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Tonight the Riders are in
Edmonton to face the 7-1 Eskimos. The Esks are looking to rebound from their
first loss of the season. The Riders are looking to prove that the BC game was
not an aberration and they can actually contend with the big boys in the West.
Doing that will require overcoming a bad habit they have developed this season…
playing like embarrassing piles of garbage on the road.
At home we average a whopping
39 points per game. On the road we average a miniscule 13.7 including failing
to score any points whatsoever in the first quarter and scoring a total of 10
first half points in 3 road games. We seem to particularly go to hell in the
trenches on the road. In our last 2 road games we have given up a total of 343
rushing yards defensively and 7 sacks offensively. Whatever the pregame rituals have been on the
road (likely taking in the local nightlife) have been, they need to change.
Edmonton reminds me a lot
of the 2008 Roughriders with their hot start despite an insane amount of
injuries. The big difference is that they still have a franchise QB while we
were reduced to relying on Michael Bishop. The Esks have shown tremendous depth
to thrive despite an injury to pretty much every player not named Reilly. The
bad news for us is that they seem to be getting healthy now as the likes of Zylstra
and Sewell will return.
Defensively this game is
all about containing Reilly… good luck with that. He leads the league’s top
passing attack and is a leading candidate thus far for MOP. He is as talented
on the field as his choice in hats is poor off the field. Any chance of
disrupting him starts up front. If we can’t get pressure on him then we might
as well just piggy back their receivers into the endzone. Our secondary needs
to step up even more so this week as they won’t have the benefit of the QB
launching errant throws all over the field like Jennings did. Get pressure,
avoid giving up the big pass plays (which Edmonton thrives on) and try and
force more FGs than TDs. Even if we play solid defense (which is no guarantee)
I don’t see us keeping the Esks under 25 points.
Defensively the Esks are
anchored by the best front 4 in the CFL. Not only do they look to be getting
Sewell back for this game (one of the top DTs in the game). They also are the
beneficiaries of the Ti-Cats sucktitude and add John Chick. Given how well we
play on the road, the prospect of facing a Chick-Sewell-Cummings-Willis front 4
is downright scary (***edit*** seems Cummings is out but it’s still an
intimidating front 4). Our O-line has to step up. Our OC also needs to step and
bring a game play designed to slow down that rush. Glenn needs to be rolling,
using swing passes and most importantly handing the damn ball off! The Esks can
be rushed on. They have the 3rd worst run defense and allow a League
worst 5.6 yds/carry. We also can’t be afraid to test that secondary early.
Let’s make Roosevelt and Carter earn their salary and take shots. Most
importantly we need to actually start playing at kickoff. Another slow road
start will kill us in this game. We need points and we need them early. I think
30 points minimum is what we are going to need to win.
A couple other random
notes, our cover teams (which have been really good thus far) will have a big
test trying to contain Chris Edwards. He has quietly established himself as one
of the top returners so far. Discipline could also play a role in the game. We
are relatively well disciplined; the Esks are about as disciplined as their
head coach.
My thoughts on our chances
of this game have been all over the map. A few weeks into the season I would
have put our odds of victory in this one on par with Hamilton’s win total. Last
week, the prospect of playing them without a lot of their big name players gave
me a fair bit of hope. Then John Chick showed up and dashed that (stupid
Ti-Cats!). Where I have settled is that I am in “prove it” mode. For all the
excitement following the BC win I feel the need to remind you that we are an
atrocious road team playing the hottest QB in the league. Sometimes it’s better
not to over-complicate things.
I do expect us to actually
play some competent road football and make this a competitive game. I also
promise that if we do somehow win, it will allay much of the skepticism I have
about our chances this season. But until they prove otherwise…
Esks by 10
3 comments:
Would it be fair to say that these next 3 games may be the biggest of Jones tenure. 1.5 years into the rebuild and we have yet to see a stretch of 2 or more competitive games. Agree that our D needs to dial up the pressure, lets take a chance or two with safety blitzes !!. Offensively lets attack and not be passive and timid !!!
D in YEG
Hopefully being in Edmonton means distracting night life won't be an issue, since the worst thing that could happen is getting into a dust-up with a drunken bride and groom. Only in Edmonton!
Wish granted. We didn't suck!
Super excited for head to head against the Bombers. Really hope they can keep rolling.
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