Riders and Argos involved in major trade
Published on March 5, 2008 under Canadian Football League (CFL)
Saskatchewan Roughriders News Release
Saskatchewan Roughrider General Manager/Vice President of Football Operations Eric Tillman announced today they have acquired import offensive tackle Glenn January, import defensive lineman Ronald Flemons, the Argonauts first round selection in the 2008 CFL Draft and the Argonauts second round selection in the 2010 CFL Draft. In return, the Argonauts will receive import quarterback Kerry Joseph and the Riders third round pick in the 2010 Canadian Draft.
January (6'5 - 310 lbs) started 15 games for the Argonauts in his rookie year of 2007. He split his time between right and left tackle and also started in the East Final versus Winnipeg. Prior to joining the CFL, January played four seasons at Texas Tech. He was the Texas Tech Lineman of the Year and named to the First-Team All-Big 12 Conference in his senior season.
Flemons (6'5 - 255 lbs) spent the past two seasons with the Toronto Argonauts where he split his time between defensive end and defensive tackle. He dressed in all 18 regular season games and the playoff game last year and recorded 11 defensive tackles and a quarterback sack. Flemons was originally drafted in the seventh round by Atlanta in the 2001 NFL Draft. He spent five years in the NFL with Atlanta, New Orleans, Miami and Seattle. Flemons spent four years at Texas A&M where he was a four-year letterman.
"This decision was very tough and emotional for Kenny (Miller) and myself," stated Tillman. "But, in the end, we felt trading Kerry to a team which was willing to satisfy his contractual expectations was the right thing to do"
"In our face to face meeting a couple of weeks ago, Kerry continually cited the contracts of Ricky Ray, Casey Printers and Henry Burris as the barometer for elite quarterbacks. As returning MVP, we understood his frustration, but, with our cap situation, those numbers, ranging from $350,000 to $475,000 or more, are very challenging. That said, could we have stepped up in a big way financially? Yes, of course, we could have. But, with Kerry turning 35 this season, he was already scheduled to get a raise this year of $25,000 or so. And, while we were willing to increase that raise even further, we were not willing to go so high that it would have forced us to make other decisions with three or four other players, which we didn't view to be in the best long term interest of our club."
"As much as we respect Kerry and his tremendous contributions to our club, we had to factor in his age and style of play, and how it could lend itself to injury this year, at 35, and beyond, if we had reached an extension agreement. Once emotion was taken out the equation, and the tough judgment call was made, we then had a moral responsibility to be fair with Kerry. If we were going to trade him, it needed to be to a quality team, with ownership committed to winning at the highest level. In both regards, Toronto was the perfect fit."
"Trust me, the fans in Toronto will love Kerry Joseph. He is a class act, on and off of the field. Even at his age, Kerry still competes like a young man hungry to make the team. That fiery competitiveness will be tremendous asset to the Argos and their Grey Cup aspirations."
"Giving up a MVP caliber player is always difficult, but, we have no doubt the two young players we are getting in return, Glenn January and Ronald Flemons, are top quality players, and make us much stronger in areas of need. They may not be early picks in fantasy football leagues, but our coaches know their talent level and recognize the real upside they possess. And, of course, we plan to utilize that number one draft choice wisely, via selecting a young Canadian who will develop into a multi-year starter. The end result should be adding three quality young players, which impacts us much deeper than just 2008."
"Will some, who assess trades only by big name recognition value, criticize us? Of course they will, but this is not fantasy football. As such, we have to have the courage to do what we feel is best for our club, even if it's not popular. Our view has to strike a balance between short term and long term benefits. That said, we certainly would not have made this trade if our players and coaches had anything less than total confidence in Marcus Crandall."
"Additionally, our three young quarterbacks, Drew Tate, Darian Durant and Steven Jyles, all have bright futures, and will compete at a very high level in training camp. Each, in time, is capable of developing into a legitimate CFL quarterback. Remember, a couple of years ago, few, if any fans, knew anything about Jarious Jackson and Buck Pierce out in BC when they lost Casey Printers. But, Wally had confidence in his guys, and, yes, we have that very same enthusiasm regarding our young guys and their potential."
Canadian Football League Stories from March 5, 2008
- Riders and Argos involved in major trade - Saskatchewan Roughriders
- Final auditions this Sunday for Eskimo Cheer Team - Edmonton Elks
- Top Canadian Prospects to Attend 2008 CFL Evaluation Camp in Toronto - CFL
- Former Eastern Washington star signs with Lions - B.C. Lions
- Bombers take part in Brier Fanfest - Winnipeg Blue Bombers
- Bombers sign pair of linebackers - Winnipeg Blue Bombers
- Washington to Edmonton: Esks sign new linebacker - Edmonton Elks
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
