My aluminum pole is ready, I am all
stretched and ready for the feats of strength but first its time for the best
part of Festivus… the airing of grievances. As it has been said many times over
the years, “I got a lotta
problems with you people, and now you're going to hear about it!”. This mostly
CFL related grievances but some of my own petty annoyances are sprinkled in the
there as well.
-The fact that despite a history of fines for illegal
hits so long it now needsa second page, the league has yet to see fit to suspend Micah Awe continues to flabbergast and
enrage me. Based on tangible evidence he is the most dangerous player in the
CFL and no one seems to care.
-Nelson Lokombo…. That's the grievance.
-CFL Command Centre actually intervened to overturn the
result of a game that had finished… still find that hard to fathom.
-The Riders proudly announced the return of $5 pre-game
beer only to drastically reduce where and for how long you can get it.
-Speaking of the Riders if you look up the exact same
merchandise on opposing team websites you will find that the Riders charge way
more than other teams. I’m sure they only gouge out of love.
-People who spend a long time in line at a coffee or
fast food place only to get to the front of the line and have no clue what they
are going to order. We need a coffee shop equivalent of the Soup Nazi. “Large,
coffee, black”… any more words than that and “No coffee for you!”
-If you wait in line for a free sample at Costco,
blocking the aisles in the process, know that I hate you and wish ill upon you
and your family.
-How painfully slow the process of ordering a drink at
the Rider games is. I’m paying a week’s wages for this drink the least you
could do is not also take a week to get it to me.
-Tied to that is my repeated call to bring back the
beer tokens and 4 drink options. This isn’t a high class affair. Beer, pink
drink, rye or rum. If you want a drink badly enough one of those will do.
-The wave on offense. Pretty good year for that overall
but I know it lies lurking in the shadows just waiting to jump out and annoy me
at any time.
-Video replays or penalty calls that take forever.
There needs to be a time limit. If you can’t figure it out quickly then obviously
it wasn’t clear and obvious, move on.
-How little effort the Riders put into theme games or
halftime shows. Can’t wait for Agriculture Appreciation night featuring some
band you have never heard off.
I hope everyone has a Happy Festivus. I also hope everyone has a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Kwazy Kwanza, a tip-top Tet and a solemn, dignified Ramadan.
With the signing of Trevor Harris
our offense is starting to take shape. With that in mind let’s take a look at
the offense as we head into free agency.
Who’s Signed
Trevor Harris, AJ Oulette, Kian
Schaefer-Baker, Keeshean Johnson, Ajou Ajou, Sam Emilus, Dhonte Myers, Shawn
Bane, Jemarcus Hardrick, Jacob Brammer, Trevor Reid, Zack Fry, Logan Ferland
Who’s Not Signed
Shea Patterson, Ryquell Armstead,
Mitch Picton, Jerreth Sterns, Trevon Tate, Ryan Sceviour, Peter Godber, Philip
Blake
What Looks Good
At This Point
We could build a decent starting
offense with what we already have locked up. There will be lots of continuity
heading into year 2 of Mace/Mueller. With Reid and Brammer we have 2 young quality
import lineman (something we haven’t had in years). Depth at Canadian WR is strong
with Baker, Emilus, Duncan-Busby and Ajou. We also have lots of guys who became
first time starters in 2023 and held their own. Could see some real growth in
them in year 2. Guys like: Johnson, Myers, Ajou, Duncan-Busby, Reid, Brammer
and Fry.
What Still Needs
Work
When I look at our pending offensive
FAs one name jumps out… Peter Godber. Yes we survived without him but if we
want to thrive he is a key piece to solidify that line. Depth at Canadian OL is
also next to non-existent at this point.
We also need a back-up QB. The
organization is very high on Jack Coan. I’m honestly 50/50 on whether they
bring Patterson back. But regardless there needs to be a legit competition
behind Harris come May.
The big news in Riderville this
week was also the leats surprising news. Trevor Harris was signed to a one year
extension. If you were surprised by this move you either haven’t been paying
attention or have been willfully deluding yourself. Given Harris’ age, for him,
any extension that doesn’t require the assistance of pharmaceuticals is a win.
There are a number of reasons why
this happened (listed in order of importance):
1 – Trevor
Harris Is Good
When healthy he was damn good in 2024.
Obviously the first 2 words of that line impose a massive caveat but Harris
threw 3200 yards and 20 TDs (compared to just 9 INTs) in 12 games. Over an 18
game season that would be 4800 yards and 30 TDs. He started in 7 of our 9 wins.
He proved he is still a starting caliber QB.
2 – Stability
and Consistency
2024 was a season of change.
Purging all the stench of failure from the Dickenson era. New offensive
philosophy. New defensive philosophy. New leadership amongst the players. It
worked. We improved from a team that could not find the playoffs even if someone
hid them in a bowling alley to hosting and winning a home playoff game and
finishing as a top 4 team. The changes worked. We want to continue to build on
that foundation not seek our more massive changes. A new QB is a massive change
that has potential to disrupt our upward momentum.
3 – Leadership
Harris is a true professional and
an unquestioned leader in that locker room. He sets a high standard on and off
the field. He embodies what Coach Mace wants to see in this team. Leaders like
Harris help set the culture for the team and while intangible its important to
winning franchises.
4 – What else
were they going to do?
