Ryan Dinwiddie Released

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

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!

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

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

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)

BC

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

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

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.