I am just getting back from 4 days of family vacation. The extent of what I know about the preseason game is what I have read on Twitter and the 50 second highlight clip from TSN. So rather than my usual dissection of the game I am just going to move on to the more important matter of who got cut and who made the active roster. What I did take away from the game is that Durant is still dialed in, the Durant/Taj connection will pick off right where it left off, and we held the Esks to 2 first half points (the first half of course being the one where more guys played who didn't end up cut). All good stuff. Only downside to the game was Kilgore injuring his thumb. You can probably blame me for that. Kilgore becomes the first Rider Prophet Endorsed player to actually make the team. I assume his injury is just the universe's way of trying to correct itself.
As you can imagine I was pretty happy to here that the Jordan Sisco debacle had finally come to an end... roughly 5 years too late. I won't dwell on it because you have all heard my anti-Sisco tirades before but please allow me a moment of vindication. Also there is now an opening atop the Rider Prophet hatred list... its a spot I hope to never fill but always seem to find someone.
As for the other cuts, aside from the fact that we managed to currently have 48 people on our 46 man roster not much was shocking. I'll admit that Richard Sumlin's release was surprising but more so because of how high the team was on him as opposed to how well he was playing. I was also surprised that Ivy was cut loose. He had clearly lost the MLB spot to Kilgore but with Kilgore out at least 6 weeks I assumed he'd stick for depth if nothing else. I also have no clue how we managed to keep all of Riley, Swain, Schillens and Ryan Smith (maybe that has to do with the 48 guys on the roster).
It will be interesting to see who sticks on the practice roster. I assume guys like Mark and Bastien stick but its always tough to guess which imports will be willing to stick around here for practice roster money.
So where does this leave us heading into the regular season? I would say as good as anyone else. We have some areas of real strength: Durant, O-line, secondary, D-end. We also have some areas that I think we will be fine at though the jury is out like: Receiver, RB and OLB. We only have 2 areas that scare me and they combine to make this team's biggest weakness. MLB and DT. We need Hurl to step up and fill in until Kilgore is healthy. If he can't all we have is Shomari (pause for laughter mixed with groaning) and Tristan Black (who like Shomari was tried at starting MLB in Calgary and evidently did not pan out). Honestly we are at the point where asking old man McCullough to unretire may be a viable option. We also need Guyton or Walker to help plug that middle. Our run D is the only weakness I see in our defense so if we can plug that up, look out CFL... if we can't, all our prowess in pass D won't be very useful. It's that simple.
I guess we will see come Sunday when we open the season and defense of our Championship. Stay tuned as Are You Smarter Than A Toddler will be back and launching tomorrow. I will also have my famous Official Predictions. The 2014 Season is upon us and I for one am jacked!
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Monday, June 23, 2014
Friday, June 20, 2014
Riders vs. Eskimos: Preseason Game 2
Friday night the Riders conclude the preseason under the lights at Mosaic against the Eskimos. For some vets it will be the final tune-up before starting the campaign to repeat as champions, for others it will be their last chance to impress the coaches enough to earn a job... for the fans, its as good of an excuse as it gets to get drunk on a Friday (just in case you were short of reasons to drink on Friday). If you time your drinking right, you will only not remember the part of the game where future cuts are playing.
There are a few things in particular to watch for this game:
- Most obvious is RBs where this will be the final showdown between Thomas, Allen and Toston. My gut tells me Thomas will make the team as will one of Allen/Toston but in terms of who starts I think its still up for grabs between the 3. Beyond just running, they will need to show that they can pass-block and catch so I would keep an eye on who excels there.
- Next most obvious is WR. I'm convinced Brett Swain will be a day 1 starter, which leaves Riley, Smith and Schillens (which I believe is the current ranking) to battle it out for the last starting spot and 1 backup import spot (it will be a long time before I adopt these new national/international terms. I feel like a crusty old man "In my day we called them imports and that's the way I like it!").
- Also curious to see which Cdn receiver will step up and grab the back-up spot. Etienne is as good as cut and I think/pray that Sisco will need a tremendous showing to save him. I see one of the draft picks or maybe even Anthony as guys who could win that spot.
- Defensively I think we are all but committed to Kilgore at MLB so it will be interesting to see if he keeps progressing from game 1. Morty Ivy has earned himself a roster spot but I see him being used like Kitwana used to be, all over the field.
- Same with Sumlin at DT, I think the spot is his but someone will be making this team as a back-up DT so keep an eye on Guyton, Walker, White. I'm also curious to see where Dylan Ainsworth fits in. His play on teams will be the difference between him being on the roster day 1 vs. being kept around to develop.
- DBs will be really interesting to watch. For my money, the starters are set with the exception of Jackson who isn't playing bad but with guys like Green and Stoudemire in the mix he is far from a lock.
Other than that I just hope we make through relatively unscathed injury-wise. People seem to be very worried about Suneri based his play in the first game but I am not. He will be fine as our back-up in the off chance we actually need to call on him.
Unfortunately I will be out of town on family vacation so I will need to rely on radio, replays and feedback from folks like you who actually go to the game. If you are going I would encourage you to carry on the time honoured tradition of the Official Rider Prophet Preseason Drinking Game (click to see the rules).
