Tuesday Morning Sentimonies: 3 and 3

We are a month out from training camp, let that one sink in. As we start to turn our heads to the 2026 season there is a wide range of views on what to expect this season. Some will say the Riders are gonna run it back. Some are saying we are gonna take a big step back. And pretty much everything in between. 

Rather than definitively answer the question (where would the fun be in that?), I will instead give you 3 reasons to be hopeful that the first repeat in franchise history is possible and 3 reasons why you should stock the liquor cabinet and expect a season that ends pretty much like every other one of the 100+ ones in our existence. 

3 Reasons To Be Skeptical

 

1)    D-End

I quite like how our roster is shaping up at pretty much every position… except one. The current state of our D-ends instills hope in about the same way that American politicians instill hope that the Stright of Hormuz will soon be opened. In passing league you need the ability to disrupt the passer. I don’t want to say the state of our D-ends is dire but if the Riders signed me today I would rank 5^th on the team in career sacks by a D-end, 3^rd if you only count sacks as a Rider. Until one of the new recruits or guys who spent last year on the practice roster prove they can be an impact starter, this remains the biggest question mark on this team.

 

2)    Depth

You need depth to maintain success over the length of a season. Last year the Riders had unbelievable depth. Maier stepped in for Harris; Baldonado stepped in for Ray; Nield and Robustelli made key contributions when called on; Allen stepped in for Avery; Reavis moved positions to balance out our roster. Those guys are all gone. Our depth is by no means completely eroded, but is has taken a hit.

 

3)    Special Teams

When he makes his retirement official, there will be Jorgen Hus appreciate post coming. But for now consider that we will enter the new season with a new snapper and new kicker. The most “veteran” member of special teams is a mediocre punter. Other than returner we have a lot of question marks. I am at least happy we brought in a veteran snapper. But anyone not named Hus will unfortunately be a downgrade.

3 Reasons To Be Hopeful

 

1)    Offensive Continuity

Harris, Ouelette, Johnson/Emilus/Baker/Ajou/Duncan-Busby, Tommy Stevens. They are all back. Harris is coming off one of his best years. You gotta go back a while to find the last time we had the same OC and QB 3 years in a row. Most importantly, almost all of our O-line is back (an o-line that tied for second in sacks allowed last year). This team is far from an offensive juggernaut but they did finish 3^rd in offensive TDs.

 

2)    Secondary

Speaking of continuity, the entire secondary is back. While you can debate whether the Lokombo/Fields part of that is a good thing or not, amid a lot of defensive changes we should benefit from continuity in a group where communication is paramount.

 

3)    Coach Mace

The number reason you should be hopeful is the man leading the team. Mace has won everywhere he went (except Buffalo but no one wins there so its hardly a him issue). He has a ring as a player, as a D-line coach, as a D-coordinator and now a Head Coach. He has never had a losing record in his entire CFL coaching career.  The improvement in his game management from his first year as a head coach to last year was visible and significant. The only knock against the guy is he curses too much… and personally that makes me like him more. With a quality coach like Mace at the helm there is good reason to expect sustained success.

Monday Morning Sentimonies: Products I Might Like to Purchase

While green paraphernalia and Rider logos are now the norm across the province, and the world, there was a time dear reader when it was decidedly not cool to wear Rider gear. Today you might get chided for not wearing Rider gear. Back when I was in school, it was decidedly the opposite. There is a “what were you like in the 90s” trend going around social media, well merch sales were not great and Rider gear ranked slightly below itchy sweater your grandma knitted in terms of things you wanted to wear back then. 

Fortunately since the Riders’ resurgence in 2007 its been a very different story. They have stuck a Rider logo on pretty much everything imaginable and people how thrown many at the team to acquire it. 

But even in an age where the Rider store is lined with more hat and shirt options than you can count and pretty much every kitchen implement you could imagine, I believe there remains untapped potential and suggest the follow items be added. 

Bobby Jurasrin Bandana – I can’t fathom how at no point in the past 20 years this has not been available. Bring him into town for legends night. Sell it as a limited edition and just print money.

Cereal – Gone are the days of Fantuz Flakes, DariOs and whatever cereal Getzlaf had (berry crunch or something). This should be an ongoing thing. We need a new generation of player cereals to fill our pantry: Rolan Milligan Agent Os, Ajou AjO’s. I would add LokombO’s but they would probably never end up in the bowl, just fall inconveniently slightly away from where they are supposed to be. 

Condoms – Roughrider condoms seems like low hanging fruit.

Spinners – I would never by these and would make fun of anyone who did but in a province of 2x4 spoilers and Walmart underglow kits you can’t tell me that a set of low quality Rider spinner rims would not sell. Cavaliers would be lining up to get them installed.

