Monday Morning Sentimonies: Extending Harris

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.

16th Annual Rider Prophet Awards

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 name not 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. 

Previous Winners: La'Akea Kaho'ohanohano-Davis, Diego Allatore-Montoya, Luther Hakunavanhu, Guillermo Villabos, Armegedon Draughns, Rakeem Cox, Akawasi Owusu-Ansah, Lirim Hajrullahu, SirVincent Rogers, Drew Willy, Bear Woods, Solomon Elimimian, Craphonso Thorpe, Charleston Hughes, Chijioke Onyenegecha

 

Quote of the Year

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

Monday Morning Sentimonies: Ariba!

 

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.

Fans’ Choice Douchebag of the Year 2024

Next week we will award the 16^th 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.

Monday Morning Sentimonies: Third Time’s A Charm

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, we  have coverage to get you through the entire offseason, starting with the Rider Prophet Awards (voting kicks off tomorrow).

Monday Morning Sentimonies: Embarrassing Ending

Riders 22 – Bombers 38

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 3^rd 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 3^rd 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.

Riders vs. Bombers: West Final 2024

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 8^th grade in the Manitoba school system were still in 8^th 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 7^th 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. 7^th in points scored, 8^th in passing, 5^th 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 4^th quarter but… 

Bombers by a late Lawler TD.

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.

 

Monday Morning Sentimonies: It Blows

Riders 12 – Stampeders 27

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 1^st. 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 3^rd place. How we got there is a bit ridiculous but 2^nd 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 stats  over 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.

Riders vs. Stampeders: All or Nothing

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 10^th or 15^th or 20^th 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

Monday Morning Sentimonies: Bye Week Musings

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 2^nd and 4^th 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.  

Monday Morning Sentimonies: Taking Take Of Business

Riders 39 – Lions 8

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 3^rd 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.

Riders vs. Lions: Homeward Bound

If you are wondering, yes today’s title was really just a poorly veiled excuse to mention beloved 1993 classic movie Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey. But if you love terrible segues then brother, hold on because the Riders’ INCREDIBLE JOURNEY this season might lead them BOUND for a HOME playoff game. 

If you were to go back in time and tell people in Week 4 of the season that the season would end with the Riders and Lions competing for a home playoff game no one would be surprised. But they would never believe the path the teams took to get there. Very similar paths in that both started hot, decided to become religiously opposed to winning for a long period of time but seemed to have stabilized things of late. Things could not be simpler for the Riders, win and you guarantee a home playoff game and get to finish the season with a bye followed by a meaningless scrimmage against an amateur football team (you can’t consider the Stamps a professional franchise at this point). Lose and you leave your fate in the hands of others and most likely finish 3rd. 

I’ll be honest, of all the teams in the CFL, BC is the one I understand the least. They should be really good. Yes its taking some time for Rourke to re-adjust to the CFL but they should be a top end team. Some times they look like a top end team… but other times they look like an orange version of Calgary. They could stomp us by 30. They could stink out the joint and lose by 30 and pretty much any outcome in between and none would be surprising based on how their season has gone. 

Since TSN/the CFL is insistent on cramming Nathan Rourke down our throat, let’s start with our defense. Look, I am all for hyping your stars and Rourke is a star to be hyped. But its got so exaggerated that Rourke could take a dump on the field and proceed to slip in his own dookie and the announcers would still somehow spin it as evidence of his greatness. 

I think Rourke has all the talent in the world but this season is proving that he is human and readjusting to the CFL takes time even for the best. BC is 6^th in points scored, 7^th in offensive yards, Rourke is last among starters in completion % and has just 4 TDs to 7 INTs. Its been a struggle. The issues start much before Rourke though. Their OL gives flashbacks to the Riders OL in 2022 and 2023. Rourke has been sacked 18 times despite only playing half a season. That’s where we need to attack. We need to dominate the line of scrimmage and should be able to. Disrupting a player as good as Rourke is the key to limiting him. Based on the last time we played, it might also be a good idea to cover McInnis. 

