RIDER GREAT BOBBY JUSASIN

RIDER GREAT BOBBY JUSASIN WAS IN REGINA TO HELP WITH DON NARCISSE's FOOTBALL CAMP.  HE HAS A GREAT INTERVIEW WITH HIS SON WYATT ON ROD PEDERSENS TALK SHOW.  HE SPEAKS VERY HIGHLY OF THE RIDERS AND HIS DAYS IN REGINA.

http://www.rodpedersen.com/   ( page down a bit )


ALSO OF NOTE....DEBBIE AND I WERE IN REGINA ON TUESDAY NIGHT TO ATTEND A RBC SEMINAR AND WENT TO LANCASTER's TAP HOUSE AFTER FOR A DRINK.  BOBBY WAS THERE.   I KNEW THAT HE WAS AN EX RIDER, BUT COULDNT QUITE PUT MY FINGER ON HIS NAME.   HE MENTIONS ON THE INTERVIEW THAT HE WATCHED THE CFL DRAFT AT LANCASTERS.

SHERBROOKE STANDOUTS HAPPY TO BE RIDERS

REGINA — Ismael Bamba wants to follow in the footsteps of another former member of the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux.

Bamba, a wide receiver, was selected by the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the sixth round (39th overall) of Thursday’s CFL draft from the Universite de Sherbrooke Vert et Or.
Before he played at Sherbrooke, however, Bamba was at UND for three seasons. During his recruiting visit to that school, he met Fighting Sioux star Weston Dressler — who’s set to begin his fifth season with the Roughriders.

“I watched him play before I even committed to UND,” said Bamba, a 24-year-old product of Ivory Coast whose family moved to Montreal when Ismael was four.“He’s a tremendous player, really explosive, and I’m going to try to contribute to this team like he does now.”

Dressler has set the bar pretty high. The CFL’s most outstanding rookie in 2008 has exceeded 1,000 yards receiving in three of his four seasons in Saskatchewan and is one of the league’s most dangerous receivers.

The Roughriders don’t expect Bamba to step in as a rookie and contribute like Dressler did, but the Vert et Or star was ranked third among receivers going into the CFL draft.
The 6-foot-1, 195-pounder had 40 receptions for 543 yards and four touchdowns for Sherbrooke in 2011. He also returned 12 kickoffs for 310 yards and a touchdown and 18 punts for 208 yards with one major.

Despite being ranked 11th in the final CFL Scouting Bureau pre-draft rankings, Bamba was the 39th pick. Roughriders general manager Brendan Taman said Thursday that Bamba was high on the team’s board so, when he was still available in the sixth round, Saskatchewan pounced.

“He actually is very good,” Taman said. “I got some notes right when we picked him that some other teams were trying to (trade) up to get him.”

While Bamba said he didn’t care where he was selected, he admitted it stung a bit when his draft position didn’t match his ranking.

“But the rankings aren’t something I really looked at because you never know what the coaches think of you,” said Bamba, who has one year of CIS eligibility remaining. “I really don’t care about dropping in the charts, but if anything, it’s something I have to take a lesson from and keep going.”
Asked if he was driven by dropping in the draft, Bamba replied: “I was motivated even before that.”
“Even if you get picked in the first round, you still have something to prove because it’s a different league,” he said. “For me, getting picked in the sixth round is kind of late, but I’m really happy to be with this organization and I’ll try to prove they made a really good decision to pick me.”
Kevin Regimbald-Gagne has the same goal.

After selecting the Vert et Or linebacker in the fifth round (35th overall) on Thursday, Taman suggested the Roughriders would look at the 6-foot-1, 215-pounder primarily on special teams — and Regimbald-Gagne said he’d be more than happy to do that job.

“I’m a good linebacker, but I’m better on special teams,” said the 24-year-old product of Rouyn-Noranda, Que. “For my first season with Sherbrooke, I played a lot of special teams and for my entire career, too.

“Joining the Roughriders as a special-teams player, it’s a good chance for me to make my name and do good things — and hopefully after (a while), I get a chance to play on the defence.”
Regimbald-Gagne was named a first-team CIS All-Canadian in 2011 after registering 40 solo tackles, 15 assists, three sacks, two interceptions and two fumble recoveries for the Vert et Or. He’s also a two-time Quebec conference all-star.

