RIDER RIDDLES
Questions hover over team
While ravenously foraging for a column topic — and desperately seeking a distraction from acute luge withdrawal — it occurred to this seasoned scribe that an overview of the Saskatchewan Roughriders could feed the beast.
There are, after all, several burning questions that surround the local CFL team. Such as …
Who will/can play middle linebacker?
That has been THE question in Riderville since the recent release of Henoc Muamba, whose price tag was deemed excessive.
Like Muamba, Sam Hurl is a Canadian who started in the middle last season. However, Hurl did not enjoy a stellar season as a member of a mediocre Winnipeg Blue Bombers defence.
One would suspect that Roughriders head coach/GM Chris Jones covets more of a difference-maker in the middle. Hurl is solid and can be used situationally — and on special teams — but it would be a reach to expect considerably more.
Ideally, Cameron Judge would be a candidate to start at a linebacking position after being selected second overall in the 2017 CFL draft. However, he played in only three games last season before being injured, so the jury is still out on Judge.
This much is certain: Jones knows defence, which is his forte, and he will not allow the Roughriders to be short-staffed on that side of the ball — especially at a core position such as middle linebacker.
What’s up with Duron Carter? The dynamic receiver/returner/moviegoer is facing a pair of marijuana-related charges, which are gradually winding their way through the legal system.
On Nov. 25, Carter was charged in Winnipeg with possession of a controlled substance (more than 30 grams of marijuana). On Monday, another court date was set (March 12).
Relating to a Feb .1 marijuana possession charge, Carter has a March 27 court appearance in Saskatoon.
Jones said that he expects a fine to be the result. In time, the matter (s) should blow over.
But the Roughriders will need some assurance from Carter — their most outstanding player last season — that he will make headlines only as a result of his performances on the field or the exemplary manner in which he interacts with the fans.
How about the receiving corps? The Roughriders are seemingly overloaded with talented pass-catchers — a nice problem to have — due to the presence of Carter, Naaman Roosevelt, Bakari Grant, Caleb Holley,
Rob Bagg, Chad Owens and T.J. Thorpe.
The presumption here is that four of the five starting spots would be occupied by Americans. If that is the case, the Roughriders could have an overabundance of Canadians, even with the departure of Nic Demski to Winnipeg via free agency.
Saskatchewan had Bagg,
Joshua Stanford, Mitch Picton and Devon Bailey under contract before signing another homegrown pass catcher, Jake Harty.
Something has to give, as it did last season when the Roughriders dealt receiver Armanti Edwards to Toronto for veteran Peter Dyakowski. Edwards enjoyed a fine season with the Argonauts while Dyakowski, who played right guard, filled a giant void on the offensive line.
What about the offensive line? Significant improvement is required in this area, considering the frequency with which last season’s starting quarterback — the since-released Kevin Glenn — was confronted by snorting defensive linemen.
Bruce Campbell, who started 12 games at left tackle last season, is a free agent and remains unsigned. Complicating matters, Campbell is to miss the first two games of the 2018 season after being suspended by the league for testing positive for a banned substance (Ibutamoren).
There are questions about Campbell’s reliability. He unexpectedly retired shortly after being acquired by Saskatchewan in a 2016 trade with Toronto.
Now a suspension looms.
Saskatchewan has signed towering Travis Bond, who was a CFL all-star guard with the 2016 Blue Bombers, but can he play left tackle? Can anyone?
And will Josiah St. John, who was drafted first overall in 2016, ever pan out?
Can the Roughriders wring another solid season out of the soon-to-be-34 Dyakowski?
Is Dariusz Bladek, a secondround steal in 2017, ready to start?
The sure things are Brendon LaBatte (who can excel at guard or centre) and right tackle Thaddeus Coleman. But as for the offensive line as a whole, questions linger.