Friday Roundup: QBs Finally Arrive

After over a month of speculation, the Riders finally confirmed what we all pretty much knew from the start. Wednesday they officially announced the signing of college standout Todd Reesing and Ryan “I’d Be Unemployed If I Wasn’t A Former Bomber” Dinwiddie. Both have a lot to prove when training camp opens. Reesing will be looking to show that he can make the jump from college to the pros (something many standout college QBs have failed to do). Dinwiddie will be looking to show to steal some more souls and possibly murder some livestock.


He will also be looking to show that he can still play after a one year hiatus, justify the obvious faith that Doug Berry has in him and disprove naysayers... like me. Well I’m not really a naysayer... more of a boo-sayer or profanity-sayer but that’s beside the point.

To make room on our jam packed roster for our new additions the Riders had to cut 2 players. The victims ended up being Johnny Quinn and Kevin Scott. Quinn surprised me a bit. I started out last year hating the guy purely because he sported a front ponytail in training camp but he slowly grew on me because he proved to be a clutch receiver who caught pretty much every pass thrown his way. Unfortunately I think there were lingering concerns over his recovery from his big knee injury late last year. No sense using up a roster spot on a guy who might not be able to participate in training camp (unless that guy happens to be a demi-god like Dressler). Also, as good as Quinn’s hands were, his speed and size were lacking so obviously the Riders feel they can find a more complete receiver.

Scott on the other hand was a move that I think was about 2 years overdue. He is our back-up snapper and we have been using a roster spot on him all this time. When your roster in only 46 spots, wasting one on a back-up snapper, particularly when O’Day and Adams can long snap should Frenette actually get hurt (not just “hurt” like he does on the convert after a defensive TD). I was always waiting for us to unveil the revolutionary situational snapper concept to football since that was pretty much the only explanation for having 2 long snappers on the roster. Other than that the only time we would need a second snapper would be in those rare cases where we score a defensive TD, Frenette gets injured on the convert and we end up having to re-kick the convert due to a penalty. What? It could happen.

Lastly, the CFLPA and the League have a deal on a new collective bargaining agreement. Apparently the agreement includes some sort of drug testing. Given our trusting and polite Canadian nature, it will likely be a 1 true or false question... Do you do drugs?. Anyone who answers true passes and anyone who answers false will be a chance to rewrite the test.

CFL Ins and Outs

Hamilton
In: OL Cody Balogh, OL Lawrence Lovell, WR Scott Mayle, WR Damon McDaniel, WR Willie Thornton, LB Shannon James, DL Josh Gaines, DL Albert Smith, DL Chris White (free agent signing)
Out: DL JP Gilbert (cut)

BC
In: QB Kyle Parrish (free agent signing)

Calgary
In: QB Dennis Brown, QB Michael Desormeaux, DB Jason Horton (free agent signing)

Toronto
In: QB: Ken Dorsey, DB Dwayne Carpenter, WR Ryan Christian, WR Jerome Hewitt, WR Charles Owens, WR Derek Stanley (free agent signing)
Out: WR Tyler Scott, DE Claude Harriot, DB Stewart Franks, DB Reggie Sullivan (cut)

Monday Morning Sentimonies: Tuesday Afternoon Edition

After enduring 5 football-less months, we are but 8 days away from the opening of Rookie camp… and all I can say is thank god! This offseason has seemed like an eternity. The only plus was that, unlike most years, my hockey team managed to keep the playoffs interesting a lot longer than normal. That helped pass the time.

On that note, many people have been asking me how I feel about my beloved Habs being ousted from the playoffs. For me it’s a lot like the Riders’ 1997 Grey Cup run… yeah it’s disappointing to lose but in all honesty we had no business being there in the first place so it’s hard to be mad.

Not surprisingly many people have been beaking me and my fellow Hab fans since the loss and that’s fine I can take it. I just have one request… if you are going to beak me about the Canadiens performance you had better either be a Flyers or Blackhawks fan because if you say the Habs suck and cheer for any of the other 27 teams in the NHL who didn’t do as well this year then you just look like an idiot.

Wow, that was quite the side bar. Let’s get back to football and I’ll do my best to stay on topic this time.