There are a few things in particular to watch for this game:
- Most obvious is RBs where this will be the final showdown between Thomas, Allen and Toston. My gut tells me Thomas will make the team as will one of Allen/Toston but in terms of who starts I think its still up for grabs between the 3. Beyond just running, they will need to show that they can pass-block and catch so I would keep an eye on who excels there.
- Next most obvious is WR. I'm convinced Brett Swain will be a day 1 starter, which leaves Riley, Smith and Schillens (which I believe is the current ranking) to battle it out for the last starting spot and 1 backup import spot (it will be a long time before I adopt these new national/international terms. I feel like a crusty old man "In my day we called them imports and that's the way I like it!").
- Also curious to see which Cdn receiver will step up and grab the back-up spot. Etienne is as good as cut and I think/pray that Sisco will need a tremendous showing to save him. I see one of the draft picks or maybe even Anthony as guys who could win that spot.
- Defensively I think we are all but committed to Kilgore at MLB so it will be interesting to see if he keeps progressing from game 1. Morty Ivy has earned himself a roster spot but I see him being used like Kitwana used to be, all over the field.
- Same with Sumlin at DT, I think the spot is his but someone will be making this team as a back-up DT so keep an eye on Guyton, Walker, White. I'm also curious to see where Dylan Ainsworth fits in. His play on teams will be the difference between him being on the roster day 1 vs. being kept around to develop.
- DBs will be really interesting to watch. For my money, the starters are set with the exception of Jackson who isn't playing bad but with guys like Green and Stoudemire in the mix he is far from a lock.
Other than that I just hope we make through relatively unscathed injury-wise. People seem to be very worried about Suneri based his play in the first game but I am not. He will be fine as our back-up in the off chance we actually need to call on him.
Unfortunately I will be out of town on family vacation so I will need to rely on radio, replays and feedback from folks like you who actually go to the game. If you are going I would encourage you to carry on the time honoured tradition of the Official Rider Prophet Preseason Drinking Game (click to see the rules).
Monday, June 16, 2014
Monday Morning Sentimonies: Preseason Victory
The Riders kicked off the 2014 preseason by knocking off the Redblacks in their inaugural game... much to the delight of the 7 people in the stands. The game had less Rider fans than most actual road games do. If nothing else this game proved that there are indeed limits to the fanatical nature of Rider fans.
The game itself was about as good as you could expect from a preseason game. There were some good things, there were some bad things, there were some people earning jobs and others who will be unemployed shortly. The best news is that there were no major injuries... like what unfortunately happened to Graig Newman. On that note: I think local junior players who elect to leave town are cursed of late. First Stu Foord, now Newman. Dan Clark better not be getting any ideas.
Here are my random quasi-coherent thoughts on the game (Note that the first round of cuts are due as I type this so I fully expect one or 2 of my thoughts to be rendered irrelevant by that)
- I know it was only preseason and defense was liekly playing pretty base stuff but Durant looked dialed in just like at the end of last year.
- Nothing earth shattering from the receivers but for it being game 1 it was enough to give me hope. Swain gives me this vibe that he will not be the flashiest receiver but will be as reliable as they come. Also Ryan Smith looked good. I think we should just completely anoint him the new Dressler and have Coop come out with All Smithler and Un-Smithler chips. Riley still seems inconsistent but he reminds me of Taj Smith in 2012. He shows flashes and if he could ever put it all together he'd be a damn good player.
- No one jumped out for me at RB but Toston struck me as the best of the bunch... and not just because he steam-rollered that defender. Allen was probably second best. I get the sense our preference is for a bigger back this year with a speedier backup RB to change pace. I don't expect a lot of big runs this year but as long as we can find a guy to chew up yards when needed to move the chains and take the pressure off the pass game then we will be fine. I think the 2nd preseason game will decide the winner here.
- Holy return game Batman! Green made more guys miss then there were fans on the east side and Stoudemire looked good picking a lane and attacking it. I like Tristan Jackson but I think his job security may be in jeopardy with all these DB/returners.
- The way that Bartel was punting the only that concerns me there is having to endure Rod Black go on about him being australian. Side Note: I wonder if Bartel has ever played knifey-spooney before?
- The Rider Prophet endorsed Chad Kilgore didn't exactly light it up but I think he got better as the game went on and showed enough to stay in contention. That said Morty Ivy looked pretty good too so he's far from locked that job up.
- Macho was just feasting on the soon to be unemployed in the second half. Man I wish he wasn't made of dollar store material.
- I know Carlo Thomas is versatile and has done good things but he's another vet whose job security may be at risk.
- Dwight Anderson played better when he had charges pending.... I'm kidding. You could tell guys like Anderson and Maze where not quite giving 100% effort. They will be fine once things start to count.
- For a 3rd stringer, I like Seth Doege. It's just too bad his family refuses to pronounce the name like its spelled. I'm pretty sure its in the QB rule book that last names that don't sound like they are spelled are only acceptable if you've broken some all-time records... or texted pictured of your junk to a reporter.
