Jamie Nye
CFL.ca
Do you think you could be the General Manager or Head Coach of a Canadian Football League team when the final cuts have to be made and roster decisions set?
Good luck making those vital decisions when there are so many questions to answer and so little room for error.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders tough decisions come down to really three players and how those players impact the depth of the roster on offence, defence and maybe more importantly special teams.
Bottom line is versatility will be necessary.
The annual beef among Roughriders fans for the last two years has been the lack of playing time for running back Hugh Charles. That’s where the versatility comes in to play. Charles was really a running back only, with little experience returning kicks.
He worked on that aspect of his game in the offseason and he showed he’s picked up the skill quite well with his 70-yard punt return for touchdown in the first pre-season game and a couple of other heady plays to force the Edmonton Eskimos to commit no-yards penalties.
However, that still may not be good enough for Hugh Charles to make it as a regular with the Roughriders. His pass protection is behind that of both Wes Cates and rookie Brandon West, who the team wants to see more of in his second pre-season game.
But still Rider fans want Hugh Charles on the roster but at what cost?
Does Tristan Jackson, who is a proven return man and decent back-up defensive back, come off the roster?
And that’s where the ‘what if’ game for Brendan Taman, Greg Marshall and Ken Miller begins as they try to decide who makes the grade.
What if a starting defensive back goes down? Do they trust a young Canadian like Tamon George or rookies Craig Butler and Daryl Townsend to step in against the likes of Fred Stamps, Geroy Simon or Ken-Yon Rambo?
Trust me when I say they’d feel more comfortable with Tristan Jackson on the field.
So then it falls to a linebacker like Kye Stewart or Byron Bullock coming off the roster. These two are special team demons, who can get down the field on returns and stop a player like Chad Owens or Marcus Thigpen from scoring. Bullock was also impressive with the playing time he received in the playoffs.
The fact is there is so little room for teams to juggle around three designated imports, who need to be able to play well if there is an injury.
Yes teams have some cushion with the four development roster spots but there is another danger out there looming for teams making cuts.
Call it the Marcus Thigpen effect.
Last year the Roughriders wanted to keep all three of their import running backs but when Marcus Thigpen was released the Hamilton Tiger-Cats plucked him off the practice roster and placed him, as mandated, on their opening day roster. History was made in 2010 when Thigpen scored touchdowns five different ways.
The Roughriders find themselves in the same predicament with Cates, Charles and Brandon West this season. While they want to keep three, that may not be a possibility.
And if they do go with three running backs split between the game day roster and the practice roster, the team has so many talented players they need to offer practice roster spots to first.
I’ll repeat the original question. Do you think you could be the General Manager or Head Coach trying to make the final decisions?
Before you play the armchair Head Coach or GM, make sure you’re thinking of what the offensive, defensive and special team coordinators all need to be as successful as possible.
You’ll be left dazed and confused more often than not.
And after Wednesday’s game against the B.C. Lions the above case study is just a fraction of what the Roughriders brass will be considering when they come up with their final roster.
