Monday Morning Quarterback

Well, the NFL has descended into labor strife, pitting millionaires against billionaires. Which raised some interesting questions here last week about how the strike will affect the CFL and our Roughriders in particular.

The response seems to be, there may be some effect, but not the scenario some may have foreseen where Tom Brady signs with the Riders or something ridiculous like that.

First off, the new collective bargaining agreement the CFL has with its players association has eliminated the old option year window. This was when a player could sign for a year plus an option, and at the end of his first year, could try out for the NFL without being held to the second year of his contract.

The window was a way to attract American players up who could showcase their stuff for a year and then return and try out for the NFL. If they didn't make the NFL, they would then return to the CFL team they signed with.

The CFL also has an agreement with the NFL that it would not sign players under contract with the NFL. If the owners lock the players out, which seems likely, those players are still under contract to their NFL teams and would not be able to come here.

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Unless of course you are a free agent player and can sign anywhere. Which would make things interesting because I haven't yet seen an NFL free agent list or know who the Riders might have on those lists that would interest them.

Now the NFL owners signed a new deal with the networks which fronted them billions of dollars the owners will use to try to weather the storm out. The NFL contract says money from the networks has be shared not just amongst owners, but players as well, and expect to see some lawsuits flying over this move. If the players win, the strike or lockout could be settled sooner rather than later, if not, this could drag on for, get ready for this, two years.

So Andy Fantuz and John Chick are under contract for the moment, and the timing of the settlement of the strike may be crucial for them to realize their NFL dreams. The NFL season ususally starts in September and that means an August training camp/exhibition season. If the strike/lockout lasts into September, then I would think at the very least, mid-October would have to be deadline for the strike to be settled to ensure a season this year.

That means a two week camp and a season starting in November to get just enough games to make the season seem worthwhile. However, as I previously mentioned, under a lockout, NFL coaches and staff are not allowed to talk to players, so if you have a new head coach, or new quarterback, you cannot talk to them and get an idea of how to prepare for the upcoming season.

So with a shorter season and lack of contact, this means it is very important to get out of the gate quickly and begs the question of do you bring in more new players and hope to gel quickly, or stick with veteran players and hope to get out of the box quicker. If I were a coach, I would go with the second option.

Now Chick will be going into his second year as an Indianapolis Colt, albeit on the practice roster. He was familarity with the system they use there. Fantuz does not, and he will be under the gun to produce quickly, especially in an abbreviated camp. I would bet Fantuz is more likely to come back, but I would love to see both of them back.

One player who will not be back is Kitwana Jones, the undersized defensive end sparkplug who led the team onto the field prior to Rider home games. Jones signed with Montreal, but in a classy message to Rider fans on web sites, said he would be – Always a Rider.

Jones leaving was a combination of money and the fact his size prevented him from making a regular impact on the defense. Jones is a great situational player, but when he lined up regularly in the defense, they tended to notice and would use running plays to mow him down.

The Riders seem to be dedicated to getting younger, hopefully bigger and faster, as Greg Marshall and Richie Hall begin to make their presence known. I suppose it wouldn't have come as a surprise to Jones about his leaving, because Richie Hall did cut him in Edmonton, but while you fret about Jone's physical size, you couldn't deny the size of his heart.

The Riders signed three players, Bart Archdekin, a 6'3″ centre from the University of Minot who was cut by BC Lions last year. They also signed Terrence Nunn, a wide receiver from the University of Nebraska who spent time with the New England Patriots practice roster and then the Tampa Bay Buccanneers roster. They also signed running back Brandon West who played at Western Michigan.

Nunn has good speed, but according to his NFL scouting reports, sometimes has trouble concentrating catching the ball. West according to the NFL scouting report is a situational runner, but he sounds more like a Charles Roberts type. Archdekin is big, but perhaps not as finely tuned with his technique as perhaps some would like.

Finally, in an effort to reduce the waiting time of football, TSN has announced it will be broadcasting all but one of the CFL exhibition games, which will give Rider fans a chance to check out the players for themselves, both here and on the road.