Riders elect to name Kerry Joseph their starter for Sunday's game, partying like it's 2007

Everything old is new again, as "Joseph To Start For Riders" (a headline that was last valid in 2007) has made a comeback.  Yes, the Saskatchewan Roughriders have elected to name 41-year-old quarterback Kerry Joseph (who they just signed out of retirement last week) as their starter for Sunday's game against the Edmonton Eskimos (who, oddly enough, Joseph spent the last three seasons with). Why did the Roughriders elect to go this way?

Well, for one thing, Saskatchewan didn't have a lot of other great options. Darian Durant is still recovering from the torn tendon in his trowing elbow, and young quarterbacks Tino Sunseri and Seth Doege have been ineffective. The Riders' passing offence did next to nothing in a 40-9 loss to Montreal last week where both played, and both struggled before that as well. Thus, the decision to make a change has some merit. However, there are real questions about if Joseph will really be a step up.

Joseph's age alone is problematic, as are his recent statistics. He only had 34 passing attempts in 2013 with Edmonton, but completed just 18 of them (52.9 per cent) for 247 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions, and he was involved in several bungled plays. Moreover, he may be rusty; he officially retired earlier this year and was getting into coaching, even serving as a training camp intern with the NFL's New Orleans Saints. Even beyond that, installing a playbook and familiarizing a quarterback with his receivers is typically a long process, and one that begins in training camp. Expecting a quarterback to start just over a week after signing him is incredibly unusual, and it puts Joseph in a tough spot.

What is promising is that Joseph at least has solid CFL experience. Learning the nuances of the Canadian game can be a long and complicated process, and not something everyone can pull off, as shown by all the former NCAA stars who didn't find much success in Canada. (Former Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith, released Thursday by the Montreal Alouettes, is just the latest in a long line there.) Joseph has proven to be a very effective quarterback at times in this league, even leading the Roughriders to the 2007 Grey Cup and winning the league's Most Outstanding Player award that year. (He was traded that offseason, though, and went on to struggle in Toronto, so it's not like it's been all highs for him.)

If Joseph can recapture the form he found in Saskatchewan, or perhaps even what he showed in Edmonton in 2011 and 2012, this move might possibly work out. Playing against the Eskimos' ferocious pass defence would be a tough task for either of the young quarterbacks, and at least Joseph has some familiarity with Edmonton's personnel (although not their defensive scheme, as that's changed substantially under new head coach Chris Jones). At least he has an idea of how to run an offence in this league. Relying on a 41-year-old you just signed out of retirement a week ago seems like a pretty desperate gamble, though. We'll see if it pays off for the Roughriders Sunday.