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You would think, that in the dead of a Canadian winter, that the province of Saskatchewan might be fairly quiet, nay peaceful. Not in 2007/2008 it would seem.

Apparently the Riders have traded to the Eskimoes, Fred Perry and a second rounder for Edmonton backup QB Steven Jyles and a second rounder. With Jason Maas returning to the Eskimoes, this end of the trade doesn't seem surprising but Fred Perry? I have to say that the battle of Alberta just got more interesting with both halves of one of last year's bigger controversies playing in the same province now.

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Not surprised to see Tillman looking for cap relief but can't believe it was his top d-lineman he decided to unload.

Perhaps Tillman is now in position to re-sign Reggie Hunt?

The only way this works in Saskatchewan's favour is if ET uses the savings from this deal to sign free-agent Tom Canada, who is five years younger than Fred Perry. That looks unlikely, with five other teams already expected to be in the bidding.

Good move for the Esks.

It has to make you wonder if Crandall is going to be traded now? Either that or they fear Joseph getting an NFL deal.

Fred Perry can play, and he can play tough. Just ask Dave Dickenson.

It clears cap space for the Riders. Perry may disappear into the abyss that the Eskimos have become.

I expect anyone that trades with Maciocia to get the better of the deal.

Not sure about that, WCJ. This may be as much about what Saskatchewan loses as what the Esks gain. Perry could be good at Rush End for them for 2 years, and more importantly, the 'Rider D-line is that much weaker today.

Add to that with a Ray/LeFors/Maas combo, Jyles was odd man out anyway.

Esks win this one.

SammyGreene wrote:Not surprised to see Tillman looking for cap relief but can't believe it was his top d-lineman he decided to unload.

Perhaps Tillman is now in position to re-sign Reggie Hunt?

That linebacker can't do you a lot of good without the guys up front engaging blockers and opening up holes.

I'm shocked, to be quite frank. Must be a pretty big cap mess.

cromartie wrote: ....
I'm shocked, to be quite frank. Must be a pretty big cap mess.

No, can't be. Ask around other fansites- ONLY BC violates the cap. :lol:

Solar Max wrote:Not sure about that, WCJ. This may be as much about what Saskatchewan loses as what the Esks gain. Perry could be good at Rush End for them for 2 years, and more importantly, the 'Rider D-line is that much weaker today.

Add to that with a Ray/LeFors/Maas combo, Jyles was odd man out anyway.

Esks win this one.

Eskimos win this one bigtime, Solar Max. This is a stupid deal by Tillman there's no way to sugarcoat it.

notahomer wrote:

cromartie wrote: ....
I'm shocked, to be quite frank. Must be a pretty big cap mess.

No, can't be. Ask around other fansites- ONLY BC violates the cap. :lol:

:lol:

From what I am reading, I can understand why the Rider's may have felt it necessary to let FP go (cap problems). But the true test of this deal will show longer term with SJ. He has the tools but the smarts are in question. If he doesn't pan out, then this trade is an absolute bust. To trade away your best lineman, you better be getting something back that you can use right away. SJ might well have been a training camp cut this year so it makes the deal look even more risky. Giving up one of your top players for someone that might have been had for nothing in a few months time is quite a dice roll. Even more so when you consider that Joseph doesn't exactly have an injury free resume. With Crandell likely gone as a result of this trade, the Riders could easily find themselves in the position we were last year. Having to go with 2nd and 3rd pivots for the majority of the season. Crandell as a B/U insulated them somewhat from this risk. Now they are likely running on the ragged edge at QB one hit away from running a novice at pivot. The hope that many in Rider land are harbouring is that this is just one phase of a multi-part strategy. That there is some player, piece of info or something that will put this deal in a better light. It will be interesting to see if this is true.

"In making this deal, we accomplish three things,” said Roughriders general manager and vice president of football operations Eric Tillman. “One, we're acquiring a young quarterback, Steven Jyles, who at 25, has significant long-term upside. Two, we'll be moving up six very important spots in the CFL draft, and we place a high premium on young Canadian talent, and, third, this trade provides us critical salary cap flexibility, which will impact another move or two in the coming weeks."

"In a cap era, trades have to be judged just as much by what they allow you to do next, as they do on the individual merits of the players involved."

1 Riders get Jyles

2 Move up in the draft

3 Free up cap room

To give up one of the top rush ends in the league for the above reasons does not quite add up.

It might be just about the SMS cap. If that is the case, the move is a harsh belt tightening.

There must be more to this than meets the eye.

In a straightforward player trade, I would expect Tillman to come out ahead of Maciocia. That does not seem to be the case here.

It's great to sit back here in the middle of Riderville and watche as the Champs are dismantled piece by piece. Listening to the whining is quite a refreshing change to listening to all the gloating about the new dynasty in the making. LOL

prairielion wrote:It's great to sit back here in the middle of Riderville and watche as the Champs are dismantled piece by piece. Listening to the whining is quite a refreshing change to listening to all the gloating about the new dynasty in the making. LOL

http://www.newstalk980.com/incoming/200 ... erry-trade

This sheds a different angle on why the Riders let Perry go in essence.

Rammer wrote:

prairielion wrote:It's great to sit back here in the middle of Riderville and watche as the Champs are dismantled piece by piece. Listening to the whining is quite a refreshing change to listening to all the gloating about the new dynasty in the making. LOL

http://www.newstalk980.com/incoming/200 ... erry-trade

This sheds a different angle on why the Riders let Perry go in essence.

That, however, cannot be true, Rammer. Ask almost anyone at Riderfans BEFORE 1 PM yesterday. 8)

The 'Riders were forced into a bad deal by locker room and Luxury Tax issues, and had no choice to trade Perry for Jyles. It IS strange that Tillman would not yet have learned that dissing people in a public forum will come back to bite him, though.

Guess it's tough for you seeing the 'Riders get hosed by the hated Esks, though. For me, not so much. :lol:

I'm with you on this one Solar.

Bad credit and the like tends to get around after awhile and like you say, not one post at Riderfans in 20 plus pages even hinted at this yesterday. Seems very strange. However, it could be true. And if so, then I have to question what right, the public has to know about an individuals private financial state and why a former employer feels that he has the right to reveal it publically. That doesn't seem very savoury. And after all that is said and done, it still doesn't really address why A) Tillman would trade to a western rival and B) Trade for such a risky package. It could turn out good but it could turn out bad too.

Ya know, I used to like Eric Tillman, I thought he was a pretty stand up and smart guy, this last year however with his press antics, my opinion of him has gone way down. I still think he is a smart man, but he sure isn't as classy as I thought. I don't remember this kind of behaviour of him when he was with Ottawa or BC. Did I just miss something all those years or is this something different?