Rider Prophet

Monday Morning Sentimonies: Jim Daley Rides Again

2012-02-06T18:40:00.000-06:00

If you spend enough seasons following the CFL, you learn to get used to odd things happening. It’s kinda the norm that at least a couple things per season will make you go “What the Hell?!”. You know like the Ricky Williams saga, or David Braley owning 2 teams or the League not really being sure whether Fantuz was eligible to play in the last Labour Day Classic or not. I’ve come to accept these crazy quirks. That said, despite all this, there are something’s that completely blow my mind… One of those is how people keep hiring Jim Daley.

Don’t get me wrong I’m very happy that one of our CFL rivals was stupid enough to hire him (and in doing so officially handicapping a part of their team for the upcoming season). But I simply don’t get it. Sometimes coaches get hired that may have a black mark or 2 on their resume but at least they generally have some previous tangible success that helps to rationalize the hire (Richie Hall comes to mind). Not Daley. The man seems to be immune to the rules of employment that seem to govern the rest of society. As George Cortez indicated the man does have 16 years of coaching experience in the CFL… but none of it is good. If my employment history was as awful as Daley’s I would be living in a van down by the river (or in a management position with the Maple Leafs).

In an effort to try and understand the Daley phenomenon, I decided to go back in his resume and try and pinpoint a reason why people keep thinking he is such a great hire in spite of the pile of evidence to the contrary.

Starting at the beginning before the CFL, Daley did win a National Junior Champion with the Ottawa Sooners of the CJFL in 1984. He was also head coach for the Ottawa GeeGees where he was name Coach of the Year in both ’84 and ’88. Okay, so I can understand why he was first hired into the CFL. At this point so far, so good. Now here’s a rundown of his CFL resume.

1991 – Special Teams/RB Coach, Ottawa – Team went 7-11. Nothing particularly good or bad to report, a rather inauspicious start.

1992 to 1993 – D-Line Coach, Ottawa – Team went 9-9 followed by 4-14 (notice the sharp decline).

1994 to 1995 – DC, Saskatchewan – Team went 11-7 followed by 6-12 (again note the pattern of decline).

1996 to 1998 – Head Coach, Saskatchewan – Choosing to ignore the repeating patterns of decline, the Riders gave Daley his first chance as HC at the pro level. To say the least things went awful: 5-13 in 96 and 98. There is of course the miracle Grey Cup run of 1997 that to this day academics, scientists, philosophers and sports pundits are unable to explain. He rode the Slack Attack to an improbable playoff run culminating in a far more probable ass kicking by Doug Flutie. All in all, few were sad to see Daley go (except maybe the other CFL teams).

2002 to 2002 – D-Line Coach, Calgary. Though he did get a Grey Cup ring with Cortez in this stint, a closer look at the Stamps’ record shows a familiar pattern. The team went 12-5-1, followed by 8-10 and 6-12 (yet again note the familiar decline, by this point it can hardly be considered coincidence).

2003 – DC, Calgary – Team went 5-14 and finished 4^th in the West… though I’m sure the fact that Daley was responsible for a significant portion of the team was just a coincidence.

2004 to 2005 – Head Coach, Winnipeg. Leave it to Taman to give a hack like Daley a second chance as HC. He went 5-6 after taking over for Dave Richie mid-season, followed by 5-13 and dead last in the West in his first and only full season as the Bombers’ HC.

2007 to 2008 – CFL Director of Officiating Development. While I won’t go as far as to say that Daley was a failure at this role as well, I will note that his time in this role did coincide with a fairly bad run of reffing across the league. Just saying.

2009 – DC, Edmonton – To be fair, this was during the Maciocia era but still the Esks’ D did finish dead last in passing yards allowed and 2^nd last in points allowed. Which actually isn’t bad by Daley standards.

2010 –ST Coordinator, Saskatchewan. For the sake of my sanity and out of respect for my family who probably don’t want to hear the curse filled rant that would ensue, let’s not rehash how awful he was here. Though I did find a rare photo of the only useful thing Daley ever did for the Riders in 2010.

So there you have it. That is the resume that George Cortez would have looked at decided that this was the perfect guy for his Hamilton Ti-Cats. It blows my mind (even if you exclude the part where Cortez was in the NFL and might have been out of the loop) that this at any point seemed like a good idea. Oh well, as I said I’m happy that some other team did this to themselves. It will at least be enjoyable to watch the damage Daley inflicts on that group.

CFL Ins and Outs

In: K Paul McCallum (contract extension)

Out: OL Jovan Olafioye (signed St Louis)

After trying out for half of the NFL, it is hardly a surprise to see Olafioye catch on down there. Word is he got a 2 year deal with 6 figures worth of guaranteed salary. The only downside for him is having to spend 2 years in St Louis as a Ram.

Edmonton

In: OL Simeon Rottier, DL Rashad Jeanty (free agent signing)

This one was almost as obvious as the ending to the movie Titanic. Rottier is from Edmonton, is currently building a new house in Edmonton, there were ongoing trade talks between Tillman and the Ti-Cats about acquiring him and just days ago Hamilton released him because he had no interest in signing a new deal in Hamilton.

Montreal

In: Jeff Reinbold (hired as DC)

Well this should be interesting. Somewhere Greg Marshall must be in disbelief.

Friday Round-Up: Out With The Old, In With… Well The Old

2012-02-03T07:22:00.002-06:00

Today’s post is dedicated to PR who specifically requested this be posted in the morning as he plans on doing no work today and needs something to help him pass the time. Fortunately for PR I won’t reveal where he works… but for the right price I could be convinced to spill the beans. Just saying, the offer is on the table.

Onto to Rider news where we were busy turfing an old face and hiring another old face… in a surprising twist both moves are fantastic news. We turfed old man Alex Gauthier in a move that actually surprises me. I’m glad to see Gauthier go and I think it’s a positive move but of our senior citizen O-linemen he was actually the one I least expected to see go just because he is a Canadian and plays tackle. Gauthier wasn’t horrible but for what we were paying him he should have been better than “not horrible”…. In a surprising coincidence that last sentence was actually used verbatim to describe my brief career as a gigolo. We have young Patrick Neufeld waiting in the wings and could even go with an import if need be so thumbs up.

We also let Freddy Barnes go… literally hours after I posted that Barnes could be something special. Whoops. Swing and a miss there. Though, given how quickly someone I endorse tends to get released (remember Gabe Nyenhuis?), I’m strongly considering endorsing Dan Goodspeed.

The release of Gauthier leads me to believe that Makowsky will be back. That and the word on the street is that Geno is still working out. I don’t know much about being an MLA but I’m going to guess there is no physical to pass and the only lifting you do is lifting your hand to vote. I’d prefer to see Geno go but if we are going with a new tackle and likely new centre (and hopefully other new tackle) and can see the logic in keeping a veteran presence to help ease the transition.

The “old guy” we welcomed back was Dan Farthing… as our new Strength and Conditioning Coordinator. Farthing is ideally suited for the job since he is already doing this for a living and is “the” name in high performance training here in Regina. Many Riders use him already anyway. It will be nice to have Farthing back with the Green and White. Hell… given Sisco’s crappiness and Bagg’s uncertain knee, I can foresee and series of events that leads to Farthing being seen as a legitimate option at non-import WR this season.

Speaking of old guys, Jeremy O’Day has poured some cold water on some rumoured acquisitions… one was rumoured by me (Avon Cobourne) and was plausible. One was rumoured by lord knows who (Dante Culpepper) and was quite frankly ridiculous. Given that we actually we interested in Cobourne last year, I’m surprised to see us not go after him again. As an aging veteran that used to be really good you’d think Taman would be all over him. Guess that means the “Wes Cates. Four More Years” Campaign has worked. As for Culpepper… Really people? If I posted that we were planning on signing Willie Beamen as our back-up QB would people have to check with the Riders to see if it was true?

CFL Ins and Outs

Saskatchewan

In: WR Jason Cherry, WR Taj Smith (free agent signing)

I have no comment on these guys, other than Taj and Smith seems like an odd combination of names.

Winnipeg

In: QB Buck Pierce, QB Joey Elliot, WR Greg Carr, GM Joe Mack (contract extension)

Somehow Pierce managed a 3 year deal out of the Bombers… though I guess since CFl contracts aren’t guaranteed they could have signed him to an 80 year deal. Fact remains he won’t play a full season or if he does won’t be very good by the end.

Montreal

Out: Kerry Watkins (retired), Tim Maypray (released)

Always liked Watkins, in his prime he was great to watch… except for when it was our DBs him and AC were torching.

Hamilton

In: RB Martell Mallett (free agent signing)

Out: OL Simeon Rottier, RB Avon Cobourne, DL Luc Mullinder (released)

Ti-Cats invested $100,000 into an RB that hasn’t been in the league since ’09 and is coming off a major knee injury. This is either going to go extremely well for them or end up like when the time Hamilton signed Kenton Keith.

