Tuesday Morning Sentimonies: Preseason Victory

The Riders opened the preseason yesterday and according to the official CFL stats the Bombers won 146 to 138.75 with Ron Lancaster passing for a TD and Chris Walby notching 7 sacks. The only thing more deplorable than the CFL/genius attempts at stats are the Riders attempts at gouging. As I predicted yesterday, given that Coach Mace is bringing some renewed excitement to the team, they did not have $5 beer before kickoff anymore. In fact, two rye now cost over $21. The Riders’ marketing team truly adhere to their mantra: “The customer is always supposed to like what we tell them to.”

Anyway onto the game. Tough to really analyze a game where Winnipeg did not play most of their starters and even our top guys didn’t even finish the first half. That said, one thing I did notice and was very happy to see was energy. Even though it was preseason, players were pumped up. They were celebrating and congratulating each other. Mace has brought the energy and excitement level up. Also, if you listen to his post game speech he is also continuing to build a culture of accountability. While congratulating the team on a good first step he called them out for too many penalties. I know he hasn’t coached a real game yet, but he continues to pass the smell test.

Other random thoughts on the game:

-        Starting offense looked alright in limited snaps. Really looking forward to the Harris-Schaefer Baker connection (which we never got to see last year). Bane also still looks great.

-        O-line looked pretty good (albeit not playing against a full starting D). They had pretty good push and held their own. Most importantly they weren’t visibly embarrassing so that’s a positive step forward. At LT Trevor Reid was a mixed bag. Some good plays, got embarrassed at least once by Jefferson (though the QB got the ball out in time) and took a major penalty. I liked him a lot better than Tucker though, so hopefully he can clean up the issues he had in game 1. 

-        The back-up OL were less reassuring. Sceviour cannot snap to save his soul.

-        Defense was making plays. Again easier to do when guys like Collaros, Demski, Schoen and Olivera are not dressed but there were multiple sacks and multiple turnovers.

-        Chris Streveler remains an NFL caliber runner who can’t execute any throw reliably except chuck it deep.

-        Didn’t get to see much of Fine (and Sceviour’s errant snaps impacted all his limited reps). I thought Patterson looked good. Made good reads. Connected on a beauty deep ball (even though it got called back on an offside).

-        I also thought Coan looked good for his first Canadian action. Calm in the pocket. Good reads. Far from perfect but he looks like a guy worth further developing.

-        Not sure I have ever seen a tougher, more hard hitting RB room. Ouelette, Hickson, Betrand-Hudon and now Ratkovich. They all run angry and I love it.

-        Dhonte Meyers has speed. Its too bad a lot of the yards he gained were negated.

-        Ajou Ajou has nice size and made some nice catches. The offside won’t help his cause.

-        On the INTs McClain literally did not move at all. The Bomber QB just through it directly to him. Fagot made a nice adjustment on his INT.

-        I did not really think of Sterns as a returner but he sure had a nice long one.

-        Lauther is in his annual early season slump that predictably leads to people questioning his continued employment and his eventually return to being awesome. Its like clockwork.

-        For those not in the stadium the Riders had a new commercial break promotion where 3 contestants and Gainer pick a card to see who wins. Gainer won. Suck it fans.

-        Also, whoever they got to through footballs at the moving target was by far the worst to ever do… like you would need to try to do worse and even then it would be hard. I would kinda like to see them make Streveler do it, just for curiosity sake.

Quick turnaround as the Riders finish the preseason Friday in Edmonton. Hopefully they continue to build on the successes of this first game.

Monday Morning Sentimonies: Preseason Game 1

In a rather uncommon occurrence, today’s Sentimonies happen to fall on game day. The Riders open their preseason and the entire CFL season by hosting Bombers at 2pm. It also just so happens to be Victoria Day. A statutory holiday devoted to notable Victoria’s Secret models and their contributions over the years to boys discovering manhood.

While I am definitely excited to be back in the stands and get my first look at the Corey Mace-led Riders, I wish the CFL would have consulted me before landing on such a ridiculous schedule. When the season rolls around I get into a nice rhythm, game preview Thursday/Friday, analyze the game Monday. Well this week I have to preview today, analyze tomorrow and turn around a preview again come Friday. Won’t someone think of the Prophet?! Anyway, you probably didn’t come to hear me complain about my overt laziness being tested, so let’s get to the game. 

