It's a Wrap

I said last week that I wasn't ready for the season to be over.  Well, it doesn't matter how I feel or felt at the time because now I've just got to suck it up and move on because it is indeed all over.  Second Season was short in Rider Nation.

I planned all week (Friday Football Five) what to wear as we were warned of how cold the weather was going to be for the Western Semi Final game between the Roughriders and Blue Bombers.  I saw the updates on social media from the Riders about the players in the cold and as much as the weather should never be the story for some reason it was.  Some of the sports media talked about the "real" football players and how they don't wear sleeves in the cold.  One even went as far as to say the players who wore the sleeves weren't going to win.  I have no idea if there's any truth to that and as the girl who wore two pairs of pants, 3 shirts, winter coat, thermal socks and plastered Hot Hands in her mittens and boots...since when is trying to stay warm a sin?  I've lived in Saskatchewan my whole life...born and raised...and I've never adjusted to winter.  Why on earth do we expect guys from Florida, California or any southern states to adjust better than us?  All that being said, both teams had to play in the same conditions and only one of the two were truly prepared to play.

We were so hopeful all week long.   Collaros was practicing.  We stood a chance.  Then Friday Brandon Bridge took first team reps.  Fans started to chatter.  It's all good we thought...just prep.  Of course he needs reps we tried to tell ourselves.  Then late Saturday, TSN's Dave Naylor broke the news that Collaros was not only not starting but he wasn't even dressing.  Rider Nation flipped out.  It was a strange report.  Dave Naylor tweeted the breaking news and then used the tweet in his article which seemed to me like he was using himself as his source.  The Riders not only lost the game Saturday night but lost the West Semi the week before when Odell Willis took out the Riders starting quarterback.  No amount of rationalization was going to change it.

This was my very first play off game experience.  I've only been able to be a season ticket holder for 2 years.  I live in Saskatoon and have mentioned several times that it's a time commitment as well as a money commitment in the form of gas and food dollars.  There were moments sitting in section 126 where it felt absolutely magical.  The snow would come float down around us and sparkled in the lights of beautiful Mosaic Stadium.  The trumpeter performing for the Remembrance Day ceremony and moment of silence afterwards was breath taking.  The halftime act was an interesting mix of heavy metal and celtic music which I didn't even know what a possibility but thoroughly enjoyed their performance.  The only thing missing was the legendary story of how the QB coined Air Canada would lead us to the first ever play off win at home...and the Riders 13th man flag which failed to unfurl.  As my Hubby pointed out - The Riders never win when the flag isn't flown.

No.  Instead, all the news after the game and for a few days now has been centred around player safety.  I know the Riders were not winning that game.  The Bombers took control of the line of scrimmage at the end of the first quarter and it wasn't getting better from there.  I just think it's interesting that a guy would deliver such a violent blow to a player with only 8 seconds left in a game that the Riders weren't in control of winning anyway.  I had someone tell me that we should all know danger and injuries are a part of the game and how there wasn't a penalty and on and on.  I tried to explain that it's all fine and dandy until it's your quarterback laying prone on the field.  Every player knows that injuries happen but I'm pretty sure none of them play with the expectation of being knocked out.  I think what's even more awful is when you find out that Jackson Jeffcoat did the same thing to Mike Reilly in 2017.  Where does the CFL draw the line?  Why do the Riders have to have this happen to not only one quarterback but both starting quarterbacks within 3 weeks?  Why is this the story instead of how the Bombers came in and executed a great game plan to win them their first play off game in many years?  It's sickening and the CFL and Commissioner Randy Ambrosie (also from Winnipeg) needs to stand up and do something before someone is seriously and devastatingly injured.  

Meanwhile, fans of other teams say we are making excuses for losing.

If that's what makes you feel better for supporting your own team then so be it.

The Roughriders lost for the same reasons that plagued the team throughout 2018.  The offence couldn't execute.  There wasn't a running game.  Our receivers were scrambling and it seemed only one could get open.  Because the Bombers game plan included running the ball and very few throwing opportunities the Riders defence couldn't do what they do and force fumbles, strip the ball or gain interceptions.  The Riders had found ways to win by using the defence when the offence couldn't score.  On Sunday, neither was put in a position to do anything but kick field goals and thank goodness for Brett Lauther.  This is where the Riders need to spend their focus this off season.  With Collaros, Bridge and Tate being free agents one has to think none of them will be back and mostly for the health of Zach Collaros.  Conversation on ABC Rider Fans has quickly turned to which quarterback do we go after for 2019?  Bo Levi Mitchell, Mike Reilly and Trevor Harris are all free agents.  Will we end up seeing one of those guys sporting green?  Before you say "oh hell no" - it's funny how likable hated players become when they're wearing the right colours.