- On that note did anyone else see the Winnipeg QB Robert Marve and go "See that's how you spell that pronunciation"
- I don't hate Henry Burris enough to wish injury on him but I kinda hope that he gets hurts and Ottawa is stuck wallowing with Thomas DeMarco lamenting the day the got rid of Kevin Glenn.
I will be interesting to see who our 10 cuts are... though it will likely be more like 5 cuts, 3 people placed on the 6 game IR (that's new this year) and 2 guys who are "cut" but sill be seen around practice for the next week or so.
The game itself was about as good as you could expect from a preseason game. There were some good things, there were some bad things, there were some people earning jobs and others who will be unemployed shortly. The best news is that there were no major injuries... like what unfortunately happened to Graig Newman. On that note: I think local junior players who elect to leave town are cursed of late. First Stu Foord, now Newman. Dan Clark better not be getting any ideas.
Here are my random quasi-coherent thoughts on the game (Note that the first round of cuts are due as I type this so I fully expect one or 2 of my thoughts to be rendered irrelevant by that)
- I know it was only preseason and defense was liekly playing pretty base stuff but Durant looked dialed in just like at the end of last year.
- Nothing earth shattering from the receivers but for it being game 1 it was enough to give me hope. Swain gives me this vibe that he will not be the flashiest receiver but will be as reliable as they come. Also Ryan Smith looked good. I think we should just completely anoint him the new Dressler and have Coop come out with All Smithler and Un-Smithler chips. Riley still seems inconsistent but he reminds me of Taj Smith in 2012. He shows flashes and if he could ever put it all together he'd be a damn good player.
- No one jumped out for me at RB but Toston struck me as the best of the bunch... and not just because he steam-rollered that defender. Allen was probably second best. I get the sense our preference is for a bigger back this year with a speedier backup RB to change pace. I don't expect a lot of big runs this year but as long as we can find a guy to chew up yards when needed to move the chains and take the pressure off the pass game then we will be fine. I think the 2nd preseason game will decide the winner here.
- Holy return game Batman! Green made more guys miss then there were fans on the east side and Stoudemire looked good picking a lane and attacking it. I like Tristan Jackson but I think his job security may be in jeopardy with all these DB/returners.
- The way that Bartel was punting the only that concerns me there is having to endure Rod Black go on about him being australian. Side Note: I wonder if Bartel has ever played knifey-spooney before?
- The Rider Prophet endorsed Chad Kilgore didn't exactly light it up but I think he got better as the game went on and showed enough to stay in contention. That said Morty Ivy looked pretty good too so he's far from locked that job up.
- Macho was just feasting on the soon to be unemployed in the second half. Man I wish he wasn't made of dollar store material.
- I know Carlo Thomas is versatile and has done good things but he's another vet whose job security may be at risk.
- Dwight Anderson played better when he had charges pending.... I'm kidding. You could tell guys like Anderson and Maze where not quite giving 100% effort. They will be fine once things start to count.
- For a 3rd stringer, I like Seth Doege. It's just too bad his family refuses to pronounce the name like its spelled. I'm pretty sure its in the QB rule book that last names that don't sound like they are spelled are only acceptable if you've broken some all-time records... or texted pictured of your junk to a reporter.
- On that note did anyone else see the Winnipeg QB Robert Marve and go "See that's how you spell that pronunciation"
- I don't hate Henry Burris enough to wish injury on him but I kinda hope that he gets hurts and Ottawa is stuck wallowing with Thomas DeMarco lamenting the day the got rid of Kevin Glenn.
I will be interesting to see who our 10 cuts are... though it will likely be more like 5 cuts, 3 people placed on the 6 game IR (that's new this year) and 2 guys who are "cut" but sill be seen around practice for the next week or so.
Friday, June 13, 2014
Riders vs. Redblacks: Preseason Opener
Fresh off the fantastic news that the players have ratified the new collective bargaining agreement, it's time for my first game preview of the year! Woooo!
Saturday we get to return to the hallowed Mosaic turf for the opening game of the 2014 season. Sure technically this is a home game for OTTAWA (Do I really have to yell their name every time? I'm still not sure on the protocol here) but outside of the fact that the stands will be empty, there will be nothing to make you think this is a home game for an Ontario football team. Though I do expect someone on the East side to mistakenly start razzing the Riders' bench purely out of instinct.
As with most preseason ball, its likely to be mediocre at best football and the results of the game are about as useful as Toronto Blue Jay playoff tickets (yes I realize they are currently in first but they will find a way to blow it). That said, I still love preseason football. For one, its football! Something I have been desperately lacking more many months. For 2, its a chance to see the new recruits in action. And for 3, its an excuse to drink... as if you really need an excuse.
In no particular order here are the things I will be looking for:
- Obviously RB... true test of an RB is his play making abilities when the game is going full speed. Curious to see whether Allen, Toston, Thomas or one of the others start to separate themselves from the pack. Also curious to see if anyone pulls a Quentin Griffin and manages to get themselves cut before the sun sets.
- Also obviously WR... 2 of Swain, Schillens, Riley and Ryan Smith (aka the guy we will just call new Dressler because he's short, white and from North Dakota) will be starting for us come opening day. Really interested to actually see them in live action.