The majority of starters are expected to play and should see some significant time. I expect a full half for the likely starters and possibly into the 3^rd before we start rolling out the contenders to be cut. I expect next to no one important to play again just 4 days from now so this will be the only real tune up for the starters. 

Here’s what I will be watching at each position group:

QB – I expect a very limited playbook so really we just want to see Harris show a bit of a rhythm with the offense, put a few solid drives together, and remain upright. Then in the second half we get to the real intrigue… will it be Fine or Patterson that gets the bulk of the reps? How will they look? Will they let Pipkin pass and result in me loudly cursing as that pass is completed to a blue and white jersey? 

Running back – Come regular season, this position will be electric to watch as we feed the ball of electricity that is Ouelette. This game though… this position has all the intrigue of watching a lean cuisine in the microwave. The starters and back-ups are firmly entrenched. There are no new recruits. We will likely feed Ouelette a couple times to get the crowd going but other than that my focus will be elsewhere.

O-line – Every Rider fan will be desperately watching this group. For 2 years we have had to ensure just the worst O-lines imaginable. Its been like opening a baby’s diaper to change it, you are not sure exactly what you’re going to see but you’re pretty sure it will be some variation of crap. We need to see this line solidify, particularly at tackle. Hardrick should be fine but can Reid or Tucker lock up the blindside? Will the absence of Evan Johnson make the interior suddenly less porous? Big questions that need to be answered. I will also be watching when (if) Zach Fry gets to play. O’Day has been hyping this kid since drafting him but he hasn’t been able to crack even the back-up OL in a period when the bar was historically low for acceptable performance. Maybe he’s on the Chris Best development path (Best was written off by fans years before he became a valued starter). But I some point I wanna see something.

WR – One of the most intriguing battles for me. There is at least one starting American WR spot up for grabs. Whoever can step up today will help their cause a great deal. KeeShawn Johnson appears to be the lead horse in the race but I have been hearing some good things about Dhonte Meyers as well. Team was really high on Jake Parker last year until he got hurt. Can he impress in year 2? 

D-Line – The tackle spot is pretty set with Lanier and Micah with Brown and Dabire for depth. D-End is wide open. I can likely guess who will be in the rotation but I definitely can’t tell you who will step up to be the starters. Carney, Cox, Albright and Korte will all likely be part of the rotation in some capacity but how many reps each gets could depend on who makes plays today. 

LBs – It was widely assumed that Auclair would start at weak side LB (and he may yet when the games are for real) but the depth chart presents a very different possibly. CJ Avery (who has had a good camp) is showing as the starter with Lokombo at CB to balance the ratio. Huge opportunity for Avery to try and lock down a starting spot. Also, with CJ Reavis sitting it opens up a chance for Rodney Clemons to shine. I assume Reavis will be the starter but these reps are very important to see what we have in depth behind him at one of the toughest positions to play on defense. Random conspiracy theory, Reavis is only sitting because we have 2 other CJs (Coldon and Avery) dressing and three is too many for the coaches to keep straight. Once we cut one or both of the other CJs, Reavis will be allowed to return.  

DBs – Is this the year Lokombo stays healthy and finally lives up to his #2 overall draft spot by becoming a starter? If I’m betting, the answer is no but he’s going to get a chance. That CB spot is wide open right now. Henderson not dressing also opens a chance at that spot. Henderson is ok but far from an unquestioned starter. Team is apparently very high on DeMarcus Fields who will start. I’ll be watching to see how he does in his first real Canadian football action. 

Mostly just want to see energy from this team under the new regime. I will also be curious if the Riders continue promotion like $5 beer prior to kickoff or use the excitement of a new coach as an excuse to resume their normal gouging ways.

After a 9 year preseason winless streak, we went 2-0 last preseason… and proceeded to be awful in the regular season. I don’t know if that means I’m hoping we lose but just wanted to note that preseason wins amount to as much as Chad Kelly’s Week 1 stats.  

Monday Morning Sentimonies: Football!

