RIDER AIR SHOW SET

Andy Fantuz is one of six exceptional Saskatchewan Roughriders' receivers heading into the regular season.
Photograph by: Troy Fleece, Leader-Post

REGINA — The Saskatchewan Roughriders are pleased to employ six highly reputable receivers — but there's a catch.

Only five of them can play at once.

"I think our biggest problem is going to be getting everyone touches,'' Roughriders slotback Andy Fantuz says with a smile, knowing full well that such depth is a luxury, not a problem.
Fantuz is part of a receiving corps that includes fellow slotbacks Weston Dressler, Chris Getzlaf and Jason Clermont, along with wideouts Prechae Rodriguez and Rob Bagg.

"I am truly blessed to be in this situation, to have six guys of the calibre we have here,'' Riders quarterback Darian Durant says. "It's going to be great working with them all year long. Hopefully we can all stay healthy and be able to accomplish what we're capable of.''

The Roughriders are so loaded at receiver that Clermont — the most accomplished member of the splendid sextet — is not designated as a starter.

"He had an incredible camp and it is hard to fathom, really, that he won't be on the field to start the game,'' Fantuz marvels. "But he will get in there and get his reps and get his touches. He's just an incredible leader in the locker room and on the field. He's someone I look up to and I learn a lot from. He is a big part of this team and it just shows the depth that we have at receiver.''

On paper, the Roughriders have never been this deep at receiver — which is saying something.
When Saskatchewan won its first Grey Cup in 1966, Ron Lancaster directed passes towards Hugh Campbell, Jim Worden, Alan Ford and Gord Barwell. All of them are in the Plaza of Honor.

Ten years later, Lancaster's primary targets were Rhett Dawson, Steve Mazurak, Tom Campana and Bob Richardson. Being that the team used two running backs in that era — a contrast to today's one-back set — a fine receiver named Leif Pettersen was usually a backup.
In 1981, the Roughriders dazzled fans while relying on a passing attack that utilized the talents of Joey Walters, Chris DeFrance, Emanuel Tolbert and Dwight Edwards.

By the late 1980s, Saskatchewan's terrific troika of Ray Elgaard, Don Narcisse and Jeff Fairholm was exploiting secondaries. The wideout opposite Narcisse was often an afterthought (see: Ray McDonald, James Hood, Gene Taylor, Mark Guy, B.K. Williams, Tre Everett, Willis Jacox, Reggie Brown and Willie Culpepper).

Elgaard and Fairholm — the Slot Machines — were so dominant that another excellent inside receiver, James Ellingson, rarely stepped on the field. His talents were obvious when he was deployed, most memorably in the 1989 Grey Cup.

Since then, there have been other talented receiving corps. The 2000 quartet of Curtis Marsh, Dan Farthing, Eric Guliford and Demetris Bendross (no snide remarks, please) comes to mind. Matt Dominguez, D.J. Flick and Andy Fantuz were showcased during the Grey Cup championship season of 2007.

But, honestly, have Roughriders fans ever seen anything quite like the current group?
Fantuz was named the most outstanding Canadian in the 2007 Grey Cup. If he can remain healthy, a 100-catch year is not out of the question. Neither is the CFL's most-outstanding-Canadian award.

Dressler was named the CFL's rookie of the year in 2008 after catching 56 passes for 1,123 yards, an average of 20.1 yards per grab. The runner-up for the award was Rodriguez, who had 70 catches for 1,099 yards for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 2008. Rodriguez was acquired from the Tiger-Cats in February.

Bagg was recognized as the Roughriders' top Canadian in 2009. Getzlaf, who had a team-high six touchdown catches, also merited consideration. And then there is Clermont, who had three 1,000-yard seasons with the B.C. Lions, and was twice named the league's top Canadian. He also earned outstanding-Canadian laurels in the 2004 Grey Cup, two years after being decorated as the CFL's rookie of the year.

Clermont deserves an expanded role in the Roughriders' offence, but who do they sit in order to accentuate his talents? If you think that is a problem, imagine the predicament faced by opposing defensive co-ordinators.