Regimbald-Gagne has a year of CIS eligibility remaining, but he hopes to stick with the Roughriders in 2012.

He already has heard a lot about Saskatchewan from Roughriders punter-kicker Chris Milo, whom Regimbald-Gagne played against (when Milo was with the Laval Rouge et Or) and with (in the CIS’s East West Bowl).

“He gave me a call right after the draft and told me about the Rider Nation,” Regimbald-Gagne said. “It’s going to be a good experience to play with this team.”

HEENAN DELIGHTED TO BE A RIDER

The Riders top draft pick Ben Heenan met with the Regina media May 3, 2012 in Regina, SK.

Photograph by: Bryan Schlosser , Regina Leader-Post

CFL draft announcements don't get more dramatic that the one staged Thursday morning in Saskatoon.

Nearly 2,000 onlookers broke into a standing ovation when Saskatchewan Roughriders' president and CEO Jim Hopson announced that his team would take University of Saskatchewan star Ben Heenan with their first overall pick when the CFL draft went live later in the day.

The ruckus at the University of Saskatchewan Huskies' fundraising Dogs' Breakfast started before Hopson was halfway through the announcement - spontaneous applause that broke out all over the sprawling facility, as Hopson proclaimed from the stage: "I'm pleased to announce that later today, with the first pick in the 2012 draft, the Saskatchewan Roughriders will be selecting University of Saskatchewan offensive lineman Ben Heenan."

A teary-eyed Heenan hugged his parents at their table before threading his way through the crowd to accept a jersey from Hopson onstage. The announcement ended weeks of speculation about what the
Roughriders would do with the pick.

Heenan is a homegrown talent and widely considered a can't-miss player, but the Roughriders are deep on the offensive line and entertained offers for the pick.

"(Roughriders' general manager Brendan Taman) debated long and hard, and he had some good offers," Hopson said later. "But in the end, he said 'I can't pass this guy up. He's too good.' "

The 6-foot-4, 310-pound Heenan was still emotional after the breakfast had ended.

"I had a strong inkling the past few days, but nothing was official until today," Heenan said. "To spend today with 2,000 Huskie supporters, my teammates and my family really does mean a lot.
"For right now," he added, "I'm just going to soak this in and enjoy it with my family and teammates. Later on, next week, we'll figure out where I fit into the grand scheme of things."

Taman didn't attend the Dogs' Breakfast - he was back in Regina preparing for the draft - but Hopson said the team wanted to make sure they didn't pick Heenan just because it was popular with fans.
Other factors were at play, he said - foremost the likelihood that Heenan can have a long career on the Roughriders' line.

"He's from Grand Coulee (just outside Regina), and from my understanding, he's going to become part of the family farm operation," Hopson said. "You probably don't have to worry about him wanting to sign with somebody else down the road, and that can happen. You draft a kid from the east, and there's no guarantees he doesn't want to go home - I think a guy named Andy Fantuz kind of showed us that, and (Brendon) LaBatte showed the same thing (when he left the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to sign with the his home-province Roughriders). Long-term, it's a good football decision."

But it wasn't a decision set in stone until Hopson formally made the announcement, which was first suggested by Huskies' head coach Brian Towriss.

He and Hopson were talking at a mini-camp in Moose Jaw last week when Towriss planted the seed.
"(Towriss) said, 'I don't know what you're going to do, but if you're taking Ben, it would be really cool to be able to announce it at the Dogs' Breakfast,' " Hopson recalled.

"Right away, the bells went off. I said, 'Brendan, no pressure, but if that's your call, let us know.' We called the league. We called TSN. I was a little worried. I thought they might say no, but they said 'Great. Fabulous.' It all came together. But even this morning, I waited for my phone to ring and Taman to say, 'Hey; I just traded the first.' But it worked out perfect."

Heenan is the second Huskie selected first overall. In 2008, Hamilton picked safety Dylan Barker with their first overall pick.