Offensively we are starting to get healthy Ouelette will start. Picton adds some nice Canadian depth back and most importantly we are getting some OL back. Godber is still a week or 2 away but we do get Fry and Brammer back. That’s good because what scares me most about that BC D is the front 4. Robertson, sack leader Teuhema, Banks, Covington and Betts. But beyond that line they are a very average defense. 5^th in points allowed, 6^th in yards allowed. The key with them is patience. They allow the highest completion % to opposing QBs of any team (73.8%) but the second least plays of 30+ yards. They won’t give you huge chunks but you can move the ball on them. Assuming our OL can keep him upright, Harris is very qualified to take advantage of that. I think this is a game where Ouelette can be very effective in the short pass game. Keeping him involved will keep the D-line honest and open space for Baker, Emilus and Johnson. We can’t see the errant throws we saw in Edmonton. This will be a closely contested match and winning the turnover battle and owning the line a scrimmage are the keys to coming out ahead. 

Some people will try and sell you on the emotional boost of having Durant and Shivers in the stadium. Its about damn time we honour Shivers and I maintain that Durant is second only to Ronnie in terms of the best QBs to ever play in Saskatchewan. For fans like me, there will be an emotional boost. I would honestly pay money for halftime to just be Roy with an open mic. But emotional boost for the players… pure BS. Remember the game after Lancaster died, or the final game at old Mosaic, or the game after Reed died? We lost every single one of the despite the supposed “emotional boost”. That will not be a factor in the outcome. 

This is a matchup between two teams that have shown that at their best there are contenders and at their worst they make you wish for temporary blindness. A win for either side is equally possible. I think the Riders should win but my deeply engrained pessimism is shining through. I just have a feeling the Riders won’t do things the easy way (if its any consolation I picked them to lose 2 of the last 3 as well so my pessimism may be beneficial). 

BC by a Stanback 4^th Q TD.

Monday Morning Sentimonies: Playoffs?

Riders 28 – Elks 24 

You’ll forgive me if I’m still in disbelief. Decades of cheering for the Riders tends to breed a healthy level of pessimism. Generally being a Rider fans is just one crushing defeat after another until you just wish Flanders was dead. Not only did the situation we currently find ourselves in (heading back to the playoffs) require us not squandering an opportunity, it also required the Command Centre getting things right AND acting to the benefit of the Riders. I’m not going to say the odds on all these things happening simultaneously were low but the CFL wouldn't suspend a player for betting on that because its so unlikely its not technically gambling, just a donation. 

Now don’t get me wrong. We tried hard to squander this opportunity. Harris threw some very ill-advised passes. Mace still seems oblivious to the basics of clock management.  Pass coverage was as porous as ever. But despite those issues we have found our way back to being a team that finds ways to win… as opposed to that whole 2 month period where we found ways to lose. 

Credit to the defense. They are far from perfect but they stepped up and did their job. After the embarrassment of the last match-up you could tell run stopping was priority #1 and they delivered allowing just 30 total yards. Yes the biproduct of that was a less impactful pass rush (which further leaves our questionable pass coverage out to dry) but it was the right strategy. Edmonton wins when they rush well. Take that away and they struggle. We did that and it worked. The reason it worked is because we forced turnovers. Milligan added to his MOP resume. Auclair was in the right place at the right time. Even Henderson made a play at a key point with a nice punch out. CJ Reavis was a welcome addition back.  

Offensively it was like a 3am booty call. Maybe not the prettiest thing but it got the job done. O-line visibly struggled. Harris was uncharacteristically careless with his passes. But after a season of watching receivers drop perfectly thrown balls on the turf we are finally seeing receivers step up and make plays for their QB. Big time receptions from Baker, Emilus and Johnson. Busby also keeps quietly doing what’s asked of him. I don’t think Trevor Harris is getting the recognition he deserves. In 6 of his 10 starts he has thrown for over 300 yards. Multiple passing TDs in 7 of his starts. 3^rd in the CFL in completion % among starters. Only 1 team has scored more points than us. This with a patchwork O-line and an ever-changing cast of receivers. It might not always be pretty but Harris has been the leader this team needs on and off the field. 

There is a lot more I could rant and rage on in that game but it really doesn’t matter, we found a way to win and punched our ticket back to the elusive post season. We also set up a monster game on Saturday. Win and we host a home playoff game. Yes somehow in a matter of couple weeks we have gone from “will be ever win again” to “chance at a home playoff game” a true testament to how bad the West division is this year.