Parachute and Zubaz pants – The fact that I can’t buy green novelty pants directly from the Riders is ridiculous. Give the people (me) what they want.

Shake and Bake (Kian edition) – How is they not a line of Shake and Bake (or at least imitation Shake and Bake) with KSB’s face on it?

Tommy Stevens Plungers – When you want the best plunger in the business reach for a Tommy Stevens.

Trevor Harris Icy Cold – To me there seems like no better spokesperson for pain cream than an old man who gets hit for a living.

What Rider products would you like to see? 

Monday Morning Sentimonies: Random Quasi Coherent Thoughts

There is not a whole lot going on the CFL world. That means you get the pleasure of my random, quasi-coherent thoughts. Strap in... 

-        We signed an O-lineman by the name of Dartanyan Tinsley. Not only does he immediately become my favourite player name, I would go one step further as GM and be actively searching for OL named Porthos, Athos and Aremis. Try and field an all Musketeers line.

-        Hell I we can find a dude named Albert then we could do all 5. That is a very obscure Saturday morning cartoon reference. So if you have no clue what I am saying that’s probably a good sign for you.

-        The Miami Dolphin’s have so much salary tied up in dead cap dollars that it would be enough to cover every CFL contract , reactivate all former American franchises and establish a Mexico team for good measure. The only group willing to pay more than the Dolphins to let their exes go enjoy their lives with other people is divorced husbands.

-        The Riders are looking for a new Gainer. I would imagine there is some pretty heavy screening to that job. By nature of the position you get ready access to a ton of children without the danger of your face being seen. That’s gotta attract from applicants you probably don’t want.

-        The Saskatoon preseason game is an example of the Riders doing something right from a marketing perspective. You can barely pay people to come to the preseason game here in Regina. The majority of season ticket holders don’t even bother. But now that its in Saskatoon, something new, something different. There is actually some demand for tickets.

-        I know there is a ton of logistical barriers but I would seriously be looking at ways to make future preseason neutral site games around the province a reality.

-        Hey Wisers, when will I be able to get my Grey Cup whiskey? 2007 and 2013 have been lonely on the shelf for a while. They need some company.  

Monday Morning Senitmonies: Same Old Themes

We are getting to the time of the year where the Riders will soon announce their theme nights for the upcoming season. Each year their best and brightest marketing experts get in a room and spend hours of effort (and billable time) to basically just end up dusting off the same list they do everyone year just in a different font (that’s how we got the Goth Labour Day Classic). I can tell you now that the list will include Home Opener (which isn’t really a theme), Retro Night, Orange Shift Game, Legends Nights, Labour Day (which is also not really a theme), Family Day, Fan Appreciation Night and whatever the online thesaurus they use comes up with as an alternative wording for Country Night. 

Now in fairness to the Riders, they did actually try a couple new ones last year. Christmas in July was a unique idea… it was not so great in practice. It could maybe work for an afternoon game but it just made an evening game feel really lame. They also tried Vegas night… though other than the title and couple on screen graphics they really didn’t do much with this one. But credit where credit where credit is due. I would rather they try new things even if they flop than just recycle the same old drivel. Unfortunately based on the new ideas flopping I do expect them to double down with the same old drivel again this year. 

As always I have some ideas (patent pending), on ideas that people might actually enjoy.

Actual Retro Night – Pitched this last year and I will continue to until they get it right. And yes, I get the irony of criticizing the Riders’ lack of creativity only to open by rehashing an existing idea. But the Riders’ current version of retro is half assed at best. A real retro night would have old school Gainer (pre- drugged out eyes), Cousin Leonard, the old faceless Worksafe Bob, paper game tickets, paper 50/50 tickets that get drawn from a raffle drum from a 50’s bingo hall. Retro prices on booze that require me to purchase drink tokens that get me my choice of beer, rye, rum or Pink Drink. Rename Pil Place Hemorrhoid Hill. Re-create a one night only university section that offers cheap tickets. Put a hot tub beside and assume nothing bad will come of that.  Riders in 90s style jerseys. Mysterious dripping water throughout the stadium that no one really want to ask too much about. Find me the dancing chicken suit guy. Play the Audio Warehouse theme that we all still know the words to. Bring back the direct west sling shots. I want the full Taylor Field experience. 

Saturday Morning Cartoons – On October 17 we play the Als at 1pm. A matinee game is the perfect opportunity for a cartooned theme game. Encourage fans to come in PJs or dressed as their favourite cartoon character. Sell sugary cereal, pop tarts and Eggos at the concession. Air old commercials and cartoon clips. Make it a family oriented day. 