Calgary

In: RB Jeramy Avery, RB Michael Smith (free agent signing)

Edmonton

In: P Eric Wilbur (free agent signing)

Out: K/P Damon Duval (released)

Monday Morning Sentimonies: What To Do? Part 1 - Offense

2012-01-30T17:34:00.000-06:00

Since there hasn’t been much notable going on (and I was running out of quasi-coherent thoughts… it was about to be downgraded to nonsensical ramblings), I thought I would take this opportunity to take a look at the various positions on the Riders and breakdown where we currently stand heading into 2012 and what needs doing. I’ll start today with the offense and do the defense in another post at some point.

Quarterback

Obviously Durant is entrenched in the starter’s role but what is completely up in the air is #2 and #3. Thanks to Ken Miller’s mysterious hatred of Cole Bergquist all we really know about him is that he doesn’t do well when randomly inserted into a game for 2 token plays. Three freakin’ years this guy has been here and that’s all we know!! I personally think he’s got the skill to earn himself the back-up spot but this is purely based on gut instinct and nothing tangible.

What we need to do: Bring in 2 more QBs to compete for the back-up role. At least one should be someone brand new from down south.

What Taman will likely do: Try and convince Kari Jones to come out of retirement.

Running Backs

When you finish with the 2^nd worst run game in CFL, obviously you need to do something. Love Wes Cates but much like Joffrey Reynolds, his best before date has passed. Brandon West has promise but I’m not willing to appoint him the unquestioned starter. We need quality competition, not just appointing by default.

What we need to do: Find some new, young, unsung recruits. Guys like Whitaker, Reid and Boyd were nobodies before they got a chance. We need to find our own gem of an RB. However since I know odds of that happening are slim I will throw out 2 names that I would be very interested in: Daniel Porter and Arkee Whitlock.

What Taman will likely do: One of 2 things… 1) Wes Cates. Four More Years!!! 2) Avon Cobourne (you heard it here first).

O-Line

Now that Ken Miller is gone, they are the oldest part of our team. That is sad. They showed their age terribly at the end of last season. Gauthier is passable but only because he is Canadian. Best should be the only one whose spot is locked up. Parenteau does everything well… but snap (which is fairly important part of the centre’s job). Old man Geno may or may not be back for one more. Goodspeed should be an automatic for being replaced. There’s no way we can’t find a younger mediocre at best import tackle for less money than we are wasting on him.

What we need to do: A minimum of 2 and a maximum of 3 of the starters from last year should be changed. I love Geno but guard is the easiest place to insert a young starter and unless Best is going somewhere that’s the most logical place to start. I say let him retire and play politics. I’ve already touched on the need to replace Goodspeed. Also, I would love to see us commit to a young centre (Krausnick-Groh or Hutchins) and let them grow into a long-term anchor (ala O’Day). With Kris Sweet as our OL Coach this is the perfect time to make the switch. We have Groh, Neufeld, Hutchins, Clark, Oldenburg and maybe Brian Heenan… It would be extremely wasteful to not make some use out of at least a couple of them.

What Taman will likely do: 2 words… Status Quo.

Receivers

Outside of Toronto, I’d say we had one of the weakest set of receivers last year. There was Dressler, Getzlaf and a cameo appearance by Fantuz. Our best passing attacks were when we had 2 impact receivers with Getzlaf serving as a solid #3. Problem is we don’t have that solid #2 impact receiver currently. Fantuz is a crap shoot; Bagg could undoubtedly be that guy but his knee is still unproven; we all thought Koch would be that guy but injury derailed his 2011 season and now we don’t seem in any kind of hurry to re-sign him; Wheelright, Hill, Baker have all shown flashes; I think Freddy Barnes could be something special but so far he’s gotten the Bergquist treatment so we really don’t know.

What we need to do: The free agent market for receivers is slimmer than an anorexic’s waist size so we will have to rely on recruiting (or a trade I suppose). Dead weight like Robinson and Sisco need to be jettisoned (okay Sisco should probably be given at least one more training camp to prove he is not the steaming pile of garbage I think he is). If we can’t re-sign Fantuz, we need another quality non-import option… that means drafting one (such as Shamawd Chambers). We also need to recruit some more import competition for Baker, Wheelright, Hill and Barnes… preferably some of higher quality than Nunn or Fairooz.

What Taman will likely do: Assume that Fantuz will re-sign and Bagg’s knee will be healthy and come up with absolutely no back-up plan reducing us to beg Jason Clermont to un-retire when plans fall through.

Saturday Round-Up: Random Quasi Coherent Thoughts

2012-01-28T19:12:00.002-06:00

- Jason Clermont created a furor the other day when he tweeted that he talked to one manager who wanted to lock him in for 3 years. Now had you read the #mobile and #data hashtags you would have known right away that he was talking about his cell phone contract but many didn’t and a mild freak out ensued. It’s a shame that Clermont’s outstanding sense of humour is lost on so many.

- Jermaine Copeland retired this week and accepted a job as Hamilton’s receivers coach. Love him or hate him… and most hated him, his resume speaks for itself. 15^th leading receiver in league history.

- It’s a sad day for the Argonauts… for one its sad because they lose their best receiver in Copeland. But the fact that Copeland was their best receiver is also very sad. Still not sure why they bothered getting Ricky Ray when they have no one for him to pass to.

- The Argos also cut Lin-J Shell… for reasons I still don’t really get. I mean yes he was probably making big money, and yes he is 30 but he was one of their best defenders. Not just pretty good. I mean sure he does occasionally take a penalty here and there and spit on people but I’d still take him. Though if he was a Rider, I would insist on calling him by his real name: Wagner Lindsell Shell Jr.

- Solomon Elimimian has signed a 2 year deal with my Minnesota Vikings reportedly with a $35,000 signing bonus. I figured he would catch on down south. I’d say he has decent chance of sticking. Much like Jerrell Freeman, Elimimian wisely chose a bottom dwelling team to try his luck.

- The Stamps cut franchise RB Joffrey Reynolds. For the better part of the last five years, Reynolds was the standard for RBs: productive, durable. He was the best. But his best before date came and went at some point in 2010.

- Lastly there is word that Martell Mallett may be looking to get back into the CFL. His lone season in the CFL he rushed for 1200 yards and was named rookie of the year. Then Wally Buono agreed to release him so he could pursue NFL opportunities with the Eagles, Browns and Giants. Until a knee injury pretty much ended that dream. Obviously Mallett would prefer to return to BC who were gracious enough to let him leave a year early but they seem committed to Harris. If there was a chance I would love to see Mallett in Green and White.

- I should probably clarify that previous statement. I would love to see the Riders sign Mallett but given his serious knee injury and 3 year absence from the CFL I wouldn’t be willing to pay to high heaven to get him. That said, watch Taman sign him to a 6 figure deal with a ridiculous signing bonus (aka the wrong way to do it)

CFL Ins And Outs

Montreal

In: WR Eric Deslauriers, DB Etienne Boulay (contract extension) WR Travon Patterson, WR Guy Trent, WR Sidney Stewart, DB Vince Anderson, DB Michael Carter, DB Daryl Townsend, DL Tremaine Johnson, DL Daunte Akra, DL Chris Hodgson, DL Ventrell Jenkins (Free Agent Signing), OL Anthony Barrette, DB Blaine Ruttan, OL Reed Alexander (2011 Draft Pick Signing)

Out: DB Tad Crawford (retired)

In: WR Arland Bruce (contract extension)

Out: LB Solomon Elimimian (signed with Minnesota), WR Paris Jackson, QB Jarious Jackson (released)

Toronto

Out: Lin-J Shell (released), Jermaine Copeland (retired)

Edmonton

In: WR Fred Stamps (contract extension)

Calgary

Out: RB Joffrey Reynolds (released)

Monday Morning Sentimonies: We’re Number 4!

2012-01-23T19:59:00.000-06:00

Well the results for the 2011 Canadian Blog Awards are in and unfortunately my reign as Canada’s Best Sports Blog has come to an end. I’ve slipped to number 4 overall this year. Though it would be easy to dwell in the disappointment (and blame you the readers for not commandeering more computing devices to vote for me), I will instead choose to focus on the positives. When you consider my sporadic frequency of posting, low quality of grammar and sentence structure, overtly biased methods of reporting and blatant stereotyping it’s a miracle that this blog managed to be named Canada`s Top Sports Blog to begin with. Hell number 4 in Canada is damn impressive given that kind of resume. It`s actually probably a sad reflection on society.

Anywho, I`d like to say that I will try harder in the coming year to improve things and work my way back to Number 1 but you and me both know that`s not really my style (hell Anywho isn`t even a real word). I`ll just keep doing my thing and assume that the awards and accolades will keep coming. Though this year and may start turning this blog into a French/Religious blog as those seem to categories with relatively little competition.