So the Riders fell to the Winnipeg Football Club 23 - 18 and it's the Bombers who move on to Calgary in the West Final.  Calgary has faced their own set of challenges but are hungry after losing in back to back Grey Cup games.  Did the Bombers game plan to teach the Riders a lesson?  Have they planned for Bo Levi and the Stamps?  The Stampeders had the bye and it sure would be fun to see them annihilate the Riders arch rivals...but I'm not hitching my horse to that wagon.  

My Saskatchewan Roughriders have cleared out their lockers.  Players are heading home.  There's plenty of free agents but Marcus Thigpen isn't one of them.  He re-signed quickly.  It's possible some of the players will head to the NFL or want to even test out the new American league.  Chris Jones is having to give coaches their walking papers as the new cap comes into place in 2019.  The CFLPA is heading in to negotiations.  There are 3 clubs wanting to bid on the 2020 Grey Cup including the Riders.  This off season will give us plenty to talk about.

Thank you as always for indulging me in this little blog.  I appreciate everyone who comments and follows along with me.  I believe this isn't a wrap on 2018 - it's the beginning of 2019.  

BEL13VE

Second Season

All 21 weeks in the CFL have been played.  There's been highs, lows, challenges, adversity, injuries and surprises.  The standings have been set and the play off picture solidified.  Second Season has arrived.  It's one and done.  Survival of the fittest.  Take your torch and leave the island.  Hang up your chef coat.  You're chopped.

A couple weeks ago, a students parent stopped in my classroom and looked at my 2013 Roughriders Championship sign.  "Are you a fan of this team?" She asked.  Yes.  "Oh, they've only won 4 times...that's not very good."  😐 Blue Bomber fans are quick to also point this out.  The Roughriders, after playing them three times this season and winning the season series, will be playing them one more time at home in beautiful Mosaic Stadium.  It's been 28 years since the Blue Bombers have won a Grey Cup and this will be the first time since 2007 the two teams have met in the play offs.

2007 in my opinion was the year we got away with one.  It was the year of the last minute Labour Day victory on the legs of Kerry Joseph.  It was the year of the black out game.  It was also the year the Kevin Glenn led Blue Bombers had a legitimate chance at winning the 97th Grey Cup.  Kevin Glenn got injured and they were forced to play Ryan Dinwiddie.  The game was held November 25th in Toronto at Rogers Centre. The Roughriders won 23-19.  Lenny Kravitz was the halftime act.  It was the first time a Labour Day match up had played in the Grey Cup and the last to be broadcast on the CBC.  

The Riders are now finding themselves in a similar situation.  Odell Willis "sacked" Zach Collaros in the Riders final game of the regular season and after a few plays was removed from the game.  It's true that there hasn't been an official announcement on Collaros' health but I'd like to think that if he were in question for the Sunday play off game the Riders wouldn't have allowed him out on the weekend making an appearance at Capitol Ford to sign autographs and engage fans.  I also think that Zach is the kind of player who might have to be seeing blue birds and have broken legs before not committing to play.  At any rate this is a question which is in the back of all the minds of Rider Nation.

The Roughriders did cause a stir by coaxing ex-Rider, ex-Stampeder, ex-Bomber, ex-Redblack, Drew Tate out of retirement.  They also signed Quinn van Gylswyk at the same time but that virtually went un-noticed.  What could this mean? Speculation was rampant on social media.  Firstly, I don't think anyone is completely or even slightly convinced that Brandon Bridge could relieve Zach Collaros and effectively command the offence.  After having a great showing in 2017, Bridge just has not been that guy and as much as he seems liked the coaching staff has restricted his plays this season...some would even say handcuffed.  Even in short yardage, the Riders have elected to use DB Nick Marshall and QB (3rd Stringer) David Watford instead of a taller and more experienced Bridge.  It would not hurt to have the expertise of someone like Drew Tate.  Secondly, and lastly, to me the play offs aka Second Season are a "no holds barred" and "win at all costs" type of scenario.  You use whatever tools you can.  If that means signing players who can and willingly give intel on their previous teams...especially teams who you know you will meet in your play off run, well, you do it.  You go all out.  I think this is also why we've seen a few other signings which for the most part have flown under the radar.  Jones, you green wearing sly devil you!