- For me the number 1 thing I will be watching is run defense (specifically the DT and MLB spots). Our secondary is going to be awesome. We will have great pass rush off the edge from Chick and Foley. Quite frankly our pass defense does not concern me. It will be smothering. But it will all be for not if we can't stop the run. We need to replace a DT and MLB both of which are the key guys in terms of run-stopping. If we can solidify those positions then our defense will dominate this year. So I will definetly have my eye on Sumlin, Guyton, Eddins, Walker, Ivy, Hurl and of course the Rider Prophet endorsed Chad Kilgore.
- Our OL is clearly set but the back-up plans interest me. When you start a Cdn at tackle you need to be mindful of how to replace him should worse come to worse. Best and Labatte can slide out in a pinch but we need to find a reliable back-up plan at tackle (even if it is an import).
- Special Teams tacklers will be interesting to watch. We lost Butler and Newman who were 2 of our better kick cover guys. Need new guys to step up and take on that role with the same pride and intensity they did.
- Brian Peters. He's been getting a lot of hype this training camp and I think he has the tools to live up to it. Interested to see how he does.
- Cdn receivers. We need a back-up or two and the competition is stiff. Jade Etienne will be cut soon (at least I assume... unless he gets one of those nasty 9 game hangnails). But Thompson, Pierzchalski, Bastien and ...uggg Sisco are all still in the mix. Second half will be their time to shine.
- Dylan Ainsworth. This was our prize acquisition in the draft. Curious to see what he brings to the table, especially on special teams.
- I will also be mildly interested in how the rEdBlAcKs look (still wrong?). Be hard to tell given how parred down the playbook will be but they have a steep hill to climb in building team chemistry from scratch. Curious to see how that is coming along. Also curious to see how many children run crying to their mothers when they see the "friendly" axe wielding maniac mascot.
I can't guarantee I will be at the game in person. As of yet I have no ticket. I'll see if I can get a cheap one on gameday but otherwise will just listen on the radio unless for some reason they don't black the game out in which case TV it is. Don't get me wrong, I love live football but my price point for a 2nd preseason game is lower than what the Riders expect me to pay.
But whatever way you will be taking in the game, I think we can all agree that we are just happy football is back.
Saturday we get to return to the hallowed Mosaic turf for the opening game of the 2014 season. Sure technically this is a home game for OTTAWA (Do I really have to yell their name every time? I'm still not sure on the protocol here) but outside of the fact that the stands will be empty, there will be nothing to make you think this is a home game for an Ontario football team. Though I do expect someone on the East side to mistakenly start razzing the Riders' bench purely out of instinct.
As with most preseason ball, its likely to be mediocre at best football and the results of the game are about as useful as Toronto Blue Jay playoff tickets (yes I realize they are currently in first but they will find a way to blow it). That said, I still love preseason football. For one, its football! Something I have been desperately lacking more many months. For 2, its a chance to see the new recruits in action. And for 3, its an excuse to drink... as if you really need an excuse.
In no particular order here are the things I will be looking for:
- Obviously RB... true test of an RB is his play making abilities when the game is going full speed. Curious to see whether Allen, Toston, Thomas or one of the others start to separate themselves from the pack. Also curious to see if anyone pulls a Quentin Griffin and manages to get themselves cut before the sun sets.
- Also obviously WR... 2 of Swain, Schillens, Riley and Ryan Smith (aka the guy we will just call new Dressler because he's short, white and from North Dakota) will be starting for us come opening day. Really interested to actually see them in live action.
- For me the number 1 thing I will be watching is run defense (specifically the DT and MLB spots). Our secondary is going to be awesome. We will have great pass rush off the edge from Chick and Foley. Quite frankly our pass defense does not concern me. It will be smothering. But it will all be for not if we can't stop the run. We need to replace a DT and MLB both of which are the key guys in terms of run-stopping. If we can solidify those positions then our defense will dominate this year. So I will definetly have my eye on Sumlin, Guyton, Eddins, Walker, Ivy, Hurl and of course the Rider Prophet endorsed Chad Kilgore.
- Our OL is clearly set but the back-up plans interest me. When you start a Cdn at tackle you need to be mindful of how to replace him should worse come to worse. Best and Labatte can slide out in a pinch but we need to find a reliable back-up plan at tackle (even if it is an import).
- Special Teams tacklers will be interesting to watch. We lost Butler and Newman who were 2 of our better kick cover guys. Need new guys to step up and take on that role with the same pride and intensity they did.
- Brian Peters. He's been getting a lot of hype this training camp and I think he has the tools to live up to it. Interested to see how he does.
- Cdn receivers. We need a back-up or two and the competition is stiff. Jade Etienne will be cut soon (at least I assume... unless he gets one of those nasty 9 game hangnails). But Thompson, Pierzchalski, Bastien and ...uggg Sisco are all still in the mix. Second half will be their time to shine.
- Dylan Ainsworth. This was our prize acquisition in the draft. Curious to see what he brings to the table, especially on special teams.
- I will also be mildly interested in how the rEdBlAcKs look (still wrong?). Be hard to tell given how parred down the playbook will be but they have a steep hill to climb in building team chemistry from scratch. Curious to see how that is coming along. Also curious to see how many children run crying to their mothers when they see the "friendly" axe wielding maniac mascot.