Friday Round-Up: The Good, The Bad And the Just Plain Weird

2012-01-20T21:29:00.000-06:00

It’s been a fairly steady week across the CFL and the stories have ranged from good news to bad news and from normal to downright weird.

The Good

- The release of Ryan Dinwiddie of course! (Yes I am still happy about that)

- The Riders signed OL Clint Oldenburg. He is an import tackle… I can only hope this will help spell the end of Dan Goodspeed. I would even settle for replacing our crappy, high paid import tackle for a crappy, low paid import tackle. Talent is just a bonus

- The Riders also signed DL Boo Robinson. He instantly becomes my new favourite Rider. For those of you who don’t know, Media Consultant’s last name is Robinson and I think Boo is the best name ver for a Robinson. I plan on spending the 2012 season yelling “BOOOOOOOOOO Robinson!” … Sometimes I may even do it at the football field.

The Bad

- Jerrell Freeman signing in Indy. We all knew this was coming but it still sucks to lose a player of his caliber. I actually think he has a good chance of sticking even if it’s just on a practice roster. So I guess if we were going to lose him, losing him to the NFL is easier to swallow. I wish him nothing but the best. Plus given how much Indy’s D sucks, you have to like his odds.

- Dylan Barker being forced to retire. His back is so messed up that he decided to retire rather than try in vain to force out another season or 2 (ala Jesse Lumsden). It’s a sad story because Barker had tons of talent but now will never get the chance to prove it on the field. At least Barker was smart enough to have a solid back-up plan outside of football.

The Weird

- Khalif Mitchell. Not sure if you managed to follow his story this off season but it almost boggles the mind. He was a free agent and worked out for a number of NFL teams this offseason. He so impressed the Miami Dolphins that they managed to come to a verbal agreement on a multi-year deal that reportedly included a $20,000 signing bonus and a total of $95,000 guaranteed (obviously with the potential to year tons more). So far things seem pretty good but this is where they start to turn. Mitchell managed to part ways with two separate agents and walk away from the Dolphins’ offer and then work out his own deal with the BC Lions of considerably less money. The whole thing shows about as much business sense as Kodak’s decision to not bother with the digital photography craze.

- Argos newly hired OC Jon Himebauch leaves the Argos just weeks after signing with them to accept a job at Wake Forest. I totally understand the concept of someone wanting the hell out of Toronto (the place where sports careers go to die) but generally they at least wait to get there before figuring out it sucks.

CFL Ins and Outs

Edmonton

In: LB Derek Domino, OL Mitch Erickson, DB Michael Ricks (free agent signing)

Out: WR Jason Armstead, DL Joe Sykes, DB Jykine Bradley, OL Chris Patrick (released)

By now this is becoming an annual event. Armstead gets cut prior to the season and will get re-signed midseason (most likely by Tillman… again). Now Armstead just needs to get into some kind of altercation with his girlfriend and the cycle will be complete.

Calgary

In: WR Chris Bauman, LB Jadon Wagner (free agent signing)

Hamilton

In: Casey Creehan (hired as DC)

Out: Dylan Barker (retired)

Montreal

In: OL Josh Bourke, WR Brandon London, DB Billy Parker, DB Marc-Olivier Brouillette (contract extension)

Out: DC Tim Tibesar (offered DC job at Purdue)

In: OL Angus Reid (returning for 1 more season), DL Khalif Mitchell (contract extension)

Out: DB Tad Kornegay (released)

Winnipeg

In: RB Chad Simpson (free agent signing)

Out: Casey Creehan (offered DC in Hamilton)

Ryan Dinwiddie Released

2012-01-18T20:15:00.000-06:00

On the heels of Sean Lucas retiring, the good news kept flowing from Riderville this week. The Riders announced today that they have released 2011's Most Insulted Sports Figure, Ryan Dinwiddie.

Many have been asking me if this news makes it the best offseason ever. The answer is no... following 2008 when we released Henri Childs and Michael Bishop and traded James Johnson was technically the best ever... but this is a close runner up.

My hatred of Dinwiddie was well documented from the day we stupidly decided to waste a roster spot on him. Rather than rehash the insults and jokes I made at his expense I will instead send off the longtime member of my hatred list with a pictorial tribute. Just because I'm such a nice guy.

So Dinwiddie and we will always have the memories.

The Soul Sucking Dinwiddie

The "I Really Let Myself Go" Dinwiddie

The "Oddly Prancing" Dinwiddie

The "At Least It Wasn't A Pick" Dinwiddie

The "Big Girls Don't Cry" Dinwiddie

And my last 2 personal favourites...

The "Patented Dinwiddie Pick Time" Dinwiddie

And The "I Single Handedly Made James Johnson A Star" Dinwiddie

Monday Morning Sentimonies: Random Quasi Coherent Thoughts

2012-01-16T22:17:00.000-06:00

You know the drill, quiet on the CFL news front so you’ll have to endure whatever random thoughts have popped into my head.

**Edit: Apparently Jerrell Freeman has signed with the Colts but I will save that for a later post**

- The only notable news on the Rider front is that Coach Chamblin will be meeting soon with Gene Makowsky to discuss whether Geno has one more season left in the tank. While I think Geno can still get it done, how sad of a statement would it be on the job of MLA if a guy who gets one day off a week between June and November is allowed to be one? Picture his answering machine:

“You have reached the office of Gene Makowsky I will be out of the office for the next 6 months. If your call is of an urgent nature please forward it to Murray McCormick and he will be sure to ask me about it during the next media scrum.”

- It’s likely we will have a brand new starting LB group next season. You’d have to think at this point Kye Stewart, Chris Graham and James Patrick are penciled in as the guys to beat, with Mo Lloyd being a wildcard.

- Word is the Blue Bombers are trying to low ball Buck Pierce with an offer of $150,000 base that could reach $300,000 with incentives. Pierce obvious wants more base salary after leading the Bombers to the Grey Cup (his words not mine, as I think the Bombers made the Cup in spite of Pierce not because of him). Problem is, he is in an extremely bad bargaining position in that no other team is looking for a starter. Montreal, Hamilton and Toronto are set with their vets. Riders, Stamps and Lions are committed to their current guys. That leaves only Edmonton and Tillman wouldn’t pay big money for any import, let alone one with a track record of fragility that would put the average retirement home occupant to shame.

- Thank god the 49ers/Saints game this weekend was so good because the rest of the games weren’t that exciting.

- The Broncos showed up to a gun fight with Tom Brady armed only with a Nerf gun that was missing all but 2 darts.

- How much of a dick move was Brady punting on 3rd down? That said I love their "If you don't like it, stop us" attitude

Friday Round-Up: Sean Lucas Retires!

2012-01-13T17:33:00.000-06:00

I’m sure it will surprise none of you to know that I was a very happy man yesterday when I found out that Sean Lucas had retired. Alleluia!! I had been hoping and praying that we would cut his overpaid and underperforming ass but really expected us to have to endure him for another season. For him to walk away of his own choosing is a better situation than I think anyone could have hoped for. I will admit though I’m still very surprised he retired. Cripes the guy isn’t even 30. Word is he is pursuing business interests in wine.

My memories of Sean Lucas will always be fairly bi-polar. On one end I will remember the good: his play down the stretch in ’07 was huge, in 2008 he was legitimately the most underappreciated LB in the league (there was a reason that out of him Anton McKenzie and Mo Lloyd he was out main priority for retention) and in 2009 he was named an all-star and deservedly so.

Unfortunately I will also remember the bad… which covers most of the last 2 seasons. I’m not sure if it was injuries, something mental, a hangover from the Grey Cup debacle, or just hitting the wall in terms of a football career but Lucas tanked big time in 2010. He went from the most underrated LB to the most overrated in the blink of an eye. He was inexplicably rewarded for this craptastic performance with a contract extension and a hefty 6 figure contract. I don’t fault Lucas for this since I don’t blame him for accepting this ridiculously stupid offer (the person who made the offer is the guilty party there). But 2011 was another bad year, he got benched… and those times when he was on the field, he was so far behind the guy he was covering that he might as well have been on the bench.

Sean Lucas’s career as a Rider was truly the best of times and the worst of times. I respect what he did for this team but I am extremely happy to see him go. I may have done a celebratory jig.

Now all I need is Dinwiddie to depart and my offseason will be complete… fingers crossed.

Crazy to think that if Freeman jumps to the NFL we will have an entirely new LB group next season. That said since Freeman was the only useful LB out of the trio last year, maybe that’s not a bad thing.

