“Friday Night Football” – East Division Preview

I’m soooooo excited.  Why?  Because it’s…

‎Why yes it is – and it’s about time!

After what felt like an interminably looooooooooong off season, CFL training camps are underway. And that means three four things:

1. The hockey season is almost done.

2. Summer is (supposedly) here.

3. Your email inbox will be filled with CFL-centric missives for the next 6 months.

4. I will spend an inordinate amount of time writing said CFL-centric missives and finding appropriate pictures to send with them.

‎Montreal Alouettes

Your inability to win the Grey Cup last year indicates otherwise.

I was hoping Les Alouettes would fail soooooo hard last year. And it looked so promising at first as Anthony Calvillo finally retired, Tom Higgins (aka ‘Flanders’) took over as coach and ‎the team got off to a 1-7 start. Alas, they managed to climb out of the basement and walk all over the hapless Lions in the East Semi-Final before ultimately losing in the East Final.

Jonathan ‘Goldilocks’ Crompton will begin his first full season ‎as starting QB. The Als’ receiving core was revamped with the loss of Duron Carter to the NFL and the acquisitions of Fred Stamps and Nik Lewis. And when I say revamped, I don’t necessarily mean revamped for the better, as both Stamps and Lewis are likely past their best before dates.

Last year the Als survived in large part due to their solid linebacking core. Chip (Cheap Shot) Cox and Kyries Hebert return, and with the emergence of Bear Woods (real name – Jonathan – so much less scary) last year, the linebacking core will likely remain the Alouettes’ strength.

The key for the Alouettes will be keeping their focus on football, as the signings of Michael Sam – the CFL’s first openly gay football player – and Khalif Mitchell – whose Holocaust-denying Twitter rants got him in trouble this off-season (and who knows what else he may come up with during the year) may provide Flanders, er Tom Higgins, with more off-field challenges than on-field ones.

Prediction: 2nd in the East

Toronto Argonauts

A picture of all of the Arblows’ players.  Who thought that this was a good idea??

After missing the playoffs last season due to the crossover (HA!), the Arblows appear to have entered a rebuilding year – just like MLSE’s other franchise (there will be oh so many Leafs jokes this year).

The key for the Arblows, as usual, will be the health of Ricky Ray. After missing only one game during the 2014 season, Ray underwent off-season surgery to repair a tear in his throwing shoulder. He is expected to start the season on the six-game injured list, which means the Boatmen will likely begin the year with Trevor Harris (who?) at QB.

The rest of the Argos’ ‎roster contains few recognizable names. Ricky Foley returns after being traded back to the Double Blue by the Riders. Chad Owens and Andre Durie (if he can stay healthy) are now the only receivers that will strike any type of fear (albeit rather limited) in the hearts of opposing defences. And Brandon Isaac and James Yurichuk are two of only a handful of veterans in the Argos’ backfield.  The Arblows will need to rely on their defence early in the year while their offence gets on track, but given the lack of experience on the defensive side of the ball, this will be more than a little problematic.

Prediction: 4th in the East

Hamilton Tiger-Cats

This moment was so awesome.

Grey Cup 2014 was a tough game for this sports scribe. While I wanted the Stumps to lose, it was more than enjoyable to watch the Kitty Cats lose their second Grey Cup in a row – and in rather spectacular fashion.

Suck it, Kent!

Early in the year, the Ti-Cats looked nothing like the team that earned a Grey Cup berth in 2013. This gives us the opportunity to revisit my favourite picture from the 2014 season (although we’re mostly revisiting it because this is my column):

Sad Sack Zach.  CLASSIC.

Zach ‘Sad Sack’ Collaros enters his second season ‎as the Cats’ starting QB. All of his receivers return, including Andy Fantuz, Luke Tasker and Bakari Grant, along with CJ Gable and Nic Grigsby in the backfield. And then there’s near-Grey Cup hero Brandon Banks.

The Ti-Cats’ defensive line is once again anchored by Justin Hickman, the affable Simoni Lawrence (whose web series where he plays board/card games with various CFL players is kind of entertaining) leads the linebacking core and a relatively young backfield is led by veteran ‎Brandon Stewart.

With few changes, the Kitty Cats are looking to start the season strong and get back to the Grey Cup. And given their competition in the East Division, it’s quite probable that they’ll succeed. BOO. 

Prediction: 1st in the East

Ottawa REDBLACKS

This really should say “The Ottawa REDBLACKS: In Training Camp since June 2014”

                    

In 2014, the Ottawa REDBLACKS played football just like Rod Black calls football games: blissfully unaware that they had no idea what they were doing.

