RESIGNING DRESSLER A TOP PRIORITY

By GREG HARDER and IAN HAMILTON, Leader-Post June 9, 2010

REGINA — Weston Dressler is catching up fast.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders' game-breaking slotback was on the field for a third straight day Wednesday at Mosaic Stadium after returning ahead of schedule from a broken leg and sprained ankle suffered late last season.

With Dressler back at full speed, the Riders' next goal is to get his name on a contract extension. He's entering his option year and is slated to become a free agent after this season.
"That's one of our top priorities is to get him re-signed," offered Ken Miller, the Riders' head coach and vice-president of football operations. "(GM) Brendan (Taman) has been talking with his agent. It's something we really are interested in getting done."

Meanwhile, Miller was pleased with Dressler's progress on the field. He was also quick to dismiss suggestions that the speedster had lost a step.

"He's running faster than our guys in green right now," Miller said in reference to the defence. "He's running his routes very smoothly. He has those soft hands and really it has given everybody a lift to have him out here running with the offence."

* * *
The Riders are scaling back their two-a-day workouts to one session for the rest of the week in preparation for Sunday's pre-season opener against the visiting B.C. Lions.

As far as initial impressions, Miller singled out a few areas — and names — that have caught his eye in the first four days of main camp.

"From the receiver point of view, it's a journeymen group," noted the bench boss. "(Jason) Clermont is having a real good camp. (Rookie import) Aaron Fairooz is doing a real good job.
"When you go over to the defence, (veteran middle linebacker) Barrin Simpson (an off-season free-agent signee) has been playing well. And our defensive line, their battle for who's going to be the starting defensive ends. Joe Sykes has had some really good practices. Those are some guys who come to mind right now."

* * *Read more:

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OUT AND ABOUT WITH ABOU-MECHREK

Leader-Post columnist and former Saskatchewan Roughrider Mike Abou-Mechrek
Photograph by: Leader-Post

During my playing career, I really enjoyed my interactions with the media, and I hope the fans enjoyed me, too. I think it was because I rarely read the company line: "We win as a team and lose as a team,'' "We have to take one game at a time," etc., etc.

These quotes could come from anyone at any time in any sport. Professional athletes are in a rare situation where people actually care about what they say, so why not give them something other than blah blah blah? When you are finished playing, no one will ask you how your day went other than your wife (no, ladies, not even your husband).

Every athlete looks at the media and says to himself, "I can do that!" All they have to do is show up after practice, shove a microphone into the face of a half-naked fat man and press "record'' on their tape recorder. I mean, if Rob Vanstone can have such a successful career at it, anyone can do it, right?

Well, here is my chance to prove it -- but be gentle, Regina. I am fragile and I promise to get better.

As the weather heats up on the Prairies, so do the Riders. It is finally football season, which means it's time for everyone to start telling each other why the Riders won't win the Grey Cup this year. But, as you know, since I came to the province in 2007, the football landscape around here has changed, and even though the championship game is in Edmonton this year, the Grey Cup has to come through Saskatchewan.

Here is why I think we will be spending a little more time with Lord Grey's Mug:

Andy Fantuz: As a fellow Western Ontario Mustangs grad, I have followed Andy's career since long before his green jersey wallpapered Taylor Field. Undoubtedly, he is a great athlete who can do whatever he wants out there. Having the privilege to watch Andy work up close, I became intrigued by how he worked. When it's time to work, he gets better on EVERY rep. After every catch, he gently flips the ball to the ref, smoothes out his jersey (because you gotta look good), then struts back to the huddle. What could be more "in your face" to a DB than that?! I am waiting for him to win multiple CFL outstanding Canadian awards -- so many that he will be able to afford to give one to his fellow Mustang.

Joe Sykes: This year we get a chance to see what this animal can do over 20 games. When I saw him in practice last season, I was glad that I was retired. What were those other two guys' names who played defensive end last year?
The offensive line: Saskatchewan for a long time has had the best offensive line in the league, thanks in large part to Gene Makowsky, Jeremy O'Day and Andrew Greene. This year, my good friend Dan Goodspeed joins the mix at tackle. Add the best athlete in the league (Wayne Smith), last year's starters (Marc Parenteau, Belton Johnson and Chris Best) as well as Kelly Bates and ... they're STACKED! I will be visiting with these fat guys a lot through the season so I won't talk too much about them ... yet.

Darian Durant: One of the greatest leaders I ever played with. As an offensive lineman, I don't know about arm strength or accuracy, and I know nothing about anything to do with a football. What I do know about is that "feeling'' you get from the quarterback when you get back to the huddle. Even when Doubles (Durant's nickname) was buried on the depth chart, we knew who was in charge of the huddle. No matter what the score was, good or bad, his "coolness" in the huddle made us know that we had them right where we wanted them. This is exactly what I want in my quarterback.

