By paNOW Staff

Receiving help coming to Saskatchewan Roughriders

Aug 8, 2011 | 9:15 PM

The Saskatchewan Roughriders search to replace the departed Andy Fantuz and injured Rob Bagg and Cary Koch continues.

The team acquired receiver Dallas Baker early on Monday from Montreal on the same day Freddie Barnes made his debut at Roughriders practice. They are the second and third receivers to be brought in since the team broke training camp as the current crop of receivers struggles to make consistent contributions to the team.

Weston Dressler is the exception, leading the team with 30 receptions and 451 yards, but Head Coach Greg Marshall says they're still looking for more from the other four receivers on the field.

“We need more plays from a lot of people on offense and this is one of the areas we're addressing but I wouldn't say it's only on the receivers but it's an area we feel we need to get a little bit better.”

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Roughriders receivers coach Bob Dyce says despite the new faces coming in to push the current players on the roster, he says it's time to stop dwelling on who they're missing and move forward with who they have.

“You guys mention Andy but I don't mention Andy because, right now, Andy's not here. What we talked about this morning is we have enough talent but what we have to do is eliminate our mistakes and stop beating ourselves a little bit.”

Dyce says his group of receivers can't duck the criticism.

“Our job is to catch the ball, our job is to get open and we're not doing that right now but our job as coaches to put guys in position to be successful and we have to do a better job of that as well.”

Quarterback Darian Durant is on the same page as Dyce, seeing room for the team to make adjustments due to the fact they don't have Fantuz at their disposal on key downs.

“When you don't have Andy and you don't have Rob and you don't have the guys that we're used to being there sometimes you have to cater differently. You can't put James Robinson in the same situation you put Andy in.”

Taking time

While the Roughriders can't afford to be patient after a 1-5 start, they'll need to be with their new weapons in the receiving corps as they learn the system.

For now it's the players that are currently there that need to step up. One player, who the team looked to step in and produce right out of training camp was Terrence Nunn and the former NFLer has just 12 catches and 163 yards in his first six games and he's still adjusting to life in the CFL.

“The waggle has probably been the most difficult part for me, always hitting it with full speed and always being able to hit the line on time.”

Nunn isn't using that as an excuse for his lack of production.

“I just have to get open. I just have to run my routes and get open.”

The new guys

Dallas Baker (6'3 210lbs) comes in after catching three balls for the Montreal Alouettes this season and Greg Marshall says he was buried on the depth chart in Montreal and sees a lot of talent.

“He's a big, physical guy who competes well and he was available and we thought he'd be worth a good look.”

The Roughriders other new player in town, Freddie Barnes (6'0 210lbs), comes in with an impressive collegiate resume. Barnes surpassed Randy Moss' Mid-Atlantic Conference record for single-season receiving yards when he compiled 1,770 yards at Bowling Green in his senior season. Barnes was a finalist for the Fred Biletnikoff Award for the NCAA's top receiver in 2009.

“Freddie was at our camp in Florida that we held in the off-season and we were impressed with him at the time but we were unable to come to terms with him on a contract because he had some other opportunities and he's decided this would be a good time for him to come up and see what he could do.”