Adams was off the market. Despite
everyone’s pipe dreams Tre Ford was never leaving Edmonton. That left Harris as
far and away the best free agent QB on the market. The only other starting
options were old man Bethel-Thompson (swapping one old man for a worse old man
makes no sense) and Maier (back-up maybe, starter, please no).
There is also Cody Fajardo but that would require a trade with
Montreal and is not guaranteed. The irony of a fan base that was all to happy
to see Fajardo go 2 years ago pinning for him to return is not lost on me. Also,
if we want to knock of Harris’ durability consider that Fajardo played just one
more game in 2024.
I fully support keeping Harris.
With two conditions: 1 – I am assuming his contract has a lower base salary and
is more incentive based. If he can play 18 games then he deserves to be paid
like a top 3 QB… but given that he hasn’t played 18 games in a season since
2015, it’s a pretty big risk to assume that will happen and pay him big
guarantees. 2 – we need a quality back-up. At a minimum I expect whoever is #2
to start 2 games in 2025, maybe more.I
still believe that Patterson has more upside (how quick we are to forget how
banged up we were during his starts and how many beautifully thrown balls our
receivers ineptly dropped for him). But his progression is slow enough that you
may want to look at other options.
In other Rider news…
LB Coach JC Sherritt is headed back
to Edmonton to be the DC. Sucks to lose a talented coach but that’s the price
you pay for employing quality people. No one was lining up to poach the likes
of Kelly Jeffrey… is that the quality of staff you want instead?
Last but not least DL Charbel
Dabire also signed an extension. This signing will not get a ton of hype but it
should. I have been on the Charbel Dabire hype train since his rookie season.
He is a quality Canadian player that can make an impact along the D-line when
called upon. He had 2 sacks in 4 games in 2024 before succumbing to injury.
Happy to have him continue his career in Saskatchewan.
It’s
the season of holidays and tradition. American Thanksgiving, Christmas, the Grey
Cup ending in Bomber tears and the Rider Prophet Award. Unlike other family
traditions this one has no risk of awkward political conversations, drunk
uncles or high credit card bills.
Every
year we end the CFL season by honouring all things that I unilaterally deem
noteworthy. This year’s award winners will receive an interception delivered by
Zach Collaros (I know, it seems everyone has one of those but in this economy its
all I can afford).
Let’s
get to the awards.
Best Player Name
I
debated long and hard about this one but in the end there really was no other option.
A younger, less mature (relatively speaking) Prophet would have awarded this
name out of principle. But the older more mature (relatively speaking) Prophet is
awarding this namenot because I think
there is anything inherently funny about the name but because of how nervous the prospect
of him making the active roster and how possible a career ending Freudian-slip happening to
an announcer was. The winner… Diego Fagot.
Referee
Ben Major has always been a beloved CFL figure. Solid at his job, tough as they
come, all around good guy. Well this year he added one the of the CFL’s most quotable
figures to his resume.
At
a game in BC Place a punt hit the jumbotron. Major proceeded to make the call
of the year. “The kick hit the scoreboard…which is pretty odd. We’re going to
redo everything.” . That alone wins him the award. But then it happened again later in the season and the camera panned to Major with great anticipation for his call… he just
laughed and said “The kick hit the scoreboard… again”.
Previous Winners: Craig Dickenson x2, Tom
Velessi,Cody Fajardo, Dave Dickenson,Kavis
Reed/Jacques Chapdelaine, Greg Quick,Solomon Elimimian, Ed Hervey,
Joe Mack, Henry Burris, Eddie Johnson, Jason Clermont, Mike Abou-Mechrek x2
Play of the Year
Ben
Major is so good at life he’s going to become a double award winner and the
first non-football play to win this award.
The
Grey Cup is the biggest sporting event in Canada. It usually starts with a very
routine coin toss. But this time around Major handed the coin to the tosser
before actually getting the call from the players and had to abort the coin
toss mid toss and try again. In true Ben Major fashion, he handled it like a
pro.
Botched Call of the Year
As
much as we like to rag on them, the CFL refs do a damn good job of a very
difficult task most of the time. All the controversy that erupted this year over
the CFL Command Centre, just makes me more and more of the opinion that we just
leave things to the refs actually on the field. They may not be perfect but
honestly despite all their human limitations they are more consistent (and
correct) usually than the Command Centre.
That
brings us to the botched call of the year. It will come as no surprise to Rider
fans that the Ottawa game that was over before the Command Centre inexplicably
decided they needed to intervene to assess a penalty that never should have
been assessed (just ask the onfield refs that got it right). It’s kinds like when
you think you should do home plumbing renos by yourself. You shouldn’t be in that situation.
You are probably going to screw it up and everyone will be worse for your efforts….
That the 2024 Command Centre.
Most Insulted Sports Figure
Going
to cut right to the chase and add one more insult to the year’s tally… Nelson
Lokombo sucks. The only things he excelled at were arriving late to a play,
leaving the middle wide open, and managing to have the least impact of anyone I’ve
seen despite being a fulltime starter. I spent the season airing my grievances
and will continue to do so should he be back as starting safety in 2025.
