All eyes on Vince Young as Riders hold Florida mini-camp

For the Saskatchewan Roughriders, the long road back to respectability begins in Florida, where theyare back at Dodgertown in Vero Beach, Fla. for their annual spring mini-camp.

Thehope isat least someof the few dozen players in attendance impress the Riders'brassenough to warrant an invitation to the main camp in Saskatoon in June.

Veterans, excluding quarterbacks, are not allowed to participate in mini-camps, so the majority of the players in attendance are getting their first taste of the CFL.

The Riders, however, have their entire stable of quarterbacks in Florida including Kevin Glenn.

Glenn, who is back with Saskatchewan for the third time in his career, is expected to be the starter when the Riders head into the regular season.

On day one in Florida, the 37-year-old Glenn didn't disappoint.

"It's like a walk in the park for him," said head coach Chris Jones, who went after the veteran pivot shortly after shipping Darian Durant off to Montreal.

"He's real calm, he was number one in completion percentage (Tuesday) with over 80percent," Jones continued.

"For someone who has only been here for about ten hours, he certainly looks comfortable."

But all the attention, whether it be on the field or from the media on the sidelines, is fixed on another quarterback who is trying to complete a comeback of his own.

Vince Young hasn't played a professional football game since he was cut by the Tennessee Titans in 2011.

At the age of 33, Young is hoping to jump start a career which so far includes two Pro Bowl appearances in the NFL and a Rose Bowl MVP trophy.

"I'll let everyone else make their own opinion on things like that.Me, I know that I have opportunities to play some football which I'm happy about," said Young after his first mini-camp session as a Roughrider.

"Coach Jones gave me an opportunity to play football so he's giving me a chance, the only thing I have to do is come in here and work."

Young is under no illusion his name alone will grant him an invitation to training camp, although it does carry some star power in the eyes of the rest of the CFL rookies he's sharing the field with in Vero Beach.

"Guys were giving me a lot of respect and the (defensive backs) were talking noise, 'we're going to pick you off, V.Y.,'" he said.

"So we're having a good time, I love that and I did miss that," Young concluded, before heading off to watch his first-session video, whichhighlights areas where he excels and areas he can improve.

Jones says Young's biggest challenge will be adjusting to the speed of the CFL and absorbing the Riders playbookbut overall the coach was pleased with Young's first day showing.

The other quarterbacks in camp are Brandon Bridge, Bryan Bennett and newcomer Jake Heaps.

G.J. Kinne is not participating at the Riders mini-camp in Florida and it doesn't sound like he will back with the team in 2017.