Saskatchewan Roughriders

Terrell Owens held his own Hall of Fame induction ceremony Saturday. Then, a day later, he continued his attempt at a comeback.

Owens was among a group of players who worked out Sunday in Tennessee for Saskatchewan Roughriders head coach and general manager Chris Jones.

"I know I'm truly blessed and I can still play the game," Owens said, per Stephen Hargis of the Times Free Press. "What I did out there today is just a small little snippet of what I can do. I just appreciate Coach for the opportunity. I guess he wanted to assess and see where I am physically.

"It's key when you're trying out to put your best foot forward, and I'm very pleased with what they saw and what I did out there. To be inducted into the Hall of Fame and come back and play, why not me? I know I can do it; it's just a matter of someone giving me the opportunity."

Owens, 44, hasn't played football since the Seattle Seahawks released him in the 2012 preseason. He has been hinting at a possible comeback since 2015 and was part of the American Flag Football League launch last year. 

The Edmonton Eskimos of the CFL added Owens to their negotiation list in June before dropping him last month.

"I wanted to see him run a lot of different routes and work him out for a while to test his stamina," Jones said. "I know he can still fly on the track, but I wanted to see if he could consistently run his routes or if he got tired. I have tryouts whenever it's possible so that former college and pro athletes have the chance to prove themselves and see if they can improve our team. But I've never been faced with anything like this. I mean, he's 44 years old but still runs a 4.4-second 40."

Owens posted a video of him running a 4.43-second time in the 40-yard dash in June. That time would have ranked tied for sixth at the 2018 NFL Scouting Combine. 

Trent Richardson's NFL journey has morphed into somewhat of a nightmare over the past few seasons, but he'll hope to shed recent woes and transform into a steady contributor in a different league altogether after reportedly signing with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, according to SportsCentre. 

Richardson was signed by the Baltimore Ravens on a trial basis last April, but his short stint with the club was marred by a slew of injuries. 

Namely, Richardson was forced to sit out OTAs with a hamstring injury before it was revealed that he needed arthroscopic surgery on his knee to treat a pre-existing condition, according to the Baltimore Sun's Jeff Zrebiec. 

The former No. 3 overall pick was promptly placed on the physically unable to perform list, and the Ravens cut ties with the enigmatic rusher less than two weeks later. 

Prior to his brief time with the Ravens, Richardson mustered a single solid season with the Cleveland Browns before he was dealt to the Indianapolis Colts in September 2013. Over the course of 15 appearances during his rookie campaign, the former Alabama Crimson Tide star rushed for 950 yards and 11 touchdowns. 

However, Richardson's yard-per-carry-average hovered at a meager 3.6 throughout his inaugural NFL campaign, and he hasn't topped that mediocre mark since.

After spending the 2014 season with the Colts, Richardson did not make a single regular-season appearance during the 2015 campaign after getting cut by the Oakland Raiders after preseason action concluded. 

Since then, Richardson has been on a quest to right his early-career wrongs and capture redemption in some form as his name has become synonymous with the term bust. 

"I didn't hit rock bottom, but I was right there to where it's like, OK, I get it," Richardson said of his time with the Raiders, per AL.com's Matt Zenitz. "To look my kids in the face after getting cut by Oakland and tell them I didn't have a job and to not know what was going to be my next turn, that really bit me in the butt."

Nothing has come easy for Richardson since he failed to live up to the hype with the Browns and, as his experiences with the Colts, Raiders and Ravens illustrated, opportunities are dwindling for the former collegiate darling. 

So if he can't make the most of his next stop, Richardson's ability to latch on with another club in more than an emergency capacity could be in peril. 

Former NFL quarterback Vince Young suffered a torn hamstring that will force him to miss the start of the Saskatchewan Roughriders' CFL season, according to ESPN.com. 

Young is expected to be out four to six weeks. 

In March, the Roughriders signed the former Texas Longhorns standout to a two-year deal with a second-year option. 

"I wouldn't say a comeback. I'd just say an opportunity," Young said upon signing, according to the Associated Press (via ESPN.com). "I always wanted to play football again, but didn't know how it was going to happen. God always works in mysterious ways."

Now 34 years old and six years removed from his last NFL appearance, Young is likely to miss at least the first three games of the CFL season.

The Roughriders will open their 2017 campaign June 22 against the Montreal Alouettes. 

Former Pro Bowl quarterback Vince Young has made his return to professional football, as he will sign with the Canadian Football League's Saskatchewan Roughriders.

The Roughriders announced they signed Young on Thursday after TMZ Sports was the first to report Wednesday that Young was flying to Canada to put the finishing touches on the deal.