I can't guarantee I will be at the game in person. As of yet I have no ticket. I'll see if I can get a cheap one on gameday but otherwise will just listen on the radio unless for some reason they don't black the game out in which case TV it is. Don't get me wrong, I love live football but my price point for a 2nd preseason game is lower than what the Riders expect me to pay.
But whatever way you will be taking in the game, I think we can all agree that we are just happy football is back.
Monday, June 9, 2014
Monday Morning Sentimonies: We have deal!!! ... for now.
Saturday night the news sprung like music to ears of every football fan... a tentative deal had been reached between the CFL and CFLPA. Cue choir signing Alleluia. After weeks of public bickering and gamesmanship, the two sides were finally able to come to a deal with the looming threat of Monday's preseson opener being cancelled.
While both sides have said they would not comment publicly on the terms of the deal, this is the age of the internet and there are clearly a few snitches out there so this is what I have been able to piece together with pretty minimal effort:
- 6 year deal
- Salary cap set at $5M and will increase by $50K each year
- Elimination of the option year except for rookies (i..e 1 year contracts will finally be allowed for vets)
- Ratification bonuses of $12K for 6 year vets, $10K for 5 year vets, $8K for 4 yr, $6K for 1-3 year and $1500 for rookies.
Now this deal still needs to be ratified by the players to become official and that might be automatic as is usually the case. Word is lots of players are pissed of at the CFLPA for accepting this deal. If you believe what's on the internet (and really when has false information ever come from there?) the Rider players overwhelmingly hate this deal. Stamps players (in a recurring theme of not being able to keep their mouths shut) took to Twitter to voice displeasure. Overall there is lots of talk that the players might vote against this deal... and if that happened things would spiral into shit-storm very quickly.
I think it would be a mistake for the players to do that regardless of whether or not they like the deal. While I realize that math is likely not a strength of many of these players, they really need to do the math... or pay their agent to do it for them. If they vote this down I guarantee the ratification bonuses are off the table. Also a strike will be a certainty and players will lose wages there. The question is "do they really think the potential gains of fighting with the league more will be greater than what they will lose?". They are fooling themselves if they think they will be. Not only will the League's offer not grow... as games/revenue get lost the offer will most likely shrink.
The CFLPA over promised and under-delivered to its members and the CFL treated the CFLPA with all the kindness of Nelson Muntz but unfortunately this is as good as the ending is gonna get.
I hope common sense prevails because there is a little something called "the first Rider game of the year" coming up right away and I'd love to be able to devote this writing space to actual football rather than writing about labour law and bargaining tactics (feels like I'm back in university). Fingers crossed that we won't have to deal with this crap for 6 more years.
Let's play ball!
PS - In case you missed it, while players in Alberta were taking a strike vote, this is where the voting occured
Only in the CFL
While both sides have said they would not comment publicly on the terms of the deal, this is the age of the internet and there are clearly a few snitches out there so this is what I have been able to piece together with pretty minimal effort:
- 6 year deal
- Salary cap set at $5M and will increase by $50K each year
- Elimination of the option year except for rookies (i..e 1 year contracts will finally be allowed for vets)
- Ratification bonuses of $12K for 6 year vets, $10K for 5 year vets, $8K for 4 yr, $6K for 1-3 year and $1500 for rookies.
Now this deal still needs to be ratified by the players to become official and that might be automatic as is usually the case. Word is lots of players are pissed of at the CFLPA for accepting this deal. If you believe what's on the internet (and really when has false information ever come from there?) the Rider players overwhelmingly hate this deal. Stamps players (in a recurring theme of not being able to keep their mouths shut) took to Twitter to voice displeasure. Overall there is lots of talk that the players might vote against this deal... and if that happened things would spiral into shit-storm very quickly.
I think it would be a mistake for the players to do that regardless of whether or not they like the deal. While I realize that math is likely not a strength of many of these players, they really need to do the math... or pay their agent to do it for them. If they vote this down I guarantee the ratification bonuses are off the table. Also a strike will be a certainty and players will lose wages there. The question is "do they really think the potential gains of fighting with the league more will be greater than what they will lose?". They are fooling themselves if they think they will be. Not only will the League's offer not grow... as games/revenue get lost the offer will most likely shrink.
The CFLPA over promised and under-delivered to its members and the CFL treated the CFLPA with all the kindness of Nelson Muntz but unfortunately this is as good as the ending is gonna get.
I hope common sense prevails because there is a little something called "the first Rider game of the year" coming up right away and I'd love to be able to devote this writing space to actual football rather than writing about labour law and bargaining tactics (feels like I'm back in university). Fingers crossed that we won't have to deal with this crap for 6 more years.
Let's play ball!
PS - In case you missed it, while players in Alberta were taking a strike vote, this is where the voting occured
Friday, June 6, 2014
Friday Round-Up: Camp, Strikes and Endorsement
I am insanely envious of people in Saskatoon. Not being able to see a shred of training camp is killing me. It's been an excruciating wait since my last taste of CFL football (and it was a shorter wait than normal once you factor in the post Grey Cup partying time). Besides I really want to get my first taste of real football in before the arrogance/stupidity of the CFL/CFLPA snatch it away from us.
