We're Talking Play Offs. PLAY OFFS!

Phew!  I'm glad Week 19 is over.  Our Saskatchewan Roughriders won 37-12 over the Montreal Alouettes at home in glorious Mosaic Stadium.  The storylines were aplenty.

October 27th marked the first time ex-Rider quarterback not only returned to Regina for the first time but set foot in the stadium some believe Darian Durant helped bring to fruition.  Rider fans learned Darian will be a father in the next few months.  We saw him be somewhat gracious while receiving fans at the game.  What didn't sit with some members of Rider Nation was Doubles pregame interviews where he said he deserved recognition.  It's tough.  Over the past 11 years I've been a big Durant supporter and I've written about that here.  I'll admit that I've had hard feelings since Game One in Montreal.  I'll also admit that there likely were emotions on his side as well and he "may" be excused for some of his behaviour.  I don't honestly know if I would have stood for an ovation prior to Fridays game or how I would have felt but I know I do not think of Darian the way I did prior to his trade. 

Maybe some day I'll be over the break up.

Rider Nation isn't known for getting over things easily and as a proud member I sadly am no different.

October 27th was also the date set to see the Wes Cates...er, West Gates of Taylor Field be demolished.  Living in Saskatoon makes seeing these things challenging so at 12:55pm I tuned in to cjme radio's facebook page where it was being streamed live.  It didn't happen on time and it kept being pushed back but then shortly after 2pm the horns sounded and with a creaking thud and a cloud of dust down it came...bowing for the last time.  My blue eyes clad in green eyeliner may have teared up just a little.  Rider Nation couldn't help but think of all the great things that have happened there.  Seeing Paul McCartney's concert in 2013 was an amazing experience while it may be shadowed by that other big event in 2013.  Things move on, life changes and while it's sad to see Taylor Field go it will also be exciting to see a new neighbourhood spring up.  Will houses be built on the 55 yard line? What will the name of that street be? And how cool would it be to tell that story!

The Riders find themselves at 10-7 and even though I am the supporter that I am - I only pegged it as a 9-9 season so man, am I happy!  We do seem to find ourselves thanking our high school math teacher because all the football math scenarios boggle the mind and make those blue eyes glaze over. 

Here are the different ways Week 20 in the West may play out:

1) If Bombers win and Riders win - Bombers secure 2nd & Riders get 3rd & Eskimos head east
2) If Bombers win and Eskimos win - Bombers finish 2nd & Eskimos 3rd & Riders head east
3) If Bombers lose and Eskimos win - Eskimos finish 2nd & Bombers 3rd & Riders head east.

I was remiss in mentioning in last weeks Conspiracy Theory blog that there is a contingent of fans who believe the CFL wants it to be a Redblacks and Roughriders Grey Cup in Ottawa in Canada's 150th year.  Had you told me this in July or even August I would have rolled my eyes...but here at the end of the season it doesn't seem so far fetched!  Does the CFL want it? Well, there's no denying that would be one heck of a story.  In order for my Riders to make it to the Grey Cup they'd have to secure 3rd Saturday Nov 4th then beat both the Blue Bombers and Stampeders to win the West.  The same thing goes here and a month ago I wouldn't want that scenario but it seems both teams are faltering and well...it could totally play out that way!  OR once again, my watermelon is on too tight.  At any rate, no one can deny Saturday's game against the Edmonton Eskimo's in Regina will be a BIG one.

I have renewed my season tickets.  It seems section 126 Row 5 is stuck with me and my cowbell.  I love the sight lines.  I love being 5 rows removed from the field.  I love being so close to the Riders tunnel.  I love everything about my seats and the people who sit around me.  I'll love being there one last time in the 2017 CFL season to cheer my Saskatchewan Roughriders to victory in the house Rider Nation built.

As Always - Go Riders!

I BEL13VE 

Conspiracy Theory

On a very dull and dreary November day in 2009 I woke up to remember...well, you know what I remembered. Today, October 21st 2017 I woke up to a very similar dreary day and as my thoughts cleared I realized that October 20th wasn't a dream and my Saskatchewan Roughriders had not only beat the Calgary Stampeders (the number one team in the league) on their own turf but had blown them out 30 - 7. Oh how sweet it is!

A few weeks ago Cameron Judge went on a twitter tirade of sorts which left many of us scratching our heads and others speculating. Then he said it was all an experiment and it had worked.  Curious, right?  Some had him on pain meds or mentally ill but I think it's possible he was testing the waters for how his story would be picked up. Let's face it, fans and media bite on any little tidbit of Roughrider news and when the news is bad they bite especially hard.