And that is why they will hereintofore and forevermore be referred to as the RODBLACKS.

The RODBLACKS’ biggest‎ problem in Year 1 of a projected 5 year franchise life (their season ticket base diminished by 20% this off-season) was that their receivers couldn’t catch.

Thi‎s is a problem in a game where you essentially only have two tries to move a ball ten yards.

So what did the RODBLACKS do? They spent all of the money they didn’t spend on Weston Dressler (AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!) on free agents, spending freely and at whim, just like our Ottawa-based senators. But unlike the Canadian taxpayer, the RODBLACKS might actually get some bang for their buck as they acquired Maurie Price and Chris Williams. Signing Williams is particularly interesting given his all-star play before he became a divo (the male form of diva), sat out the 2013 season due to a contract dispute (see 2013 ONSC 5483 – for real) and went to the NFL for one fruitless season.

But a few receivers won’t solve all of the RODBLACKS’ problems. They still need an o-line, a d-line, linebackers and a secondary. In other words, there are still a few holes to fill.

Luckily for the RODBLACKS, though, Ricky Ray is hurt and Henry Booris can at least throw a football – and sometimes even to the right team.

Prediction: 3rd in the East

That’s it for my East Division preview.  The West Division preview is next!

“Turn the Lights On”

It’s one of my FAVOURITE times of year, y’all – it’s CFL playoff time!

Let’s take a look at this week’s match-ups..

Do I care a lot about this game?  Um, no.

Does anybody?

Anyway, I think Montreal wins this game by at least two TDs for the reasons set out below.

BC has confused me all year long.  While everyone knew the Lions would begin the season without starting QB Travis Lulaylemon (i.e. Travis Lulay), most thought Kevin Glenn would be a capable game manager who would simply step into the Lions’ system and hold down the fort, so to speak, until Lulaylemon returned.

Yeah, that didn’t happen.

Instead, BC struggled all year to find any sort of consistency, especially on offence.  Defensively, the Lions held their own; they’re in the top three in most defensive categories.  While defense wins championships, the Lions need to score early and often in order to disrupt Montreal’s home field advantage.

Montreal is an interesting case study.  The Als looked fugly earlier this season, and I enjoyed it immensely.  But somehow they managed to find a QB, Jonathan Crompton (whose flowing locks are no doubt the envy of many men – and women) and they started putting some wins together.  It seems the Als took a few lessons from the Lions, who notoriously started the 2011 season 1-6 but ended up winning 10 of their next 11 en route to winning the 2011 Grey Cup.  But the Alouettes are not nearly as good as the 2011 Lions, and really, Montreal played quite a few games against its weak Eastern Division siblings that likely helped pad their record.

So why do I think Montreal will win on Sunday?  Easy: history, time difference, BC’s poor showing against Calgary to end the season and Kevin Glenn’s ineptitude in big games.  History because Western teams historically struggle in crossover playoff games.  Time difference because the game starts at 1:00 pm in Montreal, which is 10 am Vancouver time.  BC laid a proverbial egg against Calgary in its final game of the season in a game that had huge playoff implications, which doesn’t give the Lions a lot of confidence heading into the playoffs.  And finally, Kevin Glenn does not have a good playoff reputation.  Add in the fact that Montreal is playing at home, and I think it adds up to a solid win for Montreal.

But enough about this game.  Let’s turn to the game that REALLY matters…

Dear CFL.ca: PLEASE quit overselling these playoff match-ups.  You should still be embarrassed by dubbing last year’s Grey Cup QB match-up as the best ever.

Anyway, it’s been awhile since the Riders had to go into the Evil Empire’s territory in the playoffs.  Again, I immensely enjoyed how much Edmonton sucked over the past couple of years.  Sadly that time has come to an end.

I must admit that this week my mind has floated back to the 1989 Western Final between the Riders and Eskimos when the heavily-favoured Esks were beaten by the Riders in an outcome that conjured up comparisons of David versus Goliath.  While this Eskimos team is solid, it’s not even close to being on par with the 1989 juggernaut.

The CFL rumor mill has been working overtime regarding Eskimos QB Mike Reilly (sadly I have no mocking nickname for him – yet). Rumor has it that he has a broken bone in his foot.  The Esks’ announced that Matt Nichols will be starting in Reilly’s place. The Eskimos’ nickname for Matt Nichols?  Matty Ice.  Really?  ROFL.