In other Rider news we re-signed Brent Hawkins. I’m a bit leery on this one but I think this time around we might be doing this right. Last year we assumed Hawkins would be a starting DE and came up with absolutely no back-up plan (other than Montez freakin’ Murphy!)… which for a guy whose shoulders are on par with Matt Dominguez’s needs is a terrible plan. This year (I hope) we aren’t assuming he will play and if he does it’s a bonus… a big bonus. The guy can be an impact player when healthy but that’s kinda like saying Michael Jackson was great with kids when he wasn’t inappropriately touching them. I don’t mind the idea of brining him into to camp and if he can make it then great. But let me go on record as saying I don’t see Hawkins playing more than 8 games this season.

We also cut John Eubanks, Terrence Nunn and Remond Willis. Eubanks was awful, Willis was mediocre a best (shocking that a Bomber cast off didn’t turn into an all-star) and Nunn well the guy was an epic disappointment. He couldn’t catch, he tripped over his feet and he couldn’t run the right routes… other than that though he was pretty good. No worries though there will soon be a new crop of veteran free agents to overspend on and other teams cuts to sign up to fill this void… don’t worry folks Taman has a plan.

NFL Watch

Jerell Freeman – Worked out with Indianapolis

Justin Hickman – Worked out with Indianapolis

Jovan Olafioye – Workouts with Washington, New Orleans and Cincinnati. That marks 12 teams this guy has tried out for. I wonder if he will complete the circuit. Maybe he is just in it for the frequent flyer miles

Jovon Johnson – Worked out with Cincinnati

CFL Ins and Outs

Edmonton

In: LB Simoni Lawrence, WR Derrick Townsel (free agent signing)

Out: OL Patrick Kabongo, WR Chris Bauman, DB Wopamo Osaisai, WR Jason Barnes (released)

Toronto

In: WR Julian Feoli-Guidino (2011 Draft Pick Signing), WR Andrew Strickland (free agent signing)

Monday Morning Sentimonies: Random Quasi Coherent Thoughts

2012-01-09T17:24:00.003-06:00

By now you’d think I would have learned. There was an over abundance of news last week and I decided to cram it all into one big post on Friday. Then of course there was next to no news over the weekend leaving me with nothing to write about today (not that lack of real content has ever stopped me from posting in the past). So you’ll have to settle for Random Quasi Coherent Thoughts. I swear I’m working on some filler stuff to ensure this doesn’t become a regular occurrence… just be advised that “working on” is not the same thing as “completed” or “will be posted”.

- First and foremost, you are almost out of time to vote for me for Best Sports Blog in the Canadian Blog Awards. If you haven’t already done so please cast your vote. If you have done so, please commandeer another computer and vote again.

http://polldaddy.com/poll/5787380/

- The only notable occurrence across the CFL was the Ti-Cats announcing they had hired George Cortez to be there new head coach. Given how long the Ti-Cats waited to name a coach, all signs pointed to Cortez being their guy. He didn’t come cheap though: a four year deal, making him one of the highest paid HC’s and given him control in the form of Director of Football Ops. All this for a man who has never been a head coach before. I admit that Cortez is a solid choice as head coach but this is a very risky move by the Ti-Cats to make this heavy of a commitment to him.

- Note that the Ti-Cats did the right thing by firing Marcel Bellefeuille in order to place Cortez in a prominent role… by contrast when Cortez was on the Riders’ coaching staff we kept him subjugated under Bellefeuille as an O-line coach.

- Now Cortez will be re-united with Henry Burris and the Ti-Cats hope that they can rekindle to the success they had together in ’08 with the Stamps. Problem with that thinking is that unlike Calgary in ’08, Hamilton does not have a trio of all-star caliber receivers, one of the best defensive coordinators in the league, a talented secondary or a younger (not in the declining stages of his career) Burris. Other than that it’s pretty much the same.

- Add Tampa Bay to the list of teams that have auditioned Jerrell Freeman. By this point I think we can safely assume that if Freeman does end up returning to the Riders it won’t be until September.

- This hatred of Andy Fantuz for not signing with us already is getting a bit ridiculous. He hasn’t left the team yet. He is just misguidedly exploring NFL options that don’t really exist and waiting until free agency opens to see what other teams will offer. If we have the best offer, he’ll be back. Its just business. Please save your hatred and pitchforks until he actually signs somewhere else. Right now I put the odds of him returning to the Riders at 65%.

- Jim Popp is among the candidates being considered for the vacant GM job with the Indianapolis Colts. Popp is being considered mainly because he is among the most qualified when it comes to running teams that are completely dependant on an ageing, future hall of famer QB with absolutely no back-up plan.

- Kudos to Tim Tebow for proving that in a head to head match-up the god fearing Christian boy will prevail over the sinful suspected rapist.

- Dear Pittsburg Steelers. Those rare times Tebow throws he only ever throws to Demaryius Thomas… you’d think the supposed best defense in the NFL would be able to figure out that they should probably cover him.

- It’s funny watching elite NFL pass rushers struggle with playing contain on a mobile QB. It’s pretty much a defensive fundamental up here but in the NFL where QBs are schooled to stay in the pocket it’s like a foreign concept at times.

- The English speaking Habs coach opens a post-game press conference with a sentence in French in the same week as the Habs go on a 2 game winning streak. Coincidence? I think not. If he starts wearing a beret and carrying around a baguette and a bottle of red wine, a deep playoff run is sure to follow.

- Has anyone even noticed that the NBA has started again?

- How long before there are so many college bowls that they just become a weekly, year-round occurrence?

Friday Round-Up

2012-01-06T18:31:00.002-06:00

Well the flurry of CFL activity this week has certainly caught me off guard. Normally CFL news is slower than a retarded turtle until February but this year there has been a steady barrage of big news pretty much since the season ended. The CFL enthusiast in me is thrilled since this will help make the offseason not seem so excruciatingly long. However, the blogger is wishing things would slow down. It’s to the point where I would have to do a daily blog just to keep current. And as you know I already struggle with posting blogs twice a week.

As a result of all this news, this is going to be a super long post. So if you want to take a break half way through and go have a nap or snack or something, be my guest. But since I know most of you will have short attention spans like me and are not likely to read this entire thing, I have placed a secret phrase in the last part of this post. Those who find the secret phrase can email to claim a prize. (I can see some of you already scrolling down to the end… that’s cheating).

The biggest news of the week was the unveiling of our coaching staff. I’ll admit I was a bit leery with Chamblin’s ability to recruit a solid staff when he started out by having Jason Maas poached on him but Chamblin has delivered in a big way with what I consider to be a very quality coaching staff. Here are my thoughts on who we got:

Bob Dyce (OC) – Dyce gets promoted from receivers coach. I don’t know much about him but am willing to see what he can do.

Kris Sweet (OL Coach) – Biggest addition to our staff in my opinion. He has done wonders with the Calgary OL when you consider how many different players and young players he has started over the past couple of year. Really excited about Sweet!

Khari Jones (QB Coach) – It’s wonderful to finally have an actual former QB to coach our current ones. Its something we have been severely lacking since ’07. Jones was in contention for OC (which I don’t think he’s god enough for yet) but I think QB coach is a perfect fit for him. I do find it ironic that after both he and Chamblin had a bad season in Hamilton as coordinators, one gets prompted while the other gets demoted.

Jason Tucker (WR Coach) – This one came out of nowhere. He was a great receiver, not sure about his ability to coach but it is nice to infuse some young new blood into the team. I do have to admit though, anyone that Danny Maciocia thinks was a good coach makes me very sceptical.

Richie Hall (DC) – Don’t particularly like this but I figured it was coming so I’ll live with it. Now sure how the supremely “bend but don’t break” philosophy of Hall will jive with a super aggressive defensive minded Head Coach but maybe it will yield positive results. My biggest knock against Richie is his refusal to make adjustments. His defense has worked for the past decade and darnit it will keep working to infinity…. Much like the shotgun handoff to Cates up the middle.

Barron Miles (DB Coach) – Next to Sweet, this is the 2^nd most exciting addition. Miles was THE premiere safety in the CFL so to have him work with a young Butler and the rest of our secondary should yield great results.

Alex Smith (LB Coach) – If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. Smith has brought us George White, Reggie Hunt, Anton McKenzie, Mo Lloyd, Rey Williams, Sean Lucas (back before he sucked), Jerrell Freeman, and Kye Stewart. No reason not to let him keep doing his thing.

Mike Walker (DL Coach) – We currently don’t have much on the DL worth coaching so I’m a solid meh on this one

Craig Dickenson (ST Coach) – Perhaps the best news of the offseason. We have endured countless years of inept Special Teams but last year Dickenson made this unit not just respectable but actually really good. Better things will surely come in his second season.

The thing that makes me the happiest about this staff is that its not filled with failed former head coaches (except for Hall) which has been the norm for the past couple years and we all know how that turned out. We have some fresh faces, some fresh ideas and will no longer be required to shut things down at 3 o’clock for nap time. This staff has got me excited for 2012… now we just need some talent for them to coach.

