Jamie Nye's blog

So blog readers, I don't have a lot of time on my hands with my main Regina sports guru Justin Blackwell swinging his heart out in the Lobstick Mens Golf Tourney this week, so lack of blogs. I'll get back to regular updates after the final pre-season game.

But I have three burning questions I'd love to get your comments on from Rider camp.

1. Hugh Charles or Wes Cates? Wes Cates will be number one out of training camp but who do you think should run the ball more in 2010?

2. Riders new black and red jerseys, Yay or Nay?

After a week of hitting players wearing the same coloured uniforms, I can only imagine the Roughriders are ready to hit some black and orange this weekend. The game should be sunny so get there if you can find a ticket, unless you're one of those (Drew Remenda) who can't stand anything pre-season in any sport.

I'll be there and can't wait to see these rookies and veterans in real game action, this is when we start to learn, who the real deal is and who's a practice star.

The newcomers I'm interested in watching are as follows:

Okay, the days are merging together and it's now to the point where we need a GAME! Badly. It's hard to assess players in practice as there is always and ebb and flow to how they do.

In game action, you can really see the sparks fly and how players adjust to game situations. A great interception in practice looks just that, great. But if you peel away the top layer, what you don't see is the receiver running the wrong route or the defender dropping into the wrong zone or the quarterback making the wrong throw. To the observer, it's just a great interception.

So we have an answer to the question, "which quarterback will be cut?" The answer is Todd Reesing.

Reesing's numbers were outstanding in college but like every other quarterback, making the jump to professional football is tremendously difficult. Reesing's arm strength wasn't there and when the field is 65 yards wide, you have to make all the throws. They don't have to be darts but they have to get there and Reesing was struggling.

Sunday there were 500 fans or more taking in the sun, today on day two, slightly under 100 fans were on hand in some cooler weather with a little rain.

Well the 35 or so player don't have anything else to do but sit and wait for the coaches to make the tough decision to say one of two things: "We'll see you Sunday," or "Thanks for coming, showing tremendous effort, but you have not made it to main camp."

It's going to be a tough decision and still something I think the CFL needs to improve on because I don't think players get a proper shot in three days. But at least the cuts are minimal with six or seven players on their way out of Saskatchewan.

Here's day two in one simple word. WET.

Rain was calmly falling from the sky for the entire two hour period but began to pour when interviews started, which led to some scrambling and equipment feeling the effects of the water, including our recorder. Luckily some audio survived.

So the first day of spring is officially here! Riders Training Camp... summer is only a few weeks away when the Roughriders and Montreal Alouettes kick off the season on July 1st.

So here are the players that jumped out at me on day one for the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Day One of training camp.

#90 Brent Hawkins - he was flying around whenever I looked down at the defensive line and when I found out he's spent over a year at an oil refinery after a short career in the NFL, I can understand why he's desperate for a job in football again.

Yesterday was the offense, today the defense.

Here are some names and positions that will be highly competitive during Riders Training Camp.

DEFENSIVE END

D'uh!!!! It's been the most talked about hole in the Riders since John Chick and Stevie Baggs signed with the NFL; With both all-stars gone this is the battle of all training camp battles with a lot of new names to be on the lookout for.

Rider fans have been receiving their season ticket packages this week and everybody is getting set for the 2010 season to begin and for the players it starts on Wednesday with the rookies getting their first taste of Rider Nation. There will likely be a hundred+ in the stands on Wednesday for the first of many workouts until the the final cuts are made after the June 20th pre-season game against the Calgary Stampeders.