ANTON MACKENZIE UPDATE

By Rob Vanstone 02-09-2009 COMMENTS(0) Rider Rumblings

On this blog over the weekend, it was speculated that linebacker Anton McKenzie is close to re-signing with the Roughriders.

The item prompted an e-mail from McKenzie's agent, Richard M. Bernstein, who was nice enough to clarify matters.

"Please just say in the blog that the rumour that he is close to signing is not true,'' Bernstein said via e-mail on Monday.

Riders head coach Ken Miller also addressed the McKenzie situation in a Monday media conference. Subsequently, Bernstein offered further comment on the situation.

In any event, here's an excerpt from a story in which I wrote about the Roughriders' prospective free agents, most notably McKenzie:

The Saskatchewan Roughriders are hoping to overcome a detour in contract negotiations with linebacker Anton McKenzie, who is poised to become a CFL free agent.“I understand that we made Anton an offer that he verbally accepted,’’ Roughriders head coach Ken Miller said. “Then when he received the paperwork, he rejected it. That’s something that I have to follow up and get more information on.

’’Miller’s quote, provided during a Monday media conference at which the re-signing of offensive lineman Gene Makowsky was announced, was relayed to McKenzie’s representative.

“What was reported earlier is true, albeit it occurred over six weeks ago,’’ Richard M. Bernstein said via e-mail. “Since the aforementioned incident took place, we have had amicable discussions with the Roughriders organization.“The current message that we have been given by the Riders can best be described as ‘wait and see.’ With the advent of the salary cap system, the club that a player signs with depends in large part on who else that club decides to keep or not re-sign.

Quantity of players at the player’s position, coupled with how much money the club has left to pay a prospective player under the system, seem to be the main factors at play.

Both parties seem to understand the business realities at play here, and we anticipate continued professional and amicable negotiations.

’’McKenzie, a CFL all-star in 2008, is under contract with the Roughriders until Feb. 15. The same applies to middle linebacker Maurice Lloyd (also an all-Canadian this past season) and outside linebacker Sean Lucas (whose 95 defensive tackles placed him second in the league last season).

Lloyd’s status remains uncertain. However, it appears that the re-signing of Lucas will soon be announced.“We’ve had substantive discussions with him over the last couple of weeks and we should have a positive announcement to make on him in the next week to 10 days,’’ Miller said

MILLER SPEAKS OUT ON SIGNINGS

By Rob Vanstone 02-09-2009 COMMENTS(0) Rider Rumblings

Roughriders head coach Ken Miller met the media on Monday to discuss the re-signing of offensive lineman Gene Makowsky. The discussion also extended to the Eric Tillman, the prospective free agents and the coaching staff. Anyway, here goes . . .

You’ve been away for a while. Did the events of last week scare you off as far as coming back? “I’m not scared. I’m just looking forward to the challenges we have in front of us right now.’’You’ve always had a bit of a say as far as getting players. Has your job changed in the past week?

“I have a little bit more responsibility. I have to draw on a few more resources. As we’ve gone through in the past, Eric has kept me in the loop as far as what was going on from a personnel point of view. I’m just a little bit more in the loop right now.’’Who closes the deal?

How do you finish a deal without your GM? “When it comes time to put a signature on the bottom on the dotted line, that will be a result of communication between people who I regard highly — Eric being one of those people — and we’ll make a decision. When it comes time for a final decision, I’ll have to make that.’’Can you still draw on Eric’s experience and pick up the phone and talk to him about anything? Is he still in the loop as far as anything you need to get answered?

“When Jim addressed you a week or so ago, he suggested that we would use Eric as a resource and that’s certainly how I plan to move forward.’’How has this changed your day-to-day responsibilities? “My days fill up much more quickly right now than they did previously with things that are related to personnel.’’With whom are you in the closest consultation in order to deal with the free-agency or whatever other matters may come along that Eric would normally handle? “Eric is a resource and certainly because of his experience, Tony Playter is a resource. Cheryl (McLean-Keil) is a resource. So we have resources here.

The other thing that I plan to do as we move forward is incorporate the coaches, particularly the co-ordinators, in the loop and keep them informed and get their information, too.

