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".

Darian Durant is going to be a Rider in 2017... Guaranteed... Maybe...

Yesterday on Roughrider “clean out” day, QB Darian Durant reluctantly held court in the locker room and confirmed that contract talks between him and the team have hit a stand still. Today was Chris Jones’ turn to reiterate to the local media that the team wants Darian to return to open the new stadium.

While there is much hand-wringing going on in Rider Nation over the future of the franchise quarterback, the more you look at it the more it seems a no brainer that Durant will be back in Rider green next year.

1)Who’s got a spot for Durant to start?

Look at the league, where is there room for Durant to start?

BC – Jon Jennings

Edmonton –  Mike Reilly

Calgary – Bo Levi Mitchell

Winnipeg – Matt Nichols

Hamilton – Zach Collaros

Toronto – Drew Willy or Ricky Ray

Ottawa – Trevor Harris or Henry Burris

Montreal – Vernon Adams

Every team is essentially set at their starter, except for possibly the Als, Argos and Bombers.

However, both the Als and the Argos traded their 2017 first-round picks for their quarterbacks of the future, in Vernon Adams and Drew Willy respectively. Will the regime change in Montreal and a rumoured shuffling in the Toronto front office change the plans and make room for Durant?

Als probably want to see what Adams can do with a full season considering how well he has looked with his handful of starts. With both Willy and Ray under contract until the end of next season, they are in no need to force a decision this offseason.

Nichols is set to be a free agent this offseason but the Bombers chose to trade Willy after making Nichols the starter. Would the Bombers shaft the guy that lead them to a winning season and into the playoffs for the first time since 2011 for Durant? Logic says no, but football is anything but logical.

2) Why would Durant leave Saskatchewan to be a backup elsewhere?

There are several quarterbacks hitting the market this offseason, but they are the more established backup variety. Drew Tate, Rakeem Cato, Jonathon Crompton, and Kevin Glenn are all due to hit the market leaving their backup role open. But why would Durant leave just to hold a clipboard and take a steep pay cut for another franchise?

One could argue that Nichols might not have the season he had this season and a stumble there could cause opportunities in Winnipeg and reunite Durant with his favourite receiver and friend in Weston Dressler. Montreal doesn’t know what they have in Adams, and who knows how much leash the new regime may give him.

3) Who the hell is going to play QB for the Riders?

The Riders used the last two games to take a peek at the four young QBs they have on the roster: Brandon Bridge, Mitchell Gale, GJ Kinne, and Jake Waters.

Kinne and Waters never seemed to get out of first gear when they got the ball in their hands and didn’t impress in the few drives they got.

Out of the four, Gale has seen the most on-field time this season getting a couple of starts early in the season. However, like Durant, he is scheduled to be a free agent this offseason unless he and the Riders can come to a deal.

While Bridge hasn’t had as much time to impress as Gale, he sparked the offence in the few shots he’s had over the course of the season. However, without a bigger sample size, it's hard to anoint "Air Canada" as the next starting QB for Canada’s team.

So, if Durant doesn’t sign chances are the next franchise QB isn’t on the roster yet, but as mentioned already the possible free agents available aren’t the future.

Then where do you get your next franchise QB? Well if you believe the rumours Jones has his eye on a former player of his in Edmonton, James Franklin. However, Franklin is under contract to Edmonton until the end of next season. I could see a scenario where the Riders trade their second overall in a package to the Eskimos for Franklin. The Argos and the Alouettes set the price at a first-round pick for a young QB and unless the Riders see a game changer sitting at second overall, the deal makes sense.

4) So what the hell is going to happen?

Honestly, no idea. However, if you look at it the best-case scenario for Durant if he walks is a team offers him a chance to come into camp and compete for the number one spot and oust the starter. Maybe Winnipeg, maybe Montreal, or maybe Toronto if Ray or Willy gets jettisoned in the offseason.

Jones also doesn’t need the backlash of another offseason with another bitter departure of a fan favourite. Plus, Rider brass can’t afford to go into 2017 into a new stadium with higher ticket prices and treat it like an 18-game training camp like they did in 2016. They need to have an established roster, an established QB and veteran leadership.

Sure, there seems to be hurt feelings now, but at the end of the day, the Riders and Durant need each other. He is second on most of the Rider QB records. He is one of four Rider Starting QBs to hoist the Grey Cup. He has been a professional from the minute he signed his first contract with the Riders. Frankly, he is the best shot Jones has right now of turning this team around next year.

Make it happen.

Good Night Old Girl: A Farewell to Taylor Field

Saturday marks the end of an era to the people of Saskatchewan, the final Rider game at Mosaic Stadium at Taylor Field (Yes that is indeed the official title).  While the Riders will not be the ones shutting off the lights, it will be most people’s final goodbye to the old girl before New Mosaic officially opens next year. Countless people have visited Taylor Field for various events: it has held concerts, stage shows, football games from high school to Junior to Collegiate, movies, and even hosted the Toronto Blue Jays.

My relationship with Taylor Field has been an interesting one...

My first trip to Taylor Field was a game versus the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the early 90s, can’t remember the exact year but I do know 2 things. 1) Don Narcisse was THE MAN, after that game I was his biggest fan. 2) My dad was either given the tickets or won them because there is no way he as a Bomber fan would have paid to drive to Regina to watch the Riders and Ti-Cats.

After that, Taylor Field wasn't really in my life until my second year at the University of Regina. That year I was elected Sports Editor of “the Carillon”, the U of R’s campus weekly. While it was easy to get someone to cover the Rams in their second season of CIS football, it was near impossible to get anyone take pictures at the games. So, I spent most of that season doing my best photographer impression every other weekend. That assignment landed me my first real press pass and I still have it to this day as a reminder.

My third year I was on the sidelines again but in a much different role. I was the first male cheerleader in U of R history. Long story short, I tried out for the team as a feature for the Carillon, supposedly they were scared I was going to rip them in the piece if they cut me… so they didn’t cut me. Then my buddies started taking bets on how long it would take me to quit. So, at first I was just being stubborn because I was challenged, then I was having fun, then I got to know my future wife and I stayed on the team. (And when I say future wife I mean way down the line… it took 13 years of friendship and several relationships in between before I could con her into walking down the aisle).

While it is easy to point to all the amazing games I have been to like the Blackout Game, the 2007 Labour Day Classic, all the Rams-Huskies rivalry games, the 2003 Grey Cup which landed on my birthday, and obviously, the 2013 Grey Cup Victory. To me, the allure of Taylor Field was never about the building itself, or even the event, but the people I went there with.

It was about the memories, like the “Lee Cherkas fan club” chanting “Throw the guy! Throw the guy!” towards me and my cheer teammates. The Rider game where the mother sitting in front of me and my buddies asked us before the game if we wouldn’t mind watching our language because of her young children, so we spent the entire game yelling things like “Balderdash” and “Poppycock” much to her amusement.  Taking both of my kids to their first football games and meeting Gainer. Getting our wedding pictures at Taylor Field so we could get the one at the tunnel where we used to run out onto the field or getting "sacked" by my wife. Watching my son run (well more like waddle) up and down the sidelines having the time of his life while I was playing a touch football game. The game this year where my daughter got to perform halftime on the field “Like mommy and daddy used to do”.

Taylor Field will always have a place in my heart and Saturday will be both a day of celebration and sadness.  

Good Night Old Girl. Let’s send you out the right way on Saturday.

Even though I got sacked in the best way at Taylor Field... I still needed a better O-line