The 2024 CFL Season is officially underway with the opening of main camp yesterday. This season brings with it a new coach and a new energy. I know it’s going to be tough to top team bowling but I get the sense already that Mace may just be marginally better motivator than his predecessor.

There are close to a hundred players currently in Saskatoon vying for 46 active roster spots or the chance to stick around on the practice roster. In exactly one week we get out first live look at the new team. Given that Rider football has been crappy for all but like 2 months of the previous 2 years, its nice to have some renewed hope. Its also nice to not have our QB show up in a walking boot or under suspension for sexual harassment.   

Training camp did open with a bit of a shocker as it was announced that DB Jalen Edwards-Cooper has been released. He was a highly touted free agent signing and was expected to start at CB. Something must have went down but that definitely opens another starting spot wide open for someone. 

Let’s take a look at each position group and what the key things to watch there will be. I do want note that you should take any players I highlight with a grain of salt. Last Monday I highlighted 7 rookies to watch and 2 of them were cut and one is on the suspended list. What can I say? At this point players should pay me not to endorse them.

QB – Obviously the health of Trevor Harris and how well he a Mueller are able to get in synch is the most important thing. This team will go as far as Harris can take them this year. Next is obviously the battle for the most beloved person in Saskatchewan… aka the back-up QB. It should be a battle between Fine and Patterson. I don’t like the thought of Pipkin doing anything but plunging on 3^rd down and unless Coan is a phenom he probably will need some time on the practice roster to learn the game (if he is indeed worth developing at all). 

RB – Most boring position battle in camp. It’s the Ouellette show. Everyone else is vying for backup and practice roster. 

WR – There is a golden opportunity at American receiver. After Bane and Sterns, there is no one. Can Kendall Watson take a step forward in year 2? Can Geronimo Allison turn his NFL pedigree into CFL success? Will some unknown like Braylon Johnson step up? 

O-line – Godber will be the starter at centre. Hardrick the RT. After that there’s some intrigue. It’s a wide open battler for LT. Coach Mace liked what Reid and Emmanuel showed in rookie camp but its one thing to look good against people who have never played CFL ball before and another to replicate that with veterans. Brammer and Tucker are also in the mix. One of them needs to pan out if we have any hope of Harris not finishing this season early and in a cast. The guard positions will also be interesting to watch. It will be some combination of Ferland, Blake and Sceviour, but which 2 it is remains to be seen.

D Line – The departure of Robertson and the long overdue move to put Lanier back at DT leaves us without a bona fide #1 DE. I think it’s a reasonable guess that it will be some rotation of Albright, Korte-Moore and Carney manning the edges but Cox and Crawford will be pushing as well. We need at least one to establish themselves as "the guy" 

Linebackers – I am guessing the starting 3 will be Auclair-Thurman-Reavis. But depth in behind them is what I will be watching. AJ Allen has been steadily progressing and may be on the verge of earning some more defensive reps. Outside of TJ Brunson there is next to no experience among the American LBs. 

DBs – I had planned for this to be a very boring position. My main thing to watch was Amari Henderson. For 2 years now he has been good enough that he needs to be on the roster but not good enough to be an unquestioned starter. If Mace can take him from decent HB with some flashes of genius and some flashes of “good god please proceed to the bench” to a consistent reliable player it would go a long way to locking down that secondary.

But now we add the CB spot intended for Edwards-Cooper to the mix. We need to find a new starter. This is one I have some faith in. O’Day seems to be good for one solid DB recruit per year. Reavis, Williams, Milligan, Clark. Be interesting to see who steps up this year.

Monday Morning Sentimonies: Rookie Camp

At long last, football is about to return. There has been no football at all since February, no CFL football since November and no meaningful Rider football since sometime last summer. It’s been a while and in the words of Michel Scott “No question about it, I am ready to get hurt again”. 

Rookie Camp opens this week. So today I am going to highlight a rookie at each position to keep an eye. Now keep in mind that traditionally an endorsement by the Prophet is akin to the kiss of death for aspiring recruits. 

