Curse the bumbling management of Ottawa's past CFL franchises! Kerry Joseph was OURS and so was Damon Allen!
Bummed, 2008-03-06 16:16:24

At first, I was shocked. Then, the more I thought about it, it makes sense. Joseph is a wonderful athlete, but too many times I see he has a brain cramp, and does something really stupid. Just like Smilin' Hank. Besides, the NEXT Rider Cup isn't due for 18 years, so by then, maybe Joseph's kid will come back to lead the way. Besides, living in Regina???? GROSS!
Nanook, 2008-03-06 15:57:27

It's about time the Argonauts got a #1 quarterback to succeed Damon. Clearly, Mike Bishop was not going to be that man. Now they have someone who can lead them to the Grey Cup hopefully.
gordholio, 2008-03-06 15:42:04

This will not be a problem. Remember that the "team" won the Grey Cup, which included a great defense and special teams effort ... it wasn't Joseph and the offense. I trust Eric Tillman.
Al Scholz, 2008-03-06 15:13:13

It's pretty hard for the Rider Nation to understand why Tillman couldn't sign Joseph when most of the other CFL teams pay their QB the big dollars. Maybe he;s paying other players too much. The CFL should designate one player on each team as the franchise player with a max salary of $400,000 - which would be outside the salary cap.
Murray, 2008-03-06 15:12:23

quarterback controversy will be a brooing...joseph/bishop/butler and picking up the option on the old man damen allen..will be interesting....
willy, 2008-03-06 12:37:42

Apparently he took a cut to $125,000 last year to keep the Riders within the CFL cap. He's worth a lot more than that and clearly they weren't prepared to pay him what he's worth - even by CFL standards. So, no, the trade didn't surprise me. Just the destination.
George O'Leary, 2008-03-06 12:09:00

It's an interesting deal for both teams... obviously the Rider nation will hate it as it sees their MVP leave town. No-one should forget, however, that Marcus Crandell has the same number of Grey Cup wins as Joseph. And that Joseph himself didn't look like a potential MVP until last year. It seems unlikely that the Riders could have kept the cup winning team together for cap reasons, so perhaps trading Joseph will have a lower impact than shedding 3 or 4 other starters. Eric Tillman is a smart guy, and I would never bet against his decisions. It is a PR nightmare, of course, but it may prove to be the lesser of two evils in the end.
John Bladen, 2008-03-06 11:46:07