By Greg Urbanoski

Riderville

When in doubt – Improvise

May 22, 2025 | 5:07 PM

The views and opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the writer’s and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Pattison Media.

It would be fair to say the mood of Rider fans as the first exhibition game approaches with Winnipeg, was very upbeat.

The feeling is, and probably is still there, the Riders need to make a few upgrades here and there and they should be ready to kick down the washroom stall serving as the Stony Mountain Blue Bombers hold on to the western division.

However, the first week of training camp in Saskatoon shows what happens to the best laid plans – they tend to go up in smoke and then you must go to Plan B.

Last year the Riders went through enough injuries on the offensive line to field three such lines and people were hoping that was just a statistical fluke, kind of like the year the Riders had several players going down with broken legs (2008 if memory serves me correctly). So far, the Riders have had their free agent starting center Sean McEwen go down with an undisclosed leg injury that has him wearing a boot and then on Wednesday free agent offensive lineman Phillippe Gagnon went down with a torn bicep.

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The Riders brought back Canadian offensive lineman Noah Zerr who was released last week to provide depth and while McEwen’s injury is still not being stated, there is a very good chance both McEwen and Gagnon will be gone for the year. The Riders had been looking at probably starting three Canadians on the offensive line, but now with the two injuries, the Riders may be looking at starting three Americans to keep quarterback Trevor Harris upright this season.

The Gagnon injury stings because Gagnon was also taking snaps at center to back up McEwen if needed. The Riders are not totally without options at center, with Logan Ferland having taken snaps at center last year and draft pick Zack Fry has also been taking snaps. Ferland played all offensive line positions last year in a tribute to the Riders offensive line coach Edwin Harrison who turned a turnstile unit from previous years into a cohesive unit.

While the Riders cross train their offensive linemen to be able to play more than one position, they would like to see some continuity on their line so if I was Vegas, I would be putting odds on likely Fry starting at center, depending on what happens over the new week as the Riders play two exhibition games against the Bombers.

The Riders have been talking a lot of about their depth, which is fair until you look and see how many of their signees have had injury problems in the past. What will make the difference this year compared to previous years is coaching and the building of a team culture that believes everyone must contribute, not just the core four, to borrow a phrase from the Toronto Maple Leafs.

One of the interesting things about the Riders in their second season under head coach Cory Mace is how they look to adapt their players into the systems they want to play on offense and defense.

Safety Jayden Dalke has been with the team for a few seasons but for the most part, while he is a big hitter, his speed against the thoroughbred wide receivers like say, Kenny Lawlor, is not competitive. Most teams if they have alternative would then cut players like Dalke, but the Riders said they would be moving Dalke to linebacker, asked him to put more muscle on and use his hitting ability on a smaller part of the field where speed is not as crucial as being in the right place at the right time.

Maybe the moving of Dalke is tied to the injuries on the offensive line because if the Riders start a Canadian linebacker on defense, they will need a Canadian back up. At safety the Riders have Bo Lokombo and Jaxson Ford with Lokombo coming off an interception in the western semi final although the Rider defense was lit up against the Bombers.

Ford is coming off a hand injury, but if he can remain healthy, the two could grow into that position and more importantly, have the speed to make a difference in responding to deep passes. Dalke as a linebacker makes sense not just because he can hit, but with not so much room to cover, he can blitz the quarterback, fill the gap against opposing runners and even cover on short passes.

The Riders bringing back Zerr to the offensive line is another example of the culture being built in the Rider locker room. Zerr was cut because while he is physical powerful, his footwork is not the greatest, especially against opposing rushers. Zerr is good at run blocking and again, Zerr started several games last season and did not look out of place under the guidance of coach Harrison.

Zerr has a second chance of living out his dreams of playing for his childhood team. The week he had to reflect on his release and why may have acted as a wake-up call and the opportunity to show people are wrong about him is a power incentive for improving his game.

On Saturday the Riders travel to play the Stony Mountain Blue Bombers in a very interesting game. Just before the game at Mosaic Stadium, season ticket holders are being invited to a special event to pick up their season ticket holder swag, tour the Rider locker room and meet players at an autograph session. That got my attention because to have an autograph session, you need to have players people have heard of.

Which means the roster facing Winnipeg with be heavily loaded with rookies while Winnipeg’s will likely be the same. The two teams will be facing each other five times this year, not including playoffs, so the exhibition games might as well be used to evaluate players and see how can execute what the team is trying to do on offense and defense.

The Riders first wave of cuts was May 14 and they cut joe Couch, global punter; Nicarico Harper, American defensive back, Ty James, American receiver, Justin Jefferson, an American defensive lineman who was highly thought of but who go into a fight during a scrimmage showing he may be too much of a wild card to play in games; Leon Jones, American defensive back and Khalan Laborn, and American running back.

