Being a Green-Bleeding member of the Rider Nation it is impossible not to be slightly biased in my opinions about who the best team in the 2011 CFL Season will be.

However, deep down, we all know it’s going to be the Saskatchewan Rough Riders.  Granted, the Riders lost Andy Fantuz to the NFL this year, and a lot of critics will say that that will hurt the riders greatly. But, with the depth they have at receiver and Darian Durant starting another season for the green and white, they have to be a favorite to represent the West at the 2011 Grey Cup in Vancouver this winter.

Predicton

The Riders go 13-5, win the West and then the Grey Cup.

Players to Watch

Offence

• Weston Dressler with Fantuz in the NFL Dressler will be getting a lot more first looks from Durant this season.

Defense

• Richie Hall is back and the Rider Nation can expect the defense to be explosive under the reigns of Hall.

According to the always reliable Rod Pederson, the Saskatchewan Roughriders have extended the contract of wide receiver Weston Dressler.

Saskatchewan Roughriders announced today that import wide receiver Weston Dressler has signed an extension with the team. Financial details of the signing were not released. 

Dressler is in his third season with the Riders after originally signing as a free agent in May, 2008. In 29 regular season games, he has tallied 118 receptions for 2,069 yards and ten touchdowns. In addition he’s added 30 kick returns for 617 yards and 50 punt returns for 496 yards. 

In his rookie season with the team, the North Dakota product earned the title of the CFL Most Outstanding Rookie after making 56 receptions for 1,128 yards and six touchdowns. 

Just a day after the the new Riders Centennial Jersey was released, a report from CBC indicates that an official Canadian Loonie will bear the Saskatchewan Roughriders logo in honor of the team’s centennial season.

The order-in-council authorizing the Royal Canadian Mint to produce a one-dollar circulation coin was dated June 10.

No pictures were available, but according to the order, the coin is to be a standard loonie — seven grams of brass-plated nickel — minus the loon.

The Queen’s portrait is on one side and a Saskatchewan Roughriders logo is on the other.

There will also be a stylized “100″ between the years 1910 and 2010 below the logo.

The order didn’t say when or even if the new Roughriders loonie will be issued by the mint.

Regina’s Barrie Belles, owner of Barrie’s Coins and Stamps, said he expects there will be tremendous interest in the Roughriders loonie — assuming the mint produces it.

“I’m sure everyone in the province will have to have one,” he said. “Across Canada, I think there will be a lot of interest among collectors, too.”

Read more: CBC Riders Loonie

The Saskatchewan Roughriders unveiled their new centennial jerseys today in Regina. The photo below  depicts the new Riders jersey featuring a red and black colour scheme more familiar to the Ottawa Roughriders.

(Courtesy CFL.ca)

What do you think of the new Saskatchewan Roughriders Centennial Jerseys?

Saskatchewan Roughrider President, Jim Hopson, told the media that they have set “no timeline” in the search for a new General Manager and that they want to give all of those interested, with the appropriate skill set a chance to declare their intentions.

He also noted that the team did not want to be bound by timelines and that search could take up to three weeks or more.

Effective yesterday evening, Chris Getzlaf has re-signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders for 2 years plus an option.

What does this signing mean for the rest of the Riders’ Canadian receiving core?

Courtesy Regina Leader Post:

Jamie Boreham gave the Saskatchewan Roughriders a leg up on the Edmonton Eskimos when it came to Saturday’s swirling winds at Commonwealth Stadium.

The veteran punter used a series of rugby-style kicks to keep the Eskimos off-balance and cut through the winds, which were gusting to 80 kilometres per hour. Boreham’s running punts helped the Riders record a 23-20 victory.

“He did a tremendous job,’’ Riders head coach Ken Miller said after Saturday’s game. “We’ve been working on that rugby-style kick, even last year against Edmonton at our place when the wind was so strong. We utilized it to a great advantage. It’s something that is in his repertoire and he does a great job with it.’’

A 46-yard rugby-style kick by Boreham produced the Riders’ first touchdown when Eskimos returner Bradley Robinson couldn’t handle the bouncing ball. A host of Riders had chances to recover the loose ball but it was Rey Williams who jumped on it in the end zone for a touchdown.