Some Riders’ fans are salivating at the prospect of Matty Ice (?!?!) starting on Sunday.  Sure he threw a few interceptions in a nothing game for the Esks last week.  But now is NOT the time to be underestimating the Eskimos – especially when the Eskimos’ defence was the league’s top defence and the Riders’ offence was MIA for most of the year.

This brings us to the Riders.  Yes, the Riders went on a seven game winning streak early in the season, but when I look back on the 2014 season, I mostly think about the Riders’ inability to score points against the freaking basement-dwelling REDBLACKS. My concerns are not alleviated by the fact that the Riders also have serious issues at QB.  I suspect that while Kerry Joseph will get the start, my future husband or husband in an alternate universe, Darian Durant, will be second on the depth chart.  Given Joseph’s struggles against the Esks’ defensive line last week, I hope and pray that Riders’ offensive co-ordinator George Cortez has been playing possum for the last couple of weeks and brings out the Riders’ actual playbook for the playoffs.

Defensively, the Riders HAVE to stop the run.  The cold weather, plus having a second-string QB starting will likely force Edmonton to run the ball more.  The Riders have to find a way to plug the middle and keep the Esks from picking up 5 or 6 yards on first down. The Riders also have to make sure Eskimos’ MOP Adarius Bowman doesn’t get behind coverage, and the same goes for Fred Stamps.

On special teams, the Riders need their cover teams to be solid.  Any special teams disasters by the Riders’ special teams will significantly affect Riders’ morale and momentum, not to mention my heart rate and sanity.

If Mike Reilly was starting, I’d say the Riders’ chances of winning this game were at about 10%.  Mike Reilly is to the Eskimos like Darian Durant is to the Riders: he’s their leader.  With Mike Reilly out, the Riders’ chances significantly improve.  While my head is telling me the Eskimos win in a close game, my heart says the Riders will somehow eke this one out.

“Pain Killer”

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

I sat down a few nights ago to try and put down some thoughts about the Riders/Eskimos game, but I couldn’t really figure out what to say.

Now I do.

See, the Riders/Eskimos and Riders/Stampeders games had a lot in common.  The biggest commonality?  Collapses by the defence in the second half.  

Against the Eskimos, the Riders led going into the second half.  Against the Stampeders, the Riders led going into the fourth quarter.

And then it was as if the Eskimos and Stampeders started actually trying and the Riders couldn’t stop their momentum.  The result?  Two more losses.

On the bright side, the Riders’ offence looked much less anemic.  Yet the special teams continue to leave yards on the field and the Riders can’t seem to play a solid 60 minutes.

The Riders are now off until November 8, when they play their last game of the season at home against the Eskimos.  They need the time left to fix what isn’t working and stop the free fall before heading into the playoffs.

Now for Things That Worked and Things That Didn’t…

Things That Worked

1. 1st half running game – Keith Tosten made his season debut and didn’t look out of place.  Too bad the Riders didn’t bother using him in the second half.
2. Chris Getzlaf – Seems it took until Week 18 for Getzy to hit his stride.  He scored his first TD of the season (!) and had 100+ yards.
3. Brian Peters – Another monster game from the kid who keeps getting better and better each game out.  Add another 10 tackles to his season tally.
4. Ricky Foley – Hit 50 career sacks.
5. Kerry Joseph in Quarters 1 to 3 – 300+ passing years, more than ANY Rider QB (including Darian) has thrown all year.

Things That Didn’t Work

1. 4th Quarter defence – Yuck.  When your offence scores 27 points, you should win.  The Stamps drove the ball down the field at will in the 4th quarter.
2. 4th Quarter Kerry Joseph – Three picks.  Need I say more?
3. Second half offence – Why go away from the running game when it was working?

Mis-plays of the Game:

I think most of the 4th quarter would qualify.

OFFENSIVE STAR

#89- Chris Getzlaf, Slotback

First 100 yard game of the year, and first TD of the year.  The Riders need a healthy and productive Getz for the playoffs.  Hopefully his performance against the Stamps is a catalyst for him and the rest of the receivers down the stretch.

DEFENSIVE STAR

#97 – John Chick, Defensive End

Got back in the sack column and had a couple of great tackles and hurries.

SPECIAL TEAMS STAR

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who has the worst special teams of them all?

The Riders, you say?  I wish I could say I was surprised…

NEXT GAME: vs. EDMONTON:  The Riders have a well-deserved break and a chance to really prepare for the last game of the season.  Edmonton likely won’t play many starters in order to rest up for the playoffs.  I expect the Riders to play most of their starters so that they can try and end the losing streak and build some momentum going into the playoffs the following week.  If the team doesn’t come out hungry and determined on November 8, I predict a very early playoff exit.

