Monday Morning Sentimonies: That’s It, We’re Going Back to Winnipeg

Riders 28 – Lions 19

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 4^th 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 4^th). 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?

Riders vs. Lions: West Semifinal

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 7^th 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 2^nd 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 2^nd 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... 

BC by a Sean Whyte FG.