Before I get into actual football talk (you know the stuff we all actually want), I guess I should comment on the labour strife that is threatening the start of the season. To summarize: The League is bargaining (if you can call what they are doing bargaining) like utter assholes. They seem to think that forcing a deal upon the players is the best way to get this done (it's just terrible bargaining strategy). I think their current offer is actually very reasonable but that tends not to matter when you refuse to speak to other side.
The players for their part are mistakenly trying to recoup decades of underpayment all at once. These are smart business owners (well, some might question the sanity of owning one of the privately held teams) they are not going to agree to a deal that skyrockets their labour costs in a short period. Business people like slow steady growth. Also this whole strike business will be insanely divisive in the player ranks. A large majority of players are more concerned about earning a job period than they are about whether is pays peanuts or slightly more peanuts. Both in terms of finances and job security they cannot afford a work stoppage. So while the high paid vets with job security might be ok with a short strike, the longer it drags out, the less players will be willing to keep supporting the strike.
The road both sides have us heading down is a losing proposition for everyone involved, everyone. I only hope that they do something about it before real damage is done.
No back to actual football. Here are some random thoughts on training camp
- As PR Guy pointed out to me, I have yet to name my 2014 Official Rider Prophet player endorsement. For those of you who are new, each year I officially endorse a bright new prospect (generally based on how much I like their name) and they end up getting cut. The likes of Jose Valdez, Boo Robinson, Ikena Ike and Gabe Nyenhuis have all fallen victim to the curse of the Rider Prophet endorsement. Well this year I am hoping to buck the trend. With honourable mentions to Levy Adcock (obvious reasons) and Ryan Tillman (would have enabled jokes about it being hard for a Rider named Tillman to find a babysitter in Regina)... this year I will be officially endorsing Chad Kilgore who I think has the most kickass name for an LB.
- Apologies to Chad and anyone who likes his talent because in endorsing him I have likely handed to the starting MLB job to Morty Ivy or Sam Hurl
- There have been a lot of injuries at camp but it may not be all bad news. For one, so far there have been no serious injuries. Also, injuries to proven starters like Getzlaf are giving a lot of rookies a lot more practice reps than normal. It would be nice to get out starting unit in a rhythm but this may allow us to uncover a hidden gem from among our ranks or at a minimum have back-ups who have actually had some tangible time with the starting unit.
- Given that our OL and DBs are set and RBs and DT really won't be sorted out until preseason games, I have been keeping a keen eye on 3 battles:
WR - where Ryan Smith (aka the short white North Dakota kid will all desperately want to be Dressler 2.0), Chad Schillens and Brett Swain seem to be making a strong case for themselves
LB - Its early but Brian Peters seems to have a firm grip on the OLB spot and I think he will do well there. MLB is a 3 person race between Kilgore, Hurl and Ivy. Hurl is a step up from the Shomari experiment but I'm not convinced he can be the impact player we need there.
Back-Ups - Be it receiver, OL or DB I don't think anyone can safely assume they will be a back-up even if they held that spot last year. There seems to be talent among the new recruits and vets like a Carlo Thomas, Devin Tyler or Eron Riley will need to step up to stay on the roster.
- Side note: Based on what I have been reading, Jade Etienne is losing the "Draft bust receivers from Saskatchewan" contest to Jordan Sisco, by a wide margin... for shame Etienne. I see him being a cut.
Before I get into actual football talk (you know the stuff we all actually want), I guess I should comment on the labour strife that is threatening the start of the season. To summarize: The League is bargaining (if you can call what they are doing bargaining) like utter assholes. They seem to think that forcing a deal upon the players is the best way to get this done (it's just terrible bargaining strategy). I think their current offer is actually very reasonable but that tends not to matter when you refuse to speak to other side.
The players for their part are mistakenly trying to recoup decades of underpayment all at once. These are smart business owners (well, some might question the sanity of owning one of the privately held teams) they are not going to agree to a deal that skyrockets their labour costs in a short period. Business people like slow steady growth. Also this whole strike business will be insanely divisive in the player ranks. A large majority of players are more concerned about earning a job period than they are about whether is pays peanuts or slightly more peanuts. Both in terms of finances and job security they cannot afford a work stoppage. So while the high paid vets with job security might be ok with a short strike, the longer it drags out, the less players will be willing to keep supporting the strike.
The road both sides have us heading down is a losing proposition for everyone involved, everyone. I only hope that they do something about it before real damage is done.
No back to actual football. Here are some random thoughts on training camp
- As PR Guy pointed out to me, I have yet to name my 2014 Official Rider Prophet player endorsement. For those of you who are new, each year I officially endorse a bright new prospect (generally based on how much I like their name) and they end up getting cut. The likes of Jose Valdez, Boo Robinson, Ikena Ike and Gabe Nyenhuis have all fallen victim to the curse of the Rider Prophet endorsement. Well this year I am hoping to buck the trend. With honourable mentions to Levy Adcock (obvious reasons) and Ryan Tillman (would have enabled jokes about it being hard for a Rider named Tillman to find a babysitter in Regina)... this year I will be officially endorsing Chad Kilgore who I think has the most kickass name for an LB.
