Training Day

Well, there is really only one real reason to come to Regina, two if you have family. The first is being able to sit at Taylor Field on a beautiful Sunday morning and watch the first day of Rider training camp.

What fans see and what the coaches are looking for are two different things, but there are things to keep in mind prior to the first exhibition game against the Edmonton Eskimos.

Quarterback – Darian Durant looks good, if a wee bit rusty mentally. Physically he threw the ball well, but there were times when either his protection broke down (understandable considering the number of different offensive line combinations the Riders were experimenting with) or the defensive backs did something to prevent Durant from getting a play off.

This isn't a big deal, but Durant needs to show he is seeing the whole field better and part of that is getting used to his receivers. Cole Bergquist stepped up really well. He throws a very nice and catchable deep ball and had a few deep routes pay off for him. Bergquist is also going for holder, and the way he moved the offensive units down the field would seem to indicate he is making a charge to be the back-up QB instead of the third string.

Ryan Dinwiddie throws a good 15-20 pattern but today for some reason seemed to have problems going deep. He also got picked off by defensive back Eddie Russ. Dinwiddie has a fine football mind, but other than capable game management, does not seem to be a threat on the field. Chris Leak is the QB we got from Montreal and was previously a University of Florida Gator. Leak is small and seemed to move the ball well, but needs more arm strength. Leak seems to be more comfortable as a runner than a passer to which one person said to me at practice…didn't we survive the Nealon Greene experiment?

ON THE BIG STAGE

P.A.'s best young musicians return for Music Festival's Gala Concert

8m ago

BDO Debt Solutions

Say Goodbye to Debt

27m ago

TheatreFest 2024

TheatreFest wraps up in Battlefords with night of winners

14h ago

Running back – Wes Cates ran hard and very well during his touches, but all eyes were on prospect Brandon West. The Riders even ran West and Hugh Charles out of the backfield into the wide receiver spot and West seems more powerful a runner than Charles. They both return kick-offs and the Riders on day one were clearly looking for a way to integrate West into their offense.. Neal Hughes filled in for Chris Szarka by doing a lot of blocking and Stu Foord didn't really do much on the field. Graeme Bell was noticeable especially on special teams and Kyle Exume was looking good running back kicks. Look for the Riders to follow the Stampeder lead of having probably West spell off Cates during games to keep him fresher especially as we drive for our third straight Grey Cup appearance in November.

Receivers – Well, Terrence Nunn is the real thing. This former NFL receiver has the shiftiness that blew him past Rider dbs and he has soft hands. Nunn was lined up at slotback and made some great catches. Donimic Bolden also showed some stuff along with Ernie Wheelwright, but again, bear in mind it was just day one of camp and they are still not totally comfortable on the playbook. Jason Clermont was a monster, he caught all but two passes and looked a bit like Ray Elgaard when he went across the middle, caught a pass and looked for someone to hit. Chris Getzlaf will have a monster year, catching mostly flag patters. Weston Dressler has, believe it or not, gotten faster.

The Riders will be looking at him to be a game breaker in whatever way they can work him in. Cary Koch ran great patterns and showed great hustle. Patrick Brown did not stand out with a circus catch, Efrem Hill is a work in progress, but he has great speed, and Jamal Smith got better as practise wore on. Obed Cetoute was another receiver who got better as the practice wore on, although he does not have the built of other receivers and tended to get knocked around.

Jordan Sisco was somewhat unimpressive, although he did get better. Sisco was lined up at the wide receiver position and showed decent speed, but lacked a bit of going after the ball that Koch, Nunn and Dressler showed everyone today. Aaron Fairooz, a receiver who is more like a toothpick, apparently injured a hamstring a half hour into practice. He has no butt apparently and after sitting on the bench for awhile, got up and pulled the ice pack out of his sweats and threw it. Fairooz should not be in camp for long. Junior footballer Kolten Solomon was a bit out of his league, but he is a good returner and hard worker. He still has junior eligibility left and the Riders should give him the full pro camp experience, send him back to junior football for seasoning and bring him back.

