THE POINT AFTER: LITTLE NEWS ON GLENN
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| Photo: BlueBombers.com |
Chris Jones had a little good news Tuesday regarding the status of starter Kevin Glenn.
The Saskatchewan head coach/GM told reporters Glenn’s injured right hand was feeling better but said he remains day-to-day. Glenn suffered the injury in the Roughriders’ 48-28 loss Saturday to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and didn’t practise Monday.
“He says he feels better today,” Jones told reporters following the Riders’ closed practice. “We didn’t let him throw just as a precaution, so we’ll look at it (Wednesday).”
The Riders also re-signed linebacker Otha Foster and added receiver/kick-returner Marcus Thigpen to the practice roster. Foster was released by the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens after spending the 2016 campaign with Saskatchewan.
Foster also played two seasons with Edmonton (2014-15), winning a Grey Cup in 2015 with Jones as the Eskimos head coach.
Foster’s arrival comes a day after Saskatchewan re-signed linebacker Jeff Knox Jr., who was released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Knox spent 2015-16 with the Riders.
If Glenn can’t play, it’s expected Canadian Brandon Bridge will face Hamilton. Bridge, a native of Mississauga, Ont., is the last Canadian quarterback to start a CFL game, doing so in the Montreal Alouettes’ 2015 regular-season finale, a 30-24 overtime loss to Saskatchewan.
Bridge completed 4-of-8 passes for 67 yards and an interception against Winnipeg while adding a 10-yard run. The six-foot-five Canadian is 13-of-20 passing this season for 203 yards with three TDs and the one pick.
Bridge started his CFL career with Montreal in 2015 and has completed 50-of-73 passes for 648 yards with five TDs and two interceptions overall.
Bridge is one of two Canadian quarterbacks on CFL rosters this season. Calgary native Andrew Buckley is the Stampeders’ backup behind reigning league MVP Bo Levi Mitchell.
The five-foot-nine, 195-pound Thigpen played previously in the CFL with Hamilton (2010-11) and spent time in the NFL with Buffalo, Oakland, Indianapolis, Tampa Bay, Miami, New England, Denver and Philadelphia.
Saskatchewan also released American defensive lineman Royce LaFrance and Canadian kicker Brett Lauther.
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FINE FOR MAAS?: Edmonton head coach Jason Maas will learn this week if he’ll be fined for his temper tantrum during the Eskimos’ 25-22 loss to the Calgary Stampeders on Saturday.
Maas had his meltdown just before halftime after losing a pass interference challenge with Calgary leading 12-9. When the ruling was announced, Maas slammed his headset to the ground.
He appeared to then pick up a broken piece of the headset and throw it towards the Edmonton bench. The Eskimos received an objectionable conduct penalty.
The league reviews all plays from its weekend games and announces any subsequent fines later the following week.
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THE DON REMEMBERED: Mike O’Shea will forever have two solid reminders of his time playing for Don Matthews.
O’Shea, now the head coach of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, will be enshrined into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame on Thursday following an illustrious 16-year CFL career. The 46-year-old native of North Bay, Ont., won three Grey Cups as a linebacker with the Toronto Argonauts, the first two coming with Matthews on the sidelines (1996-97).
Matthews, a Hall of Fame coach affectionately dubbed ‘The Don,’ died in June at the age of 77. A larger-than-life figure who thrived in the spotlight, Matthews was one of the league’s most iconic coaches with 231 career wins and 10 Grey Cup titles, including a record-tying five as a head coach.
“Two championships with him, unbelievable records (15-3) both years, the feeling you’re going to win every single game and the disbelief when you walked off the field and you hadn’t won,” O’Shea said of Matthews during a conference call. “The confidence he gave guys and had in guys. It was a great time to be an Argo then.
“He touched a lot of people. There’s always conflicting reports about men and leaders who touch a lot of people but I know what I think about him.”
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O-LINE HELP: The Toronto Argonauts secured some relief for veteran quarterback Ricky Ray.
The Argos hired Jonathan Himebauch as their offensive line coach Tuesday. Himebauch served as Toronto’s assistant head coach and offensive line coach in 2015 before heading to the University of Nevada, Reno.
Himebauch returned to Toronto as a guest coach this summer during training camp.
The move reunites Himebauch with Toronto head coach Marc Trestman. Himebauch was a member of Trestman’s staff in Montreal from 2009-11, helping the Alouettes with Grey Cups in 2009-10.
During Himebauch’s three seasons in Montreal, the franchise never allowed more than 34 sacks in a season. The Alouettes also ranked second overall in fewest sacks allowed (103) over that span.
Toronto quarterbacks have been sacked 27 times this season, tied with B.C. for second-most in the CFL behind only Ottawa (30). The Argos do boast the league’s third-ranked aerial attack (323.6 yards per game) and Ray is No. 3 in passing (3,343 yards) but the offence is last overall in rushing (65.4 yards per game) and rushing TDs (two).
Also on Tuesday, the Argos signed American linebacker Akeem Jordan, who played in 100 career NFL games (44 as a starter) with the Philadelphia Eagles, Kansas City Chiefs, and Washington Redskins.
(Canadian Press)