Tad Kornegay: I don't have the words. Just watch him. In my opinion, he should have won an award last season ... and he's hilarious.
It is an exciting time in Riderville. If you didn't know that before, now you do.
I look forward to your feedback. Contact me at mike.abou-mechrek@investorsgroup.com.Read more:

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McKENZIE HAS BIG CLEATS TO FILL

REGINA — The Saskatchewan Roughriders will be glad to know Chris McKenzie already has flourished alongside Omarr Morgan.

"He was next to me in the dorms last year when we first got here and we got along great," Morgan recalled Monday at Mosaic Stadium, where the CFL team is holding its training camp. "I hung with him all year and he was my ride to practice every day, so we already have some off-the-field chemistry."

That's a good sign for two defensive backs who could line up beside each other this season.
Morgan, the Roughriders' veteran boundary cornerback, must get used to having someone other than Eddie Davis beside him at halfback. Davis retired in the off-season after playing 15 CFL seasons, including the past nine with Saskatchewan. In eight of those campaigns, Davis lined up on the same side of the defence as Morgan.

McKenzie, meanwhile, is entering his second season with the Roughriders. He started three games as a rookie when Davis was injured and that stint — along with his experience as Morgan's neighbour and driver — should help McKenzie this season.

"All last year, (Morgan) was basically my mentor and kept me under his wing," said McKenzie, a 28-year-old New Yorker who had stints in the NFL and Arena Football League before coming to Saskatchewan. "When I jumped in there last year for E.D., (Morgan) was like, 'You already know what to do, you know what it is and I've got you. Let's do it.' "

Now, McKenzie could get to do it again if he can win the battle for the spot. Despite his history in the position, the 5-foot-9, 190-pounder doesn't feel he has a leg up on the competition.
"I'm trying to win a spot just like anybody," said McKenzie, who finished the '09 regular season with 18 defensive tackles, two special-teams tackles and two pass knockdowns. "They could cut me tomorrow. You never know — and this game is really funny.

"I'm just going to give my best. If it isn't enough, then they've got to replace me. If it is, then I'll be starting."

"He's terrific," noted defensive backs coach Nelson Martin. "When he got in last year, he made plays — pass breakups, recovering fumbles. He's got a nose for the football, he's a very intelligent guy, he's aggressive and he's working well with Omarr in the boundary."

Morgan concurred, saying working with McKenzie has been "kind of easy — so far." While that may have been a dig at McKenzie, who was standing within earshot, Morgan admitted there are some adjustments he'll have to make.

"Eddie was like a coach on the field; he saw things before they developed," Morgan said. "Chris does some of the same things, but he doesn't have the experience. Sometimes he'll say something to me and I'm like, 'What the hell are you talking about, Chris? You don't know yet. You might think you know, but you don't know yet.'

"Really, he's doing pretty good right now."

He's also doing well with the notion of taking over from a player whom McKenzie described as "definitely a Hall of Famer in my books." It may be daunting, but McKenzie isn't feeling that way.

"I'm either going to do the job or I'm not; there isn't any pressure," he said. "I'm here to play football, to do what I know to do, do what I love to do, so pressure for what? So I can mess up? No."

"That's the right approach," Martin added. "You're not going to replace Eddie Davis. You're not going to come in in your second year in the league and replace a guy who played 15 years.
"We'll line up another person at that position, but it's not going to be Eddie Davis. He was a defensive leader, a team leader, on and off the field. It would be foolish for (McKenzie) as a young man to think he's going to step in and replace that. He's going to go out and be the best boundary halfback we have — and that's the right way to go."

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FANTUZ AND DRESSLER GETTING READY FOR 2010

Andy Fantuz, left, and Weston Dressler at the Saskatchewan Roughriders training camp in Regina on Monday.
Photograph by: Roy Antal, Leader-Post

REGINA — It was like old times Monday at the Saskatchewan Roughriders' training camp.
Those feelings of nostalgia were produced when Andy Fantuz and Weston Dressler were seen running and stretching together at Mosaic Stadium. It's the first time the star receivers were on the field together since Oct. 10, 2009, when Dressler suffered a broken right fibula and severely sprained ankle in the Riders' 32-22 victory over the visiting Toronto Argonauts.

The injury ended Dressler's season despite speculation that he might return for the CFL playoffs. Fantuz played through the remaining four regular-season games and helped the Riders reach the 2009 Grey Cup game. Monday's reunion was unexpected because it was suggested that the Riders had planned on keeping Dressler out of the first week of training camp while he continued his rehabilitation.