Offensive line – The starting offensive line for day one was Marc Parenteau at centre, flanked by Alex Gauthier (who is a giant), Chris Best, Gene Makowsky and Dan Goodspeed. Dan Clark showed well and Nick Hutchins as well, and Alex Krausnick-Groh, the Rider draft pick, seemed a bit tentative, but he is a rookie and it will be interesting to see him pick up as he gets more reps. Defensive line – Well, they are bigger and meaner and one question mark has emerged so far. Brent Hawkins is in fine shape recovered from his shoulder injury, and the other end seems to be Tearrius George.

Keith Shologan is one defensive tackle anchor and Darius Romero shows a lot of passion and speed, especially during a drill when the defensive players were hitting blocking dummies. Luc Mullinder was seeing some regular action, but I would think he would back up Shologan. Montez Murphy had some good reps and Rodrique Wright has size, but whether he would be effective in rushing the passer is yet to be determined. Calvin Fance showed well but the big question is where do the Riders put last year's first round draft pick Shomari Williams? When you see the size of the other defensive linemen, Williams is smaller, and there may be talk of bringing Williams to play the occasional outside linebacker spot where his speed in rushing the passer would come in handy. Williams would be playing the role formerly occupied by Kitwana Jones but the difference is Williams is bigger than Jones and more likely to be effective as a run stopper.

Linebackers – The Riders are a linebacker factory. Barrin Simpson will return in the middle, but the Riders also have Jerrell Freeman, Byron Bullock, Sean Lucas, Kye Stewart and Mike McCullough. Canadian depth at linebacker may be an issue, so back-ups Cory Huclack and Peter Thiel will be waging an intense battle. Both of them has improved their status with the ability to long-snap the ball. Until we see the defense in a game situation, right now the linebackers are the strength of the unit. Defensive backs – Watching these guys was interesting because as receivers like Nunn and Dressler burned them deep, they began hitting the receivers earlier to prevent the big catch.

James Patrick seems set at safety, but guys like Nick Graham, who played a bit last year, have come back with a vengeance. Tad Kornegay will be one corner and I would think Chris McKenzie may be the other. Unfortunately, Rider draft pick Craig Butler was injured and did not appear, so that left guys like Eddie Russ, who made a great interception off Dinwiddie, an opportunity to shine, and Tamon George looked OK playing one corner spot, although he was not really tested. Special Teams – The Riders added a new kicker, Jake Harfman, formerly of USC to their roster, but Eddie Johnson had some great punts, Chris Milo has a strong leg and Harfman did OK.

The problem with Johnson was his place-kicking. He line-drived two field goal attempts and hit the post with another. I heard Luca Congi will likely miss the first two games and more than likely the first six as he recovers from his injury, so while Milo can handle all jobs and he is a Canadian, the coaching staff may want to keep Johnson around to do punting and kick-offs to take the pressure off of Milo. Jocelyn Frenette seems to be the openning long-snapper, but I expect other players will get a shot at it.

The Riders were looking at Bergquist to hold for field goals, and even Jason Clermont got into the action. But Rider fans, the good news here is Craig Dickenson, our new special teams coach, is light years ahead of Jim Daley. The Riders spent a lot of time working on coverages for field goals, kick offs, punts and the like, which was very impressive and showed how the Riders are emphasizing fundamentals to avoid the special teams breakdowns from last year. Tristian Jackson was the showcase kick returner and actually did pretty back at defensive back.

Overall, the Riders look organized, they have some very good prospects in camp and I had to feel better seeing the new players in action. Day one of training camp is certainly no way to read how the rest of the season will unwind, but I would have to say the Riders are looking better than they did last year, and the only question will be how the new players will perform when the bullets start flying and how the Riders manage their depth.