Monday Morning Sentimonies: Saturday Night Suckfest

Riders 31 – Als 48

*Editor’s note: You probably should not google Saturday night suckfest. Probably has some other connotations that may have unintended consequences on your algorithm.

In a stunning turn of events, Brett Lauther has quietly moved himself out of the conversation of things plaguing this team. On Saturday he was about the only part of the team that did his job. Defense was awful. Offense was awful. Weather was awful. My dry ribs combo was adequate at best. Just nothing was good about that game. We looked like a team that was a little too eager for a bye week. We rolled into Montreal and embarrassed a beat up Als team last month. They returned the favour om Saturday.

Look, we knew our secondary would be an issue. We had 2 starters (one of them being Fields) and 3 guys who were essentially dressed because they ranked slightly above a cardboard cutout in terms of starting options. In retrospect the cardboard cutout may have outplayed Exume. Montreal correctly identified Exume as a liability and had their way with him. It should not have taken us as long as it did to bench him. I get that we are desperate for anything resembling a Canadian on defense but I think Daniel Johnson or Ali Saad would have been as effective at CB. What I don’t understand is that we spend the entire year playing a soft zone and giving up easy completions underneath but when we get backup CBs in that’s when we decide to jump anything short? The secondary was not a surprise. The front 7 was a massive disappointment. Front 4 was invisible. Linebackers had no ability to stop one of the worst run games in the league. We needed them to step up and help a depleted back end… they did not.

Offense was kind enough to not let the defense suck alone. Interceptions. Fumbles. Drops. Total team effort on digging a hole too deep to get out of. We need to be honest with ourselves. Harris has been mediocre since the Hamilton game. His last few games he has done enough but his name is noticeably becoming absent in MOP conversations. He needs to be better. Play calling was also an issue in this one. In the 1^st quarter we had a 2^nd and 2 in FG range. All we had to do was run. Even if you get 1 yard, Tommy gets the other on 3^rd. Instead we got cute and tried to pass. It was incomplete and we were forced to settle for 3 when it should have been an easy 1^st down.

Lastly, let me just come out and say it: Screw the command centre! There is no rhyme or reason for when they intervene. Based on previous weeks we know that obvious face masks are not in their ability to remedy. But apparently procedure calls and illegal blocks are (if Montreal complains enough). Were those both penalties on us? Yes. But there is no consistency for when the booth inserts itself and it almost always seems to harm the Riders whatever they decide. There needs to be clear rules such as major penalties only. The “intervene when you feel like it approach” is not working.

This loss in not the biggest thing in the world. We were injury riddled and looking forward to a needed bye. We are also still in first place. But making a QB has terrible as MBT look like Ricky Ray is kinda like letting a one legged soccer player score a penalty kick on you.

Hopefully this bye week sees a few bodies return to the field. Legitimately we are an injury or two away from me needing to start in the secondary.

Riders vs. Alouettes: Be Legendary

The 10-2 Riders look to officially sew up a playoff spot when the 5-7 Alouettes roll into town on Saturday for Legends Night. Back in August a relatively healthy Rider team rolled into Montreal and laid such beating on a decimated Als team that it could almost be considered a criminal. This time a relatively healthy Als team rolls into Regina looking to return the favour to a Rider roster in need of the upcoming bye week. 

The Als’ season is pretty easy to summarize. They are 4-0 when Davis Alexander starts and 1-7 when (insert crappy QB not named Alexander) starts. Its that simple. They have a pretty solid defense but no semblance of an offense. Unfortunately for Als’ fans once again they will be forced to start (insert crappy QB not named Alexander). 

Don’t in any way expect a repeat of what happened in Montreal. They had no receivers in that game and no secondary. Last time Mack, Philpot, Fletcher, Decoy and Mustafa Johnson did not play. They will this week. The script is flipped as I have legit concerns about our ability to roster 5 DBs let alone an emergency 6^th. They are getting healthier. We are not. We have a bye coming up. This could have trap game written all over it. 

