Some Riders on the bubble
Saskatchewan Roughriders head coach Corey Chamblin is juggling imports, non-imports and non sequiturs.
The Canadian/American ratio will factor into various equations for the Roughriders as Saturday’s CFL cutdown deadline looms. In advance of the axe being wielded, some Roughriders are preparing for one final audition — tonight’s preseason game against the visiting Calgary Stampeders.
“There are certain guys who I want to see take that next step to see, ‘Are you going to be a bubble-type guy and a backup or are you going to be one of those backups that we can depend on to be a starter in the next couple of weeks if someone gets hurt?’ ’’ Chamblin said. “So I’ll be looking at the tail end of the roster.
“Of course, the guys who are starting in this game, (they need to) make sure they do what they need to do, but we want to see our depth. We want to see what we have behind us and see if they can play at a high level if they need to.’’
The obvious follow-up question was: “Who are some of those ‘bubble-type guys?’ ’’
To which Chamblin responded: “Oh yeah.’’ (Cue laugh track.) “You know better than that, Rob,’’ a chuckling Chamblin went on to say. “You know I’m not going to answer that. Nothing wrong with trying.’’
CJME’s Jamie Nye soon got in on the bubble rap, asking Chamblin if recently arrived defensive ends Antonio Coleman and Will Davis fell into the category of (gulp) bubble players.
“I can’t say if they’re the bubble players, Rob,’’ Chamblin said while turning to a different interrogator, “but there’s a couple of guys — the new guys and some of the old guys — just to see where they fit. You want to be able to evaluate the guys to see if they can be starters on this team and where they fit. Those guys are a couple of guys where they’ve got a chance that they can possibly start or they can possibly be backups. It’s up to those guys.’’
So, who are “those guys’’? Coleman and Davis could very well fall into that category. Chamblin prefers a rotation along the defensive line, and could therefore use a designated-import spot on one of the ends.
The defensive backfield is laden with “bubble guys,’’ given that there are far more players than available roster spots.
Dwight Anderson (at defensive halfback) and Tyron Brackenridge (safety) are virtual locks to start, and cornerback Terrell Maze is a solid bet as well. Weldon Brown, who was a defensive halfback with the Edmonton Eskimos for the past three seasons, is now being deployed as a dimebacker (a hybrid of a defensive back and linebacker).
What about the field-corner spot? Macho Harris strengthened his case with a standout performance in Friday’s 31-24 victory over the host Eskimos. Like Harris, Woodny Turenne had an interception. Ramzee Robinson and Prince Miller have also impressed the coaches.
What about the other defensive halfback spot? Eddie Russ, Carlos Thomas and the aforementioned four field-corner candidates are in the mix.
Mind you, the secondary is locked down compared to the kicking positions.
The Roughriders will choose a placekicker and a punter between Chris Milo, Brody McKnight and Ricky Schmitt. The latter player is intriguing, being that his punts can resemble moon shots, but he needs to stand out in order to force Chamblin to use a designated-import spot on a kicker. Milo and McKnight are Canadians.
There are also ratio issues at right tackle, now that incumbent Patrick Neufeld is sidelined with a leg injury. Ben Heenan, a Canadian, is fighting for a starting job with imports Jose Valdez and Kyle Hill. An import will have to be significantly better than Heenan in order to compel the coaches to make a ratio adjustment.
Schmitt, Valdez and Hill can likely relate to Greg Carr, who is also in a situation where he needs to make it impossible for the coaches not to play him.
The Roughriders’ starting receivers are likely to be Weston Dressler, Geroy Simon, Taj Smith, Chris Getzlaf and Rob Bagg. Heading into camp, Smith appeared to be a “bubble-type guy,’’ but he has cemented a roster spot with a standout spring. So where, oh where, does that leave Carr?
Carr had two touchdown receptions in the 2012 West Division semifinal, and followed up with a four-catch, 101-yard performance on Friday night. Another standout performance would further complicate the task facing the coaches as they prepare to assemble a 42-man roster for the June 29 regular-season opener in Edmonton.
“I think there’s enough balls to go around for everybody,’’ quarterback Darian Durant said. “If the defence is playing at a high level and they’re continuously getting us the ball, then that’s more plays that we get to run and that’s more touches for everybody.’’ Ahhh, quarterback ... A media scrum would not be complete without someone posing a question about the signalcallers. Accordingly, I asked Chamblin if he had decided how the quarterback rotation was going to work for tonight’s game.
“Uh, yeah,’’ he responded, smiling.
Nye followed up by asking whether Durant’s request to play the first half had been accommodated.
The answer: “Yeah ... Darian will start the game.’’
And with that, we stopped the presses.