Jones was such a genius that he could plug in any player and make it work which turned out to be false.
Ultimately you need both good talent and a good scheme that suits their strengths as a whole.

[Argo57]

LOVE to see ego-Jones fall flat on his face there and get punted out of town. How much rope is he given though? - new stadium should help his cause for some positives but what if they have few wins by Labour Day - do the natives get real restless?

Kevin Glenn at QB ? - he's got to be joking; signing clown-act Duron Carter plus now Board-hands Grant = shows little respect for the good young receivers they already have. A whole bunch of holes on defence, but ego-J thinks he can just plug-in "athletes" - good size or converted from other positions, and they'll be just fine; typical GOB lack of respect for Canadian talent means he will be all in a lather to pencil-in 7 only at pre-determined positions and will ignore some possible help with pencilling-in imports only at many positions.

Ego got his way and cast-off some all-time Rider greats - Dressler, Chick and now Durant - who weren't his guys, with the dollar$ excuse and thinking they were easily replaceable with his incredible football knowledge. We shall see in season 2. Maybe washed-up ex-NFL er Vince Young or partying Johnny Football save the day there though.

:biteme:

I'm with you OV, would love to see Jones knocked down a peg or two this season.
If I was a free agent I'd be a little wary in signing with him.

[Argo57]

The Riders are nowhere near good enough right now, they kind of have to go heavy on Free Agency to fill some gaps. Winnipeg has done the same the last couple of seasons. Hufnagel is probably the only GM nowadays that doesn't spend much of FA's.

Calgary is still the model franchise in the CFL, Hufnagel has built a good program, recruits well and quietly goes about his business.

[OV Argo]

Calgary is still the model franchise in the CFL, Hufnagel has built a good program, recruits well and quietly goes about his business.

It might be argued that Ottawa is THE new model CFL franchise now: won the last GC, played in the last 2, in just 3 years in the league as a new team ? Yep, emerged in a weak East, but still, 2 GC appearances in 2 straight seasons in just 3 years of existence = outstanding. Drafted well right from the start, went out and got key known FAs or recruited some good young import talent, plus showed faith in Canadian talent by playing more of them than any other CFL team (11 or 12 NIs playing regularly, combined on O & D in the play-off + GC win)

And not that much mention of the Canadian content in decision making that helped get them there - Canadian GM, DC, and several key coaches on the staff - Blugh, Dyce, Chiu = lots of CANADIAN football experience.

Too bad the Argos will not (most likely) be taking notes there and trying some similar tactics - especially in regards to Canadian content - both in decision making and on the roster. Likely instead to be some ex-NFL guy as GM and same old GOB attitudes towards the coaching staff and roster.

[Argo57]

It might be argued that Ottawa is THE new model CFL franchise now: won the last GC, played in the last 2, in just 3 years in the league as a new team ? Yep, emerged in a weak East, but still, 2 GC appearances in 2 straight seasons in just 3 years of existence = outstanding. Drafted well right from the start, went out and got key known FAs or recruited some good young import talent, plus showed faith in Canadian talent by playing more of them than any other CFL team (11 or 12 NIs playing regularly, combined on O & D in the play-off + GC win)

And not that much mention of the Canadian content in decision making that helped get them there - Canadian GM, DC, and several key coaches on the staff - Blugh, Dyce, Chiu = lots of CANADIAN football experience.

Too bad the Argos will not (most likely) be taking notes there and trying some similar tactics - especially in regards to Canadian content - both in decision making and on the roster. Likely instead to be some ex-NFL guy as GM and same old GOB attitudes towards the coaching staff and roster.

Amazing the reversal in 2 franchises in 3 years (Ottawa and Toronto).
Argonauts look like the expansion team of 2017 and Ottawa has good ownership and a great GM.

[ArgoRavi]

It might be argued that Ottawa is THE new model CFL franchise now: won the last GC, played in the last 2, in just 3 years in the league as a new team ? Yep, emerged in a weak East, but still, 2 GC appearances in 2 straight seasons in just 3 years of existence = outstanding. Drafted well right from the start, went out and got key known FAs or recruited some good young import talent, plus showed faith in Canadian talent by playing more of them than any other CFL team (11 or 12 NIs playing regularly, combined on O & D in the play-off + GC win)

And not that much mention of the Canadian content in decision making that helped get them there - Canadian GM, DC, and several key coaches on the staff - Blugh, Dyce, Chiu = lots of CANADIAN football experience.

Too bad the Argos will not (most likely) be taking notes there and trying some similar tactics - especially in regards to Canadian content - both in decision making and on the roster. Likely instead to be some ex-NFL guy as GM and same old GOB attitudes towards the coaching staff and roster.

So, OV, you have come around on Marcel Desjardins and Rick Campbell then?

[jerrym]

The Riders have signed International free agent DT Zach Minter, formerly with the Stampeders.



The 6-foot-2, 300-pound international joins the Riders after spending last season with the Calgary Stampeders, with whom he picked up six defensive tackles and two quarterbacks sacks while starting three of five regular season games played.
The 26-year-old Montana State product spent the previous season with the BC Lions after signing with the team in March, 2015. Starting seven of 10 regular season games, Minter registered 16 defensive tackles and three quarterback sacks.



http://www.cfl.ca/2017/02/21/riders-ink-defensive-tackle-minter/

[OV Argo]

So, OV, you have come around on Marcel Desjardins and Rick Campbell then?


I guess in a way Ravi - have to give them both credit for 2 straight GC appearances and a win.

Desjardins had what - all of one season as Ticats GM for some to think he was no good or incompetent - and he did not impress me there either? Maybe he learned lots in his previous CFL experience and was able to get it together for Ottawa - he has formed a good roster there IMO and I like the way he has built using all sources - the draft, known CFL FAs and signing some good young import talent.

Campbell is maybe right place / right time kinda guy? - don't really see much that different or innovate from his offence = standard CFL stuff. Not being afraid to start/play a lot more Canadian talent than all other CFL teams and it leading to a GC win might really set him apart from standard GOB types? I think the entire coaching staff there deserves lots of credit, and, as I mentioned - it too contains more Canadian content than all other CFL teams as well - Mark Nelson, Bob Dyce, Brian Chiu and Leroy Blugh are all veteran Canadian football guys.

[jerrym]

Saskatchewan has signed National LB free agent Henoc Muamba.



The 6-foot, 230-pounder’s college career helped him to become one of the most sought after defensive players and was selected first overall in the 2011 CFL Draft by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Muamba suited up in three seasons with the Bombers, playing in 47 games and collecting 167 defensive tackles, 54 special teams tackles, four sacks, one interception, one touchdown and six forced fumbles.
His best season in Winnipeg was in 2013, when he was named the Blue Bombers’ Most Outstanding Defensive Player, Most Outstanding Canadian and Most Outstanding Player after he registered 111 total tackles (tied with Montreal’s Chip Cox for first in the league), one sack and one interception.
He also earned CFL East Division Most Outstanding Canadian honours and was named an East Division and CFL All Star.
After making his return to the CFL near the end of last year – his third stint in the Canadian game – Muamba is now preparing to play in his first full season in the league since that stellar 2013 campaign. He spent the 2014 season in the NFL with the Indianapolis Colts, the end of 2015 with the Montreal Alouettes and the start of 2016 with the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, playing in three preseason games before he was sidelined with an injury.
“This journey has been awesome for me,” Muamba said of his football career so far. “This sport has helped me to grow as a man. It has helped me to see the world and meet some people that have been so tremendous, so encouraging and has helped me become the person I am today.” ...
“I’m preparing myself to win games and I want to contribute as much as I can and as best as I can and help my team win,” Muamba said of getting ready for the season to get started. “I also want to make Rider Nation really proud, especially with this upcoming season, the inaugural season with the new stadium. It’s really exciting, there’s a lot of excitement in the air. I can’t wait to get out there and see the new stadium and see the fans as well.”


http://www.cfl.ca/2017/02/21/basketball-football-muambas-journey-riderville/

[jerrym]

Ian Hamilton looks at Saskatchewan's free agency moves below.
http://www.riderville.com/2017/02/22/riders-free-agent-moves-make-sense/

[jerrym]

OL Chris Best has retired from the Riders.



The 33-year-old was a key member and a familiar face on the Riders’ O-line ever since being drafted fourth overall by the team in 2005, although Best was forced to miss the entire 2016 season due to injury.
“I want to congratulate Chris Best on a successful 10-year CFL career,” stated Jeremy O’Day, Roughriders assistant vice-president of football operations. “I had the opportunity to work with Chris as a teammate and then as an administrator over the past decade. His level of intensity, competitive attitude, and will to win made Chris a great player. We wish him continued success in his next endeavour.”
Best played 114 career regular-season games after making his Rider debut July 8, 2007. The Calgary native was drafted by the Riders following four seasons at Duke University before transferring to the University of Waterloo to obtain his Masters in 2007.


http://www.cfl.ca/2017/02/23/riders-best-retires-10-cfl-seasons/

[jerrym]

Rob Vanstone argues that the Riders don't need an old QB who hasn't played in a game in six years (Vince Young) and that the stockpiling of quality receivers by Jones may be aimed at trying to make a trade with the Eskimos for QB James Franklin.



• The Saskatchewan Roughriders are apparently in negotiations with Leigh Steinberg, the high-powered agent for Vince Young. The former University of Texas Longhorns and NFL quarterback is hoping to resuscitate his football career, despite having announced his retirement from the sport in 2014. Young is a legendary collegian — the Heisman Trophy winner in 2005 — but as an NFLer he threw more interceptions (51) than touchdown passes (46) and his completion percentage was an unsatisfactory 57.9. An apt description for his professional career is (wait for it) “moderately successful.”
• The Roughriders do not need Young at quarterback. They need a young quarterback. John Murphy is reputedly a player-personnel guru, so why not lean on his expertise and find an up-and-coming passer who can become the next Darian Durant? Too many of the younger pivots the Roughriders brought in last year proved to be duds. The fact that the Roughriders are even considering a retread does not reflect positively on their ability to identify, recruit and develop a quarterback who is younger than, say, 33.
• If Young is added to a roster that already includes 37-year-old quarterback Kevin Glenn, perhaps the Roughriders could join a masters league.
• Murphy and Roughriders head coach, general manager and vice-president of football operations Chris Jones have done a tremendous job of stockpiling receivers. They have added Duron Carter, Bakari Grant and Chad Owens to a nucleus that already included Naaman Roosevelt, Caleb Holley, Armanti Edwards, Rob Bagg and Ricky Collins Jr. A wealth of gifted pass-catchers fosters suspicion that something has to give, possibly in the form of a trade. Could a receiver be part of a package Saskatchewan would offer to the Edmonton Eskimos for promising pivot James Franklin?

• What would it take to entice Eskimos GM Ed Hervey to part with Franklin? Perhaps precedent can be a guide. Leading up to the 2002 season, the Roughriders addressed a void at quarterback by acquiring Nealon Greene (along with fullback Simon Baffoe and a second-round draft pick) from Edmonton for a Canadian starter (offensive lineman Dan Comiskey), the Roughriders’ reigning nominee for the CFL’s most-outstanding-player award (tailback Darren Davis) and a kicker (Mike O’Brien). If that template were to be applied to 2017, could Roosevelt — the team’s most-recent MOP — be trade bait? As for the Canadian component of such a copy-cat deal, the Riders would be hard-pressed to part with a national starter, so could a preferred draft pick be part of such a package? Just speculating.
• Another factor to consider: The Eskimos need a top-flight receiver to replace Derel Walker, now of the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers.


http://leaderpost.com/opinion/columnists/young-story-is-getting-old-very-quickly

[jerrym]

I'll put this in the I believe it when I see it category.



Meanwhile ... in Austin, TX ... Vince Young is telling people he will be quarterbacking the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2017. That's what my football sources in Texas - close to Vince Young - told me this week.


http://www.rodpedersen.com/2017/03/rodservations.html

[jerrym]

National punter Josh Bartel has extended with the Riders through 2019.

http://www.riderville.com/2017/02/28/josh-bartel-signs-extension-2019/

[jerrym]

Luc Mulinder video analyzes new Riders signees OL/ST Ryan White and RB/ST Aaron Miller.


http://www.riderville.com/2017/02/27/aaron-milton-ryan-white-analysis/

[jerrym]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">CFL Roughriders sign Gee-Gees receiver Mitchell Baines <a href="https://t.co/1AjRdpmrnv">https://t.co/1AjRdpmrnv</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ottsports?src=hash">#ottsports</a></p>&mdash; Ottawa Citizen (@OttawaCitizen) <a href="https://twitter.com/OttawaCitizen/status/836329281986916354">February 27, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[jerrym]

The Riders have signed Nationals LS Jorgen Hus, who has been with the Riders for two years, and DL Eddie Steele.



After one season on the Tiger-Cats’ practice roster, he started his CFL career in 2011. He spent three seasons in Steeltown before signing with the Eskimos as a free agent in 2013. Steele spent four seasons with Edmonton, including the two when Jones was the Eskimos’ head coach. Edmonton won the Grey Cup in 2015.
In 90 career regular-season games, Steele has recorded 109 defensive tackles, three special-teams takedowns, 13 sacks, the aforementioned interception off Glenn, and a forced fumble. Steele had 14 defensive tackles and one special-teams stop in 18 games for Edmonton in 2016. Steele hit the market Feb. 27 when he was released by the Eskimos — mere hours before he was to receive a roster bonus. ...
Hus rejoins the Roughriders for his third season. He played nine games in 2016 before being sidelined with a wrist injury. The 6-foot-1, 230-pounder has five career special-teams tackles in 27 games. A product of the U of R Rams and the PFC’s Saskatoon Hilltops, Hus had NFL stints with the St. Louis Rams, Seattle Seahawks and Kansas City Chiefs before joining the Roughriders in May of 2015.


http://www.riderville.com/2017/03/07/eddie-steele-strengthens-riders-canadian-content/

[Argo57]

Don't think any rules were broken but Chris Jones continues to amaze.

http://3downnation.com/2017/03/07/riders-cancel-open-try-set-montreal-alouettes-raise-concerns-cfl/

[jerrym]

With the addition of Vince Young and six QBs now in Rider camp, 24 year old QB Jake Waters probably saw the handwriting on the wall and has announced his retirement to become to become a graduate assistant coach at Iowa State. Almost certainly a smart career move.