The moment left a deep impact on Heenan's parents, Dale and Deb.
Father Dale said he grew up a Roughriders' fan, though he's focused more on the Huskies than the local CFL team the last few seasons.

"As a little kid, we used to go with my grandfather to the football games," Dale Heenan said after the breakfast.

"We sat in Section 4, and we went to Rider games all the time with grandpa - my cousins, my sister, my mom and dad. We had three season tickets there for, it seems, forever. It's kind of neat - we watched the Riders during those really good years, and never did I guess in my wildest dreams that one day, after watching all those guys, that I'd be watching my son play on the field."

Towriss, meanwhile, reiterated his belief that Heenan is most complete player the Huskies have ever produced and that includes past offensive-line greats like Gene Makowsky and Scott Flory, both of whom went on to long CFL careers.

"He's the most CFL game-ready guy we've had - his strength, his agility, his speed," Towriss said.
"And over and above that is his character. There's no red flags anywhere. He works every day to get better, he's had a great upbringing, he's polite, he's modest, he has a fire. He's going to be a great pro if he can stay healthy."

COLT BRENNAN EXCITED ABOUT CHANCE IN THE CFL

 After an impressive college career that twicesaw him nominated for the Heisman Trophy, new Riders QB Colt Brennan spent some time with the NFL’s Washington Redskins.

Photograph by: Al Messerschmidt , Getty Images

REGINA — In light of Colt Brennan’s phenomenal popularity in Hawaii, it is only appropriate to begin with a reference to surfing ... of the Internet.

Brennan’s signing with the Saskatchewan Roughriders was widely reported online after the announcement was made on Tuesday. The Washington Post, for example, was among the multitude of media outlets that posted an item on the decision by the former University of Hawaii Warriors star quarterback to resume his football career in the CFL.

Roughriders signings seldom attract such widespread attention. Then again, Roughriders signings seldom boast eye-popping credentials such as those of Brennan, who was a Heisman Trophy candidate in his junior and senior seasons at Hawaii.

Although there is an understandable buzz in the Rider Nation over Brennan’s impending arrival, nobody sounds more excited than the quarterback himself.

“When I was given this opportunity, this chance to go up to Canada, it basically gave me a chance to go back to doing what I love, which I didn’t have this past year,’’ Brennan, 28, says from his off-season home in Newport Beach, Calif.

“I really wanted to go back out and play football. Now I’ve got a chance to go somewhere and not only go play football, but also take on a whole new experience. I’m really excited about going up to a different country and playing football.’’

Brennan hasn’t actually played football since the summer of 2010, when he spent the pre-season with the Oakland Raiders before being among the NFL team’s final cuts. He signed with the Hartford Colonials of the United Football League last June, only to have the UFL suspend the team’s operations.

Mind you, he has faced greater forms of adversity, such as the multiple fractures and head trauma he sustained during a Nov. 19, 2010 car accident in Honolulu. He was the passenger in a vehicle that crossed the centre line and was involved in a head-on collision.

“They put me back together really well, so basically I’m good to go,’’ Brennan says. “Even with the places that I sustained some really good injuries, (the doctors) said that because of what they put in, I’m actually stronger now on the side that I had injured.

“Also, not being able to play football last fall also gave my body some rest. I’m all healed up and I’m feeling great. Now it’s just about getting in shape and getting ready to play football. It’s an exciting time for me right now.’’

Brennan was synonymous with excitement while playing at Hawaii. In 2006, he threw 58 touchdown passes — an NCAA Division 1 single-season record — and amassed 5,549 aerial yards while completing 72.6 per cent of his passes. As a result of the monster season, he was sixth in Heisman Trophy voting.

The following year, Brennan was third in the Heisman race (behind Tim Tebow and Darren McFadden) after throwing for 4,343 yards and 38 scores.

The Washington Redskins then selected Brennan in the sixth round (186th overall) of the 2008 NFL entry draft. He enjoyed an impressive pre-season as a rookie with the Redskins, as evidenced by a quarterback rating of 109.9, and spent the 2008 regular season in Washington.

Hamstring and hip injuries forced Brennan to spend the 2009 campaign on injured reserve. Washington released him in August of 2010, and he was cut loose by Oakland the following month.
Despite a series of setbacks, the personable passer is anything but downcast.

