BY ARASH MADANI
sportsnet.ca
Derick Armstrong was flown into Regina late Monday night, with the Saskatchewan Roughriders planning on using the free agent wide receiver for part of the stretch run and evaluating whether or not to use the veteran as part of the organization's long term plans. By Tuesday night, the 31-year-old had agreed to terms with the Edmonton Eskimos. Armstrong is scheduled to fly to Alberta Wednesday morning, practice at Commonwealth Stadium later in the day and may actually play Saturday night when his new team meets the organization that cut him, when the Eskimos face-off against the B.C. Lions.
A truly bizarre set of circumstances triggered the series of moves. Fundamentally, the Riders had no plans to play the veteran receiver Sunday in a critical game against Calgary. But the Eskimos hope to use him this week against the Lions, who appeared to make Armstrong a scapegoat after the team got off to an awful start. Ironically, Edmonton's four remaining games are against the only three teams Armstrong has ever played for in the CFL: B.C., Saskatchewan, Winnipeg and then the Riders again to end the season.
There are questions of whether or not Armstrong is capable of playing at a high level because of a series of injuries, but he produced for B.C. early in the 2010 season, a year after being unceremoniously dumped by the Mike Kelly-led Blue Bombers regime. After starting his pro career in Regina, Armstrong played four years with the Houston Texans before signing back with Winnipeg in 2007, on the team that went to the Grey Cup.
How this will go over in the Saskatchewan locker room remains to be seen. Armstrong is close with many of the veteran players, including Omarr Morgan, Barrin Simpson and Ryan Dinwiddie and each were thrilled to have a seasoned offensive threat join the roster. Now, the Roughriders, fresh off a stunning loss to Toronto, retain the same receiving corps -- one that is a predominantly Canadian group. The Eskimos (4-10) still, incredibly, have a chance at sneaking into the final playoff spot in the West division. Third place B.C. sits at 5-9 after their epic fourth quarter collapse Monday in Winnipeg.