Previous Winners: Craig Dickenson, Riders O-line, Riders Offensive Tackles,
John Ryan, Brandon Bridge, Steve McAdoo, The Riders Secondary, Any Rider QB not
named Durant, Pat Neufeld, Chris Getzlaf, Ryan Dinwiddie, Jim Daley, Michael
Bishop x 2, Marcel Bellefeuille
Fans’ Choice Douchebag of the Year
This
is one of my favourite annual traditions on this blog. First of all an award
for being a douchebag is just such a great concept. Second, I love that it’s
100% voted on by the fans. This season with a strong 60% majority, your Douchebag
of the Year is Chad Kelly. To be suspended at all in the CFL means you done
real bad (that or you did something marginal but you’re a Rider and there were
too much online outrage for the CFL to ignore, but I digress). Kelly earned himself
a 9 game suspension and lawsuit because he was a uber douchebag towards a
female member of the Als’ staff. I still don’t know how the front office
(Pinball, John Murphy etc…) that knew about the bad behaviour and actively threw
their support behind the perpetrator as opposed to the victim have avoided any
kind of consequence but Kelly is definitely a douche and worthy of the honour
you have bestowed on him.
Previous Winners: Craig Reynolds/Jeremy O’Day/Craig Dickenson Garett
Marino, Andrew
Harris, Simoni Lawrence, Jason Maas x2, Cory Chamblin, Chris Jones, Jon Cornish
x2, Henry Burris, Dwight Anderson, Mike Kelly, Jason Jimenez, Rob Murphy
I am currently laying on a beach in Mexico, most likely with a drink in my hand. That or I'm chasing the lizard that made off with my wallet. Either way I am on vacation and my sentimonies and Rider Prophet Awards will return next week.
Next week we will award the 16th Annual Rider Prophet
Awards. The cornerstone of those awards is the Fans’ Choice Douchebag of the
Year. The annual opportunity for you the fans to cast your vote and recognize
outstanding achievements in the field of Douchebaggery.
Cast your vote on Twitter @RiderProphet. I also accept write in votes in
the Comments below:
Here are this year’s nominees:
Chad Kelly – There is almost nothing (short of
murder) that gets a suspension of more than 2 games. Chad Kelly blew by that
marker with his overly inappropriate conduct towards a female member of the
training staff.
John Murphy – I maintain that as bad as Kelly’s conduct
was, its just as bad that the front office knew about the concerns of the
female staff member and not only did nothing but essentially told her to not
create trouble. John Murphy is no stranger to douchy behaviour so should we
expect anything more?
CFL Command Centre – You know things are bad when the
League office has to publicly comment on the state of things. While I could
point to many reasons for the this nomination, I think we can all agree that if
I just mention the end of the Ottawa game that people’s boil will instantly boil.
Miles Brown – I include Brown in an effort to be
inclusive and neutral. I personally don’t have any issue with him but he did
injure 3 QBs in a matter of just over a month. I am guessing there are some people
he won’t be getting Christmas cards from.
Don’t
get me wrong, I would much rather have the season end with the Riders celebrating
a Grey Cup… but get to watch Winnipeg choke has gotta be the second best ending
to a season there is. Every, damn, year. And it never gets old.
To
me this one is even sweeter. Unlike previous years where it was a close game
down the final seconds and a blocked kick or a late TD were the difference, the
Bombers just got embarrassed in this one… by Nick Arbuckle. That’s gotta hurt.
A
few random thoughts on the game:
-Ben
Majors having to stop the coin toss because no one had called heads or tails
yet was a delightful way to start the evening.
-In
the end Winnipeg was done in by the same thing that plagued them all season…
terrible offense. The only thing the Bombers seemed to avoid more than the
endzone was Grey Cup wins. Even before lacerating his finger Collaros hadn’t
done anything.
-Collaros’
pre game F-bomb filled speech featured him saying “leave no f’n doubt”. In the
last 3 Grey Cups Collaros has 0 TDs and 6 INTs. I guess he lived up to his word
and left no doubt that he chokes in championship.
-I
knew coming in that Toronto’s D would have the advantage over the Bombers O.
But the Bombers had a legit good defense and other than Willie Jefferson
lighting it up, they generally got outplayed by Nick Arbuckle. That was a surprise.
-In
the wake of the laughter being directed at the Bombers some butt hurt Bomber
fans defaulted to the tired old comeback of “4 Cups in 100 years”… well be that
as it may here’s a stat for my friends in blue and gold: In the last 30 years
the Bombers have the same number of Cups as the Riders. In the last 20 years,
the Bombers have the same number of Cups as the Riders.
-In terms
of regular season success, the last 5 years by the Bombers have been phenomenal
no doubt about it. But in the last 3 years they have as many Cups as the Las
Vegas Posse. That’s not really reason for bragging.
-Despite
being about 30 years older and the wrong gender than the target audience, I thought
the Jonas Bothers were OK at halftime.
-I
am almost offended that Dinwiddie won despite making so many obvious coaching
errors. He should have gone for the TD from the 1 rather than taking the FG. He
should have gone for 2 after the Brisset TD to make it a two score game.
-Mike
O’Shea should have been kicked in the crotch for challenging in garbage time.
That
brings an end to another CFL season. But don’t go anywhere, wehave coverage to get you through the entire
offseason, starting with the Rider Prophet Awards (voting kicks off tomorrow).
My
sentimonies today are going to be split into two distinct sections. One will be
my sentimonies on the game. The other will be my sentimonies on the season. They
are very different view points with very different levels of rage.
