Brighter shade of Green

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This article was published 28/06/2021 (1540 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders are coming off an impressive regular season in 2019, stringing together a 13-5 record that led the West Division and marked the most victories in a single calendar year for the franchise dating back to 1970.

Indeed, it was an impressive campaign for the Green and White. Saskatchewan was strong on both sides of the ball, with an offence led by quarterback Cody Fajardo, a first-year starter who evolved into a star, and a defence that was filled with playmakers in seemingly every spot on the field.

The Riders’ luck would eventually run out in the West final, though, as the Winnipeg Blue Bombers battled to a 20-13 victory at Mosaic Stadium. Fast-forward to 2021, however, and while there are a number of familiar faces no longer with the organization, the Roughriders look like serious contenders to once again capture top spot in the West.

Here is a season preview of the Roughriders, in what is the first installment of a Free Press series titled, Around the CFL.

Three training camp storylines:

O-LINE SHUFFLE:

The Roughriders line has gone through a major overhaul since 2019, including the loss of proven starters Philip Blake and Brendan LaBatte, with the team announcing Monday LaBatte wasn’t willing to play in 2021 under the current health restrictions. Saskatchewan is also without Dariusz Bladek and Dakoda Shepley, making it a bit of a revolving door with the front-five.

The Roughriders still have veteran Dan Clark at centre, and the signing of Saskatchewan native Evan Johnson should help fill a vacant hole at the right guard position. That leaves one spot on the interior, at left guard, with the leading candidates to fill the role being Canadians Brett Boyko or Josiah St. John.

Saskatchewan will go with two American offensive tackles. Terran Vaugh should be a good bet on the left side, though Roughriders general manager Jeremy O’Day is hoping a battle will ensue at camp since they’ve brought in six players to fight for two spots.

Other names in the mix include Takoby Cofield, along with Cyrus Kouandjio, Seantrel Henderson and Antonio Garcia, all of whom were once drafted by the NFL but are now looking for a CFL home.

BALLHAWKS UNITE:

The Roughriders secondary was among the most exciting defensive groups in the CFL in 2019. And with almost everyone returning, besides strong-side linebacker Derrick Moncrief, Saskatchewan’s last line of defence once again projects to be a massive headache for opposing quarterbacks.

Nick Marshall, Ed Gainey, Mike Edem, Loucheiz Purifoy and L.J. McCray all started in the 2019 West final, and all are returning in 2021. Marshall and Gainey provide a formidable 1-2 punch on the boundary side, while Edem, a Canadian, will look to build off his 2019 season, where he was named a West Division all-star at the safety.

Saskatchewan might look to go with another Canadian at the field-side corner, with options that include Elie Bouka, Godfrey Onyeka and 2021 draft pick Nelson Lokombo. That would free up Purifoy to move into Moncrief’s spot at strong-side linebacker, and push McCray into field-side halfback.

A WANTED MAN:

If there is any question still in need of an answer it’s in finding a productive return man that isn’t too taxed with other duties.

Such is the concern for the two most experienced returners on the team in Kyran Moore and Purifoy. With Moore figuring to be an important target at receiver for Fajardo and Purifoy likely to have his hands full on defence, Roughriders head coach Craig Dickenson said Monday his ideal candidate is someone whose main duty is to return balls but can also offer depth at another position, be it on offence or defence. He also called it one of the few spots “up for grabs” at training camp.

Dickenson added that he’s looking at running back Jamal Morrow out of Washington State, as well as two or three other newcomers that were signed in the offseason with impressive college resumes to help fill that void. Those names include DeMarcus Ayers, Kermit Whitfield and Carlos Henderson.

THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH:

1) QB Cody Fajardo — he’s the reigning West Division nod for most outstanding player after throwing for a CFL-best 4,302 passing yards, with 18 touchdowns compared to eight interceptions. It was Fajardo’s first full season as a starter, and he the lights never got too big for him in one of the league’s most football-crazed markets. But with almost two full years away from seeing game action, how much of that momentum will spill into 2021?

2) MLB Larry Dean — few teams can lose three key pieces in their linebackers group and not view it as a complete disaster. But that’s what you get with Dean, one of the CFL’s premier middle linebackers and a player that should soon become the heartbeat of the Riders defence. Dean was named an East all-star with Hamilton in 2017 and 2018, and a West all-star in 2019 with Edmonton. He’ll be 33 in early August but should have another strong season in him.

3) WR Shaq Evans — few players jumped off the page more than Evans in 2019. Evans went from having 50 receptions for 785 yards and zero touchdowns in 2018, to hauling in 72 balls for 1,334 yards and five scores the following year. In 2019, Evans led all starting receivers with an average gain of 18.5 yards per catch, and his 15 catches of at least 30 yards was also tops in the CFL. With Naaman Roosevelt and Emmanuel Arceneaux no longer in the mix, Evans will be expected to build on his career numbers.

X-FACTOR: OC JASON MAAS:

A big piece of the Roughriders puzzle is the addition of offensive co-ordinator Jason Maas. Maas signed with Saskatchewan ahead of the 2020 season after being relieved of his duties following four years as head coach in Edmonton. Maas has a long history working with offences in the CFL, including 12 years as a quarterback in the league, and is known as a bit of a guru. It will be up to Maas to get the most out of Fajardo and running back William Powell, who will be back for a second year.

FINAL WORD:

“I’ve always believed football is still a game where the team who is usually the toughest and strongest wins. So, we’ve put an emphasis on being good up front — on the O-line and D-line — and we expect our team, as a whole, to be tough, to be physical and to be hard workers, to prepare week in and week out as hard as we can. We got great talent on our roster, but I hope our identity is a team of blue-collar, lunch-pail, hard-working guys that enjoy being around each other and come to work every day.” — Roughriders head coach Craig Dickenson

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

twitter: @jeffkhamilton