Riders End 2015 with a Bang – Not a Thud

The 2016 exhibition season ended in 2015 with the Saskatchewan Roughriders beating the Montreal Alouettes 30-24 in overtime with TSN showing nothing but Montreal highlights because Montreal started a Canadian quarterback.

Well, you have a 3-15 record, expect some disrespect.

But the game was interesting to see how Keith Price would handle a starting quarterback shot and how the Riders would run various parts of their offense and defense. The results were interesting, if a bit inconclusive, but at least film exists now on most of the main characters looking for jobs on the 2016 Saskatchewan Roughriders.

The Riders have roughly 25 free agents, that number will likely be clarified as the Riders coach, GM and president have their year-end news conferences. The Riders are looking to hype season ticket sales, looking to hype anything to be honest, so the speculation on who the permanent GM and head coach will start in earnest and at least keep fans interested.

Cory Chamblin came out of hiding and gave a few interviews with who he regarded as favorable media types and as Led Zeppelin once put it – the Song Remains the Same. Chamblin says the Riders were not a Grey Cup team and the pressures of losing were just too much to overcome.

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It would be easy to rehash or rebash Chamblin, but the bottom line is that he had no adult supervision and getting rid of Richie Hall was the first sign that his ego got ahead of him. Chamblin hired rookie positional coaches who appeared unable to teach how to cover people under the new rules and he had no use for Canadians, especially on the defense side of the ball. Interesting enough, Chamblin, a former defensive back in the NFL, couldn’t figure out how to implement a pressure defense or help his defensive backs navigate the new rules.

With a lack of leadership from the top, a lack of coaches able to teach the fundamentals, it was no surprise the Riders nosedived into oblivion. The question is how do we get out of it?

Rod Pedersen in his daily sports blog says the Riders have had one “Rock Star” candidate apply but no one knows who. Pedersen and his Rider cronies on the Sports Cage have been touting Jeremy O’Day the interim GM, but while I have no obvious objection to O’Day, I do have one caveat which I would love candidates whether for GM or head coach to answer.

What is the long term goal for this team and how do you intend on getting there?

I would like to know how our rock star, or whoever applies, plans to first rebuild and perhaps more importantly, sustain team success. A GM needs to know more than just talent; they also need to know how to manage salary caps which is something that has led the Saskatchewan Roughriders into the wilderness.

The Riders have perceived holes in scouting, salary cap management and identifying talent. How does the new GM plan to address that? The Riders went from a video scouting system to going out to free agent camps and while the Riders have identified some players, they have also lost some players due to not offering them contracts – hello Raheem Cato, Johnathon Jennings.

What does the new GM want from a coach? Are the Riders a burn them to the ground and put the pieces back together again, or are they a few judicious pieces away from contending? Will the coach be able to teach the fundamentals and get the defense especially back on track? What about the special teams coach(es) and offensive coaches – are they retained?

What kind of coach will we get? If Jeremy O’Day is the early favorite for GM pending names, then Paul La Police seems to be the next coach. La Police is well regarded even after his time in Winnipeg and he has coached in Saskatchewan so he knows the rabid nature of Saskatchewan fans.

La Police was thought of, at least here, as being sabotaged in Winnipeg. The fact that O’Day played under La Police would also probably put him over the top. It would be interesting to get his reaction to what is required and how he would proceed.

Bob Dyce had a 3-6 record in what was a hopeless situation, but stepping up and taking the reins after Chamblin should get Dyce at least a coordinator position either here or Winnipeg, where it seems Winnipeg is looking for a new offensive coordinator. Dyce took his shot as a head coach, but he didn’t really have a chance to succeed considering how inept the defense was. He deserves thanks from Rider Nation for stepping up in a no win situation.

So expect the rumors to be flying around Grey Cup with likely interviews with people whose teams are no longer in the Grey Cup. If the Riders have identified any candidates whose teams are playing in the Grey Cup, they will be interviewed after. The Riders would likely like to announce their new GM in December, maybe January, and have their coach in place by Valentine’s Day if not sooner.

Whoever they bring in – make sure they have a quarterback coach to work with the guys on fundamentals and adjusting to the Canadian game, and a kicking coach to work with the punters and field goal kickers to help them through cold streaks.

So in the eastern semi-final, we have Toronto at Hamilton. Hamilton has stumbled into the playoffs on a three game losing streak while Toronto managed a gallant victory over Winnipeg. Hamilton used a lot of imagination in its last game and this depends on which quarterback starts. If Jeff Matthews can start, Hamilton wins 28-23. If not, Toronto wins, same score.

BC goes to Calgary and this also has the potential for an upset. Johnathon Jennings has become the new face of the BC Lions and his mobility will help along with Andrew Harris running. Calgary is a well-oiled machine and I haven’t heard of too many injuries out of their camp. The weather shouldn’t be much of a factor, Calgary 27-22 because I remember how tight BC played us in 2013.