With rookie camp just over a week away, the Riders are busy making final roster adjustments. They have added 3 receivers to the mix Dwayne Eley, Aaron Love and Aaron Waldie. Though I wish them the best, I’ll be honest… I’m expecting that these guys will become about as well renown in Saskatchewan as Toby Zeigler, Byron Ross and Bam Childress did last year. That said, Waldie has previously drawn some comparisons to Weston Dressler which is pretty high praise.

The Rider QB watch is entering its second month. Ever since the release of Graham Harrell (who has since been invited to camp with the Packers), Taman has been telling that they will soon be announcing the signing of 1 or 2 more QBs. Well that was a month ago and still no word. It’s pretty much a lock that it will be Ryan “Look Into My Eyes“ Dinwiddie and Todd Reesing… cripes Reesing was interviewed on Regina radio last week. I highly doubt that either side would bother with a public interview if this weren’t a done deal… “Coming up next an interview with a QB prospect who won’t be coming to Saskatchewan”… I don’t see it.

The battle to backup Durant should be very interesting to watch over the coming weeks. There is Cole Bergquist (who will have a leg up by virtue of spending time here last year), Reesing (who is an outstanding college prospect who has been compared to Doug Flutie), and Dinwiddie (whose presence I still don’t really understand). There is also Kent Smith but quite frankly I’ll be surprised to see him last too long here.

When was the last time that the Riders’ biggest concern at QB was who would be the back-up?

At last check our roster was at 75 players which is the maximum allowable so if we are going to sign more QBs we will have to free up a spot somehow… either by cutting somebody or placing some people on the injury list. Either way knowing my track record, by the time you read this the Riders will probably have made an announcement that will render most of what I’ve written irrelevant.

CFL Ins and Outs

BC

In: OL Bart Archdekin, OL Dane Randolph, OL Carlton Medder, DB John Richardson, LB Solomon Elimimian (free agent signing)

Edmonton

In: DL Marc-Antoine Beaudoin-Cloutier, DL Neil Puffer, DB Gary Albury (free agent signing)

Friday Round-up: May Long Edition

Another eagerly anticipated long weekend is almost here… unfortunately even though we have dedicated an entire day in her honour, the ghost of Queen Victoria has given us 3 days of rain in return. Thanks a lot. Though this being May Long I’m guessing many will simply adopt the “drink until you no longer notice it’s raining” approach.

Here’s a quick round-up of CFL news as you head into the weekend…

- The Riders made a few rosters moves this week, signing DL Ikenna Ike, cutting Carlos Armour and Jim Maxwell, and seeing Aaron Wagner retire.

- I can sum of the above transaction as follows: Carlos Armour we hardly knew ye. Jim Maxwell we didn’t know ye at all. Aaron Wagner we’re not really sure that we ever wanted to know ye. As for Ikenna Ike, I will now be referring to him as Ike Squared and he will be receiving my official endorsement heading into training camp (ala Gabe Nyenhuis).

- My apologies in advance to Ike Squared for burdening him with an endorsement that is only slightly behind “starting Michael Bishop” on the list of things that are counter productive to success.

- Jordan Sisco has been invited to main camp with the Indy Colts. Sisco was at a loss for words when he went to break the news. He was planning on simply saying “I’m a Colt!” but given all the negative connotation around that expression he had to scramble for something else.

- The CFL Supplemental Draft went today. The only player available was WR Johnny Forzani and the Stampeders took him in the 3rd round meaning they will forfeit their 3rd round pick in the 2011 draft.

- Though the Stamps won’t admit it, it’s becoming apparent that they are panicking about the state of their O-line. They have already been reduced to salvaging Matt Sheridan from the unemployment line and were planning on using John Comiskey until he abruptly retired. So what did they do? They went out and coaxed his brother Dan Comiskey out of retirement to take his place. My only explanation for this head scratching move is that the equipment budget is very tight this year and the Stamps couldn’t afford to reprint another jersey so they just signed someone who could make use of Jon Comiskey’s jersey instead.

- Given my policy of not working on statutory holidays you won’t be hearing from me again until Tuesday. Though given my recent track record of getting Monday morning Sentimonies posted in a timely fashion most of you are unlikely to notice much of a difference.