Still us Rider fans are having to ward off the usual smack talk from other fans.  The most common one is the reminder of how the Winnipeg Football Club (the official CFL name by the way) forced the Riders to lay a giant goose egg in their last meeting of the season.  I'll also remind those people of another game back in 2012 where the Riders beat their team 52-0.  I've also had to endure the ribbing of Stampeder fans who told me it wasn't mathematically possible that the Stamps wouldn't finish first and yet there we saw them on Saturday having to play Bo Levi and as many starters as they could muster (those who aren't still on IR) to secure their spot.  It's okay...we all know how their play off runs usually end anyway.

So there's plenty of stuff being flung in all directions.  Isn't it fun!  Isn't this what makes the CFL so cool and appealing?!  I know I can hardly wait for this Remembrance Day play off match up.  I've got my play off ticket.  I've planned what to wear.  I've printed and laminated my signs.  This will be my first ever Second Season game and the first for Mosaic Stadium.  If you don't have your ticket yet, why the heck not?  Get out there.  The 13th Man needs to be out in full force. Let's paint the world green.  Again.  

I'll be in 126.  Cowbell in hand.  Go Riders!

The Big Goose Egg

The Big Goose Egg...the blow out...the zip - nada - no cigar for you game.

Delete the depth chart.  Drive over it with your car.  Burn it - flush it.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers having been defeated at the hands of the Saskatchewan Roughriders in back to back match ups over Labour Day put together a game plan and executed it to their full potential.  Good on them.  Kudos.  The Roughriders on the other hand?  Well, I think my team went into IGF a little full of themselves and over confident that since we did beat them twice that this rematch was going to be a piece of cake.  One only needs to reflect on the passed two very close wins to realize it was only a matter of time until this team and fan base plummeted back to earth with a deaf defying thud.

All season long the Roughriders defence and special teams have produced wins.  We all watched wondering what would happen if they had a bad game or what would happen if our offence put a game together for once.  Then injuries started to happen.  Holley, Roosevelt, Williams-Lambert and then the latest injury to Dan Clark all made us question if we could keep up to our counterparts in the West.  More goes into it than just some injured players, after all teams like the Calgary Stampeders who barely have a receiving corps left manage to keep winning...well, except for last week.  In no way is this paragraph an excuse but it is one of the question marks.  If these players are ready to return they certainly help out the confidence level of our quarterback.

Our quarterback.  Historically, when you look at Roughriders quarterbacks they've been notorious for having up/down games.  Lancaster who we've put on pedestals in Rider Nation would stink up Taylor Field when he was off.  Darian Durant would have terribly off games.  I'm not comparing them to Collaros but when this is what our quarterbacking has been like previously why do we insist on expecting someone to light it up?  Maybe we are just a wishful hopeful bunch and a bit jealous - why can't we have that?  None of that is on Collaros.  Neither are the drops by receivers.  When a ball hits you in the numbers you need to catch it.  Collaros can only throw the ball - he can't catch it too!  

Don't forget the back up aka the most popular player in Rider Nation.  Or is he?  Last year Brandon Bridge looked very promising and we all expected that he'd take the next step this year.  What happened?  This year he can't seem to make a read and is too quick to give up and scramble.  According to ex players I've listened to this makes the O Lineman panic and scramble too because they don't know where to protect anymore.  I'll take their word for it.  

This leads me to trust.  I know I keep harping on our O Line.  Remarkably, they do a good job and haven't allowed many sacks this season.  However, when you look at the time our QB has in the pocket...1 Mississippi 2 Mississippi etc there isn't a lot of time to go through your reads and make a decision.  Teams like the Blue Bombers and Eskimos have great offensive lines and it shows in the production of their quarterbacks.  When you can stand back there, go through your reads, file your nails, order pizza and then decide who to throw to...you're going to be far more successful.  Instead, you have to decide or run for your life.  Someone like Collaros should be able to get the ball out quicker but someone like Bridge is doomed.