- Apologies to Chad and anyone who likes his talent because in endorsing him I have likely handed to the starting MLB job to Morty Ivy or Sam Hurl
- There have been a lot of injuries at camp but it may not be all bad news. For one, so far there have been no serious injuries. Also, injuries to proven starters like Getzlaf are giving a lot of rookies a lot more practice reps than normal. It would be nice to get out starting unit in a rhythm but this may allow us to uncover a hidden gem from among our ranks or at a minimum have back-ups who have actually had some tangible time with the starting unit.
- Given that our OL and DBs are set and RBs and DT really won't be sorted out until preseason games, I have been keeping a keen eye on 3 battles:
WR - where Ryan Smith (aka the short white North Dakota kid will all desperately want to be Dressler 2.0), Chad Schillens and Brett Swain seem to be making a strong case for themselves
LB - Its early but Brian Peters seems to have a firm grip on the OLB spot and I think he will do well there. MLB is a 3 person race between Kilgore, Hurl and Ivy. Hurl is a step up from the Shomari experiment but I'm not convinced he can be the impact player we need there.
Back-Ups - Be it receiver, OL or DB I don't think anyone can safely assume they will be a back-up even if they held that spot last year. There seems to be talent among the new recruits and vets like a Carlo Thomas, Devin Tyler or Eron Riley will need to step up to stay on the roster.
- Side note: Based on what I have been reading, Jade Etienne is losing the "Draft bust receivers from Saskatchewan" contest to Jordan Sisco, by a wide margin... for shame Etienne. I see him being a cut.
Monday, June 2, 2014
Monday Morning Sentimonies: Training Camp Is Here!
What a glorious day! The seemingly endless offseason is over and training camp and the new season are here. I'm so happy I won't even bother commenting on the potential of a strike taking this all away.
It's been a busy few days with both Mike McCullough and Geroy Simon retiring, us signing some new guys and camp opening. So I'll start with a quick comment on the retirements and then jump into what I'll be watching for (at least metaphorically since camp is in a different town) at training camp.
I'll start with Geroy who was a surprise. Pretty much everyone assumed he would play one more, me included. Evidently he decided that he didn't want to end his illustrious career as a role player. It would have been nice to have him this season but I don't think it is a massive loss. I spent most of Geroy's career hating him... mostly because he was cocky bastard who backed it up more often than not by inflicting loses on us. I wasn't overly keen on us dropping big bucks on him last season but he came up big when needed (like when Willy played and in the GC) and he helped us win the cup so evidently it was worth it. His resume speaks for itself, he's one of the best the League has ever seen. My only hope is that his retirement brings to an end those god awful Hall Executive Suites ads on the radio he appears in.
Next is McCullough who will go down as one of the best to wear green and white. Not because he was superstar, or set records or won awards. Simply because he consistently did what was asked, did it well and never complained.
- "Mike, Trevis Smith did some bad things go play middle linebacker"
- "Mike, Mo Lloyd is better than you go back to special teams"
- "Mike, Rey Williams is hurt go play middle linebacker"
- "Mike, back to teams"
- "Mike, Rey is hurt again, you kow the drill"
The answer from #45 every time was "Yes coach" along with a smile... and likely a hilarious/sarcastic comment. He was never the fastest LB or most game breaking but he was cerebral, always in the right place and never hurt you. He was a pro on and off the field and his leadership will be missed.
Onto camp. I'll dive more into things in the coming days but as a starting point here is an overview of what to watch at each position.
QB - Nothing to watch really. Sunseri will solidify #2 and given that clipboard holding is not complicated I could care less about the battle for #3.
RB - Early signs have Jermaine Thomas and Keith Toston as the lead horses. I'll reserve judgement on anyone until I see them play in a game.
FB - Only thing to watch is how Neal Hughes adjusts to being the oldest guy out there. Seriously, I would like to see Spencer Moore take the next step. A big body like that could be a weapon in the passing game on occasion.
WR - Two starting spots up for grabs and there is competition even for the back-up spots. We know that Taj, Getzlaf and Bagg are in. We know that Swain and Schillens are the early favourites. We also know that training camp performance can be deceiving. Remember that Taj Smith looked unimpressive and was briefly cut while Terrence Nunn had more help written about him than yards receiving. This battle could go any way. I'm also interested to watch the Cdns. With the drafting of Pierzchalski and Bastien guys like Sisco and Etienne will need to step up and prove their worth (more than likely both will confirm their statuses as wastes of high picks but that's just the overly judgmental me talking)
OL - Will be boring as hell and that is great news. Our starters are solidified and i don't see Watman and Clark being unseated as back-ups. That leaves such interesting battles as back-up import OT. When you look around the league at the uncertainty surrounding other lines you should be bloody thankful for what we have build at OL.
DL - Our ends are rock solid and George has one DT spot locked down. But there is a gaping hole at the other DT spot. Richard Sumlin is the man to beat but he is far from assured the spot. DT is a tough spot to fill so it will be interesting to see if we can find someone.
