View from the Cheap Seats is kind of an extension of the newsroom. Whenever our three regular reporters, Calvin Daniels, Thom Barker and Randy Brenzen are in the building together, it is frequently a site of heated debate. This week: Did Riders head coach Bob Dyce make the right call starting Kevin Glenn against the RedBlacks.
No win
How Riders fans felt about the decision to start Kevin Glenn versus Brett Smith in Saturday’s home game against the Ottawa RedBlacks came down to whether they had written off 2015.
With a record of 1-10 going into the game many people felt like this was now a rebuilding year. If that was the case, it would make sense to start Smith. He has shown some really good signs he might be a quarterback well-suited for the CFL. Potentially, he could be the future of the franchise.
Darian Durant, obviously, is not getting any younger and as been prone to injury. And Glenn, as good as his career has been—as well as his stats for this season leading up to his injury—he likely has limited time left at the age of 36. Then again he could be another Anthony Calvillo or Henry Burris and lead the Riders for another good four or five years.
With seven games left and only six points out of third place, interim field boss Bob Dyce was in the unenviable position of raising the ire of significant numbers of the green and white faithful, whichever way he went.
I was on side with Dyce. The Riders have been in at least half their games this season. We have plenty of talent in the backfield and in the receiving corps. The defence has shown some signs of revival and, although still lacking in some discipline, it was not inconceivable that Saskatchewan could still pull off a playoff berth.
Having lost and moving to 1-11, Dyce is again in for a tough ride.
-Thom Barker
No vision
The Saskatchewan Roughriders are proving this season they are not just a bad team, but totally lacking in a vision for the franchise’s on-field future.
Upper management was slow in pulling the trigger to rid the team of the ineptness and arrogance of Corey Chamblin as head coach.
While you might have forgiven the mounting losses on a season-and-a-half without starting quarterback Darian Durant, it was clear three games into this season Chamblin was clueless in managing a team on the field, and still it took weeks to turf him.
In steps interim coach Bob Dyce who is already showing ineptness at the controls.
I’ll grant you rookie quarterback Brett Smith struggled on the 12th in Winnipeg, but that is not a reason to turn the ball back to Kevin Glenn coming off the six-game injury list.
The Roughriders are 1-10 on the season, and the remainder of the schedule is not about salvaging a few meaningless wins.
It has to be about the team’s longer term future.
What happens if Durant doesn’t comeback in 2016 after back-to-back season-ending injuries? Who would be the quarterback?
The best option better not be Glenn, who while capable enough off the bench won’t win you the big games. That tells me he may not even have a place with the team moving forward.
Trading him today to Montreal who needs a short-term settling of the pivot position, or to Hamilton as some veteran depth in case of injury would make more sense than starting him.
Leave Smith out there to learn and grow. Make it clear wins are less important now than taking steps to being more consistent.
If Smith falters through another game, or two, don’t be afraid to see what the next guy on the depth chart might show.
Evaluate and build a foundation for the future.
Glenn is not part of that scenario, and frankly that Dyce chose to turn to Glenn tells you he too should not be part of the ‘Riders next year.
-Calvin Daniels
No hope
When it comes to who should have started for the Saskatchewan Roughriders in their last game against the Ottawa Redblacks, the answer really could not be any easier than it already is: Brett Smith.
The reason is simple. Kevin Glenn is old. He won’t be around for very much longer, and if he keeps taking shots like he has been, then he’ll be around for an even shorter amount of time.
If Smith is actually the future of the quarterback position for the Riders then they should give him as many starts as they can in a season where it doesn’t really matter what happens the rest of the way.
Glenn has done what he could (and it wasn’t much), but it’s time for him to just move aside and let a younger guy take the reigns. Sure, Glenn could take the occasional snap. However his use to the Riders now is to watch Smith play the game, take mental notes and then go over everything he sees in a mentorship role as opposed to a starting quarterback role.
Heck, if Smith isn’t the one to get the starting spot the rest of the way then I think their third string quarterback – Keith Price – should.
If there was any hope of a legitimate playoff run then sure, give Glenn the brunt of the snaps. But with that not being the case, it’s time for Glenn to move aside.
-Randy Brenzen