“I’ve done a lot of things in my life. You’ve got to be thankful for things,’’ he says. “Obviously, playing in the NFL is always kind of the dream when you grow up here, so it would be nice to hypothetically get back to the NFL one day, but I told the people from Saskatchewan that if I’m going to go there to Canada, I’m going there. I’m all in, basically.

“I’m excited to go up there and I’m going to make the best experience I can out of it, and hopefully get a chance to start and be a football player who’s playing on the weekends.’’

Due to the presence of Darian Durant, Brennan will be vying for a roster spot as a backup when the Roughriders open training camp on June 3. He anxiously awaits the first workout, given that the CFL is a passing-oriented league.

“I’m excited to see how the game evolves,’’ he says. “I can’t wait to see these 20-yard end zones. They told me they had 20-yard end zones and I was like, ‘Where do I sign?’ The field’s bigger and everything. The whole experience is what’s exciting about the situation. It’s fun, and it’s something that I’ve needed. It has been a tough year.’’

Brennan hopes that his fortunes will be reversed as a Roughrider, even if Saskatchewan is far removed from the NFL, not to mention Hawaii.

“They’ve been great to me over the years in Hawaii,” he says. “So many people have been asking me very genuinely, ‘Where are you going to be playing?’ I feel so good now to say, ‘I’m going to Saskatchewan. I’m going to be playing in Canada.’ I think everyone’s kind of excited to see me get back out on the football field.

“It just sounds like a great experience for me. I miss football. I can’t wait to go and play football and I’m excited for the whole experience.’’
rvanstone@leaderpost.com

ROB BAGG WILL BE VERY IMPORTANT IN 2012

The Roughriders are counting on a healthy, productive Rob Bagg, shown here in 2010, during the upcoming season.

Photograph by: Bryan Schlosser , Regina Leader-Post

One of the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ most important returnees did not play a down during the somniferous 2011 season.

Under better circumstances, that could have changed.
Rob Bagg, who missed the entire regular season due to recurrent knee problems, was practising as his team played out the string. Had the Roughriders been preparing for the playoffs, instead of a layoff, one of the storylines would have been the possible return of Bagg for the post-season.
Given another off-season to recuperate from a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, Bagg is expected to be at full speed once training camp begins June 3.

Training camp was imminent last year when the Roughriders announced that Bagg had reinjured the knee during a workout. That setback, which necessitated a second surgical procedure, foreshadowed a series of misfortunes for the once-potent Saskatchewan offence.

Bagg’s absence was overshadowed by that of Andy Fantuz, who missed the first half of the CFL season during his futile tryout with the NFL’s Chicago Bears. Fantuz eventually returned, amid considerable fanfare, but the hype far exceeded the production. An ankle injury limited Fantuz to four games and zero touchdowns.

The numbers on Fantuz’s new contract — four years at a reported $180,000 per annum — are much more impressive. His recent signing with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats has created an understandable degree of angst in the Rider Nation. Players of Fantuz’s ilk, rare as they are, are not easily replaced.
But the magnitude of the challenge facing the Roughriders will increase significantly if Bagg cannot regain the form that made him a valued (if under-rated) member of the Green and White in 2009 and 2010.

Bagg’s importance to the Roughriders is underlined by the fact that CFL teams must start at least seven Canadians. If Bagg is healthy, he will give Saskatchewan a select seven that also includes centre Dominic Picard, guards Chris Best and Brendon LaBatte, slotback Chris Getzlaf, defensive tackle Keith Shologan and safety Craig Butler.

Although Fantuz is often characterized as a ratio-breaker — a non-import who can excel at a so-called skill position — the Roughriders’ balance of Canadians and Americans is satisfactory without him ... providing that Bagg is at or close to 100 per cent.

Failing that, the math will not work, making the absence of Fantuz even more noticeable.
Either way, the Roughriders are bound to miss Fantuz. It is all a matter of degree.
As recently as 2010, when Saskatchewan’s Canadian Air Force helped quarterback Darian Durant amass a league-high 5,542 passing yards, Fantuz was often the receiver whose name was red-circled by opposing defensive co-ordinators.

