Johany Jutras/CFL.ca
It’s a good news/bad news situation with the Saskatchewan Roughriders right now.
The good news? The majority of the focus in the Canadian Football League right now is on the upcoming 2016 CFL Draft.
The bad news? It’s not until May 10.
However don’t get too discouraged. It’s not like there’s nothing going on between now and then. In fact the Riders’ annual spring mini-camp is scheduled for April 9, 10, and 11 in Vero Beach, Fla. and I expect it may draw more attention than the Draft itself.
But for right now, football-types and diehard fans are buzzing about the Draft and assessing what areas of need the Saskatchewan Roughriders have identified going into the league’s annual lottery.
In fact we put that question to Riders’ Assistant VP of Player Personnel John Murphy this week on 620 CKRM’s SportsCage.
“Canadians,” Murphy deadpanned when asked what the Riders are looking for.
His answer isn’t surprising. How many businesses want to divulge their secrets to success or results of their strategic planning? It’s no different with football teams leading up to a draft.
In fact Hamilton Tiger-Cats GM Eric Tillman was asked the same question by TSN’s Farhan Lalji at the CFL Combine in Toronto and his answer was, “bank robbers don’t make appointments.”
God bless E.T.
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However Murphy was willing to at least discuss the importance of the CFL Draft in our interview.
“We’re continuing to look at both sides of the line (of scrimmage),” Murphy admitted. “I think those are both positions that are important to continue to fortify, even if you feel it’s a strength on your roster. We haven’t been able to say that to date, and that’s something that clearly needs continual evaluation and an upgrade not only in this year’s draft but in the foreseeable future.
“What you saw at the national combine was a quality amount of guys at each position which makes this draft more-balanced than you’ve seen in past years. You’re also seeing how well the players are doing that may have NFL opportunities and you’re getting an idea of who’s going to get drafted in the NFL or who may sign south as a free agent. How does that work with our draft strategy?”
Adding considerable intrigue this year is that Saskatchewan owns the first overall pick and hasn’t decided yet whether to keep it or trade it away. There are whispers about it right now but it’ll turn into big news in the coming weeks until a decision is made.
“There were definitely people that didn’t mind mentioning that they’d like to visit about the availability of that pick and if we’d listen,” Murphy said of the Toronto combine. “Our response was ‘of course’.”
“I think you have to be in business every day whether you were a playoff team or not last year,” he continued. “You always have to leave yourself open for business and make the best move possible for your organization. If May 10 comes and that’s us making the first pick, that’s what we’ll do. If the right trade comes along that would allow us to significantly improve ourselves, we’d have to look at that as well.
“The draft is the lifeblood of your franchise and is the key to long-term success. You can’t overlook your Canadian content so this will be an exciting last six weeks before the draft.”
Of course I’m always more interested in players at the other end of their careers and the CFL Free Agent pool party continues to rage on even after several have gone home. Players like Fred Stamps, Thomas DeMarco, Marcus Henry, Dave Stala, Brandon Underwood, Jason Vega, Chevon Walker, Xavier Fulton, Alex Hall, Tyron Brackenridge and Rennie Curran are all still waiting to sign with a CFL team.
Murphy says if they haven’t signed by now, they probably won’t for awhile.
“I think these veteran guys now are more likely to remain a free agent now through their own decision-making process and wait for a Week 1 or 2 injury or wait for a team to not to play well in the pre-season and get nervous or worried and make a move on a veteran player,” Murphy explained. “That way you’ve got fresh legs and have kept yourself healthy, and that’s worked with a couple of teams.
“We made some moves like that with Calgary with guys like Lin-J Shell, Jonathan Hefney and Jabari Arthur when we had early-season injuries. That’s what I think these guys are waiting for now.”
Saskatchewan may even be one of the teams looking for a boost in the early going so it’s wise for all of those free agents to stay in shape.
“You wonder as a team if a veteran guy can add some security in Week 1 or 2 if the league is a little too fast for a rookie,” Murphy concluded. “You don’t want to start off the season losing points on the field that are just as important later in the year.
“Two points in June are just as important as points in October and November and early wins can help you withstand some losses due to injuries,” he added. “You don’t want to start a season off rough because your rookies aren’t ready to go yet.”
And the sense I get from the Rider Nation is this team can ill-afford to start off slow.