But there is one massive factor that rebalances the scales. That being McLeod Bethel-Thompson. After basically benching him with an “injury” the Als have had to come crawling back to him out of desperation. Problem is that while he will have vastly better receivers at his disposal. He remains as likely to be a good QB as other Thompsons such as Kenan, Charisa and Hunter S. On passes over 20 yards he has as many completions as interceptions… that being 1. Those 6 points he produced in the last meeting (at home) are pretty telling. He a major reason why the Als have the least TDs in the CFL… 8 less than the next worst. The Als are not great at running the ball so its all on MBT’s arm against our patchwork secondary. D-line will need to have a big game to help out a secondary missing 2-3 starters against actual receivers. 

Offense is healthy but will face a much stiffer test in the Als D this time around. They are 3^rd in points allowed and 2^nd in yards allowed. Honestly bet the under on this game because scoring will be at a premium. The Als do allow the second most yards per carry so we need to lean on Ouelette early and often. We also need to find a way to get Myers going. Johnson is the key guy for second down conversions but Myers is the big play guy. When he has a big workload good things happen. Als are second in sacks so O-line will have their work cut out keeping Harris upright. After a rough game 2 I think Ajou will have a bounce back game and make a couple big catches. 

If the Als had a mildly competent QB, given the state of our secondary and the looming bye week I would be picking the Als. I think we are better than them but timing is not on our side. But for the life of me I can’t see this team losing to MBT. I just can’t. We are going to lose at some point but its going to take an actual starting QB to do it. 

I hope in a fitting tribute to Alex Smith (one of the greatest and most underrated assistant coaches we have ever had) we see Thurman, Allen and Reavis put on a show.  

Riders by a Lauther FG because they love to put me through agony.

Monday Morning Sentimonies: Long Time Coming

Riders 21 – Bombers 13

From a table at a bar in downtown Toronto that I made put the game on their TV, I spent the afternoon alternating between cheering and yelling at the TV while curious onlookers just tried to enjoy a pint. Other than a couple servers (one of which was an Argos fan) I’m sure everyone just assumed I was crazy. But man did I leave that place happy… and a few doubles more inebriated than when I came in. 

But they did it! The Riders went into Winnipeg and won. We had not won a Banjo Bowl since 2018 and spent most of the intervening years just getting utterly embarrassed when we went there. Do you know how low you have to be to be embarrassed by Manitobans? That game was so ugly a paper bag and a bottle of moonshine couldn’t even improve it… but we won. In the process we took a 4 game lead over Winnipeg and secured the season series. 

Offense was awful. Harris took his usual quarter and change to remember how to play football. Receivers could not catch to save their soul (Robustelli and Ajou in particular). We turned the ball over. The endzone seemed about as foreign a concept as dental hygiene in Manitoba. I’m sure we were all thinking “here we go again”. But we hung in there. Ouelette is becoming the king of great heard running performances that look very meh on the stat sheet. Other than a couple games he rarely pops off but he is consistently churning out hard important yards and keeping the run game part of our offense even when we are struggling. You have to hand it to Harris, despite his struggles, in the 4^th quarter when we were on our own goal line (because Mario Alford briefly lost every f’n ounce of common sense he ever had) he stepped up and made a massive throw to Robustelli. Credit to O-line. Again it was not always pretty but we gave up zero sacks and Willie Jefferson registered on the stat sheet exactly the same number of times as Scott Schultz.   

Defense was yet again the driving force in this win. As expected Olivera had a bigger game but he certainly didn’t run all over us. Despite starting our 3^rd string safety (i.e. the guy we think is not worthy to lace up Lokombo’s cleats for him) the secondary actually looked pretty solid. Yes they allowed a couple big catches but that will happen. Obviously the Collaros injury impacted things but it was not like he was lighting it up when he was playing. He served up 2 INTs and should have had more. D-line had another impactful day and that obviously helps the secondary. When we had the lead and Streveler was under centre I knew it was over. The guy’s most consistent passing target was Tevaughn Campbell. Did it help that Castillo got an untimely case of Lautheritis? Oh yeah but we still win even if he makes his kicks. 

Speaking of kickers. I am very conflicted on how to feel about Lauther after that. He nailed all 5 of his FG attempts in a game where we absolutely needed that to happen to win. That should have been a massive confidence boost. But then he pooches a gimme PAT… it looked like he was trying to hit the sideline. Based on how bad it was I’m assuming something went wrong with the hold. Overall a much needed up day for Lauther but the issues still linger like the stench of Winnipeg on those brave enough to attend the game in person. 