The Calgary Stampeders, in particular, were determined to neutralize Fantuz. They assigned defensive back Brandon Browner, who is now with the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks, to shadow Fantuz. The Stampeders went one step further, ensuring that Fantuz received double coverage.
Ultimately, the attention paid to Fantuz during a season in which he registered a league-high 1,380 receiving yards created opportunities for pass-catchers such as Getzlaf, Bagg, Weston Dressler and the since-departed Cary Koch.

With Fantuz now out of the equation, the opposition’s premier shut-down defensive back will concentrate on Dressler or Getzlaf. As a result, the Roughriders must ensure that their pool of complementary receivers evokes comparisons to 2010.

Again, that increases the importance of Bagg enjoying a successful return to the lineup.

Although the other receivers often devoured the headlines, Bagg was a dependable target for Durant. Bagg’s speed had to be respected on deep routes. He was also effective on quick slant-in patterns that reliably moved the chains. Without him, the Roughriders seemed disinclined to call for a slant route — except when they required 10 yards on second down, only to gain seven.

The Roughriders are now hoping for a lucky seven — a reputable septet of home-grown starters — and a successful roll of the dice as they count on Bagg returning to form in 2012.

CRAWFORD USED TWITTER TO GET TRYOUT WITH THE RIDERS

By Murray McCormick
REGINA — Demetrius Crawford took full advantage of the power of social media to land a contract with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Crawford was one of the three running backs whose signings were announced by the Roughriders on Friday. The CFL team added him to its 75-player roster after studying some well-produced videos posted by Crawford on YouTube. The 25-year-old knew posting the videos wasn’t enough to attract the attention of a professional football team.

Crawford first studied the rosters of CFL teams to determine which ones could use an import running back. He then used the power of Twitter to set up contacts in the CFL. Crawford’s initial Twitter contact in October was Calgary’s Angela Iuvale, who helped him get in touch with the Riders’ football operations staff and representatives of the Regina media.
“I did my best to try to connect him with the Saskatchewan Roughriders,” said Iuvale, who uses the

Twitter handle @doublecoverage and is a passionate supporter of the Riders. “Demetrius is obviously very resourceful on his own.”

Crawford’s resourcefulness extended to Rod Pedersen, the voice of the Riders and moderator of rodpedersen.com.

“I sent him a message on Twitter and luckily he replied back,” Crawford said. “When he did, he told (general manager) Brendan Taman that he had a message from this kid and a video from YouTube. It was big that he even took the time to mention me during their podcast.”

Crawford followed up by emailing the Riders with hopes of drawing more attention to his videos, but he didn’t stop there. Crawford found Riders quarterback Darian Durant on Twitter and forwarded him a link to the videos. Crawford also told Durant that he would be taking hand-offs from the quarterback in 2012.

Crawford also reached out to Sheri Trapp, the Riders’ director of communications. Head coach Corey Chamblin watched the videos and suggested to Taman that the Riders should sign Crawford.
“I’m waiting to see who takes credit for this, because it’s definitely not me,” Taman said with a laugh. “It could be Rod or Sheri . . . I don’t know anyone who didn’t get his video, but it eventually it got to our head coach’s desk. He liked it and he told me to give him a look.”

Crawford was signed without even working out for the Riders. Crawford will be expected to take part in a future mini-camp to prove to the Riders that he’s worthy of earning an invitation to training camp.

“It doesn’t matter where or how you get them. The bottom line is how they play when you get a chance to see them,” Taman said.

Crawford played with the Montana State Bobcats in 2008 and 2009. He was all Big Sky Conference in his senior year after recording 251 carries for 1,314 yards and five touchdowns. He wasn’t drafted by an NFL team and spent some time with the Tri-Cities Thunder of the Indoor Football League.

“When I first came out of college, I had the stats and the numbers, but I just didn’t feel my first agent worked as hard as he could,” said Crawford, who is five-foot-eight and 195 pounds. “That was a learning tool for me because if you want something as badly as I did, you have to cut out the middleman. I went out on my own to get where I wanted to be.”

