By Fred Williams Jun 27, 2007, 15:45 GMT
The Saskatchewan Roughriders general manager has been busy orchestrating a flurry of trades, the latest coming on the weekend when he dealt offensive lineman Rob Lazeo and a conditional 2009 draft pick for running back Wes Cates, who averaged more than seven yards a carry last year backing up star Joffrey Reynolds. Once Cates gets settled, he will be the Riders starting tailback, replacing Kenton Keith, who is now with the NFL's Indianapolis Colts.
Not content, Tillman also dispatched receivers Jason French, a six-year veteran, and Thyron Anderson, a former 1,000-yard player, to Hamilton for defensive back Tad Kornegay shortly afterwards.
Tillman also used trades to acquire receiver D.J. Flick and kicker Jamie Boreham from Hamilton and lineman Eric Wilson and a negotiation list player from Winnipeg, to name two other deals.
And if he wasn't dealing, Tillman was shaving payroll -- when he joined the Riders late last year, Tillman learned the club was at least $600,000 over the $4.05 million salary cap. Once Tillman was finished cutting salary, the Riders were minus offensive lineman Andrew Greene (Winnipeg, free agent), defensive tackle Nate Davis (Winnipeg, free agent), linebacker Jackie Mitchell and defensive backs Omarr Morgan (Edmonton, free agent) and Davin Bush (Winnipeg, free agent).
But at least the Riders have a familiar face at quarterback, with Kerry Joseph returning as the starter. Joseph finished fourth among CFL passers with 3,489 yards last year and his 22 TD passes were tied for second overall. But he also threw 17 interceptions, just one behind league leader Ricky Ray of Edmonton.
Should Joseph struggle, veteran Marcus Crandell will again be there to step in. Crandell, 33, threw just 30 passes last year but is in his ninth CFL season and knows how to run an offense. He also owns a Grey Cup ring earned in 2001 with Calgary.
Cates ran for 181 yards on 25 carries (7.2 yards per carry) last year in Calgary and is a terrific acquisition for the Riders and would appear to be a nice fit along with veteran fullback Chris Szarka. The question remains, though, just how the club will use him?
As an offensive coordinator, new Riders head coach Kent Austin favored a passing attack and it's something that led to his being fired by the Toronto Argonauts last year because Austin's scheme didn't better involve former NFL rushing champion Ricky Williams.
Austin's preference to pass should bode well for Matt Dominguez, a 1,000-yard receiver last year in an offense that led the CFL in rushing. Joining Dominguez are Flick, another former 1,000-yard receiver, and sophomore Andy Fantuz, a first-round draft pick last year who cracked the starting lineup in the 10th week of the season, and Jason Armstead, another former 1,000-yard receiver.
Defensively, Fred Perry had an outstanding year rushing the passer. Perry finished second in the CFL in sacks with 14, just two behind B.C.'s Brent Johnson, who was the league's top Canadian and defensive player last year.
Tackle Scott Schultz remains one of the league's toughest nose tackles and does a nice job of plugging up the middle. At first glance, the loss of Davis would appear to be a big one, but Davis battled injuries the last little while, resulting in his missing a lot of playing time. Terrell Jurineack had nine sacks in 14 games last year and could add good punch with more playing time.
Mitchell might be gone from the linebacking corps, but Reggie Hunt remains. Hunt finished second in tackles last year with 83 and also added six tackles for a loss and a sack for the Riders. Third-year pro Kitwana Jones had eight sacks last season as a backup linebacker.
The secondary will definitely miss Morgan and Bush, but Tristan Clovis raised eyebrows last year by becoming the club's starting safety as a rookie and finishing with 25 tackles, 11 more on special teams, one quarterback sack and one interception. Eddie Davis, a 13-year pro entering his seventh season with the Riders, will again be the glue that holds the unit together.
There's a lot to like about the Roughriders, but considering all the changes made the future looks brighter than the present.
Sports Network predicted finish: Fourth.
© 2007 The Sports Network
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