"For me it feels later than expected because I wasn't out here (Sunday),'' Dressler said after taking part in each drill Monday. "Everything went well and I was able to do everything that I wanted to. I hadn't been able to do anything at full speed like that since the injury. We'll get some ice on it and see what it feels like tomorrow.''

Dressler said he needed Sunday off after pushing his rehabilitation on Saturday.
"Unfortunately we did something that forced me to take a day off,'' said Dressler, who was the CFL's rookie-of-the-year in 2008.

That could mean another day off today for Dressler as he tries to regain his playing form.
"I haven't pushed it this hard all off-season,'' said Dressler, who was named a 2009 West Division all-star after finishing the season with 62 receptions for 941 yards and four touchdowns over 14 games. "I don't know how it will respond. Hopefully it's a little sore like after a normal day of rehab and I can push it again.''

It was the health of Fantuz during the previous two seasons that may have led to Monday's on-field reunion. Fantuz was to be eligible to file for free agency but elected to re-sign with the Riders in October under the stipulation that he was allowed to see if any NFL teams were interested in him. The 26-year-old slotback remained with the Riders when that didn't take place.

"It was just the fact that I had two seasons in a row where I missed some games with injuries,'' Fantuz said when asked about the lack of interest by NFL squads. "It's more of a question of trying to be productive and staying healthy.''

In 2008, Fantuz missed 11 regular-season games with a broken left fibula. He still finished with 36 receptions for 488 yards and three touchdowns.

Last year, Fantuz was sidelined for five games with a torn hamstring. He recovered to appear in 13 regular-season games, the West Division final and the Grey Cup game. Fantuz had 67 receptions for 882 yards and scored four touchdowns in the regular season. In the playoffs, Fantuz had 10 receptions for 156 yards and recorded two touchdowns.

Fantuz, who is heading into his fifth season with the Riders, is aware that approximately 20 CFLers signed with NFL teams during the off-season. That list included Riders defensive ends John Chick (Indianapolis Colts) and Stevie Baggs (Arizona Cardinals) and middle linebacker Rey Williams (Pittsburgh Steelers).

Jordan Sisco, the Riders' second pick (eighth overall) in the 2010 CFL draft, also signed with the Colts during the off-season. Fantuz didn't know that the Regina native and University of Regina Rams slotback had signed with the Colts straight out of university but he was pleased that a CIS player has the opportunity to play in the NFL.

"That's good for him and I'm glad to see more Canadians get the chance,'' said Fantuz, who was the Hec Crighton Award winner as the top CIS player in 2005. "It's great for Canadian football and CIS across the country. It's good to have guys who have the ability to play in the NFL to come out.''

Fantuz signed for a year and an option with the Riders. That means he has another opportunity to impress NFL teams with a strong regular season. Then he can see what the off-season brings in terms of chances.

"I just have to keep working hard and doing everything that I can to make sure that I'm in good shape and that my body is healthy,'' said Fantuz. "I'm not really thinking about that right now. That's stuff to worry about at the end of November after we hoist the Grey Cup.''
The Riders' main training camp continues today at Mosaic Stadium.Read more:

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JOE SYKES HOPES HE CAN REPLACE DEPARTED ONES

Defensive end Joe Sykes takes part in training camp at Mosaic Stadium on Sunday, June 6, 2010.
Photograph by: Troy Fleece, Leader-Post

Joe Sykes didn't come into the Saskatchewan Roughriders' training camp looking to replace Stevie Baggs or John Chick.

Instead, Sykes was aiming to beat them out of a job.

"I approached it as if they were still here so I could keep my preparation going in the off-season," Sykes said Sunday after the first day of training camp at Mosaic Stadium. "We're good friends, so I wish them well in the NFL. I just wanted to have my mindset that they were here so I could keep pushing."

Sykes, 27, was mentioned as a candidate to play defensive end for the Roughriders this CFL season as soon as Baggs (Arizona Cardinals) and Chick (Indianapolis Colts) signed NFL deals in the off-season. Sykes claimed Sunday that he didn't hear that talk -- nor did he want to, based on his notion of competing with those players.

Now, he's eager to replace them.

"I can't be those guys, but I'm ready to be that type," said the 6-foot-4, 275-pound product of Grenada, Miss. "They did well for themselves, but I'm a different type of player. I'm ready to play."

If he gets to play a lot, that would be a departure from 2009.
Sykes arrived at Saskatchewan's rookie camp last season with numbers befitting a player in a video game.

During the 2008 season with the af2's Green Bay Blizzard, Sykes led the Arena Football League's satellite loop with 22 tackles for losses, 19.5 sacks and eight forced fumbles in the regular season and added 6.5 sacks and two forced fumbles in the playoffs. Sykes later was named the af2 defensive player-of-the-year and defensive lineman-of-the-year.
But he played in just five games with the Roughriders last season, registering only one special-teams tackle.

