Quiet winter a good sign
BREAKING NEWS: Uh, there isn’t any.
The Saskat chewan Roughriders’ off-season is shaping up to be one of the dullest in recent memory — although this is largely by design.
Granted, the CFL’s Roughriders have announced the departures of three assistant coaches (Alex Smith, Mike Walker and Kris Sweet) and the hirings of two others (Mike Sinclair and Richard Kent).
And, yes, it was surprising to see the team sever longstanding ties with Smith, a Regina-based coach who had served the Roughriders so tirelessly since joining the organization full-time in 1997.
The arrival of Sinclair, a defensive line coach who will also fill one of the roles (assistant to the head coach) that Smith had occupied, also raised some eyebrows. After all, Sinclair led the NFL in quarterback sacks, with 16.5, as a member of the 1998 Seattle Seahawks.
All that being said, compare the current off-season to the events of last winter. The differences are as pronounced as the comparative amounts of snowfall.
Last year at this time, the Roughriders were still reeling after posting a 5-13 record and placing last overall in the eight-team CFL.
Ken Miller, who finished the 2011 season as Saskatchewan’s head coach and vicepresident of football operations, had just resigned. Roughriders president-CEO Jim Hopson proceeded to give a vote of confidence, and much-needed autonomy, to general manager Brendan Taman. His first move was to announce the appointment of Corey Chamblin as head coach.
Taman and Chamblin then began to overhaul the roster, releasing one veteran player after another while preparing for the free-agency period.
Long before players hit the open market on Feb. 15, speculation was swirling that popular slotback Andy Fantuz would leave the Roughriders to sign with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, and that Weyburn-born left guard Brendon LaBatte would opt to play in his home province instead of rejoining the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
There were also questions about where linebacker Jerrell Freeman, who was the West Division’s outstanding defensive player in 2011, would end up signing. Freeman is now in the employ of the Indianapolis Colts. With 125 tackles in 14 games this season, he is ranked third in the NFL.
Rare was the week in which there was not huge news emanating from Riderville. And now ...
Obviously, there was interest in the alterations to the coaching staff, but the people who occupied the most prominent positions — Chamblin, defensive co-ordinator Richie Hall and offensive co-ordinator Bob Dyce — were unaffected.
Free agents? There are a few of note, but none of them belong on the A List.
Defensive end Odell Willis, who was acquired from Winnipeg amid much fanfare, is hoping to sign with an NFL team upon the expiration of his contract with the Roughriders. However, Willis is coming off a season in which he had only six sacks, by far a career low.
Linebacker Tyron Brackenridge, who was named the Roughriders’ top defensive player in 2012, is also on the list of prospective free agents. The same applies to defensive halfbacks Eddie Russ and Chris McKenzie, along with defensive lineman Tearrius George. Not one of them is irreplaceable.
On offence, right tackle Pat Neufeld is the only starter who is in a position to test free agency. The Roughriders would like to have him back, and it would make sense for the Regina-born Neufeld to continue to play in his hometown.
Compare the situation on the offensive line to last year, when Taman and Chamblin threw a stick of dynamite at the depth chart. In 2012, veteran guard Chris Best was the only returning starter, and injuries forced him to split time with first-overall draft pick Ben Heenan. The Roughriders routinely started an all-new offensive line consisting of Neufeld, Heenan, LaBatte, left tackle Xavier Fulton and centre Dominic Picard.
With the offensive line in place, and the offence as a whole laden with veterans, the Roughriders can afford to be surgical as they approach this off-season. The biggest area of need appears to be a speedster who can complement the game-breaking capability of all-star slotback Weston Dressler.
Defensively, the Roughriders still need to upgrade the pass rush — which was marginally better in 2012 — and to conduct a tutorial on the fine art of intercepting passes. This past season, the Roughriders didn’t have anyone with more than two interceptions.
Even so, Saskatchewan did allow the second-fewest points in the league in 2012. There is a foundation upon which to build. The same can be said of the offence, which made notable progress after the ineptitude of 2011.
The next step for the Roughriders is to refine their team. A year ago, they had to redefine their team — a process that lends itself to major announcements, but one that is also a byproduct of futility.
With that in mind, the lack of big news might be the best news of all for the Roughriders.