By Riderville

Roughrider Report

Jun 27, 2011 | 10:32 AM

Some interesting moves at Rider camp over the weekend has made it an up in the air feeling for the Roughriders as they prepared to host Edmonton in the July 3 home opener at Taylor Field.
After missing a bunch of field goals in a 34-6 loss to BC: the Riders seemed relatively content in going ahead with Chris Milo and the man himsel, Eddie Johnson.

Instead of bringing in another kicker – and they have brought in three so far this training camp – they will have until the Labour Day game to get it sorted when Congi is expected to come off the nine game injured list.

But the extent of the injury to Brent Hawkins, and the fact it is a shoulder he originally injured last year and again cost him time in the NFL, is putting the name of Jessie Lumsden on people's lips. Lumsden was a great player, but had a glass shoulder that eventually forced him to settle for something like bobsledding.

The loss of Hawkins has the Riders scrambling to put together an adequate pass rush. What we saw again BC was just awful. If it doesn't improve soonish, we may be wishing for the return of Gary Etcheverry.

The Riders are keeping three Canadians on the practice roster – Zack Evans, Ryan Lucas and Mathieu Bouley, who are all defensive linemen. Keith Shologan is a fixture on our d-line but his contract expires at the end of this year. This seems to be a good time to determine who can step up.
The receiving corps was not the greatest with let's say eight drops against BC, who also hit them. If the Rider receivers could hold onto the ball, they might have made it closer, or at least competitive, but those types of statements were fixtures during the lost decade, and while I expect a drop off in receiving production, this is more like a wallow in a mud dip.

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Terrence Nunn made the roster along with Patrick Brown on the practice roster as wide receivers. The days of the Canadian Air Force receiving corps are looking like a bit of a memory, as the Riders look to revamp their receiving corps to get the most mileage out of them.

When linebacker Chris Graham was listed in the group of players Saturday as among those released, fans were ready to revolt. His listing on the practice roster means if someone goes down, Graham will get his shot.

The play of Eddie Russ at defensive back has caught the eye of fans for its athletic and physical nature. Russ had a knock down and an interception in two games, and has the ability to be in the right place at the right time. Darryl Townshend is a Canadian who hits hard and may step in at safety. James Patrick is slow to recover and this may mean an audition line of safeties may be in order.
The Rider offensive line is old and when it is bucked under the pressure of a consistent rush, it throws off the timing the Rider offence is based on and that spells a long uninteresting summer. Keeping Dan Clark on the practise roster and Nick Hutchins on the injury list will allow them to continue their mentorship until something has to give and the Riders make a crucial change in the o-line without getting killed.

The release of Jocelyn Frenette was not surprising, considering all he did was long snap, and look a bit out of shape. The Riders will be relying on younger and cheaper help and people who are more inclined to keep versatile by taking on punt returns and that would be done.

The Riders are content to let Milo kick field goals and Johnson punt which will be a nine game exercise in hope until Congi comes back. The injury to Brent Hawkins means the defensive line is again in a state of flux and I would not be surprised if the Riders bring in some d-linemen. The three Canadian defensive linemen on the practice roster is interesting, especially when you consider Ketih Shologan is in the final year of his contract. If he goes, it would behove the Riders to have some Canadian insurance for next season.

James Patrick might take longer to come back from his injury, so the likelihood of a Canadian safety increases. The Riders keeping Tamon George is also interesting since he didn't stand out, nor did he play badly when in the defensive backfield.

Darian Durant's performance against BC showed the timing problems that might be a concern against Edmonton on Sunday. Hopefully timing was an issue because Durant came into this season wanting to cut down on his interceptions. But an interception returned for a touchdown and another one that should have been returned for a touchdown was a worrisome reminder of last season.

If the Riders work those bugs out of their system, they should be OK against Edmonton. But Edmonton will bring in Ricky Ray, and the Riders are expecting Ray to be accurate and wanting to dissect the Rider defence. Without an adequate pass rush, I don't see the Riders enjoying success.

The 34-6 loss shows the Riders are a work in progress and BC looking to avoid another 1-7 start. If that is the case, the Riders may find themselves in a dog fight all year with a home playoff game not quite in the bag, or looking as easy as they might have thought a couple of weeks ago.

It was an exhibition game and it means nothing in the standings. But you want to establish some kind of positive momentum heading into the season. The Riders two exhibition games may have left more questions than it answered and that is something that is a bit worrisome as the Riders kick off their season 5 p.m. Sunday against the Edmonton Eskimos.