So who is responsible for this?  I don't know how many times I've yelled "move the pocket" this season.  It's happened a couple times or there's been a play action call and it's worked.  Why don't we run these plays more often?  It sets defenses off and allows more time to make throws.  Instead we've been treated to screens and outs and our receivers are never near the yard markers so they almost always go 2 and out.  Stephen McAdoo is the guy in charge.  He's the Offensive Coordinator and Assistant Head Coach.  I don't understand why last year we saw more variety in our play call and this year we have less.  Was it the experience of Kevin Glenn?  Is it some sort of Grey Cup game plan where you don't show your cards unless you have to?  Mr McAdoo, please help us out here!  Design something to help us succeed!  We know you can do it!

There's also been some criticism that Roughriders Head Coach Chris Jones is preoccupied with his defence and puts his trust in Stephen McAdoo.  Of course he should!  Chris Jones should be applauded for building the defence that he has.  It's so fun to watch!  Wouldn't be fun to watch the offence score too?!  I personally don't think he's ignoring it or oblivious to the fact our offence hasn't produced this year.  I think that he's believed in them.  Just like we keep believing in the team, Jones believes this offence can do it and on a good day they can but on a bad day like Saturday we couldn't.  I know that Jones is likely busy evaluating the team and watching the film to digest exactly what happened and what this team needs to do.

For us fans?  It's time to shake it off.  Move on.  It's a new week and a new opponent.  The Saskatchewan Roughriders visit Calgary to take on the Stampeders in week 19 of the CFL.  It sure would be nice to get this win.

Don't forget to check out my "Power Grouping" for Week 18 and join in the conversation on ABC Rider Fans on Facebook.

As always, Go Riders!

The Drive Home

For those who don't know, I live in Saskatoon and am a Saskatchewan Roughrider season ticket holder.  This means that we drive 3 hours to every home game as well as 3 hours return trip.  Lot's of fans drive farther.  The drive to the game is usually filled with nervous anticipation, strategy talk and excitement.  The drive home? Well, it varies depending on how the game went.  One thing that is for certain - 3 hours gives you a long time to think especially after a loss.

Let's start with the Riders Offensive Line.  Every play the line back pedals and while that is expected a certain amount that leaves next to nothing for a pocket for the quarterback.  I don't know what the problem is here.  Are they under sized?  Are they old?  Are they not athletic enough?  Are they not smart enough?  I've heard fans say that their performance was better in the last few games but this is a problem that plagues us and this Roughriders team and has for several seasons now.  It doesn't matter who the quarterback is - they need to protect and if they don't no QB will be productive.  People also talk about whether the O Line knows what the QB is doing or not and that's why plays collapse but to me they should be able to do their jobs and do them well regardless of who is standing in the pocket.  Once I saw a Calgary defender drive Thad Coleman into Brandon Bridge.  I'm not laying blame and certainly the Stamps deserve credit, but should it be that easy?  Every team knows that all you have to do is apply a little bit of pressure and the O Line collapses faster than a flip up tent from Canadian Tire.  Brendan LaBatte was the unsung hero in Week 6 but the man can't do it alone.  This team needs improvement on the line first and foremost.

We all know that since Week 2 when Zach Collaros was taken out of the game due to concussion the Roughriders have had to go with back ups Brandon Bridge and David Watford.  There's been the carousel much to the chagrin of Riders media, which also worked effectively by the way.  Brandon Bridge himself is a curious subject.  He has such tremendous arm strength but to me he's a bit like Bam Bam from the Flintstones because he doesn't realize the strength he possesses.  Sure he can over throw a missile down field but then he also launches missiles when attempting screen passes.  When I re-watched Saturday's game ( I know I'm a glutton for punishment) I again noticed the mechanics of a Bridge throw.  It's awkward, he releases and there's no follow through.  I wonder if this is something that is being worked on with his Quarterback Coach?  Now, if you are a receiver how do you catch balls throw in this fashion?  They more often than not go through the hands and hit you in the chest with great force.  We often say things like "the receiver should have had that" but are they actually catch-able balls?  So I've thought long and hard (about 2 hours worth of driving) that the coaches are trying to teach him how to adjust his throwing pressure.  They are only giving him plays in which he can succeed.  He will keep getting these plays until he learns them.  I'm sure it's a similar situation for Watford however this is his first year in the CFL and less would be expected from him whereas Bridge has been in the league 4 seasons now.  

