QUARTERBACK FLIP
Questions remain despite win
The Saskatchewan Roughriders bench reacts as quarterback Seth Doege flips though the air after taking a hit from Ottawa Redblacks defensive back Antoine Pruneau during the second half of CFL pre-season football action in Regina on Saturday. The Riders defeated the Redblacks 21-17.
REGINA — There is only so much that can be read into the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ sparsely attended preseason debut.
After all, their opponents — the Ottawa Redblacks — were playing their first game of any description. And a pre-season opener is seldom an accurate barometer under any circumstances.
But even with those qualifiers in mind, Riders fans — including the 13,014 who were present at Mosaic Stadium on Saturday — should derive some encouragement from what they saw as Saskatchewan outlasted the Redblacks, 21-17.
There are issues that the defending Grey Cup champions still need to address, but there are also signs the Riders are moving forward after an off-season of change. The Riders will take another step in that process when they play host to the Edmonton Eskimos in Friday’s preseason finale.
That will be an actual home game for the Riders, who were technically the visiting team on Saturday. The Riders-Redblacks contest was held in Regina because Ottawa’s TD Place stadium isn’t yet game-ready. Saturday’s crowd was far short of the 44,710 people who danced and cheered their way through the Riders’ 45-23 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the 2013 Grey Cup game on Nov. 24 at Mosaic Stadium.
On that day, Riders quarterback Darian Durant capped a practically perfect post-season by throwing three touchdown passes and guiding the Riders to six majors. However, none of the four players who reached the end zone for Saskatchewan in the 101st Grey Cup game have returned in 2014, which returns us to the change cited earlier.
Geroy Simon, who caught two touchdown passes in the Grey Cup, retired shortly before training camp. Kory Sheets, who rushed for a Grey Cup-record 197 yards and scored two touchdowns, is now with the NFL’s Oakland Raiders. Weston Dressler, who scored four post-season touchdowns in three games last year and provided the insurance major in the Grey Cup, signed with the Kansas City Chiefs. All-purpose threat Jock Sanders, who rushed for a touchdown in the Grey Cup, signed with the Calgary Stampeders as a free agent.
But even with the roster turnover, Durant appeared to be regaining the form that helped the Riders win their fourth Grey Cup game since the franchise’s inception in 1910.
On Saturday, Durant completed his first seven passes — going seven for eight on the day — for 76 yards, including an 18-yard touchdown pass to slotback Brett Swain. Durant is expected to play more in Friday’s exhibition finale. At this early stage, Durant appears to be developing an on-field rapport with first-year Riders receivers Brett Swain and Ryan Smith. Swain caught two passes — both for touchdowns — on Saturday. Smith had two catches for 15 yards, but both receptions moved the chains. Like the other first-year players, they still have to prove themselves in the regular season.
As is the case with the receiving corps, the Riders are auditioning several newcomers at linebacker. They are attempting to replace Craig Butler, Diamond Ferri, Rey Williams and Mike McCullough. Butler signed with the Tiger-Cats as a free agent. Ferri returned to the Montreal Alouettes after being released by Saskatchewan. McCullough and Williams both retired before training camp.
Brian Peters wasn’t as dominant on Saturday as he had been in training camp, but should be a credible replacement for Butler at weakside linebacker.
Chad Kilgore, Mortty Ivy and Sam Hurl are involved in a heated competition at middle linebacker. Kilgore had a defensive tackle, emphatically filling a hole to abruptly end a running play, and a special-teams tackle. The versatile Ivy had a sack while lining up as a down lineman. Hurl chipped in with a defensive tackle.
The one incumbent starter at linebacker is Weldon Brown, who is entrenched as a front-line player.
There are fewer questions regarding the defensive backfield, which returns virtually intact. If there is a burning question about the secondary, it is: How are they going to keep everyone?
Macho Harris and Paul Woldu, two players who did not start in the Grey Cup, registered the Riders’ interceptions on Saturday.
There are so many interchangeable defensive backs that rival offensive co-ordinators may never know who will be on the field at a certain time.
The Riders are comparably flexible along the defensive line, despite the notable absence of Canadian tackle Keith Shologan (who was claimed by Ottawa in the expansion draft). First-year defensive tackle Trevor Guyton had a sack and three tackles in his first CFL pre-season game. Guyton and Richard Sumlin could step up nicely in place of Shologan.
On special teams, the Riders enjoyed some big returns on Saturday but were also victimized by a long gainer — a 77-yard punt return by Jamill Smith that set up Ottawa’s first major.
As a counterbalance, Marshay Green took off on a 75-yard punt-return touchdown for the Riders. Teammate Troy Stoudermire added three punt returns for 54 yards, including a 41-yarder.
The Riders’ running backs were not as explosive on Saturday, save for a 38-yard run by the bruising Keith Toston. Therefore, questions remain about who will begin the season as the front-line tailback and be entrusted with the formidable, perhaps impossible, challenge of replacing Kory Sheets.
All five running backs — Toston, Anthony Allen, Jermaine Thomas, Curtis McNeal and Clifton Smith — saw action on Saturday. Based on their performances, Allen and Toston appear to have an edge.
Allen had a game-high eight carries for 42 yards, but also lost a fumble while striving for more yards on a screen pass. Allen did rush six times for 36 yards on a scoring drive that was punctuated by Durant’s touchdown pass to Swain. Toston had three carries for a gamehigh 58 yards. The other candidates showed flashes.
It’s apparent that it will take Friday’s pre-season game against Eskimos to determine who will be the primary tailback, and to arrive at more conclusive answers regarding the other questions that must be answered before Saskatchewan kicks off its regular season June 29 against the visitors from Hamilton.
With that in mind, Roughriders head coach Corey Chamblin underlined the point that was made at the outset — any assessments at this juncture must be guarded.
“I wouldn’t put any weight on what you saw in this game,” he said after Saturday’s contest. “There is more weight as we go into next week.”