Okay, enough of this

I was hoping that the way the Riders lost in Calgary was a one-off....something that wouldn't repeat itself. Well its obvious that they learned nothing from that defeat after their loss to Hamilton. Blows me away that they can't hold a 19 point lead, and two weeks in a row snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

It seems that they experience one little bit of adversity and they can't recover. The Durant fumble was the turning point as the Riders just couldn't do anything after that. Bad play calls, no desire for second effort to get the necessary yardage for a first down and poorly thrown passes when they are needed the most. 

Inconsistent field goal kicking doesn't help things either, but its tough to put this one solely on the shoulders of Milo. The pass rush was non-existent as Burris had lots of time to throw; not just in the fourth quarter but the entire game.It seemed that Hamilton was able to march down the field at will. The Riders prevent defense did everything to prevent themselves from winning!

It is going to be a tough two weeks in Riderville. I couldn't spend the time listening to CKRM's call in show afterward as I knew it was going to be ugly. Didn't need fans heaping more scorn on the team than I already did; I did my own share of venting.

So what has to change before the Riders go to Edmonton after the bye-week? Consistency is number one. Regaining the killer instinct (like they had in the first three games) is essential. The defensive schemes have to change as well as there is no way a team that holds Edmonton to 1 point should be giving up 35+ to Hamilton and Calgary.

I have a sense that there is going to be some soul searching and deep reflection by the coaches over of the bye week. And then I expect more roster changes. Yes, the team is still tied for first in the west, and has a winning record, but the last two games have been nothing but momentum and moral killers.

The Riders should be 5-0. Now they are only two points out of a playoff spot. 

Use the bye week to turn this around now.

Never criticize a win

The Riders go to 2-0 with an impressive performance over the Evil Empire. Jyles and Joseph could not get anything going against the Rider's defense....the Rider "D" was phenomenal as much as the Edmonton quarterbacks were aweful. A defensive battle isn't such a bad thing now and then. The Rider offense did have me worried at times, but I still had these sense that they'd pull out the win. Of course I didn't know that and it was just a gut feel until "Holy Sheets" had that impressive run for a 34 yd TD late in the fourth quarter. Nice to see a strong play be the game breaker to seal the deal. Bottom line is its a win and that's all that matters. I had a look at the Edmonton papers today and they are all over Tillman for trading Ricky Ray for Jyles. At this point it may go down as one of the most lopsided trades in history. But I have no sympathy for Tillman or the Esks. Everybody has to make tough trades or say goodbye to free agents to be under the salary cap. And I know that Eskimo fans took great joy in seeing the Riders falter last year after they went to three of previous four Grey Cups. My only regret is not betting on the game with my brother-in-law, who is a big Eskimo fan. He's still a little annoyed with me when I gave his son Austin a Riders jersey (with #5 on the back of course!) He's taken his share of bets from me and I still want revenge...but missed out in setting a bet for this game. That will come as so will many more Eskimos losses this season if they don't get a quarterback. Now bring on the Lions in the showdown for first place in the west. My sense is there will be more offense when the Lions make their way to Mosaic this Saturday.

One down, 17 to go!

So the first thing I have to say is good thing I wore my lucky Rider's shirt, Second thing...I liked the white helmets. There was something about them and they looked better and better as the game went on. Of course, so did the Riders' play so maybe it didn't matter what they wore....

SaskPower finally restored my power an hour before game time. Needless to say I wasn't a happy camper. as the clock was ticking closer to kickoff. What a sense of relief when it came on (for more reasons than the game!). But with the Rider win, perhaps all was forgotten. But I better be able to see the game on Sunday.

So, who saw that coming? Damn they played good. The offense, defense and special teams played like a high caliber team in mid-season form. Durant and Dressler? Enough said with the offensive player of the week award that went to Durant but Dressler could have easily won.

Jeez, I like a blowout.... I have seen way to few of them by the Riders over the years, so I can never get enough of them. The lean years of "eleven years is enough" and the 90's are still in my memory and I can recall way to many times when the Riders were on the wrong side of a blowout. I want the Riders to win big every game.

It was hard to find fault with such a big win, but because this is Saskatchewan, some have found something to complain about. Comes with the territory I guess. Nevertheless, nice to see coach Chamblin not get complacent at practice by working on tackling drills and sharing that there are other areas to improve on.

Next up, the Evil Empire. Can't wait for Sunday. Also can't wait for the Riders to go 2-0 with another blowout win.