Roughriders have holes to fill
The Saskatchewan Roughriders hope that the only cavernous void of note this season will be found on the site of Mosaic Stadium 2.0.
But, in the meantime, there are notable holes to fill on the Roughriders’ roster.
The CFL team’s two most dangerous playmakers — tailback Kory Sheets and slotback Weston Dressler — migrated to the NFL during the off-season. They will be as difficult to replace as they were to defend.
“It’s definitely tough,” Roughriders quarterback Darian Durant acknowledged earlier this week. “You’re talking about guys who are league all-stars.
“Kory Sheets would probably have led the league in rushing if he didn’t get hurt. I think it’s going to be a collective effort. I don’t think one guy can come in and replace six or seven years of experience with Dress and then the type of production Kory had. One guy can’t do that.
“It’s all about a collective effort and I’m going to help these guys out the best way I can.”
The presence of a franchise, championship-winning quarterback should be reassuring to the Rider Nation. An elite offensive line, which returns intact, is another foundational element.
While operating behind that line during the second quarter of Saturday’s preseason opener against the Ottawa Redblacks, Durant was rarely touched. He completed his first seven passes — one of which was an 18yard scoring toss to Brett Swain — before throwing his only incompletion of the day.
Swain looked impressive, catching two touchdown passes Saturday. At 29, and with considerable NFL experience, he is more polished than a typical newcomer.
But can he even approximate the production that Dressler provided on a perennial basis? Is it realistic to expect anyone to step in and allay concerns about whether Dressler can be replaced?
A comparable question applies at the tailback position. In 2013, Sheets rushed for 1,598 yards in the regular season — despite missing the better part of four games — and continued to sparkle in the playoffs. He amassed a Grey Cup-record 197 yards while helping Saskatchewan defeat the Hamilton TigerCats 45-23 on Taylor Field.
Now he is a member of the Oakland Raiders. Dressler is with another AFC West team, the Kansas City Chiefs.
And the chief concern back in Saskatchewan continues to be whether the Roughriders can enjoy another banner season without Sheets and Dressler.
They may be gone, at least for now, but the questions will not go away — at least externally.
“I think as a collective group, we can replace that production and we’ll be fine,” Durant said.
Durant does have two returning 1,000-yard receiv- ers — Chris Getzlaf and Taj Smith — at his disposal. Moreover, it appears that there are legitimate receiving options among a group of American-born candidates that consists of Swain, Chaz Schilens, Ryan Smith, Eron Riley, DeMarco Sampson, Dan DePalma and Isaiah Sweeney.
In collaboration with a prospect-laden receiving corps on Friday, a Durantled offence was able to move the football in a manner that seemed effortless.
“It looked easy but, trust me, we’ve been working,” Durant said. “We work hard every day. We have walkthroughs each and every day so guys hear the same plays over and over and they know what’s expected out of them.
“Hopefully we can keep it up. We have another test coming up this weekend and we’ll see where we are.”
Durant was alluding to Friday’s pre-season finale against the visiting Edmonton Eskimos.
That game will be the final audition for some of the aforementioned receiving hopefuls. Over the course of that contest, the Roughriders hope that some answers will emerge at tailback, where Keith Toston, Anthony Allen and Jermaine Thomas are still part of the equation.
Toston had three carries for a game-high 58 yards, including a 38-yard rampage in which he flattened a Redblacks safety, on Friday.
Allen gained 42 yards on eight rushes, but also fumbled the ball while battling for additional yardage after catching a screen pass. His Roughriders debut was highlighted by the 39 yards he gained on six carries during a drive that was punctuated by the picturesque payoff pitch to Swain.
Thomas had a mere 22 yards on six carries, but the Roughriders’ coaches like his ability and want to see more.
So does everyone, from everybody.
After all, there are two gaping holes to fill.