Don’t expect Reilly to sign with Riders
It’s unlikely CFL’S best QB would want to play for team that puts defence first
Robservations … Frequently asked question: Will Mike Reilly sign with the Saskatchewan Roughriders? Frequent, unequivocal answer: No. Any quarterback with options will aspire to play for a team that makes offence a priority — which quickly disqualifies the Green and White. The Roughriders’ offensive scheme is uninspired and the surrounding talent is substandard.
Reilly, who is eligible to test CFL free agency in February, is accustomed to throwing to the likes of Edmonton Eskimos game breakers Duke Williams and Derel Walker. The Roughriders don’t boast one receiver of comparable talent. Plus, if the Roughriders pay big bucks for Reilly while continuing to invest in the defence — a given for a Chris Jones-coached team — how much money will be available for the addition of offensive playmakers?
So let’s safely excise Reilly from the list of prospective Roughriders starting quarterbacks for 2018. Who does that leave? Jonathon Jennings, who plans to flee the B.C. Lions via free agency, is far and away the best remaining option.
Has Rider Pride died a little?
■ Saskatchewan’s final three home games of the 2018 season, including a playoff contest, were non-sellouts at the 33,350-seat Mosaic Stadium. The Roughriders had sold out five consecutive games before, surprisingly, empty seats were visible at the new pigskin palace.
Are state-of-the-art cup-holders
■ losing their allure?
Something is seriously wrong
■
with this picture: An NFL team (the Washington Redskins, in this case) is much more receptive to welcoming linebacker Reuben Foster — who is facing a domestic-violence charge — than quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who has clearly been blackballed for simply kneeling during the national anthem.
And then there’s recently
■
released Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt, who was captured by a security camera in February as he shoved and kicked a woman, telling ESPN’S Lisa Salters on Sunday that “I’m not that type of person” and adding “that’s not me. I wasn’t raised like that.” The video doesn’t lie, unlike Hunt, when he was initially asked about the incident by the Chiefs.
The fledgling Alliance of American
■ Football should be an attractive option for mid-level international players. So how should the CFL address the looming void? By starting more homegrown players. This is the Canadian Football League, remember?
Even as it stands, too many
■
American players are marginal (see again: Roughriders receiving corps). Ideally, the Americans should enhance the quality of play (as they do) without devouring most of the starting spots. Each CFL team is required to start only seven Canadians. That number should be bumped up to at least 10. It won’t happen, but one can always dream.
Anyone who tells you the Canadian
■ talent pool is insufficient has been smoking too much legal marijuana. The Canadian developmental system is thriving, but the talents of national players are too often submerged once they arrive in the CFL — a league that should be a showcase for their talents. It’s sad, really.
The latest Rider Rumblings
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video podcast is now available on leaderpost.com, itunes and Google Play Music. This week’s special guest is 3Downnation.com contributor Joel Gasson, who has requested that we refrain from mentioning the Pittsburgh Steelers’ collapse against the San Diego Chargers.
It’s never pleasant to trade a
■ player, but Regina Pats general manager John Paddock routinely handles such situations with class and compassion. Consider last week’s WHL blockbuster, in which front-line forwards Jake Leschyshyn and Nick Henry were dispatched to the Lethbridge Hurricanes. By making the move well in advance of the Jan. 10 trade deadline, Paddock gave Leschyshyn and Henry additional time to get comfortable with their new teams. Additionally, the Pats consummated the inevitable deal well in advance of Christmas, allowing the players involved to enjoy the holiday season without fretting about the trade deadline.
If the NHL is serious about
■ player safety, then: (a) Fighting will be banned; ( b) Washington Capitals defenceman Tom Wilson will either stop targeting opponents or be suspended for at least half a season; and, (c) The league will ensure that a player is not penalized for embellishment when he’s checked from behind into the boards. Honestly ...
Nice people who deserve a
■ plug: Alex Kardynal, Ethan Han-tung Onrait, Ken Wilson, Valerie Wilson, Tyler Wilson, Paul Mccallum, Nathan Frank, Bob Calder, Brandon Harder, Gord Craig, Paul Edmonds, Ian Hamilton, Courtney Wagner, Joel Gasson, Brian Munz, Kevin Olszewski, Reid Wilkins and George Peters.