"If you want to take someone away, we definitely have other guys who can pick up the slack,'' Durant says. "Teams really can't key in on Dressler like they've been doing the past couple of years when Andy's been hurt. Now that we have those guys healthy, and with the emergence of Robbie and Getz, it opens it up across the board.''

And why not open it up? At various times in their history, the Roughriders have had three, four or five gifted receivers. But six?

Stay tuned for the Saskatchewan Air Show.

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RIDERS NAME DEFENSIVE ENDS

The Saskatchewan Roughriders rookie Brent Hawkins has earned one of two starting defensive end positions. The other spot goes Luc Mullinder, who is entering his seventh season with the Roughriders,
Photograph by: Don Healy, Leader-Post files

REGINA — It won’t have a catchy nickname like Chick ’n’ Baggs, but the tandem of Brent Hawkins and Luc Mullinder has been assembled to man the defensive end spots for the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Hawkins and Mullinder officially won the jobs Thursday, when the CFL team announced it had released Joe Sykes. His departure — and those of other ends who were cut earlier this week — left Hawkins and Mullinder as the last men standing in the race to replace NFL signees John Chick and Stevie Baggs.

“(Hawkins and Mullinder) have done a great job athletically as far as what we ask, within this defence, our edge players to do,” defensive line coach Mike Scheper said Thursday after the Roughriders practised at Mosaic Stadium.

“As far as picking up mental reps and the scheme and knowing where to be and when to be there, they’ve both done a great job. At this point, they’ve earned the opportunity to be the starters at the defensive end positions.”

Hawkins, 26, spent the 2006 and ’07 seasons with the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars but hasn’t played in either of the past two campaigns.

After Saskatchewan signed him in April, Hawkins was considered a front-runner for a starting job — and he did nothing to hurt his chances with a stellar performance in rookie camp.
He was slowed by a knee injury during main camp, but did enough to win a starting spot. Now he plans to keep it.

“It’s an opportunity; it’s not something set in stone,” Hawkins said. “If I do badly in practice, Coach may change his mind and start someone else. So I’ve got to keep up my intensity and energy levels during practice to make sure I keep that spot.

“But you don’t think about that. If you come out here and play how you can and play hard every day, then thinking about starting shouldn’t even matter — and to me it doesn’t at this point.”

Mullinder is entering his seventh season with the Roughriders. He had 20 tackles and two sacks in 18 games in ’09 as part of a rotation along the line — but he’s no longer the third man in. Now a starter, Mullinder isn’t operating under the radar anymore.

“You can say that, but I didn’t prepare this off-season and I didn’t prepare (during) this camp to be in the spotlight,” said the 29-year-old product of Mississauga, Ont. “I prepared to help this team win football games and I prepared to be the best player that I can be.

“Spotlight or no spotlight, the objective is to win and the coaches are going to put in the guys that they feel can get the job done. If that’s me, great, so be it, I worked hard, I deserve it. At the same time, if it’s not that way, I have to be ready to do whatever we can.

“We’ve got to win the Grey Cup. That’s the goal — the only goal.”

The Roughriders got down to Thursday’s CFL-mandated roster limit of 46 players under contract by releasing nine players, but only Sykes and defensive tackle Josh Miller actually were gone.

Defensive backs Willie Byrd and Ladarius Key, defensive linemen Ikenna Ike and Ryan Lucas, linebacker Christian Houle and receiver Cary Koch all were on the field and appear destined for the practice roster when it’s announced Saturday. Receiver Aaron Fairooz also was cut, but he’s still around with a broken foot.

Receiver Obed Cetoute and linebacker Kye Stewart were put on the waived-injured list, while offensive lineman Kelly Bates was placed on the nine-game injured list. Stewart and Bates practised Thursday.

Offensive lineman Dan Clark remains with the Roughriders, but he currently doesn’t count against their roster because he’s still junior-eligible.

Head coach Ken Miller said Sykes — who dressed for five games in ’09 — was done in by a lack of consistency on defence and an inability to play on special teams. Miller noted that Mullinder has been the picture of consistency during camp and that Hawkins has the potential to be a “dominant defensive end.”

Mullinder likes the combination of power and speed that he and Hawkins offer — “Hawk’s first step is absolutely ridiculous; he should be a 100-metre dash guy,” Mullinder said — as they try to replace Baggs, Chick and the 23 sacks for which they combined in ’09. In Hawkins’ mind, the duo has developed good chemistry thus far.

