First Win & First Cuts Make Room for New Players

That’s one game down and 22 games to go for the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

That’s what separates the Riders from their unspoken goal of making history and repeating as Grey Cup Champions following Saturday’s 21-17 win over the Ottawa Redblacks.

That game was a bit of an anomaly as it was actually Ottawa’s home game, not included on the Rider season ticket package. With money going to Ottawa, and with prices at $70 to $50 a seat, at least prior to discounts, who the hell was going to drive in to Regina from Prince Albert in lousy weather to see an exhibition game just to boo Henry Burris again?

The interesting thing about the game was talk about attendance which was 13K, although that may have been tickets sold, not actual attendees. There were some Rider fans, and that is a generous term, that were upset that such attendance showed a lack of respect for the team whose last appearance was the Grey Cup win over Hamilton on that turf. Uh, I went through 2-14 seasons under Ron Lancaster, 3-15 under Cal Murphy, 11 friggin’ years out of the playoffs as a season ticket holder. If I’m in Ottawa, I would be more than happy to buy a ticket to a Redblacks game, but in Regina, my money goes to the Riders.

The game itself was interesting because as is usual in any pre-season, there is a difference between looking good in practice and looking good in a game situation. Let’s start at the top with the quarterback situation.

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After Tino Sunseri opened the game and went 2-4 in the first quarter, Darian Durant went 7-8 passing for 76 yards and an 18 yard touchdown to Brett Swain. Durant was confident and it seems finally, winning the Grey Cup, has given him the confidence to play the game and the position that he has hopefully learned from watching videos of Anthony Calvillo. Seth Dogge opened eyes on a first down scramble that saw him do a back flip and land in bounds to claim first down yardage. Adam Weber hit Swain for a touchdown pass in the third quarter.

The Riders lost receivers Weston Dressler and Geroy Simon and have a couple of spots open. Swain with his routes and touchdowns served notice he is a leading contender for one of the starting spots. Chaz Shilens didn’t blow things open, but apparently Durant liked what he say, and Ryan Smith, the next Weston Dressler, made some contributions. One guy that is interesting and keeps your eye on him is receiver Dan DePalma, who survived the first round of cuts, but is being recognized for his hands and route running ability. Receiver is a position I wouldn’t be worried about heading into the season, it’s just a question of seeing how things shake out on Friday’s exhibition game against Edmonton.

The Riders made cuts not only last night, but today as well, which is interesting and we’ll get to those in a minute or so. But making extra cuts is usually an excuse for bringing in extra players and one of those players may be Jerome Messam, Canadian running back released by Montreal. Messam had a great 2011, then went to the NFL and then got booted off the BC Lions for a fight involving Paris Jackson and flouting team rules on curfews and girlfriends. He did time in Edmonton and then Montreal, but suffered injuries, perhaps linked to a common thread that CFL players who go to the States and return, usually are either too heavy or not in good enough shape to keep up with the superior cardio of the Canadian game.

Messam has been described as a head case, and BC would not want him back, neither would Edmonton and if you think Ottawa wants him, well, Jackson plays for them now. Messam would need the best babysitter ever and Rider Head Coach Cory Chamblin has done exceptional work with Dwight Anderson and might be able to do something with Messam. If Messam can regain the form he showed three years ago, and if the Riders have a good enough back for him (I think Andre Lalonde from the Regina Thunder might be that back-up), then Messam’s Canadian passport and ability to change the ratio around would be worth a look if the Rider running backs don’t show more against Edmonton.

But what of our running backs you ask? Well, Keith Tolston had 58 yards on three carries including a 38 yard run where he was like a semi-truck going downhill with no brakes and running over Ottawa players. Tolston is a physical back, and you have to ask, how long would he last playing that way on this field? Anthony Allen, brought in last week, and Jermaine Thomas remain, but again, I think the release of extra players may have cleared the decks for the arrival of some new running back prospects.
The offensive line looked fine, but there is talk that Matt Vonk may need to show more or at least a willingness to work hard to attain more, or he may be looking for a new job. If you are going to be a back-up on this Rider team, don’t expect to just sit back and collect a pay cheque. You have to be constantly working to improve yourself to work yourself into a starting position.

The Riders released defensive lineman Carlton Powell, who may be injured or may be invited to stay around town until he recovers. Trevor Guyton had three sacks and an impressive sack in the Ottawa game, but considering the Riders would like to play a rotational set of defensive linemen, who is likely to emerge is not going to be clear unless the Eskimos have stunningly assembled an amazing offensive line and our defensive linemen prospects raise their level of play. Oh, the Riders brought in a new defensive tackle to practice on Monday, no name yet.

On linebacker there is an interesting situation playing out where Chad Kilgore is setting his stamp on the middle linebacker position. Canadian Sam Hurl who gained weight in order to move into the middle, seems to have lost the mobility that made him so effective when he was inserted at linebacker before. Brian Peters is the other new loose cannon at linebacker, and Weldon Brown is inked in as a starter at the other linebacker position.

If Hurl can start, he can be a good ratio buster on defense, but I wonder if having put on the weight in order to handle the heavier offensive linemen and running backs, Hurl needs to work on the whole package to bring back his quickness. Kilgore or Peters looks like an interchangeable middle linebacker combination, and if Hurl can get his new body coordinated enough, he can contribute as an outside linebacker, or even in the middle. But Hurl and the Rider coaches, strength coach included, need to work with him to find a happy balance.

The defensive backfield is amazing. They are interchangeable and you can take whoever the Riders cut and form a perfectly good defensive backfield with them. With the amount of talent and the ability to move them around, the Riders will be able to ensure no quarterback or offensive coordinator will be able to focus on just one player, because there is no guarantee the same player will be in the same position on the next play.

So the Riders made their cuts and here goes – Mathew Burke, fullback; punter Brett Cameron; Antonio Fenelus, defensive back; Donnie Fletcher, defensive back; Tyler Greenslade, linebacker; Curtis McNeal, running back; Adrian Moten, linebacker; Clifton Smith, running back; Ryan Tillman, offensive lineman; Hugo Lopez, linebacker; Martel Moore, receiver; Carlton Powell, defensive lineman. Carlos Thomas, defensive back, has moved to the injured list and Canadian quarterback Brandon Leyh has returned to university.

So we have a Friday game against Edmonton in Regina, and this time, tune into your radio because it doesn’t look like it’s on TV, unless the Riders and either Access Communications or SaskTel decide to buy the rights to the game and do it just provincially. Edmonton got edged out by BC, but it will be interesting to see if Edmonton has improved its offensive line and whether the Riders take another Eskimo quarterback out of the picture like they did with Cal McNichol in the Riders first exhibition game last year.

I’m not going to budge from my prediction that the Riders can very well win their second straight and fifth Grey Cup overall. I’ll say though that Darian Durant looks ready to move to another level, and if he does and brings this team with him, we are definitely talking The Golden Age of Rider Football.