’’Was it your name on Geno’s contract and how important was it to get that done? “It was really important for me to get Gene Makowsky signed. He’s so important to our football team and he’s a great player. He represents our club well and he’s a local player. I felt it was really important to get him signed as quickly as possible.

’’Was there any worry that he would look elsewhere because he has been here so long? “I think sometimes that we have a tendency to take our local players for granted and I don’t want to do that. Gene Makowsky is important to our club and he’s important to me and I wanted to get him signed.

’’How soon after the free-agent period begins do you think that everything will fall into place among your linebackers? “We’re working on the linebacker situation as we speak. We’ll just have to evaluate as we move forward to see how we’re able to sign the players who we have available from our team to sign. And then when we get through that, we’ll have to evaluate with the coaching staff and see who else is available to fill any gaps that may occur as a result of that.

’’How about the coaching staff? Are you close to finalizing any of that? “Today we announced that we’ve hired Nelson Martin to be our defensive secondary coach. We’re really happy to have him. He worked with coach Etcheverry in Ottawa and we think very highly of him. He’s a high-energy guy and he’s enthusiastic and knowledgeable, so he’ll be a tremendous addition. In the next couple of weeks — up to three weeks — we should have an announcement on our offensive-line coach position.

We’re going to have a coach who is going to coach our running backs, who is different from Jamie Barresi. We’re going to move Jamie to be the quarterbacks coach. The other coach beyond that who we’re still looking around and discussing and interviewing for is a defensive line position.

’’What’s Jamie’s experience with quarterbacks? “He has an extensive, extensive resume when it comes to quarterbacks. He has coached quarterbacks for the better part of 20 years at major college and professional levels, so he is well-prepared to take over that responsibility.

’’Kavis Reed’s name had come up as a candidate for defensive backs coach. Was he in the mix before Nelson was appointed? “We have talked with Kavis and certainly Kavis is a bright, articulate person. His name could come up in another role.

’’Where are you with the linebackers? “With Sean Lucas, we’ve had substantive discussions with him over the last couple of weeks and we should have a positive announcement to make on him in the next week to 10 days. With Mo Lloyd, I was supposed to talk with him today, but so far I haven’t been able to get him on the telephone. I’m anxious to talk with him soon.

’’What about Anton McKenzie? “This is something that I’m a little less familiar with than the other two, but I understand that we made Anton an offer that he verbally accepted. Then when he received the paperwork, he rejected it. That’s something that I have to follow up and get more information on.

’’With the role that you’re taking on, you’d probably rather not do it under these circumstances. Nevertheless, you’ve got it. Is it daunting? Challenging? Exciting? Is there any particular adjective that goes along with this opportunity and how suddenly it came for you? Have you been prepared for this? “The thing that I’ve had the coaching staff do and I’ve talked to the players about is it’s important for those of us who are involved in football to keep the main thing the main thing. The main thing for us to field a football team that is not just competitive, but is an excellent football team, so that’s what we’re going to do. Regardless of the distractions that we’re swirled around in here, our main focus is to get players on the field and then when we get them on the field, to coach them the very best that we possibly can and to win a Grey Cup.

’’How much fun are you having trying to deal with the salary cap and the math that goes around it? “Math was one of my better subjects in school, so I’m doing OK with that.

’’With the distractions that you alluded to, is it difficult to do the job with some of these things swirling? “From a player perspective and from a coaches’ perspective last year, regardless of what distractions we had last year, we showed that we had a tremendous ability to put those things aside and stay focused on the things that needed to be focused on. This may be a little higher-profile kind of a distraction, but certainly we’re going to approach it the same way.

’’Are you concerned that some of the uncertainty with Eric may impact upon the negotiations with the free agents? “I’m not concerned with that because the people who I’ve talked with have been very positive. When I’ve contacted players, they’ve been very positive. I’ve had players call me and say, ‘Coach, let’s get on with the negotiations.’ To carry that on just a bit farther, when it comes to other free agents, our players communicate with other players. Our players, by and large, are very positive so I expect that message to be conveyed across the league to other players. I expect to have a positive response from other players as well.

