Another interesting year on deck for Roughriders
On Nov. 5, 2016, I took in the last game ever played at Taylor Field. B.C. handed Saskatchewan its 13th and final defeat of the 2016 season, 41-18. To paraphrase T.S. Eliot, the historic stadium and the Roughrider season “ended not with a bang, but a whimper.” But to quote Alexander Pope, in the Land of Living Skies, “hope springs eternal.”
Optimism reigned supreme at this time last year because the Riders landed Chris Jones, fresh off a Grey Cup victory with Edmonton. They made him the highest paid football man in the country with the titles to match: vice president, football operations, general manager and head coach. His team finished last, recording only five wins. During the process, he sullied his team’s reputation by repeated violations of league policy which cost Saskatchewan $116,500 in fines and a $26,000 salary cap reduction.
Hope for 2017 is justified because Jones did a good job recruiting. He has to replace a lot of the defence. He’s turned to veteran newcomer linemen like Zach Minter and Ed Steele, to go with holdovers Willie Jefferson, A.C. Leonard and Jonathan Newsome, as well as linebacker Glenn Love and safety Mike Edem. Henoc Muambe returns at middle linebacker and Ed Gainey at defensive back but big question marks remain at cornerback and strong side linebacker. Last year’s defence ranked eighth, last in sacks.
Depth is a priority for Jones. Although he had outstanding receivers like Naaman Roosevelt and Rob Bagg, he signed veterans Bakari Grant, Chad Owens and Duron Carter, released by Montreal for behaviour reasons. Said Jones, “Last year with all the injuries we had, we felt we needed to add experience and leadership so if we do run into injuries, we’ll at least have veterans around who can lead our team.” Last year’s offensive line allowed 57 sacks, second most in the league. The pick of the free agent litter was 2016’s most outstanding offensive lineman Derek Dennis. He’ll play left tackle with Brendon Labatte at guard, Dan Clark at centre, Thaddeus Coleman at right tackle. “We’re decently solid at both tackle positions. Unanswered questions are, can Clark and Labatte stay healthy and who is going to play right guard,” observed Jones.
Running back is another question mark. Last year the team went through several. The Riders were eighth in rushing. American Daniel Thomas and former Redblack Canadian Kienan LeFrance have the edge. The kicking game is excellent. After publicly belittling veteran quarterback Darian Durant and trading him to Montreal, Jones is left with the the muchtravelled veteran Kevin Glenn and former NFLer Vince Young who hasn’t fired a shot in anger for three years. During his career with five NFL teams, Young threw 46 touchdowns and 51 interceptions. Glenn is also prone to picks, especially when the game is on the line. He will be 38 next month. Young turned 34 last Thursday.
Glenn, who began his career in Rider livery in 2001, has always been everyone’s favourite backup and insurance policy. Last year he regressed and I suspect he’s done. He doesn’t think so. When asked at the recent league teleconference if he thought he was capable of taking the Riders to the Grey Cup, he replied,
“Definitely. I have full confidence in my ability to lead this team on and off the field. The coaches have a lot of confidence in me otherwise they wouldn’t have signed me. I’m grateful for the opportunity.”
Last year was the first time in Jones’ career he’s had a losing record. If Young is a CFL bust — as all but two NFL starting quarterbacks have been — and Glenn is in the twilight of a middling career, Jones could be in trouble. He understands that. “We didn’t get to where we wanted last year, so you go back to the grindstone. The urgency to win and win right now is there with our staff. We’re not going to make any bold predictions but no one will outwork us, I promise you that.”
A new day is dawning in a new ball park as breathtaking as a prairie sunset. Will his quarterback plan work out? Will he, a sadder and wiser man, stay out of trouble?
Rider nation is holding its collective breath.
Graham Kelly has covered the CFL for the Medicine Hat News for 45 years. Feedback for this column can be emailed to sports@medicinehatnews.com.