CFL Ins and Outs

Hamilton

In: DB Tony Davis, DB Derek Douglas, DB Will Heyward, DB Richie Rich, WR Reggie Fish (free agent signing)

Richie Rich hey? Not sure if the Ti-cats signed the super rich kid or the rapper but either way I have my doubts as to whether they can play DB.

Winnipeg

Out: QB Ricky Santos (cut)

BC

In: DL Stanley Wakwe, DL Montrell Craft (free agent signing)

Montreal

In: WR SJ Green (released by NY Jets), LS Reed Anderson (free agent signing)

Calgary

In: FB Matt Henry, WR Ron Kelly (free agent signing)

Toronto

In: OL Joe Eppele (2010 Draft pick signing)

Out: LB Cory Greenwood (signed with KC Chiefs)

Monday Morning Senitmonies: All’s Quiet

Well another Monday has arrived without a shred of CFL news for me comment on. Well that’s not entirely true… apparently Aaron Wagner retired but I hardly consider that news. But the fact remains that I’ve got nothing to talk about today.

Fortunately one of my readers came through for me in my time of need. It’s about time you people started doing something useful for me… just kidding… mostly. Anywho, reader Ron has been sending along excepts of a book entitled The Joy Of Football suggesting that I could use them as filler during slow times. Well, I do enjoy a good read and others doing my work for me so I am taking Ron up on his suggestion.

Here’s an excerpt from The Joy of Football by Eric Nicol and David More, Chapter 1 – The History of Football.

--

In November of 1979 a group of anthropologists digging in Africa’s famed Olduvai Gorge unearthed a perfectly preserved skeleton of an ape in whose arm was cradled a coconut. The creature had been killed in mid-stride by a crushing blow to the side of the skull. The find was immediately hailed not only as the missing link between man and the great apes but also as proof that football is at least three million years old. This was later challenged when it was found that the ape had lost none of his front teeth and he was wearing an athletic supporter labelled ‘tumble dry’.

Nevertheless, we have evidence that football goes back a long way, especially when played against the wind. Cavemen enjoyed this participation sport even after they discovered the club and its healthful effect on cavewomen. All that was needed to play football was a field and a reasonably round object whose hair had been shaved off. Football put the fun back in decapitation.

Most authorities agree that football evolved from earlier forms of contact sport such as being trampled by a herd of elephants. However in some regions, noticeably the deep South of the United States where football is an orthodox religion, it is still unlawful to teach in school the evolutionary theory of football. Belief there remains firm that football was one of the innocent pastimes of the Garden of Eden, the game being lost because of a bad hand-off of the apple, Eve to Adam. It is to defend against this Satanic game plan that most American football teams kneel for the pre-game prayer. The Sabbath devotions are less intense among Canadian football teams, probably because the players know that God is watching a game in the States.

---

Thanks to Ron for passing this along and help me what would have otherwise been a fairly empty Monday post. I’ll be back later in the week with a post that hasn’t been 95% copied and pasted. In the meanwhile, I think you readers should take a lesson from Ron and consider making yourselves more useful to me. Times are tough and if certain people aren’t contributing, I may have to consider letting some readers go.

Random Friday Musings… Which May Or May Not Be Football Related

- Things have been fairly quiet on the Rider front. We are apparently close to signing another QB (still rumoured to be either Reesing or Dinwiddie) but who knows when they might get around to an official announcement.

- The Riders have found a clever new way to scam me out of more money… Rider license plates. I, like many, will be replacing my boring old “Land of Living Skies” plates (which was a stupid slogan anyway) with fancy new plates featuring the Rider logo and “Pride Lives Here” (a few more suitable slogan).

- This is further evidence that the Rider’s have clued into the “put a logo on anything and people will buy it” concept. I wouldn’t be the least surprised if the next things I’m suckered into paying a premium for include Rider Polident, Rider Easy-Bake Oven and Rider-themed hurricane insurance.

- Seriously though, what I really want is a Rider adult-sized onesie.

- This football lull would probably be getting to me by now if it weren’t for the miracle playoff run my Habs have gone on. Yes, I am a Canadiens fan… just not the kind who boos anthems and loots and pillages as a form of celebration.

