ROUGHRIDERS SHOULD SIGN CODY FAJARDO, DUH

Am I missing something*?

I get that the Saskatchewan Roughriders were holding out hope Bo Levi Mitchell might sign with them when free agency opened next month.  That’s not going to happen now that Mr. Mitchell has signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. He’s their problem now.

The esteemed Mr. Robert von Vanstone of Saskatchewan’s number one sports pamphlet and real estate flyer, The Regina Leader-Post, has written that the Roughriders painted themselves into a corner by benching quarterback Cody Fajardo for the last two games of the 2022 season. This implies the team cannot re-sign Mr. Fajardo now that Mr. Mitchell is off the market. He thinks the team has no choice but to reach out for the Hamilton quarterback displaced by Mr. Mitchell, one Dane Evans, scion of the Bob Evans Sausage Farms empire.

Screw that.

Cody Fajardo is an outstanding quarterback.  The Roughriders dumb-lucked themselves into his services a few years ago, and they are fools to think he’s not an elite quarterback. And as the aforementioned von Vanstone pointed out, Mr. Fajardo’s 2022 statistics are better than Mr. Mitchell’s or Mr. Evans’s, by a longshot, even playing behind the worst offensive line this side of the USFL.

Am I missing something*?

The obvious problem last year was the offensive line.  The apparent scapegoating of Mr. Fajardo was a cowardly way for management to avoid acknowledging its failure to put together a solid offensive line. I’m not even saying that that failure could have been anticipated, but once it was obvious that that was the problem, you don’t dump on the quarterback that took the team to two consecutive West Finals. (And you don’t put two “that that”s in one sentence.)

Am I missing something*?

Sign Mr. Fajardo, you dummies.  He’s the best option available; he might be the best option, period.  When he’s not running for his life, he’s shooting the lights out.  And then apologize to him for treating him like garbage, and publicly compliment him for handling the whole situation so well.

Then load up on offensive linemen via trades or free agent signings.  How did the powerhouse Roughriders teams of the 2007-2013 golden age get built?  On a foundation of outstanding offensive linemen.

How did the Winnipeg Blue Bombers supplant the Saskatchewan Roughriders as the dominant power in the CFL West?  Outstanding offensive linemen.  Hell, steal a few of their linemen.  What about grabbing Blake or Lawrence from the 2022 Grey Cup Champions (speaking of good offensive lines)?  Mr. Blake used to play for Saskatchewan, for chrissakes.  And what about Weyburn product and former NFLer Brett Jones; he’s floating around somewhere.  Geez, do I have to think of everything?

A good offensive line makes everyone look good:  quarterbacks, running backs, receivers, coaches, management. I can’t be the only person who knows this.

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*Maybe I am missing something.  Is Mr. Fajardo locker room poison?  Are we going to learn he’s got a bad coke habit?  Stealing lumber from construction sites?  Bad breath?  Is he trying to proselytize the coaching staff?  Or is he just an irritating nice guy?

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