Lastly I’ll touch on the “the hit”. I hate seeing Collaros get hurt. He’s a good dude and top end QBs like him are good for the league as a whole. But my sympathy in this particular case is pretty muted. That was not a dirty hit. Reavis did what he was supposed to and initiated contact in the right spot. His momentum just carried his helmet into Collaros’. I get why it was a penalty as that’s the bar in the CFL today but that’s a good football hit in my opinion. Also, I don’t think the impact would be as bad if this was his first head injury of the year. By my count this is at least his 4^th and he and the Bombers are not taken proper care (or any for that matter). He got diagnosed with a neck injury after his first and was rushed back only to exit the next game early. His head clearly bounced off the turf on Labour Day and he received zero medical attention. This is serious stuff and Collaros and the team just seem to want to cover their ears and say “lalalalala” until it goes away. 

Here's where the Riders sit after that big road win:

-        1 win and we clinch a playoff spot

-        2 wins and we clinch a home playoff game

-        Any combination of 5 wins or Calgary loses and we clinch first

That feels pretty damn good!

 Other random thoughts:

-        I still can’t get over what the hell a returner has good as Mario Alford was thinking on that damn near safety! Like what the hell dude?!?

-        Robustelli is a good route runner and has great hands, but the more I watch him the more I notice he is not great on contested catches. He has a tendency to give up to early and try in vain to draw a penalty.

-        3 people in downtown Toronto recognized my Rider jersey. One of them was visiting from Toledo.

Abbreviated Banjo Bowl Thoughts

 I am heading out of town for the weekend so I only have time for a short analysis of the Banjo Bowl.

We have not won a Banjo Bowl since 2018 (our lone win since 2015) and other than last year we have not been remotely close either. To say history is not on our side on this one is like saying history is not on the side of the clean cut image of Germany.

Then there is last week. There's a perspective out there that we barely beat the Bombers at home so what chance do we have on the road? I present an alternative perspective to consider though... We did not play out best offense in that. We did not play our best defense in the second half. Despite that the Bombers still could not beat us. 

A few things I do expect:

- The Bombers will start hot (much like our D did on Labour Day)

- Olivera will run for 150. 

- We will hang around much like they did. .

- This one will be about as pretty as a Manitoba bridesmaid/auntie-cousin.

I do honestly think this is our best chance at winning in years. I would probably bet money on the Bombers. But my heart says, ugly upset Rider win is very possible. We are the better team, if we can find a way to quiet that crowd and take away homefield advantage we have good shot.

I will be cheering/swearing us on from some random sports bar our East.

See you Monday

Tuesday Morning Sentimonies: Labour Day!

Riders 34 – Bombers 30

There is not much that beats the feeling of a sold out stadium cheering a Rider win on Labour Day. While the Riders certainly made us clench our buttholes a few times on the path to that victory, they got the job done. Cory Mace and Trevor Harris got their first Labour Day wins and we remained undefeated when playing teams without a P in their name. Just like everyone expected the heroes were Nield and Anderson. Also, just as people also predicted the score sheet included a punt single from Harris and a 2 point convert from Campbell. Good thing nothing crazy happened on Sunday and good thing I woke up this morning feeling not at all hungover. 

If you want to know how amped the team was for this game, go back and watch Aaron Patrick on the opening kickoff. He absolutely destroys the poor blocker tasked with trying to slow him down. Big way to start. Then watch what Malique Carney did in that first quarter. He was a one-man wrecking crew. Tackle for a loss, 2 sacks, fumble forced and recovered, just utterly embarrassing the poor guards he lined up on. The team was as amped up as the crowd. 

The defense had a monster first half and were really the driving force in keeping us in that game. They essentially allowed one play in that first half which was a long bomb to Clercius that was perfectly covered by Sayles and the WR just made a hell of a catch. Other than that the only other points they gave up was a FG when the offense fumbled the ball. Now did things get a little soft in the second half, the 4^th quarter in particular? Oh yeah. But they notched 5 sacks, 3 turnovers and provided a spark when the offense simply would not. Also in fairness to the D on that Wheatfall TD, Winnipeg was blatantly offside and I’m pretty sure should have also been called for a holding. 