- It’s no coincidence that in the very first year after ditching all the euro-trash that used to “lead” the Habs and replacing them with North Americans like Gionta, Suban and my favourite player Cammelleri, that the Habs are finally enjoying playoff success. It’s called heart.

- So, are we all pretty much in agreement that if the Habs win the cup, the entire town of Montreal will end up burned to the ground?

- Speaking of Montreal (clever segue), there is a rumour going around that Als GM Jim Popp is being pursued by the Washington Redskins. There is no denying that Popp is one of the top GMs in the league (he’s an abysmal coach but a solid GM) so losing him would be a blow to the Als. My leading theory is that Popp realizes just how many of his top players are likely to retire next season and doesn’t really want all the pressure and work of scouting a brand new starting line-up.

- Speaking of old Alouettes (another clever segue)… the Als have signed TE OJ Santiago… at the ripe old age of 36. While many people will think that this guy is way too old to be taking a chance on, he will actually be a young pup by comparison to the rest of the Als roster. He was probably brought in to push the average age of the team down a bit.

- Lastly, don’t forget that Fantas-Eh Football officially launches on Monday. Be sure to check out the very first CFL Fantasy Football site and my weekly Prophet’s Picks column. www.fantaseh.ca

- Have a good weekend.

CFL Ins and Outs

Montreal

In: DL Pat McDonald (free agent signing)

Calgary

In: DL Tim Hunt, DL Eugene Kinlaw, DL George Clinkscale (free agent signing)

Out: WR Markus Howell, OL John Comiskey (retired), LB Dwaine Carpenter (cut)

Edmonton

In: DB Weldon Brown, DB Isaiah Gardner (DB)

BC

In: LS Sean Ortiz, DB JR LaRose, LB Bryant Cornell, LB Geno Johnson, RB Jerome Messam, RB Mickey Dean (free agent signing)

Out: QB Zac Champion (cut)

Winnipeg

In: QB Alex Brink, WR Chris Ioannides, LB Courtney Smith, DB Bernard Hicks, OL Andre Douglas (free agent signing)

Out: WR Josh Svec, OL Mike Morris (cut)

Toronto

In: QB Ken Dorsey, DL Terrence Reese (free agent signing)

Out: K Eddie Johnson, OL Gordon Sawler (cut)

Hamilton

In: DB Ryan Hinds (2009 draft pick signing)

Out: K Jeremy Ito

Fantasy Football Goes Canadian

If you are a big sports fan like me, you know that a sure-fire way make a sport more interesting is to wager money it. I watch zero college basketball throughout the year but come each March I am glued to my TV for unhealthy lengths of time to see how my annual March Madness bracket does (which is generally very poorly… very, very poorly). I don’t watch a lot of regular season hockey but when playoffs come around and its time for a playoff draft I am once again glued to the TV for unhealthy amounts of time (despite a promising start, I am now watching another pool go spiralling down the tubes) . And of course fall just wouldn’t be the same without my annual NFL Draft (where for a change I am very successful and in fact the defending champion… leading me to believe I should stick to football).

Bottom line is pools and drafts make exciting sports even more exciting. Though it’s not a miracle cure because not even a draft could salvage the supremely boring sport of baseball. For all the fantasy sports and pools I participate in, there has always been one that has been missing. There has never been a fantasy draft for my much beloved CFL.

That is until now…

A group of guys from right here in Saskatchewan have heard the cries of Canadian football fans like myself and our compulsive need to gamble on sports, and developed the first Canadian Fantasy Football site… Fantas-Eh Football.

The site, www.fantaseh.ca, will be officially launching next Monday and will offer a Canadian spin on the traditional NFL drafts many of us have done for years… i.e. it will be more polite, come with a toque, feature a hint of maple syrup and ultimately all transactions will be subject to the approval of the queen. In all seriousness, it will be a top notch football fantasy site that will feature a professionally designed site (I know the programmer and his work is amazing); completely customizable league settings and real-time stat updates.

Another great feature of the site is that it will have a weekly column by the country’s leading expert on Canadian fantasy football... me. See I make such a claim because I am the first Canadian fantasy football expert. My new weekly column, Prophet’s Picks, will appear on Fantas-Eh starting next week so be sure to check out the new site and the new column.