The other big news this week in the CFL was the Henry Burris trade. It was a forgone conclusion that Burris was done in Calgary and ever since Toronto nabbed Ray, Hamilton pretty much became the default destination. The fact that a trade was made versus the Stamps just cutting him surprised me. I’d say the Stamps got a hell of a deal here. For a guy they had no use for and a $430K price tag they got a lower paid veteran back-up for Tate, a Canadian OL and a conditional pick. That’s outstanding! Rumor is the pick is conditional on the total number of Burris’ interceptions, embarrassing photos and fist pumps to God in Hamilton this season being less than 50. Calgary should feel pretty safe with those odds.

NFL Watch 2012

Khalif Mithcell – Signed with Miami (also worked out with Philly and Minnesota)

Marcus Thigpen – Signed with Miami (also worked out with Jacksonville)

Andy Fantuz – Tryout with Jacksonville

Jerrell Freeman – Tryouts with Jacksonville, Pittsburg and NY Jets (Pittsburg signed an older, less talented Rey Williams 2 years ago so it wouldn’t surprise me to see them sign Freeman)

Jovan Olafioye – Tryouts with Miami, NY Giants, Cleveland, Minnesota, Pittsburg, NY Jets, Indy, Carolina and St Louis (its not a matter of if but when this guy signs an NFL deal)

Solomon Elimimian – Tryouts in Jacksonville, St Louis, Seattle, Carolina, NY Jets and Minnesota

Jovon Johnson – Tryout with Jacksonville

Jermaine McElveen – Tryout with Jacksonville

Justin Hickman – Tryout with Jacksonville

CFL Ins and Outs

Saskatchewan

In: DB Nick Graham (contract extension)

Big Poppa Pump Fake is back for another year. Actually, I’m willing to give him another chance. He was good in 2010 and had his struggles in 2011… but if we cut everyone who had struggles in 2011 we wouldn’t have enough guys left to play a game of ping pong.

Toronto

In: RB Jeff Johnson, RB Andre Durie, WR Mike Bradwell, OL Chris Van Zeyl, DB Matt Black, LB Jordan Younger (contract extensions)

In: RB Andrew Harris (contract extension), Rich Stubler (named DC)

Out: DL Khalif Michtell (signed with Miami)

Calgary

In: QB Drew Tate (contract extension), QB Kevin Glenn, OL Mark Dewitt (trade with Ham)

Out: QB Henry Burris (traded to Ham)

Edmonton

In: RB Calvin McCarty, QB Kerry Joseph, OL Kyle Koch, DL Etienne Legare (contract extension)

Out: Rich Stubler (signed in BC)

Hamilton

In: QB Henry Burris (trade with Calgary)

Out: RB Marcus Thigpen (signed Miami), QB Kevin Glenn, OL Mark Dewitt (trade with Calgary)

Winnipeg

In: LS Chris Cvetovic (contract extensions)

Need Your Vote

2012-01-02T15:37:00.000-06:00

I have made it to the final round of voting for the Best Canadian Sports Blog of the Year. Its down to the final 5 and voting ends January 20th. Please be sure to cast your vote

http://polldaddy.com/poll/5787380/

Monday Morning Sentimonies: Welcome to 2012

2012-01-02T15:33:00.002-06:00

Well a new year is upon us. Hopefully you welcomed it in style... well since you are reading this blog, I’m going to go ahead and assume style may not be your primary concern but hopefully you had fun welcoming the new year. Man in the Bush welcomed the New Year with a ridiculously long game of paper airplanes, while Media Consultant was contemplating murdering a cat (I wish I was making this stuff up).

At this time of year it’s customary to reflect on the previous year and make resolutions. From a personal stand point 2011 was a great year. I found a woman who was willing to put up with me for the rest of her life and convinced her to marry me without needing to resort to a shotgun or potato sack. Me and Mrs Prophet also found out that we will be welcoming a little Prophet Junior to family this spring.

From a sporting standpoint however, 2011 was nothing short of abysmal. The Riders were a gong show both on and off the field. My Vikings were a train wreck and their best player blew out his knee at the end of the season. My Habs are circling the drain as well (though that is entirely due to the fact that we hired an Anglo coach... the more letters with accents in a coaches name, the better qualified they are as a hockey coach, everyone knows that).

By the way, I’m well aware of the fact that I have terrible judgement when it comes to sporting allegiances. If there are any MLB or NBA franchises you want to see tank let me know and I will make them my team and they will surely be headed for the crapper.

The only good news is that by default 2012 is pretty much guaranteed to be better. It’s not like it can get worse? Can it? My liver can’t take things getting worse!

Anywho here’s hoping that 2012 is prosperous one for you, for me and most importantly for the Riders.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T09:48:00.000-06:00

From all of us here at Rider Prophet Media, Man in the Bush, Mrs. Prophet, Media Consultant, PR guy and me, Merry Christmas to everyone.

I'm off on a few days of quasi-deserved vacation but will be back in a few days.

Luca Congi Released

2011-12-23T08:00:00.001-06:00

Tuesday the tenure of a beloved Rider came to an end. We all saw this coming a mile away and for the most part can’t disagree with the decision but it still is a sad day. Luca Congi has been released. Mrs. Prophet is particularly distraught as she would no doubt leave me for Congi if the opportunity presented. The stay of 2 other Riders also came to an end but they were less beloved and they are not being mourned (more on them in a bit).

Luca Congi was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2006 CFL draft by then GM Roy Shivers. We needed to replace Paul McCallum for reason I won’t bother rehashing. Shiv no doubt wanted a black kicker (of which there are very few) but had to settle on an Italian one (of which there is an abundance). Congi made an immediate impression in his rookie season establishing himself as a reliable kicker. He put together a string of consecutive FGs that came close to tying Dave Ridgeway’s record. He won a Grey Cup with us in 2007. It wasn’t all roses and sunshine since Congi was not a very good punter or kickoff guy but Rider Nation came to adore this loveable Italian. I’ll never get why he was so bad at kickoffs. Punting, I get, it’s a completely different motion. But FGs and kickoffs are pretty similar and Congi was just awful at kickoffs.

It all came crashing down when someone came unblocked off the edge on a kick attempt and obliterated Congi’s knee. Sadly that would be that time he’d done a Rider jersey. The belief that “you do not lose your spot do to injury” is pure crap. While Congi was hurt we drafted another kicker. Turned out he could do all 3 kicking jobs well and came at a fraction of Congi’s $100,000 price tag. Younger, cheaper, better… the decision was so easy that not even Taman could botch it. So while I’m sad from a human side of things, I’m in full agreement from a football side of things.

So long, Luca and best of luck. My only regret is that you never grew that daigo moustache I wanted you too. Just think what could have been…

As for the less beloved Riders that were released George Hudson (who I sure most of you forgot was even on this team) and Tamon George. Hudson was and old vet OL who was brought in as a back-up OL/emergency centre in case Parenteau sucked (well Parenteau actually did suck so the fact that Hudson never got to play should tell you something). With Neufeld, Kraunsick-Groh and Hutchins waiting in the wings we just had no use for … or even less use for him since we never really used him.

As for Tamon, he just never panned out. When he was drafted he was considered the top cover guy in the CIS. In retrospect that may have been more a reflection on the quality of CIS DBs than on George’s talent. He had plenty of chances to prove himself what with Donovan Alexander being shipped out and Leron Mitchell always being hurt… but never showed he had what it takes to compete at this level. He

It’s a good thing that Keith Shologan turned out to be good because otherwise Eric Tillman’s draft record while he was with the Riders would be abysmal. Now I like ET but outside of Shologan he drafted the following “superstars”: David McKoy, Yannick Carter, Ryan Ackerman, Reggie Bradshaw, Jonathan St. Pierre, Mike Stadnyk, Teal Orban, Jean-Francois Morin-Roberge, and Nick Hutchins.

Yannick is the only one to accomplish anything out of that group. Its actually amazing Tillman was able to build such strong Canadian content in spite of his god awful drafting. He was way better at trading for Canadians and signing undrafted ones than actually drafting people.

Speaking of Tillman my early prediction is that both Congi and George end up in Edmonton for a tryout at training camp.

The Riders also signed Saskatchewan punter Chris Bodnar… as far as I know he is neither Italian, has a moustache nor has a lat name I can turn into a hilarious Seinfeld reference… therefore I am indifferent towards this signing.

CFL Ins and Outs

Winnipeg
In: DB Ian Logan (contract extension), OL Brendan Dunn (draft pick signing)

Hamilton
In: DB Ryan Hinds (contract extension)

Monday Morning Sentimonies: The Offseason is Upon Us

2011-12-20T07:58:00.000-06:00

It’s a week before Christmas and the Riders have already named a head coach… the likely means there will be as much Rider news over the next couple of weeks as there will news on the Easter Bunny. Those of you who have been with the blog for a while now will be used to what happens this time of the year. I either attempt to turn the few minor snippets of CFL news into a loosely coherent post… or I just make up filler posts that are only loosely based on football.