The 24-year-old saw action in one game, completing three of five passes for 40 yards, with Saskatchewan last season after being acquired by the Riders in a trade with Hamilton (http://3downnation.com/2016/07/09/ticats-deal-qb-jake-waters-riders-rights-b-j-daniels/).
Waters spent time with the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks and Jacksonville Jaguars in 2015 after two excellent seasons at Kansas State where he broke the school’s career records for completion percentage (64.1), passing efficiency (155.8), total offensive yards per game (260.2) and passing yards per attempt (9.09.) In his two-year career with the Wildcats, Waters threw for 5,970 yards, 40 touchdowns and 16 interceptions, adding 796 rushing yards with 15 touchdowns on the ground. He started his college career at Iowa Western Community College and set the record for completion percentage (73.3), previously held by Cam Newton, now of the Carolina Panthers.


http://3downnation.com/2017/03/10/rider-qb-jake-waters-retires-take-ncaa-coaching-job/

[jerrym]

National DB Jeff Hecht has resigned with the Riders.



The 31-year-old Saint Mary’s product entered the league in 2011 when he signed as an undrafted free agent with the Montreal Alouettes. Hecht joined the Stampeders in 2012 where he remained until joining the Riders.
Through 81 career regular-season games, Hecht has registered 57 defensive tackles, 38 special-teams tackles, three tackles for loss and one interception. He also played in two Grey Cup championships, winning with the Stampeders in 2014.
“Jeff is a valuable addition to our National defensive and special-teams depth,” stated Chris Jones, Riders Vice-President of Football Operations, General Manager and Head Coach. “He is an intelligent and hard-nosed player that arrives at the ball with a purpose. We believe he can increase the competitive spirit of our football team regardless of where he lines up.”


http://www.cfl.ca/2017/03/08/db-hecht-re-signs-riderville/

[jerrym]

Backup National DL Jordan Reaves, who is the son of All-Star RB Blue Bomber Willard Reaves, was arrested in early 2016 for cocaine possession and is currently on bail awaiting trial.



After being released by the Bombers in 2015, Reaves signed with Saskatchewan in January 2016 and made his CFL debut on June 30.
The Riders were caught off guard (http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/roughrider-faces-drug-trafficking-charges-416396244.html), according to McIntyre. Ryan Pollock, Saskatchewan’s director, media relations and football communications told the Free Press: “The Roughriders are not aware of any such charges. We will decline to comment until we gather information.”
McIntyre uncovered that back in February 2008, court documents showed Reaves was charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking. He pleaded guilty that December and received a two-year-less-a-day conditional sentence. Reaves’ latest trial will begin Nov. 20.


http://3downnation.com/2017/03/17/riders-jordan-reaves-facing-drug-trafficking-charge/

[jerrym]

The Riders will officially open up the new Mosaic Stadium on July 1st against the Bombers. It looks great.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">One <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Riders?src=hash">#Riders</a> employee shares great personal pride in a now-complete new Mosaic Stadium, <a href="https://twitter.com/IanHamilton45">@IanHamilton45</a> writes.<br><br>READ| <a href="https://t.co/eEFML1lWHJ">https://t.co/eEFML1lWHJ</a> <a href="https://t.co/QZYgwZu5Gi">pic.twitter.com/QZYgwZu5Gi</a></p>&mdash; Sask. Roughriders (@sskroughriders) <a href="https://twitter.com/sskroughriders/status/842763687794376704">March 17, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[1971GreyCup]

CFL NEWS Tweet: ‘We might have every Rider game on ESPN, not just TSN, playing down in the U.S.’ - @qterback5 #CFL #Riders via @IanHamilton45

[jerrym]

Rider National DB Craig Newman has retired.



The 27-year-old Saskatoon resident spent three of his five CFL seasons with the Green and White. Newman spent the 2012 and 2013 seasons with the Riders before joining the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. He returned to Saskatchewan for the 2016 season after signing with the team as a free agent.
Through his three seasons with the Riders, Newman picked up 37 special-teams tackles, ten defensive tackles and one quarterback sack in 44 regular-season games.
He also played in three playoff games and was a member of the Riders’ 2013 Grey Cup winning team.


http://www.riderville.com/2017/03/20/graig-newman-announces-retirement/

[jerrym]

Josiah St. John feels he has lots to prove this after a somewhat disappointing rookie season.



“I can tell a lot of people don’t believe in me 100 per cent, so I need to prove myself,” the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ second-year offensive lineman said. “It’s not just for myself but for my family also because when I’m on the field, people see ‘St. John’ on my back.
“I’m playing with a huge chip on my shoulder this year and I’m pretty sure people will be able to notice a difference.”
St. John was the first overall pick in the 2016 CFL draft, but he didn’t join the Roughriders until July 4 due to a contract holdout. He ultimately dressed for 10 regular-season games with six starts. But many league observers have questions about St. John and wonder whether the 6-foot-6, 305-pound product of Toronto will make it in the CFL. It’s those doubters who have helped to inspire St. John this off-season.
“Coach (Chris) Jones and the organization have supported me 100 per cent since I got here, so it’s about making believers out of everybody else,” said St. John, 24. “I’m confident in my abilities. I’m confident in what I bring to the table. Showing the world is what I’ve got to do.”
After completing high school in Toronto, St. John headed to California to play football at Fresno City College. He spent one season there before moving to Trinity Valley Community College in Athens, Texas.
Following one season at Trinity Valley, St. John was recruited by the University of Oklahoma Sooners in Norman, Okla. He redshirted in 2013 and then played the 2014 and ’15 seasons.
The Roughriders used the draft’s No. 1 pick on St. John, but the rookie held out. He missed all of training camp, the pre-season and Saskatchewan’s regular-season opener before agreeing to terms.
“(Arriving late) was extremely difficult; I would not advise anybody to miss camp,” St. John said. “It was hard because I wasn’t in the best shape when I got here, I didn’t know the playbook and I didn’t know my teammates. ...
The Roughriders had to help St. John adjust to the Canadian game again and to the speed of the CFL. They also had to get him into shape — and into the weight room.
“If he commits in the weight room and he commits to football, he can be as good as he wants to be,” Jones told reporters in February.
That has meant an off-season of workouts. ...
St. John played at 320 pounds last season, which was 15 pounds heavier than his playing weight at Oklahoma. He’s aiming to get back to 305 pounds while also improving his strength. He also wants to improve his footwork, his use of his hands, his technique and his knowledge of the CFL game.
With the recent retirement of right guard Chris Best, there’s a golden opportunity for St. John to slide into a starting job in 2017. He made one start at that position in 2016, when Saskatchewan deployed six different players at right guard.
“I’m excited about (the possibility of starting),” St. John said. “As a competitor, I go into every camp trying to win a position. Nobody wants to sit on the bench. Nobody wants to watch what’s going on. That has been my mentality. It’s why I came back early to train and lift. I want to compete for a starting job this year.”


http://www.riderville.com/2017/03/27/josiah-st-john-driven-prove/

[jerrym]

Luc Mullinder analyzes video of two Rider TC signees: former Miami Dolphin 6'0" 230 lb RB Daniel Thomas who hasn't played a regular season game since 2014 and former BC/Calgary DL 6'2" 300 lb Zach Minter.

http://www.riderville.com/2017/04/04/daniel-thomas-zach-minter-analysis/

[jerrym]

Former Bomber RB Cameron Marshall will be getting another shot at a starting job with the Riders after failing to make it in the NFL.

http://www.riderville.com/2017/04/05/cameron-marshall-looking-restart-career/

[ArgoGabe22]

3 strikes and you're out, Justin Cox. Charged for the third time with assault, gets released and any future contract will be blocked as per Orridge's statement.

http://3downnation.com/2017/04/19/riders-release-justin-cox-alledged-domestic-violence-incident/

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">In keeping with our policy on violence against women, here is my statement: <a href="https://t.co/qqomeq8mcL">pic.twitter.com/qqomeq8mcL</a></p>&mdash; Jeffrey Orridge (@Commish13) <a href="https://twitter.com/Commish13/status/854783991316193281">April 19, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><iframe id="rufous-sandbox" scrolling="no" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: absolute; visibility: hidden; display: none; width: 0px; height: 0px; padding: 0px; border: medium none;" frameborder="0"></iframe><iframe id="rufous-sandbox" scrolling="no" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: absolute; visibility: hidden; display: none; width: 0px; height: 0px; padding: 0px; border: medium none;" frameborder="0"></iframe>

[ArgoGabe22]

Former Argo LB, Greg Jones has been released. Having Henoc Muamba was probably the reason why.

[jerrym]

Jeremy O'Day discusses the Rider mini-camp in the video below.

<blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Asst. V.P. of Football Ops, Jeremy O&#39;Day, shared his thoughts on Mini Camp thus far, as Day 2 came to a close.<br><br>🎥| <a href="https://t.co/7B3OSViCld">https://t.co/7B3OSViCld</a> <a href="https://t.co/Q1wuQRk4WH">pic.twitter.com/Q1wuQRk4WH</a></p>&mdash; Sask. Roughriders (@sskroughriders) <a href="https://twitter.com/sskroughriders/status/857427279273615360">April 27, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[jerrym]

I think National QB Brandon Bridge's chances of becoming a CFL starter in Riderville are remote, especially with Jones focusing on Vince Young and veteran CFL voyageur Kevin Glenn, but he has the positive approach you need if you are going to ever succeed, whatever your skill level.



The Saskatchewan Roughriders have made some high-profile moves this off-season in hopes of finding a starting quarterback.
In Brandon Bridge’s mind, the CFL team already had a No. 1 QB on its roster: Brandon Bridge.
Most people have focused on Kevin Glenn or Vince Young as the likely successor to the departed Darian Durant, leaving Bridge as something of a forgotten man. But the 25-year-old product of Toronto doesn’t feel like he’s flying under the radar as the Roughriders prepare for mini-camp in Florida.
“I’m not too worried about the signings of Vince Young or Kevin Glenn; they’re just going to bring out more competition,” Bridge says from Toronto. “All I can ask for is a fair chance.
“I never want anything handed to me. I want everyone to be at their best and at their healthiest. Whatever happens and whatever decision the coaches make, at least I won when everyone was at their best or I lost when everyone was at their best.
“People can talk about whoever they want, but just know that on the field, the eye in the sky doesn’t lie. If I’m the best man on the field, that film will not lie and it will show the coaches.”
Bridge began his CFL career in 2015 with the Montreal Alouettes, who selected him in the fourth round (31st overall) of the 2015 draft. The University of South Alabama product played in 11 games with Montreal and made one start — the first start in the CFL by a Canadian quarterback since 1995.
The 6-foot-5, 225-pound Bridge was released by the Alouettes on Aug. 1, 2016, and signed with the Roughriders nine days later.
Bridge dressed for 12 games with Saskatchewan last season, primarily as the third-stringer. He finished the season with 11 completions in 13 pass attempts for 163 yards, and four rushes for 23 yards and a touchdown.
The Roughriders’ quarterbacking depth chart changed greatly in January, when Durant was traded to Montreal (Jan. 13), Glenn was signed (Jan. 23) and Mitchell Gale was released (Jan. 27). The landscape changed again March 9, when Young was signed.
Bridge could only watch things happen while continuing to prepare himself for the 2017 season.
“There’s uncertainty (over who’s going to be the starter), but all I can do is control whatever I can,” he says. “The best thing I can do is go in there and, instead of counting my reps, make my reps count. If I get two reps, then I have to make sure I do my best on those two reps. If I get eight reps, I have to make sure I get the best out of those eight reps.
“My mindset is to show them that I’m the best guy regardless if I’m Canadian or if I’m younger than the other guys. That’s what I’ve been trying to show every day. That’s what I tried to show last season. I want to show that I’m the best man for the job.”
To that end, he continued his normal off-season regimen, heading to Alabama to work out with quarterback trainer David Morris and Cincinnati Bengals pivot A.J. McCarron.
Since Bridge returned to Toronto, he has been throwing footballs to CFL receivers like Chad Owens, Kevin Elliott and Shamawd Chambers.
All the while, Bridge tried to work on the things suggested to him by Roughriders head coach Chris Jones, offensive co-ordinator Stephen McAdoo and quarterbacks coach Jarious Jackson.
“They know I can run the ball and they know I’ve got a live arm and can throw deep downfield,” Bridge says. “They want me to hone in on the short game, which I’ve really been working on.
“I’m a year into the offence too, so they want me to make sure I know everything like the back of my hand.”
If Bridge can show his level of improvement during the Roughriders’ upcoming mini-camp (April 25-27 in Vero Beach, Fla.) and at training camp (beginning May 28 in Saskatoon), he could indeed win the starting job. If he does, he will have overcome the stigma that seems to be prevalent in the CFL about Canadian quarterbacks.
Then again, Bridge doesn’t think that label even applies to him — despite what his passport says. Having attended Alcorn State University and then South Alabama, he received the same kind of coaching as every other American QB who starts in the CFL.
To Bridge, his birthplace doesn’t matter.
“I have to go (to camp) with the mindset that I’m the best one for the job regardless if I’m white, black, Canadian or whatever,” he says. “I don’t care what I am …
“I’ve shown a lot of promise. In every game I’ve been in, I’ve shown well, and the fans are really rooting for me. It’d be great for me to be the starter, to lead this team and to be very successful.”


https://www.riderville.com/2017/04/13/brandon-bridge-looking-no-1/

[1971GreyCup]

On July 29th Argos play their first game at the new Mosaic Field which looks spectacular! We plan on being there. It looks to be an ideal road trip for anyone interested in experiencing Riderville up close and personal. Love when the downtown core dresses up in Rider green the day of the game.