’’Without Eric in an official capacity, has that affected your scouting south of the border at all? “Joe Womack has really been Eric’s right-hand man in that regard and we’ll continue to rely on Joe and his expertise with those people who are south of the border.’’Have any decisions been made as far as players who will not be back? “We’re making those decisions as we speak. I need to talk to the coaches a little bit further about what we’re going to do there. When we make those decisions, we’ll get that information out to you.

’’Would you like to comment on the work Norm Fong has done for this organization for 30 years? “I’ve really only known Norm for the last couple of years, but what a tremendous person and a tremendous leader. For him to be off on medical disability now, it’s a changing of the guard. We feel like we’re fortunate to have a young, enthusiastic person in Gordie Gilroy to come in and take over that position with a lot of enthusiasm. I’m really optimistic that Gordie will do a great job.’’

GENO IS BACK !!

Our man Murray McCormick has a scoop: Offensive lineman Gene Makowsky, who was to become a free agent Feb. 15, has signed a new contract with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

The deal is to be announced Monday, when Murray's story will appear in the Leader-Post.

Makowsky's signing was a given, being that he is a fixture with the Roughriders, but the announcement still qualifies as good news. He is merely the West Division's reigning lineman-of-the-year, and one of the nicest people on the planet.

And he also has a blog.

RIDER SIGNINGS

By Rob Vanstone 02-07-2009 COMMENTS(0) Rider Rumblings

Rod Pedersen is reporting on his blog that linebacker Sean Lucas has re-signed with the Roughriders. That would be huge news. Lucas doesn't receive as much accolades as he should, but my take is that he is THE linebacker the Roughriders are most anxious to re-sign.

For all it's worth, some online-addicted Rider Priders are also abuzz about the possibility of linebacker Anton McKenzie re-signing very shortly. That would not be at all surprising.

If McKenzie and Lucas do return, however, that pretty much eliminates the possibility of Maurice Lloyd re-signing.

Renauld Williams should be a more than adequate replacement at middle linebacker, anyway. It remains to be seen, though, if Lloyd's contributions can be duplicated. When is the last time the Riders had a middle linebacker of that calibre? Cleveland Vann? Wally Dempsey?
No, David Albright does not rate.

In any event, the Roughriders desperately need to circulate some good news in light of the Eric Tillman situation. I wonder if the efforts to re-sign players, and soon, have been intensified in light of that necessity. A good-news press release would transmit a "life goes on'' message.

One more note: If you want some interesting reading, check out the comments on any of Rod Pedersen's blog entries that pertain to the Regina Pats. Pats fans are apoplectic over the team's performance and that is reflected by the comments. It's a fun read, unless you happen to be Colten Teubert or Brent Parker.
Have a great weekend. If you're at the Campbell Invitational Tournament or the Pats game, please say hello.

TILLMAN CHARGED

Roughriders GM Eric Tillman charged with sexual assault

Interview with Eric Tillman and his lawyer. Click herehttp://www.leaderpost.com/sports/index.html


PAGE DOWN TO MULTIMEDIA

The likelihood the Roughriders' free agents will be back

By Rob Vanstone, Leader-PostFebruary 2, 2009Comments (1)

Rarely does a day — or even an hour — elapse without a fervent fan asking this media carnivore about the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ free agents.

So here, without further preamble, is a list of Roughriders properties who are poised to hit the open market in mid-February. The percentage, listed in parentheses, refers to the likelihood of the listed player re-signing with Saskatchewan:

Mike Abou-Mechrek (60%): The Roughriders’ brass loves Abou-Mechrek’s toughness. He is a particular favourite of general manager Eric Tillman. The only concern pertains to Abou-Mechrek’s age (34 by season’s end). The Roughriders need to develop some young offensive linemen with Gene Makowsky turning 36 and Jeremy O’Day nearing 35. Is there room for three linemen in their mid-30s? (Let’s hope so! Abou-Mechrek and receiver Matt Dominguez are the best interviews on a team that is laden with cordial, but not especially quotable, players.)

