CFL Combine is upon the Riders as they look to the next step in their re-tooling

The Riders issued an apology, said the campaign was done in consultation with their female staff who number half of the Rider employees, which sounds like throwing them under the bus to me.

The Riders cut a lot of staff during COVID and started to backfill those positions with essentially entry level people who are acquainted with different social media platforms but haven’t quite grasped that something that works on one platform may not translate well to others.

If the Riders had limited their girl math to Tic Tok, it probably would have done better and hit the demographic they were interested in. This goes to an situation where you have to aim your advertising on different platforms in different ways and not assume one ad will work on all platforms.

In the larger scheme of things, because this is a long off season and the CFL does a lousy job of sustaining interest like the NFL, it gives people a chance to complain but this is what can be called a teachable moment. The problem may be in designing different campaigns for different platforms, but the Riders have to get used to the idea that things have changed and you have to invest in doing things right instead of one size fits all. Once upon a time, the Riders were known to be pace setters when it came to marketing, but have apparently decided to sit back and follow.

One thing the Riders are doing well, although the proof won’t come until the Riders hit training camp in May, is the number of signings the Riders are doing since the end of free agency.

To some extent the Riders have benefitted from the merger of the USFL and XFL which has reduced the number of teams and released more players on the market. The increase in supply of players means the Riders will get access to better players, especially for players whose knees don’t blow up when the wind blow across the field.

The Riders last season seem to be favoring their veteran players, so the players they signed tended to be more of the special teams or back up players. This year the Riders are targeting players at positions where they need to improve like receiver, linebacker, offensive and defensive lines.

The Riders in signing players like Diego Fagot, a linebacker from the Naval Academy in the US, are also looking for players who have demonstrated character in their locker rooms. Never mind that Fagot has an impressive pedigree and measurable, a guy who can play and can help instill the new attitude Rider Head Coach Corey Mace will be a tremendous asset.

One position the Riders were greeted with puzzled looks was at the back up QB position. Trevor Harris will be the starter, but those Rider fans in love with Jake Dolegala and his size were disappointed he chose to sign with BC.

Dolegala apparently changed agents looking for an NFL look, but that didn’t work out and the Riders went with Mason Fine to go with Shea Patterson and Antonio Pipkin. A couple of days before St. Patrick’s Day the Riders signed quarterback Jack Coan, 6’3”, formerly of Notre Dame and University of Wisconsin.

Coan was undrafted and signed with Indianapolis last year, got released and went to San Antonio of the XFL. He was placed on the Rider negotiation list and signed with the Riders after the merger between the XFL and USFL reduced the number of teams and players needed for the league.

Coan may turn out to be a fifth arm for training camp purposes, but the Riders are facing an issue with the age of Trevor Harris (37) and coming off a knee injury, who is in a position to step in if Harris should go down with injury. Coan is at least another option for the team to check out as they look to develop a quarterback room that either has more talent or more confidence that what has existed the last two years.

The Riders are also recruiting for the defensive line and they signed R.J. McIntosh, 6’4” 291 lbs who was a third round draft pick of the New York Giants in 2018. He also did time with New Orleans, Green Bay, Indianapolis and Miami and is originally from University of Miami. The Riders are looking for edge rushers along with interior defensive linemen looking to probably rotate them through the season to keep them fresh.

The Riders also signed defensive back Jamar Johnson, a fourth round draft pick of the Denver Broncos in 2021 who ended up playing three games for Broncos. He also saw time with the XFL Arlington Renegades and the USFL New Orleans Breakers. The Riders are looking for size but probably more importantly players who can match up with opposing receivers and don’t give up on plays like say, former Rider Nic Marshall.

The Rider signed receiver Keesean Johnson, a 6’1” 201 lb receiver who among the final cuts of the Buffalo Bills and had seen action with Philadelphia and San Francisco. The Riders are looking to upgrade their receiving corps with receivers with size and speed looking to open up their passing game to go along with what should be a punishing running game.

The Riders had an interesting signing of sorts with the addition of Matthew Monaghan, a dual Canadian – British citizen who came up through rugby and is looking to make the transition to football. If he does make the team, it is probably as a special teams performer at least until the coaching staff can determine where he is best positioned to help his team.

The Riders did announce middle linebacker Larry Dean has retired and will now step into the Rider head office as Player Personel Coordinator. The Riders have used this job to transition former players like Jeremy O’Day, Rey Williams and others into front office jobs.

It’s a good move for the Riders and for Dean, who was an absolute pro, even after having an ACL injury in training camp a few years ago, and spent the season rehabbing with the team and passing on his experience to others. His professionalism as a player will be a good start for him as he moves into a head office job.

The other CFL news is sort of interesting with the Edmonton Elk looking to cut their losses financially be moving from a publicly owned model like the Riders and Stony Mountain Blue Bombers. The Elk have lost a lot of money, most of that arguably due to GM/Head Coach Chris Jones strategy of gutting the roster and doing the roster of various misfits to try to be different.

The result was an epic team/professional home losing streak that turned fans off and provided eye glazing lack of entertainment. There seems to be an investment bank working on the details of the transfer and this bank handled the details of the sale of the Montreal Alouettes and that seems to have worked out well.

The saga of Toronto Argonauts QB Chad Kelly and the harassment complaint made against him by the teams former athletic therapist is being looked at by the CFL. The case is an awkward moment and will likely see some kind of stuff that will likely see someone in the Toronto head office lose their job, or if there is an out of court settlement, maybe nothing. But this is not a good look for Toronto.

For those who live in the City that God Forgot, otherwise known as Winnipeg, the CFL Combine is underway and is well worth checking out. Gambling and pools has made fans into armchair general managers and part of the fun is evaluating players and seeing where their skill sets may land them.

It’s unfortunate the CFL had gotten rid of the CFL Week which was a great idea to engage fans in the off-season, but at least they are moving the combine around and giving fans a look at the stars of the future.

by Greg Urbanoski

CFL Combine is upon the Riders as they look to the next step in their re-tooling

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