“We’re trying to be on the same page as much as we can,” he said. “If we can get into the same synch that Baggs and Chick had last year, then I think we’re going to be great.”

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RIDER LEGEND PASSES AWAY

RON ATCHISON
NOSE TACKLE

RON ATCHISON AND RON LANCASTER

RON ACTCHISON AND CLYDE BROCK

RON ATCHISON AND JACK ABENDSCHAN

GALEN WAHLHEIMER, UNKNOWN, EAGLE KEYS

RON LANCASTER, RON ATCHISON, GEORGE REED.

UNKNOWN, HANK DORSCH

By Rob Vanstone Thu, Jun 24 2010 COMMENTS(0) Rider Rumblings

Ian Hamilton phoned me on Wednesday with the sad news. Ron Atchison had died.The news was hardly surprising. I had heard that Atch was declining as a result of congestive heart failure. Nonetheless, there is that sinking feeling when you hear the news, as inevitable as it may be.

I never had the pleasure of watching Ron Atchison play for the Saskatchewan Roughriders. He retired during training camp in 1969. My football awakening did not occur until two years later, when I was seven. Even so, I heard so much about Atch from the time I developed an interest in the Roughriders. I heard about the Hush Puppies. I heard about the cast that he used to daze opposing linemen. I heard about this venerable vet who played 17 seasons with the

Roughriders.I presumed he was a grouchy, miserable, hard-boiled ogre of a man, based on all the depictions of his playing career. He sounded like a merciless, irascible character.With that in mind, I phoned him — with some trepidation — in December of 2005. I was beginning a

Leader-Post series commemorating the 40th anniversary of the 1966 Grey Cup, and Atch was an obvious person to interview.To my surprise, he was a nice, mild-mannered man, without the gravelly voice that I expected. He talked to a complete stranger for well over an hour, telling stories about a Hall of Fame career, and about Hall of Fame teammates. Much of the content of that interview ended up appearing in West Riders Best, my book about the 1966

Roughriders.Atch’s good name first appears on Chapter 2. It last appears on Chapter 26. That tells you something about the breadth of his career. For each chapter title, I used a quote from the chapter.

Four of the 38 chapters began with a Ron Atchison quote — “The Toughest Thing I’ve Ever Had To Do,’’ “Beautiful Satisfaction’’ and “Well, This Is It, Atch.’’Atch was 80 years old when he died Wednesday morning at Pasqua Hospital. Sadly, he was the fifth member of the 1966 team to leave us since the reunion (following Sandy Archer, Jim Worden, Ron

Lancaster and Reg Whitehouse). I am so glad that the reunion was held, so that all those amazing people from the ’66 team could spend precious time together, one last time. And it was very cool to be a fly on the wall, watching them interact.That said, I couldn’t help but spend much of Wednesday thinking of a photo.

The 1966 reunion festivities included an autograph signing at the F.W. Hill Mall. That week, a picture of Ronnie and Atch appeared on the front page of our sports section. Four short years later, they’re both gone. I still can’t wrap my head around that.Thank goodness that we had players, and people, of that calibre in our midst. Despite being Hall of Famers, they were down-to-earth and approachable. Such is one of the joys of following, and covering, the CFL. However, the ability to get close to these people leaves you feeling a little emptier when they pass on. But what priceless, vivid memories remain, thanks to people like Ron Lancaster, Ron Atchison and their teammates.

RIDERS REDUCE ROSTER

By IAN HAMILTON, Leader-Post June 23, 2010


REGINA — Despite releasing 15 players over the past two days, the Saskatchewan Roughriders likely aren't finished retooling their roster.

Ken Miller, the Roughriders' head coach and vice-president of football operations, said Wednesday that general manager Brendan Taman and assistant GM Craig Smith have been poring over the transaction wire as CFL teams pare down their rosters.

It's believed the Roughriders' key area of interest is at receiver.

"We would like to find a couple of nuggets (on the wire), which would mean that we'd have to make another roster move or two because we are up to the limit in numbers," Miller said.
"In the next few days, there's likely going to be another roster move or two in places where our numbers are big and the number of starting positions doesn't justify that large a number."

