Music: {allcanada} Riders close to extension with Dressler

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

{allcanada} Riders close to extension with Dressler

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The Saskatchewan Roughriders are on the verge of a contract extension with receiver Weston Dressler, the team's top receiver, SPORTSNET.CA has learned.

Negotiations have been ongoing between the football club and slot back for the past two months, dating back to before training camp. The term of the pact -- three years, including an option -- has been agreed to, but the dollars have not. The Riders are believed to be offering an average of approximately $120,000 per year, while Dressler's camp is looking for a higher figure.

While the deal is not yet complete, it is expected to be finished soon, what with the now 26-year old believed to be receiving a signing bonus in the neighbourhood of $25-$30,000 in the extension.

Locking up Dressler long-term would keep some stability in Saskatchewan's receiving corps, which lost Andy Fantuz to the NFL and Rob Bagg to a torn ACL. With quarterback Darian Durant under club control through the end of the 2012 season, the Roughriders hope the pair can continue their chemistry. Dressler had 1,123 receiving yards in his rookie-of-the-year campaign (2008) and 1,189 last year. In 2009 he had 941 yards into Game 14, before fracturing his right fibula on Oct. 10, ending his season prematurely.

Meanwhile, Saskatchewan continues to speak with Eric Wilbur's representatives, just days after the American punter/kicker was released by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Wilbur was impressive in training camp and went 3-for-4 in the pre-season finale against Montreal, including a converted 49-yard field goal, but lost the job to Justin Medlock, arguably the league's top specialist and best kicker in the CFL.

The Roughriders will go into the season with import Eddie Johnson to handle both punting and kicking duties. If he struggles, like he did in the exhibition finale against B.C. last Wednesday, Wilbur's phone may be ringing. The 26-year-old University of Florida product also has an offer from the United Football League (UFL), which just had its Omaha franchise sign one-time Eskimo and former Toronto Argonauts defensive lineman Walter Curry.

Ultimately, the Saskatchewan kicking job is still Johnson's to keep, or lose, depending on performance.

One vet in, one vet out

The B.C. Lions are traveling extra early to Montreal, but it will be a team flight Tuesday missing one veteran receiver.

Wally Buono has decided to keep Kamau Peterson in Vancouver and will go with Paris Jackson, who has had ongoing knee issues, and surgeries, the last two years.

Jackson missed all of training camp, but it appears that Buono wants to give the 30-year-old career Lion every opportunity to see what is left in a knee that continues to get drained and rehabilitated.

Peterson, 32, was brought in during two-a-days as an insurance policy to Jackson, who took a pay cut this off-season to stay in B.C. There is a belief because of his bad knee, which sliced his production considerably in 2010, Buono is effectively allowing Jackson to prove whether or not he can still play, under that reduced salary.

Ultimately, the Lions are hoping to see what they can find from the young Canadians in their receiver corps. Three draft picks from the last two years will dress and play in the season opener Thursday in Montreal and the organization hope to see an evolution throughout the season from a pair of 2010 Canadian College draft picks, Sean Gore (Round 2, 10th overall) and Akeem Foster (Round 4, 25th overall), so the torch can be passed to their homegrown youth. And they believe there is tremendous upside in 2011 first-round selection Marco Iannuzzi, taken sixth overall last month.

Like Gore, Jamall Lee, another highly-touted draft pick (taken third overall in the 2009 draft) out of Bishop's University, has been recovering from a knee injury suffered late last fall and remains in B.C.'s future plans.