Say Something

Say Something, I'm giving up on you

I'll be the one, if you want me to

Anywhere, I would have followed you

Say something, I'm giving up on you

This seems to be the song of Ridernation after the disastrous loss to the Hamilton TigerCats on Saturday evening. Many who couldn't stand it anymore flipped over to the live Tragically Hip concert on CBC. Those who stuck around took to the radio airwaves to speak their grievances. We are all bewildered, sad and embarrassed. There's not much that can be said that hasn't already. This indeed is the deepest of down weeks.

I always try to relate football to aspects of my life. I am a piano teacher by evening and even though it sounds crazy, I often tell my students not to practise before a big performance. It can work a couple of ways... 1) You use up all your intensity practicing then the performance is a flop or 2) You discover or create new mistakes and they become your focus and 3) You should be prepared before your performance and shouldn't require the practise. I think all three of these things happened to our Riders. Of course they have to practise but we also know it wasn't going well because Jones tore a strip off them so in an effort to be better the focus became about the mistakes and you know what? You focus on the bad and the bad happens. You draw to you what you fret about.

Shakespeare said “Expectation is the root of all heartache.” How true! When the Chris Jones hire was announced what did you think would happen? The Riders were severely broken in 2015. Did ya think he had a magic fix-the-Riders wand? Wave it and he turns 3-15 into 15-3? Jones and company's first season with the Edmonton Eskimo's ended in 6-12. Even though the Riders are 1-7 at this point in the season, 6-12 could be realistically how they end the season. I'd be okay with that purely because it's an improvement over last season. I didn't expect magic; I only expected better.

When the first massive release happened it was shocking BUT how many of those players got signed elsewhere? Brackenridge retired. There was only two Db's who signed...Macho Harris in Winnipeg and Tristan Jackson in Ottawa. That tells me that they weren't worth it to us or any other CFL team. Then the Chick/Dressler/Smith release happened. Now honestly, I could care less if they're upset. They should know by now that football is a business. Have they been lighting up the league? Only against us really and Dressler and Smith have spent a fair share of their Bomber time on the injured list. There's something to be said for how Wally Bueno builds a CFL team. Remember when he released Geroy Simon or Jason Clermont? They were on the downside of their careers. It had to happen to bring in the next guy and rebuild. There is no point to hanging on to a player or players for loyalty or personality or because he's a “fan favourite” then be stuck when he does retire or is forced to retire due to injury or because of their salary you can't afford an up and comer.

Yes, it's true, there are lot's of new Rider players names and you don't know their names or numbers. I've even heard a certain media outlet complain about not knowing who the new guys are. Well excuse me, but if I can figure it out and have since training camp (which I don't recall seeing you at) then why can't you WHEN IT'S YOUR JOB! Meanwhile, the impact of your thoughts and words are heard in Ridernation and they believe you much to the chagrin of the green and white loyalists. A revolving door of players they say but the only new player on the offense was Caleb Holley who had a feature in the Leader-post August 17^th.....FOUR days before the game. The information is out there if you look for it. Get to know these players now so you aren't stuck when they're household names. Get ahead of the curve. I always relate it to this...in 2008 you didn't know who Weston Dressler was either.

Beyond a team that played horribly in all facets, we have the officials and crazy CFL rules to deal with. I watch every CFL game every week and I see it in every game. I think it's the definition of the rules in the first place and the referee's who aren't skilled enough to make the right calls. They don't know what to call and sometimes throw a flag in case there was something or they miss something blatant. This is what the challenge was supposed to fix. Instead, coaches have found a way to bend the rules and manage to get calls for things that have no impact on the play. Every coach has done it. Then this year they came out with the “eye in the sky” which I still haven't figured out what they're supposed to do except in the last game they stopped play because the refs had spotted the ball wrong. They couldn't even spot the ball correctly! I certainly don't know how to fix anything but it seems to me at this point there is no going back. Some games have taken years off my life. It's frustrating to watch and many fans are turning away.

~ Life is not about how you survive the storm;

it's about how you dance in the rain ~

Well, in Ridernation right now it's pouring. We might be having a really hard time. Nothing is going our way.  We've been fined and taken a beating.  I still love this team and these players. You won't hear me wanting to fire coaches or make trades. I'm leaving that to the people in the know. I know in my Rider green heart that the wins will come. Then another win will happen. Maybe some more and then we'll be rolling. That's when we can dance. Let's be there for the 2016 Roughriders. They need our support not our criticism. I know I'll be in green come game day. I hope you are too.  Let's make some Farewell Memories.