“Tumble and Fall”

Photograph by: Graham Hughes, The Canadian Press, The Leader-Post

I don’t understand.

How can a team that nearly came back to beat the league-leading Calgary Stampeders last week turn around and be so lackadaisical against an inferior team?

COME ON, GUYS.

*Sigh*  I’ve said it once, and I’ll keep saying it: the offensive game plan is not helping these young QBs out at all.  The plan is to basically keep the young’uns from using any of their supposed talent (and I say supposed because when all you do is hand the ball off, it’s hard to tell whether or not you have any throwing capacity).  I don’t understand it.  LET THE BOYS PLAY, COACH.  Given the beat downs this team has taken over the past couple of weeks (with the Calgary game being the very odd exception), why not let the young’uns off the proverbial leash and see what they can do?

Because, really, COULD IT BE ANY WORSE??

We’re already losing.  And by a lot.  The worst thing that happens is that we continue to lose.  On the positive side, there is the possibility that we might a) win; and b) find a good young QB that we actually want to continue to employ.  This whole “can’t let the young’uns loose because they might lose us the game” mentality is ridiculous seeing how badly we lost against the Alouettes yesterday.

I want Kerry Joseph to start on Sunday.  If the team isn’t going to put enough faith in its young’uns to let them throw the ball, then they’d better put in the veteran and let him loose.

Now for Things That Worked and Things That Didn’t…

Things That Worked

1. 1st quarter – That opening drive looked pretty slick, didn’t it?  Hope you enjoyed it – that might be the best drive we see for awhile.

Things That Didn’t Work

1. Offence after the 1st quarter – The fumble took the momentum and that was it.  If this team wants to make any noise in the playoffs, it’s got to be a little bit tougher on the mental side of things.
2. Defence – I don’t usually call out our defence, especially over the last few weeks given how much they’ve been on the field, but they had multiple opportunities to try and quell the Alouettes momentum and they couldn’t do it.  There were at least two sure interceptions that went through defender’s hands.

Mis-plays of the Game:

There were far too many this week to list.

OFFENSIVE STAR

#26- Anthony Allen, Running Back

He had a rather brilliant first quarter.  But after that, everyone knew he was getting the ball 90% of the time, which stifled any further production.

DEFENSIVE STAR

No one

When you get lit up for 40 points, no one gets a star.

SPECIAL TEAMS STAR

#38 – Tristan Jackson, Defensive Back

He got a lot of practice on kick returns on Monday.  He gets a star just for surviving.

NEXT WEEK: vs. EDMONTON:  The Riders got shut out just three weeks ago by the pesky Esks.  Since Edmonton hammered Winnipeg 41-9 and the Riders’ offence against Montreal looked far worse than Winnipeg’s offence was this week, I imagine the Eskimos are going to win this one by a lot.  Definitely bet on Edmonton to cover the spread this week.

“Old Sh!t”

                                                  He’s baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!

The post title really isn’t meant to offend Kerry Joseph.  Honestly.  I just happened to be listening to Miranda Lambert’s latest (finally), and the title of one the album’s songs seemed rather apt.

And, well, Kerry Joseph is kind of old.

Especially for a quarterback.

Some have been clamouring for this move for awhile.

Yeah, I’m looking at you, Belton Johnson.

I’m not necessarily opposed to this move, but it just seems so…unimaginative.  So logical.  Sensical (that really should be a word).  The Riders get a veteran quarterback with championship experience without having to give up draft picks and/or key players (suck it, REDBLACKS).

I’d say that there are two schools of thought in Riderville right now.  The first is that there’s no sense in throwing away an entire season just because the quarterback is hurt.  These people realize that the Riders have a pretty solid defence that can somewhat counterbalance an underperforming offence.  So why not get a veteran QB that can step in and manage the game.  The second is that we should stick without young QBs and work on figuring out what we have because Darian Durant is: a) going to get hurt again at some point; and b) is eventually going to have to retire.  Obviously these people look at the Montreal Alouettes’ woes this season as a cautionary tale.

Kerry Joseph was the only option for the Riders, outside of trading for Henry Burris (wouldn’t you like to know exactly what the Riders offered for Smilin’ Hank?)  And it’s not a bad option.  The team’s offence is clearly struggling, and having someone around that knows the pressure of playing at Taylor Field who can step into the locker room and be a leader without making waves is probably a good thing.

But why am I having to work so hard to convince myself that this is a good move?