[jerrym]

The following players have been cut by the Riders:



· International defensive end Tavarus Dantzler
· International defensive back Seth Ellis
· International offensive lineman Taylor Fallin
· International offensive lineman Kelby Johnson
· International defensive lineman Derrick Lott
· International running back Lyle McCombs
· International running back Dennis Norfleet
· International wide receiver Jonathan Ray
· International defensive back David Van Dyke
· International wide receiver Frankie Wims


http://www.riderville.com/2017/05/01/riders-transaction-may-1st/

[Fumblitis]

On July 29th Argos play their first game at the new Mosaic Field which looks spectacular! We plan on being there. It looks to be an ideal road trip for anyone interested in experiencing Riderville up close and personal. Love when the downtown core dresses up in Rider green the day of the game.Hopefully the weather is nice for you guys but if not the canopy covers the stands and you'll only need a raincoat for the walk to the stadium.

[1971GreyCup]

Hopefully the weather is nice for you guys but if not the canopy covers the stands and you'll only need a raincoat for the walk to the stadium.

We were fortunate to attend the last Argos game at Mosaic Field and the weather couldn't have been better! The Riders were kind enough to provide a tour of the stadium. I hope they show us around the new Mosaic. It looks perfect.

[jerrym]

Josiah St. John was drafted #! overall last year. Below he talks about that experience and his first year in the CFL., including how his hold out for contract reasons affected his season.



“It’s always good to be picked No. 1 like you were in gym class or any sport that you were playing, even though they weren’t drafts,’’ said St. John, who is headed into second season with the Riders. “Being picked first is an honour in any sport or activity and I was happy about that.’’ ...
St. John learned about the business side of football after the draft. A contract holdout delayed his arrival with the team until July 4.

<iframe name="fsk_frame_splitbox" id="fsk_frame_splitbox" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" webkitallowfullscreen="" mozallowfullscreen="" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-style: none; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; max-width: 100%; width: 620px; height: 0px;"></iframe>

“(The holdout) hurt me a lot,” said St. John, who is represented by Johnathon Hardaway. “I wasn’t in camp where I could work out where you are supposed to work out, not being able learn all of the plays and not being able to build that bond with my teammates. There was definitely a difference. I left it in my agent’s hands and let him look after that side of the business.”
St. John played catchup after missing all of training camp, two pre-season games and the regular-season opener before agreeing to terms with the Riders. Once he settled in, St. John discovered that he liked the CFL.
“I learned that the CFL is a fun league to play in,’’ he said. “I had a great time when I was playing and I really enjoyed it.’’
Chris Jones, the Riders’ head coach and general manager, was pleased with St. John’s progress through the season. Jones told reporters in February that St. John needed to get into shape and commit to the weight room during the off-season.
“He’s had a good off-season, but an off-season is just working out and there isn’t anybody in pads,” Jones said. “He has to to show on the football field that he’s grown. His work habits are certainly better than when we got him. I look forward to seeing him put the pads on and show that he stayed strong.”
Jones suggested that many aspects of football came easily for St. John as he moved through high school and two seasons of junior college football before joining the Sooners in 2013. He red-shirted in 2013 and played with the Sooners in 2014 and 2015.
“I’m a pretty good athlete so it always came naturally to me,’’ St. John said. “When I got to the CFL, I learned that natural ability only gets you so far. You have to put the work into getting strong and getting in shape to be able to perform at a high level in the CFL.’’


http://leaderpost.com/sports/football/cfl/saskatchewan-roughriders/josiah-st-john-2

[jerrym]

The Riders have obtained LB/S Mike Edem and a conditional pick in a trade with BC for a conditional draft pick.



On Thursday, the Roughriders acquired the 27-year-old Edem from the B.C. Lions in exchange for a conditional selection in the 2018 CFL draft. The Lions also sent Saskatchewan a conditional pick in that draft.
The 6-foot-1, 210-pounder can play either safety or linebacker and could help the Roughriders shore up their Canadian depth.
Edem overcame his late start in the game to land a spot with the University of Calgary Dinos. He played defensive back and linebacker with the Dinos and, in 2012, was named Canada West’s top defensive player.
He was selected by the Montreal Alouettes in the first round (third overall) of the 2013 CFL draft and cracked the Als’ lineup that fall.
Edem was named an East Division all-star as a rookie after recording 49 defensive tackles, nine special-teams tackles, five sacks, four fumble recoveries and three interceptions. He was Montreal’s nominee for the awards as the CFL’s most outstanding Canadian and most outstanding rookie.
But Marc-Olivier Brouillette replaced Edem as the Als’ starting safety the following season. Edem had five defensive tackles, 13 special-teams tackles and one interception in 17 games in 2014 — and his role was diminished further in 2015.
In October of 2015, he was traded to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, with whom he played four regular-season and two playoff games.
He signed with B.C. as a free agent prior to the 2016 season and recorded 37 tackles and two interceptions in 17 regular-season games.
There were rumours this off-season that the Lions were trying to trade Edem — and that speculation came to fruition Thursday.
“I’m just excited to play football and excited for the opportunity to extend my career with the Roughriders,” he said from Calgary. “I want to give the fans the best of Mike Edem, to come there and put my best foot forward.


http://www.riderville.com/2017/05/11/riders-acquire-national-safety-mike-edem/

[jerrym]

The Riders have extended Edem through 2018.

http://www.riderville.com/2017/05/17/roughriders-lock-safety-mike-edem/

[jerrym]

Rider safety Marc-Olivier Brouillette has retired. Concussions and other career opportunities likely played a role.



The Saskatchewan Roughriders signed Brouillette (http://3downnation.com/2017/02/15/riders-agree-terms-star-canadian-db-marc-olivier-brouillette/) as free agent in February, hoping he could serve as a starter at safety and give the team some much-needed ratio flexibility.
Drafted 23rd overall by Montreal in the 2010 CFL Draft, the 31-year-old Brouillette has played in 102 games and made 64 starts in his seven seasons with the Alouettes. He started all 18 games last season making 33 defensive tackles, three special teams tackles and registering one interception while being named an East all-star.
Brouillette has a law degree and sources say he’s now going to pursue a legal career. He also has a history of concussions and once said he’d retire if he suffered another one (http://montrealgazette.com/sports/football/cfl/montreal-alouettes/alouettes-marc-olivier-brouillette-says-hell-retire-after-his-next-concussion).


http://3downnation.com/2017/05/27/eve-training-camp-riders-safety-marc-olivier-brouillette-retires/

[Will]

Jerry, too many of your posts in these team threads are of the cut-and-paste variety and constitute 85-90% of the posts in the thread. I appreciate your efforts in researching and gathering news, but perhaps not every little tidbit needs to be posted here?

[jerrym]

Vince Young will miss 4-6 weeks because of a hamstring injury. Because Young did not get any signing bonus, it will be easier for Chris Jones to dump him.

[jerrym]

Although the Rider's #2 overall pick Cameron Judge signed with the Riders at the beginning of June, he is only reporting now to Rider TC as he was allowed to finish his exams. This delay may hold him back initially but I expect he will be an impact player in the long run.

[jerrym]

It's time for the Riders to dump Vince Young as he hasn't shown he still has the skills or health to do the job in the CFL.

[ArgoRavi]

The Riders looked brutal in B.C. tonight. Yes, I know it is only preseason but the Riders' best QB is now in Montreal and Chris Jones, after not finding a lot of players he liked in going through 100 of them last year, still seems very much to be in rebuilding mode. I don't see this team winning more than 6 games this year.

[Jayahre]

The Riders looked brutal in B.C. tonight. Yes, I know it is only preseason but the Riders' best QB is now in Montreal and Chris Jones, after not finding a lot of players he liked in going through 100 of them last year, still seems very much to be in rebuilding mode. I don't see this team winning more than 6 games this year.

To be fair it was mainly backups going against the Lions at home with all their starters. According to the reports, Glenn played part of the 1st quarter 5 for 8 and looked pretty good.

[ArgoRavi]

To be fair it was mainly backups going against the Lions at home with all their starters. According to the reports, Glenn played part of the 1st quarter 5 for 8 and looked pretty good.

I am not sure that I would agree with that assessment as the Riders took 79 players with them to that game and most of their "starters" did indeed play at least the first quarter. This is a team with a lot of starting positions available too. I watched the game and Glenn looked tentative in his one quarter of work. Also, keep in mind that Kevin Glenn is pretty much your quintessential .500 QB with a decent team which the Riders likely aren't at the moment.

[jerrym]

The Riders have released Vince Young. No surprise.

[OV Argo]

Some more natives there getting restless with ego-Jones and his clown act/gong show there, after the recent loss to the Stamps.

The Riders looked horrid in the first half but at least bounced back with a good 3rd quarter (or were the Stamps just taking their foot off the gas for a bit?).

Kevin Glenn at QB = c'mon man; why are Bridge or another young guy not getting a shot? And so much of legend in his own mind Jones' roster there are cast-offs or pick-ups from other teams. Good thing Jones got rid of all-time Rider greats like Dressler, Chick & Durant - he can do so much better with some "athletes" that only a football genius like him can find.

[Argo57]

Some more natives there getting restless with ego-Jones and his clown act/gong show there, after the recent loss to the Stamps.

The Riders looked horrid in the first half but at least bounced back with a good 3rd quarter (or were the Stamps just taking their foot off the gas for a bit?).

Kevin Glenn at QB = c'mon man; why are Bridge or another young guy not getting a shot? And so much of legend in his own mind Jones' roster there are cast-offs or pick-ups from other teams. Good thing Jones got rid of all-time Rider greats like Dressler, Chick & Durant - he can do so much better with some "athletes" that only a football genius like him can find.

I'm sure Winnipeg, Hamilton and Montreal appreciate the gifts.
As tough as leaving the Riders may have been I'll go out on the limb and say these players are now glad to be elsewhere.

[argolio]

Dressler and Durant are still delivering the goods. Chick has been invisible so far.

[1971GreyCup]

Very good Chicago Bears video taken at Taylor Field explaining Jerrel Freeman's journey to the NFL and his CFL experience as a Rider in Regina. He speaks of many NFLers and their challenges playing on the big CFL field and using CFL rules.

https://www.facebook.com/ChicagoBears/videos/10155698621114452/

It would be helpful to get this type of 'expert' testimony across to the large Toronto football fan base that haven't yet travelled to BMO/SkyDome to see a live CFL game.

[PullTogether73]

Where is OV Argo?
Sir, PLEASE rip Ego-Jones on this latest pathetic roster add (NFL bust Trent Richardson)
You can do it far better than I ever could.

https://www.cfl.ca/2017/09/26/riders-sign-international-rb-trent-richardson/

[OV Argo]

Where is OV Argo?
Sir, PLEASE rip Ego-Jones on this latest pathetic roster add (NFL bust Trent Richardson)
You can do it far better than I ever could.

https://www.cfl.ca/2017/09/26/riders-sign-international-rb-trent-richardson/


Richardson is an NFL talent who will run roughshod over wimpy CFL defences = great signing by ego-Jones; the Riders were forced to start no talent NI LaFrance at tailback last game - pfft - what a joke. ;o)

[jerrym]

Richardson is an NFL talent who will run roughshod over wimpy CFL defences = great signing by ego-Jones; the Riders were forced to start no talent NI LaFrance at tailback last game - pfft - what a joke. ;o)

Richardson may well yet show he still has it as he gets used to the Rider offence, but he only gained 20 yards on five carries against the Argos while NI Lafrance's three 10+ yard runs were critical to the Rider's drive in the dying minutes to setup the winning FG.

[jerrym]

In the video below HC Chris Jones states Kevin Glenn will remain the starting QB despite the fact it was Bridge who turned the game around. Jones also discusses yesterday's game.

https://www.riderville.com/2017/10/07/we-did-what-we-had-to-do/

[OV Argo]

Richardson may well yet show he still has it as he gets used to the Rider offence, but he only gained 20 yards on five carries against the Argos while NI Lafrance's three 10+ yard runs were critical to the Rider's drive in the dying minutes to setup the winning FG.

A lot of the typical, usual suspect Riderfans are convinced that LaFrance is not "good enough" as per his passport and focus on everything non-stellar he does; and Richardson is a superstar in waiting who just needs more chances - i bet he will get those chances.

Ego-Jones will still trot out Kevin Glenn as his starting QB over Bridge.

[rdavies]

The wacky fans of this Canadian football team love watermelon hats and all things green (https://www.dallasnews.com/life/travel/2017/12/01/wacky-fans-canadian-football-team-love-watermelon-hats-things-green)
Jim Byers/Special Contributor dallasnews.com December 2 2017

The third quarter of the football game has just finished and the crowd at Mosaic Field in Regina, Saskatchewan, rises in unison to sing.

"And it's ho-hey, hi-hey, farmers bar your doors, when you see the Jolly Roger on Regina's mighty shores."

Grown men in deep green Saskatchewan Roughrider jerseys and long, brilliant green wigs dance and sway as the tune bounces along. Men and women with carved watermelons on their heads belt out the lyrics. I can't see them in the stands, but I'm pretty sure the father and son in matching green Hawaiian shirts that I interviewed prior to the game are raising a cup of the prized local pilsner beer to the local pirates.

For folks who don't have a degree in Canadian geography, let me point out the Regina is just about due north of the North Dakota/Montana border and roughly a 1,000 mile drive to the Pacific Ocean. But this is a Saskatchewan Roughriders game, and the team's legions of half-crazed fans play by their own rules and sing their own songs. They want to be pirates, so pirates they shall be.

