CFL.ca
Jacques Chapdelaine has a job, now he needs the weapons.
In the new year, the Roughriders need to do several things to allow the offence to take off again in 2015.
With a handful of pending free agents out there including Weston Dressler, Ben Heenan, Dan Clark and Korey Williams, the first order is to get some of these players signed to ensure the Riders aren’t put behind the 8-ball before Chapdelaine even moves into his office.
Dressler was about it as far as playmakers in the latter part of the ’14 season in Saskatchewan.
Of course, it seems like his heart is in Saskatchewan and it’s going to be tough to move out of the province. Dressler was even in on some meetings with the offensive coordinator candidates, as a sign that maybe news will come early in the new year that he’s agreed to return.
That would be a great start to the year for many in Rider Nation.
Up next would be locking down their offensive line. Heenan was a ratio breaker, being able to slide out to right tackle in 2013 after now-Bomber Patrick Neufeld broke his leg in training camp that season. Heenan hasn’t budged much since.
Losing him would likely mean the Riders would have to seriously tinker with the ratio and have only three national offensive linemen. Being able to play with four over the past two years has given the team incredible flexibility.
And if they lose Heenan, it’ll be tough to lose Clark as the team would have lost three national o-linemen in two years when you consider the Neufeld trade. That’s a blow to one of the best depth of national o-linemen in the CFL.
So you see why Heenan just may be priority #1 to try to lure back, although the NFL may be luring him away, anyway.
If the losses pile up on the o-line, look for the Riders to draft another one high for the third time in four years.
Korey Williams started to make a name for himself late in the season due to his speed. A case of the dropsies may have some doubting his ability, but at 28, he is actually one of the youngest in an aging crop of receivers.
The next star
After figuring out who stays and goes before free agency, the Riders need to do a much better job at recruiting talent. Chaz Schilens, Brett Swain and Ryan Smith were stars in mini-camp and had good showing in training camp, but when the lights came on, you didn’t see much spark that they were going to be much of anything.
Smith is the exception because he is the youngest receiver in Saskatchewan, fresh out of North Dakota State. The kid needs another shot and given a much better chance than what former OC George Cortez game him.
As for Schilens and Swain, the two can come back and compete. Swain kept a starting role for the entire season, which is a sign the coaching staff was impressed, but nobody was standing out as an impressive find in year one.
Free agent frenzy
The other means to help this team is spend and possibly over-spend to find some offensive explosion for Chapdelaine to utilize.
Already, the Riders have landed a former all-star in Jamel Richardson, so there is clearly an appetite to get some size in a receiving corps that doesn’t have that large target for Darian Durant.
Richardson is a low-risk move after more than a year removed from his last snap. If the knee can’t hold up, or he’s just reached his best before date, you move on easily. If he’s back to his old form, then you watch and enjoy.
S.J. Green jumps off the page as someone you’d think everyone would be in the market for.
Hamilton has some flash with Brandon Banks and Greg Ellingson available.
The problem going this route, is the money. You go via free agency, it’s going to get you a cap headache real fast. The Riders did the free agent build for 2013 and got fined after the season for eclipsing the mark (albeit by less than $20,000).
Ready to run
While Jacques Chapdelaine’s offence hasn’t traditionally been a run heavy offence, he’s had some great running backs have decent seasons.
What the Riders need to do here is make sure they have a back who is a triple threat. Can pass protect (in an offence that’ll be 60-70% pass most nights), catch and of course, find the holes in the run game.
Anthony Allen was on and off again on the roster but averaged three catches per game, including a season high seven catches for 50 yards in the second game of the season.
Steven Miller looks like a player who could be a great compliment to Allen next season, but again, neither looked like a player who should be given a free pass to the starting lineup in 2015.
Does the offence need a re-tooling? Yes it does. It started with the coordinator but now the personnel needs an upgrade.
There is only a handful of players whose job is safe for 2015. Leaving a large group, including some of the core, that needs to be challenged come June.
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