The cuts Wednesday left the Roughriders with 59 players in camp. More moves could happen today, after which CFL teams can have only 46 players under contract, seven on the practice roster and others on the one- and nine-game injured lists.

Two import receivers — Dwayne Eley and Jeremy Gilchrist — were among the nine players Saskatchewan released on Wednesday. Import receiver Aaron Waldie was cut Tuesday.
Cary Koch and Aaron Fairooz were the only rookie receivers to survive the first two rounds of cuts, but Fairooz is injured. The receivers left in camp after Wednesday were Koch, Fairooz, Prechae Rodriguez, Rob Bagg, Weston Dressler, Obed Cetoute, Jason Clermont, Andy Fantuz and Chris Getzlaf.

Gilchrist had a sparkling resume as a returner, but the Roughriders are set at that position with Dominique Dorsey. Eley simply didn't do enough as a receiver during training camp to win a job.

"Eley showed some spurts of playing well," Miller said. "But he had that big drop in the game against Calgary (in Sunday's 41-17 pre-season loss) — and that was how he practised. He would make plays and then not make plays."

Willie Evans, an import who was one of those trying to replace NFL signees Stevie Baggs or John Chick at defensive end, also was released Wednesday.

"That's primarily consistency of effort and production," Miller said of Evans. "He would flash periodically, but just didn't perform consistently."

Import defensive backs Brandon Foster, Brandon Register and Carlos Thomas were cut. Miller stressed their departures won't affect the Roughriders' depth in the secondary.

"When you consider our outside linebacker positions — which we really consider to be more DB positions than linebacker positions — we have 12 players for seven positions," Miller said.

"Depth there isn't as big an issue as it might appear."

Depth also wasn't a concern at tailback, as the Roughriders released import Marcus Thigpen.
"(The decision to release) Thigpen is tough," Miller said. "He is so much like Hugh Charles. (Thigpen) had a pretty good camp, but in order to win a spot, you really have to knock out the champion or knock out the guy who's ahead of you, not just be in a race with him. You have to step up and show that you're better.

"You can argue whether he's as good maybe, but again, he didn't demonstrate that conclusively."

Two Regina products — defensive back-linebacker Joel Lipinski and defensive end Michael Stadnyk — also were released Wednesday.

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RIDERS ROOKIEs ADAPTING TO THE SPEED OF THE GAME

The Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback Cole Bergquist throws a pass in the second half against the B.C. Lions in a preseason game on Sunday, June 13, 2010 at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, Sask.

Photograph by: Troy Fleece, Leader-Post

REGINA — Saskatchewan Roughriders defensive back Brandon Foster came away from his CFL debut largely unscathed — except for a minor case of whiplash.

The same went for a number of Saskatchewan Roughriders rookies following Sunday's pre-season opener at Mosaic Stadium — a 19-17 loss to the B.C. Lions. Foster chuckled as he recalled how his head was spinning early in the contest while players darted around him at break-neck speeds.

"They were like this ... (whipping his head side to side) ... going across my face," Foster said in front of his stall in the Riders' dressing room. "It's definitely a big difference (from the U.S. college game), starting from just the field being bigger and the motion. It was a fast pace and it doesn't slow down. My adrenaline was pumping so fast. When I got my jitters out in the second quarter, it kind of slowed down. It was definitely an experience, put it that way. It was a great time out there."

Rookie linebacker Byron Bullock agreed, noting that it's easier said than done to get up to speed on the Canadian game.

"It's way faster than American football," he offered. "The vets were telling me (beforehand) that the game is totally different and they're right. I thought I was prepared but it's my first pro game. That first quarter was a little tough. The jitters were coming out in the beginning but once you get that first hit you're good to go. It's still football."

Bullock tied for the team lead with four defensive tackles and one pass knockdown. He earned praise from head coach Ken Miller, who suggested the youngster could be "around here for a while."

Miller was also encouraged by the play of defensive end Shomari Williams, the first overall pick in the 2010 Canadian college draft. Williams was less enthused about his own performance, which included one defensive tackle.