Things are different in Saskatchewan

In Toronto, the local Canadian Football League team, the Argonauts, is lucky to draw 12,000 fans. Election night parties are more boisterous than an Argos game. But things are different in Saskatchewan, where the CFL is the only major sports league in town (they do have minor league hockey and recently got a team in the National Lacrosse League).

So on a visit to Regina this summer I took in a game at the new Mosaic Field, a sparkling, $200 million ($300 million - elly) Canadian playground that glimmers and gleams as much as any NFL stadium I've seen.

It didn't take long to find out that prairie football fans are entirely wacky, impossibly silly, ridiculously dressed folks who decorate their entire bodies -- and often their homes -- in Rider green and that they are incredibly and indisputably dedicated to their team. It's fantastic.

Pirate pride

I made it to the first preseason game of the year, which also was the debut of the new stadium. I think the fans, accustomed to their former dump of a home across the street (Taylor Field) were more than a little overwhelmed by the space-ship shine of their new digs. But their pride was out in full force.

Steven Cormons is a retired businessman who dresses up like a green Johnny Depp, with a fluorescent green beard and green tri-corner hat and green, navy-style jacket, with his green and white-striped pants tucked into dark black boots. Cormons, who calls himself Captain Harvey Rider, is retired and drives down from North Battleford for each game -- a 250-mile trip.

"I love the Pirates of Regina song and I thought they needed a pirate in the stands," Cormons told me prior to the game. "I was wearing a cowboy hat that day and thought, 'Why not a pirate costume?' I got my wife to make one for me, and now my goal is to get everyone in my section of the stadium to wear an eyepatch."

I commented on his natty attire and Rider smiled.

"You think the costume is something, you should see our living room," he said. "The walls are green like the grass. We even painted yard lines on the wall."

A favorite fruit

Watermelon hats have been a signature of Rider fans for years. Melons are purchased a few days prior to the game and the pink fruit is carved out (and presumably eaten), leaving a green and white rind that plunks down perfectly on the head of a prairie football fan.

The story goes that when Saskatchewan journeyed to Calgary a few years ago to play for the CFL Championship, known as the Grey Cup, one of the local grocery stores had to buy thousands of extra watermelons to keep Riders' fans in their favorite fruit.

"Ideally you buy the watermelon the day before and let it dry out a little," melon-hatted fan Luke McWilliams told me as he wandered the stadium at halftime. "It's kinda gross if it's wet."

I tell a group of fans I'm interviewing that I'm doing a story for a newspaper in Dallas.

"I don't think people in the U.S. have any idea how crazy we are here about football and about the Riders," said season-ticket holder Lance Hackewich, who's at the game with his son, Nelson. They're dressed in matching green Hawaiian shirts, along with snazzy white fedoras with green trim. "But players who have come up here from the States get it. Doug Flutie gets it. Jeff Garcia gets it."

I ask Nelson why Rider nation is such a devoted bunch.

"We don't have anything else," he replies in a matter-of-fact voice.
Saskatchewan Roughriders fans are acknowledged as the most enthusiastic fans in the Canadian Football League, often travelling hundreds of miles to get to their games.

So well-loved

That's not quite true. Regina will never be mistaken for Paris or Denver or Dallas. The more northerly Saskatchewan city of Saskatoon has a prettier setting and a stronger reputation for the arts. But Regina, which is the province's capital, has a lovely lake and a nice farmers market, as well as one of the most striking provincial buildings in Canada. Better still, the people are down-home, hard-working middle-of-the-country folks who don't take themselves the least bit seriously, and they're ultra-passionate about their football team.

"A lot of former players stay here in Regina and sell cars or work at restaurants," says super-fan Nathan Clearihue. "They stay because they're so well-loved."

That list includes Don Narcisse, who was born in Port Arthur, Texas, and played college football at Texas Southern University. He wasn't a star coming out of school but latched on with the Riders, becoming the Canadian Football League's all-time leading receiver at the time of his retirement in 1999.

"The fans around here embraced me like you can't believe," said Narcisse. "These might be the best and most loyal fans in sports. They're loud in Seattle and Green Bay, but this is a pretty amazing place."

Fans are everywhere

They certainly love to wave the green-and-white flag. The store at Mosaic Field is filled with hundreds of Riders' items, everything from flip-flops to earrings to baby lotion. There are even green Rider Champagne flutes.

Lance and Nelson Hackewich have taken a bedroom at their suburban Regina home and turned it into a shrine for all things Riders, including autographed Grey Cup footballs (alas, the Riders have only won Lord Grey's trophy four times in the CFL's 100-plus years: 1966, 1989, 2007 and 2013), Roughrider cribbage sets and watermelon candies.

One of their prized possessions is a Riders cigarette lighter from the 1950s.

"They certainly don't give those away anymore," Lance said. "George Reed [a former Riders' star] tells stories of how he would run off the field at half-time instead of walk because that way he could have two cigarettes before the start of the third quarter instead of just one."

Lance takes me to their living room and shows me photos of family members holding the green Saskatchewan flag in front of the Eiffel Tower and at the lip of the Grand Canyon.

"I was in China once at the Great Wall and had my flag and someone yelled, 'Go, Riders.' Saskatchewan fans are everywhere."

Other Canadian football traditions

Ottawa: During the first time-out of the third quarter of every home game in Ottawa, fans of the Red Blacks shout "Shoe Beer, Shoe Beer, Shoe Beer." A long-time season ticker-holder then gets out a shoe that's been fashioned into a drinking receptacle, fills it with beer and gives it a chug as his fellow fans shout encouragement.

Winnipeg: Here's a fun tradition: fans at Blue Bombers games have been known to collect all the plastic beer cups they can (are you sensing a theme here?) and stack them one into the other until they form a meters-long, writhing collection of cups affectionately known as a "beer snake." One wildlife group in Canada declared it an official species of reptile.

Calgary: This being the city that hosts the annual Calgary Stampede, you know horses have to enter the equation. Sure enough, after every touchdown, a female rider named Chelsea Drake (she took over for her mom just recently) races down the sidelines on a horse called "Quick Six," six being the number of points you score on a touchdown in American and Canadian football. Alas, the horse doesn't drink a beer after his run.

[rdavies]

Canadian QB Brandon Bridge to workout for New York Giants (http://3downnation.com/2017/12/10/canadian-qb-brandon-bridge-workout-new-york-giants/)
Justin Dunk 3downnation December 10, 2017

Saskatchewan Roughrider quarterback Brandon Bridge has a workout scheduled with the New York Giants in December, per sources.

After signing with the Riders in August of last year, the Mississauga-born Bridge has shown intriguing potential, especially in 2017. Bridge started in Week 13 for the Riders in Hamilton and guided the team to a victory with 231 passing yards and three touchdowns. Two weeks later, the 25-year-old came off the bench to lead a comeback win against Toronto, finishing 20-of-28 for 292 yards and two touchdowns.

Overall, Bridge passed for 1,236 yards with a 66.6 completion percentage (92-of-138) and 10 touchdowns to just four interceptions while adding 20 carries for 127 yards and one touchdown on the ground. He sparked the Riders offence in the East Final, completing 11-of-21 passes for 141 yards and one touchdown in the team’s defeat. The TD toss was the first by a Canadian in a post-season game since Russ Jackson in the 1969 Grey Cup.

Bridge was originally drafted by the Montreal Alouettes in 2015. That same year he attended Dallas Cowboys rookie mini-camp but was not signed.

A pending free agent in February, Bridge has been in contract negotiations with the Riders.

“Definitely, I would love to stay here, but at the end of the day, it’s still a business,” Bridge said.

Saskatchewan’s head coach and general manager Chris Jones knows the Canadian signal caller’s talents well.

“He brings a lot of really big intangibles to the position,” Jones said. “He’s a dynamic young player.”

[R.J]

Chris Jones and staff signs extensions.
https://globalnews.ca/news/3912059/chris-jones-signs-extension-with-riders/?utm_source=%40globalsaskatoon&utm_medium=Twitter


The Saskatchewan Roughriders announced on Tuesday that they have signed General Manager and Head Coach Chris Jones to a contract extension through 2019.

The Riders also announced that front office personnel Jeremy O’Day, John Murphy and Mike Davis have each agreed to two-year contract extensions, keeping them with the Riders until the 2019 season.

Not surprised, as I would have been more surprised if Jones signed a 2 or 3 year extension.

[R.J]

Bridge re-signed with the Riders on a one year deal, which I think will be the norm this off season with the CBA ending after next season.

[jerrym]

Jeremy O'Day discusses below why the Riders released Kevin Glenn so quickly after signing Collaros:



“Once we make a decision to make a trade like we did yesterday, there’s going to be some movement that we have to do on the roster,” said Jeremy O’Day, the Roughriders’ assistant vice-president of football operations and administration. “We had time to discuss that and develop a plan moving forward and we came to the conclusion that it was probably best not to let that linger on and, in fairness to Kevin and everyone else involved, to go ahead and make that decision to release Kevin this morning.” ...
“He’s disappointed and understandably so,” O’Day said of Glenn, a veteran of 17 CFL seasons. “You come to an organization and you hope to play there for a longer period of time.“Kevin’s a true pro; he has been through it many times before. It doesn’t make it any easier on everyone involved. It’s the tough part of the business. There are a lot of good people who end up getting hurt when you make those decisions, but he handled it like a pro.”
Glenn was signed in part to help the Roughriders’ other quarterbacks, none of whom had more than three years of pro experience. Noting that Glenn is “a very team-oriented guy,” O’Day praised the veteran for the impact he had on Bridge, Vernon Adams Jr., Marquise Williams (https://www.riderville.com/players/marquise-williams/160263/) and David Watford (https://www.riderville.com/players/david-watford/) in Saskatchewan’s quarterbacks room.
The mentoring work that Glenn did prompted many to suggest that he could succeed the departed Jarious Jackson as Saskatchewan’s quarterbacks coach. On Thursday, that didn’t sound like a possibility.
“That was probably erased when Kevin told us that he wanted to continue playing,” O’Day said. “You want to respect the player’s aspirations.


https://www.riderville.com/2018/01/04/jeremy-oday-explains-kevin-glenn-decision/

[Argo]

This is a very nice contract for ZC.

http://3downnation.com/2018/01/19/details-on-riders-and-zach-collaros-restructured-contract/

IMO, the fact that it is faith-based, and not incentive-and-performance-based, is clearly a mistake (i.e., an unnecessary gamble) on Chris Jone's part.

[R.J]

This is a very nice contract for ZC.

http://3downnation.com/2018/01/19/details-on-riders-and-zach-collaros-restructured-contract/

IMO, the fact that it is faith-based, and not incentive-and-performance-based, is clearly a mistake (i.e., an unnecessary gamble) on Chris Jone's part.
Yup, very nice deal for Collaros indeed. Took less money, but I too am surprised that it's not an incentive type deal.

[Argo]

Duron Carter has signed a one-year contract with the Riders.

Good, glad to see him back playing in the CFL this year.

[AngeloV]

Duron Carter has signed a one-year contract with the Riders.

Good, glad to see him back playing in the CFL this year.

Me too. I think the Riders are going to be the team to beat in the west this year.

[jerrym]

A legend in his own mind.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I probably will go down as one of the best players ever!!! Don&#39;t comment, just remember how salty you got reading that 😂 I&#39;m one of a kind😎</p>&mdash; Duron Carter (@DC_CHILLIN_8) <a href="https://twitter.com/DC_CHILLIN_8/status/951863911443238913?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 12, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[doubleblue]

A legend in his own mind.

<twitterwidget class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" id="twitter-widget-0" style="position: static; visibility: visible; display: block; transform: rotate(0deg); max-width: 100%; width: 500px; min-width: 220px; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;" data-tweet-id="951863911443238913"></twitterwidget> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> Duron is definitely one of a kind. Always good to have a polarizing figure for other teams fans to hate and make headlines. Of course it takes a special person to do that. Someone who doesn't care what other people think.
<iframe scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets/widget_iframe.34f1d98fbddc2d328cb7fb206fcd1806.htm l?origin=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.argofans.com" style="display: none;"></iframe><iframe id="rufous-sandbox" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: absolute; visibility: hidden; display: none; width: 0px; height: 0px; padding: 0px; border: none;" title="Twitter analytics iframe"></iframe>

[OV Argo]

A legend in his own mind.

<twitterwidget class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" id="twitter-widget-0" style="position: static; visibility: visible; display: block; transform: rotate(0deg); max-width: 100%; width: 500px; min-width: 220px; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;" data-tweet-id="951863911443238913"></twitterwidget> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Yeah - a real character and a legend in his own mind; but reports out of Riderville say he has been a good team-guy and no real problems ? Well liked there.

