Dominguez OK with changes
Courtesy Regina Leader Post:
Matt Dominguez has already picked up on a mini-trend with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
When Dominguez re-signed with the Roughriders after the 2004 season, the veteran receiver was hoping to catch passes from quarterback Henry Burris. That didn’t turn out as Burris signed with the Calgary Stampeders in February of 2005.
This year, Dominguez re-signed for two years and an option with the Roughriders on Feb. 13, just two days before he would have become a CFL free agent. On March 5, the Roughriders traded quarterback Kerry Joseph to the Toronto Argonauts.
“I signed my contract and the next thing you know, Kerry was traded,” Dominguez said Wednesday. “But what is the alternative? Sit on our laurels and pat ourselves on the back? We’re constantly fine-tuning and trying to get better. Kerry brought a lot to the table and we’re going to miss that. At the same time we have a whole offence coming back — outside of our quarterback — so we should be better.”
Dominguez has listened to speculation that the Roughriders may not be as strong as the team that won the third Grey Cup in franchise history with a 23-19 victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Dominguez feels that the Riders aren’t getting enough credit for the players who are returning from the 2007 squad, including quarterback Marcus Crandell. Crandell earned on off-season promotion to a starting role when Joseph was traded.
“We don’t have a guy who doesn’t know our offence,” said Dominguez, who missed the final eight regular-season games and the playoff run after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. “We have a guy (Crandell) who was involved when the offence was being installed. He’s a guy who is a Grey Cup champion, a Grey Cup MVP, a guy who everyone respects and is a leader at the pivot position. It’s a matter of putting the weapons around him and he has that in Andy Fantuz, D.J. Flick and Wes Cates. They are guys who don’t have to learn the system. We’re not learning the system, we’re building on it.’
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