“When the ball gets on the ground, you never know what’s going to happen,’’ said Boreham, who averaged 41.5 yards over eight punts. “It also takes away the 15-yard no-yards penalty. A little dumb luck and they mishandled the ball. Then we had about six guys jump on it.’’

The touchdown salvaged what could have been a disastrous series for the Riders. A 41-yard field goal by Luca Congi into the teeth of the gusting winds was wiped out when the Riders were assessed a 10-yard penalty for having too many men on the field.

A 10-yard time count violation on the next play pushed the Riders out of field-goal range, which prompted Miller to send out the punt team.

“That was a huge momentum swing,’’ said Boreham. “We thought we had three points and we were happy. Then there was a penalty and we got backed up again. There was a lull there but basically it was just dumb luck.’’

Boreham’s contributions extended beyond his rugby-style kicks. He ran for a first down from the set position in the third quarter when the Riders were faced with a third-and-one on their 34. The five-yard run kept a drive alive that culminated in 36-yard field goal by Congi.

“That wasn’t dumb luck,’’ said Boreham, who also gained a first down on a fake punt in Edmonton’s 31-27 victory over the Riders on Sept. 20. “That was taking advantage of what we had. I had the edge because the punt team blocked so well. The punt team blocked well all day and we controlled field position. That was huge.’’

Boreham also contributed a special-teams tackle in the fourth quarter when it appeared that Robinson might be able to break free on the outside.

“That happened because it was a bad kick,’’ said Boreham, who has four special-teams tackles this season. “The coverage team strung him out and when they do that, I have to cover as well as I can.’’

The win helped the Riders (7-5) maintain a share of first place in the West Division with the Calgary Stampeders. The Riders, who were off Monday, are to play the B.C. Lions in Vancouver on Friday.

Read more….

Courtesy Regina Leader Post:

On a blustery afternoon at Commonwealth Stadium, Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback Darian Durant didn’t throw all caution to the wind.

After forcing the ball downfield for two first-quarter interceptions — one of which was returned for a touchdown — Durant showed poise and resilience while methodically leading Saskatchewan to a 23-20 comeback win over the host Edmonton Eskimos.

“Everything is not (always) going to go your way in this game,” Durant offered Sunday after the Riders touched down at the Regina International Airport. “It’s all about how you bounce back from adversity. There were a couple of situations where I could have sat on the sideline with my head down and folded but my teammates rallied behind me and gave me the confidence to go out there and keep playing my game.”

Durant also received a vote of confidence from head coach Ken Miller, who has shown a quick hook with his quarterbacks in the past but appears more inclined to let Durant grow into the starter’s role through trial and error.

That was the case on Saturday — and Miller was rewarded for his faith.

“I think that’s how it’s supposed to be when a coach makes someone the guy, you have to deal with the ups and downs,” said Durant. “I really appreciate Coach sticking with me. In a game like that when he could have easily gave me the hook, he stuck with me and we made plays when we had to.”

Durant finished the game with no touchdowns and three interceptions, the last of which was gift-wrapped when receiver Jason Armstead missed a catch and tipped the ball into the air. However, the first-year starter responded by engineering a trio of momentum-swinging drives en route to completing 23 of 33 passes for 269 yards. Edmonton’s Ricky Ray, by comparison, was 15 of 29 for 244 yards with no picks and no TDs.

Most importantly, Durant marched Saskatchewan down the field in the fourth quarter for a crucial game-winning drive, capped by a one-yard run from backup quarterback Steven Jyles. Durant put an exclamation point on his performance by hitting Andy Fantuz for a two-point convert to round out the scoring.

“He outduelled the quarterback on the other side so that was really good for Darian,” noted Miller. “He’s our quarterback now and you have to let him fight through some things that maybe aren’t going as well as you’d like for them to go. He has proven he can fight through and battle through and be successful even if he doesn’t start out as quickly as you’d like.”

Durant and Miller both acknowledged that the 50-kilometre wind was a major factor in the game. In fact, Miller felt it contributed to Edmonton’s five sacks because the Riders were forced to hold onto the ball longer than they wanted.

It also made them adjust their game-plan on the fly.

“The early interceptions were directly attributable to the plays we called with throwing the ball down the field — with or against the wind,” added Miller. “So we went to a shorter passing game where we were able to move the ball methodically as opposed to getting the yards in large chunks.”

