SEAN LUCAS ON RESIGNING WITH THE RIDERS

By MURRAY McCORMICK
Leader-Post

Sean Lucas is back with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, but he didn’t have any intention of leaving.

The Roughriders confirmed Wednesday that the veteran linebacker has re-signed. Lucas had filed for free agency on Feb. 15 after five seasons with the CFL team.

“I feel great because it’s where I’ve always wanted to be,’’ Lucas said from New Orleans, where he lives in the off-season. “We started negotiating a little bit late and I had some things that I wanted to consider. I never really intended on going anywhere else. I had some options and I just wanted to weigh those.’’

Lucas declined to reveal which teams presented those options. Most of the offers were similar financially to what the Riders proposed, but the teams couldn’t match couldn’t match everything that Saskatchewan has to offer.

“It’s a better situation in Saskatchewan for me,’’ said Lucas, who originally signed with the Riders as a free agent in 2006. “I love the guys in the locker room. The organization has been good to me and the fans are the greatest. There isn’t anyone who appreciates football more than they do in Saskatchewan. It gives me the best place to be successful as a team and as a player. Ultimately it’s the best place in the league to play and I know there are a lot of people who feel that way.’’

Lucas, 27, has played in 71 regular-season games with the Riders as an outside linebacker. He has 311 defensive tackles, seven sacks, four interceptions and 21 special-teams tackles. He started 17 games in 2010 before being sidelined for the final regular-season game and the playoffs with a hyperextended right elbow.

“I thought I could have come back,’’ said Lucas, adding that the elbow is 100 per cent. “The team wasn’t comfortable with me playing and truthfully it was best desision to sit out.’’

Lucas returns to a defence that has undergone changes among the coaching staff. Gary Etcheverry, who was the defensive co-ordinator in 2009 and 2010, was demoted with the hiring of Richie Hall. Etcheverry remains as a defensive assistant, the same position he filled in 2008 when he joined the Riders for his second stint with the team. He was previously the defensive co-ordinator in 2000.

Hall takes over as defensive co-ordinator after spending two seasons as the head coach of the Edmonton Eskimos. Hall had been with the Riders for 15 years — the last eight as defensive co-ordinator — before taking over Edmonton’s head-coaching job. Lucas is looking forward to working with Hall and Etcheverry in 2011.

“Change will be good,’’ said Lucas, who was a West Division all-star in 2009. “In 2008, the combination of Etcheverry and Hall worked very well for us. We were able to mix things up and keep defences off balance. We’ve got a good group of young guys and the core people are back. We should be able to roll.’’

The Riders had 12 players on the 2010 roster eligible to file for free agency. Seven have re-signed — guard Gene Makowsky, running back Neal Hughes, linebackers Lucas, Kye Stewart and Mike McCullough and defensive halfbacks Lance Frazier and Chris McKenzie. Two others — offensive lineman Wayne Smith and linebacker Daniel Francis — signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Middle linebacker Rey Williams, who missed the 2010 season after suffering a knee injury in the final game of the NFL pre-season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, also signed with the Tiger-Cats. The Riders retained the rights to Williams up to the free-agent deadline.

The unsigned Riders are offensive tackle Joel Bell and defensive lineman Kitwana Jones, who are both imports.

The Riders have signed three free agents — offensive linemen Alex Gauthier and George Hudson, formerly of the Tiger-Cats, and former Calgary Stampeders defensive lineman Tearrius George.

The Tiger-Cats released Gauthier on Feb. 1 and the Riders were able to sign him in advance of the CFL free-agent deadline.