Seems odd to criticize a team hat put up 30 points but I thought Winnipeg had real questionable play calling. Olivera was an afterthought with just 10 total touches and only 4 in the second half. Most of Winnipeg’s losses seem to involve this same theme of forgetting to use their best player. They really seemed to want to get Peyton Logan involved for some reason. On the play where Saad got a sack, Winnipeg should have ran for an easy first down. The decision to throw in that situation could only have been the byproduct of the Manitoba education system. Instead of running they seemed to base their game plan on rolling Collaros right and having him chuck it as far as he could. It worked out a couple times but its not exactly a great plan. 

As a man getting older, I understand moving a bit slower and taking longer to get limber. But Trevor Harris’ ongoing need to take a quarter of doing nothing to figure things out before being productive is getting infuriating. In 7 of 11 games this season we have scored 3 or less points in the first quarter. He was making some bad decisions early. I don’t know what in his mind told him that Nield in triple coverage was the best read but he did it.  He had his moments but Harris never really fully got into rhythm in that one. Fortunately, the run game stepped up and helped him big time. 89 yards from Ouelette might seem not impressive but they were all hard-fought important yards and often on runs that put us in 2^nd and medium or second and short. He consistently got positive yards on first down which was crucial. Then Anderson steps up and casually rattles of 2 TDs on 3 touches. And as much as he is a speed guy those TDs where some power running right through defenders. Myers and Johnson had some bad drops… but that also balances off with Robustelli casually tipping an already tipped ball back to himself. Willie Jefferson was kept essentially invisible except for jumping offside and giving as a free first down. 

Also as much as a I hate dwell on officiating when there are far better things to be talking about there’s a few things that can’t be ignored. Well, actually ignoring things is one of my issues. How no one on the field saw Ouellette’s helmet get ripped off his beyond me. What did they think? That Ouelette attacked the Winnipeg defender’s hand with his helmet? But worse, how is that not a situation Command Centre can fix? I have seen them insert themselves in games for far more marginal and far less obvious things. Makes no sense. 

Also need to address the Harris punt single. I (like Winnipeg) just assumed we would try and draw them offside, take the penalty and then punt. I swore when we snapped the ball. Then he punted and I realized that the coaches knew what they were doing and it was a great call. What was not a great call was how the refs called it. That should have been down at the 1. He was clearly moving forward from the goal line (forward progress) and then tackled back into the endzone. Again, I can forgive the refs on the field for doing their best in real time but as a scoring play that was reviewed by the booth. 

Lastly can someone explain how when Collaros (a man with a history of concussions so lengthy it will have its own wing in the hall of fame one day) has his head bounce off the turf and stays down visibly shaken he doesn’t even need any kind of medical assessment?!? We just act like it’s a blatant facemask and pretend it didn’t happen? 

But even the refs couldn’t put a damper on Labour Day. We won and that’s all that matters. When you win on Labour Day the beer seems colder, the music sweeter and the air even smells better (mostly due to the stench of Manitoba following the Bombers fans as they sadly vacate the stadium and our city). 

Other random thoughts:

-        The penalty call on Demksi for offensive pass interference was legit but in fairness if that’s the bar then we should have been called on the Ajou convert. Ran a blatant pick play.

-        Is there any chance that Lauther is going full George Costanza and trying to get fired? I don’t feel great about the prospect of a rookie kicking in the noise of the Banjo Bowl but at some point he does need to be given at least a week on the bench.

Riders vs. Bombers: Goth Labour Day Classic

It’s the biggest regular season game of the year. It’s the biggest crowd ever for a Rider game at new Mosaic. It’s a bitter rivalry between teams. Sunday is a big one.

Before I get into the game itself, I want to take a learning moment.  This weekend many Bomber fans will be making the trek from Winnipeg. Here are a few tips for interacting with them to ensure a safe and positive weekend for all.

