Steinberg’s MMQB: Winds of off-season change

Because it’s been such a busy and eventful off-season, we just didn’t have any other option but to bring the Monday Morning Quarterback back early. In our early welcome back edition, and in our first chat of 2016, we focus in on a couple West Division teams who have had eventful winters thus far. It’s good to be back!

Winds of change

To say it’s been a busy off-season for the Saskatchewan Roughriders would be something of understatement. After a dismal three-win season in 2015, we knew the Riders needed to make significant change. I don’t know if anyone saw the change being this sweeping, however. There’s an air of excitement in Regina right now, and rightfully so. But all this change also puts some pressure on a few key holdovers.

So just how much change have we seen? Well, let’s first take a look at the key additions to this Riders group laid out in the table below.

The biggest additions have been on the sidelines and in the front office as Saskatchewan continues to shape its roster on the field. While I didn’t include all of the new coaching staff, you get the idea of how many new faces Jones has either brought in or brought with him.

There’s plenty there from Edmonton’s Grey Cup winning squad and plenty of reason to feel confident with this new staff. The work Jones did with the Eskimos is well documented. He took a four-win team in 2013 and turned it into the league’s best two years later. But he’s not the only reason to feel confident.

The acquisition of Murphy from the Stampeders is one that I think will pay huge dividends. Murphy joins the Riders after spending the last five years as Calgary’s assistant general manager and director of player personnel. In effect, he was John Hufnagel’s right hand man in terms of player procurement and his record speaks for itself. With a crucial CFL Canadian Draft upcoming and some big picture roster additions needed, Murphy joins the Riders at a very good time.

With all those new faces, you know there had to be changeover the other way, too. Some of the key departures in Saskatchewan are highlighted below, and they include some big losses on the field:

The loss of Chapdelaie and Quick were obvious ones because the Riders revamped their coaching staff. And after a three-win season, you can understand why. But even still, losing both coordinators is going to be a big adjustment for returning players, even if it is a needed adjustment.

With Chick and Dressler moving on, Saskatchewan will be without two big members on the field and two leaders off of it. Despite finishing under 1,000 yards, Dressler was still Saskatchewan’s second leading receiver last season. Chick, on the other hand, had a slow start but finished fourth in the CFL with 11 sacks. Having two veterans like that move on will definitely leave a hole.

And that’s why the holdovers become so important. The Riders are in flux and they’re going through a period of rather extreme transition. Saskatchewan’s moves to re-sign Darian Durant and Rob Bagg were huge. Having leaders like Tearrius George, Brendon LaBatte, and Chris Best still with the team is similarly crucial.

Bagg may not be counted on to replace the 941 yards the Riders will lose without Dressler, but he’ll provide some much needed stability to a receiving group that looks very different from the group that won the Grey Cup in 2013. And despite the injuries he’s suffered the last two years, there’s no question that Durant is still this team’s most desirable option at quarterback. Along with Best and LaBatte, Durant and Bagg make up a pretty solid core group to drive the Riders on and off the field.

After being released by the Riders, John Chick now joins the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Now without Chick, a respected voice in that room, Saskatchewan will look to players like George and Durant as barometers. They’ve both won titles in Regina and they both know what goes into playing in that market. Don’t get me wrong; the addition of Lemon is going to be huge for this team. It just might take a little while for new players to become the leaders they’ve been on previous teams.

I fully believe the Riders are a better team today than they were at any point last season. Yes, they’ve lost some key figures and there’s been plenty of turbulence this off-season. But we know a few things that make that turbulence much less frightening.

First, we know that Jones has a track record of getting the most out of his teams. He was the best choice to steer this ship and Saskatchewan had no choice but to pounce when he became available. But even more important for me is the strong group of returnees the Riders will have next season. Without Durant et al to lead the way, I’d feel much less confident in Saskatchewan’s chances to turn things around dramatically in 2016.

The honest truth

“Everyone in the league wants us to fall on our face, they really do. Nobody likes us. They kind of think of us as ‘boy Calgary, they just keep winning.’ Well, this year I feel like the challenge is going to be a big one.”
Dave Dickenson, Calgary Stampeders

That quote from new Calgary Stampeders head coach Dave Dickenson tells me all I need to know about his motivation for the coming season. Dickenson’s quote comes an interview he did with my co-host and I on Sportsnet 960 The FAN in Calgary a few weeks ago. And he’s not wrong, is he?

No, the Stampeders did not repeat as Grey Cup champions in 2015, but they were a game away from getting the chance to do so. And their track record over the last decade in this league is truly unmatched. Nobody has done what Calgary has been able to do in terms of high-end consistency. It’s only natural, then, for opponents to hope this team takes a step back. I wouldn’t be banking on that to happen, though.

The Stamps do have a challenge this year. Dickenson is in his first year as a head coach at any level. He has a defensive coordinator in Devone Claybrooks who has never run a defence before. Corey Mace is Calgary’s new defensive line coach and he’s never coached pro football at any level. As we mentioned earlier, John Murphy has left for Saskatchewan while Jon Cornish and Juwan Simpson have retired and been released, respectively.

For a team that has thrived on consistency for so long, seeing a Calgary off-season with so much turnover is definitely different. But, just like Saskatchewan, change isn’t always bad. And it’s not like the Stamps have been left high and dry here.

New head coach Dave Dickenson knows his team will have a target on its back again in 2016.

On the coaching front, I think you can be pretty comfortable with Dickenson’s chops. Under Hufnagel, Dickenson was tutored by one of the best coaches in league history for seven seasons. He ran one of the league’s top offences for a number of those years and was highly sought after by other teams around the league. Dickenson is definitely qualified for this position.

As for player personnel, yeah, the loss of Murphy will be felt. But let’s not forget he still worked under Hufnagel as his assistant general manager. Hufnagel has been, and will continue to be, the head of the player personnel department. Knowing that should make Stamps fans rest a little easier.

We don’t know what Calgary’s final roster is going to look like, because the team still has some big roster questions to answer. But with the people they have at the helm, it’s pretty clear the Stamps are in good hands. Oh, and then there’s the motivation thing that kicked off this segment.

Dickenson knows how much teams want to knock his group off. I’ve talked to multiple players who are motivated by the same thing. Even though they didn’t win last year’s Grey Cup, the Stampeders are still the benchmark for sustained success in this league. That has everyone gunning for them, but it also has forced them to get better each and every year. I’m not expecting much of a dropoff this year, either.

Quick hits

Where does Steinberg’s top pending free agent rank on CFL.ca’s top 30 list?

There are some big names we could see available next week when free agency opens in the CFL. Trevor Harris, Andrew Harris and Jerome Messam are all big offensive impact makers that will be highly sought after. For me, though, Ted Laurent is the biggest prize available and the one guy who could transform a team in the snap of a finger. Laurent is a dominant force almost every single night and will instantly become the defensive centerpiece of whatever team ends up landing him.

Our off-season editions of the MMQB will give us the opportunity to highlight some cool stuff around the league and expand on things more than we would in the regular season. I’m looking forward to bringing some cool stories to you over the next few months. It’s good to be back and we’re thrilled to be back earlier than ever before!