Read more….

Courtesy Regina Leader Post:

Slotback Jason Clermont’s contribution to the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ 23-20 victory over the Edmonton Eskimos on Saturday didn’t appear on the scoresheet.

Clermont didn’t have a reception in the battle of the West Division rivals but a pre-game meeting with his teammates may have helped the Riders prevail despite heading into the CFL contest with a 1-10 record in their past 11 games at Commonwealth Stadium.

“Jason brought up that we hadn’t had much success playing in Edmonton,” Riders centre Jeremy O’Day said after a Commonwealth Stadium-record crowd of 62,517 had departed. “He told us that there wasn’t that much pressure on us. They were expected to win and he told us to relax and play football. We did that. It was one of the games where it was a boxing match and we were able to pull it out in the end.”

The result means the Riders (7-5) maintain a share of first place in the West Division with the Calgary Stampeders. The Eskimos fell to 6-6, third in the West. Edmonton has won the season series between the two teams on the strength of two victories at Mosaic Stadium.

“You always want to win the season series but there isn’t anything we do about the two games before this,” said O’Day. “All we can do is play well this week. We had a big task in front of us and we tried to practise on the grass as a change-up. Whether it helped us, I don’t know. This says a lot about this team in a tough park with all of their fans.”

The weather challenged both teams. Winds of 80 kilometres per hour were forecast before the game, which resulted in a wind warning being issued for the Edmonton area. The weather forecasters weren’t far off as the stadium was rocked by heavy winds.

The Riders were able to handle the windy conditions better than the Eskimos largely due to the performance of punter Jamie Boreham. Boreham used his rugby-style punts to cut through the winds. The punts also bounced around on the ground, which made them tough to field for the Eskimos’ returners.

“We have a good scheme and it worked for us,” said Boreham, who also extended a drive in the third quarter with a successful fake punt. “That was especially true under the conditions.”

A Boreham punt late in the second quarter led directly to a Roughriders touchdown. Bradley Robinson couldn’t field the bouncing ball, which was eventually recovered in the end zone by Rey Williams for a touchdown. After Luca Congi’s convert, the Roughriders had a 12-10 halftime lead.

The teams traded field goals in the third quarter, which was quite the feat considering the wind conditions. Edmonton, which had the wind, was held to a 42-yard Noel Prefontaine field goal. Congi connected on a 36-yard field goal into the wind.

In the fourth quarter, the Eskimos went ahead 19-15 on a 55-yard touchdown run by Arkee Whitlock. The Riders rebounded with a seven-play, 65-yard drive which was capped when Steven Jyles scored from the one-yard line.

Darian Durant and slotback Andy Fantuz connected on a two-point convert to provide the Riders with a 23-20 lead at 5:37 of the fourth quarter.

The Eskimos, who had pulled out a 31-27 win over the Riders last Sunday at Mosaic Stadium when Ricky Ray connected with Maurice Mann on a 68-yard touchdown pass with 69 seconds remaining, didn’t have the same magic on Saturday. The Eskimos were left wondering what might have been had they been able to sweep the season series with the Riders.

“This was another opportunity we let slip through,” Eskimos head coach Richie Hall told reporters. “At some point in time, for us to get where we want to be, we have to embrace prosperity. That means taking it and making it ours.”

Congi and Prefontaine each had two successful field-goal attempts despite trying weather conditions.

Ray was 15 of 29 for 244 yards and no touchdowns. Durant was 23 of 33 for 269 yards but was intercepted three times; one of them was returned 59 yards for a touchdown by Eskimos linebacker T.J. Hill.

It was a game of redemption for Riders veteran cornerback Omarr Morgan. He scored on a CFL record 108-yard fumble return in the loss to Edmonton then was burned on the game-winning touchdown pass from Ray to Mann. Mann didn’t have a catch on Saturday.

“This means a lot to me especially after the low last week,” said Morgan.

Read more….

Courtesy Regina Leader Post:

It’s not visible, but there is a chip under Rob Bagg’s shoulder pads.

It’s there because the personable second-year receiver with the Saskatchewan Roughriders wants to show each team in the Canadian Football League what they missed when they chose not to draft him 2007.