Young confirmed to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle that he agreed to a one-year deal with an option for a second season.

Agent Leigh Steinberg announced Feb. 15 that he had taken on Young as a client in an effort to help him find a home with a team:

#VinceYoung Welcome new client @VinceYoung10 who has dream of playing more football,being role model @Longhorn_FB @LonghornNetwork

— Leigh Steinberg (@leighsteinberg) February 15, 2017

Former Texas Longhorns head coach and current ESPN analyst Mack Brown sent his support to his former quarterback via Twitter:

Congrats to VY. The CFL better get ready. The man knows how to win. Can't wait to watch him play again! So proud of Vince. pic.twitter.com/7Wf0AQisby

— Mack Brown (@CoachMackBrown) March 9, 2017

The 33-year-old last appeared in a regular-season NFL game when he started three contests for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2011.

The Tennessee Titans originally selected Young with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2006 NFL draft after the Longhorns won the national championship.

Young was named the 2006 AP Offensive Rookie of the Year and led the Titans to the playoffs in 2007, but his overall NFL numbers left plenty to be desired.

Although he posted a career record of 31-19, Young threw for just 8,964 yards, 46 touchdowns and 51 interceptions. He also rushed for 1,459 yards and 12 scores.

Following the 2011 campaign, Young spent time with the Buffalo Bills and Green Bay Packers during the next two preseasons but failed to make the rosters.

He also had a brief offseason stint with the Cleveland Browns in 2014 before being released.

While a return to the NFL seems like a long shot, it isn't unprecedented for a quarterback to go from the NFL to the CFL and back again.

Doug Flutie did so, as he played for the Chicago Bears and New England Patriots before winning three Grey Cups and then returning to the NFL to become a Pro Bowler with the Bills.

In order to follow in Flutie's footsteps, Young must beat out Kevin Glenn and others to win the starting job in Saskatchewan.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders scored 24 second-quarter points to build up a huge lead and never looked back en route to a lop-sided 45-23 victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the 101st Grey Cup.

Playing in front of a sold-out hometown crowd of 44,910 fans, a first-quarter touchdown pass from Darian Durant to Geroy Simon put the Riders ahead early, and it was a lead they would never relinquish.

It could very easily have gone the other way, however. On their first possession, Durant fumbled while getting sacked, but he was able to recover the ball.

In their next offensive possession, a few plays prior to the touchdown pass, Durant was flushed out of the pocket and fumbled the ball while scrambling. The ball took a wild hop and dropped into the hands of Roughriders running back Kory Sheets who extended run for a 42-yard gain on the play, putting the green-and-white in scoring position.

Had either of those first two fumbles resulted in a turnover, the Tiger-Cats may have been able to take advantage and put more early points on the board. And in fact, Hamilton's field goal late in the second quarter came swiftly on the heels of a third Durant fumble which the Ti-Cats were able to recover.

Instead, Hamilton was unable to recover those early fumbles and, aside from a field goal on their first possession, they found their offense neutralized for most of the game. 

Part of the issue was their running game. After a couple of unsuccessful runs by C.J. Gable in the first quarter, the Ti-Cats almost completely abandoned their ground attack, forcing quarterback Henry Burris to throw repeatedly against pressure in the pocket and coverage waiting for the ball in the secondary. 

Burris was subsequently sacked three times, fumbled the ball twice (with one lost) and threw an interception while only completing 20 passes on 43 attempts.

Aside from the early struggles to hang on to the ball, Durant settled in for a very solid game, completing 17 of 24 passes for 245 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for 26 yards along the way.

Durant played all three playoff games this season without throwing a single interception. His steady play has resulted in his first Grey Cup victory in three tries.

Sheets had a record-setting night running the ball for Saskatchewan. His 197 yards of rushing are a new Grey Cup record and, along with two touchdowns, earned him the game MVP. 

Hometown hero and Roughriders slotback Chris Getzlaf was named the Most Valuable Canadian for the game on the strength of his three catches for 78 yards. Getzlaf was born and raised in Regina along with his younger brother Ryan, who plays hockey for the Anaheim Ducks.

Wind was a major factor in the game as well. Of the 68 points scored in the game, 48 were scored when the offense had the wind at their back.

The win is Saskatchewan's fourth in team history and their first while playing at home, making it special for the Riders faithful.

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The Saskatchewan Roughriders upset the defending West Division Champion Calgary Stampeders last weekend in the West Final and now will be facing the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the 101st Grey Cup, being played Nov. 24 in Regina on Saskatchewan's home turf in Mosaic Stadium.