Bi Mon Sci Fi Con – For the non-Simpsons fan among you that stands for Bi-Monthly Sci-Fi Convention. Set it up like a Sci-Fi convention. Bring in some b-list stars from Sci-Fi shows for a meet and greet before the game. Have people dress up as their favourite Sci Fi character. Sell green lightsabers and phasers. Have Gainer show up in a Green tardis. If you can’t find a marketing cross over between green baby Yoda and the Riders you should give on life (and yes I know his name is Grogu). 

Backwards day – This is not fleshed out at all but I feel like when we host what is technically a home game for the Argos this season there has to be a way to make it backwards day.

Wrestling Night – I maintain that this would be epic. Encourage fans to come dressed as their favourite wrestler. Have Bret Hart do the coin toss. Better yet have someone dressed in a Bomber jersey about to do the coin toss then have them get hit with a chair and then have Bret step in. Have players cut promos leading up to the game. Sell green Hitman-style sunglasses. Partner with the local wrestling promotion to put on a match at half time. Make it a couple celebrities teaming with wrestlers and build hype leading up to the contest. Sell Rider branded championship belts and luchador masks. Have a ref get “knocked out” inadvertently at some point (say when a measurement is required) and have another ref come sprinting from the tunnel. Invite the Road Dogg to do intros in the traditional New Age Outlaws way “Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, the Saskatchewan Roughriders proudly bring to you…”. Last but not least, gratuitous crotch chops.

Social Media Night – I actually shocked that the Riders haven’t done this yet. Generally when companies run out of ideas they assume social media is the answer. And in this case they would actually be right.  Now understand I know very little about all of this so someone younger and more with it would need to fully flesh this out. Have alternate streams of the game on YouTube or Twitch. Have local influencers take part. Encourage fans to post on IG Live, have hashtag contests. Release a dance on the Ticky-Tokies that everyone needs to learn and do instead of the 4^th quarter stretch. Have people’s Myspace page talk about the game (that’s still a thing right?). Basically turn the game into something that everyone over the age of 40 would hate/not understand. 

Purolator Tackle Hunger Night on Steroids – Tackle hunger has been a long-standing and highly valuable promotion that greatly benefits food banks across Canada. But if you want people to really get into it you need a big draw. So I say make it a contest. Say that we are trying to create the world’s largest pyramid of canned goods and encourage all fans to bring as much as they can to help us build it. Like I want a stack of canned goods that would make an OHS inspector nervous. People love contests and something this visible and simple would for sure get attention.

What do you want to see for theme nights?

Monday Morning Sentimonies: Ridiculously Early Award Predictions

As the title of this post suggests, today I will be taking a look at potential year end award winners for the Riders. Some might think its too early since we don’t even know who will be making the game day roster. Some might think this is a desperate attempt to create content during a dead zone in the CFL offseason. Some might think that based on my track record I may end up inadvertently cursing anyone I mention as a potential winner. Well just because you may be right doesn’t mean you shouldn’t shut up and just go along with it.

To make things a bit more interesting for each award I will make two predictions: a favourite and a long shot.

Most Outstanding Player

Favourite: Obviously Trevor Harris is the betting favourite. Not only does this award have a general bias towards QBs, but when he is on his game Harris remains one of the best in the league. His issue is not talent but longevity (happens to the best of us). If he strung together 18 games of his best (well let’s be more realistic and say 16 at his age) then he’d not only be our MOP but also in contention for the league award.

Long Shot: Mario Anderson. After last season, I am fairly confident in Ouelette’s durability but I could see a scenario where Ouelette gets hurt and Anderson steps into the starting role. He rushed the ball 24 times in 2025. 20% of his carries went for 10 yards or more. 20%! Now I know that is not sustainable over a full season but if he finds himself in a starting role, Anderson has all the potential to be a breakout star.

Canadian

Favourite: Without a doubt Sam Emilus is our top Canadian on the roster. Injuries were the only reason he did not post his third straight 1000 yard season. His pace over 7 games in 2025 could have positioned him for his best season ever over a full season.

Long Shot: Nelson Lokombo. Just kidding. I have a better chance at being named this team’s top Canadian. My actual pick is Lake Korte-Moore. We are in desperate need of people to step up a D-end with the departure of Carney, Baldonado and Ray. Entering his 4^th season, the former 3^rd overall pick should see his role grow. Following a year cut short by injury I expect him to have a career year and see no reason why he could not be the one to step into Baldonado’s role. 

Defensive

Favourite: This is a two horse race between Milligan and Thurman (the team nominees the past 2 years). I am going to go with Milligan. After what should have been an MOP season in 2024 he had a “down year” in 2025. Ho hum, he only had 4 interceptions. I don’t think he gets back to 2024 numbers but I think his stats trend up enough that he gets the vote once again (CFL voters are not exactly the most enlightened out there so unless there are flashy numbers they tend not to vote even if the on-field play is at an elite level). 

