Inside the CFL: Roughriders look to break through West finals

By GRAHAM KELLY on May 26, 2022.

As my old friend Jack Gotta used to say, “Just when the farmer thought everything was going well, “the lightning hit the outhouse.”

With the CFL-CFLPA dispute still unresolved, the Saskatchewan Roughriders sit in Saskatoon awaiting further events.

The Roughriders didn’t make many moves during the off-season because as GM Jeremy O’Day explained, “We have a lot of good players and we didn’t feel we needed to change very much. We certainly have a very good team coming into this season. We made some tweaks to last year’s team. We feel comfortable with our team.”

I asked head coach Craig Dickenson what big questions he needed answered during training camp.

“We need to decide who our starting running back is, that’s a spot that’s going to require some clarity. The secondary is an area to keep an eye on. We lost a couple players in Louch (Purifoy) and Ed (Gainey). There will be new faces there.

“The final question is to see how our receiving corps and Cody develop. Getting Duke Williams back was huge, we’ve got some nice pieces out there, with Kian Schaffer-Baker and Joel McInnis is back in the mix. It will be interesting to see the dynamic between the quarterback and the receivers with a full training camp, two pre-season games and a second year in Coach Maas’ system.”

There’s no question about who will start at quarterback. Cody Fajardo returns for his third season in green and white. Acquired by the Riders in 2019, he became the starter when Zach Collaros got hurt. He led the team to the Western Final, was the division nominee for Most Outstanding Player and made All-Canadian. Last year he was third in the league in passing, completing 281 of 404 passes for 2,970 yards, 14 TDs, 11 interceptions. He was the West’s best rushing quarterback with 468 yards. Fajardo will have more on his plate this year becoming a first time father in September. Asked whether coaching Cody will change considering added parental responsibilities, Dickenson laughed, “I’m the last person to give anybody advice when it comes to children. I can’t even keep a dog happy for a couple of days. I have no children, never been married.”

Considering sleepless nights and changing diapers, Jeremy O’Day said “I think Cody will look forward to the road games more.” He then added, “It’ll help take his mind off football which sometimes in Saskatchewan can be a good thing.”

Indeed, like all past Roughrider starting quarterbacks, Fajardo has been subjected to constant abuse from fans who prefer the other guy.

But there is no other guy with starting experience in the CFL. Mason Fine – “He throws a pretty ball,” said Dickenson – is listed behind Fajardo along with Jake Dolegala and Troy Williams neither who have any pro experience.

If Fajardo stays healthy, the Rider offence will be first-rate.

Although Brayden Lenius went to the NFL and Kyran Moore is injured, the receiving corps is formidable with Shaq Evans, Duke Williams, Kian Schaffer-Baker, Paul McRoberts and Justin McInnis. Jamal Morrow is favoured to replace William Powell in the backfield. Terran Vaughn, Jamal Campbell, Dan Clark, Evan Johnson and Logan Ferland form one of the best offensive lines in the league.

End A.C. Leonard leads the D-line with Garrett Marino, tough guy Charbel Dabire Pete Robertson and Freddie Bishop III beside him. Charleston Hughes is back from Toronto, but at age 38 and a dismal year behind him, I expect the Riders to announce his retirement in June.

The linebacking corps with Derick Moncrief, all-star Darnell Sankey signed away from Calgary, holdovers Micah Teitz and Larry Dean represent the best linebacking corps in the country.

Veterans Nick Marshall, safety Mike Edem and AJ Hendy are back in the secondary. One of the linebackers could play corner.

Although Dickenson is a worried man now about coverage, he won’t be worried long.

Brett Lauther provides premium place-kicking. Punting is a question mark. Because the commissioner insists on each team having global players, the Riders can’t sign hometown boy Jon Ryan and will go with Kaare Vedvik.

Saskatchewan lost the 2018 semifinal to Winnipeg, as well as the last two Western Finals to the Bombers. With the Grey Cup in Regina come November, this is the perfect time to end the champions’ reign.

Graham Kelly has covered the CFL for the Medicine Hat News for 50 years. Feedback for this column can be emailed to sports@medicinehatnews.com