Today I will opt for the former since there are actually a few tidbits of CFL News floating around out there. After that I can’t make any promises. There will likely some Christmas based filler post to close out the week. I will then take a not-so deserved break over Christmas and be back in the New Year… likely with more filler of varying quality and coherency. I figure if I set expectations low, my readers are less likely to be disappointed. Under-promise and over-deliver (or at least deliver on par), that’s what I always say.

One of the bigger stories is the Fantuz drama. There are reports (albeit from less than reputable sources) that the Riders have made an offer to Fantuz for a 3 year deal that would make him the highest paid non-QB in the league. This deal has not been accepted by Fantuz and his agent. This of course has sent Rider Nation into hissy fit of whiny little girl proportions. People are freaking out that he is for sure leaving us now, they are calling him all sorts of names… I’m sure a few are even plotting a Tonya Harding-style hit on the guy.

Sad as it may be, I yet again have to be the calm voice of reason here (you people should all be ashamed). Calm down people! For one, yes that seems like a ridiculously large amount of money if it’s true. Fantuz is awesome but to pay him more than a Geroy Simon (who I believe is currently the highest paid WR and a future hall of famer) or a Josh Bourke (an elite Canadian tackle) seems a bit crazy… but this is Taman we are talking about. He paid Dorsey and Sean Lucas 6 figures a piece so the fact that he is offering crazy money to someone with talent is at least a positive.

As for the people assuming Fantuz is a greedy bastard who will be bolting the first chance he gets… firstly yes he is greedy. I don’t blame him, its just plain smart business to maximize your value in the workplace. Secondly, all this means is Fantuz won’t sign any deal until free agency. He wants to see what else he can get. Again, I don’t blame him for doing that. He’s a worker in a career with a limited length, not a charity case. If our offer is competitive he’ll stay. There is a risk we lose him which would suck… but I say if someone is willing to pay him more than we are then power to them. They can take that cap hit and Taman can put the money towards other ridiculous contracts… I mean Wes Cates needs a new deal and he’s like our MVP :) Four More Years! Four More Years!

I for one won’t get caught up in this drama. If he stays great, if he rejects our crazy offer and bolt for an even crazier offer then so be it.

NFL Watch

Khalif Mitchell – has a workout with Miami

Marcus Thigpen – has a workout with Miami

Jovan Olafioye – has a workout with Miami, Minnesota, Cleveland, Pittsburg and the NY Jets.

CFL Ins and Outs

Edmonton

In: OL Greg Wojt, K Derek Shiavone (contract extension)

Toronto

In: LB Gregory Alexander (2011 Draft Pick signing), DL Jonathan Pierre Etienne (free agent signing)

Riders Hire Corey Chamblin

2011-12-16T17:36:00.000-06:00

Well it may be a year later but Brendan Taman finally has his man. Yesterday he formally introduced Corey Chamblin as the new head coach of the Roughriders. Of course Taman wanted Chamblin last year but got vetoed in favour of Marshall… marking the first documented case of Taman being able to say I told you so.

I’ll admit that I was a bit disappointed with our choice. I don’t think Chamblin was a bad hire I just don’t think he was the best candidate available. I would have loved to have seen us go with the Dickenson tandem (I had so many jokes in the works based on the first four letters of their last name). I realize that Dave is fairly green in terms of coaching experience but we really could have used a young bright offensive mind and I think the presence of Craig as assistant HC would have helped him grow into the role. In passing on Dave we also risk losing Craig… he might still stick around but there is a big risk of losing him which would be a huge loss. We’ve been trying for years to find a competent Special Teams Coordinator who could make our return and cover games not suck and we finally, finally found our guy and now he may leave.

Anywho, Chamblin is our coach and that is that. I’m willing to give the guy a shot. Unlike our previous coach I don’t already hate him so we are starting from a fairly neutral point. Chamblin’s stock as a coach was skyrocketing until last season when his defense sucked in his first year as a coordinator. Doesn’t exactly instill confidence in him. I’m willing to cut Chamblin a bit of slack on last year. I think his major flaw there was his schemes didn’t fit the talent he had. He loves the aggressive, bump and run, man to man style of play in the secondary. It’s a high risk high reward scenario. Problem was he tried to run that on a team that had slim pickings in terms of talent in the secondary. They only had one good DB following 2010 and he bolted to Calgary in free agency. So I don’t necessarily think his schemes were bad he just didn’t have the talent to pull it off. Now of course he probably should have adapted his schemes to his talent and hopefully that taught him a lesson. As I said, I have some concerns but I’m willing to see what he can do. It is somewhat refreshing to a have a coach that won’t require an afternoon nap. Hell Chamblin so young, some of the O-linemen will be able to call him junior.

I do need to address these comparisons to Mike Tomlin. Tomlin likes the guy and speaks highly of him which is great. But people seem to assume that just because Chamblin is young, black and has a goatee he will be CFL’s version of Tomlin. That’s quite frankly ridiculous. You know who else is young, black and has a goatee? James Johnson… so by that logic we should hire him since he will be an awesome coach. Or maybe we should just encourage Will Smith to apply… personally I’d be okay with that as long as he brought DJ Jazy Jeff with him.

Now that Chamblin is our guy, I will be closely watching who he hires as his assistants… particularly on offense where he will need a strong guy since that isn’t his area of expertise… plus our offense was beyond abysmal last year. There are rumblings that Jason Maas could join our staff as a QB Coach. I don’t mind that idea… the only things that ever bothered me about him were his ears and the odd man-crush thing him and Maciocia had going on. So far there have been no indications on an OC (though names like Worman, Dyce and Khari Jones have been floated). This is purely speculation but I know there is a former CFL OC who has a couple Grey Cup rings and would do anything to be on the same staff as Maas… his name rhymes with Cantcoachya. Hell he’d likely do it for free just to be around Maas.

On the defensive side I have heard speculation that Richie Hall will be retained. That quite frankly blows my mind. Chamblin and Hall’s defensive philosophies are about as similar as Tim Tebow and a Satanist’s religious beliefs. I have no clue how they would coexist. Seems problematic to me. I just hope we retain Alex Smith as LB coach and ideally Craig Dickenson… though Smith is probably the safer bet to return unless he retires.

The good news is it would be darn near impossible to do worse than last year. So best of luck Coach Chamblin.

Ricky Ray Traded To Toronto

2011-12-13T17:42:00.000-06:00

Well the 2011 offseason certainly got kicked into high gear when the Esks and Argos swung a huge trade sending Ricky Ray to Toronto in exchange for Steven Jyles, Grant Shaw and the 2^nd overall pick in the 2012 draft. Boom!

Since news of the trade broke I have heard many different explanations floated around from “The Argos fleeced Edmonton” to “Tillman is the worst GM ever” to “There is a league wide conspiracy to prop up Toronto” to “Maybe Tillman was on pain killers again” (too soon?) On the surface it would certainly seem like a resounding victory for the Argos.

It would seem that David Braley has finally decided to get serious about the Argos not sucking anymore. Most likely because he wants to sell the team and once the Grey Cup in Toronto is over their value will be intricately linked to their suck-factor… much like the prostitution industry (you know, so I’m told). You got to commend him on how he has done so far… I mean he went from Jim Barker, Chip Garber and Steven Jyles to Scott Milanovich, Chris Jones and Ricky Ray and all it cost him was $5000, a mediocre at best kicker, a high draft pick and 6 year vet QB who has yet to prove anything. I guess there is a reason why Braley is such a successful business person. Hell if that’s the kind of return he can get, I should see if he’ll manage my money.

As for the Esks, Ricky Ray just learned the hard way, the downside of being an American over the age of 30 working for Eric Tillman. ET wont pay old imports big money regardless of their credentials (just ask Kerry Joseph). The irony here is that it was public knowledge that as soon as ET took over in Edmonton he would offer Ray the Kerry Joseph Special (take a pay cut or you are going to Toronto)… well Ray opted for the pay cut and Tillman still sent him East. Poor Ricky. So now instead of paying Ray $325,000, Tillman gets Jyles who has already had $75K of his meager contract paid by the Argos... he’s got money to burn. And remember, Tillman only pays big for Canadians… keep an eye on that.

Do I think this move improves the Argos? Absolutely. In the matter of 2 weeks the Argos have improved by leaps and bounds. Do I think this is the final piece of the puzzle? Lord no! Their receivers are still garbage so unless they upgrade there they are really just paying someone a lot more money to hand the ball to Boyd.

