So flash forward to 2017...how did we do?
1) We Lost. Again. The last time the Riders won a regular season game in Calgary was 2009 but what many have forgotten including Rod Black is that the Riders won at McMahon in the West Final in 2013. It can be done. It just wasn't going to happen Saturday night.
2) The starting quarterback for our Saskatchewan Roughriders, Kevin Glenn, was sacked 3 times in less than the first quarter. There's several reasons this occurred with the biggest reason being the offensive line. I don't know if they were slow or unmotivated or unprepared but whatever it was there wasn't enough time for anyone to make a decision never mind go through reads and decide where to throw the ball. In the second half the O Line finally was able to give a few seconds more and Glenn was able to move the ball more effectively. Now I did say at halftime that maybe we should see Brandon Bridge in the second half. Before you freak out, listen to my thinking...Glenn could barely take a step back before running for his life and what we needed was to move the pocket or try some play action. When they came back in the second quarter and tried these things the Riders were able to get more first downs and move down the field. What bothers me now that I think about is - why did the Riders wait until half time to make that adjustment? Coaches need to do a better job of analyzing the issues in game and correcting throughout because no other team in the CFL will sit back waiting for us to figure it out.
Tree) Officiating * insert facepalm * We want them to throw the flag & we don't want them to throw the flag and we want them to have the knowledge to know the circumstances which warrant the difference! I've watched as the referee's look around at each other in wonderment before throwing a flag. Or better yet...is it a touchdown? Who knows? But if I look over at the other guy maybe he knows. It is beyond frustrating to watch a game for these reasons. Then if a flag wasn't thrown the coach has to use his challenge and more times than not it's for something obvious which should have been called in the first place. Or what about the fishing expeditions? You know, the ones where it should be 3rd down but someone saw a thing on the other side of the field so let's challenge that because it'll extend our drive. It's a mess. Aaaand don't get me started on the Incidental Contact rule, you know, the one where a receiver "accidentally" runs into a DB to draw a flag. * eyeroll * Do I know how to fix these things? No not really but I'd sure try hard if someone were willing to give me the job!
Turd & Tree) On second thought ~ we fix the challenge issue like this - each team is given 2 challenges but once they use them that's it. No more for the entire game. Also if a challenge takes more than 30 seconds to review it's void. Done. Kaput. I'd also make it so you can't challenge things away from the play...if that receiver wasn't the intended target then that's not challengeable.
Turd & Tree) On second thought ~ we fix the challenge issue like this - each team is given 2 challenges but once they use them that's it. No more for the entire game. Also if a challenge takes more than 30 seconds to review it's void. Done. Kaput. I'd also make it so you can't challenge things away from the play...if that receiver wasn't the intended target then that's not challengeable.
4) Darian Durant and every other ex-Rider ever seems to beat us when we play them...or at least that's the argument I've heard. Due to this argument we also should have never "gotten rid" of them. Why can't Rider Nation ever move on? I know, you - YOU * points finger * are going to accuse me of not moving on either but hear me out. The Riders cannot hold on to players forever just because people like them and they also cannot pay them the exorbitant amounts they want while still building a team. Here's the thing: most players in the CFL unless drafted have come from other teams! GASP! Bakari Grant was a Stampeder. Eddie Steele was an Eskimo. It isn't only the Riders who choose to move on from players. Every team in the CFL has players that once played elsewhere.
5) Lay off Kevin Glenn. Is Kevin Glenn a hall of famer? You bet he is. I don't know of any other man who would be willing to be a back up on every single team he's played for except the Edmonton Eskimo's. Glenn comes in and does his job and does it well in every way he can. Does it matter he doesn't have a Grey Cup ring? No and the fact that he doesn't is another reason why he should be a HOFer. A Grey Cup ring doesn't mean you are a great player...it just means you won a contest. Throwing for over 50,000 yards in your career?! That milestone is incredibly meaningful and every fan should applaud him. One other thing...instead of criticizing his age remember a 41 year old won the Grey Cup last year, Henry Burris who also was an ex-Rider.
6) When things don't go the way we want them to we always want to blame someone and Rider Nation is very good at blaming Coach Chris Jones. Fire Chris Jones! I see it all over social media. Those of you who are saying this have to really think this statement through. Chris Jones holds 4 titles so essentially you'd be firing 4 people. He's General Manager, Vice President of Personal, Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator. There's little chance he'd give just one title up either. Jones came to Saskatchewan because of this opportunity and because of that you also have to consider those who followed him...his entire coaching staff. Back in 2015 when everyone was chasing Corey Chamblin out of town I did some research and I found out that in Rider history every time a coach was fired it took 2 to 3 years for the team to be viable again. I've heard this exact same stat from NFL broadcasters. If Jones was gone now, are you willing to wait another three years? Are you willing to throw out the 2017 season after week 5? A new regime will start all over building from the ground up. I refuse to have that happen again. Jones is on year two of a three year contract. This team has gotten better. Every rebuild has its ups and downs and I am one fan who wants to see this out because my loyal green heart can't start all over again. I beg you that before you grab your pitch fork that you really REALLY think this through.
