Shivers’ named Rider DC, chills out fans worried about D as Free Agent Frenzy hits!

Whatever fans may have thought of the way Jones operated as a coach/GM, they could not complain about the effectiveness of his defense, especially the way it carried the team for most of the 2018 season. While Jones might be gone, if his defense can continue to operate at the same level, then the Riders may actually be closer to Rider President Craig Reynolds vision of a team enjoying sustained success.

Shivers may not be a household name, but if he was being mentored by Jones, he does provide the continuity the team requires as it approaches free agency. Jones had an appeal for specific athletes who could fit within his system and make enough plays to put together a pretty good highlight film reel for NFL teams.

The Riders may be looking at naming former defensive back Jovan Johnson as the new defensive back coach, a move that has been hinted at in social media and would also provide some much needed continuity. Johnson had been slowly phased out at defensive back as the team went younger and more athletic, but Johnson brings a wealth of experience that can prove invaluable to young defensive backs looking to make it at the professional level.

All of this this is setting the stage for what may be one of the bigger trades in recent CFL history with Mike Reilly being traded from Edmonton to BC for apparently Jon Jennings and perhaps Solomon Elimimian. Reilly is expected to sign with BC for approximately $700,000, which sets a new benchmark for quarterbacks and is expected to be a coup for BC GM Ed Hervey, who worked with Reilly once upon a time in 2015 when both were in the employ of the Edmonton Eskimos.

The deal has similar fingerprints on a move Hervey once made as GM of the Eskimos when he claimed then Rider defensive end Odell Willis signed with the Eskimos within a minute of free agency starting. This time, the Eskimos announced Reilly would be free to negotiate with other teams prior to free agency, but other contributing factors would have been Vancouver is closer to Reilly’s off-season home in Washington State and his wife has a great job in BC.

An interesting “what-if” game could be played if the Riders still had Chris Jones working for them and if the team made an all-out push for Reilly. Now the Riders will have to consider going all in on Bo Levi Mitchell, the Calgary QB who is also a free agent and has been making the rounds of NFL camps in search of a team that may give him a legitimate shot at playing in the NFL.

While there are possibilities for Mitchell, and the Denver Broncos and perhaps the Jacksonville Jaguars stand out as potential opportunities, Mitchell did turn some heads with saying he would listen to potential opportunities in the CFL. The $700,000 ceiling that Reilly will seem to have established will have some teams pondering how to fit it under the salary cap because if you pay that much to one player, that is less for a supporting cast and no one wins a championship on their own.

The Riders do have a hole at quarterback and Head Coach Craig Dickenson did say the Riders met with Zach Collaros last week to discuss future possibilities. Collaros could well return to the Riders, but while he had a winning record, he did have a disturbing tendency to go down with concussions, including most crucially, prior to the western semi-final.

Collaros made a reported $430,000 more or less last season and the jump to his salary from his predecessor Kevin Glenn probably was a major factor in the Riders jettisoning their veteran receiving corps and going with a rebuilt mostly rookie line-up. That line-up did feature Jordan Williams-Lambert who did enough to be recognized as the western division rookie of the year, but Williams-Lambert exploited some ruling to get his freedom to sign with the NFL so the Riders will have to look at either free agents or their Canadian receivers to form the leading edge of their passing attack.

Collaros could well come back to the Riders, concussion tendencies aside, if he takes a reworked contract that would likely see a lower base salary, but is loaded with incentives that would pay off if Collaros remained healthy. The problem could arise that Collaros would downplay any physical injury like a concussion if he wanted to cash in on his contract, which would not help the Riders and put even more importance on who they got at back up.

Brandon Bridge took a major step backward as a quarterback last year, and went from being jerked in and out of games to freezing in the headlights on an incoming rush and being unable to make any reads other than tuck the football and take off for a run. Bridge has the tools to be a great community representative, but unless he has learned to read defenses better and make reads and hit the open receiver, he would be better off moving to say, slot back, and learning to be a receiver.

As far as potential back-ups go, the Riders could well bring back Kevin Glenn to serve as a capable backup for Collaros in case of injury and helping whoever the third string quarterback is learn about the position. Another interesting possibility is Travis Lulay, who is likely to be cut loose from the Lions.

While Lulay has been injured over the last few seasons, in particular his shoulder, when he has stepped on the field, he shows a competitiveness and leadership that is tough to beat. Lulay is also a pretty good coach and mentor on the sidelines and teams shouldn’t hesitate to go to him if their starter is having problems.