QB – This one is pretty easy as there is only going to be one rookie in camp, Jack Coan. Opportunity is wide open for Coan. Harris is entrenched as the started. Pipkin’s sole purpose is as a 3^rd down QB. Obviously Fine and Patterson have the inside track at the #2 spot but neither are a sure thing. If Coan can quickly pick up the CFL game Riders may decide to keep him around. 

RB – Tough going for aspiring RBs as you are essentially competing for a practice roster spot. Ouelette is the unquestioned starter. Bertrand-Hudon can backup. Its 50/50 as to whether we bother dressing 2 American RBs and if we do it’ll be Hickson to start the season. Jerrion Ealy is the guy I will be watching. Successful career at Ole Miss, can catch as well as run, has experience returning kicks. His skillset could line up well with the Canadian game.

WR – Of all the positions in camp American WR is the most wide open in terms of opportunity. Other than Bane there is no sure thing. Sterns mostly likely keeps his spot but he can be pushed. We will dress at least 3 American WRs and Watson is the only other guy with CFL experience. If you are looking for height (which Bane and Sterns lack) then O’Joshua Bunton is worth watching. As a Div 2 player he lacks the notable resume of some but he was a track star so has speed to complement his size. He also has an average catch distance of almost 25 yards so has some experience with the deep ball. 

OL – The tackle spot opposite Hardrick is still up for grabs. In theory Hawkins has the inside track but with 6 other American OLs in camp its clear that we are looking for improvements. The one I’m watching here is Jonathan Hubbard. A natural left tackle. He’s just 26 but has managed to stick on the practice roster of both the Dolphins and Bucs. 

DL – This is actually a very veteran heavy position group. Of the 16 guys currently signed only 4 have no prior CFL experience. Going to be tough for one of them to crack the roster. At just 23, Roman Harrison is one of the youngest guys coming to camp. A 4 year career at Tennessee with 8 sacks and 17 tackles for a loss. Be interesting to see how he adapts to the CFL game. 

LB – Bit of a cheat on this one as the guy I’m highlighting spent the end of last season on the practice roster. Jalen Moody catches my eye for one primary reason. Obviously playing a Alabama is notable but he primarily played on special teams there. Well if a rookie LB is going to make this roster they better be good on special teams. 

DB – Interesting but useless tidbit, we have two DBs coming to camp with the last name Fields. Who I do want to highlight though is Antoine Brooks. He’s an intriguing prospect. He’s only 25 but he has 4 games with the Steelers, 8 games with the Rams the year they won the Super Bowl and a season in the XFL. That experience may give him a leg up on the competition.  

Thursday Morning Sentimonies: Assessing the 2024 Draft

The 2024 CFL Draft went down Tuesday. Coming into the draft there was lots of curiosity about what approach the Riders would take with Corey Mace now at the helm. That approach was apparently risk be damned.

It is really tough to give an assessment at this point on how we did because it’s a big question mark. 1-2 years from now we may look back on this draft and say “Damn, they nailed it”. We may also look back and put in it the same success category as 2016 (Josiah St John and David Oneymata for those without photographic CFL draft memory).

 

There is no doubt that the players we selected are talented. Talent-wise we got some of the best at their respective positions… well, we got their rights. Who knows if/when we actually see them in a Rider jersey. We seemed to take a strategy that we think our current Canadians are good enough and we are stocking the shelves for the future. That’s a quality strategy… if you are a currently successful team like say the Bombers. We have been stinking up the league for 2 straight years and while I don’t think our Canadian talent is bad, I do think there was room for improvement and this draft did nothing to help the 2024 season.

 

Let’s take a more detailed look at each pick:

 

1^st Rd – OL Kyle Hergel

This pick was a rollercoaster of emotion. When I heard the Commissioner say “Riders select, offensive lineman..” I was on cloud 9. Finally! Years of complaining about O’Day’s refusal to draft OL early and he listened! The Ambrosie said the name and there was stunned silence. 3^rd overall… the chance to draft any OL we want… and we take a guy already signed in the NFL. He’s legitimately one of the best OL in the draft no doubt but usually you want a sure thing at #3… particularly when your OL has been utter garbage for 2 seasons and you can have any OL you want in the draft. Sometimes swinging for the fences pans out. Dakota Shepley at #5 was risk but we didn’t wait overly long on him. Montreal is happy with how Lestage turned out. But Calgary is also still waiting for Amen Ogbongbemiga and Carter O’Donell ain’t coming back anytime soon.