Certainly has some real talent and skills - big, fast with a huge catch radius (one of the all-time greatest CFL receptions IMO last year); and chipped in playing well at DB. Still, IMO, pretty over-rated as a receiver - mainly cause he drops too many; if there was a former CFL receiver i could compare him too = maybe Arland Bruce - a guy who could make big plays and spectacular catches, but just dropped too many passes to be considered an all-around elite receiver. Not even close to Terry Greer, Milt, Brian Kelly, Allen Pitts or Merv Fernandez as a total package receiver talent.<iframe scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets/widget_iframe.34f1d98fbddc2d328cb7fb206fcd1806.htm l?origin=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.argofans.com" style="display: none;"></iframe><iframe id="rufous-sandbox" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: absolute; visibility: hidden; display: none; width: 0px; height: 0px; padding: 0px; border: none;" title="Twitter analytics iframe"></iframe><iframe scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets/widget_iframe.34f1d98fbddc2d328cb7fb206fcd1806.htm l?origin=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.argofans.com" style="display: none;"></iframe><iframe id="rufous-sandbox" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: absolute; visibility: hidden; display: none; width: 0px; height: 0px; padding: 0px; border: none;" title="Twitter analytics iframe"></iframe>

[jerrym]

Duron Carter's one year extension seems to be quite favourable to the Riders. While his contract went up from $130,000 to $175,000 potentially, it includes a $31,000 playing time bonus in addition to a $70,000 signing bonus and a $74,000 base salary.

http://3downnation.com/2018/01/26/contract-details-duron-carter-gets-pay-raise-riders/

[jerrym]

Another National, in addition to DL Nathan Shephard who is also on Hamilton's list after failing to be drafted, has been placed on the Rider's negotiation list: RB Johnny Augustine, who was ranked #17 on the final CFL Scouting Bureau list, but went undrafted and failed to stick with the Eskimos at TC last year. Not entirely surprising that a National RB went undrafted even in the late rounds.

http://3downnation.com/2018/01/30/riders-added-canadian-running-back-in-double-secret-negotiation-list-draft/

[doubleblue]

Another National, in addition to DL Nathan Shephard who is also on Hamilton's list after failing to be drafted, has been placed on the Rider's negotiation list: RB Johnny Augustine, who was ranked #17 on the final CFL Scouting Bureau list, but went undrafted and failed to stick with the Eskimos at TC last year. Not entirely surprising that a National RB went undrafted even in the late rounds.

http://3downnation.com/2018/01/30/riders-added-canadian-running-back-in-double-secret-negotiation-list-draft/

Don't know what happened with Augustine last year. Tough runner who is maybe on the small size, but did well at the combine at least on the field.
Saw him play this last fall and he looks like he can play in the CFL as a back up and ST guy IMO.

[AngeloV]

Don't know what happened with Augustine last year. Tough runner who is maybe on the small size, but did well at the combine at least on the field.
Saw him play this last fall and he looks like he can play in the CFL as a back up and ST guy IMO.

More neg list stupidity. Once a player has been in someone's camp as Augustine was, how is he not just a free agent? Why should someone be allowed to put a released player onto a neg list? Unless of course, 3DN is wrong about him being added to a neg list.

[R.J]

http://3downnation.com/2018/02/14/with-bonus-looming-riders-asking-lb-henoc-muamba-to-take-a-pay-cut/

Not surprising considering Muamba's play since returning to the CFL and how the Riders have spent so far on Free Agency.

[R.J]

That was quick.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The Roughriders also announce they have released national middle linebacker Henoc Muamba.</p>&mdash; Ian Hamilton (@IanHamilton45) <a href="https://twitter.com/IanHamilton45/status/963908122308833281?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 14, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[AngeloV]

That was quick.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The Roughriders also announce they have released national middle linebacker Henoc Muamba.</p>— Ian Hamilton (@IanHamilton45) <a href="https://twitter.com/IanHamilton45/status/963908122308833281?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 14, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Expensive, but I would love for the Argos to snap him up. He was very impressive late last year.

[jerrym]

Messam signed for $120,000 plus $11,000 in incentives for 2018.

[OV Argo]

Messam signed for $120,000 plus $11,000 in incentives for 2018.


Got documented, verifiable evidence of that or any other CFL contract ?

[jerrym]

Saskatchewan revealed ten of its negotiation list names. It includes a 265 lb, 6 ft 5in Canadian fullback, Adam Zaruba out of SFU who signed a three year contract with the Eagles in 2017, but was cut in September only to be resigned in January as a tight end prospect. The list gives descriptions of all ten players.

https://www.riderville.com/2018/02/20/riders-announce-10-names-negotiation-list/

[jerrym]

The Riders have added 23 players to their roster, including former Argo WR Da'Rick Rogers. They cut four others: Nationals OL Peter Dyakowski, safety Jeff Hecht, and DL Eddie Meredith, as well as International DB Taylor Mays.

https://www.riderville.com/2018/04/24/riders-transactions-april-24th/

[jerrym]

Rod Pederson makes ten observations on the Riders' mini-camp.

http://www.rodpedersen.com/2018/04/10-things-from-roughriders-florida.html

[jerrym]

Ian Hamilton looks at the Riders' draft picks:

https://www.riderville.com/2018/05/04/cfl-draft-look-roughriders-draft-class/

[jerrym]

Ian Hamilton looks at the Riders' ST, offence and defence as the team heads to TC.

https://www.riderville.com/2018/05/15/training-camp-look-special-teams-2/

https://www.riderville.com/2018/05/16/training-camp-look-offence-2/

https://www.riderville.com/2018/05/17/training-camp-look-defence-2/

[Flutie]

Bad luck they just lost Jake Harty for the season with a torn ACL. They had high hopes of him taking that number one Canadian spot from Bagg.
Last year in Ottawa he stepped in when Sinopoli was injured and had 26 receptions in 7 games as a starter. Bagg played in 15 games and had 33 receptions.

[AngeloV]

Bad luck they just lost Jake Harty for the season with a torn ACL. They had high hopes of him taking that number one Canadian spot from Bagg.
Last year in Ottawa he stepped in when Sinopoli was injured and had 26 receptions in 7 games as a starter. Bagg played in 15 games and had 33 receptions.

I can see them signing Matt Coates. He has looked very good when given the chance with both Hamilton and Winnipeg.

[doubleblue]

I can see them signing Matt Coates. He has looked very good when given the chance with both Hamilton and Winnipeg.

I saw an article from a Winnipeg paper saying Coates was cut because he injured his foot in off season training. I'm guessing Walters didn't want to pay him for half the season on the injured list.

[OV Argo]

Bad luck they just lost Jake Harty for the season with a torn ACL. They had high hopes of him taking that number one Canadian spot from Bagg.
Last year in Ottawa he stepped in when Sinopoli was injured and had 26 receptions in 7 games as a starter. Bagg played in 15 games and had 33 receptions.

They still have Devon Bailey and former draft picks Picton & Stanford - could easily be allright with those guys to combine with vet Bagg; can only see them starting one NI as a regular in their 5 pack, but a 2nd guy could sub-in some; Jones will likely do a lot of shuffling and switching (like Messam & an import RB) to get to his 7 only NIs.

[OV Argo]

I saw an article from a Winnipeg paper saying Coates was cut because he injured his foot in off season training. I'm guessing Walters didn't want to pay him for half the season on the injured list.

They could bring Coates back if he heals up? 100 plus yard receiving game in the play-offs last season - should have got him some respect.

Hearing they are looking at starting 2 NIs at receiver to get to their 7 only (gee - a recurring CFL theme - woe the "ratio problem" ;o)

Demski, last year's supplemental pick Wolitarsky (big target receiver and basically as good or better an NCAA ball receiving resume as this year's 1st overall Chapman), plus 2 outstanding draft pick prospects in Simonise & Petermann = should be a good TC battle there.

[R.J]

Riders have signed former Rams rb Tre Mason. Talented kid who's only 24, but had off field issues. Takes over for Richardson I guess as the off field project guy this year.

[jerrym]

Cameron Judge, last year's second overall draft choice who was born in Montreal but went to school in the States, has a good chance of making it at LB, especially after Jones said he plans to have a National LB playing on every defensive down. Last year he missed all but three games due to a shoulder injury. He had two DTs and QB pressure against the Eskimos on Sunday.

[ArgoRavi]

Cameron Judge, last year's second overall draft choice who was born in Montreal but went to school in the States, has a good chance of making it at LB, especially after Jones said he plans to have a National LB playing on every defensive down. Last year he missed all but three games due to a shoulder injury. He had two DTs and QB pressure against the Eskimos on Sunday.

Judge also had a notable Twitter meltdown last season. Good to see him recover from that.

[jerrym]

The Riders have signed former NFL RB Storm Johnson.

http://3downnation.com/2018/06/06/riders-sign-former-ticats-nfl-rb-storm-johnson/

[Argo]

After tonight's pre-season tilt, it seems like Hamilton didn't want anybody to see Collaros play again before he was traded...

[R.J]

After tonight's pre-season tilt, it seems like Hamilton didn't want anybody to see Collaros play again before he was traded...
There's been some reports out of TC that Bridge has looked better in camp. Gotta think this year is Collaros' last shot to prove he can be a #1.

[Stevoman]

Owens was just cut...come on Argos pick him up!

[Argo]

There's been some reports out of TC that Bridge has looked better in camp. Gotta think this year is Collaros' last shot to prove he can be a #1.

Oh I agree completely. I suspect that if Collaros clearly looks bad during 3 consecutive losses - or perhaps even 2 - he's history.

[R.J]

Owens was just cut...come on Argos pick him up!
Why ?

[ArgoGabe22]

Owens was just cut...come on Argos pick him up!

If it’s a one day contract, then for sure 100%. I’m all for it.

[R.J]

If it’s a one day contract, then for sure 100%. I’m all for it.
This I can understand - let him retire in double blue, but beyond that no thanks.

[Argo]

Just saw the game recap. That Collaros sandwhich - looked like his head whipped back and forth - trying not to think about any motion inside the skull !

[R.J]

Riders cuts so far

NAT Rob Bagg (REC) Queen’s
INT Bakari Grant (REC) UC Davis
INT Chad Owens (REC) Hawaii
INT Travis Bond (OL) North Carolina
INT BJ Daniels (QB) South Florida

No surprises here IMO.

[Flutie]

Riders cuts so far

NAT Rob Bagg (REC) Queen’s
INT Bakari Grant (REC) UC Davis
INT Chad Owens (REC) Hawaii
INT Travis Bond (OL) North Carolina
INT BJ Daniels (QB) South Florida

No surprises here IMO.

A little surprised about Bagg right now, I thought they would've waited until Jake Harty comes back from injury, they have no decent national receivers.

[Stevoman]

This I can understand - let him retire in double blue, but beyond that no thanks.

Still think he can be an asset.

[jerrym]

Still think he can be an asset.

I love Chad but I think he is well past his best before date and the Argos are well stocked at receiver.

[R.J]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Riders?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Riders</a> with a flurry of roster moves - June 10th - Saskatchewan Roughriders <a href="https://twitter.com/sskroughriders?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@sskroughriders</a> <a href="https://t.co/DgwwW86mpo">https://t.co/DgwwW86mpo</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CFL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CFL</a> <a href="https://t.co/On36WY8Z4O">pic.twitter.com/On36WY8Z4O</a></p>&mdash; CFL News (@CFL_News) <a href="https://twitter.com/CFL_News/status/1005818118227349504?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 10, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Looking back at it - i'm a little surprised about Bond tbh. He's a decent OL, and they're weak on the line IMO.

[doubleblue]

Riders cuts so far

NAT Rob Bagg (REC) Queen’s
INT Bakari Grant (REC) UC Davis
INT Chad Owens (REC) Hawaii
INT Travis Bond (OL) North Carolina
INT BJ Daniels (QB) South Florida

No surprises here IMO.

Age and salary for the receivers. Bond really solidified the Bomber O Line at LG for a couple of years. Jones must have felt he was being paid too much for that position unless his play has dropped off. The Travis Bond of a couple of years ago in Winnipeg would be an upgrade over Washington IMO. He could really open up holes for Wilder, but I believe Trestman will stick with the same 5 guys for now. Continuity is a good thing when it comes to Offensive Lines.

[R.J]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Projected <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Riders?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Riders</a> 2018 Depth Chart <a href="https://t.co/HtXqPbYbu8">https://t.co/HtXqPbYbu8</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CFL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CFL</a> via <a href="https://twitter.com/GregOnSports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GregOnSports</a> <a href="https://t.co/ngFhiodPx9">pic.twitter.com/ngFhiodPx9</a></p>&mdash; CFL News (@CFL_News) <a href="https://twitter.com/CFL_News/status/1005867758960160768?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 10, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Riders?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Riders</a> projected depth chart (and what it means) (via <a href="https://twitter.com/scratchingpost?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@scratchingpost</a>) <a href="https://t.co/O5UfwdUsOR">https://t.co/O5UfwdUsOR</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CFL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CFL</a> <a href="https://t.co/IhjeK07uAb">pic.twitter.com/IhjeK07uAb</a></p>&mdash; CFL News (@CFL_News) <a href="https://twitter.com/CFL_News/status/1005870290189025281?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 10, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


I'll take McCulloch's projected starters over Edwards'. Something about Hurl starting at MLB doesn't look, sound or feel good to me. Judge is a talented player, and I wouldn't be surprised to see him start in the middle.

[OV Argo]

Did Jones cut that superstar receiver Bkhari Grant ?

Going with only 2 NI starters on O-line and 4 overall on offence ? (Messam at RB + the wide-side WR); still need 3 NI starters on D - one at safety + Evans at DT for sure;

I'll bet on the Riders going import at MLB over what those depth charts say now; Hurl & Judge to get to play at Will OLB, but only if ratio forced to as one of Jones' 7 only - which i think will feature lots of substitutions (could go with 2 Canadians at DT a lot of the time)

[R.J]

http://www.rodpedersen.com/2018/06/jones-discusses-qbs-on-tuesday.html?spref=tw

After the workout, Jones addressed his quarterback situation for Week 1. On Monday, Jones said he doesn't plan to name his starting pivot until later in the week.

"I've known for two weeks how we're going to play," Jones revealed. "But I ain't telling y'all till we get ready to play. Why would I give something like that up to our opponent, where they know exactly what we're going to do? It doesn't make good sense, right?

"I know how we're gonna play, our quarterbacks know how we're gonna play, and you'll find out when we play the game exactly how they'll play."
Is it just me or is Jones the most paranoid Head Coach in the CFL ?

[jerrym]

Rider comments on the TSN's CFL Top 50, including the kind of response you would expect on the rankings:



Carter said he was happy with his ranking, but …
“I won’t stop until I’m No. 1,” he said after practice at Mosaic Stadium. “That’s my goal: To be No. 1.”