Long Shot: Not sure this is a super longshot but I’m going with Antoine Brooks. People lamenting the loss of Reavis are quick to forget that Brooks was our starting Cover LB to end the season and through the playoff run. He has NFL caliber talent (with a Super Bowl ring to prove it). Even Reavis himself praised the abilities of Brooks. I think he is going to have a breakout season. 

O-Lineman

Favourite: Take your pick between Hardrick and Ferland. Hardick is the reigning League Most Outstanding Lineman. Ferland is so good that I think he could legitimately win this award regardless of which position he starts in. If its not one of these two then something has gone horribly wrong (and I am probably coping with rye). 

Long Shot: Going with Daniel Johnson here. Injuries cut his first season on the active roster to just 7 games but in that time he was deemed good enough to start at tackle… and he played pretty darn good. Coming out of college he got an invite to mini-camp with Indianapolis and was always viewed as having all the athletic ability but being raw as a prospect. In 2025 we saw him start to take a leap forward in his development. I think he is poised cement himself as fulltime starter in 2026. 

Rookie

Favourite: This one is the hard by far to figure out in March. We know next to nothing about the rookies currently on the roster and the winner could even be someone we will be drafting in May. Given that our offseason plan at D-end seems to be sign a million new recruits and hope at least one turns out awesome, I am going to play the odds and say whichever rookie emerges from that D-end competition has great odds at being our Rookie of the Year (great movie by way... Rookie if the Year). Of that group I am going to go with Sundiata Anderson… in doing I have most likely cursed to Anderson to be an early cut in rookie camp. I apologize.

Long shot: With the amount of Canadian WRs we start, depth is going to be needed. That makes a guy like Daniel Wiebe very interesting to watch. He caught my eye during his time in training camp last year and ended being a finalist for the Hec Creighton trophy in 2025. He could be an injury away from legitimate playing time and he strikes me as a guy that will not relinquish his spot once he gets it.   

Special Teams

Favourite: This one is easy. We currently have no long snapper. Kicker is an open competition. And while our punter from the end of last season is back, he is anything but a lock to keep his job. So by virtue of being the only legitimate guy in the group, new returner James Letcher is the overwhelming favourite to win this one. I expect him to have a good year and be an upgrade over what Alford was by the end of the season (which was still pretty good).

Long Shot: Ending with the most outrageous long shot prediction. The winner of this award will be none other than Brett freakin’ Lauther. Hear me out!

Yes, we did just cut him and yes, he is currently unemployed. But there is a very real scenario where the Americans we brought in to replace him flame out. And then what are we going to do? Call Cambell Fair again? Just like an ex-girlfriend at 2am on a lonely night, Lauther could suddenly start getting "you up?" texts from O'Day. Hell, Paul McCallum got a second go round with the Riders and for those who weren’t around in the early 2000’s I assure you his break-up from the Riders was far messier than Lauther’s.

Monday Morning Sentimonies: Tailgating

It was raised as a possibility last year and this year the Riders made it official… tailgating is coming to Saskatchewan. Well, legal tailgating. This is the prairies… people tailgate their kids’ sports games. 

Season ticket holders are eligible to enter a lottery from which they will randomly draw the lucky people who will get one of the limited tailgating spots (consisting of 2 parking spots). Oh yeah and you have to pay $500 for the season. 

Now many people are mad about the $500 fee. Maybe I have just become too used to the current state of things but I honestly expected more gouging. Look, free was never going to be an option. If the Riders can’t make money on something they are not going to put effort into it. The only reason we don’t have toll bathrooms in Mosaic is because Reynolds hasn’t discovered an efficient way to monetize it yet. I actually assumed they would sell individual games because I guarantee they could have made $500 per spot just for Labour Day. Also you can’t charge for parking but let people tailgate for free (which is essentially just parking with benefits). 

My name is in the lottery… mostly our of sheer curiosity. I want to see how this is going to go. Because done right, this could be an awesome addition to the game day atmosphere. But done wrong this could add all the energy a senior’s group going camping (and not the fun seniors, the ones who call the park rangers when kids are running in the road). 

I fully expect year 1 of tailgating to be super lame (not my spot, you’ll hear a bit later how awesome I plan to be). Its going to take some time for people to figure this all out and I guarantee it will be over-policed at the start. You as a fan may want us to be like Buffalo. Those organizing this want it more like a church bake sale. So there will be a feeling out process as fans test the limits of what will fly. 

For example, without some kind of security what would stop me from bringing back happy hour myself and selling $5 beers out of my cooler as for-profit business venture for myself? Or running a pancake breakfast for afternoon games? The Riders are already very begrudgingly entering tailgating despite the potential for it to cut into their food and booze sales. They aren’t going to let me compete against them. At least I assume not. Can I play a friendly game of cornhole with passers-by? Maybe. Can bring a pro-level cornhole buddy and hustle people by playing for cash? Maybe not. Do I need to run an illegal casino operation to profit from drunks and gambling degenerates to enjoy game day? No. But if they’ll let me without consequence it’s an option. Can I blast AC/DC on my stereo? Maybe. Can I blast DMX? We’ll see. We are going to have feel this dynamic out. 

