As far as Saskatchewan Roughrider fans are concerned the Ultimate Homecoming would be for three of their favourite sons to return to the Queen City as soon as possible and help this team win only their third Grey Cup in close to one hundrd years of existence..
There are many in The Rider Nation who wonder how precious homebrew talent like Jason Clermont,Scott Flory,and Joe McGrath could be allowed to slip thru through the Riders fingers at draft time.
Jason Clermont a tight end from Regina was a standout with the Uof S Rams who the previous Rider regime were not that intersted in acquiring upon his graduation in the spring of 2002..Ottawa had the first choice in the 2002 CFL draft and were willing to trade that choice to Saskatchewan for veteran defensive back Ladouphyus Mcalla but the Rider braintrust was relucatant to bite and Clermont wound up going to BC on the first round
The rest is history as the 6' 2" 227lber has been a standout for the Leos with his ability to make the big reception when needed and run roughshod over would be tacklers in a style very reminiscent to former Rider great Ray Elgaard. In 2002 he was named rookie of the year in the west. In 2004 he was named the outstanding Canadian in the Grey Cup game in Ottawa. He missed most of the 2006 season with a leg injury but overall in five season he has caught 292 passes for 4124 yards and 27 touchdowns averaging just over 14 yards per reception.
The big plus surounding Clermont is his leadership ability and the unique abiltity to make the big play when required.He knows what winning is all about from playing in the Vanier Cup collegiately and in two Grey Cups{2004and 2006} as a pro.He also sports a beautiful Grey Cup ring from last Novembers BC victory over Montreal.
Scott Flory at 6' 4" 300lbs is another Regina born and bred CFL er who played his college football at The University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon where he was twice named All-Canadian as an offensive guard.He was drafted by the Montreal Alouettes in 1999 and has been a standout performer for them ever since being named an Eastern Conference All-Star and All Canadian in 2003,2005 and 2006. He has been the Eastern nominee for theCFL,s Outstanding Linenman in 2003,2005 and again in 2006.He is big strong ,mean and intelligent.and also wears a Grey Cup ring from the Alouettes Grey Cup victory over the Eskimos in 2002. In the spring of 2004 as a free agent he did come back home to Saskatchewan for a short time when he signed on with the Riders but later refused to report and was traded back to the Alouettes because he said the Rider brass had mislead him about the position he would play on the team. Flory expected to be the starting right guard period no matter when and where the Riders lined up when they had the ball but the team under Danny Barrett utilized an offence where tackle Gene Makowsky and guard Andrew Greene always lined up on the strong side or wideside of the feild so the guards and tackles did a lot of flip flopping from side to side depending where the ball was... Flory did not like this and after not attending practice for the first few days of the 2004 season a trade back east was worked out. Flory has indicated that he might be willing to listen to an offer to return to Saskatchewan when he becomes a free agent again because of the new regime in Saskatchewan.I
Joe McGrath a Moose Jaw boy who was a two sport athlete at Moose Jaws Vanier High School and was coached in football by his dad Joe McGrath senior a teacher at Vanier was such a dominant offensive lineman at the high school level at 6' 5" 315 lbs that he was scouted by several leading American universities and wound up going to one of the all-time great American Colleges Miami of Florida for the 1999 season..There were many who thought his chances of making the Big Orange Machine in Miami were slim and none but he was so talented and fooled everybody that by 2001 he was the starting left guard on Miami's National championship team.
He was drafted in 2004 by the Calgary Stampeders and was shockingly plucked off their roster by the Eskimos in August of 2004 and has been starting for them ever since alternating his efforts between guard and tackle. He figures to be fixture on the Eskimo offensive line for years to come. He not only has a championship ring friom American College Football but as well is the only Canadian and quite likely the ONLY CFL player to have a Grey Cup ring as well which he received in 2005 as a member of the Grey Cup champion Eskimos.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders, who now seem very intent on winning a third Grey Cup for this province, cannot allow Canadian talent like this who could take the team over the top escape to other teams.
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I doubt that we will ever see Mcgrath or Clermont in a Rider jersey. However I hope we never again see our coaching staff believe that our "homeboys" can’t possibly measure up to other talent.
I firmly believe that in order to win championships a team must have heart as well as talent. We have had good athletes in the past. I wonder what could have been different if with all that talent, we had drafted and more importantly played, a few more kids who grew up with the dream of wearing the green and white. True our record on the field may not have improved, but imagine the pride in "our boys".
This blog entry is proof that the pathetic old boy`s club is alive and well in Saskatchewan.
Simple put, John, you are a fossil, and your relevancy ended years ago. Unsophisticated folk like you allowed the Ford regime to last years longer than it should have, because the people in the old boy`s club that were running the Riders thought Ford was a "nice guy" and kept him around.