Crawford is familiar with the CFL through his ties to former Riders defensive back Larry Hogue. Hogue was Crawford’s high school football coach in Fairfield, Calif.

“He was a major help,” Crawford said.

Crawford worked out for the Calgary Stampeders in December, but wasn’t signed. He signed with the Riders, with a big boost from Twitter. Crawford appreciates the opportunity that the Riders have given him and is preparing for his next step.

“Nothing changes for me,” said Crawford, whose Twitter handle is (at)K1ngCrawford. “I’m still doing speed work and I’m working out every day. I know that I have to be on top of my game coming into training camp.”

NEW RIDERS - FEB 16th 2012

New Riders (L-R) Paul Woldu, Dominic Picard, and Brendon LaBatte at Mosaic Stadium on Thursday, February, 16, 2012 in Regina, Sask.


REGINA — It was a picture perfect Thursday for the newest members of the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

The Riders introduced their three prized catches from the CFL free-agent pool during a media conference and the trio posed for picture inside Mosaic Stadium. The Roughriders bolstered their offensive line in a big way with the signing of former Winnipeg Blue Bombers guard Brendon LaBatte and ex-Toronto Argonauts centre Dominic Picard. Paul Woldu, a Regina a product who had spent the past four seasons as a defensive back with the Montreal Alouettes, was signed on Wednesday, the first day of free agency.

"I'm extremely happy to be back and to be with this organization,'' said LaBatte, a Weyburn product and an alumnus of the University of Regina Rams. "To be able to play in front of friends and families and knowing how much this team means to this province and how I've lived it my whole life . . . I'm happy to represent this club.''

LaBatte spent four seasons with the Blue Bombers after being selected in the first round sixth overall of the 2008 CFL draft. He was pursued by the Blue Bombers and Edmonton Eskimos. He ultimately settled on the Riders and the opportunity to play in his home province.
"That was one of the reasons, but there were a lot of options out there,'' said the 25-year-old LaBatte.

"I sat down with my agent and we went through them all. We determined it was going to be the best fit for me.''

Financial terms of the contract were not released, but it has been reported that LaBatte could make in the area of $200,000 per season. He did sign a three-year deal that includes an option year.

"It's not necessarily (about the money),'' said LaBatte, who was a three-time East Division all-star from 2009 through 2011 and a member of the CFL's dream team last year. "I'm not too worried about where people say I am financially. I'm concerned about becoming a better offensive lineman and making sure this is something that I can do for years to come.''

The signing reunites LaBatte and Picard, who both played with the Blue Bombers in 2008. Picard, 29, was selected in the third round (23rd overall) of the 2006 CFL draft by the Blue Bombers out of the Laval University. He joined the Argonauts in 2009 and was also a highly sought-after free agent. Picard signed for one year and an option and is believed to be making in the range of $150,000 a season.

"In their positions, they are among the top echelon in the league,'' said Riders general manager Brendan Taman, who drafted both players as the GM of the Blue Bombers. "Dominic has played well over the years and Brendon's career speaks for itself. It doesn't take a genius to see that it's a pretty big upgrade.''

It does throw doubt into what will happen with veteran Gene Makowsky, who is mulling over what he will do. Makowsky is considering returning for an 18th season, devoting his efforts to politics after being elected to the Saskatchewan Legislature on Nov. 5 or combining both. Makowsky is also a guard and the Riders appear to have those positions filled with LaBatte and Chris Best, who started all 18 games in 2011 and was named the Riders' best offensive lineman.

"I was talking to Gene this morning and he's going through the process,'' Taman said. "We're going to get as many as we can and see where they fall. Gene is still part of this team and we'll see where it goes in the next few days.''

The Riders are also still in the mix to re-sign slotback Andy Fantuz. Gil Scott, who along with Tim Flieszer are Fantuz's representatives, said Thursday that there was a great deal of interest by a number of teams in Fantuz. Fantuz is on safari in Africa and is expected to return to Canada on Saturday. Scott feels it may take until after the weekend to sort out where Fantuz might land.

Follow Murray McCormick on Twitter at https://twitter.com/murraylp