As I said, early on I think they will lean heavy on enforcement and it will take until late this season and even into year 2 or 3 people things stabilize and it starts to get really fun.

As for my plans if I get a spot? It will be the place to be… probably for fans and security alike.

I won’t be selling beer (wink) or running and illegal casino (wink, wink). But I will be running game shows like Family Feud and Rider Jeopardy. Running theme nights… actual original ones that involve more creativity than asking Chat GPT for an alternate way to say Country Night. If they let me tailgate I can assure you by year 2 there will be at least two new rules that I can point to and say its because of me that’s a rule now. 

Honestly if they want to make tailgating awesome they should do away with the lottery and have people submit video applications like on a reality TV. Let people vote on the ones that will give the best party atmosphere.

Monday Morning Sentimonies: Forgot About O’Day

Nowadays, everybody wanna talk like they got something to say

But nothing comes out when they move their lips

Just a bunch of gibberish

And people act like they forgot about O’Day

In the wake of free agency there is an epidemic of amnesia going around. Somehow people who just 3 months ago were praising Jemery O’Day for building a championship roster are now complaining that he doesn’t know what he’s doing. I assume I am preaching to the choir here, as if you are able to tolerate my drivel it means you are most likely an educated fan (or a gluten for punishment, I appreciate your support either way). But I feel like I need to put a reminder out there to the football world that O’Day does in fact know what he is doing.

Do I like the outward migration of talent we just endured? Absolutely not. Tough to see starters like Allen, Carney, and Reavis or role players like Baldonado and Nield go. But maybe we can just breathe for a second before mashing the panic button like me when I used to play Mortal Kombat. We have our work cut out for us to replace what we lost. But O’Day and his team have a pretty solid track record of scouting talent. 

Don’t believe me? Consider this…

-        Half of the Grey Cup roster was guys that O’Day brought to the CFL.

-        Half of the starters on the Grey Cup roster were guys that O’Day brought to the CFL.

-        16 of the 21 Canadians we dressed in that game (5 of which were starters) were O’Day draft picks.

I’ll note that this doesn’t include O'Day guys who were on IR like K Johnson, D Johnson, Duncan-Busby, Avery, Korte-Moore and Robustelli who have contributed significantly.

We have had a consistent pipeline of American talent under O’Day’s watch: Reavis, Milligan, Reid, Collins, Brammer, K Johnson, Myers, Saunders, Brooks, Miller, Lanier, Avery, Sterns, Robertson, Marino (yeah he was a douche but he had talent through the roof). 

O’Day has drafted well. Emilus, Korte-Moore, Wiebe, Busby, Saad, Ford, Fry, Lokombo (I mean he starts), Kian Schaefer-Baker, Allen, Dalke, Bertrand-Hudon, Straker, D Johnson, Ajou. The last 7 names on that list were drafted in the fourth round or later. 

Hell, O’Day has even found top end global talent like Korsak and Baldonado.

Still don’t believe me? Look across the league at how many guys that O’Day originally recruited now fill the rosters of other teams. 

BC

-        James Butler

-        Justin McInnis

-        Deontai Williams

Edmonton

-        Joe Robustelli

Calgary

-        Miles Brown

-        Tevin Jones

-        Damon Webb

Toronto

-        Demarcus Christmas

-        Jake Herslow

Hamilton

-        Charbel Dabire

-        Jake Dolegala

-        Braxton Hill

-        Trevor Reid

Montreal

-        Alexander Gagne

-        Jereth Sterns

Ottawa

-        AJ Allen

-        Habakkuk Baldonado

-        CJ Reavis

-        CJ Coldon

-        Amari Henderson

This list doesn’t even include free agents that O’Day signed when they were so-so and he turned into hot commodities like Tommy Nield, Malik Carney and Jake Maier.

So, while there are definitely some holes currently on our roster, we should have at least a shred of faith in the guy running the team. 

Let’s end how we started.

Now you wanna run around talkin' 'bout scouts like I ain't got none

What, you think I fired 'em all 'cause I stay well off?

Now all I get is hate mail all day sayin' O’Day fell off

What, 'cause I been on my phone with guys that find the endzone

Tryna get this damn repeat off?

Monday Morning Sentimonies: CFL Valentines

This past Saturday was Valentine’s Day. And if that is news to you it might explain the bad mood your significant other has mysteriously been in.

In honour of St. Valentine’s Day I present to you, the Top 10 CFL Valentine Cards

10. 