I should really look on the bright side.  The last time the Riders went looking for veteran QB help, they ended up with Michael Bishop.

That didn’t end well.

So I guess what I’m saying is that at least the Riders didn’t bring in Ryan Dinwiddie, Reggie Slack, Nealon Greene, Marvin Graves, Warren Jones, Steve Sarkisian or Rocky Butler (ahough Rocky Butler did win that one Labour Day game…)

I guess we should consider ourselves fortunate then, right?

“Almost”

For a good 3 and 2/3 quarters, I was quite sure that my birthday would become infamous.

See, last week, the Riders’ offence was so bad that it couldn’t manage to score one point. It was the first time the Riders had been shut out since 1986.

With about five minutes to go in the third quarter on Friday night, it seemed that October 3, 2014 would be remembered as the day the Riders went a second straight game without putting one point on the scoreboard.

But then the futility ended and the comeback began in earnest.

Down 24-0, the Riders quickly scored two touchdowns and made two point converts for each major. Dan DePalma’s 66 yard catch and run TD ended the nearly 90 minute point drought, and then it was GAME ON.

Some say the Stamps’ defence let up. Regardless, the Riders’ offence finally took advantage of what it was given. Unfortunately, though, it was all for not.

You have to wonder if the Riders could’ve won if they’d gone for the first down on 3rd and 1 late in the fourth quarter. If I was Coach Chamblin, I would’ve gone for it (well, I would’ve first challenged the spot). Your team’s offence has finally been finding ways to consistently move the ball, so let them try and win it instead of putting them in a position where they’re trying not to lose.

So much of sport performance is based on mental intangibles like confidence and perseverance. The Riders seemed to have finally regained a bit of that mental toughness and Coach Chamblin stopped that momentum by taking his offence off the field. Yes, the defence should’ve shut down the Stamps on the ensuing drive – but I’d argue that at that crucial point in the game, the whole team could’ve benefited from a show of faith and commitment from its head coach.

Instead, the comeback stalled and the game was lost.

Now for Things That Worked and Things That Didn’t…

Things That Worked

1. Scoring – Ending the point-less drought was the really the only goal I really had for the Riders, which is so ridiculous.
2. Defence – Except for that last drive, the defence was quite good. It kept the Riders in the game and looked much better against the run.

Things That Didn’t Work

1. Seth Doege – I kind of felt bad for him. It looked like Dressler maybe slowed up a bit on that first interception, and there was obviously some miscommunication on the second. He actually managed to get some first downs in the first quarter and was at least trying to stretch the field, which is more than I can say for Tino Sunseri last week.
2. Kickoffs/punting – Wow. Our cover teams have no chance right now. The inability to kick deep and the lack of any hang time is killing us in terms of field position.
3. Challenges – Coach, you’ve gotta challenge that spot in the 4th quarter.

Mis-plays of the Game:

Besides the entire offensive performance for the first 3 and 2/3 quarters, the illegal substitution call that gave the Stamps a first down and led to the winning touchdown. And, of course, not going for it on third down late in the fourth quarter.

OFFENSIVE STAR

#82 – Dan DePalma, Wide Receiver

The man that ended the scoring drought.  Enough said.

DEFENSIVE STAR

Everyone

The defence managed to limit the Stamps to 9 points in the first half when the score likely should have been something like 28-0.  The Stamps played on a short field for most of the first half, making the defence’s performance that much more impressive.

SPECIAL TEAMS STAR

No one

Our special teams suck.

NEXT WEEK: at MONTREAL:  The Riders never play well in Montreal; I don’t know what it is about Molson Stadium, but it seems to be surrounded by some sort of vortex that causes the Riders to play rather badly.  In that way it’s a lot like Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton.  Anyway, if the Riders can manage to beat the Als, they’ll have a very good shot at staying in the West for the playoffs rather than having to crossover and try to make it to the Grey Cup through the East Division.  Edmonton, BC and Winnipeg all lost this week; the Riders need to take advantage.

“Baggage Claim”

Photo: Liam Richards, The Canadian Press

Darian Durant looked in control on Friday night.

Even when the Riders weren’t scoring touchdowns and settling for field goals, the Riders were successfully moving the ball and keeping their defence off the field.

In the first half, it looked like it was going to be a long day for the defence.  The Stampeders’ receivers were catching everything, Calgary QB Drew Tate was pretty much untouched and even though they weren’t running the ball well, they were often in second and short situations.

Then came the third quarter.

I don’t know what happened, but everything changed in the third quarter.  The Riders’ offence dominated, Calgary took a couple of stupid penalties, and the wheels fell off for the Stamps.  Time of possession in the second half: Saskatchewan 21:57, Calgary 8:03.

