The Saskatchewan Roughriders are moving forward without slotback Andy Fantuz, who signed Friday with the NFL's Chicago Bears.Photograph by: Bryan Schlosser, Leader-Post filesREGINA — The Saskatchewan Roughriders are moving forward without slotback Andy Fantuz, who signed Friday with the NFL's Chicago Bears.
The Riders have been preparing for that scenario since the end of the 2010 CFL season, which was Fantuz's best in five years in the league. Fantuz capped the year individually by being named the CFL's most outstanding Canadian. Fantuz, 27, led the CFL with 1,380 receiving yards. He had 87 receptions and six touchdowns.
"Those shoes aren't going to be filled because they are too big,'' Saskatchewan slotback Chris Getzlaf said Friday. "Still, we've been known for our depth and overcoming adversity when injuries happen. The team will be successful, but it's something that hurts. It still gives other people opportunities to step up. I know that people will.''
The Riders boast depth at the receiver position, especially among their Canadians. Along with Getzlaf, there is slotback Jason Clermont and wide receivers Jordan Sisco, Obed Cetoute and Rob Bagg.
The incumbent receivers are led by import Weston Dressler. Dressler was second on the Riders in 2010 with 1,189 receiving yards on 81 receptions. Dressler heads into his fourth season with the Riders as the team's undisputed best receiver. The other imports are Cary Koch, Aaron Fairooz and Ryan Grice-Mullen.
"I don't think they are going to miss a beat,'' Fantuz said Friday. "When you have a guy like Clermont, a two-time all-Canadian, who was basically our sixth man for most of the year ... He can step up and play and you won't lose much out there. Guys have been injured before and the Riders have been fine. That's one of the character points of the Roughriders.''
Bagg's status for the start of next season is uncertain due to a severe knee injury he suffered during the 2010 season. Bagg hopes to be ready for the opening of training camp after undergoing surgery before the Grey Cup game.
Koch played well towards the end of his rookie season as a wide receiver and could also play slotback. The same goes for Sisco, a Regina product who joined the Riders midway through the 2010 season after trying out for the Indianapolis Colts. Sisco, a second-round pick (eighth overall) in the 2010 CFL draft, didn't dress for a game in 2010.
Brendan Taman, the Riders general manager, was waiting for the Fantuz scenario to sort itself out before getting too concerned about what it meant to the team. Fantuz had worked out with six NFL teams, including the Bears, before Friday's announcement.
"We knew this was a possibility and we will continue with our off-season plan to replace Andy,'' Taman said in a prepared statement. "We will monitor our options, both within the personnel we have, and with recruiting as we go forward."
The Riders could be more active when it comes to signing free agents due to the departure of Fantuz. The Riders will have additional funds to pursue potential free agents or direct towards their own players with Fantuz's contract out of the mix.
Chris Bauman, a product of the University of Regina Rams, appears to be the best of the receivers available via free agency. Bauman, 6-foot-4 and 212 pounds, was the first overall pick in the 2007 CFL draft by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The Brandon native was released on Monday by the Tiger-Cats, two weeks before he was eligible to file for free agency. The Riders are not believed to be interested in Bauman.
mmccormick@leaderpost.com
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