9. 

8. 

7. 

6. 

5. 

4. 

3. 

2. 

1. 

Monday Evening Sentimonies: Free Agency

Free agency official opens tomorrow. Which means that we get to confirm all the things that were leaked out during legal tampering. Which is really just all the things that were sorted out during illegal tampering… which totally does not happen (wink, wink). 

We already know the Riders’ roster is taking some hits. Starters like Reavis, Allen and Carney as well as depth guys like Maeir, Baldonado, Nield and Robustelli are all gone. To compensate we will be adding James Vaughters, James Letcher (a very dangerous returner) and Josh Woods (veteran depth at LB). 

So what does this all mean for the Riders?

Well before people start their annual freak out that O’Day does nothing remember a) the most active teams in free agency are the crappiest teams and b) O’Day has already successfully extended 22 of our pending free agents. He put in the bulk of his work before free agency in trying to keep together as much of the core as possible. This includes top end talent like Emilus, Campbell and Johnson. So yes losing guys like Carney, Allen and Reavis sucks but its not end of the world. O’Day has done a great job of building depth. The development of guys like Brooks and Miller are factors in letting Allen and Reavis go.

Defensive end still concerns me at this point. Vaughters helps but he is 5-6 sack a year guy. Great for the rotation but not the guy. Him and Korte-Moore are currently our most decorated ends. If the Riders signed me I would be tied for 3^rd most CFL sacks by a defensive end. We have brought in a ton of new recruits and obviously hope one or 2 pan out but its far from a guarantee. But other than that I don’t see us as having major holes in the roster. Depth is a concern … but we also went from ridiculous depth to not as much so the level of concern is relative.

The biggest news was a release, not a signing. The Brett Lauther era is over. It will go down as a storied career of someone who was great on and off the field. But football is a cruel sport and as so often happens, rather than a heroes send off he gets unceremoniously dumped. Dumped for very good reasons but dumped nonetheless. To me the most shocking thing is not that we cut ties… its that we cut ties after sticking with him so long. If we still believed in him at the end of last season then I did not see us moving on now. I have nothing but respect for Lauther. From his humble beginnings of 18 years spent on practice rosters before getting his shot to even on his worst days never shying away from holding himself accountable in the media. His integrity and perseverance are commendable.  

We appear to be going American as we have now signed 2 American kickers. Be interesting to see how that plays out. You may say it can’t get worse than Lauther was last season, but to you I say… Campbell Fair. So forgive my concern. 

I am still holding out hope that we can keep CJ Avery. But I guess we will see how it goes.

Monday Morning Sentimonies: Who You Be Tampering With?

**Editors note: I already had to rewrite this completely because 4 things happened that rendered the majority of my post irrelevant. Odds are good that will happen again between when I hit post and when you read this. Its not my fault CFL managers don't take my schedule into account when making moves.**

Its tampering season across the CFL as teams frantically make calls to try and woo potential free agents. They are about one step away from Tinder.

The opening hours were not exactly kind to the Riders. As often happens to the champions, other teams came looking to raid our shelves. And raid they did. Edmonton drove a truck of money up to Carney’s doorstep and took Robustelli for good measure. Ottawa took AJ Allen, Baldonado, Reavis and Maier. And Winnipeg took Tommy Nield. And that’s just what happened so far. 

On the positive side we did manage took lock up Ouelette and Rose just prior to free agency. On the less positive side we also managed to lock up Fields (because of what I can only assume is a league-imposed handicap to level the competitive landscape). 

So the question becomes, with Carney and Allen out of the picture what is O’Day doing with his tampering time? The answer may surprise you… very little. Or at least very little in terms of things most people would find interesting. He might be more active on actual Tinder than CFL Free Agent Tinder. He did most of his work up to now just retaining the core group of last year. Other than Carney and Allen he really managed to maintain all his impact starters… as well as Lokombo and Fields for some reason. We don’t have many major roster holes and more importantly we have no money to fill those holes we do have. We will be relying heavily on drafting and recruiting for the most part. 

I do think one think O’Day is doing is keeping in touch with our pending free agents. In particular CJ Avery. People forget that Avery was the starter until he got hurt and Allen stepped in a became a star. If we can keep him it will somewhat soften the sting of Allen and Reavis’ loss. 

But tampering with your own players is boring. You probably want the dirt on what other players O’Day is tampering with. I figure he’s looking at the following priority areas: 

D-Ends –  The one thing O'Day did was address our most glaring need. As much as the current "sign 20 rookie D-ends and hope 1 pans out" strategy is one way to appraoch things, we simply could not enter the season with Korte-Moore being our most experienced D-end. James Vaughters has history with this coaching staff given his time in Calgary so he was an obvious name that was on my radar and obviously O'Day's. Lorenzo Mauldin is a name we could explore. Maybe Shane Ray even sticks around. The market got thin real quick though so it might be Vaughters, Korte-Moore and hope we recruit well. 

