Saskatchewan Roughriders slotback Andy Fantuz has inked a deal with the Chicago Bears of the NFL, according to CFL news.

“It’s really exciting for me,” Fantuz said at the Bears’ practice facility. “It’s a whole new avenue for my career. I’m excited to make that step and get the opportunity to try out for the Bears.

“I’m particularly excited about this organization because of all the people I’ve met and all the history behind it and the fan base. It’s something I’m really looking forward to.”
If Fantus sticks with the Bears, it could have an impact on the betting odds for the Roughriders to win the Grey Cup next season.

This isn’t the first time Fantuz, 27, has looked at NFL options. Last season, he explored possibilities south of the border before signing a new deal with the Roughriders.
This year, however, he was entering his option year and had until Feb. 16 to sign with an NFL club.

The six-foot-four, 220-pound Fantuz enjoyed a standout 2010 season with Saskatchewan. The native of Chatham, Ont., was the CFL’s leading receiver with 87 catches for 1,380 yards and six touchdowns.

He helped Saskatchewan make it to last year’s Grey Cup game in Edmonton, where the Roughriders were beaten 21-18 by the Montreal Alouettes.

The CFL was divided into the Western and Eastern Football Conferences. While the Eastern Conference had 4 teams, the Western Conference featured 5 teams. There were 16 games played by the teams in the Western Conference and 14 games played by each team in the Eastern Conference.

The Western Conference was completely the more dominant. The Calgary Stampeders led the way with a 12-4 record on the season. The Stampeders scored 382 points on the season and allowed just 219 points. The Saskatchewan Roughriders were still managed to match the Stampeders in terms of wins and losses and finished with a record of 12-4. The last team to make the playoffs would be the Edmonton Eskimos and had a solid 9-6-1 record on the season. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the BC Lions finished with records of 4-12 and 3-12-1. The Blue Bombers allowed a league high 414 points on the season.

The Tiger-Cats was leading the Eastern Football Conference, they defeated the Ottawa Rough Riders, finished with a 10-4 record on the season. The Ottawa Rough Riders finished win a record of 9-4-1. The Tiger-Cats featured a stellar defense that allowed just 195 points. Meanwhile, the Rough Riders would outscore their opponents, putting up 337 points in just 14 games. The Toronto Argonauts managed to make the playoffs despite winning just 5 games on the season. Their final record for the season was 5-8-1.

Posting a record of 2-12 on the season the Montreal Alouettes finished last in the Conference. They were only able to score 166 points on the season which was by far the worst total in the league.

The playoffs featured two teams, the teams from Hamilton and Saskatchewan. When they faced off in the Grey Cup Championship the scales were definitely tipped in favor of the Tiger-Cats. The Tiger-Cats managed to take the game by 24-1 and this made the Hamilton Tiger-Cats the 1967 Grey-Cup Champions.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders are on the opposite end of the spectrum. They enter the playoffs with a winning record at 10-8 but they have lost four of their last five games. Saskatchewan won the last game of the season or they would have entered the playoffs with a five game losing streak.

Darian Durant of the Saskatchewan Roughriders was the leading passer in the CFL this year, passing for 5,542 yards but that does not tell the entire story. Durant has struggled with accuracy and grace under pressure. He has thrown 25 passes for touchdowns but he has also been intercepted 22 times over the course of the season.

On the other side of the field, Travis Lulay had his best game of the season against Hamilton with a 424 yard and two touchdown performance to close out the season. Lulay has been progressing all season long but his accuracy is not much better than Durant. Lulay has nine touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

Defensively the Saskatchewan Roughriders have the edge over the Lions and this game could come down to big takeaway to end the game. If there is a key interception at the end look for James Patrick to be the man to make the steal.

On the other side of the field will be the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Saskatchewan has broken from the gate with two hard fought wins to start their CFL season. Saskatchewan avenged their Grey Cup loss of 2009, with an exciting overtime victory over the CFL champion, Montreal Alouettes, 54-51, in a barn burning start to the 2010 CFL season. Then Saskatchewan dispatched of the BC Lions in week two in a fairly easy 37-18 victory.

This game will not be an easy win for Saskatchewan as both teams take this home and home series seriously. Saskatchewan’s Darian Durant is coming off a performance against the BC Lions worthy of capturing the CFL Offensive Player of the Week last week. Durant and Edmonton’s QB Ricky Ray will be focal points of this week’s grudge match. The edge in the QB department for this game will have to go to the hot hand, Darian Durant.

The breakdown for this game is simple. If the Edmonton Eskimos offense is anything like their first two games, Saskatchewan won’t break a sweat on their way to their third win. Edmonton’s only hope is to try to emulate Montreal’s attack on Saskatchewan’s defense in their game. One problem facing Edmonton. They do not have the talent of Montreal. Saskatchewan should win this game by two touchdowns.