"Joe needed to adjust to the Canadian game, both the field dimensions and also the scheme we were running," defensive line coach Mike Scheper said when asked why Sykes didn't play more. "Those things were very much unique and different to the style and what he had been comfortable with and accustomed to in his prior career.

"After a year in the system and grinding through on our practice roster, I think he's ready to assume a leadership role and take his swing at the opportunity that's here in front of him."
Sykes admitted it was difficult to sit out much of the '09 season, but it served a valuable purpose for him.

"I didn't know anything about the game, so I wanted to get my feet wet," he said. "In those five games, I learned a lot. I was playing behind some great players, so I didn't mind sitting back.
"A lot of players sit back a year or two in different positions and learn instead of getting thrown in the water. I embraced that and it prepared me for this year because I know what to expect ... I'm ready to unleash it this year."

He has some work to do before he gets that chance, though. Scheper said Sykes has to improve

his consistency and attain the level of play expected of a professional athlete on a daily basis.
"One day in, so far so good," Scheper said. "Now it's about being consistent and doing it every day so that it's not the exception but rather the rule."

Sykes lost some weight in the off-season in preparation for the competition for a starting job on the D-line. He also plans to use the lessons he learned from Baggs and Chick, both on the field and off, to give himself an edge.

"I love competition and it's a battle," said Sykes, who vowed to work harder this season. "Nothing has been given to me. I'm coming in like I was a rookie; I take the same approach every year. I'm just ready to get out there and shine like Stevie and Chick."

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RIDERS ACQUIRE ANOTHER CANADIAN RECEIVER

Toronto Argonaut Obed Cetoute during practice in a file photo.
Photograph by: Peter J. Thompson, National Post

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. — The Toronto Argonauts traded wide receiver Obed Cetoute to the Saskatchewan Roughriders for offensive lineman Jonathan St-Pierre on Sunday in a swap of non-imports looking to bounce back from season-long injuries.

“We thought we had an abundance (of talent) at that position with (Mike) Bradwell, Spencer Watt, Keith Godding, Steven Turner, so we had a depth there and we had a chance to get a guy that’s a top quality Canadian offensive lineman so we just felt it was the right thing for us to do right now,” said Argos head coach Jim Barker.

Cetoute missed all of last season with an Achilles injury. The Argos drafted the six-foot-two, 213-pound receiver in 2006. The following year he caught 22 passes for 367 yards en route to being named the club’s most outstanding rookie. The Montreal native missed most of the 2008 season due to injury.

Earlier this week Cetoute said he has put his injury woes behind him and was confident of making the Argos.

The Roughriders selected St-Pierre in the second round (10th overall) in the 2008 draft. The Longueuil, Que., native missed of all last season with a left knee injury, which required surgery.
Barker said St-Pierre was on his radar back in 2008 when he served in the Calgary Stampeders front office.

“Jonathan St-Pierre is a guy that we had ranked at the top of our draft board in Calgary . . . You know he’s a French Canadian so he’s familiar with (Dominic) Picard and (Cedric) Gagne-Marcoux and he’s just a solid player.”

The six-foot-three, 310-pound Illinois State product becomes the 15th offensive lineman on the Argos roster.

“He can play centre, he can play guard . . . I think guard might be his best position, but he’s got real good feet and you don’t even know a guy like that may even be able to play tackle so he’s just a real good football player and I just think at this time of the year you can’t have enough quality Canadian offensive lineman.”

Earlier this week St-Pierre said he had moved beyond the knee injury that kept him out of action last year.

“I came to camp healthy and it makes a big difference . . . I don’t want to use (the injury) as an excuse as to why I didn’t play last year,” said St-Pierre. “But definitely the mindset now is that I’m healthy and I’m making the most of it.”

National Post

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RIDERS TRADE ST. PIERRE

By Murray McCormick Sun, Jun 6 2010

It didn’t take long for the Roughriders to start dealing with their excess of offensive linemen: Here’s the first deal. I have to wonder if they have been talking with the Calgary Stampeders, too. They are also looking for O-linemen. Here’s the Riders release:

The Saskatchewan Roughriders have acquired non-import wide receiver Obed Cetoute from the Toronto Argonauts. In exchange the Argonauts will receive non-import offensive lineman Jonathan St-Pierre.Cetoute (6’2 – 213 lbs) has spent the last three seasons with the Argonauts after being selected by Toronto in the fourth round (31st Overall) of the 2006 CFL Canadian Draft. Over the course of his first two seasons with Toronto, Cetoute played in 24 games and tallied 31 receptions for 461 yards and three touchdowns. The 27-year old missed the 2009 season due to injury. Cetoute played four seasons at Central Michigan.