ROUGHRIDERS’ NEXT STEP IS BERTH IN GREY CUP
Green and White should be able to reach final in third year of rebuilding process
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“Ryan,” an email began, “I thought these odds may be of interest to you. They’re courtesy of Bodog.”
The topic: 2018 Grey Cup — odds to win.
The Calgary Stampeders, at 3/1, topped the list. Next, tied at 5/1, were the Edmonton Eskimos and ... wait for it ... the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
Below the Roughriders are the reigning Grey Cup champions (Toronto Argonauts) and a team that is coming off a 12-win season (Winnipeg Blue Bombers).
Toronto, Winnipeg and the B.C. Lions are tied at 7/1. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats (9/1), Ottawa Redblacks (10/1) and Montreal Alouettes (16/1) round out the list.
Considering the odds, are expectations increasing for the Roughriders? You’d “bettor” believe it! Under head coach, general manager, defensive co-ordinator and vice-president of job descriptions Chris Jones, the Roughriders are certainly progressing.
Jones inherited a three-win pile of flotsam, eked out five wins in Year 1, and doubled the regular-season victory total in 2017.
Under Jones, the Roughriders earned their first playoff berth since 2014 and registered their first post-season victory since the 2013 Grey Cup.
In 2013, Saskatchewan celebrated a championship in Year 2 under head coach Corey Chamblin.
That was also the second year of a rebuilding initiative that had been undertaken after the 2011 Roughriders miraculously won five games. The (ahem) offence was so anemic that a touchdown, which should be a basic component of the wide-open Canadian game, was a novelty.
Following the 2011 season, president-CEO Jim Hopson granted general manager Brendan Taman the autonomy he had been lacking.
Taman’s first major move was to hire Chamblin. A year earlier, Taman had lobbied for Chamblin, but was over-ruled. Greg Marshall was named the head coach, only to be fired after eight games. (Bill Belichick couldn’t have won with that team, but Marshall nonetheless walked the plank.)
The Taman-Chamblin combo produced eight victories in 2012. A year later, confetti flew at Taylor Field after Saskatchewan squelched the Hamilton TigerCats 45-23 in the Grey Cup game.
In two years, the reconstruction process was a complete success.
Jones is now preparing for Year 3 in Saskatchewan. Hence, the expectation should be clear.
At the very least, the Roughriders must earn a Grey Cup berth for the 2018 season to be regarded as one of progress.
The Green and White nearly got to the big game in 2017. In the East Division final, the Roughriders assumed a 21-18 lead with 2:44 remaining in regulation time, only to lose 25-21 in Toronto when Ricky Ray engineered a game-winning touchdown drive.
The Roughriders were one play shy of emerging from that game with that peaceful, easy feeling. Had they stopped the Argos on third-and-five, who knows what would have happened on Nov. 19 at TD Place in Ottawa?
There shouldn’t be any question, though, that the logical next step for the Jones-coached Roughriders is a Grey Cup appearance.
Three years is more than enough time in which to construct a champion.
Jim Popp and Marc Trestman inherited a five-win Argonauts team at the end of February and managed to overcome a time crunch while building a champion.
The expansion Ottawa Redblacks reached the Grey Cup game in Year 2 and won it all the following season.
Jones himself coached Edmonton to a championship to cap his second season with the Eskimos.
Upon arriving in the Alberta capital, Jones inherited a team that had gone 4-14 and, in collaboration with then-GM Ed Hervey, fielded a formidable club for two years in a row.
Granted, Jones also assumed control of a nucleus that included quarterback Mike Reilly. Nice head start, that.
The Roughriders are in a different position as they prepare for the 2018 season.
Although Kevin Glenn and Brandon Bridge combined to give Saskatchewan a league-high 35 touchdown passes in 2017, the two-quarterback system fell apart on Nov. 19.
The confused situation in the East final, during which Jones made three quarterbacking changes, could not leave anyone teeming with confidence about that arrangement, going forward.
In a larger sense, the status quo will not suffice in terms of team success.
Flirting with a Grey Cup berth isn’t enough. The mission statement for 2018: Take it to the limit.