The Saskatchewan Roughriders have been in talks with ex-NFL tailback Trent Richardson, but that’s currently the extent of it.
A report Tuesday suggested the former University of Alabama Crimson Tide star was en route to Regina to finalize a deal with the CFL’s Roughriders. Later in the day, a conflicting report said that Richardson had changed his mind.
“He’s on our neg list,” Saskatchewan head coach-GM Chris Jones told reporters when asked about the Richardson rumours. “We’ve had discussions with him. Evidently, there are some problems getting him here.
“He was supposed to be up here already. He’s not here, so we’ll see if he ever gets up here to play.”
A report out of Alabama confirmed that Richardson was slated to sign with the Roughriders, but the story claimed he balked after realizing he would have to sign a one-year contract with a team option for a second year.
That would keep him from returning to the NFL until the 2019 season, which apparently didn’t mesh with his career goals.
“A lot of these people think that we’re in the business of developing NFL players,” Jones said. “That’s not what we’re in the business of doing. We’re in the business of winning CFL football games.”
After starring at Alabama, Richardson was selected in the first round (third overall) of the 2012 NFL draft by the Cleveland Browns.
He rushed for 950 yards as a rookie, but never approached those numbers again with the Browns or Indianapolis Colts. He had stops with the Oakland Raiders (in 2015) and Baltimore Ravens (2016), but didn’t play a regular-season game for either team.
Asked when he expected Richardson to arrive in Saskatchewan, Jones replied: “I don’t even care.”
“I’m trying to beat the Edmonton Eskimos,” continued the Roughriders’ bench boss, whose squad visits the Eskimos on Friday. “If he gets here, that’s great — he’ll help our football team — but right now it doesn’t even matter to me.”
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Derrick Moncrief made quite an impression in his first game with the Roughriders.
On Aug. 13, the rookie linebacker recorded two tackles, two pass knockdowns and one interception in Saskatchewan’s 41-8 victory over the visiting B.C. Lions.
The pick — or more specifically, Moncrief’s 54-yard return after snagging the ball — was the most memorable of his plays 
in the game. Despite having a convoy of blockers alongside, Moncrief only made it to the B.C. 48-yard line before running out of gas and getting tripped up.
“Everybody (in the locker room) laughed about it,” admitted Moncrief, who claimed he had “a little illness” that left him fatigued. “It was a pretty good one. Coach said I had a heart attack while I was running.”
Moncrief joined the Roughriders in training camp, but he had to wait until their seventh game to crack the lineup. After defensive back Chris Lyles sustained an injury in practice, the coaches moved Crezdon Butler from linebacker to DB and inserted Moncrief at linebacker.
Given an opportunity to show his wares, the rookie out of Oklahoma State University did just that.
“Overall, I executed the game plan,” Moncrief said. “I just wanted to stay focused. I’ve been playing this game for so long that it’s just natural for me to fill in and do what I had to do.”
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Defensive tackle Nick James also made his debut against the Lions — and he has spent the two weeks since trying to work himself into shape.
James arrived in Regina two days before the game against B.C., so his conditioning was lacking during the game. He spent the bye week and the past two days of practice trying to improve his wind in time for Friday’s game.
“I’m giving it all I’ve got in practice and spilling it out every day,” said James, whom the coaches limited to about 20 plays against the Lions. “Hopefully I’ve got two, three or maybe 10 more plays in me.”
The 6-foot-5 James weighed in at 326 pounds when he signed with Saskatchewan. On Tuesday, he estimated he had lost six pounds — “Just eating right and living right,” he said when asked about his weight loss regimen — and hoped to lose about nine more.
James was credited with two tackles against B.C., and showed the power expected of a man his size. He also displayed some surprising quickness while chasing down a running play to the outside.
“Week 1 was awesome,” James said. “I produced a little bit and I believe I need more production next game. Hopefully I’ll be even better.”
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Ed Gainey would be hard-pressed to be better than he was against the Lions.
The veteran defensive back set a Roughriders franchise record by picking off four passes, which was one more interception than he had in his best season in the CFL. Gainey also recovered a fumble and, last week, was named one of the top performers of the week.
That’ll be a tough act to follow, especially against the Mike Reilly-led Eskimos offence, but Gainey hopes he can have some success in Friday’s contest.
“I’ve just got to stay focused and make sure I know where I’m supposed to be,” he said. “I’ve got all the confidence in myself and I’ve got to continue to trust the process.”
