ROB VANSTONE ON 2022 ROUGHRIDERS

By: Stephen Lylyk, RP Show Intern

Sports fandom isn’t always a journey of success and euphoria.

Following back-to-back playoff defeats to their division rival Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the 2019 and 2021 CFL West Finals, the Saskatchewan Roughriders entered the 2022 season looking for revenge. 

Receiver Shaq Evans described the mood best in a 2022 preseason interview. 

“We want to dethrone those guys because they’ve been the one team that has been in our way the last few years,” Evans told reporters.  

Fast forward to October and the Riders find themselves eliminated from the 2022 postseason.

A disastrous 2-10 skid turned a once hopeful 4-1 start into a disaster.

As Saturday’s 32-21 defeat vs the Calgary Stampeders played out, the image of quarterback Cody Fajardo standing on the sidelines, symbolized the failure that was the 2022 Rider campaign.

As Leader Post Columnist Rob Vanstone emphasized on Tuesday’s Rod Pedersen show, while the Riders dealt with alot from a Covid outbreak to countless injuries, the failure of the 2022 season was well-earned. 

“You certainly didn’t put an offensive line around [Fajardo] that was gonna make him look good,” argued Vanstone. “I don’t think they managed that ($500000) asset well.”

While fans expect a complete regime change this coming offseason, Vanstone explains that due to recent CFL developments it won’t be that simple.  

“The difference between now and 2015,” explained Vanstone, “when the Riders threw a stick of dynamite at the football operations department, was the addition of the football operations cap.” 

As defined in the initial 2018 news release, the CFL’s Football operations cap is a “new cap on non football player operations costs, applicable to football operations staff.”  

While the mood surrounding the current state of the franchise is negative, Vanstone argues that it doesn’t compare to what he’s experienced in the past.  

“I sat through 11 years where this team didn’t make the playoffs,” said Vanstone. “I don’t know how many regime changes there were… [Rider] [fans] made it through that era so I’m not sure that a 1 year downturn will motivate people to jump ship.” 

Vanstone finds similarities in the 2022 Riders too the 2011 team, that missed the playoffs following a 5-13 season. 

“In 2011, Jim Hopson made an unpopular decision keeping (General Manager) Brendan Taman. After that 2011 season the riders were a team that looked hopeless and Hopson showed faith in Taman. (Director of player personnel) Craig smith did a great job as well and they rebuilt that team almost entirely, and two years later it was a grey cup champion.”

As the Riders prepare for an important offseason, the big question is who will be behind centre come this time next June.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if the quarterback starting for the Calgary Stampeders this Saturday (Bo Levi Mitchell) is the quarterback starting for the Saskatchewan Roughriders next June.”

While Bo isn’t the most popular choice, Rob compared it to a similar situation in 1984 where the Riders went with the best option available.  

“I remember recycling quarterbacks in 1984,” said Vanstone. “Joe Paopao came here, seemed to be the best option. Wasn’t the Joe Paopao the people remembered in BC, but he was better than the other Quarterbacks that were out there.  

As the 2022 Riders showed, being a sports fan means you sometimes have to deal with the pain of a lost season.

(The Rod Pedersen Show airs daily at 12 pm ET on Game+ TV and WQEE Radio. Call your cable provider to subscribe. You can also watch on YouTube Live or listen 24/7 at RodPedersen.com/ListenLive)