“It was a driving force when I came right out of college,’’ Bagg said. “I’m like a lot of Canadian players here who were undrafted out of college and have something to prove. There are bigger things that I worry about but there is the underlying theme that you want to show everyone around the league that you were just as good or should have been picked ahead of a few people.’’

The Riders considered Bagg — a Kingston, Ont., native who played in his hometown for the Queen’s University Golden Gaels — to be among the top receivers in the class of 2007. They also felt the same about the University of Guelph’s David McKoy, whom they picked in the second round (ninth overall). The Riders didn’t want to use any of their remaining four picks on another receiver, so like every other team in the CFL they passed on Bagg.

Bagg still remembers the disappointment of not being drafted.

“I’ve blocked most of it out of my mind,’’ Bagg said. “I was pretty upset. I had spent the day with my family and it didn’t happen.’’

A couple days later Bagg received a phone call from Riders general manager Eric Tillman about signing as a free agent.

“That meant I didn’t mope around too long,’’ Bagg said.

Bagg also made a decision then that would later stun the Riders’ brass: The five-foot-11, 192-pounder made the team out of the 2007 training camp, but decided to return to Queen’s for a fifth season. That was a decision Bagg reached after being overlooked in the draft.

“I wanted to return to Queen’s and show everyone the mistake they had made,’’ Bagg said.

That decision ended up costing Bagg at chance at sharing in the Riders’ 23-19 victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Grey Cup game.

“The only questionable judgment he has made in the last five years was to come back the year the Riders won the Grey Cup,’’ said Pat Sheahan, Bagg’s coach at Queen’s. “We were glad that he came back, but in the big picture to have gone to the dance with the Riders would have been a special time. Still, all of the good things that are happening to him as an athlete are a tribute to the kind of person he is and how hard he works. I love it when a plan comes together and the story ends up good.’’

Bagg re-signed with the Riders in 2008 and has emerged as a solid and, at times, spectacular member of the receiving corps. In 2008, Bagg had 22 receptions for 371 yards without scoring a touchdown. This season, he has 37 receptions for 544 yards and three touchdowns. Bagg also has two one-handed grabs among those 37 receptions.

“All of Rob’s catches are his best because they have all extended our drives,’’ said Riders slotback Jason Clermont, who feels that Bagg has played well enough to earn consideration as one of the league’s top Canadians.

“He gets pretty excited when he comes back into the huddle. He gets the team jacked up.’’

Bagg’s favourite reception came against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Aug. 16. Seconds after hauling in a 17-yard pass from quarterback Darian Durant, Bagg was hammered by Hamilton’s Jeff Bradley. Bagg maintained possession despite the violent collision between the players.

“Every time that I touch the ball I get excited,’’ said Bagg, who jumped to his feet after the play. “The hit against Hamilton is my favourite because we were driving back against them. That was a lot of fun.’’

It has been a great deal of fun for Bagg. It also helps that Bagg, 24, fits in so well with the other young receivers on the Riders like Weston Dressler, Johnny Quinn and Chris Getzlaf.

“Last year there was a lot of young receivers on the team,’’ said Bagg. “We lived together, so we hung around each other quite a bit. They are all good guys and we would be friends with them whether we played football or not.’’

That relationship extends to Durant. Bagg usually plays the wide side of the field, which is among the most challenging throws for even the most strong-armed pivot to complete. Bagg is averaging 14.7 yards per reception and is 13th in the league in receiving yards.

“Rob and I have been working really hard at developing a relationship that I can go out there at any time,’’ said Durant. “When you have a guy out there as talented as Rob, you want to give him the ball.’’

Riders quarterback Darian Durant still finds it unbelievable that Bagg was overlooked on draft day.

“He’s a tremendous talent and his work effort is off the charts,’’ said Durant. “He’s a wonderful guy and that makes you want to get closer to him and help him succeed. If I can do anything to help make him a better a football player I will do it because I know how much he loves the game.’’

Regardless of his early success, Bagg is striving to improve.

“I’m happy with the way things are going but in no way am I satisfied,’’ said Bagg. “Every time we make a play is another opportunity for another play. Whenever one guy gets a touch, it’s a chance for another player to get one. That’s the way we look at and it’s just worked out that I’m getting a lot of them.’’

Read more….