THE CANADIAN PRESS
REGINA — The Saskatchewan Roughriders have released quarterback Todd Reesing, leaving the team with four QBs in training camp and igniting the competition for the backup job behind starter Darian Durant.
Head coach Ken Miller had been undecided about whether to keep four or five quarterbacks since rookie camp opened last week.
The decision to release Reesing leaves Ryan Dinwiddie, Cole Bergquist and Kent Smith vying for the spot behind Durant. Miller said releasing Reesing was a tough choice.
"It wasn’t so much that he was the odd man out as the others were in," Miller said after practice Tuesday. "When you have your returning starter that’s an obvious choice. When you have someone who has CFL experience that’s an obvious choice."
Dinwiddie was a backup for three seasons with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The Boise State product was the starter in Winnipeg’s 2007 Grey Cup loss to Saskatchewan after Kevin Glenn broke his arm in the East Division final.
Miller said Bergquist "has the strongest arm of all of them" and Smith has "a dimension that the others don’t have."
Bergquist spent most of last season on the Riders practice roster after signing as a free agent in 2009. Smith, a six-foot-five left-hander, is the tallest quarterback at training camp. Smith also spent time with the Oakland Raiders and Tennessee Titans of the NFL.
The Riders signed Reesing last month. The 22-year-old spent the last four seasons playing at Kansas University where he completed 932 of 1,461 pass attempts for 11,194 yards and 90 touchdowns.
"It was close, but we had to make a decision for the good of the entire group, the entire team," said Miller.
"(Reesing) was disappointed as you would expect any competitor to be who wanted to live the dream. At least in the near term that dream is no longer reality so that’s bitter disappointment."
While there is one less quarterback to compete with, Bergquist and Dinwiddie say the pressure is still on.
"Nothing’s guaranteed around here," said Bergquist. "I don’t think I’ve made the team yet and I’m still going try and work as hard as I can and keep getting better every day."
Bergquist said that he stepped up his practice during the off-season in a bid to improve his game. That practice incorporated a lot of throwing, a lot of core work and "I think it’s paying off," he added.
Dinwiddie said he wasn’t nervous about the possibility of being cut from the Riders, noting that he knows what to expect.
"My job right now is just to get better every day and prove to these guys the type of player I am and the type of leader I am, getting down the new offence and things like that. Just getting better," said Dinwiddie. "It doesn’t matter if there’s two guys here or there’s five guys here, I’ve just got to get better and improve."
Miller said he doesn’t foresee making any more quarterback cuts. The challenge now will be to determine who follows Durant.
Durant started all 18 regular-season games with the Riders in 2009 and finished the regular season completing 339 of 561 pass attempts for 4,438 yards and 24 touchdowns. He also had 501 rushing yards and three touchdowns. He was the CFL West Division all-star quarterback.
Durant would not weigh in on the debate Tuesday about the backup quarterback competition.
"The thing is we’re all different," he said. "I haven’t seen them all play, but I know that I have a different style game than what they do. The thing we need to do is just complement each other."
