RIDER FANS SPEAK OUT ON KEVIN GLEN

By Rob Vanstone 03-23-2009 COMMENTS(0) Rider Rumblings

The other day, I asked people whether they thought the Riders should have pursued Kevin Glenn. Here are the responses, with thanks to all who contributed:

FROM BERNIEDid you now see what happened last season when we brought in a established passerfrom another team? I still have nightmares of that playoff game. I’m sure you could hear screaming from Vancouver: “Take him out, now, take him out.” Go with what we have, they are young and positive.

FROM RODNo we should not have picked Kevin Glenn up. We have several young quarterbacks worth developing. Both Durant and Jyles have game experience and shown promise. The Riders and many other CFL teams recycle QB’s far too much. You see QB movement in the NFL but there it is usually salary cap driven. Besides Ken Miller gave his word to Durant and the fans that we would not go the Bishop route for training camp. It looks like Miller is definitely a man of his word. I believe you have written a column or two about the last QB we developed, Kent Austin.

FROM TREVORHere is my Trevservation, Rob I would be more interested in signing Casey Printers to a performance-laden contract (akin to Lumsden’s deal in Edmonton) as opposed to pursuing Kevin Glenn; however, if the Riders were looking for a QB to play within their system, I think Glenn would be a better fit. Best of luck to Glenn in Steeltown. He’ll need it.

FROM PATI think the Riders did the right thing in passing on Glenn , and for that matter , they should steer clear of Printers as well. The Team set itself back last year with the whole Bishop fiasco - the single big mistake in Miller’s rookie season. The team has chemistry with Durant, a guy they know who’s been around for a few seasons and has had the benefit of understudying Joseph and Crandell. Had he not been injured (along with everyone else) the season could’ve been very different indeed. It’s time for the Riders to develop a QB from within - something they have never done.

FROM RONYou wrote: “The Riders’ quarterbacks have a handful of starts between them. Why not improve the position by signing an established passer?” Didn’t we try that experiment last year? If we wouldn’t have aquired Bishop our young quarterbacks as a group would have a lot more experience this year. If we are serious about developing a quarterback as we did with Kent Austin we are going to have to just go with the young guys as we did with Austin and Tom Burgess. I have to disagree with you on this one Rob.

FROM TRAVI was glad the Riders did not pursue Glenn, reason why is because I’m tired of seeing the Riders going after other team’s cast off QB’s. I really like the QB’s the Riders have right now, Durant has shown that he can start and while he did struggle a bit after his rib injury I believe he’ll come in this year ready to go and will do what he did when he won those games he started in. Dalton Bell seems like a solid prospect and will step in as third stringer if not the back up spot. Bottom line is the Riders need to develop their own QB’s and bringing in Glenn wouldn’t have helped in that area. Hamilton needs him more then the Riders in my opinion.

FROM STEFANI am not too concerned that we didnt go after Kevin Glenn. I like Durant and more importantly Wes Cates likes Durant, Cates gets the ball alot more with Durant in. My concern is that we aren’t really going after anyone or anything. Flashback to the offseason before the ‘07 season, Tillman is making announcements every week about moves he has made, the offseason is full of excitement, and there are Riders articles being run every day. Fastforward to present, Tillman is on paid leave, there hasn’t a Riders article of interest in weeks, the only news one is able to report on is speculation of a new stadium or the extended court process of GM Tillmans sexual assault charge. It is however not the reporters’ falt that there is nothing to report on, the lame duck GM isn’t really doing anything, no players being signed, no new announcements being made. Roughriders fans, the Owners, are deserving of a team that has a competetive chance to win. Winning that starts with a good offseason. One of which the Roughriders have not had. I think it is time to replace GM Tillman, before the preseason starts. At least you would have something interesting to report on.

FROM RYANAbsolutely another wasted opportunity by The Riders. Once again we are the only team not sporting a proven “CFL” QB. Well I guess The Bombers are in that same boat too now after giving away Glenn. I’d imagine Glenn would’ve come here too without much persuasion. Hopefully our new O-Line will give Durant/Whomever some time back there to prove he’s for real, not just a flash in the pan. Who knows, maybe Darian is our next Kevin Glenn...unfortunately for the Riders our best players blossom on other teams. Here’s hoping the Vegas oddsmakers are wrong this year.

FROM WOODYFor what its worth. The riders are between the proverbial rock and hardplace. Don,t sign Glen, then the armchair QB’s are starting to whine. We need a proven starter, we need a veteran to help the young guys......et al. If the Riders do sign him, and he’s a flop, Here we go with last years problems again. QB musical chairs. All the armchair fans, will forget the fact they were whining about not having a veteran. The green and white brain trust for better or worse, have made a logical decision to develop the guys they have. Glen won’t get us to the promised land any quicker than who we have under centre right now. Available free agent QB’s add up to nothing more than a whole lot of blog material for you. Go Riders, and fans, deal with the reality that we are in a development mode under center this season. You don’t buy car insurance if you take the bus.

