Roughriders after an off season of change

One of the most active off-seasons for the Saskatchewan Roughriders takes another step towards reality with a mini-camp scheduled for Regina at the end of April.

What the Riders 2012 edition will look like is extremely hazy though, especially with Odell Willlis being in legal limbo following an arrest for a driving under the influence in Georgia. Willis was the centrepice of the trade the Riders made with Winnipeg in exchange for two draft picks earlier this year.

The move was a gutsy one, considering Willis' behavior at the Grey Cup last year with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and this is the last year of his contract. Rider GM Brendan Taman was under pressure to beef up the Rider pass rush which was anemic last year, and until the trade was hinging on the condition of Brent Hawkins shoulder. Hawkins you may remember made an impact at defensive end two years ago, until a shoulder injury, which he reaggravated, kept him off the team last year.

Relying on a player with shoulder problems to lead your pass rush was a risky venture, and so was the trade, justified by Rider Coach Corey Chamblin's previous association coaching Willis in Calgary. While a lot of talk has revolved around whether Willis would be in violation of the Rider Code of Conduct, brought in after the Roy Shivers-Danny Barrett era where, let's be honest, some of the Rider players did not make a good name for themselves in the community – the bigger problem is whether Willis' legal problems could result in him being unable to cross the border altogether.

This would not be the first time Willis has experienced problems in crossing the border, and the spectre of the Riders shedding two draft picks for a guy who might not be able to hit the field is not going down easy here.

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So while Willis will not be at the Regina mini-camp, others will be and this would provide Rider fans with the first glimpse of who might step forward for the team in 2012.

After a 5-13 season, the Riders took a look at the number of empty seats in the stands for their final home game against Hamilton and a fire was lit for recruiting this year. Much has been made of the Riders bringing in 11-13 NFL draft picks to compete for jobs this year.

This was possible largely because of changes to the NFL collective bargaining agreement that made it more sensible for NFl teams to release players that after three years on a roster would be due a pay bump. Those players on the margins of the roster are easily released as NFL teams chase cheaper rookies and free agents to fill those holes and remain under the salary cap.

I'm sitting on the fence despite the frenzied exhortations of some that we will be much improved because of our recruiting. I remember Terrence Nunn, who last year in training camp caught everything that came his way, but failed utterly in game conditions.

Part of that was due to the dysfunctional relationship between Darian Durant and former offensive coordinator Doug Berry. After Berry and head coach Greg Marshall were fired, the Rider offense didn't even have an offensive coordinator as Ken Miller did some of the more bizarre coaching moves seen around here for quite awhile. And I remember when Jack Gotta used to coach the Riders.

Anyway, Chamblin came in, recommended by Steeler coach Mike Timlin, and promised a faster and more aggressive club. The turnover has been impressive, and so has the injection of new blood, including Dominc Picard at centre, Brendon LaBatte at guard, Maurice Lloyd at linebacker and Willis.

The Riders cleaned out their back-up quarterbacking, rightfully believing Ryan Dinwiddie and Cole Berquist did nothing to push Durant, although a good case can be made Berquist didn't get a shot.

The Riders have Colt Brennan (a Heisman trophy finalist from Hawaii), Levi Brown, Matt Johnson and Drew Willie competing for back-up spots. Each of these guys comes with good credentials, but also question marks, perhaps the most important being whether they can grasp the CFL game in case they have to step in if Durant goes down to injury.

Wes Cates is gone from RB, leaving Brandon West as the current lead RB, but look for the Riders to seek a combo that can give them a tough inside runner with someone who can break it outside if given a hole. The early anticipation is seeing rbs' Kory |Sheets and Louis Rankin try on those roles.

Andy Fantuz is gone, and his spot at receiver will be interesting to fill. Fantuz did come back last year from his NFL tryout, but really did nothing on his return. What was disappointing was the loss of Rob Bagg and the inability of receivers like Jordan Sisco to step forward.

The Riders seem to be putting great stock into Ernie Wheelwright, who has great size for those sideline patters, and former NFL players like Dallas Baker and Justin Harper have the credentials to at least give us hope.

If Bagg has fully recovered from his knee injury he will anchor one wide receiver spot, likely to be backed up by Sisco and perhaps Kolten Solomon, a former Regina Thunder who had some experience with the Riders last year and has speed and skill, but it's unknown if he can grasp the offense.

The offensive line is in much better shape with the signings of LaBatte and Picard. Gene Makowsky has retired and will likely get rushed to the Rider plaza of honor, but the hiring of Kris Sweet as offensive line coach may be one of the biggest the Riders made in the off-season. Sweet took a Calgary offensive line starting three rookies and made them credible…iI hesitate to use good when it comes to the Stampeders.

The Riders will be drafting first and are discussing potential trades of their first round draft pick, likely to be Ben Heenan, offensive guard with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies. Heenan could go to the NFL, sign, and potentially be lost to the Riders for a long time. Heenan is also a guard and the Riders signed LaBatte, who is a guard, and have Chris Best, who is stepping into the role as a starter. Drafting Heenan would add the question, where does he play? to the equation, which runs against what Taman has been telling people about the Riders desire to win now.

Offhand, so far the off-season has been very good for the Riders, Willis' problems notwithstanding. The trade was a gamble and it may backfire, but the message going out to fans is this team is looking to improve by whatever means necessary.

Considering the Riders are hosting Grey Cup 2013, that may go a long way to ensuring there is no big drop-off in financial support for the team.

And let's not talk about the stadium….