That spot this year went to Edmonton Eskimos quarterback Mike Reilly (https://www.riderville.com/players/mike-reilly/131087/), who was followed in the rankings by Calgary Stampeders pivot Bo Levi Mitchell (https://www.riderville.com/players/bo-levi-mitchell/158222/) and Winnipeg Blue Bombers tailback Andrew Harris (https://www.riderville.com/players/andrew-harris/143711/).

A pair of linebackers — Solomon Elimimian (https://www.riderville.com/players/solomon-elimimian/153908/) of the B.C. Lions and Calgary’s Alex Singleton (https://www.riderville.com/players/alex-singleton/162294/) — were Nos. 4 and 5, respectively. Toronto Argonauts quarterback Ricky Ray (https://www.riderville.com/players/ricky-ray/80458/) was No. 6, Ottawa Redblacks receiver Greg Ellingston was No. 7 and Carter was No. 8.

Carter completely understood his placing in the balloting.
“Quarterbacks are the most valuable guys in the league,” he said. “Then they threw in some defensive guys to keep it kosher and then offensive guys come in.
“It’s cool. I’m happy with No. 8 … My next trick is to get a contract that’s worth (as much as that of) a quarterback.”

Seven current Roughriders made the list. In addition to Carter, the Saskatchewan players selected were defensive ends Willie Jefferson (https://www.riderville.com/players/willie-jefferson/159631/) (No. 10) and Charleston Hughes (https://www.riderville.com/players/charleston-hughes/139075/) (No. 13), defensive back Ed Gainey (https://www.riderville.com/players/ed-gainey/158806/) (No. 15), receiver Naaman Roosevelt (https://www.riderville.com/players/naaman-roosevelt/156296/) (No. 25), tailback Jerome Messam (https://www.riderville.com/players/jerome-messam/143357/) (No. 29) and guard Brendon LaBatte (No. 33).

After Messam saw the list, he tweeted: “29 they say… we’ll see!” with a winking emoji.
Two players in the top 10 and three in the top 13 impressed Carter, but he wants more in the future. “By the end of the year,” he said, “the whole top five is going to be all Riders.”


https://www.riderville.com/2018/06/12/notebook-duron-carter-cracks-tsns-top-10/


(https://www.riderville.com/2018/06/12/notebook-duron-carter-cracks-tsns-top-10/)

[ArgoRavi]

Messam seems very much to be on the downside of his career. I am surprised to see him on this list at all, let alone at #29.

[jerrym]

Saskatchewan has signed former BC Lion International DL Mic'hael Brooks, who was a rookie West Division All-Star in 2015 but was released by the Lions in May despite being only 26.

[jerrym]

Collaros has been put on the six game injured list after sustaining a concussion in his last game and not returning to action. National QB Brandon Bridge will now be the starting Rider QB.

[Argo]

Collaros has been put on the six game injured list after sustaining a concussion in his last game and not returning to action. National QB Brandon Bridge will now be the starting Rider QB.

Collaros really should retire: this is - what? - his third concussion (that we know about).

Well, in football, one man's injury is another's opportunity. Let's see what you've got to offer, new #1 QB Bridge.

[R.J]

Collaros really should retire: this is - what? - his third concussion (that we know about).

Well, in football, one man's injury is another's opportunity. Let's see what you've got to offer, new #1 QB Bridge.
I've been thinking the same. Collaros can still be a good player, but at 2-3 concussions it may be time to consider retiring. At some point gotta think about the future.

[Flutie]

I've been thinking the same. Collaros can still be a good player, but at 2-3 concussions it may be time to consider retiring. At some point gotta think about the future.

I don't think he will consider retirement until after the 6 game IR or until the end of the year, if he retires he doesn't get paid.

[jerrym]

Major questions are being asked about Chris Jone's sputtering offence: why is he continually alternating between Bridge and Watford (up to seven times in the same game) when this tends to seriously reduce the chances of a QB developing any game rhythm and even more so for such inexperienced QBs as discussed by Matt Dunigan, Henry Burris, Milt Stegall and others; why isn't Duron Carter being used on offence where his pass catching skills as one of the league's best receivers could help out the young QBs instead of on defence where the results have been mixed at best; and why has Messam, whose skills admittedly are diminishing with age, not been used in several two and under short yard situations when his 6'3", 230 lb size is still formidable in picking up short yardage first downs.

[Argo]

I quickly browsed 3 Down Nation and noticed some nonsense about Zac Collaros being taken off the injury list early.

It's too bad that Zac Collaros won't retire before he's hurt again... head injuries and he are well-acquainted.

I'm skeptical, but I hope he makes it through.

[CFLfan]

I quickly browsed 3 Down Nation and noticed some nonsense about Zac Collaros being taken off the injury list early.

It's too bad that Zac Collaros won't retire before he's hurt again... head injuries and he are well-acquainted.

I'm skeptical, but I hope he makes it through.

Makes you wonder what type of QB he will be in the future. If he tries to avoid the hits he could start throwing the ball away, throwing before he's ready, throwing INTs, running out of bounds prematurely.
The Riders need him and Bridge has been a big disappointment.

[jerrym]

After being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday, 44 year old Terrell Owens worked out for Riders' HC Chris Jones on Sunday during the team's bye week. Jones' assessment: Owens caught the ball well, had decent breaks, but he is not in game shape. Even if he did come back, which I doubt, I don't think his 44 year old body could long take the punishment of pro football.

[jerrym]

National DB Cauchy Muamba, who was one of the final TC cuts of the Lions, has signed with the Riders. After being drafted in 2010 he played three years for BC, one year for the Bombers and four for the Eskimos.

[jerrym]

The Riders have signed International QB Drew Powell, who won the Indoor Football League MVP award this year with the Iowa Barnstormers.



He completed 154-of-226 attempts for 1,604 yards, 34 touchdowns against four interceptions while rushing for league-high totals of 945 yards and 23 touchdowns. ...

The six-foot-three, 225-pound Powell played collegiately for Livingstone College. During his senior season in 2015 completed 184 of 315 passes for 2,166 yards, 15 touchdowns and 11 interceptions plus rushing for 614 yards and eight touchdowns.

http://3downnation.com/2018/10/04/riders-sign-quarterback-drew-powell/

[R.J]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Riders?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Riders</a> sign 2018 first round pick OL Dakoda Shepley <a href="https://t.co/eFGVXoD7zz">https://t.co/eFGVXoD7zz</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Saskatchewan?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Saskatchewan</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/YQR?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#YQR</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CFL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CFL</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NFL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NFL</a> <a href="https://t.co/EAUjscw5Ro">pic.twitter.com/EAUjscw5Ro</a></p>&mdash; Justin Dunk (@JDunk12) <a href="https://twitter.com/JDunk12/status/1052243250205999104?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 16, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


Big signing IMO. Good to see some of the draft picks coming to the CFL (Shepley and Gray) - hoping Hunter comes up to the Argos sooner rather than later.

[R.J]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The key here is that he’s added to practice roster but has not “signed”. Allows Shepley to become familiar with Riders players and coaches, participate in practice while keeping all NFL doors open. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Riders?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Riders</a> <a href="https://t.co/vCbZQ1JsYP">https://t.co/vCbZQ1JsYP</a></p>&mdash; David William Naylor (@TSNDaveNaylor) <a href="https://twitter.com/TSNDaveNaylor/status/1052251358592688129?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 16, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[jerrym]

The Riders may end up putting Shepley into their game roster relatively quickly as they just announced that they have lost National OL Dariusz for the season and National OL Dan Clark for an extended period. They have also lost International DT Mic'hael Brooks for the season.

https://leaderpost.com/sports/football/cfl/saskatchewan-roughriders/roughriders-lose-bladek-and-brooks-for-rest-of-season

[jerrym]

After Charleston Hughes was arrested for impaired driving and refused to provide a breath sample, HC Chris Jones said he would play on Saturday but has now reversed that decision because "the incident reflects negatively on the Saskatchewan Roughriders".

[R.J]

Roughriders have signed Drew Tate, and also brought back K/P Quinn Van Glyswyk.

[jerrym]

The coaches' salary cap strikes again.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Just got an insider note about John Murphy’s departure from the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Roughriders?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Roughriders</a>: “It was due to his unwillingness to take a 10%+ pay cut under the newly imposed coaches’ cap. He agreed to a two-year deal and felt the Riders should live up to their obligation on that final year ...</p>&mdash; Kirk Penton (@PentonKirk) <a href="https://twitter.com/PentonKirk/status/1070432307369074688?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 5, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[jerrym]

The Riders have extended Nationals WR Patrick Lavoie through 2020 and DT Zack Evans through 2022.

[jerrym]

Former Argo and Rider OL Jeremy O'Day has been named Saskatchewan's GM and VP of football operations.

[jerrym]

The Riders have signed 2018 fifth overall draft pick Dakoda Shepley to a two year contract plus an 2021 option year. He attended New York Jets TC as an undrafted free agent before being cut after playing in three games.

[jerrym]

Former Bomber and NFL kicker Jon Ryan, who was born in Regina, will attend the Riders' free agent camp in Florida, after being released by the Seahawks and Bills last year following a ten year NFL career.

[jerrym]

Derek Taylor, who spent five years with TSN, will be the new play-by-play announcer for the Riders, replacing Rod Pedersen.

[jerrym]

National DL Eddie Steele has announced his retirement after playing since 2011 with Hamilton, Edmonton and Saskatchewan.

[jerrym]

The Riders have signed International QB Isaac Harker, who played for Div II Colorado School of Mines. The 6' 195 lb QB had a 65.5% completion rate for 3,858 yards, 39 TDS and 12 interceptions last year, after transferring from Indiana State.

[jerrym]

The Riders have signed National DB Elie Bouka.



The six-foot-one, 205-pounder joins the Roughriders for the second time in his professional career after previously playing four games in the Green and White in 2017.

The 27-year-old spent time with several NFL clubs including the Philadelphia Eagles in 2018 and the Arizona Cardinals in 2016.

Bouka was selected by the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the third round (24th overall) in the 2016 CFL Draft.

He played four seasons at the University of Calgary from 2012-2015, switching from receiver to defensive back in 2013. As a defensive back, registered 24.5 defensive tackles and one interception. As a receiver he caught 16 receptions for 137 yards and two touchdowns.
https://www.cfl.ca/2019/04/30/riders-sign-db-elie-bouka-one-year-deal/

[jerrym]

After 12 seasons in the NFL with the Packers and Seahawks, following his first two years of pro football in Winnipeg, Jon Ryan has returned to his hometown to sign with the Riders.

[jerrym]

The Riders current depth charts are below:


https://d3ham790trbkqy.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/SSK_D-800x800.png




https://d3ham790trbkqy.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/SSK_D1-800x800.png

https://www.cfl.ca/2019/05/13/off-season-depth-chart-saskatchewan-roughriders/

[AngeloV]

Crazy good D-Line on this Riders team.

[OV Argo]

Crazy good D-Line on this Riders team.

3/4s outstanding anyways , IMO - with Leonard - average to mediocre - back at DE for them again - but maybe somebody step-up to beat him out for playing time; Micah Johnson was a great pick-up and a top DT for sure, but they lost league best (IMO) DE in Willie Jefferson; Charleston Hughes is getting on in mileage but still got it done last year.

I might rate the Pussycats D-line the best - with the addition of J'Gared Davis at DE to go with Tracy & Westerman; Ted Laurent is still rock solid and league best calibre at DT IMO and they have a bunch of young D-linemen who have flashed some talent (but not another real proven DT, so similar to the Riders in missing one link for a complete all-star like D-line across the board).

[jerrym]

Canadian OL Philip Blake has broken his leg and been put on the six game injured list.

[jerrym]

Jordan Williams Lambert has resigned with the Riders after being one of the Chicago Bears last cuts.

[jerrym]

Former Argo Cody Fajardo's fine season continued with him leading the Riders on a 54 yard drive with less than three minutes to go that ended in a 39 yard FG that won the game. Fajardo was 19/27 for 254 yards and a TD with no interceptions. His season stats also reflect his coming to fruition as a starting QB. He is fourth in passing yardage with 2,862 yards, and has a 71.3% completion rate for an average gain of 8.8 yards, a 2.2% interception rate and a 99.6% efficiency rating. In addition, he is second in rushing among QBs, with 396 yards, only 10 yards behind Chris Streveler, who is primarily a running QB.

[jerrym]

Former Argo Cody Fajardo has signed an extension through 2021 with the Riders.



Fajardo, who signed a one-year contract with the CFL team in February, now has a new deal that carries through the 2021 season. TSN’s Farhan Lalji is reporting that the deal is worth approximately $450,000 per season.

“It feels great,” a smiling Fajardo said during a Monday afternoon media conference at Mosaic Stadium. The last couple of years have been tough, because I’ve been living on a one-year contract. Going into the off-season, you never know where you’re going to end up. It has been hard on my family. Going into the off-season, it has been, ‘Well, this could be my last year playing football, or a team could take a chance on me.’ I’m fortunate enough that the Roughriders took a chance on me. I knew that if I got an opportunity, I didn’t want to regret it going into it. Now, being locked in for two years, it feels good to know that there’s still more football in my life. A lot of things can change. A lot of things can happen from here to the next two years, but just knowing that they have trust in me and who I am as a player means a lot for me and my family.” ...

“We’ve been fighting hard for an opportunity,” Fajardo said. “I didn’t think it would be the third play of the first game, to be quite honest with you, but that was a big reason I wanted to sign here (in February). I knew that there would be an opportunity to be a (Number) 2 (quarterback). I don’t know how many people have gone from being a third-stringer to a franchise guy in little over a year, so I’m very blessed for that.”

In his fourth full CFL season, Fajardo has completed 313 of 438 passes for 3,873 yards and 16 touchdowns. His completion percentage (71.5) puts him in line to set a franchise single-season record. Fajardo has also rushed for 610 yards — the seventh-best total in the league — and 10 touchdowns. ...