On the other hand, the unsophisticated folks like yourself could not handle a dynamic personality like Roy despite the fact that his ability to unearth cheap talent year after year is perfect in a league with a salary cap. To the board, and to other members of the old boy`s club, kissing ass and making friends is more important than being good at what you do. Hence Ford`s longevity and Roy`s termination.
Your unsophistication and irrelevance really shine through in your blog entry. Where to begine?
How about the part where no CIS player that has never played a down of CFL football is worth an all-star cornerback? Your sentimentality and homerism is the only thing that justifies such a deal. The second problem is that Tillman confirmed on the Riderville message board that no trade talks occurred between Tillman and Roy, so then that shows that you are pulling the claim that Roy could`ve had one of Ottawa`s picks for McCalla out of your ass. Any trade talks would of been between Roy and Toronto or Roy and BC, and the word was TWO cornerbacks, not just one. So unless you are calling both Roy and Tillman liars, you officially do not know what you are talking about with regards to Clermont.
Secondly, this team`s limitation has been it`s quarterbacking. It`s strength has been it`s defence, and more specifically, our secondary, especially early on in the emergance of our defence as one of the league`s best. The passing game flows from the quarterback. Tell me, oh great sage, how does it make sense to gut our secondary and weaken our defence in order to acquire a receiver that we cannot use to his full potential anyways?
Clermont has been good, but he has had nowhere near the impact that Ray Elgaard had in his career.
Scott Flory. John, I think the grey matter is getting weak. THE ROUGHRIDERS RECOGNIZED FLORY`S WORTH AND SIGNED HIM TO A CONTRACT! It was also the SECOND time the Riders had tried to acquire him. It is not Roy or Danny`s fault that Flory is a complete flake. He used the Riders once to simply get a better deal out of Montreal, and then when we finally signed him, he turned around and signed a 2nd contract because Montreal upped the ante.
Joe McGrath - First of all, get your facts straight. McGrath was drafted in 2003, not 2004. Secondly, Calgary had both the first two picks of the draft and selected McGrath second overall. How exaclty do you propose the Riders draft the guy? More importantly, what makes you think he would even make this team? Just because you`re a homer and love the Saskie boys is not reason enough. McGrath was part of hands down the worst offensive line in the CFL in 2006. He couldn`t make this team.
Guys like you love your selective memory. The fact that the Riders drafted 3 Canadians in the draft in 2006 that all started as rookies gets no play with you. Of course not - they aren`t from Saskatchewan, so they don`t count.
The sooner the old fossils of the old boy`s club are no longer associated with this franchise the better, and all the fans that buy in to the propoganda of people like you are sad, sad people.
Hey SLY ROY DID What? HOW many grey cup rings or Western championship games have there been in Sask in the last ROY BARRETT years. Count em. Count em all, 500 ball. Big deal.
If Ford had been allowed the purse that ol ROY had been allowed who knows what might have been different.
Kiss ass? Go figure?.
CFL economics made it impossible for the Riders to spend as much as other teams during Ford`s time, this is true, but Ford spent far less than he could`ve and should`ve. There would hardly ever be anybody on our practice roster, for example. The team would only bring in players in case of an injury, and these replacements would not know the playbook because Ford was too cheap to carry a practice roster. Our scouting was a joke. Ford could have definatly spent more than he did and the Riders could have done better on the field than they did. They could have acheived enough to keep the team competitive which would have helped the financial side of things with increased attendance.
If Ford had been allowed the purse? Are you kidding? You obviously know squat about the true history of this team, just like the other sad souls who buy in the the crap that the old boys like John spew!
You clearly need a refresher course. Roy inherited a team nearly 3 million dollars in debt. There was no further credit available: the province owned the Riders`debt and 3 million was the max. So Roy had to take a 3-15 team (minus it`s two star players - Mike Saunders and Curtis Mayfield who decided to retire) and make it competitive on a SHOE STRING BUDGET. Anybody suggesting that Roy built the Riders with a big budget is clueless and doesn`t know what they are talking about.
The fact that the Riders have money in the bank now is a testament to the great things Roy did for this franchise. After the 95 Grey Cup the Riders` debt shrank to under a million dollars. Why wasn`t the Riders` debt forgiven the way it was after the 2003 Grey Cup? Why were corporate sponsorships down back then while they are very interested in becoming involved with the Riders now? Why is the city willing to put money in to the stadium all of a sudden?
The answer to those questions are simple: this is a gate driven league, and if you are solid at the gate then the future looks bright, and if the future looks bright then other entities want to get involved.
And what leads to having a good gate? A competitive team on the field.
Nobody wanted to get involved with the Riders under Ford because everybody knew what a joke the team would continue to be on the field, and this would create problems at the gate, and that would create problems in the bank account. Who wants to forgive the debt/enter in to a coroporate sponsorship/put money in to the stadium if there was no guarantee the team would even exist in 5 years?