That said there is no guarantee that Ray will be good as an Argo. Toronto tends to be where QB careers go to die… just ask Kerry Joseph, Cleo Lemon, Eric Crouch, Cody Pickett, Kerwin Bell, Michael Bishop, Mike McMahon, Reggie Slack, Rocky Butler, and Spergeon Wynn.

Or ask: Charlie Peterson, Dalton Bell, Danny Brannagan, Darnell Kennedy, David Rivers, Jack Hawley, Jay Barker, Jim Ballard, Jon Neilson, Jimmy Kemp, Kevin Scott, Marcus, Brady, Nealon Greene, OT Sampson, Reggie McNeal, Romaro Miller, Scott Krause, Stanley Jackson, Steven Reaves, BJ Hall and Steven Jyles… who are all the other QBs auditioned by the Argos since Doug Flutie left town. Damon Allen is the only exception to the rule as he did actually enjoy some success. So the odds are definitely not in Ray’s favour.

CFL Ins and Outs

Saskatchewan

In: DB Graig Newman, WR Kolton Solomon (Junior signings)

Out: K Eddie Johnson, DL RJ Roberts, LB Jeremiah Weatherspoon (released)

While we all saw this coming a mile away I think we should all pause and silently comb our mustaches in honour of Eddie Johnson. Someone should check on Craigslist and see if he is looking for work again.

Montreal

In: Carson Walch (hired as receivers coach)

Calgary

In: Jon Cornish (contract extension)

Out: DeVon Claybrooks (retired)

Edmonton

In: DL Steven Friday (free agent signing)

Too bad Friday wasn’t good enough to make the NFL, I would have loved to him go head to head with Jeff Saturday. You know see which day is superior.

Monday Morning Sentimonies: Tracking The Coaching Carousel

2011-12-11T22:42:00.000-06:00

I should start off today by explaining the post on Thursday. I realize by now you are probably used to my offseason posts being only loosely toed to football, but that one was a stretch even for me. Truth is I didn’t write it (the lack of spelling errors and overall coherency was likely a telling sign). I’ve got bills to pay and when a quality business (or less reputable one for that matter) shows an interest in putting their message on my blog, I am more than happy to oblige. So if there are any businesses out there who would like to do the same, drop me a line. From mail order brides to “natural” male enhancement, I welcome all. Hell for $10 I’ll let you devote an entire post to insulting one of your enemies… or friends.

But now I should make an attempt to get back to football related matters. The Riders’ search for a new head coach continues. Evidently the first rounds of interviews are wrapped up and a short list should be developed. Reports on front runners range from Dickenson to Chamblain to other Dickenson. The of course there is this whole Kent Austin business. Basically Kent wants free reign, a blank cheque, our first born and nightly massages from imported Japanese masseuses (okay that last one may just be on my Christmas list). Is he worth it? Probably. Could we do it? Yes. Should we do it? Probably not. To pay him more than double any head coach in the league not a wise move. Don’t get me wrong he’s a phenomenal coach but unless he can guarantee us non-stop Grey Cups until the next big opportunity comes along and he jets it’s just too much. Still would be nice to get Austin back here.

In no particular order, here are my thoughts on the remaining candidates (you know the one with realistic demands):

Mike O’Shea – Maybe someday but he’s just way too inexperienced.

Corey Chamblain – Taman loves him… which instinctively causes me concern. If he gets hired it spells the end of Hall.

Mike Benvides – Only a matter of time before he’s named HC in BC… likely while wearing his DC’s, and typing on his PC and the MC will be KC and the Sunshine Band.

Craig Dickenson – Wouldn’t mind if it was him. He has experience in the CFL and the NFL, seems to succeed wherever he goes.

Richie Hall – For the love of god no!!!

Dave Dickenson – He’s now who I want. We could really use a bright young offensive minded coach. Figure we can get him and his brother which has the makings of a good staff.

Tim Burke – I have no reason not to like him but the success of Stubler/Hall/Marshall as HC’s makes me leery of defensive coordinators. As the only coach with Winnipeg ties, he likely tops Taman’s list

Here’s what going with other teams:

BC – Buono has finally stepped down as coach and will likely install Benvides as his replacement. Squinting and onfield appearances to drop off dramatically.

Calgary – Already had Chris Jones poached from them for the low price of $5000. They have interviewed Greg Marshall as potential replacement. Talk about an epic drop in caliber of coaches. They have also interview Esks assistant Rick Campbell.

Winnipeg – Fired OC Jamie Baressi, have interviewed Riders Bob Dyce as a potential replacement.

Toronto – Made Scott Milanovich as the top guy, with Chris Jones as DC and for Als OL Coach John Himebauch as OC. If there was a record most dramatic increase in quality of coaching staff the Argos would have just shattered it.

Montreal – Named Marcus Brady as their new OC to replace Milanovich… giving further credence to the adage “those who can’t, teach”
Hamilton – Finally came to their senses and fired Bellefeuille. They are in a race with us for the services of Dave Dickenson and Kent Austin.

Last thing to talk about today is the return of Mo Lloyd to Riderville. I’ll admit I was somewhat skeptical when I heard this since we have no clue whether we are getting 2008 Mo Lloyd who was awesome or 2010 Mo Lloyd who was awful. Then I heard we are only paying him $50,000 and at that price you can’t go wrong. If he’s still crap, we cut him, no big loss. If he’s good again, it’s a steal.

Another way to look at this move is: We are currently paying Sean Lucas over $100K … all Mo Lloyd has to do is be half as useful as Lucas and he will be earning his keep. Mo Lloyd can fail to cover opposing receivers just well as Lucas can.

Football and Poker – More in Common than Meets the Eye

2011-12-08T22:02:00.001-06:00

Don’t be fooled by the striking differences between these 2 popular games – both require the same mental state to become winners.

It may at first seem like an odd comparison, but the skills and dedication needed for poker and American football are remarkably similar. Yes, one involves a lot of physical strength whilst the other requires the player to sit for long periods of time using just mental strength with barely the need to move, but the contrast ends there.

When engaging in poker, one needs to be, above all, focused on the task at hand. Similarly, with football, the game is the only thing on your mind. Strategy is a huge key to poker and a valued football skill. There are loads of poker strategies that players employ to gain the upper hand within a poker game just like a football team would never think about heading onto the field without having first devised some kind of strategy together with their coaches. Whether you are out in the field scoring touchdowns or poker-facing your opponents, you will always have the same thought in your mind: this is a competition, and the best player wins.

Both poker players and football players must learn to understand the opposition, empathise with them, teach themselves to understand the decision of an opponent and why that decision was made in order to anticipate and overthrow them. While a football player is doing drills, working out and practising their throws, a poker player is learning, adapting their mind and working on manipulation games to outwit their competition. Either way, motivation is what drives both football and poker players, and this is yet another similarity.

Mind-set, strategy and mental concentration aren’t the only similarity poker and football share. Both have strong roots dating way back in history, with the first professional American football teams being traced back to 1892 after a football game between the U.S.’s Harvard and Canada’s McGill University sparked its popularity 20 years earlier. The earliest known poker games were reported in 1829 in New Orleans. Perhaps the closeness in age is the reason that the development of the mental aspects of these two games is so similar, who knows. But there are definite comparisons to be made about the mental states of players involved in both of these extremely popular games throughout North America.

To read more about Poker, you are welcomed to visit WWW.POKER.CA - the great website about Canadian online poker.

Fifth Annual Rider Prophet Awards

2011-12-05T22:01:00.000-06:00

Its time to present the 5^th Annual Rider Prophet Awards. We were planning a big red carpet gala complete with star performances, celebrity presenters and extravagant gifts... but unfortunately the Rider Prophet’s accountant (who has since been fired) recommended I invest heavily in Greece, so the best we can do the best is a dirt path shindig complete with Man in the Bush doing his interpretive dance routine, random hobo presenters we pay in sandwich crusts and each award winner will receive one of the Rider Prophet’s Christmas credit cards bills to pay on my behalf.

Best Player Name

It took until the playoffs for this winner to come forward. I was casually watching the East Semi when I noticed this white guy with ridiculously large dreads...

That in and of itself was pretty awesome but it got even better when I found out his name was Bear Woods. That was good enough to lock up the award for him.

Previous winners: Solomon Elimimian, Craphonso Thorpe. Charleston Hughes, Chijioke Onyenegecha,

Quote of the Year

This year marks the first year that this award will not go to a Roughrider. Eddie Johnson got muzzled fairly early which left this category wide open. Fortunately this happened. Which led directly to this year’s quote of the year by the one and only Henry Burris:

“If I don’t make the throws, I get mad at myself. If I do it to the sky, that means I’m doing it to the man upstairs? I threw a bad ball. I’m mad. I fist-pumped. I do it all the time — good and bad.”

He then went out and threw an INT. Comedy writers couldn’t come up with something that awesome.