Selling quarterbacks on the Riders means selling them on the soundness of the offensive line, the durability of the running backs and the speed and ability of the receiving corps. The faster a quarterback can get the ball out, the greater his chances for survival but the trick is making the right read in the first place.

With a three-year contract, O’Day and Dickenson do have time to find and develop a starter, unless they manage a Festivus Miracle and land Bo Levi Mitchell. The problem with landing a big ticket quarterback, whether it be Mitchell or when they were in the running for Reilly, is that it eats up a lot of cap room and a quarterback with no supporting cast is a terrible thing to behold.

For instance, and here I will betray my age, but I remember when the Riders brought in Tom Clements as a quarterback in 1979 under Ron Lancaster and was stuck behind an offensive line that had been blown up and was starting over with Bob Poley and Roger Aldag as starters. The problem was the offensive line was starting from ground zero and Clements was traded to Hamilton in part to save him from serious injury.

This is not to imply the current Riders offensive line is as green as the 1979 incarnation, but the offensive line did start slow when Collaros was knocked silly with his first concussion and while it steadied through the second half of the season, it did break down at crucial times, leading to season ending hits on Collaros and Bridge in the western semi-final.

The offensive line did improve when Brendon LaBatte took over at centre from an injured Dan Clark and one of the biggest surprises was how former Number 1 draft pick Josiah St. John managed to step in and hold his own when he came in for Dariusz Bladek in the last third of the 2018 season. The Riders have a workmanlike offensive line, but gambling on it to protect a $700,000 investment may be asking a bit much.

The 2018 Saskatchewan Roughriders relied on the defense and special teams to carry the team, and a major figure will be defensive end Willie Jefferson who prospered under the Chris Jones finishing school for overlooked players. Jefferson has said he won’t be doing the NFL tour of training camps, figuring the amount of film he has compiled speaks for itself, and with Jones now a defensive consultant with the Cleveland Browns, Jefferson may have the solid in with the NFL that aspiring players crave.

If the Riders can re-sign Jefferson, they do have a shot at being competitive in what should be a strange and unusual western division in 2019. Shivers being named as defensive coordinator does give the Riders continuity on defense and a system that allows players to be imaginative and throw different looks at the offense has to be attractive.

Among those are Makana Henry, who was one of the Canadian defensive tackles who rotated last year along with Eddie Steele. Henry’s return helps bolster the Canadian presence on the line, although the book is out on whether Steele may return, go elsewhere or decide to hang up his cleats.

The Riders defensive Canadian content was also enhanced by the contract extension given to safety Mike Edem, keeping him with the team through the 2020 season. The signing of Edem offsets the retirement of safety Marc-Olivier Brouillette following a nine year CFL career. Injuries and a more lucrative profession of being a lawyer made the decision easy for Brouillette.

The Riders announced the signings of linebackers Louy Compton and Deion Pierre. The addition of the linebackers is a tip off the Riders is looking for the replacement for Sam Eguavoen who signed with Miami of the NFL.

The recent hiring’s of the Rider coaching staff have put the open tryouts schedule in the United States on hold until the Riders manage to sort themselves out following free agency. It will be interesting if the Riders continue the extensive scouting regimen established by Jones or if the Riders are waiting until the new Collective Bargaining Agreement is signed and the CFL determines whether or not the football operations salary and personnel cap is actually working or a detriment to the league.

The Riders also added defensive back Valentino Blake; running back Taye Davis; defensive lineman B. J. McBride and receiver Doug McNeil. Blake comes to the Riders after five years in the NFL including stints with Jacksonville, three years with the Steelers, and stints with Tennessee and the New York Giants. Blake brings valuable professional experience that may come in handy as the Riders look to continue their opportunistic defense.

Davis at 6’2” 240 lbs comes to the Riders from Bethel University and his size makes him a valuable weapon in wearing down opposing defenses. Davis could well be the American version of Jerome Messam.

McBride comes to the Riders after being signed by the Philadelphia Eagles and then having stints with the Green Bay Packer and San Francisco 49ers. McNeil comes to the Riders after playing in the Arena Football League and previous stops with the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks.

The Riders also added receiver Brock McCoin who also played some QB at Tennessee Tech. This is an interesting addition as McCoin joins cornerback Nick Marshall as players who have played some quarterback in NCAA football.

While the hiring O’Day, Dickenson and Shivers shows the Riders maintaining a level of continuity established by Chris Jones, the free agency period opening up will demonstrate what shape the Riders will take in 2019 and what fans can expect.

Buckle up buckaroos, this promises to be an interesting drive.

by Greg Urbanoski

Shivers’ named Rider DC, chills out fans worried about D as Free Agent Frenzy hits!

What's Trending