The last time these two teams faced each other in the Grey Cup was 1989 when the Riders beat the Ti-Cats 43-40 on a last-second field goal to win their second CFL championship. Quarterback Kent Austin won the game MVP for Saskatchewan in what is widely considered to be one of the greatest games in Grey Cup history.

The last time Saskatchewan won the Grey Cup was in 2007 when Austin, having then become the team's head coach, guided them to a 23-19 victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

This time around, Austin is the head coach of the Tiger-Cats, so the man who was directly involved in two of Saskatchewan's three Grey Cup wins will be on the other side of the field. One might think that puts them at a disadvantage, but the fact is that the Roughriders will win this contest. 

The Riders simply have too many weapons this year and, as a result, they will not be denied.

Quarterback Darian Durant finished the regular season third in total passing yards, with 4,154, while also tossing a league-leading 31 touchdowns. 

Durant has a bunch of dangerous targets in Chris Getzlaf, Weston Dressler and Taj Smith. All three were over 1,000 yards in receiving, making them the most dangerous receiving unit in the CFL this year.

The running attack is just as dangerous with Kory Sheets leading the way. Sheets picked up 1,598 yards on the ground during the regular season; last weekend against the Stampeders he exploded for 177 yards on the ground plus a late-game touchdown.

The defense is equally strong. The Roughriders gave up a league-low 398 points against. Dwight Anderson tied for third in the league in interceptions with five and Alex Hall was second in the league in sacks with 16.

On the Hamilton side, Henry Burris led the CFL in yards passing with 4,925, but his top target, Bakari Grant, caught just 947 yards' worth of that total. Running back C.J. Gable had a better yards-per-carry average than Sheets (6.0 to 5.6), but far fewer carries and only 782 yards of rushing on the year.

Hamilton's defense gave up 70 more points than Saskatchewan's over the course of the season.

In category after category, the Riders are a better team on paper than the Ti-Cats. During the regular season, Saskatchewan handily beat Hamilton in consecutive weeks, shutting them out 37-0 in Week 4, then putting them away by a score of 32-20 in Week 5. 

Add in the fact that the Riders will be playing in front of a loud and proud home audience, and it seems inevitable that they'll be hoisting the Grey Cup on Sunday evening.

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The Saskatchewan Roughriders took advantage of turnovers as well as injuries to easily beat the Calgary Stampeders in the CFL West Division Final, winning 35-13.

The win puts the Riders in the Grey Cup, which will be played next Sunday on their home field, Mosaic Stadium in Regina.

After place-kicker Rene Paredes put the Stampeders up 3-0 early in the first quarter, the Roughriders answered with a 10-play, 75-yard drive that resulted in a touchdown. 

The Riders would not relinquish that early lead, extending their advantage to 22-6 at half-time and never looking back from there.

The Stamps had a number of opportunities to make a game of it, but had an uncharacteristic rash of turnovers that sabotaged many of their chances. 

Calgary turned the ball over a total of seven times, twice on interceptions thrown by starting quarterback Kevin Glenn, one fumble by kick returner Larry Taylor, one turnover on downs and three lost fumbles by the receiving corps.

The Rider defense was also able to contain the CFL's top rusher for the first half, holding Jon Cornish to just four yards on the ground. Although Cornish finished with 67 yards rushing, he was never a factor.

Meanwhile, the Roughriders ground attack exploited two critical injuries in Calgary's defensive line. With Demonté Bolden and Micah Johnson on the shelf with knee injuries, running back Kory Sheets was able to gain yardage almost at will, finishing with 177 yards rushing and a touchdown. 

Riders QB Darian Durant also found himself with plenty of time to pass with the weakened Calgary D-line unable to put pressure on him. He was sacked just once, completing 80 percent of his passes for 280 yards and three TDs. 

Saskatchewan now heads home to prepare for next weekend's Grey Cup game against the East representative, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, who beat the Toronto Argonauts in the East Final earlier in the day by a score of 36-24.

The last time these two teams faced each other in a Grey Cup was in 1989 when the Roughriders beat the Ti-Cats 43-40. In that game, Saskatchewan quarterback Kent Austin won the game MVP; ironically, Austin is now Hamilton's head coach.

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Everybody was pulling for Saskatchewan Roughriders head coach Greg Marshall. He had waited 17 years to get a head coaching position and now he was finally going to get his dream come true.

But after seeing what had happened, most people wished it had remained a dream. What happened was a living nightmare, a living hell.

It's tough enough being the successor to a coach that either has won the championship or at least been to the finals because there are high expectations to live up to and any failure automatically gets compared to the past.

