Riders vs. Stampeders: Will We Score?

The Riders have found a unique way to make sure fans keep watching there games. Normally a struggling team who has zero chance of making the playoffs would be an easy game to skip. But I will be glued to the TV tomorrow night. Not because I think it will be a good game and not because I particularly care about the outcome. No I will be watching on the off chance I get to witness an endangered species… the elusive Rider TD.

Even last game I found myself delaying my trips to the bathroom/concession whenever we had the ball. I didn’t actually think we were going to score a TD but I just couldn’t live with myself if by some fluky miracle we did score and I missed it. That would be like camping out for weeks to see the Loch Ness Monster and falling asleep when it swims by.

This will be the 4^th time this year we play the Stamps and we have lost the first 3 by a combined score of 107-56… and that was when we supposedly “cared”.

The main storyline of this game revolves around QBs, more specifically Calgary’s smart decision to start their back-up and our idiotic decision to not do the same.

Let’s start with Calgary (since that one entertains me). Henry Burris has a long a storied history of collapsing at inopportune times… generally in the playoffs when playing thee Riders. This time however, he has outdone himself. He has played like garbage over the past few games and has managed to do something he’s yet to do in Calgary… lose his starting job. Coming into the season I considered Drew Tate to be the best back-up QB in the league (granted his “competition” included Jarious Jackson, Dalton Bell, Kerry Joseph and Ryan “I Suck So Bad They’d Rather Play a Cripple Than Me” Dinwiddie but still). He outplayed Burris and gives them the best chance to win plain and simple. All Burris can do now is hope Tate chokes and try and figure out how this latest development can be blamed on Rider fans.

While, Calgary’s QB situation makes me laugh… our QB situation makes me ram my head against a wall repeatedly.  In yet another sign that he may have become completely senile, Coach Miller has decided to start Durant broken foot and all despite the fact that this game is  meaningless. He claims it is needed to help Durant’s development.  So what Durant is lacking to be an elite QB is apparently experience playing on broken foot while throwing to receivers who no longer care.  The genius of Miller strikes again. I really wonder if there aren’t some performance incentives in contracts that Durant and other vets are trying to hit with some help from Miller. I just hope for Durant’s sake there are no incentives for TDs in his contract.

I’d like to think we will see some extended playing times for up and comers like Freddie Barnes (who I’m excited to see play), Chris Graham (for god’s sake play him!), and Neufield/Krausnick-Groh (unless we think our ancient O-line will be like a wine and get better with age). Sadly I expect none of this the way Miller is going. He will play the new guys sparingly, if at all and will let our vets go out and lose and give it the old college try (i.e. playing with great effort but sucking in the process).

At least when we played Dinwiddie, I had something I could laugh about and take enjoyment in. Now the only thing I’ll have to look forward too is the shots of Henry pouting on the bench.

Cornish will run all over us and unless Jerrell Freeman somehow gets his hands on the ball we will not score a TD. 

Patience my friends... each embarrassing loss brings us closer to the major changes over the offseason that we require.