Florida Camp Answers Some, Not all 2015 Questions

The anticipation for the Rider mini-camp in Bradenton Florida this past weekend was impressive. Even former Raider play by play announcer and current Rider voice, Rod Pedersen, went down to Florida to air shows live from the camp. It has been a very long off-season.

The camp was an opportunity for the offense to get introduced to the new schemes brought in by new offensive coordinator, Jacques Chapdelaine and see if Darian Durant can still throw a football, while on defense the new recruits were trying to show Rider Head Coach Cory Chamblin why they should be invited to the main camp.

So let’s start with Durant . His elbow is okay and after throwing in one session, he gave a green light for more throwing, indicating the rehab is successful. Durant is happy with the new offense, which is not unusual since he seemed happy with all the previous offensive coordinators and their offenses.

The Riders did a bit of re-jigging with their offense, moving Taj Smith to slot back from wide receiver. That was interesting because Jamal Richardson showed up after a bit of additional knee surgery and was unable to take part in any practices. Richardson would be slotted for outside, but if he is unable to make camp, never mind start, that opens the door for another receiver.

That could be Cory Watson, the receiver the Riders got from Winnipeg who is prone to pulling a hamstring every time he uses a public toilet. If Watson is healthy, he does add value and speed on the outside. Other names to watch include Naaman Roosevelt, LaQuan Williams and Greg Hardin, with Hardin being the North Dakota star. However, let me remind Rider fans of the name of Terrence Nunn.

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Nunn came into camp a few years ago and caught everything that was in the air, including mosquitos, black flies and the odd crow in practice. You would think that someone who showed so well in practice would translate into star in game action, but Nunn disappeared faster than a Winnipeg Blue Bomber fan at a Grey Cup game. So relying on practice reports is just one part of the puzzle, but not the entire puzzle because how players perform in a game situation is crucial.

Jerome Messam appears ready to take on a bigger role in the Rider offense and as a full back he has the size for blocking on the line and also the ability to go out for passes. Anthony Allen and Steve Miller appear to be the way the Riders are looking at for running back, with Allen being the battering ram while Miller is the Jock Sanders type back.

It was interesting to hear Darian Durant call the new Rider offense basketball on grass. It’s getting the ball out to whoever is open, which means quick reads not just by Durant, but the receivers as well. And with the rule changes, it means receivers get a bit of a break after five yards and should be able to get open even more.

Due to the layout of the Florida facility, no one had eyes on the punting and kicking so those areas are again a great unknown.  Special teams’ time was spent reviewing the new rule changes which will make a very eventful first half of the season as teams understand the rules and how to exploit them.

Now not everyone at the camp will be at the training camp in Saskatoon. The Riders invited players, but most of them will be waiting for the NFL draft and the signings that come after that before making their decision about where to play. The Riders will also have to get down to about 68 players, not including draft picks and territorial signings for training camp, so they will be reviewing the film from the camp and preparing for the next stage, which is the NFL draft.

Players the Riders have on their lists will either get picked up by the NFL or get cut by the NFL, and depending on what happens that will alter the composition of the team. In addition, the Riders have the CFL draft and that will be interesting to see if the Riders go for offensive linemen in an effort to build a five man Canadian offensive line or pick a receiver or defensive player to improve depth in those areas.

It was interesting to read the stories from Florida, but again, the crucial thing is seeing the players live in game action. While the Riders are looking for another quick start as a result of the preparation done at the mini-camp, I would not be surprised to see the Riders move their mini-camp to Arizona next year to make it more accessible to Rider fans and perhaps more centralized for moving players around.

But in the meantime savor the step forward to the 2015 season where anything goes.