This was the position Marshall was in, having succeeded Ken Miller who had taken Saskatchewan to two unsuccessful (though close games) appearances in the Grey Cup.

Less than halfway through Marshall's first year, the Roughriders are last in the CFL, a deep drop from the heights of the past half-decade.

A horrible loss to the second-worst team, Toronto, last week, sealed Marshall's fate. Offensive coordinator and ex-Winnipeg coach Doug Berry joined him. Actually, the team was horrible in every phase of the game, so a sickle through the entire coaching ranks would have been just as appropriate.

Not much can be said in Marshall's defense. He can say that a lot of players, the general manager and coaching talent has left the team. There were a few injuries.

But the more fans watched the Roughriders this season, the more it seemed that Marshall and his staff were out of their element.

The real indictment was not that the Roughriders lost, it was how they lost.

This was not a team that got bad breaks or just failed to win a few close games like Winnipeg did last year.

Under Marshall, the Roughriders played bad football and didn't belong on the same field as anybody.

And just as Marshall was bewildered how it all came to pass, he was equally clueless on how to fix it.

It was only the fact that Marshall was a sentimental coaching choice, and everybody was hoping that he would turn around the team, that stopped management from firing him earlier.

Marshall gave a stoic, "It's a business" comment, but inside it must have been devastating.

How many times before this year did he dream if he ever would become a CFL head coach?

How many times did he imagine his team playing inspired, flawless football?

How many times did he dream of being doused with Gatorade after a victorious game?

How many times did he dream of being carried off the field after winning the championship?

As stated before, Marshall entered a precarious situation where there was more likely a chance for a descent season rather than a continuation or a championship. But it is not impossible.

Former San Francisco 49ers coach George Seifert inherited a three-time Super Bowl champion from Bill Walsh and managed to win a couple of titles himself.

But even making allowances for Marshall, his team played horrible, uncompetitive football. They were consistently making mental mistakes that are supposed to be minimized by the end of training camp.

When the worst team in the league doesn't even belong on the same field as the second-worst team, you know there is more than bad breaks, injuries, loss of talent and other intangibles present.

Marshall's Roughriders weren't ready to play anybody in the CFL. An expansion Ottawa team would have a good chance of getting their first win against them.

Now Ken Miller comes back from the management ranks to coach the team again. If he manages to turn the team around, it will be an even more damning verdict on Marshall's tenure.

Marshall waited 17 years to get a break, only to see it become a nightmare in a few weeks. Sadly for him, there probably won't be any more chances in the future.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders are left looking for a new leading receiver, and the CFL a new Most Outstanding Canadian as the Chicago Bears have inked receiver Andy Fantuz to a reserve/future contract today in Chicago.

The signing of the contract gives Fantuz a formal audition for the team.

Fantuz leaves the CFL after a career-high year for him, in which he caught 87 passes for a league-leading 1,380 yards and six touchdowns in 2010, and was named the CFL's Most Outstanding Canadian after helping his team to the Grey Cup game.

“It’s really exciting for me,” Fantuz said Friday at Halas Hall. “It’s a whole new avenue for my career. I’m excited to make that step and get the opportunity to try out for the Bears.

“I’m particularly excited about this organization because of all the people I’ve met and all the history behind it and the fan base. It’s something I’m really looking forward to.”

Fantuz, who grew up in Chatham, Ontario, has been playing Canadian-style football for the majority of his life, and is excited for the major adjustment ahead.

Not only is the level of competition higher, but Fantuz will be playing on a smaller field, with four downs instead of three, and one less man on the field.

“It’ll be a big difference and a big change for me,” said Fantuz. “It’s going to be a faster game. It’s going to be different. But being a football player, I’m excited for that challenge and I think I’ll relish it. I’ll be training for it and once training camp comes along, I’ll be ready to go.”

Fantuz will join the seven year veteran Defensive End Israel Idonije, who is also a Canadian player. Idonije started off his career in Grade twelve at Vincent Massey High School in Brandon, Manitoba before moving ahead to play for the University of Manitoba.

The Riders Front Office staff are now left with the task of finding a receiver to replace Fantuz, who led the CFL in receiving yards in 2010.

“It is always difficult when you lose one of your top players, but we do congratulate Andy and wish him all the best in Chicago,” stated Roughrider General Manager Brendan Taman.

“We knew this was a possibility and we will continue with our off-season plan to replace Andy,” added Taman. “We will monitor our options, both within the personnel we have, and with recruiting as we go forward.”

Fantuz also had NFL tryouts with the Bears, Bengals, Bills, Patriots and Steelers.