Receiving corps may be the best in franchise history
Make Americans great again.
That appears to be the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ mission with regard to their reconstructed receiving corps.
The Green and White began the 2016 CFL season with one bona fide international game-breaker — Naaman Roosevelt — and has since added an array of complementary talent.
Caleb Holley quickly emerged as an inviting target after being activated last autumn.
Armanti Edwards dazzled before suffering a season-ending injury. Ricky Collins Jr. made a number of circus catches.
And now Duron Carter has signed with Saskatchewan.
“So much firepower!!!” Roosevelt tweeted Thursday after the Roughriders formally announced the addition of Carter.
Not to be overlooked is the sole remaining member of the vaunted Canadian Air Force — Rob Bagg.
If head coach and general manager Chris Jones is able to manage the ratio in a manner that allows him to start four Americans alongside Bagg, watch out.
The Roughriders could very well end up fielding one of the finest receiving corps in franchise history — the best to date being:
Hugh Campbell, Gord Barwell, ■
Jim Worden and Alan Ford, with explosive Ed Buchanan adding a dimension out of the backfield (mid-1960s).
Rhett Dawson, Steve Mazurak, ■
Tom Campana, Bob Richardson and Leif Pettersen — all of whom helped the team reach the 1976 Grey Cup.
Joey Walters, Chris DeFrance, ■
Dwight Edwards and Emanuel Tolbert — a quality quartet in 1981.
Ray Elgaard, Don Narcisse and ■
Jeff Fairholm, with all-purpose tailbacks Tim McCray, Lucius Floyd and Mike Saunders succeeding one another as accompanying threats (1989 to 1993).
Bagg, Andy Fantuz, Weston
■
Dressler and Chris Getzlaf (2008 to 2011).
Bagg, Dressler, Getzlaf, Taj
■
Smith and Geroy Simon (2013).
In terms of depth and ability,
the Roughriders’ current crew could rival the Grey Cup-winning quintet of 2013. Of course, a few things have to fall into place for the Saskatchewan Air Show to ascend to rarefied heights.
A porous offensive line must be upgraded. A return to health by homebrew guards Brendon LaBatte and Chris Best would help considerably in that regard.
The quarterbacking has to be of a calibre that allows the receivers to access the football. If Kevin Glenn (who turns 38 in June) can reprise his early-2015 form, the Roughriders have the potential to amass some gaudy passing totals.
It would help, too, if Saskatchewan could establish a running attack that commanded respect from rival defences, thereby creating play-action opportunities and deterring the foe from overloading the secondary with additional bodies.
Or, perhaps one of the extra bodies in the receiving corps could be used to bolster the Roughriders in another area.
It is hardly a secret Jones would like to acquire promising pivot James Franklin from the Edmonton Eskimos. The problem is, the Eskimos’ asking price is likely to be higher than Donald Trump’s self-opinion.
However, maybe the Roughriders could use an area of strength to address an Eskimos weakness. The departure of Derel Walker, now of the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers, has created an evident void in Edmonton.
What if the Roughriders were to send one of their gifted American pass-catchers to Edmonton and add some sweetener in the form of, say, a first-round draft choice?
Would that be enough to entice Eskimos general manager Ed Hervey to part with Franklin?