Say Hello to the Riders’ Half Million Man

It’s been an interesting two weeks of tying up loose ends around the Riderville quarters. The biggest announcement was Rider Coach Cory Chamblin being resigned for a contract that goes through 2017, which is incidentally the expected first year of the new Rider stadium, assuming they don’t hire the same contractors that were used in Winnipeg.

The four year extension is not unprecedented for Rider Grey Cup winning coaches. Eagle Keys on winning our first in 1966 got a five year extension, but left after four years to go coach and GM in BC. John Gregory was extended, not by that much if I recall correctly, and Kent Austin buggered off before we could get around to it.

Personally I think it was an excellent move by the Riders. Chamblin has been head and shoulders above Greg Marshall and has shown an excellent ability to rebuild and retool a Rider team that was probably pushing the snooze button in 2011.

Chamblin has made some mistakes, but he has assembled a first class coaching unit and even made some nice recent additions that help provide a strong nucleus to the team. Then he also does scouting and recruiting and you throw that into the mix, you have a definite asset to the team and the community.

Chamblin may be a bit thin-skinned at times, but I can’t blame him. If you go anywhere in Canada, you will not find the same degree of fan attention on a football team that you will find in Saskatchewan. I would have to put Rider fans in the mix with Texas football fans who often sell out high school games with crowds of 30,000 or more. If you go anywhere in Canada, or even the US, wearing Rider colors or a Rider hat, expect to be stopped and talked to. If you are not ready for that level of attention, then maybe you shouldn’t be here.

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But Chamblin has matured in his role as Rider coach, even turning the tables on Kent Austin during the Grey Cup and deflecting the attention onto him. It is tough for a team to win a championship but it is even tougher to defend a title. That is the challenge facing Chamblin this year and this signing serves notice the Riders will not be complacent.

The Riders signed Avon Cobourne as running back coach this week. Cobourne had a good run with Montreal and then Hamilton, but age (35) and injuries got in the way. I liked his comments when he signed with the team, saying backs can be taught to block and if you can’t block, or be willing to learn, they will find another back. With a couple of Grey Cup titles, Cobourne will be handy in helping whatever new running backs we have in camp learn about the CFL game and how to respond.

There was the question of whether Cobourne would play this year if necessary. However, that question was shot down when it was said the only way he would play would be to sign with another team. The Riders have been quiet on the running back front, but that isn’t surprising since we are in the middle of free agency in the NFL and the interesting thing is how many big name/money running backs are not being signed.

This may mean the NFL is realizing that there are many running backs out there, and those who have reached the glass contract ceiling and want to continue playing, may need to look north to the CFL. I’m not sure which of those running backs not signed may or may not be on the Rider negotiation list, but they are certainly worth a look, especially after the NFL draft in May and cheaper college picks come on the market.

The Riders also lost their middle linebacker from last season, Rey Williams, who went out with a knee injury before the Grey Cup and was forced to retire because of apparent nerve damage below the knee. Williams was a force at middle linebacker and I loved how he opened the season by intercepting the evil Mike Reilly just before halftime of the Riders first game for an easy touchdown.

Williams said his best football experience was in Saskatchewan, and he wants to be a GM, so learning how to handle the fishbowl that is football here is a good place to start. William’s injury leaves Mike McCullough as the most experienced middle linebacker, but he is coming off a bicep injury, and the Riders have already lost Abraham Kromah to free agency. Brian Peters is a candidate, but I think the Riders would like to see Sam Hurl step up and claim that position with McCullough mentoring him and perhaps another linebacker through the draft or free agency.

Williams will be a director of player development helping American players adapt to Regina while living here. In other words, stay out of the bar at 2 a.m.
The Riders announced three more signings led by Greg McCoy, a 5’9” 187 pound defensive back from TCU who was drafted by the Chicago Bears in 2012 and then spent the rest of the year on the Arizona Cardinal practise squad. In 2013 he was in the Minnesota Vikings camp but didn’t see much action. What makes McCoy interesting is he was a returner at TCU and if you YouTube him, you will find some nice touchdown returns.

Mark LaGee is an interesting defensive back at 6 feet and 211 pounds. He has been with a number of NFL teams from Buffalo to Seattle to the New York Jets, but his size makes him interesting to counter the trend of bigger receivers.

Hugo Lopez is not the current or former president of Venezuela, but the third of the Riders signings at defensive back. Lopez was drafted by Edmonton in 2011 and then moved to Toronto in 2013. He is a Canadian which means he is a lower budget alternative to Craig Newman, who took off for Winnipeg.
Former Rider Belton Johnson, with whom I converse a bit on Facebook, had me thinking about some big Rider news coming down this week. The only signing that is really significant is Darian Durant’s, since this is his option year.

The big thing would be the dollar amount and from what I could find, Kent Austin was maybe a 300K quarterback with the Riders in the early 1990s and he was the last of the big budget quarterbacks. Durant had a masterful playoff run last year and one of my high lights was running into him after the Grey Cup parade and turning down a chance for an autograph or a selfie, just shaking his hand and saying thanks.

So does a relatively consistent performance deserve being the first half million player in Rider history?

It does if you look at a yahoo like Henry Burris, who makes 400K. If you want a QB, would you want Henry or Darian? I’d go with Darian, especially after Henry came apart like a cheap suit here in the Grey Cup. I would also want a way to renegotiate Durant’s contract so if the Riders need some extra cash, they can do so without losing Durant.

A clause like that would not be unusual; Tom Brady has a similar deal with New England because winning quarterbacks know they need all parts working. Durant wants multiple Grey Cups, and let’s is honest, so do we.

Sending a signal we are solid at the two most important positions on the field, head coach and quarterback, and you have the base to build a consistent winner on. And having a quarterback who has finally climbed over the hump and improved his performance on the field and brought up a second championship