The Riders Upside Down

You've said it yourself. The CFL has been a bizarro world, crazy place, or even The Upside Down. Teams who have been good are losing while losing teams are winning. Every week CFL Pick 'Em is a gamble. All this time Rider fans are sitting here thinking, “When will the cloud of 2009 finally lift?” One sure has to wonder. We thought it did in 2013 but that was just an anomaly...a blip on the radar. Just when you think things are finally looking up -  Ridernation is chop blocked.

No flag on the play.

In case you missed it, the usually absent CFL Commissioner after an apparent two week investigation levied the biggest fine to a football club in the leagues history not only sending a message to the other 8 teams but making a spectacle of the Saskatchewan Roughriders as well.

Ridernation is the largest fan base in the CFL. We buy the most merchandise, travel while representing the //=S=// and fill other stadiums besides our own. Other fans want to be like us or have an intense hatred on for us because of it and the latter seems to be more and more true recently with other fans attacking us before we finally turn on ourselves as well. In 2010 Ridernation won the Commissioners Award and yesterday? …..Well it seems to me that Jeffrey Orridge called everyone associated with the Roughriders an embarrassment to the league.  Well sir, I think you have this upside down.  We sir, are the example of what a CFL club should be and others should aspire to be.  They WISH they could have a fan base as loyal as Ridernation.  You could learn from us.

Yes, we broke the rules.  Yes, we got caught.  Yes, we will pay the fine.

It's only 545 jersey's sold.

Now I don't pretend to know what has been going on. There's all kinds of rumours and speculation from extra players and practises happening to housing and

feeding of them as well as our beloved players afraid to speak out about it. I don't know about any of that but when Chris Jones says he was only following the practises of what's happened at other teams he's coached for then I believe him. The Saskatchewan Roughriders cannot be the only team to have tried out players and bent the rules a little. Bend but don't break, right? But that same Commissioner who says we are an embarrassment better be looking into all the other teams too. Ridernation should demand it.

Who Did This? (Thanks to @fakeGainer)

There's also another matter at hand. It seems like this “pre-practise” squad was common knowledge with everyone around the league except those right here in the easy to draw province. Seriously. None of us would have known a thing about it at all until the ruling if “wha-mpeder” Bo Levi Mitchell hadn't tweeted his rather lame attempt at a joke. Of course Ridernation came to the clubs defense. What did BLM expect to happen? Then to say he'll use that as motivation is just sad. My thoughts on this is just this: If he knew something was jinky then he should have taken the proper route to the CFL instead of spewing it on social media. If the Stampeders have any kind of social media rules like the Riders do then he should be fined for his unsportsmanlike conduct. It was not his place to comment on the operations of another team publicly.

Thirdly ( I wasn't numbering my points was I? Meh. ) It feels like there is a snitch or mole, if you will, among us. By that I mean that it seems that since 2013 or maybe even before that as if someone was out to get us. I must not be alone in this hunch because fans were not only asked to sign in at Riders practise thursday but to provide picture I.D. It also makes me think back to when Corey Chamblin was closing practises and banning the media. Perhaps he was on to something. Whatever it is...we are circling the wagons...your day is coming.

Riders gotta ride.

August 13^th the Stampeders are in town and whether we like it or not it has motivated ticket sales. For the first time this season we might have a sell out. It'll be a celebration in Ridernation of the 1980's. Players like Bobby Jurasin, Glen Suitor, Dave Ridgway, and the Pole-cat will be in town. Wouldn't it be amazing to re-inact “The Kick” from 1989? Heck, I don't even care if he can't make it. I just want to see it in this stadium before we say goodbye. I'll be there with my back combed hair, leggings and swapping out the blue eye shadow for the green. Green is the colour after all. I know you don't want to miss a moment of this epic farewell.

Trust me when I say the feelings you've had this week as hard as they are to endure will pass. The 13^th Man, Dewdney Dwight, Darian's Fault...it's all water under the bridge. Step away from Facebook, Twitter and Rider Fan page. Let's just be CFL friends and enjoy some good old fashioned football.

See ya at the game.

Go Riders.