Previous Winner: Eddie Johnson, Jason Clermont, Mike Abou-Mechrek x 2

Play of the Year

The train wreck that was the Rider season provided plenty of candidates for this category but the one that really stands out for me was actually a series of events in a game versus the Eskimos where Ryan Dinwiddie started. That led to this outstanding display...

But the awesomeness didn’t stop there. On the very next series, Dinwiddie, in an attempt to kiss and make up for this little fight, tried to force a pass to Baker into triple coverage and got picked off.

Honourable mention to Richardson throwing Calvillo’s passing record ball into the stands

Botched Call of the Year

I have been doing this award for 5 years now and there have been many truly awful calls but this year’s winner set itself apart from all other winners because it actually resulted in a ref being fired. You know a call is bad when it forces the league to actually discipline somebody. I’m talking of course about the pass interference call in the Montreal/Winnipeg game that was not even close to PI and almost screwed the Als out of the victory. For setting a new standard or reffing screw-ups, it is your botched call of the year.

The Commercial I Didn’t Get Sick Of Seeing Even Though TSN Made Me Watch It 54,297 Times Award

It was a pretty weak year for commercials, but I did like this one.

Fans Choice Douche-Bag of the Year

You the fans have spoken and in what is the narrowest margin in the history of this award (only 2 votes) have named Henry Burris as the 2011 Douche Bag of the Year.

Burris’ accomplishments in the field of douche-baggery include (but are not limited to):

- Sending out a super offensive tweet and then trying to claim that someone must have hacked his twitter account... rrriiiggghhhttt.

- The fist pump quote he was just awarded for

- Taking his benching like a whinny little girl. He found a way to include the fact that he was the reigning MOP in every interview after he was bench. Then made it clear that he is above being a back-up... even though he sucked this year.

Good job Henry... good job

Previous winners: Mike Kelly, Jason Jimenez, Rob Murphy

Most Insulted Sports Figure – Ryan Dinwiddie

In what will likely come as a surprise to no one, Ryan Dinwiddie is my Most Insulted Sports Figure of 2011. It may seem downright cruel to pick on a back-up QB who only made a few starts when then was so much futility in the Rider organization this year but Dinwiddie just made it so easy. Despite many opportunities to disprove my hatred (and give my friends ammunition to bug me), Dinwiddie just kept sucking. I don’t think there is anyone who enjoyed each of Dinwiddie’s interceptions as me.

So Dinwiddie reigns supreme for 2011, I just hope he’s not around next year to try and defend his title.

Previous winners: Jim Daley, Michael Bishop x 2, Marcel Bellefeuille

Monday Morning Sentimonies: Grey Cup Sentimonies

2011-11-29T21:00:00.001-06:00

Before I get to the Grey Cup game itself, I have to start by talking about the biggest news story coming out of this weekend’s festivities… I’m talking of course about what went down between Joe Kapp and Angelo Mosca at an alumni luncheon. If you haven’t seen the video yet, you are really missing out…

Here are two 70 year olds getting into a physical altercation about a grudge that goes back over 40 years. I don’t think Vince McMahon himself could have staged something near that awesome. I mean this had everything build up, microphone work, foreign objects and hard hitting action. Only in the CFL could something so outrageous go down… at least since the demise of the XFL.

They should really consider making this an annual event as part of the Grey Cup festivities. Find two grizzled old alumni who still hate each other and have them square off in an epic old man fight. Charge money for admission and you could make big money on that kind of event. I know I’d be lining up for tickets. We could even invent feuds once we run out actual ones I mean Lex Luger used to play for the Alouettes and The Rock had a stint with the Stampeders.

For me, the only thing that could have made this whole ordeal better is if Mosca had been able to put up more of a fight… I mean come on the man was a former professional wrestler.

Okay now I should probably get around to talking about the actual Grey Cup game. Normally it would be my lead story but this Kapp/Mosca thing was just too awesome to pass up.

The 2011 CFL season came to close on Sunday as the BC Lions defeated the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in front of a hometown crowd to win the Grey Cup. Personally I think the only surprising thing about the Grey Cup was the lack of rampant rioting.

Last week I said that I just didn’t the Bomber offense was good enough to keep them in the game and turns out I was right (shocking I know). I find it odd that in a year where Buck Pierce finally proved he could endure a full season (or at least as close as he’ll ever come) he simultaneously managed to disprove that he was a great QB.

You can talk all you want about the skill in the Winnipeg D but the fact remains that BC has a talented offense. The combination of Simon and Bruce is tough to contain let alone while at the same time having to deal with the other weapons they boast. If Winnipeg was to have any chance, their D (even on their best day… which this was not) was going to need the O to help them out.

I know that Odell Willis should have had that pick but he’s a defensive lineman people… they are not exactly known for their hands. They can’t all be Keith Shologan out their.

And so the drought continues for the Bombers. Over 2 decades without a Cup. They should just move the franchise to Toronto were that kind of futility is not only accepted but encouraged. While it sucks to lose a Grey Cup (believe I know), Bomber fans should actually be pretty happy with how far they came in one year. Dead last to tops in the East is pretty good. If they can find a solid QB this offseason (either internally in Brink/Elliot or externally) they have a pretty good chance of being back there next year.

And the Nominees Are…

2011-11-26T11:42:00.000-06:00

The 5^th Annual Rider Prophet Awards are just around the corner and that means its time for you the readers to cast your vote for the Fan’s Choice Douche Bag of the Year. Voting will be open for one week after which this award, along with all the other Rider Prophet awards will be presented.

Your 2011 nominees:

Johnny Sears – For attempting to kill Stephen Jyles.

Dwight Anderson – The reigning douche bag of the year is back to try and defend his title. This year he is nominated for gouging Weston Dressler’s eye and then proceeding to get himself essentially kicked off the Als and not allowed on the premises.

Henry Burris – For a laundry list of items including but not limited to inadvertently sending a super inappropriate tweet and then claiming his account was hacked, the fist pump quote he was already awarded for and for taking his year end benching in stride and only mentioning that he is the reigning MOP twice per interview thereafter and making it clear that he won’t play anywhere that won’t automatically appoint him and his dwindling talent as the unquestioned starter.

The Trifecta of Terror (Hopson/Miller/Taman) – We need to blame someone for this train wreck of a season and based on our convoluted reporting structure I couldn’t single anyone out.

If you have someone else you feel excelled in the field of douche-baggery please vote for other and leave a comment with your nominee.

The 99th Grey Cup: Lions vs. Bombers

2011-11-25T19:22:00.000-06:00

Almost five months and 76 games of football have come and gone in the 2011 CFL season and it all comes to one game for the biggest prize in Canadian football. It’s crazy how quickly we get spoiled with the Riders being in 3 of the last 4 Grey Cups. I watched and enjoyed the Grey Cup every year despite the fact that the only Riders making the trip to the big game were the Trailblazers (back before they did flips and shit and really just shook their pompoms). Yet this year I’m finding it hard to get excited for the game. Which is weird because I love all kinds of football and have devoted many hours to watching games with far less build up and featuring far crappier teams. I’m sure once Sunday roles around I’ll be excited like normal but the whole “Riders being good for a while” thing really messes with your perspective.

Sunday League MOP Travis Lulay (still can’t believe Calvillo didn’t win by default… not that Lulay is not deserving but voters just tend to go with Calvillo regardless. See: Richardson, Jamel) leads the Lions against the Blue Bombers led by Defensive Player of the Year Jovon Johnson (still surprised that Freeman didn’t win). The Lions are looking to cap an amazing midseason turnaround from a horrendous 1-6 start. The Bombers are looking to complete their own turnaround from a league worst 4-14 last season. The message here is that there is at least hope for us Rider fans.

For me the game essentially boils down to this: Both teams have great defenses but only one team has a great offense. As good as the Bomber D is, I just don’t think their offense has enough talent to keep them in the game.

Reigning MOP throwing to Geroy Simon and Arland Bruce = way better than Buck “I was statistically inferior to Durant this season” Pierce throwing to Edwards and Watson. It’s that simple.

Buck Pierce has always been considered a great QB who could never play a full season. This year however, he played pretty much a full season but wasn’t very good. Makes me think that Buck only has so much talent and just looked good before because he condensed it all into 5 games. This year when you spread it out over a full season it doesn’t look so good.

Personally I wouldn’t mind seeing the Bombers win their fans have been waiting so log since their last championship that most of their adult fans were in elementary school back then. To be fair though most of those adults are still in elementary school but that’s beside the point.

So Sunday my heart is on the Bombers but my wallet and brain are one the Lions. Either way odds are the will be some sort of riot after the game likely involving a bunch of people who do not even follow sports.

I just hope the game is exciting and a fitting finale to another great CFL season (minus the whole Rider gong show which I will soon have all offseason to write about).