I’m still somewhat confused as to why the Stamps didn’t run Jon Cornish more.  He ran for 170+ yards the previous week; why go away from what’s working?

But that’s not our problem, is it?

Nope.  Right now, things seem to be firing on all cylinders for the Riders.  They’re 2-0, leading the CFL and already have two wins against Western Division opponents in the bag.

It’s a nice position to be in.

Now for Things That Worked and Things That Didn’t…

Things That Worked

1. The running game – 133 yards for Korey Sheets this week.  Another personal best.  Add in a ridiculous effort to get the go-ahead TD in the third quarter, and it was another monster effort by the Riders’ number one running back.
2. The passing game – Darian Durant continues to impress.  26/34 for 258 yards and 2 TD and 0 INTERCEPTIONS.  He looks great right now.
3. NO TURNOVERS.  This is a recording…
4. Offensive play calling – It’s so imaginative.  The great sets to help rookie OT Ben Heenan, the play action, the roll outs – it’s like we have an offensive coordinator who actually knows what he’s doing.  All hail George Cortez!
5. Return game – Jock Sanders looked a lot more comfortable this week.  He’s going to break out and scored a TD pretty soon, I imagine.
6. Ricky Schmitt – He punted the crap out of the football.  When he pinned the Stamps deep in the second quarter by putting some backspin on the football, I just about cried.  It truly was that amazing.
7. Field goals – Chris Milo was 4/4.  Good job.

Things That Didn’t Work

1. Defensive line pressure – Still need to get more pressure from our front four, but given how good Calgary’s offensive line is, it was decent.
2. Penalties on returns – I am so sick and tired of hearing, “Illegal block/holding, Saskatchewan number ____” on returns.  Fix it.

Mis-play of the Game:

Apparently Rod Black and Glen Suitor don’t listen to the half-time show that carefully.  It was Chris Getzlaf they were talking about going against Jonathan Hefney.  Not Weston Dressler.

OFFENSIVE STAR

#7 – Weston Dressler, Slotback

From the beginning of the game, WD7 was the featured receiver.  He had a great catch-and-run TD to open up the scoring for the Riders, and he had the Stamps

DEFENSIVE STAR

#3 – Macho Harris, Defensive Back

He had a ridiculous interception taken away from him last week when Coach Chamblin couldn’t seem to get his challenge flag out of his back pocket, so the gift interception from Kevin Glenn at the end of the game was justice.  He had a great game, and made a couple of great knock downs on some long balls that helped keep the Stamps from trying to make a game of things in the second half.  Great effort.

SPECIAL TEAMS STAR

#2 – Jock Sanders, Returner/Running Back

Excellent effort all game.  A couple of times he looked like he was going to be down, but then he’d make something out of nothing.  Could be a special returner for the Riders.  Corey Holmes 2.0?

NEXT WEEK: @ TORONTO: It’s a short week for the Riders and a long flight.  I’m not sure what to think of Toronto quite yet.  Their defence doesn’t seem as dominating as it was last year, and their offence has been inconsistent.  Should be a good matchup, and for some reason I expect the Riders to beat the defending Grey Cup champs.

“Takin’ Care of Business”

Photo: The Canadian Press

I will be completely honest: I bet on the Eskimos this past weekend.  I was pretty sure they were going to beat the Riders, since the Riders pretty much suck when they play at Commonwealth Stadium.  How badly do they suck at Commonwealth:

• Coming into this game, the Riders hadn’t won at Commonwealth since 2009.

• Prior to Saturday, the Riders were 9-40 all-time at Commonwealth. 

Those statistics are gross.

So here’s another for you: the Riders hadn’t won a game on the road against a Western Division opponent since 2010.

Yuck.

But you can see that the deck against the Riders was a little bit stacked.  No wonder I didn’t have any faith…

But then the game started and the Riders kept putting up points, and Edmonton kept finding new ways to screw up.  The final score was rather flattering for the Eskimos, as two late touchdowns made things look a lot better than they did.

All in all, it was a solid start for the Riders.  The offense was clicking, for the most part, and the defence didn’t look too bad.

Now for Things That Worked and Things That Didn’t…

Things That Worked

1. Strong start – The Riders scored on their first two possessions to go up early and never looked back.
2. Korey Sheets – He looks to be building on a great rookie season.  Over 100 yards in the first game of the year against a very good Edmonton front seven.
3. Darian Durant – Looked a lot more at home in this offence than he has for some time.  And three TDs ain’t too shabby.
4. NO TURNOVERS.