"It just opened my eyes to what I have to get better at and what I'm going to have to do to be able to contribute to this team," he said. "I wasn't 100 per cent on everything but I was OK. The mistakes I did make are correctable. I know they drafted me to be a pass rusher so I definitely have to be more consistent on my pass rush to contribute on defence.
"It's the first (game). I got it out of the way. I'm not making any excuses. Just build from it, learn from it and try to get better."

Those sentiments were echoed by third-string quarterback Cole Bergquist, who joined the team early last year but didn't get into a game — pre-season or otherwise. Sunday's contest was his long-awaited debut.

"I'm just stoked to be out here and get a chance to play and show my teammates and my coaches what I can do," he said after completing seven of nine passes for 102 yards, with on touchdowns and no interceptions. "It was the first time in about a year and a half I woke up with butterflies. That was a good feeling to remember."

Like his fellow rookies, Bergquist's first game was a learning experience.

"I haven't played in a CFL game before; this was my first one," he added. "It just goes to show that you can never really emulate a game-type scenario in practice. I learned that the hard way with the first play. I went out there and got the delay of game (penalty). That never makes the coaches happy but I learned a lot and I'm glad I got an opportunity to get out there. There's a lot of obstacles but hopefully I can watch the film and learn from them."

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BARIN SIMPSON FEELS LIKE HE WAS IN EARLY 20s

By MURRAY McCORMICK, Leader-Post June 14, 2010

REGINA — The Saskatchewan Roughriders' Barrin Simpson doesn't look or act his age.

The Riders middle linebacker is 32 but doesn't seem to have lost a step as he heads into his 10th CFL season. He is ripped at a solid 6-foot-0 and 235 pounds and was among the most enthusiastic Roughriders in Sunday's 19-17 pre-season loss to the B.C. Lions at Mosaic Stadium.

"I feel like I'm right in the middle of being 22 to 25,'' Simpson said after recording a defensive tackle and a special-teams tackle Sunday. "That's how good I feel.''
Simpson hasn't discovered some secret elixir or potion to keep going. It requires a great deal of training and work during the off-season to be as fit as he is during the season.

"This is easy,'' Simpson said. "This is the product of what I've done in the off-season. I've always prided myself on what I do in the off-season as a means to getting myself ready to go. I still feel fast, good and fit. I still feel like I'm 25.''

Simpson started his CFL career in 2001 with the B.C. He remained with the Lions before signing with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers as a free agent in 2006. Simpson was with Winnipeg before being released during the off-season. Simpson endured a public spat with Blue Bombers head coach Mike Kelly during the 2009 season. He missed four games but still finished with 84 defensive tackles and two sacks.

Simpson joins a team that has started two different players at middle linebacker over the previous two seasons. Mo Lloyd was a CFL all-star in 2008 before signing with the Edmonton Eskimos as a free agent in 2009. Rey Williams started most of the regular season and playoff games in 2009 and has signed with the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers.

Simpson has played in 143 regular-season and eight playoff games and has been named a CFL all-star six times. Despite an impressive resume and the Riders' needs at middle linebacker, Simpson feels he still has to make the team.

"Every year of my entire career has been a competition to play,'' said Simpson, who is first on the Riders' middle linebacker depth chart followed by non-import Mike McCullough and import Jerrell Freeman. "I've never looked at anything as being given to me and the coaches don't look at it that way either. They want the best guys on the field. I always come on the field with the rookie mindset of having to work hard. Then I try to be the leader who I am and play to the best of my ability.''

Simpson guards against coming into camp in a condition he calls "fat.''

"Fat means like I have everything made,'' said Simpson, who is nicknamed the Minister of Defence due to his off-season job as a minister. "There is never a time in professional sports where you can do that. It's all about what you did for me today. Not nine years ago or not even yesterday. You have to stay on top of your game week in and week out.''

Simpson does that while continuing to contribute on special teams. On Sunday, Simpson exhibited his abilities while covering a second-quarter kickoff return. Simpson raced down the field and rocked Toddrick Pendland with a special-teams tackle.

"I've always been the guy to raise my hand, especially for the kickoff and punt teams,'' said Simpson, who has 44 career special-teams tackles. "Defensive guys want to be on special teams to make a play and get us in field position defensively. This a field-position game and you want to get them backed up.''