FROM BRENTI don’t think the Riders should have pursued Glenn. Bringing in Kevin would be eerily similar to bringing in Bishop. If our receivers can stay healthy, I think that our young guys will be fine. I would love to have a QB that there is never any controversy about his starting job. The goal should be to find that young guy.

FROM PAULNo, they should not have pursued Kevin Glenn. The Riders had their chance to have a veteran quarterback (who got along with the future quarterbacks) last year when they had Marcus Crandel. The injury to Crandel showed the promise of someone like Durant and all it would have taken was some guts to run with Durant and have Crandell in the background as support. Supposedly Crandell and Durant had a good relationship and the Riders threw that away on a long shot named Bishop. It is time to take the step of growing 1 or 2 of these young quarterbacks or go find another gem like a Kent Austin but on a veteran team I do not think you necessarily need a veteran quarterback as long as you have a talented quarterback who can grow with the veteran team. At any rate these young quarterbacks are no longer rookies, especially Durant, for some of them it is time they either have what it takes or they do not. Talent is something you have and experience is something you gain. And no, bringing Crandell back now should not be an option either.

FROM HOWARD
I think that the riders should have pursued Glenn for obvious reasons. Most importantly the fact that we do not have a proven starting QB. Durant is great and I think he will be a “starting” caliber QB one day. The problem is what happens if Durant isn’t a starting caliber QB. Then what? Jyles has been effective as a relief QB but as a starter I am not so sure that he can get the job done. Things are much different when a team has time to prepare a defensive game plan. Dalton Bell could defintely be good but he is still young and inexperienced. Glenn did have one bad year but that happens to any great player. I think Glenn has another couple solid seasons left in him if not more (He is only 30). The riders don’t have a true starter and Kevin Glenn is a proven winner. What other reason do you need? I think the riders chose not to sign Glenn because they were worried about another QB controversy. Fact is having two good QBs doesn’t start a controversy. Miss managing the situation does. I like Ken Miller but last season’s QB situation was brutal. You need to give every player a fair chance and I don’t think Darian was given one. Play the guy who is winning games. Durant had one bad game last year against Hamilton and that cost him his starting job. I hope Durant plays great this year andproves all of his critics wrong. I personally think he will be great and hope this is his breakout season. If it isn’t, we could be in big trouble!

FROM RONI was sorry to see that the Riders didn’t pursue Kevin Glenn, I have always liked him as a quarterback. You don’t get to be a Schenley nominee for being average. He impresses me for his intelligence, the fact that he appears to be a student of the game, his quick release, and, for what may seem an odd reason, his superior ability to gain the required yardage on third and short. I also have to admire him for being able to last as long as he has in Winnipeg, given the succession of unbelievably woeful head coaches he has had to play for. In Glenn’s case, it made a wise decision to sign with Hamilton. It would have been a difficult situation to return to Saskatchewan. The same thing that happened to Michael Bishop could easily happen to him, only for Glenn it would possibly be worse because of his history with the team. Bishop was brought in as a veteran back-up, sent into action too quickly when the rookie starters either were injured or weren’t up to the task, and was blamed for the season’s poor ending. Bishop deserved some of the blame, but certainly not the extent he did receive. A decimated receivering corps and a terribly inconsistent offensive line were also huge factors. Glenn could well have the same conditions awaiting him. Do the Riders have the answer to the team’s quarterbacking needs? I don’t know. Durant certainly has the right approach to the game. He doesn’t appear to have a great arm but then that was the same criticism often made about old Number 23. It would be nice to see him succeed. The Riders do not have a history of recruiting all star quarterbacks. Austin was a long time ago, and how far back do you have to go before you find another? Tillman has said that the team was deep in q.b. recruits. Let’s hope so. The receiving corps has obviously been strengthened with Fantuz and now Clermont at inside receivers. Outside receivers remain a question mark. Hopefully Dressler will be able to switch to the outside and continue his great play there. I would love to see Dominguez back healthy, but I can’t help but think that, healthwise, he would be taking too big a chance in returning. (Sign him up as a receiver’s coach. Keep him as a part of the team. He is too much an asset to the team and community to be let go.) The verdict is still out on Bowman. After that there is really no one who would be a consistent deep threat. The offensive line remains an even bigger question. Quarterback pass protection was inconsistent at the best and awful at the worst. Makowsky and O’Day have continued to provide an all star calibre of play. The play of the others has not been outstanding. Import offensive tackles should be expected to play at far higher level than what we have seen over the past season, otherwise why use up import slots for them. Smith appears to have an unresolved injury problem. Abou-Mechrek needs to do more than be a good source of quotes. Hopefully McGrath’s addition will improve the overall mix. Finally, the situation with Tillman remains a concern. It is hard to believe that the present situation is not detrimental to the team’s preparation for the next season, notwithstanding the reassuring words of the executive. The situation needs to be resolved quickly so that management can manage and coaches can get back to preparing to coach. And please, no more references to Taman - the dismal conditions in Bomberville are largely his responsibility. There. You asked for comments. I may have strayed a little off topic, but it was kind of fun.