Things That Didn’t Work

1. Second quarter offence – There was a bit of a lull, but
2. Return teams – Not a terribly impressive opening.  Jock Sanders looks tentative.
3. Challenges – Coach, you’ve gotta challenge those close calls!  The Riders hadn’t yet used a challenge in the game, so there was nothing to lose.

Mis-plays of the Game:

1. Mike Reilly, never throw the ball when you’re inside your own 10.  Even if you’re inept coaches tell you to.
2. Dwight Anderson – You’re on your last strike with a number of Rider fans, including this one.

OFFENSIVE STAR

#1 – Korey Sheets, Running Back

Monster game and a personal best.  17 carries for 131 yards and one TD.  Excellent start to the season.

DEFENSIVE STAR

 #74 – Keith Shologan, Defensive Tackle

He really benefitted from the double teams that Edmonton threw on his cohort, defensive end John Chick.  Sholo had three tackles and, more importantly, two sacks.  But he was causing trouble for Edmonton QB Mike Reilly all game.

SPECIAL TEAMS STAR

#17 – Ricky Schmitt

A 48.6 yard punt average makes Coach Chamblin’s decision to go with an import punter look a lot better.

NEXT WEEK: vs. CALGARY:  This is a true test for the Riders.  The Stamps have a much, much better offence, and their defensive line is just as good as Edmonton’s, if not better.  I pick the Stamps because they just seem to win regular season games at Mosaic Field and they looked dominant against BC last week, but you never know.

“Are You Ready for Some Football?” (part deux)

\Photo Credit: Michael Bell, Regina Leader-Post

I will admit that there are few things in life I enjoy more than watching Calgary’s Nik Lewis get smacked by a good, hard, clean hit.

Anyway, a few weeks ago, I started my season preview of the Saskatchewan Roughriders with a look at their offensive and defensive lines. Then came news that the Riders have lost right offensive tackle Patrick Neufeld for 6-8 weeks with a broken fibula. Ouch. It makes the ratio situation a little more precarious for the Riders.

Anyway, I said I’d review special teams what I think is two weeks ago now.

Oops.

The good news is that I attended this past week’s pre-season game against the Calgary Stampeders. The bad news is that the Riders looked a little rusty, and the offence was downright offensive.

Today I’m going to preview the rest of the team, with some observations based on last week’s game.

Special Teams

The biggest news in this department is that the Riders lost their special teams coach, Craig Dickenson, to the freaking Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Yeah.

So now Bob Dyce, the Riders’ former offensive coordinator, has moved into that role.

I’m not sure I’m happy with this.

Regardless, the Riders’ special teams need some improvement.

And based in last week’s game, that improvement hasn’t happened yet.

The Riders brought three kickers into camp. One, Brody McKnight, was cut released by the team in its final cuts (he missed a 48 yard field goal in the Calgary game). That leaves American Ricky Schmitt to handle the kickoffs/punting, and veteran Canadian Chris Milo to do the field goals. Milo has been widely inconsistent, and didn’t play a full season last year as he got hurt. The Riders brought in Sandro DeAngelis, and he wasn’t any better. Milo is still very young, so it’s more of a case of the Riders sticking with someone they know, hoping he can become more consistent. His pre-season wasn’t very good, so he’d better get better – fast. I suspect he has a short leash.

As for returns, Jock Sanders and Price Miller handled things the other night. Miller was the more dynamic of the two. Sanders seemed tentative; he’d stutter step rather than trying to just go forward. But they should be good returners. I love Weston Dressler back there, but I’d rather seem him catching passes.

The coverage teams seem about the same as last year.

Defensive Backfield/Linebackers

Dear Coach Chamblin: what the HELL are you doing??

Craig Butler is a SAFETY, not a LINEBACKER. And why is Abraham Kromah not playing linebacker? And why oh why is Tryone Brackenbridge playing safety?

STOP. THE. MADNESS.

*Rant over*

There almost seem to be too many cooks in the kitchen here. We have TWO defensive backs coaches. Why? No clue. Defensive coordinator Richie Hall is a former DB, and Chamblin coached DBs in Calgary, so really, it’s FOUR DB coaches.

They’d better be good.

I’m not too worried about our secondary. It’s gotten bigger and faster, and they made some great plays last week.

Linebacker is another story.

If everyone would go back to their natural positions, the defence would be stronger. Butler is too little to be playing linebacker, and Kromah needs to be in the field. Hopefully the coaches will see the light when they look at the film of Calgary’s Rob Cote running all over us last week.

