The most important thing to come out of CFL Week... Well for me anyway...

Lord knows I tried to get her in Rider green, but she wasn’t having it. She came down the hallway in a black and blue dress, black leggings, a pink and purple puffy vest, “cowgirl” boots, and carrying her purse.

“Daddy I have to look pretty for our date, and you need to look handsome.”

I peeled off my Rider jersey and dug through my closet for clothes that would be suitable for a date with a headstrong 5-year-old. It was our “Daddy-versary” and the Thursday of CFL Week so we made a compromise, we would go see Warren Moon for me, then we would go to Menchies for her.

We weren’t even at the CFL Week venue when she was already asking if it was time for Menchies, so I resigned myself to the fact that this was going to be a short visit to CFL Week.

We then walked to the Main Stage where Mike Reilly, Anthony Calvillo, and Warren Moon had a large crowd hanging off every word. She asked who they were and I tried to explain who each player was and what they meant to the game. Then she just listened, which can be pretty hard for a 5-year-old sometimes.

After we got out of the way of the autograph seekers, we went display to display, booth to booth, and she completely forgot about the pending DIY frozen yoghurt. She would have done the mini drills they had set up all night if I would have let her. After I finally reminded her of dessert (Hey I like FroYo too) and we started heading out, she spotted the Grey Cup and asked if we could get a closer look.

When we get close to the cup a volunteer asks if she could take our picture, I pull out my phone and we get a picture of us. She grabbed the handle which was a no-no but she’s cute so we got away with it. If I would have grabbed the handle, we probably would have set off alarms everywhere.

The picture with the cup probably would have been the highlight of her night, if we didn’t run into Gainer the Gopher on the way out and got a big high five.

As we ate our frozen yoghurt she looks at me.

“Daddy, can we go to CFL Week on our next daddy-daughter date?”

I explained we couldn't but if it ever came back to Regina we would definitely go again.

"Oh... Can I play football like those girls were then?"

Want to guess who is signed up for flag football this spring?

There have been many things written about the first CFL Week abut the economic benefits, the player accessibility and getting the CFL to the forefront in March.

For myself, I met current players, CFL Legends, CFL reporters I respect, people I interact with about the league on twitter. But for me the first CFL week will always boil down to a little girl in a black and blue dress, high-stepping through tires in her cowgirl boots...  and you can’t put an economic assessment on that.

Well you asked for a Young QB... Looking at the Pros and Cons of Vince Young's Signing

Barely a week ago, CFL social media was clamoring over the unthinkable happening, Vince Young got off a plane in Regina in preparation to announce his signing with the Roughriders.

Now a week later, both euphoria and anger have subsided, so let’s look at the pros and cons of this move by Chris Jones and the Riders.

Vince Young and Family with his new Rider jersey.
Make Vince Young Gr-8 Again

Pro: It gets attention…

After weeks of Rider “fans” bemoaning they had no idea who anyone was on the team anymore. Jones delivered a name, and what a name. The then retired Young is a former NCAA legend for Texas, College Player of the year, BCS National Champion, NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, 2-time Pro Bowler, Madden Cover Athlete… is most definitely a name.

Even though NFL free agency started, the news of Young’s signing was big news in the US as it was a lead story on ESPN, Bleacher Report, Deadspin, Fox Sports, etc. Hell, one of Sportsnet's main talents, Sid Seixeiro, admitted on his program “Tim and Sid” that if Young plays he would watch the CFL.

Let that sink in for a minute, a Sportsnet personality admitted on the air he would watch the competitor, TSN, just to watch Young play. Sportsnet usually goes out of their way to find new and creative ways to bury the CFL. (See anything Arash Madani has done recently that isn’t tennis related.)

Not sure how Jones and the CFL’s relationship is going right now, but I think it is a tad friendlier with the buzz he’s gotten the league on both sides of the border.

Con: It gets attention…

The Riders are coming off a 5-win season after an even more pitiful 3-win season. While last year was Jones’ first season, this is the year many feel like he needs to show marked improvement after he gutted the team. Most fans want to see tangible results in the standings and on the field, and a flashy signing of a retired NFL QB after trading away the Rider Legend Icon starting QB Darian Durant might not be the way to go.