Fantas-Eh is a great way to make the exciting game of Canadian football even better. Besides I could really use a new draft to take my mind of the fact that my playoff draft hopes are now left in the hands of a guy with a broken wrist, a guy who has been on the bench for the past 4 games and some dude whose name I can’t pronounce.

Friday Roundup – Catching Up

Though most of my effort for the past week and change has been devoted to the CFL and a couple loving tributes to departing players, there has been lots of other stuff going on the CFL so let’s take advantage of this quiet Friday to get caught up on all the news that is news across the league.

- Riders season ticket sales have reached 24,600 and will be capped at 25,000 that is absolutely amazing when you consider that within our lifetime not even the combination of 2 for 1 ticket vouchers and the prospect of a free Whopper (if by some miracle we managed to win) could get people to come to one game, let alone commit to coming to 10.

- The Riders are currently working on signing another QB. It looks like the list of candidates has been narrowed down to 2: Todd Reesing, a very promising prospect from the Kansas Jayhawks and Ryan “I Promise I’ll Do Good Now that James Johnson Isn’t In The League” Dinwiddie. Needless to say I’m pulling for the one whose eyes don’t look like they are the portals to supernatural power.

- The Riders also added to their roster by signing WR Jeremy Gilchrist, DL Brent Hawkins and LB Taylor Wallace. Of the 3, Hawkins is the most intriguing prospect having had some success at the NFL level. Who knows, he could be the next John Chick… he could also be the next Gabe Nyenhuis so I’ll save my excitement until we see what he can do in camp. I also won’t be jinxing Hawkins by arbitrarily endorsing him. As Tim Cronk and Gabe Nyenhuis can attest, the endorsement doesn’t always lead to a successful football career… or any football career for that matter.

- In today’s least shocking news story, Jesse Lumsden was not given medical clearance to resume playing football and has been released by the Eskimos. Lumsden has always strived to prove people wrong and he has done just that. To all of you who thought there was no way he could beat last year’s record of having his season ended by injury in the 1^st quarter of the season, you were clearly wrong. This year he accomplished the feat 2 months earlier while having played no football at all. Take that naysayers!

- Just days after declaring him healthy and ready to go, the Ti-Cats have cut Kenton Keith. This isn’t really surprising given that thus far the $180,000 the Ti-cats had invested in KK had got them 102 rushing yards in return… or roughly $1765/yard.

- I think Hamilton may have finally wizened-up and learned their lesson about offering huge contracts to big name guys. Printers cost them an insane amount to fail and they finally cut him… KK cost them a pretty penny to do his best Jesse Lumsden impression and now they finally cut him. I’d like to say they learned their lesson but just this week they also added Jamarcus Russell to their neg list… so I have my doubts.

CFL Ins and Outs

Edmonton

In: DL Andre Coleman, DL Larry Birdine, RB Dennis Kennedy, DL Un’Tavious Scott (free agent signing), DB Corbin Sharun (2010 Draft Pick signing)

Out: Scott Gordon (retired), LB Reggie Hunt, DL Xzavie Jackson, DB Lenny Williams, DL Shaun Richardson, LB Josh Bean (released)

I hope Richie Hall was smart enough to cut Xzavie Jackson over the phone, because given his tendency for chasing after people with shovels, he might not have taken the news so well in person. Also what kind of name is Un’Tavious?!?

Winnipeg

In: OL Darren Hinds, DL LaDarien Scott (free agent signing)

BC

In: DB Anthony Reddick, DB Dominique Williams (free agent signing)

Calgary

In: OL Matt Sheridan, LB Mike Cornell, K Warren Keane, WR Ronald Keels, WR Landan Talley, WR Jonathan Lowe, DB Ray Cheatham, DB Brandon Isaac, DB Chris Bowens (free agent signing), DB Eric Fraser, DL Osie Ukwuoma (2009 Draft Pick signing)

Calgary is getting desperate when it comes to Canadians. They have holes on their O-line and no kicker so they have resorted to signing the likes of Sheridan (who hasn’t played in over a year) and Keane (a first round draft pick bust who has been cut from both Edmonton and Winnipeg), that’s pretty low.

