the rider chick
Riders ready to make run for Cup
Well, my little green friends, this is it. This is the week we’ve been waiting for since Nov. 11, 2012. After an extra-long off-season (aren’t they all?), the 2013 CFL pre-season is finally here.
It’s been 221 days since we could paint our faces green, don our Saskatchewan Roughriders gear and yell and scream in the stands at Mosaic Stadium — at least without getting escorted out by security. It may have seemed like the longest offseason ever, because it coincided with the longest winter ever — aka. “The Shortest Ice Age” — but while we were shivering in our frost-bitten jerseys, the Green and White wasn’t exactly twiddling its thumbs. General manager Brendan Taman and his team were gettin’ busy.
The Roughriders started by extending the likes of veterans Mike McCullough and Neal Hughes and hometown products Patrick Neufeld and Scott McHenry. Later, the team locked up Tearrius George, Eddie Russ and
It may have seemed like the longest off-season ever, because it coincided with the longest winter ever — aka. “The Shortest Ice Age” — but while we were shivering in our frost-bitten jerseys … general manager Brendan Taman and his team were gettin’ busy.”
Xavier Fulton. All awesome signings!
In January, the Riders made one of their most significant signings by adding former Ti-Cat head coach, George Cortez, as their offensive co-ordinator. Cortez takes over from Bob Dyce, who was later named the Riders’ special teams co-ordinator. I’m pretty sure defensive co-ordinators around the league popped a couple of antacids at the thought of facing a George Cortez offensive quarterbacked by Darian Durant. Add in the signing of Superman Geroy Simon, and, well, the Riders may be causing permanent headaches across the league. Can you picture an offence authored by Cortez, driven by Durant, and anchored by the likes of Weston Dressler or Simon — the CFL’s all-time receiving yardage leader?
And those won’t be the only two armaments for Double-D to choose from, either.
The 2013 season marks the return of one of my favourite Riders: Rob Bagg. Bagg, in my mind, is one of the hardest working CFL-ers and this season he will be an epic player. After a knee injury sidelined him for a second season in a row, he spent the entire off-season working out and getting stronger. If Bagg can stay healthy, could we see a return to his 2009 days when he was named the Riders’ nominee for most outstanding Canadian? If anyone can do it, Bagg can. I have no doubt.
And if Chris Getzlaf can find his mojo again, Saskatchewan will have an all-star receiving core once again. With running backs Kory Sheets and Jock Sanders creating a devastating one-two punch, I have no doubt that the Roughrider offence will be a force, whether it stays on the ground or goes to the air.
The offence wasn’t the only area to get an upgrade. The Roughriders added some serious toughness to their secondary when Dwight Anderson agreed to don the Green and White. Known for his passionate play on the turf, I’m happy to see him be a thorn in the side of other teams from now on.
Anderson will find company with fellow new Rider, Ricky Foley, who racked up six sacks and 43 tackles last season with the Toronto Argonauts, the Grey Cup winners. Add to that the return of everyone’s favourite Chick — not me! — defensive end John Chick. Chick left the Green and White in 2010 after being named the league’s most outstanding defensive player in 2009 and signed with the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts. He went on to play with the Jacksonville Jaguars of the NFL. After Chick was released by the Jaguars in the off-season, there was a fever-pitch of rumour and speculation as to where he would end up, but Chick decided to stick to his CFL roots and come back to Regina. Chick and Foley are about to become the personal nightmare of CFL quarterbacks. Personally, I won’t mind at all if the opposing quarterback gets to stare at the sky a time or two each game. Also, with veteran Tyron Brackenridge ready to be a menace to offensive schemes everywhere, we may see the Rider D become a fearsome beast once again.
Also in the off-season, Regina announced its plans for hosting the 101st Grey Cup. It sounds like one humdinger of a party in Regina-town. Until then, there will be something special to celebrate at each game — on and off the field. If you’ve never been to Mosaic or if you’ve been hundreds of times, you definitely want to be in the stands this season. As I said, it’s going to epic!
Trust me, come November you won’t want to be anywhere else but in Riderville. Though you might want to dress warm — the second Ice Age could hit at any moment.