Quarterbacks/Receivers

What a dreadful first half performance from this group, albeit added by yet another turnstile performance by the offensive offensive line (see what I did there?). Korey Sheets also needs to learn how to block.

Darian Durant was sacked 5 times, and most other times he had no one to throw to. Yes, it’s pre-season, so the offence was really vanilla, but yeesh. It was bascially the the same play every down: three receivers to the left, two to the right, and no one hardly ever threatening the middle. The receivers couldn’t get open, and Sheets had nowhere to run.

Gerry Simon also appears to have re-aggravated a hamstring injury that hobbled him last year. Hopefully he gets over it, ’cause the Riders’ receiving core needs him.

All that being said, I’m excited to see what a true George Cortez offence looks like. It definitely won’t look like it did this week.

And in better news, Rob Bagg looked good, and Chris Getzlaf caught everything thrown his way.

And getting back to the offensive line, the Riders are determined to start second-year Ben Heenan at right tackle, which is unfortunate. He’s a great guard, but doesn’t yet have the technique to,play right tackle effectively. Hopefully the Riders scheme for it, because the Eskimos’ d-line is a lot better than Calgary’s, which is pretty solid itself.

This week’s game

The Riders open the season on the road in Edmonton, where they hardly ever win. I think the Riders will get off to a bit of a slow start this season, so I’m predicting a loss to start 2013.

“Are You Ready for Some Football?”

This is a TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE song with an even worse video, and it’s NFL-based, but the sentiment is what I’m going for here.

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?!?!?

I sure am. I even spent some time at Rider training camp yesterday just to get my football fix.

This has felt like the longest off-season I’ve ever known. Last fall I wasn’t into watching football for a lot of reasons, but the fact the Riders were predictable and at times downright horrible didn’t help.

This off-season they’ve tried to stack the deck in their favour as much as possible to make a Grey Cup run. While they’re much improved on paper, it remains to be seen whether that translates into more wins and playoff success.

I’m going to start off my Rider season preview with a look at the boys in the trenches: offensive and defensive lines.

OFFENSIVE LINE: These guys were very disappointing last year considering the heralded homecoming of Brendon LaBatte and the addition of Dominic Picard at centre. The Riders were supposed to have one of the best interior offensive lines in the league, and instead they imploded more often than not. LaBatte and Chris Best both had injury issues, which didn’t help the line’s continuity and consistency, and while 1st overall draft pick Ben Heenan greatly impressed in his rookie season, the line still should have been better than it was. Plus, the Riders had the much respected Kris Sweet as offensive line coach, a man who rebuilt the Calgary Stampeders’ o-line on what seemed like a yearly basis and had great success. But it didn’t work out like it was supposed to. The Riders’ last play/chance in the Western semi-final pretty much summed up the o-line’s year when it completely collapsed, leaving quarterback Darian Durant to stumble forward and spike the football in frustration.

I hear ya, buddy.

But there were bright spots. Again, the play of Heenan was a nice surprise. Xavier Fulton also emerged as a one of the better left offensive tackles in the league. Patrick Neufeld had a bit of a rough go on the right outside edge, but he’s young and the experience was no doubt valuable.

The line won’t change a lot going into this season, which is a good thing. These guys need to work together on a more consistent basis in order to gel into a solid unit. The talent is there; hopefully this group can take the next step this year.

DEFENSIVE LINE: Well this is going to be a completely different line than we saw last year. The addition of defensive ends Ricky Foley and John Chick massively upgrade a defensive line that was sorely lacking any sort of a pass rush last year. Poor defensive tackle Keith Shologan was often double-teamed, resulting in next to no push from the line’s interior. Former Rider Odell Willis was pretty much a no-show last year; he was on the field, but that was about it.

Ricky Foley is a ratio-buster; starting a Canadian defensive end gives the Riders a lot more flexibility and the possibility of starting an import at safety, although that’s unlikely to happen. And if John Chick can return to his 2009 form, well hell, things are looking up.

The Riders need another tackle to complement Shologan in the middle, and hopefully Tearrius George is ready to step up. The Riders will no doubt go with a rotation of some kind, so Mick Williams and Kenny Rowe will also probably find roles.

Last year the Riders gave opposing quarterbacks way too much time to throw the ball, resulting in long drives, a tired defence and an offence that didn’t get a lot of time on the field. If the Riders are going to make any kind of playoff run, they will need a disruptive defensive line that not only gets to the quarterback, but forces him to make mistakes.

Next week I’ll take a look at special teams.