On
the game…
What
an absolute utter embarrassment. Just pure shit. No one on that team showed up
ready. We were outcoached, outplayed, outworked. Every single person in that locker
room from the coaches to the players should be embarrassed about that effort with
a chance at the Grey Cup on the line. I won’t go into detail but here are a
smattering of the thoughts that were running through my head as my swearing at
the TV slowly turned to silent head shaking:
-There
was overt holding on the first Winnipeg TD drive. Suitor even managed to
inadvertently circle the infraction on the replay. Unreal that it was not called.
-I
also thought that Baker made that catch. Yes the ball touched the ground but he
had full control at all times.
-That said, reffing impacted the outcome of the game about as much as the moon cycle and
the temperature in Fiji did.
-We
had one solitary effective offensive play… Baker on a hook over the middle. 95%
of our offense was just that exact play. Honestly not sure if Mueller had a second
page in his playbook.
-Trevor
Harris picked a hell of a game to suddenly suck. He was fixating on receivers, throwing
into double coverage, not finding open receivers. Not at all the Harris that got us to this point.
-Emilus
picked a hell of a game to regress to his midseason butter finger self.
-Thank
you to Korsak for giving us that one fleeting moment of joy.
-I’m
not sure where to start with the issues with our defense. Front 4 got zero
pressure and running a soft zone when the QB is not pressured just leads to the
easiest game of pitch and catch ever. We staunchly refused to change out approach even as the easiest TDs imaginable kept piling up.
-Secondary
compounded things by just not having a clue. Henderson sucks. Sayles had a rare
bad game. It is a slight against out recruiting and coaching if Lokombo is legitimately
the best option they could find at safety. He’s an adequate run stopper but is constantly
lost in pass coverage. Hardrick on crutches would be more effective out there.
-Mace’s
strategy was all over the place. I honestly did not hate the call to go for it
on 3rd on our own 24. It was desperation time. But then on the next
drive with less time on the clock and in better field position he punted. Make
up your mind, if you are going aggressive from the 24 you should be committed
to that the rest of the way.
That
was a pathetic way to end the season and I hope the memory of that loss fuels
all those players and coaches in their offseason work.
But
on the season…
As
much as that loss hurts (and essentially handing Winnipeg a Grey Cup win over Nick Arbuckle)
I have to consider this season a success and be appreciative to the whole team
for what they accomplished.
What
you saw on Saturday is what we were for 2 straight seasons. We couldn’t win
after Labour Day. We did not make the playoffs. We sucked. For a rookie Head Coach I was
realistically hoping for a 3rd place finish and first round playoff
exit (like Chamblin delivered in year 1). It may have been a very
unconventional way to get there but if you had told me at this time last year that
we’d have a home playoff game in 2024 and play in the West final I would have laughed
at you and done my best Jim Mora impression.
Mace
raised the bar and got us back to where we should be. His job is far from done
but he took some massive steps forward in 2024. He needs to improve if we want
to take another step in 2025. His assistant coaches need to improve. This
roster needs to be improved. But I give full credit to Mace. After 2 years of
just hating Rider football, we got a season with some actual reasons to cheer.
Saturday
sucked… but for once we have reason to believe that next season won’t.
It’s
the biggest football game for the Riders since 2021. The two top teams in the
West clash on Saturday. The winner gets a plane ticket to Vancouver and a shot
at the Grey Cup. The loser gets a plane ticket home and the boos and jeers of
opposing fans (and possibly their own).
Both
teams took very different paths to get here. The Bombers started off 2-6 before
turning things around and going 8-1 down the stretch on route to a very wind-aided
first place finish. The Riders started 5-2, took 2 months of and then finished
4-1 down the stretch. At various points of the season both teams looked destined
to miss the playoff completely, finish first place and everything in between.
For
all the momentum and confidence the Riders come into this game with, this will
not be easy. We don’t win in Winnipeg (I mean no one in Winnipeg can be
considered to be winning but I am talking literally). The last time the Riders
won in Winnipeg most of the people in 8th grade in the Manitoba school
system were still in 8th grade. I think this is the most beatable
the Bombers have been since 2018 but they are still a very good team and have
no intention of just handing us the game.
There
are a couple ways you could interpret the recent history between these 2 teams depending
on your biases. You could rightly argue that the Bombers beat the Riders the
last 2 times they played and pretty much anytime we play in Winnipeg. You could
also rightly argue that the Riders lost the last 2 games by a combined 7 points
and that includes a 5 point loss in Winnipeg when we were forced to start Zerr and
Jones at guard. The Bombers allow an average of 20.3 points per game (best in
the CFL), we have exceeded that twice. We are also the only team to hang 30 on
them in the back half of the season. While the Bombers are rightly favoured,
this is not as lopsided a match-up as it may have been in previous years.
The
Bombers' biggest strength is their defense. They are what has powered their turnaround.
They are as stingy as they come. Trevor Harris and the offense will have their
work cut out for them. I don’t think we need to overcomplicate the game plan
though. For as good as that defense is they are #6 against the run. We brought
AJ Ouelette in specifically for this, let’s make full use of him. Mix in some
Armstead but for all the talk of a dual threat rush attack this is the AJ show
with spot appearances by Armstead. We ran just 9 times in the Banjo Bowl loss.
That is almost criminal and can't be repeated. But we will have to pass, against the best pass D in
the CFL. We will have as good of an OL as we could hope for this time of year
(minus Reid) and Harris protects the ball better than anyone. We will likely have
to settle for more FGs than I would like but in this one, take the points. Best way to deal with a noisy crowd is to shut them up by scoring.