“We’re super-happy for Cody and his family,” Roughriders general manager and vice-president of football operations Jeremy O’Day said. “We’re super-happy for our team as well. I think it’s a big day for our organization to get Cody to commit to our team for a few more years. We’re excited about that. We started this process probably a couple of months ago, when we started discussions with Cody and his representation. Very early in the process, we had a kind of a touch-base discussion with Cody and his representation and, as time went on, we increased those talks with them and really came to the determination that both parties wanted to try to get a deal done, which was exciting for us. We obviously wanted Cody, and Cody wanted to be here. They were great through the whole process. They were respectful of the process. They really wanted to make sure that it wasn’t going to be a distraction for the team. Cody’s a guy who really puts the team first and has a lot of respect in the locker room and has a lot of positive attributes that made the process go pretty smoothly.”


https://leaderpost.com/sports/football/cfl/saskatchewan-roughriders/cody-fajardo-signs-contract-extension-with-saskatchewan-roughriders

[ArgoRavi]

$450k seems a little too steep for Fajardo at this point.

[doubleblue]

I thought it would be what they call in Hockey a "bridge deal" in the 250-300,000 range before the bigger money. But maybe looking at the contracts Mitchell, Reilly and Harris have signed this is a bridge deal.
Good for Cody. He's earned it. He doesn't take any plays off.

[argolio]

$450k seems a little too steep for Fajardo at this point.Maybe a bit, but that position is way too important to play games with. When you have a productive starter, lock him up.

[ArgoRavi]

Maybe a bit, but that position is way too important to play games with. When you have a productive starter, lock him up.

Which is what the Argos need to do with MBT.

[argolio]

Which is what the Argos need to do with MBT.Yeah, but do you give him Fajardo money, or less money with bonuses based on number of starts?

[jerrym]

$450k seems a little too steep for Fajardo at this point.

If they didn't sign him, someone else would, most likely Ottawa, which has had an increasing number of empty seats at games for tickets already sold. Desjardins and Campbell know they will not survive if they don't get a first string QB next year, so they would have paid whatever it takes.

[jerrym]

The Riders have extended DB Loucheiz Purifoy through 2021. In 2019 he had 40 DTs, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and three interceptions.

[jerrym]

Jason Maas, having signed a two year contract, is the Riders' new OC. The Riders have kept Jason Shivers as their DC.



Needing a home-field win to earn a Grey Cup berth, Saskatchewan failed to score a touchdown despite being at or inside Winnipeg’s five-yard line on three different fourth-quarter possessions. (https://leaderpost.com/sports/football/cfl/saskatchewan-roughriders/rob-vanstone-poor-play-calling-was-the-saskatchewan-roughriders-undoing)

Afterwards, many fans and pundits targeted offensive co-ordinator Stephen McAdoo for criticism. Dickenson ultimately decided that a change of offensive co-ordinator was warranted, irrespective of whether Maas was available. ...

“I just felt like it was time for a change,” the 2019 West coach of the year said. “I appreciated everything he did. I thought he did a great job. I’ve known Mac for a long time. I just felt like a new voice, maybe a new direction, was going to be good for our team so I expressed to Coach Mac and the candidates I was talking to that we were going in a different direction regardless.

When Jason became available, I wanted to move fast, because I knew that he would be highly sought-after. I knew that if we didn’t act quickly, he might go to somebody else, and we really wanted him.”

Although Maas had other opportunities around the CFL, he was quickly sold on Saskatchewan. ...“I’m really excited to be a part of Rider Nation,” he said. “You hear about it, and I think everyone knows about it, but I think it’s one of those things that’s a bucket-list thing. If you’re a CFL guy, you want an opportunity to coach here one day.”

Maas signed a two-year contract with the Roughriders, who have also secured the services of defensive co-ordinator Jason Shivers through the 2021 CFL season
https://leaderpost.com/sports/football/cfl/saskatchewan-roughriders/jason-maas-cant-temper-his-excitement-about-joining-the-saskatchewan-roughriders

[jerrym]

Canadian DB Elie Bouka, who spent most of 2018 with the Philadelphia Eagles before returning to the Riders in 2019, has signed an extension through 2021.

[jerrym]

American DL Chad Geter, who played six games this year and had 9 DTs after playing every game in 2018, has signed a two year extension with the Riders.

[jerrym]

Canadian LS Jorgen Hus has signed a one year extension with the Riders.

[jerrym]

The Riders retained an important part of their DL with the extension of American A. C. Leonard, who had 9 sacks, 3 forced fumbles and 44 DTs in 2019, through 2021.

[jerrym]

Saskatchewan has re-signed LB Cameron Judge, who qualified as a national because of Canadian parentage and was the West's nominee for Most Oustanding Canadian following a breakout year in which he 61 DTs, 11 STs 5 sacks and 2 interceptions, and Canadian FB Albert Awachie.

[jerrym]

The Riders have signed former NFL WR Rashad Greene.



Greene joins the Riders after four seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars. The 27-year-old was drafted in the fifth round, 139th overall during the 2015 NFL draft and played in 25 games for the Jaguars collecting 30 receptions for 185 yards and two touchdowns. He also had 41 punt returns for 448 yards with one touchdown on a 73-yard punt return.
https://3downnation.com/2020/02/07/riders-sign-former-nfl-receiver-rashad-greene/

[jerrym]

Otha Foster, who originally signed with the Argos in 2013 but was traded to Edmonton for Tony Washington, a negotiation list player and an exchange of draft picks, has signed with the Riders for one year, after last playing for BC.

[jerrym]

Not unsurprisingly, Justin Maas, who was Edmonton's HC when former Argo QB James Franklin played there, had a major role in signing the QB. I credit Franklin for being honest about his contribution to his problems in Toronto and hope things work out for him in Riderville.



The bond between Jason Maas and James Franklin led to the pair reuniting in Saskatchewan. ...

“He played a huge role. One thing I’ve learned over the last couple years is how important it is to really enjoy and get along with the coaches,” Franklin said on The Rod Pedersen Show (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s56Sy_5MiTg). “Teammates as well, but especially the coaches — you’re essentially playing for them and you’re running their offence, you’re under their rule. Going there with coach Maas I love playing for him, I like how he coaches and I like how he dealt with me in Edmonton through good times and bad times.”

Over Franklin’s three seasons in the Alberta capital, he completed 66 percent of his passes for 1,449 yards and 12 touchdowns against one interception. Former Toronto general manager Jim Popp traded with the Esks (https://3downnation.com/2017/12/11/eskimos-qb-james-franklin-traded-argos/) in December 2017 viewing the six-foot-two, 225-pound pivot as the Argos potential quarterback of the future.

“The thing that I wish that I could’ve done better was how I handled everything. As far as I couldn’t control what anyone else did or said, logistically, to an extent, obviously I have no control,” Franklin said. “But as far as when I got on the field, I was too worried about what was the coach going to say if I’m running this right, what are my teammates going to think rather than just going out there and playing.”

The last two years in Toronto were the most miserable Franklin has ever been playing football (https://3downnation.com/2020/02/14/the-most-miserable-ive-ever-been-riders-qb-james-franklin-ready-for-new-start-in-saskatchewan/). Former Argos head coach Marc Trestman was extremely hard on Franklin and the two were never able to find a strong working relationship. There was no marked difference when Corey Chamblin took over as bench boss and hired Jacques Chapdelaine as his offensive coordinator. ...

“After doing some self reflection the last two seasons, I didn’t really do a good job of keeping a good attitude and not letting them affect me. The mental game is a huge part of it,” Franklin said. “The players that are mentally strong, they’re the ones that typically have the most success because they can persevere through conflict with teammates, coaches, other teams, strategies — all that. I didn’t do a good job with that in Toronto and I think it showed pretty well, unfortunately.”

It’s on to Saskatchewan for the 28-year-old Franklin. Maas along with general manager Jeremy O’Day and head coach Craig Dickenson wanted more experience at the game’s most important position. He provides the Riders with a quality signal caller behind Cody Fajardo (https://3downnation.com/2019/10/21/details-riders-cody-fajardos-contract-extension-numbers/).

“He actually text me before the official announcement. Going into it I know that I’m the backup, he’s the starter — he’s earned it,” Franklin said. ... “I’m coming there to support him, I told him that too: ‘I don’t want you to think I’m going to come in here and be like I’m about to takeover, I deserve to be the starter, none of that.’ I know that this is his team and I’m going to come in and help out and make sure I’m prepared for an opportunity.” ...

“I wasn’t looking for empty promises,” Franklin said. “At the end of the day, technically the only opinion that matters is the general manager or the head coach, as far as career-wise and football.”
https://3downnation.com/2020/02/20/jason-maas-played-a-huge-role-bringing-quarterback-james-franklin-to-the-riders/

[jerrym]

DB Christian Campbell who was in TC with Arizona Cardinals in 2018 and on the New Orlean Saints PR has signed with the Riders.

[jerrym]

The Riders take OL Mattland Riley as their first pick, providing the team with depth and a likely future starter.

[jerrym]

The Riders added two Americans to their roster towards the end of April: DL Trenton Thompson, who signed with the Cleveland Browns and played for the AAF's Arizona Hotshots, and RB Jeremy Langford, a fourth round 2015 Chicago Bear pick who had 762 yards rushing with the Bears and Atlanta over three years.

[jerrym]

Below is a look at the Rider's draft picks.



The Saskatchewan Roughriders’ general manager and vice-president of football operations started by addressing his team’s offensive line depth. (http://leaderpost.com/sports/football/cfl/saskatchewan-roughriders/rob-vanstone-onus-is-on-saskatchewan-roughriders-gm-jeremy-oday-to-deliver-a-championship-team) He also bolstered Saskatchewan’s overall depth while potentially adding to the Green and White’s special teams with some late-round selections. ...

A key was using the seventh-overall pick on Mattland Riley, (http://leaderpost.com/sports/football/cfl/saskatchewan-roughriders/saskatchewan-roughriders-looking-to-build-off-2019-cfl-draft) an offensive lineman from the University of Saskatchewan Huskies. O’Day was generally pleased with the offensive line’s play in 2019, but he also knows that maintaining a good O-line comes with increased salaries.
One way of working with that is selecting prospects like Riley, who can play guard/centre and eventually take over for higher-priced and aging veterans. The losses of Philip Blake (http://leaderpost.com/sports/football/cfl/saskatchewan-roughriders-offensive-lineman-philip-blake-ready-to-return-to-active-roster) and Dariusz Bladek (http://leaderpost.com/sports/football/cfl/saskatchewan-roughriders/saskatchewan-roughriders-sidebar-2) in free agency to the Toronto Argonauts increased the necessity of selecting an offensive lineman, assuming that someone the Riders felt is a good fit was available. ...

The Melfort product was a first-team U Sports all-star in 2019 and a second-teamer in 2018. He’s considered smart, physical and athletic and has the mean streak that coaches covet in offensive linemen. Riley also comes from a Huskies program that is renowned for producing pro-ready offensive linemen.
“I talked to Mattland after the draft and I made it pretty clear that we didn’t draft him because he was from Saskatchewan,” O’Day said. “It certainly doesn’t hurt when you’re looking at it because the culture the players bring from Saskatchewan is important. (But) we’ve had decisions like this in the past and we took the best player on the board.” ...

Riley is expected to be with the Riders for CFL training camp — whenever that may be. The same can’t be said for defensive tackle Neville Gallimore, who was Saskatchewan’s eighth-round pick (71st). The Dallas Cowboys selected Gallimore in the third round (82nd overall).

Saskatchewan’s remaining picks were receiver Kian Schaffer-Baker of Guelph (fourth round), linebacker Junior Allen, also of Guelph (fourth round), defensive back Vincent Dethier of McGill (fifth round), running back Jonathan Femi-Cole from Western (sixth round) and offensive lineman Jesse Lawson of Carleton (seventh round). ...

“We talked about adding some special-teams depth and we did a good job of finding some guys who can help,” O’Day said. ...

“I’m sad about the possibility of training camp being bumped so far back,” Riley said. “I’m sure that anyone who plays football is (wondering) in the back of their head if there could be a season. I’m preparing that training camp is happening in a week. I’m just going to be excited whenever it goes.”
https://leaderpost.com/sports/football/cfl/saskatchewan-roughriders/roughriders-bolster-offensive-line-special-teams-in-cfl-draft/wcm/b3e7b701-fe31-44ed-a827-b942ec909bde/

[jerrym]

The Riders have added two American DBs to their roster: Tony Lippett and A J Hendy.



Lippett (6’3 – 200) was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the fifth round, 156th overall, of the 2015 NFL Draft. After two years with the Dolphins, he went on to spend time with the New York Giants and the Cincinnati Bengals. Throughout his NFL career, Lippett played in 28 games, recording 81 tackles, 12 pass deflections and four interceptions. Collegiately, the 27-year-old spent four years at Michigan State playing in 52 games for the Spartans spending time at both defensive back and wide receiver. Over his career, the Michigan native caught 149 receptions for 2,247 yards and 15 touchdowns and rushed for 51 yards and a touchdown while also recording 23 tackles, nine pass deflections and one fumble recovery.

Hendy (6’1 – 205) signed with the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2016 making his NFL debut in Week 17. The Maryland native spent most of 2017 and 2018 on Los Angeles Chargers’ practice roster before being signed to the Houston Texans’ active roster in January of 2019. In 2020, Hendy played for the XFL’s New York Guardians, collecting 26 tackles, two tackles for loss and four pass deflections. Prior to turning pro, the 26-year-old spent four years at the University of Maryland playing in 32 games for the Terrapins. Throughout his four-year career, Hendy recorded 142 tackles, three tackles for loss, seven pass deflections, four forced fumbles and two interceptions for 60 yards and two touchdowns.
https://www.riderville.com/2020/05/04/riders-add-pair-dbs/

[jerrym]

Canadian OL Jake Bennett, who was a centre at Colorado State University and All Mountain West first teamer, has retired at age 25 after just one season in which he played one game. The Riders forfeited a 2020 third round selection to grab him in the supplemental draft.

