Rod Pedersen
CFL.ca
The Saskatchewan Roughriders have posted their roster for 2009 training camp on their official website and of the 74 names on the list, only three are quarterbacks. Those signal-callers all happen to be returnees; Darian Durant, Steven Jyles and Dalton Bell, while two-year vet Drew Tate doesn’t figure into the team’s plans.
That scant stable of quarterbacks has some in the Rider Nation scratching their heads, thinking there should be more competition in training camp than that. And what about Teale Orban? The record-breaking quarterback from the University of Regina Rams was Saskatchewan’s sixth-round pick in the 2008 Canadian College Draft and surely he must figure into the club’s plans somewhere, doesn’t he?
The fact is, Orban was released when camp broke last June and thus became a CFL free agent. And as of today, the re-signing of Orban appears to be a long shot since it appears the Riders have three strong candidates for that spot:
CJ Bacher: Senior from Northwestern… just attended the Bears minicamp this past weekend, but wasn’t offered a contract. In 2008, CJ led Northwestern to a 9-3 record, one of the best records in Wildcats history. CJ is a very athletic guy who can hurt defenses with his running and passing ability. He completed 60% of his passes as a senior, and outplayed fellow Rider neg list quarterback, Chase Daniel, in the Alamo Bowl. Daniel recently signed a free agent contract with the Washington Redskins.
Graham Harrell: Senior from Texas Tech… Heisman Trophy finalist… just attended the Browns minicamp this past weekend, but wasn’t offered a contract. Harrell had a remarkable career at Texas Tech, where he set an NCAA record with 134 touchdown passes. This season, Texas Tech finished 10-2, and Graham passed for 45 touchdowns, completing an amazing 71% of his passes.
Willie Tuitama: Senior from Arizona… had a great senior year, but wasn’t drafted. This past season, Tuitama led Arizona to their first winning season since 1998, and a win in the Las Vegas Bowl over BYU. In the regular season he completed 259 of 399 pass (65%), and had an impressive 23-8 touchdown to interception ratio.
Expect the Rider training camp roster to evolve between now and Day 1 of training camp June 7.
Rod Pedersen is the Voice of the Riders on 620 CKRM Radio in Regina. Check out his award-winning blog at www.rodpedersen.com.
