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.

Rider's trim roster

Today the Rider's announced the release of a number of players:

Import DL Jay Alford
Import OL Johan Asiata
Non-Import WR Ismael Bamba
Non-Import K Chris Bodnar
Non-Import FB Mathieu Boulay
Import WR Patrick Brown
Non-Import OL Dan Clark
Import LB Chris Francis
Import DB Lance Frazier
Import DB Macho Harris
Non-Import OL Nick Hutchins
Import DB Talmadge Jackson
Import DB Jalil Johnson
Import LB Karl Paymah
Non-Import LB Kevin Regimbald-Gagne
Import DL Kenny Rowe
Import WR Jock Sanders
Import LB Davonte Shannon
Import LB Daniel Sheffield
Import WR Taj Smith
Import DL David Veikune
Import RB DeShawn Wynn

The following players have been added to the injury list:
Non-Import FB Graeme Bell
Non-Import OL Chris Best

The following players have been added to the 9 game injury list:
Import WR Dallas Baker
Import OL Dan Goodspeed
Import QB Levi Brown

I was at the game on Friday night. It was my first game at Taylor Field...err Mosaic Stadium since 1995. Can't believe it has been that long. Worst part though, was that the stadium hasn't changed that much for the better...even though the recent renovations and bowl seating does look good.

Of the changes above, based on what I saw on Friday, I can't say there are many surprises. Lance Frazier being cut was perhaps the one that raises the most eyebrows. A classy, long time vet, it looks like coaching or an administration position may be in store for him in the near future. Same thing with Dan Goodspeed. Looks like his time on the 9-game list will give him some time to consider if he wants to get involved in coaching.

The other surprise to me as that Brandon West wasn't cut. With the play of Kory Sheets on Friday I thought that West would be released. I guess they have found the room to keep a couple of extra RB's around incase Sheets doesn't pan out.

The practise roster hasn't been announced yet, but 7 of those released will make it onto that list. There is no doubt that there will be some roster moves before the first game against Hamilton. Notice how there's no fooling around with Chamblin like in years past. A good example is Jay Alford. I guess they wanted him to show up to camp earlier. Chamblin has made it clear that you have to show up and try to make the team, instead of resting on your laurels. 

If that mindset carries through the season the Riders should do well.

Don't panic... at least wait till the season starts

I was on a flight home when the Riders were playing their first exhibition game against B.C. I asked my wife to PVR' the game and I still haven't watched it. I did get the heads up that it wasn't worth watching, so I am starting to think there is no point.

There also is no point to panic. When I was listening to Sportsnight on Thursday night some callers had already written the season off. Other callers sounded like they were ready to jump off a bridge. I guess I have to remind people that it was just an exhibition game. Even more reason to remain calm is that the Lions played a lot of their starters, later into the game, while the Riders were "trying out guys" in various positions. 

Isn't that what exhibition games are for anyway? With the record as bad as it was in 2011, one would hope that Riders were going to try new things (i.e. offensive and defense schemes), try out new players (how many veterans didn't make the trip?) and get used to the new coaching dynamics and personalities.

I like everything that I have seen so far from the new regime. I am hopeful that the Riders will play better in the 2nd exhibition game on Friday, and maybe then that will stop the crazies from being, well, crazies! 

Nonetheless, everything is still meaningless until the season starts.