Hamilton

In: LB James Hargrave, LB Lamar Myles, LB Corey Smith, RB Brian Calhoun (free agent signing), OL Marwan Hage (contract extension), TE Steve Schmidt (trade with Tor)

Out: RB Tre Smith, WR David Ball, DL Montez Murphy, FB Robert Pavlovic, DB Lamont Reid (released)

Maybe being cut will lead Tre Smith to do some soul searching and realize that he is white, his name is Lyle and he should just accept it and move on. Or maybe he will just take the extra time he has as an opportunity to star in Malibu’s Most Wanted 2 along with B-Rad.

Rider Prophet Remembers Scott Gordon

Sunday Scott Gordon called it quits after 9 seasons in the CFL. While he may not have been the most prolific or popular player, he did leave his mark on the Riders and on myself. And so as he sets off into the sunset we take a took back at the legacy he leaves behind.

Top 5 Scott Gordon Memories

5. Scott Gordon the Ti-Cat

Gordon was shipped to Hamilton as part of the deal that allowed us to draft Kerry Joseph in the dispersal draft (a small part of the deal, but a part nonetheless). He proceeded to unleash his patented fury on the East division, with safety blitzes such as the one pictured here…

4. Accomplished Movie Career

Whether it be as the disgruntled orderly in Happy Gilmore or the zany Derek Zoolander, Scott Gordon’s characters were always entertaining.

3. Scott Gordon the Eskimo

When the Riders went in a different direction at safety (i.e. talented), Gordon packed his bags and followed Coach Hall to Edmonton. He proceeded to unleash his patented fury on the City of Champions, with safety blitzes such as the one pictured here…

2. Hitting Like A Truck

While he may not have been the best coverage guy in the league (as evidenced by his 2 INTs over 7 years as a Rider), Gordon was a punishing tackler. You were probably going to make the catch on him but you were going to pay a big price for doing so.

1. Scott Gordon the Rider

Though I made jokes at Gordon’s expense, I have to admit I enjoyed having him on our team. He wasn’t a game changer but he rarely ever hurt you by being out of position. He was also far better then some of the others we auditioned in his place.

So long Mr. Gordon you will be missed… most notably we will miss when you unleash your patented fury on the Taylor Field turf, with safety blitzes such as the one pictured here…

Rider Prophet Remembers Jamie Boreham

The punter is among the least heralded of all the players on a football team. Such was not the case for Jamie Boreham. I’ll admit that when we acquired him from Hamilton I was pretty skeptical but he quickly won me over with his aggressive hard hitting play. And so it is with a heavy heart that I bid farewell to the man that I came to call The Juggernaut


Top 5 Jamie Boreham Memories

5. Kickoffs
Though it was an odd thing to excel at Boreham was consistently one of the best kickoff guys in the league.

4. Kicking On the Run
While he wasn’t the league’s best punter under normal conditions, no one could match his ability to kick into the wind on the run. He obviously missed his calling as a rugby player.

3. Hard Hitting
In a position traditionally reserved for wussies and those otherwise too weak to survive physical contact, Boreham broke the mould. He would run and hit just as hard as the linebackers who lined up beside them. Many an unsuspecting returner was hammered by the Juggernaut.

2. Gimme The Ball
Most punters ensure they kick the off and hang back as a last line of defense should the returner make it past the other 11 coverage guys. The second the ball was off his foot Boreham would set off on a mission to get it back. More than once he succeeded in his quest.

1. Last Impression
The Juggernaut saved his most memorable moment for what turned out to be his final game as a Rider when he sent Ryan Grice-Mullen on the ride of his life. Re-live the awesomeness at the tail end of this clip.


Best of luck to you Juggernaut. You will always be one of my favourites.

Monday Morning Sentimonies: Draft Thoughts

Despite my questionable typing skills and much publicized hatred of mornings, I yet again did my Annual Live Draft Day Blogging. Despite the overwhelming odds against me I’m proud to say that it actually went pretty good overall. There’s a few people I need to thank: Media Consultant for helping me out with the commentary, those of you who followed along and added your own comments and most importantly my girlfriend for brewing the coffee.

There’s also one person I should probably apologize to... Tim Cronk. Turns out that appointing him as my arbitrary player to support this year turned out to jinx him so bad he didn’t even get drafted. My bad.

