Mitchell Blair
When the Saskatchewan Roughriders get on the field in Saskatoon to officially begin their 2014 training camp, the team will be quite a lot different than the Green and White squad we saw celebrating the team’s 4th Grey Cup in franchise history at Mosaic Stadium on what will be a November night no one in the Rider nation will forget. The off-season brought change, and while that change gives the team a different look going into the season, they are still a strong bet to defend their title. Here is a breakdown of what you will see going into camp on offence with a preview of the defence following later this week on Riderville.com.
QUARTERBACK
This is the easiest position on the depth chart when it comes to the starter. There should be no more doubt in anyone’s mind that Darian Durant is the face of the franchise. This will be, believe it or not, Durant’s 9th season with the team and he will try to build on what was perhaps his best ever season in a Saskatchewan uniform when he threw for 4,152 yards with a career high 31 touchdowns and a career low 12 interceptions capping it off with a playoff performance for the ages as he went 60 of 77 for 614 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions while running for 141 yards. That effort led to him getting a new contract that makes him one of the highest paid players in the CFL. With Durant on the field, Rider fans should be secure knowing the offence is in good hands. University of Pittsburgh product Tino Sunseri has elevated himself to number two on the depth chart after Drew Willy was sent to Winnipeg in a trade, with Texas Tech’s Seth Doege and Minnesota’s Adam Weber, both with impressive NCAA resumes, vying to become the 3rd stringer and hold the clipboard.
RUNNING BACK
While the Riders do bring back a lot of talent in 2014, they need to fill a big hole at running back. Grey Cup MVP Kory Sheets is trying his luck with the NFL’s Oakland Raiders and even if he should not crack the lineup of the Raiders, he is a free agent meaning a return to Riderville is not necessarily in the cards. The big question during the off-season was “Who can replace Kory Sheets?” Many will get an opportunity.
A handful of players will be given the opportunity to replace Sheets and first up may be Clifton Smith. The 27 year old has seen time in the CFL with the Calgary Stampeders, but that time was mostly on special teams and not being a part of the Stampeders offence. The most intriguing name might be rookie Curtis McNeal. The University of Southern California grad didn’t have the career that some coming out of the highly touted US Division 1 football program had, but it was enough to turn some heads as he had a 1000 yard season in 2011. After trying to crack the Pittsburgh Steelers lineup and failing, he now comes north of the border looking to do what Sheets did and make a name for himself. Another former NFL running back will also try his luck with the Canadian game and that man is Keith Toston. He spent time with the Jacksonville Jaguars and St. Louis Rams and is anxious to show the coaching staff what he can do. A wild-card could be former Saskatoon Hilltop Andre Lalonde. The Canadian Junior Football League offensive player of the league will likely be suiting up for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies, but he is coming to Riders camp for the second straight year and has indicated he would much rather stick on the Rider roster than playing CIS. Former Regina Ram Neal Hughes would seem to be entrenched at fullback once again this season—his 11th with the team. Hughes’ dependability and versatility makes him a very key cog in what the Riders want to do offensively.
RECEIVERS
Kory Sheets isn’t the only weapon the Riders had who is now south of the border seeking employment. Weston Dressler is also hoping to pursue the NFL dream having signed a contract with the Kansas City Chiefs in the off-season leaving a huge hole in the Saskatchewan receiving corp. However, unlike the situation at running back, there are many players ready to try and step up to fill Dressler’s shoes while many veterans look to continue making solid contributions.
Chris Getzlaf has had one solid season after another since joining the Riders and he arguably may be the best Canadian receiver in the CFL going into this season. He is coming off his second career 1000 yard season on 63 catches while being named the top Canadian in the Grey Cup victory over Hamilton. He is joined by the emerging Taj Smith who became a legitimate deep threat catching 78 passes for over 1000 yards, the gutsy Rob Bagg who has fought off numerous knee injuries to keep his career going, and the ageless Geroy Simon who perhaps didn’t have the regular season he wanted, but caught two touchdown passes in the Grey Cup game to help the Riders to victory. Dressler’s absence may give the CFL’s all-time leading receiver some more snaps, and Simon has shown there is still some gas in the tank and that he has the ability to be a big-play guy when called upon. Another vet who will be interesting to watch at training camp is Jade Etienne. The former U of S Husky could never really get his feet underneath him after being selected as the 4th overall pick by Winnipeg in the 2011 draft and was dispatched to Saskatchewan in an off-season trade. If Etienne can gain the form the Bombers were hoping he would get when he was taken 4th overall, GM Brendan Taman may be credited with pulling off a huge steal.
There are also many players who look to compete for a job both Canadian and American. The team was quite happy to get receivers Alex Pierzchalski and Kris Bastien in the draft and hope both can take their game to the next level at training camp. Ryan Smith turned heads at the Florida combine with the North Dakota State grad said to be a player that holds the same traits as the departed Dressler and speedster Isaiah Sweeney who has seen some CFL time with Edmonton. The team is also hoping former Oakland Raiders receiver Chaz Schilens can perhaps be a frequent target of Durant and step into a position that is already a strength despite the loss of the diminutive Dressler.
OFFENSIVE LINE
No worries here. In fact, the Riders go into 2014 with the best offensive line in the CFL and they are led by the reigning lineman of the year—Brendan Labatte. The Weyburn product is the best in the game today and he heads into his 7th season in the CFL as the anchor of the line —a line that brings back all five starters.
Labatte will be joined by fellow guard Chris Best, tackles Ben Heenan and Xavier Fulton and centre Dominic Picard. Beating out any one of those five will be a task, but there are many players looking to do so or at the very least crack the roster as a backup.
They include 2013 first round draft pick Corey Watman, and former Regina Thunder Dan Clark. The team drafted a pair of offensive linemen including Regina Ram Kyle Paterson with another 2013 draft pick Matt Vonk ready to try and make an impact after finishing off his CIS career at Waterloo. Import Levi Adcock will also try and show the coaching staff that he deserves to stick around while Devin Tyler will once again let the coaches know he can step in and be that first man off the bench should one of the starting five go down.
