By Rob Vanstone
This grizzled gargoyle of a historian, in an unrelenting quest to sandblast the barnacles off gnarled fingers and dispense breaking news pertaining to the Regina Rugby Club, suddenly feels 11 years younger.
Why? Because the Saskatchewan Roughriders, as constituted in late February of 2023, bear an uncanny resemblance to the version that existed in the winter of 2012.
The winner of 2013, Grey Cup-wise, was the byproduct of a reassembly process that had begun two years earlier.
In the aftermath of the 2011 Canadian Football League season — one in which the Green and White posted a 5-13 record after winning three of the previous four West Division titles — President-CEO Jim Hopson endorsed General Manager Brendan Taman and appended the title of Vice-President of Football Operations.
The lack of a housecleaning was not a universally popular move, but Hopson believed in Taman and mandated that he be the chief catalyst for change.
Oh, was he ever.
By the time training camp arrived in 2012, the Roughriders had undergone a major makeover.
Not unlike today.
The offensive line had been problematic in 2011, so Taman used Day 1 of the free-agent period to add much-needed fortifications — namely centre Dominic Picard and guard Brendon LaBatte.
Those signings devoured some cash that could have been used to re-sign, for example, Andy Fantuz. The popular pass-catcher, a 2021 Plaza of Honour inductee, ended up completing his fine career with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
Let’s zoom ahead to 2023.
Having seen the Roughriders surrender a franchise-record 77 sacks in 2022, General Manager and Vice-President of Football Operations Jeremy O’Day recognized the imperative of employing an aggressive free-agent strategy.
Hence the arrivals of centre Peter Godber and the versatile Philip Blake, who can play pretty much anywhere on the offensive line, as needed. Both players are nationals, a la Picard and LaBatte.
Salary-cap considerations again being paramount, something had to give. Consider the case of middle linebacker Darnell Sankey, who in 2022 amassed a team-record 120 defensive tackles — albeit for a team that went 6-12 following back-to-back appearances in the West Division final.
One could regard Sankey as the 2023 equivalent of Fantuz.
O’Day, who was Taman’s assistant when the team embarked on the earlier reconstruction project, has also targeted an American offensive tackle as a priority. Again, there is a parallel to 2012.
Taman acquired Xavier Fulton from Edmonton on April 23, 2012 for the low, low price of a sixth-round draft pick. Fulton soon became entrenched at left tackle, where he provided airtight protection for quarterback Darian Durant and helped to clear gaping holes for game-changing tailback Kory Sheets.
Now, O’Day may very well have addressed the all-important left tackle spot by signing Blake. Keep in mind that he started at that position for Toronto on Nov. 20 when the Argonauts edged the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 24-23 in a Mosaic Stadium-based Grey Cup game.
Even so, there will be intense competition at training camp as the Roughriders appraise American tackles Jerald Hawkins, Eric Lofton, Jeremiah Poutasi, Kooper Richardson and Jordan Tucker.
All except Richardson are newcomers to Riderville. As a rookie, Richardson started at left or right tackle in Saskatchewan’s final six games of 2022.
Saskatchewan lost each of those games, swelling its season-ending losing streak to seven. Again, there was an eerie resemblance to 2011.
A September spasm had allowed the 2011 Roughriders to improve their record from 1-7 to 4-7.
Cue five losses in succession — a stretch in which the Roughriders were outscored 153-40.
During that swoon, the Roughriders went 286 minutes 29 seconds without an offensive touchdown, thereby eclipsing the team record of 266:48 that had been set in 1979.
So, no, it wasn’t fun at the time.
However, the situation did improve, as the 2012 Roughriders enjoyed a 3-1 start and ultimately finished 8-10.
A sub-.500 slate camouflaged the fact that Saskatchewan outscored the foe 457-409 over 18 regular-season games.
The points for-against disparity of plus-48 was a drastic reversal from the minus-146 of 2011.
Also of note, the Roughriders threw a scare into the Calgary Stampeders in the 2012 West semi-final, losing 36-30 on a late-fourth-quarter, 68-yard touchdown pass from Drew Tate — Saskatchewan’s newly appointed receivers coach — to Romby Bryant.
Durant, who had fired four touchdown passes in a losing cause, carried the momentum into the career-defining season of 2013 — one in which he connected for 31 aerial majors.
Not since 1993 had a Roughrider erupted for as many TD passes in a season. The starting quarterback back then was Kent Austin, whose peak totals were 35 (his franchise-record total of 1992), 32 (in 13 games in 1991) and 31 (1993).
Austin, Durant and Henry Burris are the only Roughriders to have thrown for 30-plus touchdowns. Burris hit 30 in 2000.
Which brings us to Trevor Harris …
Harris, whose signing was announced by the Roughriders on Feb. 14, has twice thrown 30 or more TD passes. He connected for 33 scores for Toronto in 2015 and two years later generated 30 aerial majors for the Ottawa REDBLACKS.
The REDBLACKS’ current head coach, Bob Dyce, was a first-year offensive co-ordinator with the 2012 Roughriders.
Eleven years later, Saskatchewan’s chief offensive strategist (Kelly Jeffrey) is also a CFL rookie in that capacity.
Within that context, one could suggest that Jeffrey is unproven — unlike the formula that the Roughriders are embracing, and even revisiting, during this off-season.
It was a brutally cold winter in 2012, for reasons that transcend the fine art of meteorology. A difficult football season always creates a lingering chill.
What resonates today, though, is the notion and the reality that a team can rebound, and robustly so, from a season such as 2011 — something to remember as 2022 is consigned to the past, where dusty historians reside.