LB - Outside of Weldon Brown keeping his spot, everything is up in the air here. Sam Hurl (MLB) and Brian Peters (OLB) will be given first shot at the starting roles but keep an eye on Morty Ivy and Chad Kilgore at MLB and Brandon Isaac at OLB as they are viable options. Also wouldn't surprise me too see us try some DBs at the OLB spot. I'm less worried about OLB. MLB is so important though. Just go back and look at 2012 when Shomari played that spot vs. when Lobendahn did and look at our success against the run. We no longer have old man McCullough to fall back on so someone needs to step up.
DB - Starting 5 from last year are back but a crop of new talent is looking to unseat them and will be given the chance. The spot I would most keep an eye on is Tristan Jackson's CB spot of the 5 I would say he is the least secure.
K - I have nothing against Josh Bartel but I'm really hoping John Mark or Brett Cameron steal his punting job if for no other reason than I couldn't handle a full season of Rod Black reminding us he is Australian.
Did I mention how happy I was that football is back?
It's been a busy few days with both Mike McCullough and Geroy Simon retiring, us signing some new guys and camp opening. So I'll start with a quick comment on the retirements and then jump into what I'll be watching for (at least metaphorically since camp is in a different town) at training camp.
I'll start with Geroy who was a surprise. Pretty much everyone assumed he would play one more, me included. Evidently he decided that he didn't want to end his illustrious career as a role player. It would have been nice to have him this season but I don't think it is a massive loss. I spent most of Geroy's career hating him... mostly because he was cocky bastard who backed it up more often than not by inflicting loses on us. I wasn't overly keen on us dropping big bucks on him last season but he came up big when needed (like when Willy played and in the GC) and he helped us win the cup so evidently it was worth it. His resume speaks for itself, he's one of the best the League has ever seen. My only hope is that his retirement brings to an end those god awful Hall Executive Suites ads on the radio he appears in.
Next is McCullough who will go down as one of the best to wear green and white. Not because he was superstar, or set records or won awards. Simply because he consistently did what was asked, did it well and never complained.
- "Mike, Trevis Smith did some bad things go play middle linebacker"
- "Mike, Mo Lloyd is better than you go back to special teams"
- "Mike, Rey Williams is hurt go play middle linebacker"
- "Mike, back to teams"
- "Mike, Rey is hurt again, you kow the drill"
The answer from #45 every time was "Yes coach" along with a smile... and likely a hilarious/sarcastic comment. He was never the fastest LB or most game breaking but he was cerebral, always in the right place and never hurt you. He was a pro on and off the field and his leadership will be missed.
Onto camp. I'll dive more into things in the coming days but as a starting point here is an overview of what to watch at each position.
QB - Nothing to watch really. Sunseri will solidify #2 and given that clipboard holding is not complicated I could care less about the battle for #3.
RB - Early signs have Jermaine Thomas and Keith Toston as the lead horses. I'll reserve judgement on anyone until I see them play in a game.
FB - Only thing to watch is how Neal Hughes adjusts to being the oldest guy out there. Seriously, I would like to see Spencer Moore take the next step. A big body like that could be a weapon in the passing game on occasion.
WR - Two starting spots up for grabs and there is competition even for the back-up spots. We know that Taj, Getzlaf and Bagg are in. We know that Swain and Schillens are the early favourites. We also know that training camp performance can be deceiving. Remember that Taj Smith looked unimpressive and was briefly cut while Terrence Nunn had more help written about him than yards receiving. This battle could go any way. I'm also interested to watch the Cdns. With the drafting of Pierzchalski and Bastien guys like Sisco and Etienne will need to step up and prove their worth (more than likely both will confirm their statuses as wastes of high picks but that's just the overly judgmental me talking)
OL - Will be boring as hell and that is great news. Our starters are solidified and i don't see Watman and Clark being unseated as back-ups. That leaves such interesting battles as back-up import OT. When you look around the league at the uncertainty surrounding other lines you should be bloody thankful for what we have build at OL.
DL - Our ends are rock solid and George has one DT spot locked down. But there is a gaping hole at the other DT spot. Richard Sumlin is the man to beat but he is far from assured the spot. DT is a tough spot to fill so it will be interesting to see if we can find someone.
LB - Outside of Weldon Brown keeping his spot, everything is up in the air here. Sam Hurl (MLB) and Brian Peters (OLB) will be given first shot at the starting roles but keep an eye on Morty Ivy and Chad Kilgore at MLB and Brandon Isaac at OLB as they are viable options. Also wouldn't surprise me too see us try some DBs at the OLB spot. I'm less worried about OLB. MLB is so important though. Just go back and look at 2012 when Shomari played that spot vs. when Lobendahn did and look at our success against the run. We no longer have old man McCullough to fall back on so someone needs to step up.
DB - Starting 5 from last year are back but a crop of new talent is looking to unseat them and will be given the chance. The spot I would most keep an eye on is Tristan Jackson's CB spot of the 5 I would say he is the least secure.
K - I have nothing against Josh Bartel but I'm really hoping John Mark or Brett Cameron steal his punting job if for no other reason than I couldn't handle a full season of Rod Black reminding us he is Australian.
Did I mention how happy I was that football is back?
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