The Rider Nation jury is still out on coach Etcheverry's seven defensive back scheme and it appears the Ticats are jinxed on the open market.
Expect the Saskatchewan Roughriders to announce the signing of a quarterback any day now.
The player had been eyeing the National Football League but has ultimately decided to try his luck in the Canadian Football League.
Also, his imminent signing explains why the Roughriders cut Juan Joseph, whom they acquired from Edmonton in May for rush end Kitwana Jones.
The deal seemed curious at best at the time. Jones had five sacks and four fumble returns, including two for touchdowns, among his stats last year. Joseph had starred for a Division III school in Mississippi last year, but seemed a long shot to make the Roughriders.
So why was the deal made? Apparently, the Riders, under new defensive co-ordinator Gary Etcheverry, believed that Jones was too light to make the team at defensive end. Also, the coaching staff as a whole believed that John Chick and Stevie Baggs figured as the team's starting defensive ends, thus making Jones expendable. Baggs had a solid training camp and pre-season and is a bigger body than Jones.
Etcheverry also plans to employ a new scheme this year, essentially using two linebackers who fit into the "tweener" category. So essentially it will be like using seven defensive backs on the field. It has been the subject of some debate in Rider Nation. If nothing else, Etcheverry is committed to this scheme.
Incidentally, second-year head coach Ken Miller has quietly let it be known that he will be retiring at the end of next season.
THE CATS MEOUCH: What is it about the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and their big-ticket, free-agent feature players?
In September, 2007, they signed quarterback Casey Printers, the Most Outstanding Player in the Canadian Football League in 2004, to a huge contract and he lasted all of one and a half seasons before the Tiger-Cats cut bait. He was both unproductive and often injured.
A year later, the Ticats shelled out big coin to sign running back Kenton Keith, the West Division's Most Outstanding Player in 2006, and he's been a significant disappointment to date because of injuries. He'll miss the first nine games of the 2009 season with a wonky knee. Keith won't be a financial liability because placing a player on the nine-game injured list won't count against the $4.2 million cap.
But it makes you wonder: Are the Ticats cursed in the free-agent market?
Their projected starting quarterback this year is Quinton Porter, who is about as blue-collar as you can get and is being along those lines.
Their projected starting running back is Terry Caulley, who has been playing in the shadows of the Ticats high-profile running backs the last two years and could likely start for another team. He is that good. His backup will be Tre Smith, who played well in spurts last season as a rookie.
A LOAD OF GARBAGE: So Hamilton Mayor Fred Eisenberger and Toronto counterpart David Miller have entered into a friendly wager based on the outcome of the regular-season opener pitting the two teams against one another in Steeltown on Canada Day.
Whichever teams loses the game, the respective mayor will dress in the winning team's jersey during a city council meeting and perform the winning team's cheer. The Hamilton mayor even had the temerity to say, "Argos suck." We recall several years ago that Ticats' owner Bob Young was so offended by that expression that he created a contest to come up with an alternative expression, believing "Argos suck" was in bad taste and even put forward a cash prize. Well, Tiger-Cats fans quickly made Young realize that money can't replace their beloved anti-Argo cheer. The fact the Hamilton mayor has proclaimed that in his support for his team is indicative that some things just won't change.
It's worth noting that Miller is under fire in Toronto for backing Hamilton's bid for a National Hockey League franchise, claiming there isn't enough room in Toronto for another team.
It's also worth noting that Miller's popularity is at an all-time low level in Toronto because of a garbage strike.
Given the bet with Eisenberger this gives new meaning to the term trash talking.
SMITH RUNNING ON EMPTY: Joe Smith didn't dress for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers' final pre-season game and now he's out of a job after the team released him on Thursday as part of their final cuts.
Smith and Reid combined to form a powerful backfield last year in Winnipeg, but the Bombers are enamoured with rookie Lavarus Giles.
Smith was dealt last September for Charles Roberts, the Bombers' all-time leading rusher. Now both Roberts and Smith are unemployed.
AROUND THE LEAGUE: With the release of Reggie Hunt on Thursday and the earlier release of T.J. Hill, Montreal has dumped two of its starting three linebackers from last year. The two combined for 145 defensive tackles…The Argos have kept two American rookie kickers, still uncertain who will be the one to replace Mike Vanderjagt…Calgary will likely begin the season with significant injuries to key players, in particular the offensive line. Jeff Pilon (knee) and Derek Armstrong (torn tricep) are sidelined indefinitely. Guard Godfrey Ellis has a wonky hamstring. He had an ironman streak of 54 consecutive games played before a season-ending shoulder injury in the second game of the 2008 season interrupted his streak. Fellow guard Jesse Newman has a bum ankle…Ian Smart may share the starting running back and return duties with rookie Martell Mallet in B.C., who lose Stefan Logan to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the off-season. This will be the fourth consecutive year the Lions will have a new feature back.
