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Sometimes You Win, Sometimes You Lose

May 3, 2016 | 12:58 PM

Sometimes you have to wonder if the new look Saskatchewan Roughriders (new uniforms coming out May 12) are maybe missing a dot or forgetting to cross a t, here and there.

The last time I reported to you, Maurice Price had announced his retirement, only after walking away with his signing bonus following a trade with Ottawa. So not only are the Riders out some cash, but they also lost a draft pick.

Other than losing the cash and draft pick, I don’t consider Price a big loss because while he is big, which Rider Head Coach Chris Jones likes, I remembered in the 2013 western final when he got stripped of the ball going in for a touchdown and the Riders returned the ball, putting on a clinic in ball stripping to advance to the 2013 Grey Cup. I thought then, and still do, that while Price may make the odd catch now and then, he didn’t have the discipline to be a great receiver.

You may remember the Riders made a trade with Toronto and gave up another draft pick for import offensive lineman Bruce Campbell. Now Jones and player personnel guru John Murphy approach Canadian content on CFL rosters this way – they do it by position, not by talent level – generally. So this means on the offensive line the two tackle positions, which would face off against the other team’s defensive ends, are Americans because Jones and Murphy figure they have more experience in dealing with strong fast American/Canadian defensive ends.

So here is the breakdown on where you can expect to find Canadian positions on the Riders – 3 on the o-line, 2 at receiver,  1 on the defensive line, 1 at safety and 2 kickers.

Campbell was in the mix for one of those American spots until he announced his retirement at age 27. Now apparently he had flunked his medical with the Washington Redskins, so maybe there was some underlying medical reason for him to pack it in, but this also explains a trade the Riders made on Monday.

The Riders traded with Edmonton to get Thaddeus Coleman, a 6’8” 320 offensive lineman who played left and right tackle with the Eskimos, in exchange for two negotiation list players. One of whom is apparently a defensive tackle, but considering the secrecy around these lists is tighter than getting the inside info on the Panama Papers, hopefully the Riders made this room to clear space for two new names.

That trade on Monday was explained by the retirement on Tuesday by Campbell. So you have to wonder with the draft picks we gave up for no players showing up at camp, what explains the Riders sudden casualness with Canadian draft picks, considering we had so few to start?

With Price I would think his retirement was due to his character, giving up before facing adversity as demonstrated in the 2013 Western Final. With Campbell, if he made medical reasons, then his retirement makes sense, but you would think the Riders would at least vet and perhaps ask the other team about players’ medical issues before trading for them. The other reason is that the Riders have amassed a number of bodies and sometimes players look at the competition, figure why bother, and hang them up.

Now there is another issue here, the loss of draft picks affecting the CFL draft going on May 10, just over a week away. The Riders hold the first overall pick, but following the NFL draft and the undrafted free agency period that follows it, a number of potential prospects will not be available to Canadian teams until later on, August or September.

The only Canadian selected in the NFL draft was David Onyemata from the University of Manitoba. This defensive end will be going to the New Orleans Saints, who did something similar with Akeem Hicks from the University of Regina and who is now with the Chicago Bears. Then we saw players like Tevaun Smith (WR, Iowa), Elie Bouka (DB, Calgary), Arjen Colquhoun (DB, Michigan State) and Mehdi Abdesmad (DL, Boston College) signing free agent NFL deals following the draft.

Some of those players will likely be back because as the Pros and Joes last week taught me, out of a couple of hundred at an NFL free agent camp, one might get signed. The Riders having lost two draft picks for no good reason may want to reload on those picks by trading the first overall player. The Riders may have been looking at Laval’s Charles Vaillancourt, but he has accepted an invitation to an NFL minicamp along with Acadia’s Brian Jones, Taylor Loffler of UBC, and Calgary’s Mercer Timmins. So players the Riders may have been interested in won’t be available until later on, if at all.

The usual CFL draft strategy is to let top ranked prospects who have accepted NFL offers slide down the draft list until later on when taking a gamble on a player who may or may not show won’t hurt you so badly. The CFL is helping out by adding an extra round to the draft, presumably to help stash picks of Canadian NFL prospects. So the Riders get at least pick back in the last round of the draft.

The Riders will be active in peddling their first overall pick because they have lost two picks to decisions perhaps out of their control and they already had so few picks to start with. The Riders have been doing a good job of scanning the Canadian university ranks for potential players, but the opportunity to bring more competition should not be scoffed at. I fully expect by the time I do a draft story, some sort of trade will come through.

This leads us of course to training camp in Saskatoon and the Riders have helpfully issued a schedule of events for people north of Davidson to take in if they so choose.

 MAY 27, THE OFFICIAL ROUGHRIDER KICKOFF PARTY
 O’Brian’s Event Centre, Featuring One Bad Son
 Coors Light and Cruz FM will present the Official Roughrider Kickoff Party on Friday, May 27th at 8:00pm. The evening will include a night of incredible live music and entertainment with featured guests One Bad Son, and also some special appearances by Rider players. Tickets are $20 and you can get them on the Rider website.

JUNE 4, GREEN AND WHITE SCRIMMAGE AND FAN DAY 2-9pm
 Saskatoon Minor Football Field (Gordie Howe Bowl)
This is a day of fan activities, football and evening music at the Saskatoon Minor Football Field and the new Gordie Howe Sports Centre. Get up close with the 2016 Riders as they take the field for their first live scrimmage. The day begins at 2:00 pm with inflatable fun activities for kids, a visit from Gainer the Gopher and members of the Rider Cheer Team. The team takes the field at approximately 4:00 pm where you will get a first-hand view of the new-look Riders and coaching staff as players compete for a spot on this year’s roster. The team scrimmage will be followed by player appearances and a cabaret in the newly constructed Gordie Howe Sports Centre.
 Check out www.riderville.com for the latest news and schedule

JUNE 12, ROUGHRIDER STREET FESTIVAL AND CO-OP TAILGATE BARBEQUE 12-4PM
 21st Street, Saskatoon
Downtown Saskatoon will come alive on June 12th as the Riders present the Coors Light Training Camp Street Festival and Saskatoon Co-op Tailgate BBQ.

 Game Day comes to 21st street with:
 The best burgers in town from the Saskatoon Co-op with a portion of proceeds supporting the Children’s Hospital Foundation of Saskatchewan; A Rider Kids Zone featuring interactive inflatables; Activity drills where kids of all ages can train with the pros; Rider Cheer Team Appearances; A visit from the one and only Gainer the Gopher; Player and Coach appearances; Tattoo stations and more.

So now the drama in the next week will be will the Riders trade or won’t they? What will this team look like in training camp? Just did a quick scan and I would say over half the team roster from 2015 has been replaced, which should not come as a surprise to anyone, but how well Jones and his staff can get this essentially new team on the same page will go a long way to determining how it will do this season.

I can’t wait.