SirVincent Rogers' mom Alfreida wanted to make sure her son got instant respect.

Named after his dad Vincent, he got a bit of an added twist at birth, with a Sir tacked on in front.

So now he's SirVincent or SirV, but he's not Vincent. And when you hear the full story, it's hard not to have respect for SirV and for his mom, who, for the most part, raised him and his brother. Alfreida developed a form of diabetes that led to a leg being amputated and her being on dialysis for seven years. She died in 2011. It's her tenaciousness, her will to fight that still helps drive the 6-foot-4, 319-lb. Rogers, who recently signed as a free agent with the RedBlacks.

"I'm working hard to live up to the name," said the 28-year-old Rogers, who will line up at left tackle for the RedBlacks. "She fought really hard. You couldn't keep her down. That's part of my motivation, knowing she never gave up. After losing her, it was a tough time. It led me to lean on my faith a lot more. I developed a closer relationship with God and things started working for me."

Rogers played for the Arizona Rattlers of the Arena Football League, not only protecting the quarterback as an offensive lineman, but catching five passes for 129 yards and two touchdowns as a tight end.

"I had been out of football for a couple of years, I wanted to see if my love for the game was still there," he said. "I really regained that passion. I had never touched the ball. I'd never played a skill position. I told my teammates, 'When they throw me that ball, I'm going to score.'"

Sure enough, he scored touchdowns in consecutive weeks, one for 45 yards, the other for 30.

The big Texan then played for the Toronto Argos for two seasons, protecting QB Ricky Ray's blind side.

"They offered to extend me a couple of times," said Rogers. "We just wanted to get a better (dollar) number. I didn't really want to leave. I took a gamble going to free agency, it could have gone either way. Ottawa made a bold statement."

Going into free agency, Ottawa was impressed with Rogers' athleticism and his attitude.

"I just go out, work, and put my head down from Day 1," he said. " I just go out there and grind really hard."

CATCH THE CASH

The RedBlacks identified receiver as a position of need and attacked that need early on in free agency. First, trading for Maurice Price, then signing Greg Ellingson, Brad Sinopoli and Ernest Jackson was costly, yet an effective way to get a lot better at the position. A source says Ellingson will be paid $150,000 in 2014, then $165,000 in 2015.

IT PAYS TO BE CANADIAN

It's likely the RedBlacks would have made a hefty offer if Argos offensive lineman Tyler Holmes had hit the free-agent market. The kid's got local roots -- his mom Wendy and dad Richard live here. And his dad was a CFL running back, playing for the Rough Riders. But Holmes signed a deal to stay with the Argos just before free agency began. Word is the Argos gave him $225,000 this season to stay.

FEELING THE DRAFT

GM Marcel Desjardins, who dealt away last year's first overall pick in the CFL Draft (Pierre Lavertu) to the Calgary Stampeders for centre Jon Gott, says it's highly unlikely he'll deal this year's top pick in a draft that's very deep thanks largely to a rule a year ago that redshirted Canadian NCAA players wouldn't be eligible before their senior year. "It's a much better draft," said Desjardsins. "There are some very good CIS players as well. We felt last year, what we were able to get in Jon Gott for what we would have drafted, we felt the value of the trade was that much better. This year, it would take something pretty special to even consider it. And it would have to be a long-term solution, not just something that would help us in 2015."

THE END AROUND

Tyler Varga, Brandon Bridge, Brett Boyko and Christian Covington are among the CFL prospects getting a shot at the NFL's main combine ... Kevin Glenn, whom the RedBlacks took in the expansion draft then traded to B.C. for a draft pick used to select Antoine Pruneau, has signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

DRAFT PEEK

Here's a look at the latest Top 10 rankings by the CFL Scouting Bureau. Two of the players -- Alex Mateas (Ottawa) and Danny Groulx (Gatineau) -- have local connections.

1. Brett Boyko, OL, UNLV

2. Alex Mateas, OL, UConn

3. Daryl Waud, DL, Western

4. Tyler Varga, RB, Yale

5. Nic Demski, SB, Manitoba

6. Sean McEwen, OL, Calgary

McEwen, who shifted from guard to centre during his college career with his hometown Calgary Dinos, is strong academically as well. At 6-foot-3, 297 lbs., he's hoping to convince CFL types at the CFL Combine that he can be an impact player. "I think ultimately if you can't perform under pressure, you can't perform period, especially at the CFL level," the two-time All-Canadian told TSN.ca. "There's pressure to perform on every single play against a guy who's bigger, faster, and stronger than anyone you've gone against. I really want to show them that I can deliver when the time comes."

7. Sukh Chung, OL, Calgary

8. Danny Groulx, OL, Laval

9. Addison Richards, WR, Regina

10. Jacob Ruby, OL, Richmond

THE SCHEDULE

March 23-26: CFL Regional Combines in Edmonton, Montreal and Toronto

March 27-29: CFL Combine in Toronto

May 5-9: East-West Game at McGill in Montreal

May 12: (unconfirmed) CFL Draft

May 27: Rookie Camp

May 31: Main Training Camp

June 8: RedBlacks at Ticats

June 13: Als vs. RedBlacks (at Laval)

June 25: RedBlacks at Als (first regular-season game)

July 4: Lions at RedBlacks (first home game)

Twitter; @timcbaines