Some point that this could be a great move to get fans in the seats of the new stadium. Jones inherited arguably the best fans in the league, there is no worry that the new stadium won’t be at capacity most of next year unless the wheels fall off the bus. (Yes, Ottawa I know about your fans and your sell-out streak, just remember you are on your 3^rd  franchise since Winnipeg last won the Grey Cup.)

However, the addition of Young to training camp is going to be a circus. What was going to be a QB battle between well-travelled veteran Kevin Glenn and a bunch of upstarts, now has the making of Hard Knocks: CFL Edition.

If Young flames out or just ends up as number 2 behind Glenn was it really worth the headaches?

Pro: They got him for 1/3 of Drew Willy… or 1 “Dre” if you will

When Young had his press conference he said all the right things about "opportunity", the desire to play again, wanting to fix the mistakes he's made, and that it is not about him but about the team. At points, it seemed like he was laying it on pretty thick as he has a well-paying day job at his Alma Mater of Texas, he owns steak houses and recently started a realty company. It seemed like the Riders must have made him quite the offer, or a decent bonus to come slum it in camp.

Turns out that thinking was wrong, as Justin Dunk reported that Young signed a 1 year plus team option, which is standard on all rookie contracts. However, it was the numbers that told the story, $120,000 with no signing bonus. NO FREAKING BONUS. Young meant every single word when he said all he wanted was an opportunity. 

There is literally no risk on the Riders end, all it cost was some plane tickets. If he can find his form it could be interesting with that rebuilt receiving corps and if he can’t you still have Kevin Glenn, Brandon Bridge, Bryan Bennett, and GJ Kinne slugging it out.

Con: It probably pissed off Kevin Glenn

When Glenn was signed as a Rider for the third time in his career, there were no promises made. He was to be the vet coming into camp and push the young guys and most likely like he does everywhere he goes, become the starter at some point in the season. However, I don’t think he was expecting to push this “Young” guy.

It is no secret Glenn gets no respect in the CFL, he is seen as a stop gap solution till they find the next guy…more often than not it has been Henry Burris. That shouldn't happen again... we hope.

But like Glenn stated on twitter this is nothing new for him and he was looking forward to camp.

Pro: It probably pissed off Kevin Glenn

Glenn with a chip on his shoulder is going to push all the QBs in camp. After the QB struggles the Riders have had the past few seasons that could be a very good thing with the aforementioned receiving corps. 

Con: He could still be Vince Young

It’s no secret Young has been out of the NFL for awhile now. Young's not young, he’s 33 and would be in the NFL if anyone would want him. Hell, the Cleveland Browns would have been better off running Wildcat for the past decade then trotting out most of the QBs they have had…  and they cut Young in the preseason of 2014.

He had a wonky throwing motion, was quick to run when the first read wasn’t there, and he essentially bombed the Wonderlic test the first time he was given it. To compare, Michael Bishop's Wonderlic score was higher and they had to put the plays on white boards on the Winnipeg sidelines because he couldn't remember the signals. 

Athletic talent will only take you so far and it could be he hit his ceiling.

Pro: He could still be Vince Young

Vince Young in college was a beast. The 2006 Rose Bowl between Texas and USC is one NCAA’s most celebrated games, if not the best NCAA championship game of all time. He won the award for best QB in the NCAA in 2005 and was runner-up to Reggie Bush for the Heisman. The guy could play ball in the right system.

So where do we go from here?

As mentioned above, Young in his press conference spoke of opportunity and mistakes he’s made. If Young is serious and could devote himself to the game and avoid the mistakes this could be the best way for him to write a new chapter in his career. 

Is Young a Rider next year if he spends the entire year on the bench? Doubtful. 

Is he the answer for the short term? Who knows. 

Is he going to be the first player to fall prey to both the Madden Curse and the Kevin Glenn Curse? More than likely, thats some bad voodoo.

The only thing anyone truly knows for sure is Young said all the right things and he is officially a quarterback on the Riders roster. Everything else will slowly shake out once camp starts in early June.