On this same subject, I was trying to relate the situation to something in my own life.  I am a piano teacher of students aged 4 - 84.  Every student walks in wanting to play Fur Elise by Beethoven.  It's not going to happen at least for 3 years.  I have to teach and instruct in layers of knowledge and give songs and pieces which gets them to the next level so eventually they can play the things they want.  When they don't accomplish the skill, they get asked to do it over and over again until they can prove to me they know it.  This also describes the Roughriders offense.  They can't play Moonlight Sonata yet because they haven't learned how to perform Alouette, Gentille Alouette.

We're an hour away from home and now I'm thinking about the O Line and Quarterback combined.  The play is off...you're trying to make the read...your O Line is collapsing...dump the ball off.  Ball security is of number one priority so the next play instead of throwing you're going to relieve some pressure and hand off to your running back.  Maybe you have to do that several times because things are just moving so fast your can't go through your progressions.  Do you run?  Do you force a play?  The crowd is booing the decisions.  It's gotten really messy really quickly.  You can't execute the plays because everything is moving so fast.  Some points you just have to run to try to make something happen.  It's not good.  Not good at all.  

We usually arrive home by 1am after a 7pm game.  It's exhausting and all my thoughts continue to roll around in my head all night long.  I know we are all frustrated with the production of the offense on the Saskatchewan Roughriders and I also know that the coaches are doing everything they can as well.  Rider fans are known for extreme emotions and often it's polarizing.  "Plan the parade" or "Fire Jones".  None of us are very rational during trying times but I personally try to be logical.  We did lose against the number one CFL team.  The Calgary Stampeders were indeed the best team in the league going into the game being 6 - 0 now 7 - 0.  What did we think was going to happen?  I actually thought the game was going to be far worse! If we take away the fumbles in the first quarter the Riders are right there competing for the win.  I know we can't change how that quarter played out but we can give the team total credit for not giving up.  The Riders did have momentum going into the second half and they kept chipping away at the deficit.  

Today, Zach Collaros was able to practice and whether he'll be playing in Thursday's game against the Edmonton Eskimos at Commonwealth Stadium is another question but these are mine...  Can our Offensive Line protect him?  Can Zach get time in the pocket?  Can they pass protect AND run block?  Can our offense execute plays competently enough to put us/the Riders in a position to win? 

The devastating news of the day was the release and criminal charges of Jerome Messam.  This is so upsetting, shocking and disappointing.  I'm not going to go into detail because the news can be found everywhere on the internet as well as the ABC Rider Fans Facebook page.  The Roughriders aren't commenting and that's fine with me.  With the charge being voyeurism I've decided I don't want to know further details.  

The bright spot for Monday was that the Riders signed streaker tackler Marcell Young, that Nick Marshall was practicing and that Duron Carter was back on offense.  We will all have to tune in to the game on Thursday to see how these changes shake out.  This will be the Riders 4th Thursday night game for those keeping track.  Edmonton is often a difficult city for our Riders to play in.  I'm hoping for a competitive game.

As always, and in spite of everything - Go Riders.

~ Friday Football Five ~

The Saskatchewan Roughriders came out victorious after a back to back series against the Hamilton TigerCats.  Wahoo! 3-2!  Here's how I see things:

1.  The turning point of the game was when Brendan LaBatte was injured and returned to the game to gut it out in the trenches.  What tremendous character, athleticism and leadership all wrapped up in one guy nicknamed Blue.  I believe this one thing is what pulled the team together.  At the same time, I don't want to hear about why the Riders only back up was Eddie Steele.  Eddie Steele himself must be amazing to be able to play both ways even if it was only a short time. Sure there are depth problems on the offensive line but this one single storyline was the difference.

2.  I am so exhausted of hearing about the so called quarterback carousel. We heard it from Glen Suitor and we hear it from all the sports media/pundits who by the way all counted us out in this game.  The bottom line here is that one guy, whether it was Branden Bridge or David Watford, had to make a move to step forward and show that he wanted that spot.  The reward?  You play well and you get more playing time.  You falter and out you come from the game.  That seems pretty motivational to me.  Not only that, but we also saw these two quarterbacks come together to help each other out.  It wasn't that Chris Jones finally heard everyone complaining...no, it was that Air Canada was doing the right things and earned the time.  You can pat yourselves on the back if you want for thinking Chris Jones finally saw the light but you will be very wrong because he doesn't care what you think and he doesn't care what I think.  That's how a 4 Grey Cup winning coach operates and I applaud that.