Defensively
we get to face the Most Okayest Player Nominee (4 TDs and playing on the 7th
ranked offense is not outstanding) and Zach “if you sneeze on me I will cry and
drop like I was shot” Collaros. Two things are true about this Winnipeg
offense. 1 – It sucks. 7th in points scored, 8th in
passing, 5th in sacks allowed. 2 – at any moment an offense featuring
Collaros, Olivera and Lawler could go off. In the words of Toby Keith “May not
be good as a I once was, but I’m as good once as I ever was”. The key comes in
shutting down Olivera and putting pressure on Collaros. I am not worried about Olivera
rushing. He doesn’t rush against us, no one does. But where he killed us was in
check downs and dump passes. We can’t allow easy completions and first downs to
him our LBs need to shut that down. We need our front 4 to get pressure. Collaros was sacked more than any QB
this season. Mostly we just need to stick true to what got us here. At our core
this defense exists to stop the run and force turnovers. That’s how we win Saturday.
If we can force turnovers we will win.
I
do think special team could play a role in this. Sergio Catillo missed 13 FGs
this season and was the least accurate kicker not named Bede (Bede being headed
for the unemployment line this offseason). I have faith in Lauther. I would be curious
how much fans Bombers faithful are putting in Sergio.
At
the start of this season I had this team on the Cory Chamblin (or Chamberlain
as he prefers to be called) arc. Season 1 is about stabilizing and getting back
to the playoffs but year 2 is where things really take off. But as this season
has progressed you can’t help but wonder if we are on the Kent Austin arc instead.
The
Riders have been very successful this fall when I pick them to lose so I am not
changing things now. But I will say that I am not just picking them in this
space out of superstition. As much as I hate to admit it, I do think the
Bombers win. We match up well but Winnipeg has been a house of horrors for us
(as it is for its residents). Until I see evidence to the contrary I will be prepping
myself to open the consolation rye as opposed to the celebratory rye. Game will
be a dramatic back and forth affair that will come down to the 4th
quarter but…
I
woke up this morning with a pounding head, a queasy stomach and no voice… turns
out I was a little excited about our playoff victory and celebrated very enthusiastically.
What
A Game!
The
Lions scored on their opening drive. A drive that should have ended on the
third play with an interception that we dropped and a drive where I swear there
was procedure on BC that got missed. But they scored and drew first blood. But
then Sean Whyte (the most accurate kicker in the regular season) doinked the
PAT. In retrospect that doink ended any momentum BC had because from that point
on we were the better team. They fought hard and stayed in the game but they
were chasing the whole time. We tied with game early in the second and never trailed
from that point on.
It
boiled down to mistakes and missed opportunities. They made a lot. We made very
few. Adams threw 3 INTs (more on that later). Harris had zero turnovers. Their kicker doinked 2 kicks. Ours made all
his. In the 4th quarter they settled for FGs, we scored TDs.
Trevor
Harris was the leader we hoped for when we brought him in last year. In our
most important game of the year, he rose to the occasion. Completed 79% of his
passes, did not turn the ball over, produced TDs rather than settled for FGs. Hell
I don’t recall many 2 and outs. We dominated time of possession and kept our
defense rested. Speaking of guys who delivered what we hoped for, this is why
we went out and got Ouelette. He’s a physical playoff performer. Emilus was
another guy who stepped up. Early in the season I was critical of him because
of his inconsistent hands (may have even compared him to Chris Getzlaf at one point) but
in the back half of the season and on Saturday he has been bringing his best consistently.
Lastly how awesome is it to be able to replace your left tackle mid game with your
centre (well your right guard who is currently playing center)? Ferland is developing
in a Gene Makowsky level talent.
The
calling card of a Corey Mace defense is stop the run and create turnovers. That’s
exactly what we got. The run game was a complete non-factor and we picked off
VA 3 times (and as previously mentioned should have had a 4th). The
pressure created by our front 4 definitely impacted VA and led him to some
questionable throws. I have no clue what he thought he saw on that first INT.
Unless he just forgot that Marcus Sayles no longer was on his team? That second
INT… do you know how bad you have to be to throw a pick to Lokombo? Its
actually unprecedented. No other QB in the CFL has done it… ever. Bout
time the safety made an impact. The last pick… well that’s just Milligan being
his usual outstanding self. In true Riders for we gave up over 300 yards
but in the second half when it mattered most, we allowed just 2 FGs and got turnovers
when it mattered most.
It
was a total team effort. Credit to Mace and his staff we looked well prepared.
Its also looking like Mace is growing as a head coach. He is making better game
management decisions. That 2 point convert made a huge difference in how the
end of the game played out.
It
was a great night and for those of us that suffered through the last 2 years it
was definitely something to be savoured. Honestly the only blemish on the night
was how awful that halftime Kiss cover band was. I don’t know if they normally sound that
awful or just did not properly warm up their voices for the cold weather but
they honestly would have been better off to just do karaoke in Pil Country. Quality would have been similar, entertainment value would have been better.
Other
random thoughts:
-I
need to know what’s going on with Lanier. Maybe he’s in Mace’s doghouse, maybe
he's not quite fully healthy but I really don’t understand leaving him off the
roster. For all the hype, having Armstead on the roster for 5 carries is not
effective use of an American spot.
-I
guarantee Lauther had the green light to dribble kick at some point but BC scouted
it well and covered it religiously.
