Riders Sign Two Quarterbacks – Welcome to Thunder Dome

You have to admire how the Saskatchewan Roughriders handle their player signings.

Kevin Glenn was officially signed this week and made his first appearance at the Tournament of Hearts curling championship in Moose Jaw, getting onto TSN.

The Riders seem determined to avoid the mistake of not having someone experienced back up Darian Durant and in Glenn, they have the classic back-up. Glenn ranks eighth all-time passing on the CFL charts but has the temperament to be a good back-up quarterback providing the veteran leadership the Riders lacked when Durant went down with injury last year.

Durant will not be throwing at the mini-camp in Florida, but is expected to be throwing in main camp. This begs the question of, exactly where is Durant in his rehab and was this was a factor in signing Glenn?

I like to point out Glenn has never won a championship ring, but as a back-up, he is a great insurance policy for a team to have. With Tino Sunseri re-signed, the Riders have avoided standing pat at quarterback, signing Brett Smith to compete for the third back-up if not first practice roster spot.

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Smith was the victim of heightened expectations at the University of Wyoming, declaring for the NFL draft after his junior year but didn’t get selected. He signed with the Tampa Bay roster, gets released after two weeks, signed with Toronto, then released and spent some time last fall kicking around Arena football.

On paper it seems it may be Glenn at back-up with Sunseri and Smith and whoever else the Riders bring in competing for third and settling for the practice roster spot. Glenn is coming in knowing he will not supplant Durant as the starter. Glenn wants to help the team and one of the interviews made me laugh where Glenn said his own son said Glenn should go to Saskatchewan rather than Montreal.

Glenn will be a steady hand should Durant go down with an injury, and hopefully the scheme changes this year that once the Riders are 21 plus points over their opponent, then in comes the back-up, out comes Durant. Glenn is here because the Riders offer his best chance of finally wearing that championship ring.

If Sunseri can rebound from last year, he deserves to be in the mix, but the Riders need to be back in the quarterback factory business.  They need to ensure their young guns get the training they need so if there is a worst case scenario, they can step in and actually contribute.

Smith has a good story, his video highlights makes one think of a Matt Dunnigan type of quarterback, which is not a bad comparison other than the concussions. The ultimate proof will come in drills and then game action where we see if these guys have their fundamentals right and the mental toughness to be a starter.

One quarterback whose status has not yet been resolved is Keith Price, formerly of the University of Washington. Price came in last year and spent time on the roster, then practice roster, learning the fine details of the CFL game.

But take a look at the Rider roster and Price is no longer there. According to Rider GM Brendan Taman, Price is on the negotiation list, which means he is looking at his opportunities south of the border, but the Riders still have a claim on him in case nothing pans out in the NFL. So in theory, Price could be at training camp or later on in the year if he does get a try out contract with the NFL.

The Riders did something rare and signed a Winnipeg offensive lineman back-up to a free agent camp. Gord Hinse can play a variety of positions, including centre, which may be why he comes to the Riders from the Bombers where he didn’t crack the starting line-up. But then again, Winnipeg is a black hole sucking the spirit and soul of good players, so maybe that explains a lot.

The Riders seem to be positioning themselves prior to the CFL draft in case the number of offensive linemen they want to look at doesn’t materialize. This is a depth signing, but like most depth signings, it may come handy later on if early plans don’t pay off at training camp.

The Riders have a contract in front of Brian Peters who is considering his NFL options, apparently strongest with the New Orleans Saints. The problem Peters may be having is NFL teams with limited signing bonus budgets, may not be sending him the love he is looking for in a signing bonus and Peters is listening to the Riders suggestion that signing a one year contract, building up a stronger body of linebacker work, may pay off next year.

That is a strong maybe. But it is something that a non NFL draft pick has to consider when sending their film and resume south of the border. But for now nothing further on that front.

Former Rider defensive line coach Todd Howard has been signed by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, no surprise since Richie Hall took over as defensive coordinator. The Riders have replaced Howard with Mike Sinclair, who is well regarded from his time in Montreal and is on his second tour with the Riders. Apparently Howard was not highly regarded by John Chick and Ricky Foley, but that didn’t stop them from producing.

But you have to wonder if there was some sort of connection considering that Chick has re-upped his contract for another two years. Chick was heading into his free agency year this year and this signing just saved the Rider Nation several trainloads of pepto bismal.

They may need it as Jamal Richardson has not taken his physical yet, but apparently the Riders are waiting until training camp to ensure Richardson can at least get on the field before seeing if he has anything left. Richardson’s physical ailments are paralleled with Cory Watson who the Riders traded Winnipeg for and has a history of hamstring injuries. On paper these are good signings, but, and that is a big but, they need to be healthy first.

Keith Tolston, the best running back on the Riders practice roster last season has signed with Calgary. I wonder how Jon Cornish feels about this.