O-line Depth – Much like last year where we added McEwen and Gagnon (I am not sure the difference between hype of signings and actual impact was that stark since Chris Jones’ free agent class in 2016), you know O’Day is always looking to add OL depth.  Names like Landon Rice, a second go round for Ryan Sceviour or even Gagnon and McEwen again are options. 

Receiver – With Johnson, Baker and Emilus plus our solid depth at Canadian WR, we don’t need a veteran receiver. But with Myers, Bane and Robustelli all going at once we do have room for a value add. Charleston Rambo, Dominique Rhymes, Luther Hakunavanuh, Steven Dunbar. Hell I would not even rule us having a conversation with Dalton Shoen (though given his injury status, a signing would likely be a ways away). The money for receivers dries up real quick once the top guys sign so there could be some sneaky value for the patient

Monday Morning Sentimonies: Baker Stays

They managed to get the deal done!

Speculation has been running rampant since November about whether the Riders would be able to retain both Emilus and Schaefer-Baker this offseason. That speculation ramped up when the Riders made Emilus the highest paid Canadian WR in the league. But to O’Day’s credit he found a way to get it done, signing Baker to a 2 year extension.

There was likely a team willing to pay more money to Baker. He’s an impact Canadian receiver after all. But Baker has never been quiet about his love for this province and his desire to stay. So he had to weigh whether the “more” he could make would be significant enough to make it worth it to leave a great situation and place he loves. Obviously O’Day found a number close enough to Baker’s ask that it was not worth testing free agency. I have no doubt that presence of Mace and Harris is a damn good recruiting tool.

Do I think Baker could have made more money? Yes. Do I think it would have been a significant amount? No. Teams don’t exactly back up trucks of money for players that have missed 26 of a possible 54 regular season games over the past 3 seasons. Love Baker but durability is a concern.

I am an unabashed Baker fan so I am very happy that he will be staying. As iconic as this pose is, I didn’t want it to be his last moment in green and white.

The Riders also extended Lake Korte-Moore. Keeping our Canadian core is important and prior to his injury last season Korte-Moore had been developing into an effective rotational pass rusher. They also extended Jack Coan who they remain very high on as a QB prospect.

With both Stevens and Coan locked up it brings into question whether Maier will be back. I think that decision is entirely Maier’s. I believe O’Day has made him an offer to return as the back-up and its up to him to see if he can find something better. I am not sure he will. There are no starter jobs up for grabs, so you gotta ask yourself where what the best back-up spot is. And honestly we have to top that list. Is there any QB more likely to not make a full season than old man Harris? And is it worth risking learning a whole new offense for a chance to maybe back-up someone else?

 Still some big names on O’Day’s to do list like Carney, Reavis, Johnson, Ouelette and Allen. I think we will all be pretty ok if that to-do list continues to not involve Lokombo and Fields.

Monday Morning Sentimonies: Free Agent Focus

Good news week for the Riders as they announced contract extensions for two key members of the defense. Tevaughn Campbell gets a one year extension. He was slated to be a free agent but based on his own comments was more likely heading to retirement before being lured back by the prospect of running it back. Jameer Thurman got one year added to his deal and is now under contract through 2027. 

These two contracts add to the growing list of good moves O’Day has been making since the Grey Cup party dies down. Harris, Hardrick, Stevens, Emilus, Sanders, Dalke, Ford and Hudon. While there is still a lot of work to do, the roster is honestly in pretty good shape. With a couple exceptions, if we were forced to start the season today I would feel pretty good about the team. Now of course while “pretty good” may cut it for lesser franchises like the Bombers and RedBlacks, the standard is much higher here. 

With that in mind let’s take a look at what I think the remaining priorities for O’Day are.

 1 – Jorgen Hus

Hear me out on this. I know long snapper is far from the highest profile position. They don’t make the highlight reel and most of the time most of you probably even forget Hus is on the field. But that’s the point. You do not want to notice your long snapper. If you do, it’s a very bad thing. Hus has been here since 2015 and the only thing he has missed less than games over that decade is snaps. Honesly ask yourself the last bad snap you remember. He is the best at what he does. At 36 he obviously can’t play forever but the prospect of not having an automatic snapper is not something I want to deal with this year. Put some respect on Hus’ name. Much like Campbell I am sure he is contemplating retirement. 

