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.
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.