#IsItJuneYet

Tales From the Angry Dome - Durant and RiderNation

The first step in fixing a problem is realizing we have a problem and to be blunt RiderNation… We have a problem. I say “we” because I am one of you… I have season tickets, I wear my green with pride, I count my pizza discount on every Crapigna field goal, I yell “HENNNNNNNRY” at the top of my lungs for 4 quarters, I felt the low of the 2009 Grey Cup, and rode the wave of emotions in the stands of the “Ultimate Mosaic Moment” in 2013.

So now that we settled my Piffles Way Cred, what is the problem you may ask? Well, to be honest, it’s the blind love and devotion to Darian Durant. Now before you start firing up manure trucks, trolling or flaming me, and force me to defend the virtue of my mother on twitter (she’s a saint btw) … Hear me out. Darian has been a great leader, a great player, a great ambassador and a sure fire first ballot Plaza of Honour Inductee… BUT... It is time to let him go if he wishes to go.

For the record, in my circle of friends I have been known as the “Durant Apologist” and on this very blog, I called Durant the Riders best shot of winning immediately. But it is time to let him go because now its more and more obvious he wants to go. The relationship between him and this management is completely fractured.

Honestly, you can’t blame him, he has given almost a decade to the franchise. Took the team to three Grey Cups, winning one (which should have been two and no fault of his). He has had five head coaches and even more offensive coordinators through the years. Seen teammates and friends come and go. He’s battled injuries and carried this team on his back whenever it needed a play. He has always been professional and a good Rider.

Because he was a good Rider, he restructured his contract for less money and now he feels like he was given a raw deal by Chris Jones and company. He feels like he isn’t their guy and if he did come back without a big money guarantee there is a good chance he might not even be the starting QB when the new stadium opens. Similar to Henry Burris' battle with Roy Shivers, just minus the new stadium obviously.

However, we need to remember it was Darian’s decision to go with a one-year deal last year when the team offered him a multi-year deal. I will always respect Darian’s decision to bet on himself to prove he could put numbers up and stay healthy for a full season after it became a black mark on his reputation. However, this impasse that we are at now was always a possible outcome and Darian knew it.

Some fans have accepted that Darian is most likely going to be an Alouette by Canada day (or maybe a Bomber, depending on how the Nichols contract shakes out). Others have faith that he and the Riders will come together and do what’s "best" for both sides, which is also fine by me. But there are those that are talking about boycotts and bans if Durant doesn’t come back, which honestly isn’t Chris Jones fault. Whatever happens now is Darian’s decision and everyone should respect the outcome. This will actually be an acceptable use of #DurantsFault.

Chris Jones’ job is to build a winning team for how long he ever wants to have a job with the Roughriders. He had to make hard decisions and cut a lot of fan favourites to make the team competitive and more cap friendly so it wasn’t a prolonged rebuild. Nostalgia and good feelings are not going to win Chris Jones games.  If it did I am sure he would have talked George Reed into coming out of retirement by the third game just to get a win. It’s his job to win games, not win the battle of public opinion.

The battle for fan approval almost always goes to the player, very rarely do you see fans side with management unless it is releasing a player for a crime or embarrassing the team. The New England Patriots come to mind as the only exception to the rule. No one is safe in Bill Belichick’s system unless their name rhymes with “Dom Grady” and even then, that relationship is probably doomed.

At the end of the day, Jones has X number of dollars that he wants to pay a 34-year-old quarterback who has been injured every season since 2011. Is it incentive heavy? Of course it is, but that is Jones protecting his investment in the team. It allows flexibility to pay other positions like a less porous offensive line, a defensive secondary that doesn’t blow every deep coverage, or linebackers that can tackle a running back. There is more to a football team than a Quarterback,  although I know sometimes it sure doesn’t seem that way.

Whatever happens with Darian in the next few months, we all need to remember there is nothing that can erase his legacy in green and white. If he rolls into new Mosaic wearing a different team uniform I am sure it will be difficult for him and fans alike but that's pro football.

And I can promise you I will be there giving him a standing ovation before the game starts... but the minute that opening whistle goes it will be full blown "DAAAAAARRRRRIAN".