RIDERS ARE A TEAM

Saskatchewan Roughriders slotback Andy Fantuz (#83) during practice at Commonwealth Stadium for the 98th Grey Cup in Edmonton on November 24, 2010.
Photograph by: Don Healy, Leader-Post

EDMONTON — The focus on the individual excellence of Andy Fantuz enhances the deep-rooted team-first attitude of the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

The Roughriders slotback finished the season as the league's leading receiver with 1,380 yards. He was a West Division and CFL all-star and is a finalist for the CFL's most outstanding Canadian award, which is to be presented Thursday night. Fantuz has the honours but he has been handcuffed in the Roughriders' two playoff contests leading up to Sunday's Grey Cup game against the Montreal Alouettes. Fantuz had just one reception for 11 yards in the Riders' two playoff wins, but that hasn't been a problem for the team.

"We've been winning,'' Riders quarterback Darian Durant said after Wednesday's practice at Commonwealth Stadium. "You guys put so much emphasis on stats and they mean nothing. I led the league in picks for two years in a row and I'm right here. If Andy doesn't have a single catch and we win, he's still the receiving champion of the league and he's a Grey Cup champion.

"It doesn't matter because we have weapons all across the board. I would love to get Andy the ball more, but at the same time it's a team game and a team goal. We want to be champions at the end of the day.''

Fantuz is a product of the Riders' offensive system. Teams like the B.C. Lions and Calgary Stampeders can limit his contributions in terms of receptions, but when that happens, other receivers fill the void.

Wide receiver Chris Getzlaf did that in the Riders' 20-16 win over the Stampeders in Sunday's West Division final. Getzlaf had eight receptions for 109 yards and a touchdown in the Riders' win. He also had five receptions for 201 yards and two touchdowns on Oct. 17, when the Calgary shut down Fantuz en route to a 34-26 Stampeders' win.

"We're pretty diverse across the board,'' Getzlaf said. "If they want to take away some of our top players like that, it just leaves an opportunity for someone to get open and make plays.''

Against the Lions in the West Division final, it was slotback Weston Dressler who stepped up in the Riders' 41-38 double-overtime victory. Dressler had eight receptions for 150 yards and two touchdowns while Fantuz had one reception for 11 yards.

"We're balanced,'' said Doug Berry, the Riders' assistant head coach and offensive co-ordinator. "We're comfortable with what Chris Getzlaf, Weston Dressler, Cary Koch and Jason Clermont can do. We're also comfortable with Wes Cates. If a team wants to over-commit to someone like Andy, it's unfortunate for him, but for the other guys it's opportunities. Our quarterback is very comfortable working with other receivers.''

The Alouettes are aware of the balanced offensive package the Riders run on offence. Defensive halfback Jerald Brown, who led the Alouettes with five interceptions, said they don't let what other teams did on defence dictate their schemes. The Alouettes are predominately a man-to-man style of defence and prefer to stay that way.

"The Riders are pretty interchangeable at receiver,'' Brown said. "As a defensive guy, you have to watch every player because you never know who will be on your side. Each receiver has different attributes and at the same time, they can all make plays. Durant does a good job of getting them the ball.''

Durant did spread the ball around while leading the league with 5,542 passing yards. Fantuz still led the Riders with 87 receptions while scoring six touchdowns. Dressler also exceeded 1,000 receiving yards with 1,189 yards and scored six touchdowns. Getzlaf had 946 receiving yards and five touchdowns.

"I have to give credit to my teammates and the organization,'' said Fantuz, who had 14 receptions for 168 yards and two touchdowns in two regular-season games against the Alouettes this season. "I'm just a pawn in the system. I'm also in a system where you have a quarterback who leads the league in passing yards and your team leads in offence, so you're going to put up a lot of numbers. It puts me in a position to make plays and I was able to do that this year.''

Fantuz was the first Canadian to lead the CFL in receiving since fellow University of Western Ontario graduate Dave Sapunjis accomplished the feat in 1995. Sapunjis recorded 1,655 yards with the Stampeders en route to being named the CFL's most outstanding Canadian.
Fantuz, 26, is the Riders' first finalist for the top Canadian award since slotback Ray Elgaard earned his third of three honours in 1992. Elgaard, who is the Riders' all-time leader in receptions (830) and receiving yards (13,198) through 12 1/2 seasons, also won the league's top Canadian award in 1988 and 1990. Fantuz has 4,136 receiving yards in his five seasons.

"He's going to be right up there with players like Elgaard if he plays long enough,'' Getzlaf said. "It's still early yet to be making those comparisons and he has a lot of potential.''

Fantuz is the fourth member of the Rider to be nominated for one of the league's major awards since 2007. Quarterback Kerry Joseph won the most outstanding player award in 2007. Dressler was the most outstanding rookie in 2008 and defensive end John Chick was the most outstanding defensive player in 2009. Dave Stala of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats is the East Division nominee for the top Canadian award.

"We're focused on practice and getting ready for the game,'' Fantuz said when asked about Thursday night's award presentation. "That's something that's on the side. It will be fun and we'll dwell on it for a few hours. Then we'll return to getting ready for the game.''

mmccormick@leaderpost.com
Leader-Post sportswriter Murray McCormick will be tweeting Roughrider news this week from Edmonton. You can follow him at twitter.com/McCormickMurray
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