-Was
it just me (and maybe a few ryes) or should BC not have had a lot more time
count violations?
Playoffs
are back on the prairies. And unlike the divisional nominees for MOP, this
should be anything but mediocre. We haven’t seen the playoffs since 2021… back
when we still though Dickenson was a good coach.
I
think this is a fitting match-up to open the West Division playoffs. In a year
of wild inconsistency, the semi final features two teams that have been hotter
than hot, and colder than a penguin’s tuxedo. (I legitimately googled “colder
than” and that’s the best that the interwebs came up with). At times both teams
have looked like world beaters and at times like they couldn’t beat their own…
err, manhood, if you paid them. The range of outcomes is anything from a
blowout to a nail biter and everything in between. My heart has had 2 seasons
to rest so it should be adequately prepared for the playoff stress levels.
The
Riders come into the came with a great problem to have. For once we are so healthy
that rather than trying to find 45 healthy bodies, we now have so many healthy
bodies we get to make hard choices about which ones won’t dress. As of writing
this the depth chart hasn’t been released but Godber, Sceviour, Armstead and
Straker are available. Be very interesting to see which ones will make the game
day roster. Also given, that our season ended with a bye and essentially a preseason
game, even our regular starters should be as rested and healthy as you can
expect in October.
Offensively,
its time for Trevor Harris to shine. He hasn’t seen the post season since 2022
with the Als. The good news is that he threw 362 yards in that game with no INTs.
The bad news, he only had 2 TD drives and they lost. I think he is poised to
shine. BC allows a league high 73.8% completion percentage to opposing QBs and
were 7th in takeaways. They are a great match-up for a patient QB
that can make quick reads and take what is given. The biggest challenge the
Lions pose defensively is their D-line. They were 2nd in the CFL in
sacks and have playmakers across that front. If we can control that (with the
healthiest O-line we’ve seen since June) then they are beatable. A strong
running attack is the way to help neutralize the pass rush. I know people are
clamouring to get Armstead on the roster but I don’t see how you can dress 2
American RBs and a dedicated returner. I expect this to be Ouelette show. He
was brought in to be a physical and emotional leader and I expect nothing less in this one.
We need to get him going. Call it a gut feel but Keesean Johnson strikes me as a
guy poised to find the endzone.
Defensively
we get Vernon Adams (at least to start). VA continues to be a bipolar player.
At his best he looks unbeatable. But as often as you see good VA, you also see
bad VA. A guy that you can understand being deemed not as good as Brandon
Bridge (if you’re new here, I am the further thing from a Bridge fan you can
find). The times you see VA struggle, its all about pressure. The good news
there is that BC has a terrible OL that allows more sacks than anyone and we
have a fully stocked DL with Carney and Lanier back. We need to not just win
the line of scrimmage but dominate. Adams likes to push the ball downfield, and
unless he chooses to throw exclusively in the direction of Milligan that could be a problem.
I mean unless you just avoid watching film completely, odds are you are game
planning ways to isolate Lokombo. The better the pass rush, the less pressure
on our secondary. I would mention the run game but Mace’s #1 priority is
stopping it and Stanback has 49 total rush yards over both games against the
Riders. Would not surprise me to see Rourke at some point if VA struggles. That
worries me. Not because if fear Rourke this season but we just tend to play well
against QBs we game plan for and bad against back-ups. I do expect our defense
to try and rip the ball out with all the enthusiasm of that Yankees fan.
Special
teams could play a role in this one. Both kickers are currently playing at a
top end level. BC does allow the 2nd most punt return yards. Be
great to see Alford make a game breaking play. Speaking of game breaking plays,
it would not surprise me one bit to see Mace call the Lauther onside dribble kick in
his playoff debut.
It
would be easy to be confident in this as 3 weeks ago BC came here in a must win
game and got embarrassed. Like this level of embarrassing…
But
while its certainly possible they come in and lay another egg, I expect a much more
competitive team. This is the playoffs. I expect drama and me trying to calm my
nerves with rye… which only fuels my rage (it’s a vicious circle).
BC
is 3-6 on the road. On paper, we are the better rounded team and should win.
Here’s where I get superstitious though. Last week I picked the Riders to win
and they laid an egg. The three time previous to that I picked them to lose,
they won. It may completely ruin any illusion that there is anything to my propheting
abilities but dammit if my pessimism fuels another Rider win then my reputation
be dammed. In the words of Moe Szyslak “I’ve done stuff I ain’t proud of. And
the stuff I am proud of is disgusting”. So for the greater good...
Ever
get the feeling that the football gods are against you? I mean, I’ve not sure I’ve
seen any clearer sign that they are not on our side than that gust of wind that
arose in perfect timing to snuff out Montreal’s punt and give Winnipeg the
chance to win that game. I have never seen anything like that.
That
gust of wind sucked any energy out of anyone in the province, both fans and
players. I honestly think that if Winnipeg had been pounding Montreal at half,
we would have played a lot better. We would have had the chance to mentally prepare.
But up until the wind gave us the metaphorical DX crotch chop, we all thought we
might be playing for 1st. I guarantee the players were living and dying
on the TSN feed like us fans were. To go from “holy crap we are playing for
first” to “this game is meaningless” in a matter of 10 seconds of game time had
to impact things. Should we have been more ready? Sure. Do I understand why we
played with all the enthusiasm of me when I went to work hungover in my 20s? Yes.
