BEEFY VETERANS ANCHOR RIDERS’ OFFENSIVE LINE
Murray McCormick has been closely watching developments at the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ training camp at Griffiths Stadium in Saskatoon. Here are some of his musings, mutterings and his camp monster from Day 2.
TWIN TOWERS
The right side of the Riders’ offensive line is enormous. Tackle Thaddeus Coleman is 6-foot-8 and 320 pounds. Right guard Travis Bond is 6-7, 356. Size matters along the offensive line and the Riders are in position to utilize that beef.
PIVOT WATCH
Chris Jones, the Riders’ head coach and general manager, is staying true to his word about the quarterback position being an open competition. Zach Collaros and Brandon Bridge both had repetitions with the firstteam offence on the weekend. The quarterbacks looked sharp on Sunday, but tailed off Monday. So after two days, neither quarterback has the upper hand.
MAKING AN IMPRESSION
The absences of Cameron Marshall (released) and Trent Richardson (suspended) have created an opportunity for a prospect to step up at running back. Zac Stacy, who was signed on Sunday, is one of those players. At 5-foot9 and 224 pounds, he runs low to the ground and also has some breakaway speed.
MURRAY’S MONSTER
You can’t help but watch Duron Carter. If he’s not making a onehanded snag as a wide receiver, he’s covering the receivers as a cornerback. When the defensive plays are over, Carter often takes time to coach the younger receivers. But Carter locked down Murray’s Monster during a puntreturn drill. Returners often hold two to three balls in one arm while trying to catch another one launched from the Jugs machine. Carter snagged five straight punts with one hand, including one with a ball between his legs, before finally dropping one.
HERE COMES THE JUDGE
Cameron Judge came into his first season with the high expectations that accompany being the second overall pick in 2017. He didn’t have a chance to meet those expectations after being sidelined for most of the season with a shoulder injury. Fastforward to 2018 and a healthy Judge has been getting repetitions at weakside linebacker. He has the athleticism to handle the position, which emphasizes pass coverage.