But I will once again be reverting to my pessimism. It all seems to good to be true. If we just win the next game then our remaining schedule is: bye, meaningless game against what’s left of the Stamps and then home playoff game. So I’ve convinced myself we’ll find a way to screw this up. The good news is I had that same feeling heading into the Edmonton game so… you’re welcome I guess

Riders vs. Elks: Scotchtoberfest

Welcome to October, a month that traditionally has been a dreadful period of going through the motions waiting for the season to mercifully end. To steal a Jeff Foxworthy line, its been kinda like opening a present from your grandma. You’re not sure what you are going to get but you are pretty sure you won’t like it. But in a stunning turn of events we have not only rediscovered winning, but find ourselves still in the playoff discussion. In previous years the only time the Riders were spoken of in relation to playoffs was when opposing coaches said “I hope we play the Riders in October as that will drastically improve our playoff chances.”

Saturday we travel to Edmonton to face the 5-10 Elks. Not to bring up old wounds but the last time we saw the Elks they were mercilessly running us into the ground on route to their first win. They are fresh off getting embarrassed by Winnipeg in back to back weeks and hoping a visit from the Riders will cure their losing ways. A few things about that last game. One, despite getting run all over it was a 1 point game going into the 4^th and we did not have Trevor Harris or Anthony Lanier. Two, that game has to be an anomaly. We gave 276 rushing yards. That is 23% of ALL the rush yards we’ve given up this entire season. In every other game we are averaging 66 yards allowed. 

Edmonton is a really interesting team. Looking at the stats alone, you might think this is a top team in the West: most offensive points, most TDs, #2 in net yards, QB with the best TD to INT ratio. Yet they have just 5 wins and are on the brink of missing the playoffs. Its almost impossible to miss the playoffs in a 9 team league scoring as many points as they have. Now their defense is not good and their special teams has been a liability but still… 

I think it’s a mistake to start Bethel-Thompson in this one. Not because I think he’s bad (again best TD to INT ratio, second most TDs next to Bo…  who might also miss the playoffs, go figure) but you look at how the Elks beat us last time. We were so focused on stopping Ford from running that we let anyone not named Ford have free reign of the field. Would you not want to recreate that success? Its obvious in this one that we need to stop the run. Adding Lanier will help as will not having to worry about Bethel-Thompson running. That does unfortunately leave the passing attack, where we happen to be extremely vulnerable. We do get Reavis back which will be a boost. MBT is a good QB and he has talented receivers around him. We are going to give up yards. Gotta hold them to FGs and try and get some turnovers. Need the front 4 to create some havoc up front and force MBT into mistakes. 

Offensively, we will once again try to find 12 healthy offensive bodies and 4 more to cover the guys that will inevitably end up hurt in this one. The good news is that Edmonton’s defense is not playing very well. 7^th in points allowed, most total yards allowed, most pass yards allowed. In their winning streak they managed to balance that off with a ton of takeaways but when those dry up it’s a struggle. Enter Trevor Harris and an offense that turns the ball over less than anyone in the CFL. Hickson should be angry after sitting a couple weeks and looking to prove himself. Let the man run. Yes, Harris is a good passer and yes, the Elks are somehow much worse at stopping the pass than we are, but we need some semblance of balance in our attack. Once again going to need Baker to step up lead the way. Be nice if Emilus did the same. I can see both Sterns and Duncan-Busby putting up decent yards as Baker and Emilus should draw the most attention. Last week our offense stalled lots and settled for too many FGs. That worked at home against a bad Ottawa offense. On the road against a pretty good Elks offense we need TDs when we get the chance. Key will be starting hot. If we get a lead it will be easy for the Elks to start to give up as they see the season slip away. 

A win buries Edmonton’s playoff chances and depending on how Friday goes may officially secure ours. Win the next 2 and we host a playoff game, its that simple. My long engrained Rider pessimism is seeping in. That sounds way too simple and we never do things the easy way around here. On paper, we should win. But on the road against a desperate team that can score points… I don’t feel great. I expected at least one bump on the road down the stretch and this seems like the most likely time.

Elks by a Geno Lewis TD.