Riders kick off camp with new faces and labour peace

The Roughriders kicked off the post-Chris Jones era at their training camp home at the University of Saskatchewan with a few new looks on Sunday morning.

Craig Dickenson is now the field boss but you certainly couldn't tell that if you kept an eye on the Riders' new head coach.

He was still working with the kickers, as he is still the special teams' coordinator, and still lending a hand to whomever needs it.

"I'm not actually sure," said Dickenson when asked how a Chris Jones camp will differ from his. "I know this — we'll take it day by day. This is my first crack at it."

There was no doubt Jones had a dark side and wasn't afraid to let the players know when he felt they weren't putting in effort.

Coach Dickey may have to dig deep to do the same.

"I'm going to try and push these guys," he said. "The balancing act is how far you push them to the point where you start losing guys." 

The brother of Stampeders' head coach Dave Dickenson will have some weapons in his arsenal his predecessor didn't.

With the loss of Willie Jefferson and Samuel Eguavoen on defence, the Riders simply reloaded with Micah Johnson and Soloman Elimimian.

Gone from the offence are the team's top receiver Jordan Williams-Lambert and leading rusher Tre Mason.

But they have been more than adequately replaced by veteran pass catcher and former B.C. Lion Manny Arceneaux and running back William Powell, who reeled off consecutive one-thousand-yard seasons with Ottawa.

"I'm very excited to be playing for Canada's team," said a smiling Powell, moments after his first camp session as a Roughrider.

"Playing against you guys, the crowd is always rowdy, so it's good to have them on my side this time."

The Riders are expected to lean heavily on Powell in 2019 and alleviate some pressure off quarterback Zach Collaros, who struggled to produce touchdowns last year.

"Too much is given, much is expected. I'm willing to take that, show my talents and willing to be that work horse," said Powell.

Undoubtedly, the pressure remains squarely on the shoulders of Collaros, who threw more interceptions than majors in 2018.

But there's a more pressing concern. Where do they turn if Collaros goes down again?

Collaros is prone to injury and there is precious little experience behind him on the depth chart with Cody Fajardo and David Watford.

But all will be fine because continuity is the key, according to Collaros.

"It's six more months in the playbook," said Collaros, who has never played more than 14 games in a season during his seven-year career. 

"Another practice with Naaman, another practice with Kyron and so on and so forth," he said. "The more continuity you can get and the more experience you can gain with your teammates, I think the better you are going to play."

Camp Notes

The Roughriders' top two draft picks were signed, sealed and delivered to Saskatoon, but neither made it through day one of camp.

First round choice Justin McInnis didn't even suit up as he is nursing a hamstring injury after consecutive weekends at NFL camps.

Second round pick Brayden Lenius, easily one of the more impressive receivers in the opening session on Sunday, pulled up lame late in practice. He too appeared to be having a hamstring issue.

Highly prized free agent acquisition Soloman Elimimian was also absent as the former B.C. Lions' linebacker was pulling double duty as the vice president of the CFLPA.

The Riders upgraded their punt team last week with the signing of Jon Ryan. 

Dickenson had to caution the NFL vet about trying too hard on day one.