Rod Pedersen
CFL.ca
Here are a few jottings from the press box before heading out on a two week vacation. It’ll be the last chance to recharge the batteries before going full tilt for another thrilling Canadian Football League season:
– Rider G.M. Brendan Taman is starting to get the thumbs-up from the Rider Nation after his first four months on the job. Fans seemed to be wary of the Saskatoon product in the early going, moreso because of his decade spent with the rival Winnipeg Blue Bombers than anything else. The signings of Barrin Simpson, Dominique Dorsey and Dan Goodspeed coupled with trading up to get the number one pick in the draft seem to have drawn him into the fans’ good graces.
– As always, all eyes will be on the quarterback position once training camp rolls around June 6. However this time the Riders go into the campaign with an entrenched starter behind centre. 2009 team MVP Darian Durant started all 18 games plus playoffs and gave a Grey Cup-worthy performance in Calgary in the championship game. He wasn’t on the field when the team blew a 16-point lead defensively in the fourth quarter, nor was he the “13th man” on the last play.
The focus this June will be on the back-up spots with little-known pivots Cole Bergquist and Kent Smith battling to be Durant’s primary replacement. Taman expects to sign another arm before camp and has hinted at former CFLer’s Ryan Dinwiddie and Kerry Joseph.
– Speaking of the Grey Cup, the emcee at a recent fundraising dinner in Estevan, Saskatchewan had perhaps the best quip I’ve heard about the “13th man” debacle in November. “The Riders won the Grey Cup FIRST last year!” he proclaimed, which brought the house down.
– You can’t talk about the 2010 Riders without discussing their defense and the holes which are left to fill. Gone are starters John Chick (DE, Indianapolis), Stevie Baggs (DE, Arizona), Renauld Williams (MLB, Pittsburgh) and Eddie Davis (DB, retired). That has fans’ knees knocking in these parts and defensive coordinator Gary Etcheverry has been evasive when discussing it, other than to wish the departed well in their football careers. The thing I hear the most on coffee row or on the talkshows and message boards is “We’ll have to win games 55-50!” If nothing else, it’s going to make for some exciting football. However right now no one jumps off the page as a sure-fire replacement.
– Some Rider Priders decried the selection of University of Regina wide receiver Jordan Sisco at 8th overall by the Riders in the May 2 Canadian College Draft. With the team deep at Canadian receiver (Fantuz, Getzlaf, Clermont, Bagg, etc), many felt the team should have spent the pick on a defensive player. Others felt that if Sisco was the best player available at the time, he made for a wise choice.
– Saskatchewan’s other picks in the Draft were Patrick Neufeld (OL, Saskatchewan) and DL Bruno Lapointe (Buffalo), both in the fifth round.
– The Toronto Sun’s Steve Simmons made a cute comment on Draft weekend when he wrote “Since when does anyone outside Regina pay attention to the CFL Draft?” It brought a smile to my face but honestly, TSN would not have televised the first two rounds live if they didn’t feel there was a hunger for it. It’s all a part of the booming CFL these days.
– Part of the reason Darian Durant was able to withstand all the battles in the 20-game war of 2009 was the splendid work of the offensive line which was guided by Bob Wylie. However, Wylie has fled to the Denver Broncos, and NCAA veteran Tom Freeman has been brought in to fill the void. He may have an even better squad to work with in 2010 than Wylie enjoyed, what-with the additions of OT Dan Goodspeed and OG Kelly Bates. With returning veterans Gene Makowsky, Jeremy O’Day, Marc Parenteau, Belton Johnson, Wayne Smith, Joel Bell and a host of back-ups whom are starter-worthy, the Riders are hoping defenses won’t able to lay a hand on Durant this year.
– What about the offensive backfield? Wes Cates was the only primary tailback not to reach 1000 yards last year but head coach Ken Miller was quick to point out that the veteran missed the opening three games of the season. With the addition of Dorsey, many are wondering who will line up beside Durant in the Riders’ Week 1 home game against Montreal? That will all depend on Cates, who truthfully played most of last season nowhere near 100% physically. That will be another area to watch in camp. One would think Dorsey should be left to shine on kick returns and let Cates and veteran Stu Foord carry the mail on offense.
– With the trade of veteran punter Jamie Boreham to Toronto on Draft weekend, that leaves K Luca Congi and P Louie Sakoda to handle the special teams duties. Congi’s regarded as one of the top field goal kickers in the CFL so there is no cause for concern there. Sakoda came in late in the year to replace the injured Boreham. In the playoffs, Sakoda ranked 3rd in the CFL with a 61.3 yard kickoff average and had a league-best 45.5 yard punting average. However his line drive kickoffs, while deep, posed some challenges for the cover unit and new special teams coach Jim Daley will likely look to get some air under those kicks in 2010.
– Speaking of Daley, he’s one part of a coaching staff that boasts roughly 1,000 years experience in the game. Ken Miller’s staff will include four coaches who’ve worn the top headset in the CFL before including Gary Etcheverry, Doug Berry, Daley and Miller himself. Observers predict one of two things could happen: 1) too many chefs could spoil the stew or 2) they collaborate to form the wisest staff in the CFL. One thing’s for sure; nothing will happen on the field these men haven’t seen before.
– The countdown is on! With the snow long gone and the flowers blooming it only means one thing. Football is in the air!
