Riders trying to emerge from the haze at training camp

So in lieu of showcasing the players who have come to the Riders this off-season, including quarterback Trevor Harris, the Riders had a Q and A with Head Coach Craig Dickenson, CEO Craig Reynolds and GM Jeremy O’Day livestreamed for the Rider faithful.

First off, let’s get a few things out of the way.

Last year the Riders were ham-fisted in how they treated their fans. Almost a year ago I wrote about the costs of attending the game for a family of four from Prince Albert and the costs were prohibitive.

It was not just ticket costs, you can factor in concessions, merchandise, gas, staying over in Regina, meals and it is not hard to drop $3,000 on a weekend. When you consider some games are on Thursday so you either have to lose money by booking the Friday off or drive back in the middle of the night.

This is not a formula designed to attract and retain fans. Combined with the pathetic performance of the team on the field, especially for the last two thirds of the season, it is not surprising that fans who bought Grey Cup packages did not renew them.

The Riders also did stuff like go with the electronic ticket system where you put tickets on the Rider app. It was touted as one way to reduce counterfeit tickets, but the catch was you had to constantly remember your Rider App log in and if you couldn’t, you had to come up with a new one to access your tickets.

If you wanted tickets printed because either you could not figure out the Rider app, or didn’t have a phone, or like me, wanted tickets for souvenirs so in case the Riders won a Grey Cup and wanted to frame the tickets, then last year it cost $50.

This year the Rider ticket office did a much better job of explaining the electronic wallet system and showing a better way of storing the tickets.

This year if you want tickets printed and you can actually use the electronic wallet, it would cost $20, but if you didn’t have a phone capable of holding an electronic wallet, there was no cost to printing tickets.

The Riders have attempted to provide incentive for season ticket holders, including exclusive events like the CFL Draft party. This will continue through the season as the Riders attempt to stem and perhaps even reverse the erosion of season tickets.

Reynolds said the team looked at the whole game day experience and looked at it from the affordability perspective. The Riders reduced the price of 9,000 seats, although it is unclear how much they were reduced, and Reynolds said the team is close to announcing concessions at Mosaic Stadium will offer a $5 concession item.

I am not sure how much this is a nod to Vancouver where the new owner has reduced the cost of concessions in an effort to be family friendly and encourage people to attend games at a reasonable cost.

The initial media reports Saturday may have made it seem that the Riders are moving their prices from $8 or $9 down to $5, but on reviewing the live stream of the Q and A, it seems the various vendors will be offering an item at $5 like say popcorn, or nachos or a hot dog, and not reducing their entire menu to $5.

The Riders will be having two games where they will be wearing their retros. The first will be the Thursday night game on July 6 against the Edmonton Elk, and the second will be Labour Day against the Godless Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Reynolds said there would be no jersey redesign this year, but hinted at a new one coming next year.

So while the Riders are attempting to compensate for laying off a bunch of people during COVID and then trying to put back together, the bigger question is how the team is looking on the field.

The abbreviated Green and White scrimmage provided no answers except maybe Derrell Walker is still capable of going deep. The Riders are trying to avoid shooting themselves in the foot like they did last season and that starts with the culture in the locker room

Dickenson said his impression of the locker room is that it is the closest group he has seen and this bodes well for the chemistry the team is trying to build. It was unsaid that a large part of the season coming off the rails last year was the perception players were playing more for themselves than for each other and therefore were being selfish in taking stupid penalties.

“We are focused on things like integrity, accountability, community and respect,” Dickenson told fans.

He promised a team that would be smarter, be less penalized, show more physical effort and play more together.

“Being on this team is a privilege,” said Dickenson. “We are preaching patience with the process and the wins will take care of themselves.”

One of the more important moves by the Riders will likely be the hiring of Rob Vanstone as senior journalist and Rider historian. Vanstone came over to the Riders from the Regina Leader Post where he was the Sports Editor, and with a number of books to his credit about the Riders, he brings a passion for the team that has been lacking for awhile.

Vanstone will bring that passion to his coverage of the team and that will make the Rider website worth reading this year. It is something Reynolds also acknowledged when he talked about the importance of content to rebuild the Rider brand.

There are minimal rule changes this year with the most notable being a team that gets a holding penalty when close to its end zone would risk giving up a safety.

Another change is the introduction of Guardian Caps for offensive and defensive linemen, linebackers and running backs in practice. The Guardian Caps, which appear to be oversized balloons, are designed to reduce incidents of concussion during practices.

Under the new Collective Agreement, the Riders will have only 12 practices this year with players in pads, a measure designed to reduce injury.

Reynolds said the league is in good shape judging by the quality of the ownership but now the league is attempting to deal with the impact of COVID and the inflation that has arisen as a result. The increased costs are going to be a deterrent to bringing new fans, especially those who have to watch their dollars.

Reynolds acknowledged last season was a down year but this year the team expects nothing but positives to take place. Which of course every team expects at this time of the season.

The Riders first exhibition game is Saturday at 5 pm against the BC Lions but Harris will not be taking his first snaps since he will be taking days off to attend the birth of his child.

This means the Rider back up quarterbacks including Jake Dolegala, who was in court this past week for a drunk driving charge, Mason Fine who is in his third year, and Shea Patterson who has impressed people with his arm so far.

Dickenson said the team is trying to give Harris the work he needs to be effective with a new system and players, while also ensuring the back up quarterbacks get playing time as well in case they are needed.

Dickenson made the point that with four and a half hours of practice per week, the team needs to make the best use of its time and this year with a third quarterback allowed back on the roster, teams have more options than what they enjoyed last year.

One of the interesting things to watch this year is the ability for teams to switch out a Canadian starter with an American who has been with the team for three years or in the CFL for five years for 49 per cent of total plays.

Teams will be able to do this for only one person on offense and one person on defense and it is sounds kind of like the designated import rule of the CFL back in the 1970s.

Reynolds talked about the new television contract with CBS Sports which around out of the leagues’ partnership with Genius Sports. The CFL seems to be hoping that legalized gambling will be enhanced with the stats provided by Genius Sports to lure in bettors.

Which would be good if legalized gambling was possible in other jurisidictions besides Ontario. However, the contract with the CBS Sports network fills a programming need for games before the College Football season and there will 34 games available for streaming south of the border.

Other tidbits include the arrival of Kian Baker-Schafer hopefully before Labor Day. Dickenson said Baker-Shafer seems be ahead of schedule with his rehab.

“You will be proud of a lot of what you see this year,” Dickenson promised fans.

by Greg Urbanoski

Riders trying to emerge from the haze at training camp

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