3.  The play calling is boring.  Is it?  The whole first half was a set up for what was going to happen in the second half.  It became apparent to me in the end of the second quarter when the Riders kept running the ball and even instead of taking a knee on the last play, they ran once more.  This whole scheme was to set up for the second half of the game when the Ticats were keying on the run and we were able to take to the air.  The short throws from side to side are also to set up the run game.  Football is like a chess game.  If this one thing works then the next thing can work.  Instead of calling out the offensive coach let's take a step back and think about these things. Play calling is one thing and execution of the play is another.  In the game last night the Riders executed.

4.  Torches and pitch forks.  After the game when I took a cruise through the various fan pages I was surprised to see Ticats fans very upset with their team and coach.  It's surprising to see people wanting Johnny Manziel in the game.  Why?  For a few weeks those of us in the west have viewed Masoli as the hottest quarterback in the league...that was until he played the Riders.  What has Manziel proved?  These same fans are the people who also didn't like what the Riders were doing with our quarterbacks.  What do you want?  Do you want the next guy when the starter isn't doing what you want?  Do you want a guy to find a rhythm?  You can't have it both ways.  Be happy with what you do have.  Ultimately, I think Hamilton's downfall was that they game planned for the team they played two weeks ago and not the refreshed and tuned in team that was coming in.  That would explain why they tried a trick play...and, well, we know how that went for them.

5.  Funny - no one is talking about Duron Carter this week.  You remember him right?  Bo Levi Mitchell's favourite receiver?  Next week the Stampeders roll into Mosaic Stadium.  They are without doubt the best team in the league right now.  Bo Levi had a leg injury in Week 5 but has been named starter in their tilt against the Montreal Alouettes.  Will Carter get a chance to pick him off again?  We'll all have to wait to see!  I'll be in my seat in section 126 as usual.  

Thanks for reading as always.  Don't forget to look for my Power "Groupings" at the end of each week and join us on ABC Rider Fans to continue the conversation!

You Lose Some & You Win Some

The Saskatchewan Roughriders lost in tragic fashion to the worst team in the league only 6 days ago and everyone...even you Rider Nation...gave up.  All the so called CFL specialists figured there's no way this team can show up and beat the hottest team in the league aka the Hamilton TigerCats.  Except that's just what the Riders did.  They lost the game they should have won and won the game everyone figured they should have lost.  That's exactly what happens on any given week in the CFL and that's exactly how Week 4 turned out for our Saskatchewan Roughriders.

I woke up Thursday morning with a good feeling in my heart.  We were going to win this one.  I'm not a fortune teller or some sort of medium but I knew it was going to be a beautiful Thursday night of football from the best stadium in the country.  No it wasn't a sell out but when so many members of Rider Nation travels into Regina from afar for each game and given their sad performance less than a week earlier it's no surprise that just over 30,000 people were in attendance.  In my opinion, it's the fans who made the biggest difference in this game.  Just as the team came out flatter than a crepe against the Alouettes so did the fans.  There was nothing happening in the stands.  No dancing.  No cheering.  Zip.  In contrast, the Thursday night game lit a spark under the fans and people were on their feet and cheering and yelling and making noise with whatever means available.  Just like in theater the actors feed off the audiences reaction so it is in football as we saw late in the game with under 4 minutes to go members of the Roughriders standing on the benches encouraging Rider fans to be even louder.  Poor old Taylor Field would have crumbled under the vibrations.  It was incredible.

Two pundits were sitting directly behind me.  I had to hear their commentary all game long.  This was a such and such play.  That play was called this.  That guy was open.  Yaddah yaddah yaddah. The one guy didn't even know that Thigpen was on our team!  "When was he signed?"  I sat there biting my tongue when the one guy said Watford threw 4 interceptions last game.  THESE are the people who phone in to the post game shows and criticize our coaches and players for things they don't comprehend.  There's no point in conversing with them or telling them otherwise so instead I endured their lack of insight all game long.  Oh, and they didn't cheer once.  So there's also that.

O Line during warmups.