The Riders also released Canadian running back Natan |Girouard-Langlois, signed kicker Brin Garrity of University of Western Ontario, and released offensive lineman Jake Levengood.,

Bringing back Zerr may mean a renewed investment in the running game. AJ Ouellette had hip problems last year and with new Rider running back coach Andrew Harris, has lost 25 pounds to be more agile on the ground and most likely to reduce the weight being taken by his hip in trying to make plays.

Ouellette’s numbers are not living up to what the Riders are paying him, and the Riders have brought in running backs Mario Anderson and Trent Pennix. The problem with the running back position is you must take into consideration it is more than how many yards the running backs pick up. The Riders are a better team when Harris is playing so running backs have to be able to pick up the blitz when it comes.

Ouellette does that well, and he does help with building the team culture, but if the Riders can find a back who can also block and comes cheaper than Ouellette, then don’t be surprised if you hear Anderson’s name quite a bit this year.

In the receiving corps, the Riders are bringing Shawn Bane Jr. slowly, mindful of the injury he suffered late last year. Bane could well start the year on the six game injury list, giving him until July to knock the rust off

Right now the Indianapolis Colts are holding their rookie cam and amongst those are Ajou Ajou, the Canadian wide receiver who struck a chord with fans last year. If Ajou returns from camp and has not missed much, he will be an invaluable addition to the Rider receiving corps.

One interesting player to keep your eye on will be Joe Robustelli, who came to the team in May and was on the practice roster, at least until the final game of the regular season. Robustelli has size and speed, he just came late to playing football and from all reports, has upped his value to the team as a big receiver, who can block and catch.

Another is linebacker Antoine Brooks who have been averaging an interception a practice. Brooks did special teams and some spot play at linebacker last year, but seems to have brought up his game to be able to eat at the big table with the rest of the Rider defense.

After the Winnipeg away game, the Riders return to Regina and on Monday start their last week of training camp. The Rider defense may look something along the lines of a team that will give opponents the underneath stuff while shutting off deep passes or efforts in the red zone.

The offense in Winnipeg will likely be under the command of Jake Maier to start off with. Mayer has been throwing deeper passes than what was witnessed in Calgary, and Maier’s experience in starting and winning in the league may prove invaluable if Harris goes down with injury.

Tommy Stevens and Jack Coan will be competing for the third back up spot, whose primary responsibility is short yardage. There is no doubt Stevens is a very good short yardage quarterback even though his passing skills are uh, nominal. Coan was with the Riders all through last season and if he has enough body mass to make successful short yardage tries, he could grab the third spot.

The Riders will be looking to see who emerges from the rookie receivers and backs while trying out various combinations on the offensive line as they sort their way through the two injuries.

The score of the game is irrelevant because the Riders are looking to see how their young players respond to pressure and how they respond. The Riders though are operating with a definite plan in mind, and it is a lot of fun watching how this teams grows.

As the regular season approaches, the CFL welcomed their new commissioner and presented some interesting statistics. The CFL apparently had injuries drop 14 per cent over last year (which sounds cruel to Rider fans) and concussions drop by 21 per cent, reflecting an added emphasis on player safety.

The CFL has tweaked a few rules this year including no more unpenalized hits on the lower part of the part when they are defenseless. Bane was injured by a defender on a play that was not penalized, so this should be called the Shawn Bane Jr. rule. This new rule makes such a hit a 15-yard penalty on a hit on the knee or lower and an automatic first down.

Passers got another bit of protection a Grade 2 Roughing the Passer call with a head shot, knee or lower, The CFL has also changed the rule where say a defensive team gets hit with a 10-yard penalty when the ball is on their 9-yard line, then the ball is moved halfway to the goal line.

Now the CFL will move the ball to the 1-yard line, which means defensives cannot count on half the distance to the goal line to give them one more chance to disrupt the opposing offense.

This makes the decision to cut Justin Jefferson for his fight more understandable. Mace wants a defensive that is tough, but not stupid and taking stupid penalties which put the opposing team on your one-yard line for a first down is no recipe for getting into the Grey Cup game.

There will automatic ejections for punching to the head and low blocking penalties on kicking plays

The first CFL exhibition game was earlier this week with the Calgary Stampeders looking more energetic while the BC Lions, mind you with a bunch of rookies, not looking so sharp. This trend should continue through the first week of the preseason as teams evaluate their rookies and keep the vets in reserve for reps in the second game to get their timing back.

The Riders may have had some bad luck with injuries in their camp so far, but they have the coaching to turn those setbacks into opportunities. This is a sneaky good coaching staff and this season is well worth watching.