[jerrym]

Former Roughrider CEO, Jim Hopson says the CFL is in bigger trouble than occurred during the league's bankruptcy scare.



The league almost went bankrupt in the 1990s. Hopson, a hall of famer, says the global pandemic might have more serious repercussions.

<iframe name="fsk_frame_splitbox" id="fsk_frame_splitbox" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" webkitallowfullscreen="" mozallowfullscreen="" allow="autoplay" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-style: none; outline: 0px; display: block; width: 603px; height: 0px;"></iframe>

“This one is just so big beyond the Riders. The government, the community and the City are trying to deal with so many other challenges,” Hopson said. Hopson was the team’s president and CEO from 2005 to 2014.

On Thursday, CFL Commissioner Randy Ambrosie said the 2020 CFL season will likely be cancelled (https://regina.ctvnews.ca/cfl-commissioner-randy-ambrosie-admits-2020-season-likely-to-be-wiped-out-1.4929880) amid the pandemic.

The Riders posted profits in four of the last five years, according to their financial statements from 2018-19. However if the 2020 season is shortened or cancelled, major revenue sources like gate receipts, sponsorships and concessions would be significantly reduced.

“The Riders were in pretty good shape going into 2020, but certainly a year without revenue would eat up a lot of what has been put away,” Hopson said. ...

The City of Regina is also still paying off Mosaic Stadium. The City owes the province around $93 million, to be paid off over the next 27 years. A $12 ticket surcharge from each event at Mosaic Stadium generates roughly $3.3 million per year. But with indefinite limits on large gatherings, it’s unclear how that will be paid back in 2020. ...

Mayor Michael Fougere is aware of the loan payment, but says the conversation of how the City will repay it hasn’t been discussed. “We’ll have that conversation, again it’s too early to say that right now, our administrations’ looking at that in talking with the Riders, with REAL sports and seeing what we can do,” he said. ...

“We haven’t had conversations with the City of Regina specific to the repayment of the stadium,” Premier Scott Moe said. “We’ll have those conversations as the days progress.”

Since the deal stretches into the future, Hopson figures delaying payment for one year “would not be a huge challenge. But it’s getting through this year and then having the revenues to start up next year if the season is totally cancelled,” he said. ...

“We did have significant reserves built up over the years,” Hopson said. “A lot of money went into the setting up of the stadium ($25 million), the football operations and the business operations.” ...

Moe says the club has been involved in discussions with the federal government and federal Minister of Infrastructure and Communities Catherine McKenna on resources that might be required for a modified season.

Fougere said he hasn’t spoken to Ottawa about support, but believes “federal assistance is warranted.”

https://regina.ctvnews.ca/covid-19-bigger-threat-to-cfl-than-90s-bankruptcy-scare-former-riders-ceo-says-1.4931816

[jerrym]

Regardless of what happens to the CFL season, the Riders will not be hosting the Grey Cup as originally scheduled. Because of Covid-19 the host team will be the team with the best record in the CFL of the two teams playing in the club. However, the Riders are promised to be the Grey Cup game hosts in 2022.

[jerrym]

Canadian LB Sam Hurl has retired after landing a job with a large global commercial real estate firm. He played five years with the Riders and three with the Bombers.

American LB Deon Lacey, who played for the Eskimos from 2014 to 2016 before heading to the NFL where he played in 32 games, has signed with the Riders.

[jerrym]

This is an old article from June but some of you may be interested in former Argo QB Cody Fajardo's comments on his breakout season with the Riders and perhaps even reflect on what might have been if he stayed with the Argos.



He prepared for a backup role behind veteran pivot Zach Collaros (https://www.cfl.ca/players/zach-collaros/155276/), but just three plays into the season, Collaros suffered an injury that would prove to be long-term, meaning that Fajardo had to unexpectedly lead the team from the get-go.

“It was absolutely crazy for me personally,” Fajardo said. “As the backup, you know you’re usually going to have to play but maybe midway through the season when bodies are kind of beat up a bit. You never really expect it to be the third play of the first game. When I signed with the Riders, Zach was very open about his injury history. He said, ‘Look, Cody. You might have to play this year. I don’t know how many games but you might have to play. I haven’t been fortunate with my injury situation.’ So just hearing that from the starter made me want to work harder because I want to do whatever to help the team.”

The Riders dropped that game to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats before losing to the Ottawa REDBLACKS in a shootout a week later. Then in Week 3, Fajardo and the Riders would secure their first win of the year with a 32-7 victory over the Toronto Argonauts at home. Fajardo threw for 430 yards and a pair of scores while completing 77 percent of his passes, marking arguably his best outing of the campaign. The 28-year-old continued to chip in solid performances, and on July 31, the Riders put their faith solely in Fajardo, as they moved Collaros to Toronto in exchange for a draft pick. ...

“I had no idea until we were in an offensive meeting about to go to a walkthrough. And coach (Stephen) McAdoo said that we had traded Zach and that I was the guy,” Fajardo said. “It was such a tough situation to be in because I wanted to be excited about the opportunity, I was also losing a good friend and teammate and a guy who was helping me along the way. So it was kind of awkward because guys were coming up and congratulating me, but in the back of my mind, it felt weird for me to celebrate when someone else had just lost their job. I remember going home and just keeping to myself. I called my dad and told him that the team had put their faith in me and we were like, ‘Man, we’ve been waiting five years just for a team to latch on.’ We finally got that with the Riders and it was truly a blessing.”

Fajardo helped lead the Riders to finish the year with a 13-5 record, marking their most regular-season victories since 1969. He was nothing short of spectacular, throwing for 4,302 yards and 18 touchdowns while adding an additional 611 yards and 10 majors on 107 carries. ...

“Being a Saskatchewan Roughrider quarterback on a winning team, life is good,” Fajardo said. “But I imagined how it would be if the team wasn’t winning football games. So that really was a part of my motivation and drive was just not to let the fans down because I wanted to be able to go to the grocery store and talk about our victory rather than throwing fewer interceptions or moving the ball more. But I love the pressure that the fans put on us because the passion that they have for the team is what makes us want to fight even more. We don’t want to let them down.” ...

While preparing for the final game against Edmonton, he was throwing a ball in practice and felt a sharp pain in his midsection that took him down to a knee.

“I just felt like I got stabbed in the side and I went to my knees and just thought to myself, ‘This would be the time I get hurt, right before we get to playoffs,'” he said. “But I kind of just said, ‘Well, we’re at the end of the season. If I can just get through without making anything worse, I could do that.’ I think the most pressure I had on myself is that I just re-signed with the team and finally got paid as a starter so I didn’t want to let the team down, and especially the fans. That’s probably what I wrestled with the most; not letting the fans down. So I just worked my tail off to be ready to play.” ...

By his own estimation, Fajardo was at about 80 percent into the Western Final against the Bombers. While fighting through the pain, he put up 366 yards on 27 completions. ...

Saskatchewan was knocking on the door, but on the final play of the game, Fajardo’s heave to the end zone for Moore hit the crossbar, ending the Riders’ season in heartbreaking fashion. Immediately after his pass hit the upright, Fajardo collapsed to the field, head in hands.

“For me, the only thought was, ‘Don’t throw that ball short and get stopped and lose the game that way.’ I’d rather throw the ball in the end zone and give our guys a chance,” Fajardo said. “The game was sold out but it was dead silent when the ball went near and I just remember hearing the echo of the goalpost. I collapsed because of all the hard work the team did and the hard work that I did to get back to that game and all the hard work we did to get back into the game. The fact that it hit the goalpost and I have no idea what would’ve happened — if Swerve (Moore) had caught it or if it would’ve been picked or incomplete — still haunts me to this day. There’s no closure to that.” ...

He was voted as one of the nominees for the Most Outstanding Player.
https://www.riderville.com/2020/06/09/fajardo-reflects-whirlwind-first-season-riders-starter/

[jerrym]

Here is TSN's Riders all-time team.

I would have like to have seen Canadian 'foundational players' DE Bill Baker and OL/DL Bill Clarke make the team. Bill Baker was such a ferocious pass rusher that he was called the Undertaker, was a four time CFL all-star, and won the Most Outstanding Defensive Player award in 1976, as well as becoming CFL Hall of Famer. Bill Clarke was a two way player, playing both OT and DT for fourteen years with the Riders, while winning several awards and becoming a CFL Hall of Famer.



Three foundational players were named on the roster in offensive and defensive lineman Bill Clarke, who played with the team from 1951-1964, defensive lineman Bill Baker, who played with the team from 1968-73 and 1977-78, and quarterback and head coach Kent Austin, who played in Saskatchewan from 1987-93 and coached the Roughriders to a Grey Cup win in 2007. ...

CFL2020'S ALL-TIME SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS ROSTER

<thead style="box-sizing: border-box;">
<th class="header" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-user-select: none; background-color: rgb(220, 222, 224); text-align: center; margin: 0px; white-space: nowrap; text-transform: uppercase; font-size: 11px; padding: 10px 0px; min-width: 40px;">POSITION
</th><th class="header" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-user-select: none; background-color: rgb(220, 222, 224); text-align: center; margin: 0px; white-space: nowrap; text-transform: uppercase; font-size: 11px; padding: 10px 0px; min-width: 40px;">PLAYER
</th><th class="header" style="box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-user-select: none; background-color: rgb(220, 222, 224); text-align: center; margin: 0px; white-space: nowrap; text-transform: uppercase; font-size: 11px; padding: 10px 0px; min-width: 40px;">YEARS WITH SSK
</th>
</thead><tbody style="box-sizing: border-box;">
QB

Ron Lancaster

1963-78



RB

George Reed

1963-75



RB

Wes Cates

2007-11



REC

Ray Elgaard*

1983-96



REC

Don Narcisse

1987-99



REC

Hugh Campbell

1963-67, 1969



REC

Weston Dressler

2008-15



OL

Roger Aldag*

1976-92



OL

Ted Urness*

1961-70



OL

Gene Makowsky*

1995-2011



OL

Jack Abendschan

1965-75



OL

Brendon LaBatte*

2012-Present











DL

Bobby Jurasin

1986-97



DL

Ed McQuarters

1966-74



DL

Ron Atchinson*

1952-68



DL

John Chick

2007-09, 2013-15



LB

Wayne Shaw*

1961-72



LB

Eddie Lowe

1983-91



LB

Reggie Hunt

2002-07



DB

Bruce Bennett

1966-72



DB

Glen Suitor*

1984-94



DB

Lorne Richardson*

1973-76



DB

Eddie Davis

2001-09



DB

Ed Gainey

2016-Present











K

Dave Ridgway*

1982-95



P

Ken Clark*

1980-83



ST

Corey Holmes

2001-05, 2007


</tbody>



* National player
https://www.tsn.ca/george-reed-ron-lancaster-backfield-highlight-cfl2020-s-all-time-roughriders-roster-1.1495641

[jerrym]

Riders fans celebrated Labour Day with the classic.



It was supposed to be a big year for the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Regina was set to host the Grey Cup in its new Mosaic Stadium, and the club is celebrating its 110-year anniversary. ...

Marketing staff had been planning for a full slate of celebrations, and then COVID-19 changed everything. "This has been one of those things where we definitely have had to pivot, but we feel like we owe it to Rider Nation to put something on and to celebrate with them in any way possible,” explained Miram Johnson, Saskatchewan Roughriders director of marketing. ...

On Sunday, 600 cars full of Rider faithful lined up to drive past Mosaic Stadium over three hours, collecting team paraphernalia and goodies, all from the comfort of their vehicles. This year’s celebration may have a lot more masks and hand sanitizer than organizers were expecting, but there was no less enthusiasm.

"The community-owned teams in Canada, like Winnipeg, Saskatchewan and Edmonton, they're the foundation and there's something to that community thing," said Steve Mazurak, former Roughriders receiver and staff member.

Mazurak has been celebrating the Labour Day Classic for the past 60 years, but he’s never seen one like this.


https://regina.ctvnews.ca/rider-nation-thrives-despite-no-labour-day-classic-1.5094874

[jerrym]

Roughrider President Craig Reynolds discusses what the end of the 2020 season did to the Riders and the upcoming 2021 season below.



“The day after we announced the cancellation of the season, we had an all-staff meeting and I had to talk to our entire staff about that decision and the disappointment everyone in the organization felt about it. I also had to let the organization know that we were going to have work-force adjustments,” Reynolds told Regina Leader-Post reporter Murray McCormick (https://leaderpost.com/sports/football/cfl/saskatchewan-roughriders/saskatchewan-roughriders-dealing-with-financial-challenges-due-to-covid-19-pandemic). When we had to relay those messages, that was excruciatingly difficult to do so. (Sept. 30) was a difficult day, telling them that they weren’t going to be part of this moving forward. It was especially tough considering it wasn’t the fault of anyone other than the pandemic that we’re all dealing with.” ...

Focus has been shifted to next year and working to ensure football is played. Reynolds knows it is paramount for the three-down league to be on the field. There are multiple return-to-play models being looked at as options for the CFL and its member franchises.

“There is an incredible commitment to do that and we all know that we need to be playing football in 2021. Do we need to make some changes to our business model?” Reynolds questioned. “Yes, and we’re doing that work right now. We’re all committed to doing that and seeing the other side of this pandemic. That includes building a stronger CFL coming out of this pandemic.”
https://leaderpost.com/sports/football/cfl/saskatchewan-roughriders/saskatchewan-roughriders-dealing-with-financial-challenges-due-to-covid-19-pandemic

[jerrym]

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/football/cfl/saskatchewan-roughriders/honouring-saskatchewan-gridiron-greats-who-died-in-service

[jerrym]

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.