2 – Defensive Ends

This is the one position that we currently have a hole at. Carney, Ray, Baldonado and Korte-Moore (pretty much every End who has recorded a sack under Mace) remains pending free agents and we don’t have anyone waiting in the wings. You can’t win without an impact edge. Carney and Baldonado are obviously the primary targets but both will be looking for significant raises. As a global player, I think Baldonado’s pay was so low he may have been paying the CFL to play. I do expect at least one person to be signed before free agency opens. I also expect Ray may be done here. 

3 – AJ Allen

There are 3 keys to sustained success in the CFL: QB play, strong play on both sides of the line and Canadian depth. Allen worked his way up the hard way from 3^rd round draft pick, to token Canadian special teamer, to rotational defensive player to impact starter. A true success story in terms of drafting and development. But success of course means Allen wants to be paid like a starter not a special teamer (and rightly so). This one will be interesting because you could in theory go back to CJ Avery at that spot at a fraction of the price. But a team that wants to have the option of an American safety or multiple American OLs needs Canadians like Allen elsewhere. I want to keep him. He is such smart player, just always in the right spot and often making impact plays. 

4 – CJ Reavis

Speaking of impact defenders, Reavis is one of the few remaining guys not yet locked up. His versatility is a big asset in a Mace defense. He can play LB he can bump back to safety (where he will spend half his time yelling at Fields for being out of position). Obviously we want him back. But again we have other options. We could go back to Canadian safety. Brooks can play the LB spot. While we want Reavis it won’t be a blank cheque to get him back. 

5 – The Sentimentals

I am thinking primarily of Baker and Ouelette here. I am actually surprised Ouelette hasn’t signed yet (I assumed him and Harris were a package deal). Either way these 2 players present interesting conundrums for O’Day. These are heart and soul guys that you want on your team. They are playmakers. It would kill me to see either in another colour. But with finite financial resources, RB is the most replaceable position in football and we have a lot of good Canadian WRs already so this is far from a priority in terms of spending. I really hope O’Day can find a way to make the numbers work. But if he doesn’t I understand.

Monday Morning Sentimonies: The NFL Calls

We found out this past week that Dohnte Myers will become the latest Roughrider to try his luck down south. He signed with the Cincinnati Bengals. As with every Rider that heads to the NFL, he gets the customary “Happy for you but selfishly bummed to be losing you”. But after a breakout year with over 1000 yards and the 4^th most receiving TDs in the CFL he is certainly deserving of the opportunity. 

I hope he sticks as down there but the reality is its tough for a receiver to make it. Most receivers can’t play on special teams so they need to outright win a spot as a receiver. With the resurgence of the kick return game in the NFL, Myers’ chances somewhat improve given that he is a talented returner. For his sake I hope I am wriong but I could see him back in the CFL come September. And honestly, while losing a player of his calibre is never a good thing for team, there may be a slight silver lining in this. 

The Riders have a lot of work to do to re-sign all their pending FAs. Myers was among many guys coming of rookie deals and due a significant raise. We don’t have enough money to pay everyone. So not having to pay him now and potentially (I stress potentially since he may stick in the NFL and is an unrestricted free agent if he doesn’t) getting him for the back half of the makes the economics of this all a little eaiser. 

This got me thinking about the Riders’ history with NFL signees. This has been a standard part of most offseasons. We’ve seen guys like Keith, Dominguez, Fantuz, Dressler and Jordan Sisco (for reasons that still defy explanation) sign deals. Some guys get a cup of coffee and are back with the team come Labour Day (think Ajou recently). Some guys stick for a year or two before eventually coming back. And some guys never look back (think Jerrell Freeman who remains one of the most talented players I have ever seen in Green and White). 

Here's a look at the 10 years worth of Riders trying the NFL. 

2015 – Ben Heenan (Indy – ended up retiring to farm after his time in Indy), Brian Peters (Houston – Had a 3 year career in the NFL and never came back north)

2017 – Jeff Knox (TB), Otha Foster (Baltimore) – both were back in the CFL that same season

2018 – Jeff Knox (TB, again was back in the CFL that same season), Kacy Rodgers (NYJ, didn’t last more than one season but never came back north)

2019 – Sam Eguavoen (Miami, proved he was a legit NFL talent and stuck permanently), Jordan Williams-Lambert (Indy, returned to the CFL)

2020 – Derrick Moncreif (LV, lasted the full season in the NFL before returning the next year)

2021 – Dakota Shepley (San Fran, still down south doing his thing)

2022 – Brayden Lenius (Atlanta, cup of coffee and back in the CFL by September)

2025 – Trevor Reid (Minnesota – did not make the main roster but has yet to return to the CFL), Ajou Ajou (Indy, cup of coffee and back to make plays on Labour Day) 

How Myers will fare remains to be seen. But I do take solace in having players that are talented enough to catch the attention of the NFL. Note in the list above that in 2016. 2023 and 2024 we had no one sign in the NFL… you may have repressed the memories of those season but I assure you they were not so great.