The
game was essentially a preseason game. We got some reps for our back-ups. We emerged
healthy, mission accomplished.
While
the regular season ended with a whimper I think we should take a minute to
appreciate our success. We are coming off 2 years of missing the playoffs. Realistically
I was hoping for 3rd place. How we got there is a bit ridiculous but
2nd place in a rookie head coach’s first year here is an accomplishment. Home
playoff games should be the standard (you know if you exclude the 80s, 90s and
most of the early 2000s) and that was met.
A
few individual accomplishments I would like to highlight:
-Trevor
freakin’ Harris. If you prorate his statsover a full 18 games season, Harris was on pace for 4800 yards and 30 TDs.
His completion % was second among starters. The old man did good.
-Speaking
of laudable old men… Micah freakin’ Johnson. He did not miss a game, even
had to fill in along the OL and notched 6 sacks (his most as a Rider).
-I know
Milligan rightly gets the hype but Canadian AJ Allen led the CFL in special
teams tackles and filled in admirably in spot duty on defense.
-Everything
to do with the OL from coaching to players it was a absolute joy to not bemoan
the peewee quality of our OL in a year where based on all the injuries we likely
should have expected to.
But
the job is only just beginning. The real season starts now all the aforementioned
stats and accomplishments won’t matter if we are one and done in the playoffs. Rest
your voices Rider Nation, we gotta be ready to bring it on Saturday.
Saturday
will either be the biggest regular season game in Saskatchewan many years… or a
meaningless game where everyone involved from the players to the refs to the
fans can’t wait for it to be over. There is no in between. Our fate rests in
the hands of our olds friends Jason Maas and Cody Fajardo, who we never said
anything bad about ever and always wished them nothing but the best.
The
overwhelming odds favour Winnipeg winning and rendering our game as useless as a
poopy flavoured lolly pop. But we could not have asked for a better set up
given the circumstances of Montreal not caring. The game is in Montreal (a
tough road place to play). Montreal has a bye next week so they will be playing
most of their starters at least for a bit so they don’t get rusty from too much
time off. Even their back-up QB is good enough to win games. The odds may be
low but they are far from zero. All aboard the Alouette bandwagon. Let’s all
hope for what the French call “le Fajardon”.
As
for our game, I will have largely the same outlook regardless of whether we
care or not. Calgary is not very good and the only thing between them and a merciful
end to their season is a cold road game. They are going to display all the care
and effort of a Marshawn Lynch press conference. If its for first place we
should stomp them mercilessly. If it’s a glorified preseason game, we should
still beat them. This is a Calgary team that did not win on the road at all
even when they were trying. They have not won since August… a sure sign that
Craig Dickenson has more influence than we expected.
Offensively
the surest path to victory is to run them into the ground. They don’t care and
don’t want to be there. How much effort do you think they will be putting in by
the 10th or 15th or 20th run of the day? They were
the worst run stopping team even when they were trying. I know Armstead deserves
a ton of credit for his 200 yard performance against them but an important factor
may have been that they just suck at run stopping. Running will suck what little life they have
out of them. Whether its Harris or Patterson quick passes should be there as
well. Calgary allows the most offensive yards. As long as we are patient and
don’t turn the ball over, the extended drives will be there.
Defensively,
I honestly don’t know what Calgary will be doing at QB. Schiltz is out and he’s
about the only guy who would give me mild concern. Tommy Stevens can only score
on 1 yard plunges that go for a million yards. Bonner was deemed worse than
Maier and Maier well he clearly knows he’s done in Calgary so how much is he
gonna try even if they do play him? Also, given how well him “trying” has gone
is that even an issue? The game plan fits Mace’s philosophy perfectly: stop the
run is priority 1, force them to throw and create turnovers.
I
could see this being a game where Alford finds the endzone. All it takes is one
guy to get lazy in his lanes on kick coverage.
We
obviously can’t bench everyone if Winnipeg ends up winning. I would expected
limited playing time for Harris. Guys like Lanier and Milligan likely rest. And
guys coming back from injury like Carney either don’t play or play on a very
limited basis. That said, I can see Milligan wanting to put an exclamation
point on his MOP resume and this is a game where he could put up some stats. One
INT, 2 knockdowns and 2 special team tackles would be about perfect.
If
by some miracle Montreal does us a favour then I hope to see the Riders absolutely
bury the Stamps, like they did the Lions last game. If it’s a nothing game I
still hope they look to end the regular season on high and enter the post
season on an up note.
If
it matters, Riders by 20
In
the more likely scenario that it doesn’t matter, Riders by a Shae Patterson
rushing TD
The
Riders were kind enough to schedule their final bye week (of the regular season)
around my plans so I was able to spend it on wellness retreat in Las Vegas. In
terms of financial and physical wellness the retreat was lacking but it more
than made up for it in terms of mental wellness.
But
now its back to reality and back to Rider football. If we are being honest, I’m sure most of us expected to the final game of the year between Calgary and us to be meaningless.
I mean, there may have been a point in time where we thought it may have determined
our playoff status but the more Calgary football you watch, the more it becomes
painfully obvious this is a team going through the motions as they slowly plod
towards massive offseason changes. But suddenly that game has potential to have
massive implications. I’ll have full analysis of the game itself Friday but for
now, here are some random musings:
-Boy
the Riders’ front office must be hoping for a Montreal win. I can’t imagine how
empty the stands will be if it ends up being a cold evening game featuring 2
teams who just don’t care.
