Merry Football

Well, Santa stopped by the Rider offices this week as Montreal offensive coordinator Scott Milanovich stopped in town for an in person interview Sunday while Rider fans checked out the locker room sale.

One could argue the two events were not mutually exclusive as the Riders new financial muscle through merchandize sales trailing only the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens would make whatever contract offered to Milanovich extremely attractive, as opposed to what he was offered last year in Toronto when he applied and turned them down because he would have made more as an assistant in Montreal.

Hell, I even pitched in picking up yet another jersey (#39, my old high school number in a 1960s retro away game worn jersey),  two 100 Years of Pride welcome mats, game worn pants, a neck pillow and assorted Rider stocking stuffers. I looked at the red helmets the Riders wore for their Centennial game, but at $400 a pop, I thought that was a bit much.

Greg Marshall, the one with the moustache and current Hamilton defensive coordinator, is doing interviews, but hanging around Taylor Field, I picked up word that Milanovich will be offered a three year contract, free reign to pick his assistants and a six figure salary.

The delay in naming a coach, which might be settled before or after Christmas, may be due to the Riders being interested in Bob Wyle, who used to coach the offensive line before joining the Denver Broncos this year. The Broncos fired Josh McDaniels as head coach, so Wyle may be looking for work after the NFL season is over, which is Jan. 2 if I remember correctly. Wyle is a highly regarded coach and would be a good fit, having coached here already, and there was word George Cortez would be interested in the head coach job, but as the quarterback coach for the Buffalo Bills, Cortez has done some good work the last month and may stay on in the NFL.

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Richie Hall may be offered the Winnipeg defensive coordinator position, but he is waiting to hear if he has the Rider job, and if Marshall is hired, Hall is apparently the choice for defensive coordinator. Mike Gibson, the former Hamilton offensive coordinator signed with Calgary as a position coach even though he was interested in coming to Saskatchewan but the Riders have not named a head coach yet.

Andy Fantuz continues with his workouts, but the thing that CFL players looking south may want to think about is the impending NFL lockout. If the owners do lock the players out, the players signed cannot come up to Canada, and they don’t get paid either. A year in limbo is not the ideal state for football players, so I am curious to see how this turns out.

I would expect Jason Clermont to remain for another season with the Riders. Clermont is working with Jordan Sisco, the Riders draft pick who tried out in Indianapolis this year, to get him caught up to speed on the professional game.  The Riders aren’t moving too much on free agents, waiting to see who their head coach is, and the new head coach will have a big say in who he wants here or not.

The Grey Cup may have been a month ago, but thank heavens for more football on the tube. The holiday season is full of American bowl games, and while we may yawn and say so what, for the Rider fan, there is a lot to keep your eye on.

One of the biggest peeves is the negotiation list for each CFL team. These are American players who can be picked by a club and whose rights, if they choose to play in Canada, are owned by those clubs. When Eric Tillman was here, the Rider negotiation list was well known because Tillman posted it.

However, most CFL teams choose to keep their lists secret, for whatever reason. But Ed Tait, a sportswriter from Winnipeg, put out an article about the quarterbacks on each team’s negotiation lists.  The Riders have three quarterbacks involved in American College Bowl games and it will be worth watching to see which one emerges as perhaps someone we bring in next year.

Tate Forcier from Michigan State is playing in the Gator Bowl on January 1. He is a sophomore quarterback and a back-up, but could see some action. Bryant Moniz from Hawaii threw for 50 touchdowns over the last two years including 36 this year. He plays in the Hawaii Bowl on December 21. Russell Wilson from North Carolina State is a junior quarterback, but threw for 26 touchdowns and ran for eight more. He will be playing in the Champs Sports Bowl on December 28th.

Other Rider news of note includes Marcus Crandell becoming the Eskimos offensive coordinator. That opens up a spot on the coaching staff, which will have to wait until a new head coach is named. Kerry Joseph and Derick Armstrong, both former Riders, were cut by the Eskimos and I think have seen their final CFL days.

Ken Miller recently had knee replacement surgery, which means Brendan Taman is conducting the interviews with the prospective coaches, although word is Miller is very involved in the process. Take that for what it’s worth.

The Riders are keeping tabs on the progress of Luca Congi following his leg injury. The Riders have a first round pick, but I think nothing until the fourth round. The Riders may be looking at an offensive lineman, or perhaps a kicker and if that is the case, two to keep your eye on are Hugh O’Neill of the University of Alberta Golden Bears and Chris Bodnar of the University of Regina Rams.

So start scouting those US college games and have a Merry Christmas!