Now onto the draft results themselves...

Interesting fact, by actually making a first round pick this year Taman doubled the amount of first round selections he has made since 2001.

While it was obvious and decided a long time ago, I still love taking Shomari Williams. He’s a talented, versatile and athletically gifted player who is the perfect fit in the Etcheverry defense. Plus the fact that he’s already signed a 3 year deal shows a big commitment to the Riders meaning we should be able to get full value for the selection. There were plenty of great prospects available in the draft but Williams was by far the player that best met our needs. Let’s just hope he pans out more like our last first overall pick (Scott Schultz) and not like the first overall pick before that (Tyson St. James).

I can’t say the same for the 2nd round selection of Jordan Sisco. Don’t get me wrong, Sisco is a talented player and one of the better receivers in this draft class. It’s not that he’s a bad player, it’s just that I really don’t like using an 8th overall pick on a position that we are already stacked at. Could have made better use of the pick than adding a 6th Canadian receiver in my opinion. I guess Taman is determined to continue the “Buy Saskatchewan” agenda that the previous regime began... or too unfamiliar with how to actually scout to come up with anything better.

Our first pick in round 5, Patrick Neufeld, was a decent use of a late pick. He’s from the U of S which is famous for the OL it produces. He’ll need time to develop but he’s only 21 and has a year of university left . A young, big player with some potential... that’s pretty good for a 5th rounder.

Same goes for our other 5th rounder DL Bruno Lapointe. His draft stocked dropped due to injuries throughout his playing career (makes me wonder why the Eskimos didn’t covet him). If he can stay healthy he is talented enough to develop into a contributor. A riskier pick but again, in the 5th round that’s about as good as you can expect.

Other random thoughts on the draft...
- BC, a team who historically drafts very well, made some questionable decisions. They are in need of Canadian depth now but for some reason used their first 2 picks on players who won’t be available until next if at all. Watkins and Gore are extremely talented but the Lions had immediate needs they chose not to address

- Montreal drafted very well but drafted a record low number of French players. Locals won’t like that... though they are probably currently too busy burning cop cars after the latest Habs’ victory to notice too much right now.

- After telling us all week that they weren’t desperate enough to draft Rob Maver in round 1, the Stamps did just that. They then addressed the holes in their O-line by drafting players with a year of eligibility left (one of which is likely to be drafted by the NFL next year). In the process, Hufnagel managed to make Maciocia and Taman look like good by comparison... which is no easy accomplishment.

- Never thought I’d see the day where Buono and Hufnagel were making the most questionable decisions.

- Winnipeg must have an internal policy against first round picks because they seem to go out of their way to avoid them.

- Toronto surprisingly made really good choices with their many picks... some players that can step in immediately and some future prospects. The only real mistake they made was using a second round pick on Grant Shaw (a kicker/DB) which was way too high. Guess it wouldn’t be the CFL without at least one dumb Argo move.

Yesterday also saw the end of 2 important eras... the end of Jamie the Juggernaut Boreham’s stay in Saskatchewan and the end of Scott Gordon’s career. Given the importance of both these individuals to the Rider Prophet I will have a tribute to each of them tomorrow.

3rd Annual Draft Day Blogging

Riders Trade For #1 Pick

Well the draft hasn't even happened yet and already my predictions have been rendered completely useless (not that it wouldn't have happened anyway but usually the draft is at least underway when it happens).

The Riders have traded the #2 and #4 picks along with a yet to be named Canadian veteran to Toronto for the #1 overall pick and the #8 overall pick. With the first pick they will draft Shomari Williams (who has already agreed to a 3 year deal).

I'll have more on this tomorrow during my Live Draft Day Blogging but for now I figured I should amend my first round predictions to at least give them a shot at being correct some tomorrow.

Round 1
1 - Sask - LB Shomari Williams
2 - Tor - OL Joe Eppele
3 - BC - WR Shawn Gore
4 - Tor - LB Cory Greenwood
5 - Ham - Forfeited
6 - Cal - K Rob Maver
7 - Win -DL Eddie Steele
8 - Mtl - OL Danny Watkins

And with the first pick in Round 2 the Riders will hopefully take DL Brian Bulcke

See you tomorrow