-Knowing
the Riders’ marketing team they will try and come up with something innovative to attract
fans to the stadium… but it will just be something like a fridge magnet featuring
the 2022 schedule.
-BC
has sure gotten themselves into a QB mess. If we were not relevant in the
playoffs I would be throwing my full support behind VA winning a Grey Cup just
for the pure chaos of how BC would handle the offseason.
-As
a noted Bo Levi Mitchell hater and someone who has spent the last 2.5 years
saying that Bo is done and can’t physically do it anymore, I gotta give him
full props for what he has done this season. He’s playing his best football in
years.
-That
said a QB of a non-playoff team cannot be the East nominee for MOP. Team
nominee sure but there is nothing outstanding about missing the playoffs in a league
where two thirds of the league gets in. Its possible to applaud Bo for his
great season and still maintain that he can’t be MOP. These are not mutually exclusive
concepts.
-The
funny thing is that is the command centre hadn’t intervened to force a tie in
the Riders/RedBlacks game, Hamilton would still have a chance to make the
playoffs this week.
-Truthfully
I think Hamilton is a better team than Ottawa.
-In
a testament to how weird this season has been, currently the teams who are 2nd
and 4th in scoring will miss the playoffs.
-I
don’t believe in conspiracy theories but in the off chance things are rigged
its definitely in the league’s interest to intervene in favour of the Als this
weekend… just saying.
I
can’t remember a meaningful game that was that stress free in a long, long
time. Not only did the Riders take care
of business, they mercilessly stomped the Lions. Basically from the moment the
ball bounced 17 times and then directly in the hands of AJ Allen, BC’s chances
of victory were on par with my sexy Andre Proulx halloween costume being a hit at work.
As someone who over the years has seen the Riders blow many opportunities like
this (or at least take years off my life in the effort) I’m still in a bit of disbelief.
Defense
came out firing. Six turnovers and almost a seventh on that Williams INT that
was overturned. What I definitely noticed is that we were hitting angry. We
went out there looking to impose our will on the Lions and did. BC was just
never really able to get anything going. They managed one score in an entire
game of football. This is an offense featuring Stanback, Hollins, Hatcher,
McInnis and the supposed saviour of the CFL, Rourke. What I find most impressive
about the defensive performance is that it was not the big name guys making the
plays. It was the depth guys. Colonel Sanders had a sack. CJ Avery had a pick
and 2 special teams tackles. AJ Allen got a TD (good things happen when you hustle
to the ball). Somehow Lokombo recorded a useful stat.
BC
was clearly not having a good day but they compounded their issues with some
very questionable decision making. For example, on 3rd and 2 in the
redzone they lined up in shotgun and proceeded to hand off to the fullback. Every
time a team fails to convert because they stupidly lined up in shotgun in short
yardage, an angel gets its wings. Also, to not put Vernon Adams in the game at
any point with a home playoff game on the line is insanity. Rourke clearly did
not have it in this one. Its fine, good players have bad days (or months in
Rourke’s case). But to have a QB with a winning record sitting on the bench and
not even give him a series to see if he can ignite the offense. That’s worse decision making than the person who bid 1499 in the Price is Right contest.
For
the record I thought the onside kick attempt to start the second half was a
good call. It was just executed horrendously and much like the Allen TD did in
the first half it snuffed out any life that was left in the Lions.
Offensively,
its about time we start putting some respect on Trevor Harris’ name. No
turnovers, 83% completion, 2 TDs. Yes there were yet again many more FGs settled
for than we’d like but given that we were totally dominating the Lions there
was no need to be more aggressive. Had he not been injured I think Harris would be
squarely in the MOP discussion. Since returning from injury he is completing
72% of his passes, averaging 297 yards per game and has thrown multiple TDs in
all but 2 games. With due credit to the O-line in front of him, Ouelette had a
good return. I’m still convinced that hip is ticking time bomb that will need surgery
the second the season ends but he ran hard and chewed up yards. Receivers were
a real team effort with pretty much every chipping in important catches at some
point. I almost hate to jinx it by mentioning it but we are seeing good Emilus a
lot more consistently now.
So
we now have a home playoff game locked down. I find it funny how it seems like
its been so long since we’d hade one. It’s been 3 years. For those of you who
may be newer to cheering for the Riders, there was literally a period in my
lifetime where we went decades (plural) without one and that was just
the way it was. It’s amazing how much expectations have been raised that 2
seasons without a home playoff game is suddenly cause for panic. Fittingly the
2 men we honoured at halftime were instrumental in raising those expectations.
But
as awesome as is it to lock down a home playoff game, we aren’t done yet. Thanks
to Bombers choking against the Argos, first place is still possible, not probable
but possible. And just like that we are all massive Alouette fans and take back
all the bad things we ever said about Fajardo, Maas and Maccioccia. It’s a testament
to how weird this CFL season has been (even by CFL standards) that a team that
did not win a game for 2 calendar months could finish in first. Go Als!
Other
random thoughts:
-Roy
Shivers was clearly cold and counting the seconds until he could return to a
heated room. That said, when Roy says something he means it. So that simple line
“Its good to be back” was heartfelt and very meaningful.
-For
the record I did not like the call to attempt a 53 yarder. Lauther proved me
wrong… but 53 yards was his range going that way, not 53.5.
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