RIDERS WILL BE HEADED NOWHERE WITHOUT CAPABLE BACKUP QB
Signing a No. 2 quarterback should be the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ No. 1 priority.
First stringer Zach Collaros was concussed and consequently unavailable for the Roughriders’ fateful final game of the 2018 season. Prior to that, he had been unexceptional.
Even so, Collaros has already been anointed the starter by general manager Jeremy O’day.
That being done, O’day must ensure the Roughriders have a safety net — the lack of which destroyed their once promising 2018 season.
Say what you may about Collaros, but the Roughriders would have won the West Division semifinal if he had been behind centre against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Nov. 11 at Mosaic Stadium.
Saskatchewan didn’t require top-flight quarterbacking in order to dispose of Winnipeg. A solid game manager would have sufficed.
However, the Roughriders were left with Bridge, who completed 12 of 22 passes for 100 yards, with one interception, as Winnipeg won 23-18.
Most memorably, Bridge twice missed open receiver Naaman Roosevelt on plays that should have resulted in Saskatchewan touchdowns.
Collaros would have made both of those throws.
The Roughriders’ blueprint for 2018 — rely on the defence and hope the offence minimizes mistakes — was fed into a shredder on that November day.
Fast forward to February. The Roughriders are still without an established second option.
They did sign Cody Fajardo during the early days of the free agency period, but the bulk of his CFL experience is as a short yardage specialist.
David Watford — last season’s No. 3 quarterback — is under contract, but he, like Fajardo, is untested.
Surely, the Roughriders cannot proceed in this fashion if they have aspirations of once again hosting a playoff game.
They have expressed some interest in two veteran free agents — Travis Lulay and Kevin Glenn — but, as of Tuesday, no deal had been consummated.
Lulay, like Collaros, is susceptible to injuries. Perhaps the demonstrated fragility of both passers would create a situation whereby they’re best suited to work together. If Plan A is unavailable, enter Plan B. And vice versa.
Glenn, nearing 40, would also be a viable option. Throughout a CFL career that dates back to 2001, he’s been adaptable to any situation.
As recently as 2017, he threw for 4,038 yards and 25 touchdowns in a Saskatchewan sweater.
By combining Collaros with Lulay or Glenn, the Roughriders could be passable at the quarterback position.
Perhaps the team could reprise 1981, when Saskatchewan employed two non-elite quarterbacks — John Hufnagel and Joe Barnes — to great effect.
The “J.J. Barnagel” hybrid allowed the Roughriders to extract the best from Hufnagel and Barnes, who combined for 33 touchdown passes while helping the team post a 9-7 record — a massive improvement over back-to-back 2-14 seasons.
Head coach Joe Faragalli juggled Hufnagel and Barnes so effectively that there was never a hint of a dreaded quarterback controversy.
The current field boss, Craig Dickenson, is much like Faragalli in that he has a way with people. What Dickenson doesn’t have, though, is a proven backup quarterback.
Do the Roughriders really want to travel down that perilous path once again?