Last Monday there was a small skirmish at Roughrider practice. It was so small reporters and media in attendance didn't notice anything happened.  It wasn't until Duron Carter made the tweet "It's been fun...see y'all" that all heck seemed to break loose.  Arash Madani and Justin Dunk were spewing out articles condemning the Roughriders left and right.  There was a post saying three Riders had been released...one of which couldn't have been in the altercation because he wasn't at practice! Another story said a coach had spurred the fight on. I believe all of that was smoke and mirrors.  Let's say the Riders came up with an idea to lead the media away from what they were doing last week.  No one was talking about who the starting quarterback was going to be, that Cameron Marshall was back and Trent Richardson who?  All anyone wanted to know was what happened.  What *if* all of that was an elaborate rouse?  That would account for a coach saying it's go time, that would account for the tweet that fed into the media's hands and that would account for why no one saw how prepared the team was to take on Calgary at McCarter...um, McMahon Stadium.  Let's not forget that the Riders controlled the entire narrative by having a closed practice Tuesday but no matter what the smoke didn't clear until everyone was jaw droppingly shocked as Duron Carter picked off Bo Levi Mitchell and returned it for a touchdown in a game winning play.

I admit that's a pretty elaborate thing to pull off and my watermelon may be a little too tight on the ol' noggin' but no matter what it did unite the team whether it was to pull it off or to come together to refute the allegations...it worked.  Bo Levi Mitchell did not score a touchdown against the Roughriders in TWO games with the only TD pass being thrown to...Duron Carter who was playing as a starting CB for the first time ever in a CFL game.  He'd just come off a 200+ game the week prior which put him over 1000 yards on the season.  He'd gotten in a "fight".  He went bowling with team mates and scored 202.  He started as a DB and he got his first career interception.  Hey, Bo, next time you decide to take to twitter to taunt a player...you better make sure you can back it up.

Winning in a decisive 30 - 7 game against the number one team in the league moved the Saskatchewan Roughriders into a play off spot.  The only question is, will the team stay in the west by staying ahead then beating the Edmonton Eskimo's on November 4th OR will they be relegated to going the eastern route.  No doubt this will be debated at length by all the pundits for the next two weeks. 

But first, on October 27th the Roughriders host the lowly Montreal Alouettes who are fighting more demons than just football games.  None of that really matters because since Week One in the CFL back when the Als beat the Riders this game was circled on the schedule as Darian Durant's return to Regina and new Mosaic Stadium.  Nothing stirs up more feelings than the topic of ex-Riders QB.  I'm not going to talk about what he did for us in the past because I've beaten that horse to death.  Let's take off the green goggles and see him exactly for what he is now.  He is a man, who endured 9 seasons as a Roughrider starting Quarterback with the last 3 injury prone.  He is a man who in the end wasn't loyal to the organization or fan base and left for money.  He was a man who burnt his Bridge by shouting at the Roughriders bench and making rude gestures when he won by 1 point.  He is a man who hasn't played much football in the last month and has found himself pulled in the last game against the Hamilton TigerCats.  He is a man who is getting paid reportedly $400,000 on a team that is now 3 - 13 where his future is in question.

I wonder how Darian will feel when he see's what's left of Taylor Field.  I know it's hard on me to see it all dismantled.  I wonder how he'll feel when he visits Mosaic Stadium for the first time.  I know how I felt and it was amazing but I also suspect it could be overwhelming for him considering what's been said of how he isn't over the trade. Then again...some think he's not even going to make the trip.

If you'd like to read my past thoughts on Durant check out these posts:

D U R A N T

The Elephant in the Room

What do you think of Chris Jones now?  It's no secret that I was on board since the Riders made him GM, HC, VP & DC shortly after the 2015 Grey Cup.  Lot's of fans don't like him for how he released fan favourites and I even have seen a few fans switch alliances due to it.  I think it's very admirable that some have now come out and said they were wrong about Jones.  It takes a lot of guts to admit your impressions were wrong and I applaud those who've done it.  No matter your stance, I firmly believe 2016 had to happen in order to start the foundation for the success we are now seeing in 2017.  I've often said it takes two to three years to rebuild a CFL team and here we are nearing the end of the second year and heading to the play offs for the first time since 2014.  Imagine winning so much that we take it for granted! That's part of what's happening in Calgary with the Stampeders and their attendance.  The team isn't making news anymore because all they do is win!  I'd sure like to try that feeling out for size and maybe, just maybe, Jones is the coach to make that happen for Rider Nation.

Who made this years CFL schedule? Don't they know Rider Nation travels from near and far for all games?  Friday evening games in October on the prairies is nutso!  I've had to sell my tickets because of my teaching schedule and while I could have gotten a substitute I decided maybe someone else could enjoy my seats for me. I hope they have fun and make lots of noise! Ring that cowbell and come home hoarse.

9 - 7 sure is fun...I'll see you on the flip side.  Here's to 10 - 7!

Go Riders!