They say that December is the 鈥楳ost Wonderful Time of the Year鈥� but for B.C. Lions Director of U.S. Scouting Ryan Rigmaiden the start of training camp in May is pretty close.
鈥淚鈥檝e said it鈥檚 like Christmas morning for years and years and I don鈥檛 think that鈥檚 ever going to change. With all the research we do, with all the film and all the interviews, you truly don鈥檛 know what you have until they get on that CFL field,鈥� 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.
鈥淲e may have players that we鈥檝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鈥檙e not who you thought they were. But there鈥檚 also the pleasant surprise of somebody that you might have been lukewarm about. You鈥檙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.鈥�
Rigmaiden鈥檚 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鈥檛 make the cut in the NFL.
鈥淵ou鈥檝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鈥檙e trying to convince them that Canada鈥檚 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,鈥� Rigmaiden explained.
Rigmaiden 鈥榮 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.
鈥淚n the fall, you鈥檙e doing college stuff, just like NFL scouts. You鈥檙e going to universities and schools and doing all the interviews and watching tape. Then in the winter, you鈥檙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鈥檝e been running for years with tremendous success. And then you鈥檝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鈥檙e usually going to be on the road for about 100 to 130 days a year,鈥� 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.
鈥淲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鈥檙e trying to find great athletes that are great human beings off the field, great human beings in the locker room.
鈥淵ou see a guy鈥檚 athleticism on tape but how do you find out about the intangibles? That鈥檚 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鈥檚 a huge red flag if you鈥檙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.鈥�
Getting a player into camp is one thing, then it鈥檚 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.
鈥淚 think there鈥檚 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鈥檙e right. There are times where we鈥檝e been tracking the player for two or three years and I鈥檝e seen them in NFL camps and in college and I think they鈥檝e got starting calibre ability and for whatever reason they come out here and they鈥檙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鈥檚 going to be next year and maybe over the next two years of his contract?鈥�
As much as Rigmaiden loves his job, there is one part of it that is extremely difficult 鈥� telling a player that he鈥檚 been cut.
鈥淚t鈥檚 personally devastating. Both for me and for the player. I鈥檓 going be telling a young man that鈥檚 been working as hard as he has that the dream is over for right now. It鈥檚 very, very difficult. There鈥檚 a lot of emotions. It鈥檚 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鈥檛 turn out how they wanted for either of us. So, it鈥檚 a devastating part of this business,鈥� 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 鈥渢he Moj鈥� 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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