They say that December is the 乌鸦传媒楳ost Wonderful Time of the Year乌鸦传媒� but for B.C. Lions Director of U.S. Scouting Ryan Rigmaiden the start of training camp in May is pretty close.
乌鸦传媒淚乌鸦传媒檝e said it乌鸦传媒檚 like Christmas morning for years and years and I don乌鸦传媒檛 think that乌鸦传媒檚 ever going to change. With all the research we do, with all the film and all the interviews, you truly don乌鸦传媒檛 know what you have until they get on that CFL field,乌鸦传媒� said Rigmaiden, now in his second tour of duty with the Lions after being with the organization from 2014 through 2017 before leaving for a post with the Winnipeg Bluebombers.
乌鸦传媒淲e may have players that we乌鸦传媒檝e been chasing for two or three years that have been on our protected list, you recruit them and you sign them and you finally get them up here and then you discover that they乌鸦传媒檙e not who you thought they were. But there乌鸦传媒檚 also the pleasant surprise of somebody that you might have been lukewarm about. You乌鸦传媒檙e a little unsure about them when you sign them, and how they were going to fit. And then all of a sudden, day three of camp, they pop and their ascension just goes through the roof.乌鸦传媒�
Rigmaiden乌鸦传媒檚 job has got a lot tougher the last few years.
With the arrival of the USFL and XFL, CFL teams now have to compete for those players that can乌鸦传媒檛 make the cut in the NFL.
乌鸦传媒淵ou乌鸦传媒檝e got challenges every year. Part of that is recruiting and informing people what this league is and how great it is. But for the most part I think the success of our league speaks for itself. You乌鸦传媒檙e trying to convince them that Canada乌鸦传媒檚 a good option for him. Fortunately, our league has had tremendous success with players not only having a great career here, but also making the jump to the NFL. Obviously, we had Nathan (Rourke) this last year and he made that great jump and then Cameron Wake made an incredible jump as well,乌鸦传媒� Rigmaiden explained.
Rigmaiden 乌鸦传媒榮 job requires exhausting all possible avenues in trying to find players. There are long days on the road away from his family in the never-ending quest to find talent.
乌鸦传媒淚n the fall, you乌鸦传媒檙e doing college stuff, just like NFL scouts. You乌鸦传媒檙e going to universities and schools and doing all the interviews and watching tape. Then in the winter, you乌鸦传媒檙e going to the all-star games, and then you start shifting gears with the CFL draft. Then we do our own workouts that we乌鸦传媒檝e been running for years with tremendous success. And then you乌鸦传媒檝e got a little bit of off time right at the tail end of our training camp. We basically get four weeks before we go to NFL training camps in July and August and the cycle begins again. There are very, very few days off You乌鸦传媒檙e usually going to be on the road for about 100 to 130 days a year,乌鸦传媒� stated Rigmaiden, who is based out of North Carolina.
When it comes to recruiting talent, Rigmaiden not only looks for athleticism and potential but character as well.
乌鸦传媒淲e want to bring in the best football players that are smart and that have grit and toughness. Obviously, the athletic traits are a huge part of what we do. But you乌鸦传媒檙e trying to find great athletes that are great human beings off the field, great human beings in the locker room.
乌鸦传媒淵ou see a guy乌鸦传媒檚 athleticism on tape but how do you find out about the intangibles? That乌鸦传媒檚 where the investigative process of being a scout is. You obviously talk to their coaches and teammates but some of the best sources that you can find are the support staff. You talk to the equipment guy or you talk to the trainer. If I find out the player is rude to them or is disrespectful to them, that tells me a lot of things. That乌鸦传媒檚 a huge red flag if you乌鸦传媒檙e not going to be courteous to the people that are directly taking care of you. That tells me everything that I need to know about your character.乌鸦传媒�
Getting a player into camp is one thing, then it乌鸦传媒檚 up to the player to impress the Lions coaching staff that he deserves a spot on the team.
Sometimes that process is a difficult one.
Rigmaiden may have been tracking a player for a couple of years, then signs him only to watch that player have a few bad practices in camp and be on the chopping block. He has to convince coaches that there is more there.
乌鸦传媒淚 think there乌鸦传媒檚 always a balance of winning now and building for the future. Philosophically, if your coaching staff and the personnel staff are in lock step, I think you always find that that balance, but you乌鸦传媒檙e right. There are times where we乌鸦传媒檝e been tracking the player for two or three years and I乌鸦传媒檝e seen them in NFL camps and in college and I think they乌鸦传媒檝e got starting calibre ability and for whatever reason they come out here and they乌鸦传媒檙e just not showing it yet. There are discussions in those meeting rooms of hey, who to who do we think this guy is now and who do we think he乌鸦传媒檚 going to be next year and maybe over the next two years of his contract?乌鸦传媒�
As much as Rigmaiden loves his job, there is one part of it that is extremely difficult 乌鸦传媒� telling a player that he乌鸦传媒檚 been cut.
乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 personally devastating. Both for me and for the player. I乌鸦传媒檓 going be telling a young man that乌鸦传媒檚 been working as hard as he has that the dream is over for right now. It乌鸦传媒檚 very, very difficult. There乌鸦传媒檚 a lot of emotions. It乌鸦传媒檚 the least favorite thing that I do with this job. You try to be as honest as you can about the evaluation process of what you saw. We just cut 10 players a few nights ago and there were a lot of tears involved. These guys have been working so hard to get to this spot and, and the results didn乌鸦传媒檛 turn out how they wanted for either of us. So, it乌鸦传媒檚 a devastating part of this business,乌鸦传媒� notes Rigmaiden.
There will be more tears shed in the coming weeks as the Lions pare down their roster as they get set for their season opener in Calgary on June 8 but for Rigmaiden, there will also be the satisfaction of watching a player he recruited make the team.
Veteran B.C. sports personality Bob 乌鸦传媒渢he Moj乌鸦传媒� Marjanovich writes twice weekly for Black Press Media. And check out his weekly podcast every Monday at or your local Black Press Media website.
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