Jamie Boreham (90%): Boreham is a solid punter and a gamer. Ken Miller wants Boreham back and the head coach will likely get his wish.

Tristan Clovis (0%): The non-import safety, who left the team for undisclosed reasons during the 2008 CFL season, is not expected to be offered a contract.

D.J. Flick (0%): The Riders’ brass appears to have little interest in re-signing Flick, who missed most of the 2008 season with a broken fibula. The team is laden with talent at the inside-receiving positions (Andy Fantuz, Weston Dressler, Jason Clermont). Flick’s six-figure compensation will be diverted to Clermont, who signed with the hometown Riders in December after being released by the B.C. Lions.

Scott Gordon (0%): The non-import safety is respected for his tenacity, but his range is lacking and he missed too many tackles in 2008. The addition of Clermont could make it feasible to start an American (James Patrick?) at safety.

Glenn January (60%): What will happen to January in February? Chances are the import offensive lineman — who was acquired in last year’s Kerry Joseph trade — will return. He wants to return, and the Riders went him back. However, Tillman will not pay boffo bucks for an import offensive lineman unless he is a robust presence. January is serviceable, but not a road-grader. The recent re-signing of import tackle Belton Johnson reduces the necessity of reaching a deal with January.

Maurice Lloyd (30%): The all-star middle linebacker stands to make about $120,000 in 2009 if he re-signs. Don’t be surprised if a rival West Division team, such as B.C. or the Edmonton Eskimos, offers bigger dollars. Richie Hall was the Roughriders’ defensive co-ordinator before becoming Edmonton’s head coach, so the Eskimos have an “in.’’ The Eskimos’ release of middle linebacker Augie Barrenechea (now of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats) is a sign that Edmonton could be clearing roster or cap space for Lloyd.

Sean Lucas (70%): The under-rated linebacker is appreciated by the Roughriders’ coaches. He will attract interest from other teams, but Saskatchewan should tender a competitive offer.
Gene Makowsky (99%): The West Division’s reigning lineman-of-the-year is a mainstay with the Roughriders and in the community. No worries here.

Mike McCullough (80%): This classy Canadian excels on special teams and is not out of place at linebacker when called upon. He is a favourite of the head coach.

Anton McKenzie (70%): An all-star linebacker in 2008, McKenzie will be very interested in the Lloyd sweepstakes. If Lloyd leaves, watch for McKenzie to re-sign. If Lloyd stays and Lucas re-signs, where does that leave McKenzie? After all, the coaches would like to play import linebacker Renauld Williams, somewhere.

Leron Mitchell (80%): The non-import defensive back was an early-season terror on special teams until suffering a broken leg. The Roughriders like his potential and will likely re-sign him.

Steven Morley (50%): The homebrew offensive lineman underwent knee surgery in December. The Roughriders are taking a wait-and-see attitude.

Jeremy O'Day Re - Signs

By Rob Vanstone 02-02-2009 COMMENTS(0) Rider Rumblings

Here's the press release . . .

General Manager Eric Tillman announced today that potential free agent offensive lineman Jeremy O’Day has re-signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders for one-year and an option. Financial details of the contract have not been released. "We're very pleased to extend Jeremy's relationship with our club,” stated Tillman.

“He's the epitome of a pro, on and off the field, and, as such, a great role model for our young guys to emulate."O’Day is entering his eleventh season with the Green and White. The 34-year old center started in 14 regular season games and the West Semi-Final last year. In his 12-year CFL career, O’Day has dressed in 202 regular season games and 13 playoff games along with two Grey Cup championships (Toronto in 1997 – Saskatchewan in 2008).

O’Day was nominated as the Riders Most Outstanding Lineman in 2006 and 2007. He has been named a Western all-star four times and a CFL all-star twice. O’Day was also the recipient of the 2008 Tom Pate Award which recognizes the CFL player with outstanding sportsmanship, who has made a contribution to his team, as well as, to his community association.

O’Day has exemplified leadership on and off the field during his ten years with the Roughriders. He has made countless charity and community appearances and currently organizes the Community Youth Challenge which sees Rider players make over 200 school appearances throughout the province every year.