 

If we were stacked at OL or if we were a later pick then sure take the chance. But this is a ton of risk when we have immediate needs and you might not get value on a 3^rd overall pick for 1,2,3 years or never. So we wait. This could very well be a great pick but we won’t know for a while.

 

Side note, while I absolutely love the TSN panel they had for the draft why oh why did they interview Hergel? Such an awkward and useless conversation. Guy being polite but really not giving 2 craps about this draft because he is focused on the NFL (where he is currently signed). Don’t make the poor guy pretend to be polite.

 

2^nd RD – LB Nick Wiebe

I actually like this pick. Is it a bit of a reach? Maybe. But if you truly think he’s a stud LB (and his resume would support this) then a second round pick is not an unreasonable price to pay. My only real issue is doubling up on risky picks. You take a sure thing in round 1 then this looks great. You swing for the fences in round 1 then maybe you get some certainty here. There is risk in terms of Wiebe’s recovery but its not an unprecedented injury.

 

3^rd Rd – WR Dhel Duncan-Busby

I had to look up this guys college. Never heard of Bemidji State. Turns out it’s the home of beavers. Now a less mature Prophet would have probably made a joke about that. This more mature version of me still wants to make a joke but is too lazy. Even though we have a lot of Cdn depth at WR, I expect it to be tested during the season so more was definitely needed. Marshall Fergusson talked about how deep the receiving group was in the draft so I like that we waited and still probably got a good prospect. We could have used an OL or DL more here but there really wasn’t anyone worth chasing left.

 

4^th Rd – LB Melique Straker

Probably the first pick of this draft I really liked without any reservation. Straker was a productive LB and between special teams and defensive depth you always need Canadian LBs. He has a great college resume and was a possibility to be drafted much higher were it not for disappointing testing at the combine. This is the perfect use of a 4^th round pick.

 

5^th Rd – OL Daniel Johnson

Back to the risk… which is actually perfectly ok at this point of the draft. Late to football, injuries, and an invite to Colts minicamp put all kinds of uncertainty on Johnson. Not to mention the last OL named Johnson we had was a terrible experience. Likely a developmental project (but that’s the kind of OL you get in the 5^th round), normally the fact that Indy wants to take a look at him would give me some hope, but they also once signed Jordan Sisco so, you know, take it with a grain of salt.

 

6^th – WR D’Sean Mimbs

I don't mean to devalue Mimbs specifically but I think its written in the constitution that the Riders must select one Regina Ram per draft. He comes from strong Rider lineage (yes that Mimbs). Book on him appears to be a fast dude with so-so hands. Were Chris Jones here Mimbs would be a projected starting safety.

 

7^th Rd – WR Ajou Ajou

Probably overdoing it on the WRs at this point but its not like you picking from A list material in the 7^th. Ajou is an intriguing prospect. Highly touted college recruit but he just seems to keep failing to live up to the potential. Worth a shot to see if we can bring out the talent that first got him noticed but his story reminds me a lot of another late Rider WR draft pick Josh Stanford. Worth a shot but did not pan out.

 

8^th Rd – DB Richard Aduboffour

He’s an 8^th round pick… what do you want me to say? Probably comes to training camp for a look but that’s about it.

 

Overall I don’t mind this draft class. We got good players. I don’t like how much risk we took on or that we are 6-12 team and at best this draft class may get us a practice roster WR in 2024. You do need to balance winning now with building a sustainable foundation. Time will tell if the risk is worth it.

Monday Morning Hold Your Horses

With the draft going down tomorrow I am going to reserve my Sentimonies until Wednesday morning so I can opine on how we fared in the draft.

Check back Wednesday for thoughts, reactions, analysis and probably a heathy dose of outrage. 

Monday Morning Sentimonies: CFL Draft Preview

The CFL Daft goes down next week. That includes both the Canadian Draft (aka what we actually mean when we talk about “the draft”) and the Global Draft. I am a supporter of the global initiative and yes, last year’s global draft did net us one hell of a punter (Korsak) but let’s be honest, the care factor for the Global Draft is on par with that of how much you care about the one-man Broadway show I am writing about myself.  

