WEDNESDAY COMMENTARY: B+
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Annnnnd they’re off!
As has become the custom, CFL teams left a cloud of dust on Day 1 of the league’s free agency period on Tuesday.
Dozens of players switched teams, chasing the almighty dollar, while clubs did their best to improve their roster ahead of the 2023 season which is still months away from kickoff.
The most hardcore of CFL fans want to dissect who’s winning free agency but I’d suggest they hold their horses.
Today is only Day 2 and there are still from pretty big fish left in the sea including defensive stars Darnell Sankey, Charleston Hughes and Shawn Lemon.
But you’re likely here today wanting an assessment of the Saskatchewan Roughriders and so far you’d have to give them at least a grade of B+.
Trevor Harris was officially announced as the Roughriders new starting quarterback and has immediately become the highest-paid Roughrider ever, at a salary rumoured to be over $500,000 per season.
There’s going to be pressure associated with that, and his feet haven’t even hit the ground in Regina yet.
And I’ve really enjoyed hearing the kibitzing on the street and on social media amongst the Rider Nation. They say Trevor’s too old at 36, or that he’s never won a Grey Cup as a starter.
All true.
But that also means he comes with experience and with motivation.
The Riders have also addressed their offensive line by signing veterans Peter Godber and Philip Blake, and receivers Jake Wieneke and Juwan Brescacin.
Those are all pretty big CFL names. It’s going to take the Roughriders at least a third of the season to get acclimated to each other, plus the new faces on the coaching staff, but with these moves, they’ll be in the mix. You’d like to think they’ll be better than last season’s 6-12 club.
The other thing that struck me on Tuesday while watching the goings-on was the relative inactivity of the Calgary Stampeders and Winnipeg Blue Bombers. In case you forgot, they’ve become the two Cadillac franchises in the CFL.
They’re set at the quarterback position, the line of scrimmage, and pretty much everywhere else on the field.
For that reason, I’d say they’re the ones winning right now.
That’s today’s Rod Pedersen Commentary
(The Rod Pedersen Show airs daily at 12 pm ET on Game+ TV, WQEE and YouTube Live)
How can the Bombers be under the salary cap when two players, their qb and Lawler account for roughly 20%!
Didn’t re-sign Rasheed Bailey or Greg Ellingson which would be at least 200k freed up right there. Plus Walters had previous said the Bombers had money earmarked in case someone like Strevler shook loose from the NFL. Add Dalton Schoen is still on a rookie deal and the Bombers had money to spend at WR.
I’m with you I don’t see that either they have a bunch of Allstars that got raises it doesn’t make sense
I would say that Collaros and Lawler account for 15 % of their salary cap. The Bombers didn’t resign Ellingson and Bailey ( those 2 account for $300,000) and aren’t resigning Nick Taylor and Mercy Maston ( somewhat pricy veterans) and going younger in their secondary.
I am pleased that Duke Williams has moved on. We do not need a distraction like him on our team!
D- grade. QB, Canadians, Kicking game is what it all comes down to – QB is now fine per se, Canadians – we have a couple, but not in the spots we need, and kicking game is decent, and i can tell people right now this team does not have the luxury of a third of the season to get it on track. I’ve always liked Trevor Harris as I found him to be the Zach Collaros of the CFL without the supporting casts. – he’s serviceable. Yet he doesn’t have the supporting cast again. Now the big issue is… Read more »
Your getting alittle ahead of yourself thats quite possible but I think they released the penalty culprits hopefully
Trevor Harris will play for a rookie offensive coordinator plus a head coach who is indecisive, Riders get a minus-C until they hit the field of play and prove their on field product has improved. Roughriders have actually had the biggest exodus of players leave for greener pastures than any other team in the CFL so far.
SkRrs team is really old age wise.
I’d give them a C after day 1. Is exchanging the #7 ranked player on CFL for the #13 ranked player an upgrade? The Maas offence was heavily criticized for the dump & run. Harris is the king of dump & run. Jeffries has indicated he wants to stretch the field. Have they got the QB or weapons to do that? Bane in – Moore out. Similar players, big drop off in experience. Brescacin, much injured, 30- best year 2018, -in. Evans, much injured past 2 years, out. Wienke, trying to go back 2 years – in. Duke also wants… Read more »
Saskatchewan Roughriders and the CFL suffer a big player loss with Darnell Sankey heading to the XFL Arlington Renegades. XFL kickoff this upcoming Saturday Feb. 18, 2023.
Bommer, Darnell Sankey is not any big loss and far from it. Respectfully the XFL/USFL is not a threat to the CFL’s upper echelon players/skilled starting players. – I watched every XFL game before the plug was pulled, and last year every USFL game. The QBs are 60% passers – not at all good enough. The Receivers are undersized, and the linemen can’t process fast enough. After that you got some legit guys who don’t fit schemes and are playing so they can get some film to get onto an NFL roster. The hope or Last Chance U for them… Read more »
The rookie signings in the CFL coming from NCAA Division 1 FBS programs fell by approximately 25% with the XFL coming back 3 years ago. This left the CFL with players signing from programs in FCS (Central Connecticut’s Jake Dolegala or UC-Davis’ Jake Maier, for example) or Division II (Virginia Union’s William Stanback or Northwest Missouri State’s Shawn Bane). This all came before The Rock was involved in the XFL. In fact, if you look at the “upper echelon” of CFL players, most were recruited to the league prior to 2020. Simply put, the CFL is getting old. Those top… Read more »
You’re not entirely lieing but you’re just simply wrong. First and foremoste PJ Walker and Taylor Heinicke are utter dog $!!t. – how they got in the NFL is simple. Look where they were playing. Taylor Hieneke just happened to be sitting in a classroom when Washington in the most insane manner encountered an emergency. – so who happened to be standing there? T.H – and look at Washinton. PJ Walker – he did okay/decent in XFL he wasn’t “bad”, he wasn’t “good” either. He ended up due to emergency heading to Carolina – well look at Carolina. Chris Streveler… Read more »
Last point This is how dumb people are with football and not knowing leagues and how it all works. CFL takes small schools? Okay sure, Brett Farve went to Georgia Southern – go find it on a map. As for the CFL not getting guys from Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State Alabama: Jay Barker. Other than him trying to run over Sara Evans how did he make out in Toronto Nebraska: Eric Crouch. He sells playground equipent out of Lincoln. Ohio State: Troy Smith. Floated ducks for Montreal and I think just got arrested for a suspended liscense. Georgia: A program… Read more »
Name a CFL player that has made a Pro Bowl since Cameron Wake. Let’s go into the players from the big programs at this past week’s Super Bowl: Alabama – Hurts, Smith, Dickerson, Jobe Nebraska (ok boomer, this isn’t 1994. They haven’t been relevant in 25 years): Suh, Stoll, Jurgens, Bootle Ohio State: Sermon Georgia: Davis, Dean, Hardman, Herring Michigan: Graham, Henne, Clark, Danna Texas: none Tennessee: Smith Texas A&M: none You also left out – 2 major programs, but you said you watch a lot of college football, so I could be wrong: Clemson (Wallace, Goodrich, Powell, Ross) and… Read more »
You know for the time it took for you to come up with that.
You know neglecting work, time theft etc, to run google searches you almost came off as Frenzy 2.0 with the stats – but at the end of the day with all that vast knowlege here’s another stat:
….yet nobody is calling you to hire you for a job?
Head back to the cubicle and message on the next bathroom break from the stall and let us know please.
Rod still wearing his Riders glasses.. B+ haha. Harris is washed. We should have kept Fajardo if this was the plan. Playoffs are a longshot at best this year.