Enter Roy. Roy had a shoestring budget, yet created a competitive team with a young talent base that could remain competitive in the long term. Attendance was good enough and all of a sudden the future viability of the franchise seems more assured. Now the government forgives the loan, the corporate sponsors are coming in droves, and the city is putting money in to the stadium.
True, Roy had an impressive budget the last couple of years. He also was the catalyst that made it possible for such a budget to exist.
Ford had a golden opportunity after the 1995 Grey Cup to put more money in to football operations. The team made good money off of the Grey Cup game and had it`s debt down to under a million. Instead the team got progressively worse, and in 4 short years he had the debt back up to almost 3 million.
Roy took a joke of a team and made it consistently competitive, and took the team from being nearly 3 million in debt to having 2 million in the bank.
So please, do not feed me this pathetic story about how Roy was just lucky to be in a good situation and how Ford was simply a victim of a bad situation. You are obviously stupid and naive and gullible enough to believe such tripe, but do not make the mistake of thinking that I am.
This team will be much better off without the old boy`s club that hold such outlandish views like John`s, and the sad sack "fans" that give credit to such viewpoints can all go away too.
After reading the postings of slynoodles one is left with a pretty good idea of who this person really is !!!
In all fairness to Shivers, it must be said that the Riders are far better off, both financially and talent-wise, because of him.
He was given six-plus years to get this team to the cup, but he couldn't get it done.
At the conclusion of the 2003 Shivers and Co. were in a perfect position,dump Nealon, sign Burris long-term, and go into the 2004 season with Burris/Glenn as your one-two qb punch, It wasn't done, and the rest is history, as is Roy Shivers.
oh my god, Burris was never coming back to Saskatchewan. His wife hated Regina and they had an opportunity to goto Calgary. Burris has never won a playoff game for Calgary and will be out of the league in 2 years. Plus, this whole "we must" sign everyone from Saskatchewan is stupid. Joe McGraph sucks and Shivers wasted draft picks on locals Mike Thomas and Nathan Hoffart. Boy, it's pretty easy to second guess and bitch 5 years later Johnny.
Buckshot: That is another great example of WISHFUL THINKING.
For one thing, why would the team do a stupid thing such as dump Nealon after 2003? On what grounds? He went 10-6 as a starter and lead the team to it`s first winning record since 1994. Burris spent his time with the Riders in 2003 firing footballs either in to the dirt or 10 yards over theh head of his intended receiver in practice. Kevin Glenn had never been anything more than mediocer as a starter.
Dump the closest thing to a proven starter in favor of a QB who wasn`t any good as a starter and a QB who was downright awful after his stint in the NFL?
Ridiculous and unacceptable.
What are you trying to say Sly? Don't hold back now.
"unsophisticated folks like yourself" "Your unsophistication and irrelevance really shine" "You are obviously stupid and naive and gullible enough to believe such tripe, but do not make the mistake of thinking that I am." "the sad sack "fans" that give credit to such viewpoints can all go away too."
Why am I not surprised that the guy that thinks that hiring more local players just because they dreamed of playing here even though he knows it likely won`t improve our record but will simply bring pride in our home boys needs me to clarify my position?
Let me dumb it down for you: John Lynch and the old boys club that direct this franchise are poison, and so are all the "fans" that believe in and support their illogical and idiotic ideologies.
Coming through loud and clear?
Noodles you are right that you have "dumb it down" as far as a discussion could possibly go.
slysnoodles....you are a jerk-off...other readers please excuse the rude comment, but who are these people who willingly go on to personal blogs of people they don't agree with, just to spout their contradictory opinion...I don't care whether your facts are right or wrong....I'm here for John's take, either right or wrong, and take it for what its worth...take your personal attacks somewhere else....
I am far too passionate about the well being of the Saskatchewan Roughriders to be respectful of wrong and detrimental ideologies. John is part of the old boy`s club, and this is the same old boy`s club that made the team horrible through the 80`s and 90`s and has threatened the team`s very survival. The attitudes that have harmed this team in the past still exist, and I will attack those attitudes whenever a good opportunity arises. If that ruffles the feathers of the weak PC crowd who think even stupid opinions should be respected, then SO BE IT. John is a fossil, he can`t even get his facts straight, and if the Riders were run his was, we wouldn`t win more than 3 games a year.
Popp said. "Having a local leader like Steve is always important to the Alouettes and is a big part of the great success we've had over the years."
Something the Riders have not had over the years. Local leader nor great success.
John,,,I completely agree with your whole blog,,,please ignore the trolls, as this attacking of your age is beyond insulting, I respect your opinion, and being a younger guy,,I think you've had a little more time to think about these topics and enjoy reapping from your wisdom.
I am not attacking John's age. My use of the word fossile has nothing to do with his age, it has to do with his outdated ideologies.
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