7) Willie Jefferson > Weston Dressler
8) I've noticed a trend. Right before the Riders are supposed to play the Stampeders, some kind of controversy comes up. Last season it was the pre-practice squad that Bo Levi tweeted about. This year all the talk was about spies at practice and let's not forget about the chirping between Derek Dennis and Charleston Hughes. Much was also made of a skirmish between Duron Carter and Joshua Bell. The media sure loves to make Carter look bad by over reacting to this incident but I found it to be karma when Bell had to leave the game. Is all of this some kind of tactic? Let's remember this for when Calgary visits our glorious new sold out castle September 24th.
9) What is the dealio with the Redblacks schedule? I remember hearing a backlash when the CFL schedule was released but never gave it much thought because as a Rider fan I was pretty happy with ours. Who thought having the Redblacks play 3 times in 17 days was a good idea? They actually play twice in week 5. These aren't baseball players these are athletic guys who need rest from practice & game action to rehab tired muscles, bodies and injuries. If they lose it'll be blamed on the short week and if they win it'll be called overcoming adversity. At any rate, it sucks for them and has renewed calls for a tenth CFL team which would definitely help out in a myriad of ways.
10) I've been having a ton of fun creating and posting CFL Power Rankings each week. I started it because I disagreed with other rankings I was seeing and decided not only to compose my own but to have some fun with it as well. That's what watching football and following the league should be...entertaining. We are all much too serious lately. In my Week 5 edition you can look to see an all new ranking system. I hope you enjoy it as much as I love to craft it. Look for it on my twitter account @smilingsandra Tuesday.
On to week 6! Bring on the Argo's! And no matter what... Go Riders Go!
6) When things don't go the way we want them to we always want to blame someone and Rider Nation is very good at blaming Coach Chris Jones. Fire Chris Jones! I see it all over social media. Those of you who are saying this have to really think this statement through. Chris Jones holds 4 titles so essentially you'd be firing 4 people. He's General Manager, Vice President of Personal, Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator. There's little chance he'd give just one title up either. Jones came to Saskatchewan because of this opportunity and because of that you also have to consider those who followed him...his entire coaching staff. Back in 2015 when everyone was chasing Corey Chamblin out of town I did some research and I found out that in Rider history every time a coach was fired it took 2 to 3 years for the team to be viable again. I've heard this exact same stat from NFL broadcasters. If Jones was gone now, are you willing to wait another three years? Are you willing to throw out the 2017 season after week 5? A new regime will start all over building from the ground up. I refuse to have that happen again. Jones is on year two of a three year contract. This team has gotten better. Every rebuild has its ups and downs and I am one fan who wants to see this out because my loyal green heart can't start all over again. I beg you that before you grab your pitch fork that you really REALLY think this through.
7) Willie Jefferson > Weston Dressler
8) I've noticed a trend. Right before the Riders are supposed to play the Stampeders, some kind of controversy comes up. Last season it was the pre-practice squad that Bo Levi tweeted about. This year all the talk was about spies at practice and let's not forget about the chirping between Derek Dennis and Charleston Hughes. Much was also made of a skirmish between Duron Carter and Joshua Bell. The media sure loves to make Carter look bad by over reacting to this incident but I found it to be karma when Bell had to leave the game. Is all of this some kind of tactic? Let's remember this for when Calgary visits our glorious new sold out castle September 24th.
9) What is the dealio with the Redblacks schedule? I remember hearing a backlash when the CFL schedule was released but never gave it much thought because as a Rider fan I was pretty happy with ours. Who thought having the Redblacks play 3 times in 17 days was a good idea? They actually play twice in week 5. These aren't baseball players these are athletic guys who need rest from practice & game action to rehab tired muscles, bodies and injuries. If they lose it'll be blamed on the short week and if they win it'll be called overcoming adversity. At any rate, it sucks for them and has renewed calls for a tenth CFL team which would definitely help out in a myriad of ways.
10) I've been having a ton of fun creating and posting CFL Power Rankings each week. I started it because I disagreed with other rankings I was seeing and decided not only to compose my own but to have some fun with it as well. That's what watching football and following the league should be...entertaining. We are all much too serious lately. In my Week 5 edition you can look to see an all new ranking system. I hope you enjoy it as much as I love to craft it. Look for it on my twitter account @smilingsandra Tuesday.
On to week 6! Bring on the Argo's! And no matter what... Go Riders Go!
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