For the second year in a row the Riders will select 3^rd because once again they were only out-sucked by Edmonton and Ottawa.

Picks: 8 picks, first selection is 3^rd Overall

Potential Pipeline: DL David Oneymata (Atlanta/Never coming to the CFL), DL Neville Gallimore (Miami), OL Sidy Sow (New England), DL Tavius Robinson (Baltimore)

Current Strengths:

Biggest Canadian strength is at receiver. A healthy Schefer-Baker. Emilus fresh off a breakout season. Add in Lenius (who hopefully has all his crap luck with freak injuries behind him) and Picton and that is a damn impressive group. I also think that Bertrand-Hudon could be a valuable contributor with a slightly bigger role in the run game (man I’m slowly turning into this generation’s equivalent of the old Szarka radicals I used to mock).

On the defensive side of the ball we have some legit starters in Dalke and newly signed Auclair. Korte-Moore’s stock as an impact player is rising. I think AJ Allen is another guy whose stock is rising. Add in depth players like Dabire, the Herdmans, the Oneykas and the (solitary) Lokombo and Ford.

On special teams Hus and Lauther are among the best in the league at their respective spots. It’s a luxury you take for granted when you almost don’t notice your snapper.

Seems weird to talk about our utter embarrassment of an OL in the strength section but hear me out. Godber was a solid addition last year. Ferland is good. Adding Sceviour is huge. Blake still has game. Fry and Zerr are there for depth. The pieces are slowing coming into place to maybe, finally, not suck. Losing Bandy is not a loss. Look, I know he was 24 and had lots of room to continue developing but O’Day has always been high on him and I never saw anything more than an emergency fill-in in him. One of the biggest moves we made was mercifully finally cutting ties with Evan Johnson. Addition by subtraction.

Current Needs:

Our O-line has been an utter embarrassment for 2 years. Any chance we have of crawling out of the CFL basement and back into relevance and respectability lies with being able to win the battle at the line of scrimmage. Sceviour was a nice add but if we think one solitary player is going to suddenly make that line awesome, good luck. (In saying that I know that Hardrick at one tackle will help a lot but I’m focusing on Canadians for now). We need to keep building until that line is rock solid and stacked with depth... neither is true at this point. 

Defensively we are thin on depth. Particularly at DL and to a lesser extent LB. We have a couple top end names but if they go down (and let’s face it, injuries will happen) things get dicey pretty quick at every position except safety (where we have Dalke, Ford, Lokombo, etc…). Assuming we plan to start Auclair, ask yourself you backs him up?

Prediction:

Every year I say O’day should draft and OL and every year he doesn’t. This year will be no different, for 2 reasons. One we added Sceviour and Zerr in the offseason and arguably have our best depth at OL since 2019 (obviously the bar for that is very low but still). Two, reportedly it’s a deeper draft for OL. So in theory there will be a good OL waiting in the second round… or third. We SHOULD draft an OL at #3, but we won’t.

In 5 years as GM, O’Day has used a first round pick on an OL exactly once (Mattland Riley, retired after dressing in 1 game) and a 2^nd round pick also once (Zach Fry, dressed in only 4 games since being drafted 2 years ago). Two top 18 picks in 5 years used on OL... What a weird coincidence that our OL has been so terrible.

So we will once again not be draft an OL in the first round. I expect that for the second year in a row we will focus on the defence in round 1. Either DL Daniel Okpoko or LB Geoffrey Cantin-Arku would be a fit.

In the second round I think we look to add an OL… maybe replace the word “think” with “pray with all my being.

The good news is that outside of his almost religious opposition to draft the position that he made a living doing, O’Day is a pretty good drafter. Particularly in the late rounds. He has found the following lare round gems:

-        2019 – Charbel Dabire (5^th round)

-        2020 – Kian Schaefer-Baker (4^th Round)

-        2022 – Jayden Dalke (6^th round)

-        2023 – Thomas Bertrand-Hudon (4^th round)

I expect O’Day to land another good one late.