Smart Move: RoughRiders bolster their secondary with the perfect addition of $89 million defensive back from…

The Saskatchewan Roughriders have been active as they plan for the 2024 CFL season. Some of their recent moves and developments include:

 

1. **Roster Strengthening**: They recently signed National fullback Morgen Runge, a promising addition who previously attended their training camp and has collegiate experience.

 

2. **Defensive Additions**: The team also bolstered their secondary by signing National defensive back Richard Aduboffour and American defensive back Nicario Harper.

 

3. **Post-Season Reflections**: Despite falling short in the Western Final against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, the Roughriders showcased growth throughout the season, setting a solid foundation for further progress.

 

Looking ahead, the Roughriders appear focused on balancing their roster with key signings and reflecting on strategies for a stronger 2024 season.

. **Roster Strengthening**: They recently signed National fullback Morgen Runge, a promising addition who previously attended their training camp and has collegiate experience.

 

 

 

 

2. **Defensive Additions**: The team also bolstered their secondary by signing National defensive back Richard Aduboffour and American defensive back Nicario Harper.

 

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B.C. Lions name former quarterback Buck Pierce as head coach

GM Ryan Rigmaiden had said last week that coaching was going to be key in getting the most again out of quarterback Nathan Rourke.

The Lions named Buck Pierce as their new head coach on Tuesday, bringing back the former B.C. quarterback and Winnipeg Blue Bombers offensive coordinator to take over a team led by pivot Nathan Rourke.

 

Pierce, 43, succeeds Rick Campbell, who was fired Nov. 20 as head coach and co-general manager after the team lost in the Western semifinal to the Saskatchewan Roughriders following a 9-9 regular season. There was buzz about the Lions to start the season, what with B.C. hosting the Grey Cup. They started out 5-1, but they fizzled after that, despite bringing back Rourke and defensive lineman Mathieu Betts from the NFL.

Pierce played with the Lions from 2005-09, and then again in 2013. Pierce sits 10th on the club’s all-time list with 8,964 passing yards while his 713 completions are good for eighth spot. In 35 regular season starts with the Lions, the club held a record of 22-12-1.

He was part of B.C.’s 2006 Grey Cup winning team. He had six starts that season, sharing the quarterback duties with Dave Dickenson.

Rourke had his struggles when he returned from the NFL this past season and when the Lions traded away fellow quarterback Vernon Adams, Jr. last week, new general manager Ryan Rigmaiden talked about how the right coaching was going to be a key to getting Rourke back to his dominant 2022 form. Rourke was named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Canadian that year, despite missing half the season with an ankle injury.

Rigmaiden was quoted in a team press release Tuesday saying: “Buck was a candidate we identified early in this process as someone ready to step in and lead our franchise. His track record in the Canadian Football League as both a player and a coach says it all.”

 

“I’m extremely excited and honoured to take this next step in my coaching career with the organization that originally brought me here nearly 20 years ago,” Pierce said in the release.

Pierce spent the past 10 years working for the Blue Bombers, and helped them to Grey Cup wins in 2019 and 2021 and five consecutive Western Division championships. He was running backs coach (2014-15), quarterbacks coach (2016-19) and offensive coordinator (2021-24).

 

As a player, Pierce enjoyed an outstanding college career at New Mexico State (2001-04) where he twice broke the single-season program record for completion percentage before signing with the Lions as a free agent on May 16, 2005. He emerged from his first professional training camp with a spot on the active roster before making one start in his rookie campaign.

 

Born in Hutchinson, Kansas, and raised in Crescent City, Calif., Pierce married his wife Lori, a native of Winnipeg, in 2014. They have two children: a daughter Bailey and a son Bo.

 

Mike Benevides, a former Lions head coach who was the team’s special teams coordinator last season, and Jordan Maksymic, who was B.C.’s offensive coordinator, were other names that had been linked to succeeding Campbell.