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Riders won't be offering a contract to centre Marc Parenteau.
The rebuild of the OLine continues.
His contract was way too high.
Couple of Questions...
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Does this point to Ben Heenan (Sorry if spelling is wrong) being selected by us 1st overall?
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What happened to that 6'7'' or 6 foot 9 Matt o'donnell that we selected, I heard he held out during training camp and that was it...
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Any word on big Gene if he is retiring or not?
I would say it slightly indicates they will be looking at him as the #1 pick, but it by no means locks it up…though I would be pretty shocked if he was not their pick (that being said, it is highly likely he will at minimum be in an NFL training camp). The fact is the Riders have some really good young talent for the OL sitting either the sideline or PR. The club has done a really good job building that talent pool over the past 2-2.5 years, even though said players have not seen much action.
Parenteau had a rough year after making the transition to C…not saying he is not a good player, perhaps if he was moved to Guard or something he would do well again…h had not played Center in years, and it showed…lots of bad snaps, not getting off the ball and into blocks well. Also, he was at what…150-160K a year. With the season he had they simply could not offer him that kind of money, so I don’t imagine negotiations were going well. Another club can pick him up and get him into his natural position, but under the circumstances the Rider’s hands were kinda tied. Really unfortunately for him he stepped up for the team and took on the challenge of snapping, and the risk he took did not go well…it is rather unfortunate, and I applaud Parenteau for stepping up to the challenge for the club. I do believe the club would love to have him back, just can not pay what he will be receiving.
Furthermore, I would speculate that in 2011 the Riders had the top paid OL in the CFL. They clearly need to trim that. The best way to do that is start playing some of these hot prospects they have.
Patrick Neufeld, Alexander Krausnick-Groh, Dan Clark,and Nick Hutchins all look like they have some great potential. They are young and a solid foundation to build on, and come at a substantial savings (for now). It is time to start playing some of these guys or they simply will not stick around!
Matt O’Donnell Signed on in the NFL…Bengals I believe.
Makowsky wants to play still. I am sure it all being discussed with the club, but at this point his heart is still in the game. Tough scenario…a legend of the game, a shoe-in for the Plaza and CFL Hall of Fame, and potentially a guy who could get his jersey retired with the club. If Gene wants to play, I am sure that there are fans and club staff who would like to see him step down, but how could it truly be expected? I could see him retiring mid-season if the line is doing well. I personally am torn…Gene is not what he once was, but he can still play well. I would keep him around, rotating in and out on the line and more importantly mentoring a very very young OL…I think with such an inexperienced line his experience would be invaluable.