Riders still don’t have a starting QB
Courting Young is a desperation move by team with plenty of young pivots on roster
Young and the restless.
That pretty much sums up the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ quarterbacking soap opera.
Much of the talk lately has pertained to former University of Texas Longhorns and NFL quarterback Vince Young, with whom the CFL’s Roughriders are apparently negotiating.
Meanwhile, many Roughriders fans wait uneasily for some kind of definitive announcement regarding the quarterbacking.
A cavernous void was created in January when franchise pivot Darian Durant was dealt to the Montreal Alouettes.
The Roughriders soon signed veteran Kevin Glenn, providing a semblance of short-term security at football’s most crucial position. It remains to be seen if Glenn, who turns 38 in June, will accept Saskatchewan’s first snap at the new Mosaic Stadium.
The Roughriders have four 20-something quarterbacks under contract — Brandon Bridge, Jake Waters, G.J. Kinne and Bryan Bennett.
Mitchell Gale, who played an integral role in two of Saskatchewan’s five victories last season, was released before the CFL’s free-agency period began Feb. 14.
Gale resurfaced with the Calgary Stampeders and could end up as their No. 2 man, behind the league’s reigning most outstanding player, Bo Levi Mitchell.
So hold on here. Let’s attempt to digest this, shall we?
The quarterback-starved Roughriders did not factor Gale into their plans, but the perennially powerful Stampeders were more than happy to sign him? Hmmm ...
Maybe the Roughriders have a sound and salable plan for the quarterbacking position, but there are instead signs of desperation.
The ideal solution would be to somehow pry promising pivot James Franklin away from the Eskimos, but why would they trade him to a division rival unless the deal is larcenous?
The panic-stricken approach would be to follow through on negotiations with Young who, nearing 34, could turn out to be Vince Old.
Even while starring for the Longhorns, he was not a polished passer. And you have to look way back to 2011 to find any evidence of Young actually playing in an NFL regular-season game.
Surely, this cannot be the Roughriders’ idea of a solution. Yet, speculation continues to swirl about their actual or perceived interest in Young. So the saga continues ...
Just as importantly, the Roughriders must assemble an offensive line that can protect the as-yet-undetermined starting quarterback. Failing that, the topical soap opera may turn out to be General Hospital.