For a long time now I've said with a poor offensive line ( and offensive they are!) it's not going to matter who the quarterback is because they'll have to run for their life almost every play.  This is the number one problem with our offence in my opinion.  For whatever reason, maybe size or strength, they can't hold their own and back peddle almost every play.  Can they run block? Can they pass protect?  Are they just old and slow?  Was the release of Travis Bond a mistake?  Was there more to that story than we know? How about the development and constant injury of Josiah St John? Let's hope over this bye week there is some serious reflection and correction going on to help our quarterbacks out.

Now all that being said about our O Line what quarterback do you play?  We barely got to know Zach Collaros before his concussion injury sidelined him.  Brandon Bridge is the next guy up.  You'd think after spending 4 years in the CFL he'd have a good handle on what's required of him and starting a game.  I remember thinking last season how Bridge would look great when entering a game in relief of a pulled Kevin Glenn but when he started he was less than stellar.  Throw in an offensive line that can't protect him or any QB, poor decision making, lack of timing and you've got a guy who has to run for his life and turtle on the ground faster than Tino Sunseri can say uncle. This is why, in my opinion, we saw the use of Watford who is a rookie in the league in his first year with the Roughriders.  He looks sure of himself in the huddle, is able to move the pocket, and scramble when he needs to.  Neither quarterback threw an interception and protecting the ball was paramount. This was a huge mistake that was corrected over Week 3.  Messam was used with Bridge to pound the ball and Thigpen and Mason was used with Watford or we saw a mixture.  Instead of trying to use the tandem to confuse Hamilton's defence, I think it was used to force our O Line to protect no matter who was in the game. I think there's a lot of nonsense going around about leadership, but I'm looking for the leadership from the hoggies up front and not the guy who is forced to run for his life because of their play.  There seemed to be no rhyme or reason for which QB was in the game at any given time but that's fine with me.  I'm not the coach and I don't know what is supposed to be happening.  Just because we don't understand it doesn't mean it isn't the right thing to do.  Only Chris Jones knows these details for sure.

Cue the fire Jones brigade. Some people have never liked Chris Jones and nothing I say, or anyone says, will make a difference.  But hear this.....  Chris Jones is General Manager, Vice President of Football Operations, Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator.  Chris Jones is FOUR people.  You fire him and then what?  Not only do you have to find someone to replace him but you need to replace those four other salaries as well.  Who do you get at this point in the season?  Are you prepared to pay out his salary?  Are you prepared to have a coach strip the team down and embark on another three year rebuild?  Next up, people are criticizing John Murphy for not being able to find the right talent.  Where does it end?  We won on Thursday!  We won!   Shouldn't we all be happy with that?

Apparently not because next on the bash list is Duron Carter who should be commended for his disciplined play on Thursday night.  He didn't take one penalty.  He did whatever was asked of him.  At one point he was in the secondary and in the next play was in the offence.  How many players can do that?  In the pregame he was signing autographs and this morning (Friday) answering questions over breakfast on Instagram.  The CFL likes nothing more than to pin the villain tag on a player but they are barking up the wrong turd and tree here.  If they want to pin that on someone we have to look no farther than Kyries Hebert who has a history of playing dirty and got a one game suspension for doing as much although we all know one game was not nearly enough.  I saw Duron develop in this game.  His play was entirely improved over week 3 and we saw his team mates helping him out to do it.  To all of you who think DC needs to be on offence...with the way our offence is playing do you really think Carter would be getting the ball anyway?  Let's use his incredible athletic talents in any way we can until Nick Marshall is able to return or we find a suitable replacement.  I remain, if this was just a DB in there making DB mistakes no one would care - but you do because it's Duron Carter.

The scene from my seats July 5th.

The last thing I want to discuss is how the CFL and TSN are knocking these Thursday night game broadcasts out of the park!  The crowd was electric.  People were dancing.  The music by Tim Hicks was great although personally I enjoyed the Hunter Brothers from Saturday's game slightly more but it was good nonetheless.  Kudos to the TSN crew for putting this all together and Brodie Lawson for hosting the festivities.  Let's keep doing this if not more - to attract everyone young and old out to these terrific games!

So bye week, eh..... enjoy the summer, head to the lake, spend some time with family or friends and lets all get back here to cheer our Saskatchewan Roughriders on in the rematch in Hamilton in Week 6.

GO RIDERS!