Sunday's game marked Simpson's first time on the Mosaic Stadium sidelines as a member of the Roughriders. The always enthusiastic Simpson loved being there.

"It was beautiful,'' said Simpson. "The atmosphere was great and I had a lot of fun. You don't normally have a sellout for a pre-season game.''

Simpson was disappointed that he wasn't able to reward the huge crowd with a win.

"You always want to win,'' Simpson said. "You want to win every time you're on the field and that's the mindset of professional sports. If this game doesn't mean anything, why play it? You want to get a win.''

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CATES WANTS TO LEAVE HUMBLING 2009 SEASON BEHIND

By IAN HAMILTON, Leader-Post June 10, 2010

REGINA — Wes Cates displayed a quick burst Thursday at Mosaic Stadium.
Asked in a post-practice interview to pick a word to describe his 2009 CFL season, Cates didn't waste any time.

"Humbling," the Saskatchewan Roughriders' running back said. "I'm a rookie (with the Calgary Stampeders) in 2006 not even knowing if I'm going to stick in this league. Then in 2007 I win a Grey Cup (with Saskatchewan). In 2008, I'm an all-star, feeling like I'm on top of the world, top of the league sort of thing. And then I kind of got knocked down off the pedestal a little bit (in '09).

"We still had success as a team, so I had that to hang my hat on. But at the end of the day, people judge you off of your personal performances from time to time and I think I've got to bounce back and definitely perform better than last season."

In his third season with the Roughriders, Cates rushed for 932 yards on 195 carries (a career-low average of 4.8 yards per carry) and five touchdowns. He was the only starting tailback in the CFL to fall short of the 1,000-yard mark.

Granted, the 6-foot-0, 215-pound product of Columbus, Ohio, missed the first two regular-season games while recovering from off-season shoulder surgery. But in 2008, when he missed three games, Cates managed to gain 1,229 yards on 216 carries with 12 rushing touchdowns.
"Humbling is a good thing," Cates said. "You fall down, you get back up. It's one of those things where I might never have gotten to be the player that I'm going to be this season if I hadn't had that little setback. That motivates me and drives me to be better."

In fact, Cates has promised the Roughriders he'll be better. He had an off-season conversation with offensive co-ordinator Doug Berry in which Cates laid out his plans for the 2010 campaign.
"I just told him that I was feeling good, I was ready to roll and that I wanted to get back to the Wes Cates of 2008 and I felt like I was definitely capable of those numbers if not better," Cates said of that chat.

To attain that goal, Cates trained differently over the off-season, working on his flexibility and his joints instead of bulking up. He estimated he lost five pounds, which has been evident on the field during training camp.

"From what people have been telling me, I've got a little pep in my step," Cates said. "If you've got people coming up to you telling you that, it must be true. I'm not just imagining it."

Then there's his mental approach. Head coach Ken Miller said he has seen "a tighter focus" out of Cates thus far and suggested that was something the veteran running back "came to the realization that he needed to do."

Cates noted he's being more "cerebral" by trying to understand the whole offence. As well, he has tried to put his role in the team's offence in 2009 into perspective.

"You go from being one of the few options (in '08 due to injuries on offence) to not getting the ball as much (in '09), so it took a little adjusting," he said. "Now I'm kind of back on the ball and I've got my feet back under me and I'm running, ready to go for 2010."

To many, Cates hit his stride at the right time last season. He was a force in the Grey Cup loss to the Montreal Alouettes, rushing 13 times for 91 yards, catching two passes for 34 yards and — as he had throughout the season — providing good pass protection for quarterback Darian Durant.

"We all know what Wes can do," fullback Chris Szarka said Thursday. "We saw what he did in the Grey Cup; he came out and lit it up. We know that's in him and I'm sure that's what we're all expecting of him."

Cates certainly is. He's also expecting to earn a measure of redemption.

"Injuries hampered me a little bit and some people thought my career was looking like it was over," he said. "I definitely have to prove to those naysayers that that's not the case and prove to myself that I've still got fuel in the tank and I'm ready to go for a few more years."

ihamilton@leaderpost.canwest.com