Tragedy on Draft Day

Normally in Regina pitchforks would be gathered and torches lit for Rider GM Brendan Taman who did one of the great silly moves by bringing in and trading Cory Watson for no good reason.

But the word Tuesday morning about the death of the daughter of Rider all-star Tyron Brackenridge has given draft day a somberness that does not add to any sense of fun.

I’m sure my condolences to Brackenridge will be extended by everyone in Rider Nation. There is nothing you can say when you lose a child, but it never hurts to let people who are going through pain know they are not alone. Not a bad way to approach life.

But as 6 p.m. approaches for the draft, it is worth it to explore a series of moves the Riders did Monday, and see if they are any sort of indication for where they are going Draft Day.

The first is the Cory Watson trade to Edmonton. The Riders sent Watson, for whom they sent Winnipeg Kris Bastien and a second round pick for, I believe, to Edmonton for Jorgen Hus and a third round pick from Edmonton in 2016. The Riders also sent Edmonton a second round pick in 2016 in this deal.

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Unfortunately, the only way I can describe the rational for these types of trades is weirdly psychological. Let’s start with the premise that even though Taman got his start with the Riders, it was only when the Winnipeg Blue Bombers hired him that he came into his own as a GM.

Now people may think that I exaggerate about Winnipeg, but if the Riders were unable to make a decision under Al Ford because they could not afford it, the Bombers because they think they can afford it, have a bunch of rich businessmen who imagine themselves to be the new Bill Belichek’s and therefore above any sort of questioning in football matters. The Bombers will never be a professional team because they have a bunch of clowns who build cheap stadiums and try to pass themselves off as league leaders.

Taman was run out of Winnipeg because he was not given the resources he has access to now in Regina. The Riders know their ability to do things off the field depends on their ability to win on the field. If you tick off a board member in Winnipeg by not making a decision he wanted, your career expectancy in the city mosquitos built is measured in nanoseconds.

So Taman has a hand in drafting Cory Watson for the Bombers, who has good size and skills, but is injury prone.  Much like he did with Khari Jones and Geroy Simon, Taman would like to give the guys who used to play for him in Winnipeg the chance to win a Grey Cup and to prove Winnipeg was wrong yet again about his ability to recognize talent.

The problem is Watson is by no means ready to step into a starting position in the receiving corps. The Riders will definitely have Chris Getzlaf and Rob Bagg as Canadian starters but their back-ups will come from draft picks and undrafted free agents. If Jamal Richardson’s knee is 100 per cent recovered and he can give us one good year of deep threat, then the rest of the receiving corps is American and probably from North Dakota State.

So Watson’s salary as a back-up is more than what is envisioned by the Riders after paying Weston Dressler and defensive end Alex Hall. This is what Taman said Monday, but personally, I think the Riders are setting money aside for either Ben Heenan or Brent Jones if their trips to the NFL as prospective offensive linemen doesn’t work out.

The rule changes in the CFL will likely see the Riders moving to an all Canadian offensive line within a few years and one Canadian starter on defense. The Riders will want to concentrate speed and size at the receiving position, unless Jacques Chapdelaine manages to unveil an offense that is the football equivalent of the fast break in basketball.

The rule changes also make it understandable for the Riders to trade for Hus, who played on the University of Regina Rams. Under the new punting rules, offensive linemen will not be able to take off after the punt until after the ball cross the line of scrimmage. That means the Riders previous long snapper, Levi  Steinhauer, will likely line up outside of the line of scrimmage to enable him to hunt down and destroy with extreme prejudice punt returners.

Moving Watson out means there is a potential Canadian receiver position open and that could be either Nic Demski from the University of Manitoba or Addison Richards from the University of Regina. The receiver focus came as a result of two signings Monday which seemed to fill some holes in the Riders roster.

The Riders signed offensive linemen Kyle Paterson and Terry Hart, both of whom were selected by the Riders in last year’s draft. Paterson hails from Weyburn, the home of Brendan LaBatte and Brent Jones and returned to play for the Rams after Rider camp.  Hart is from St. Francis Xavier and went back to college after attending training camp.

With these guys having some experience of the pro camp and the expectations that come with it, in an interesting way the Riders offensive line is showing what it might look like in two years. For the Canadians drafted to play offensive line, they will have to work hard to show they are ready to start, not just collect a pay cheque, or else they will be asking if you want fries with that order.

The top part of the CFL draft is expected to be heavy in offensive linemen candidates. Most, but not all CFL teams will avoid drafting players set to go try out in the NFL, although if you are deep enough in some areas, that kind of choice is a nice one to have.

With the Riders locking down some offensive line candidates, then they will either look at receiver or at a backup linebacker for Shea Emry. Personally, considering how the Riders have gathered more picks by trading down, I can see them trading their first round pick to a team desperate to make a splash…hello Winnipeg…who want to draft local product Demski to spark ticket sales. The Riders by comparison may be in a spot to see draft picks from two to three years ago finally mature enough to take starting positions in the line-up.

So the draft starts at 6 p.m. and you can watch on TSN. And in the meantime, give a moment to think about Tyron Brackenridge and how it is not always sunshine and cre