REGINA — The Saskatchewan Roughriders are taking their offence in a new direction in 2023, having signed quarterback Trevor Harris.
Better fit him for a double-weave flak jacket now before their OL serves up his 36 year old body to the opposition on a weekly basis....That sound you hear is Mason Fine taking his warm up tosses right now.
Replacing a soon-to-be 31-year-old mobile QB, with a soon-to-be 37-year-old pocket passer, is not the right direction IMO.
Haven't got it all figured out yet but they have added some pieces that will help.
D will be tough with Johnson and Lanier. Bane is good insurance in the event Alford gets injured. Tough to see a #6 overall move on at 26 yrs old but good luck and best wishes for good years all around.
Philip Blake will come in handy as well. My guess is RT
Still work to do on offence. One of the complaints on Maas was the unimaginative offence - a lot of dump passes, no real long game. Replacing the #7 ranked FA on the CFL list with the #13 ranked FA seems to be a wash. Harris is known to have a quick release & the kind of offence he likes is exactly what everyone was complaining about. The good news - Schaffer-Baker is likely back. But the next 4 receivers, yds wise last year, are all gone elsewhere. replaced by Bane who may have potential, Wieneke, who needs to get back to what he was a couple of seasons ago & Brescacin who's played 15 games the past 3 seasons. His best year he had 567 yds & he's now 30. There's a lot of questions IMO about the offence that is being assembled in Regina. Looks like a step or 2 backward to me but this is only the 1st day of FA.
IMO the D doesn't look bad. It also doesn't look much different at this point. Johnson solidifies the DL, Dean @MLB with Teitz back @ WIL should be solid but a step down from the Sankey/Dean couplet. The DB's are all pretty much back.
I agree on Blake - probably RT. Lofton has played some LT but has been around since 2017 & mostly on PR's. Started 1 game with Wpg last year, 1 game in each of his 2 years in Ottawa back in 2017-18. So dunno about him.
At least they got a couple of OLinemen, though I think Godber will be a better add than Blake. Couple of young camp body signings on the oline, as well. Hopefully one of them can catch a toehold and develop into something, as well
Yeh but how many games did Williams, Moore and Evans play last year? The only real loss in that group is Moore IMO.
You're right. But look a little closer. Bane replaces Moore. Moore stated when going to the Elks he also wants to return punts. Same skill sets, both quick lighter players, - big difference in experience. Wieneke, big guy, replaces Duke, big guy. Both had down years & would like to go back to what they were 2 years ago. Brescacin, much injured, 30 - best year back in 2018 500+ yds. Out goes Evans, injury problems, trying to rechannel 2019. McInnis also gone. Only good news there is Schaffer-Baker unlikely to get NFL deal so should be back. There are LOTS of questions on the passing game. Are the replacements any better? You gotta hope so. IMO the Riders still have work to be done in that area. AND there are still some VG receivers out there which would be upgrades. Early days yet.
The other thing you gotta look out is the Riders don't play in a vacuum, despite Mosaic's attempt to rectify that (Sorry, bad joke).
Who are they going to beat out in the West for a playoff spot. The team behind them has an elite receiving corps now. The other 3 still look better though BC, without Rourke & Butler, losing Figueroa, will be hard pressed to keep their standing. But again, we're only 1 day into FA & a lot can change with any team, including the Riders.
I was glad to see Shaq Evans signed in Ottawa and will judge him on this season. I wish him well