-        Speak in very simple vocabulary. In Manitoba, 3^rd grade is considered “higher education”

-        Don’t be surprised or offended if they are missing a few teeth. A combination of inbreeding and a general disregard for hygiene make poor dental health very common.

-        They will be quick to try and make a joke about 4 cups in over 100 years. Just kindly point out that in the 2000s they have the same amount of cups as us. Since 1989 they also have the same number of cups. Its not their fault they want to dwell in the past, many have been stuck in 2^nd grade since the 90s. Time is relative.  

-         They may be easily startled by bright lights and cell phones. They only recently got electricity in the province.

-        Be kind to them. Literally any time they get to leave Manitoba it’s a highlight in their life. Manitoba is like if the worst parts of Prince Albert were a province. 

Onto the game.

I have been chatting about Labour Day with my boys and realized they have a very different view of it from me. I’m of a generation where it was a huge deal. One of the few times a Rider game would get televised. One of the few times the stands would be full. One of the few games we always won.  But their very recent experience is a 1-3 record in the past 4 years. Whereas my perspective is 15-4 since 2005. So I guess what I am saying is that you damn Riders better win this one so my kids grow up right. 

Defensively this could come down to which team ends up healthier. We will be missing Lokombo and Sayles. Demksi is questionable at this point with the patented Bomber “neck” injury. Demski being out would be massive as he is a notorious Rider killer and leads the Bombers in TDs. Collaros has been giving fans flashbacks of failed Bomber QBs of the past this season (Bishop, LeFors, Jyles, Brink, Brohm, Goltz, Elliot). He still has the potential to turn it on at any point but he has spent almost as much time throwing the ball to the other team has he has nursing his neck injury. He leads the league in INTs and uncharacteristically the Bombers have just the 6^th best O. They remain #1 in rushing so priority has to be slowing Olivera down. Second priority (especially with a patchwork secondary) will be limiting big plays. If you make him drive the field in greatly increases the odds of Collaros throwing a pick or taking a sack. Bombers have the second least big plays and we need to keep it that way. Front 4 needs a big game. We would all be ok with recreating the Craig Butler on Buck Pierce hit.  

Offense comes in much healthier and that’s good because we will need them. Bombers are 4^th in points allowed. They are good run stoppers but 6^th in passing yards allowed. The biggest thing is to not let Jefferson knock things down at will. Harris should be able to move the ball on Winnipeg provided he decides to show up in the first quarter and the receivers catch for him. I don’t see big yards from Ouelette in this one but he needs to play a consistent role and run for hard yards. Pass game runs through Myers and Johnson. I see Nield and Robustelli making some key catches.

Biggest thing is limiting mistakes. Catch the ball when its in your hands. Block the pass rusher in front of you. Don’t let WRs behind you in coverage.  The Bombers will make mistakes. We need to make less. 

Special teams will play a role in this one. We get Mario back which will be huge. Bombers have a good returner in Vaval and a kicker they can count on. I expect Lauther to kick and becoming a father will inspire him to nail his kicks… maybe. 

Bombers are 2-3 on the road this season. That said since 2021 we are just 2-9 vs. the Bombers. 2-11 if you include playoffs. Much like my blood alcohol level on Sunday, I see the Riders as a team trending up. Much like genetic diversity in Manitoba, I see the Bombers as a team trending down. We can and should win this game. 

Normally I would predict a game that takes years off my life and we come very close to using. But in a stunning change of pace I just have this feeling that we come out fired up and lay a beating on Collaros and the Bombers. 

Riders by 14. Mario scores a return. Zach throws 2 picks. High scoring game that's close until we pull away in the 4th.  

 

Riders vs. Stamps: Quarter-Assed Effort

Riders 15 – Stamps 32

 The saying goes, to be the best you gotta beat the best. Well Saturday quite clearly established who the best in the CFL is at this point in the season. Despite what the standings will tell you, it is definitely not us. The game at points was better than the first meeting but ultimately ended in mostly the same way. 

Here’s what was pretty clear watching that game (and the last one), Calgary is better on both sides of the trenches than us. The Riders have 27 sacks in the 8 games not against the Stamps. They have 1 against them. The Riders have allowed 8 sack in those 8 non-Calgary games… and 7 to the Stamps. There are many more ways to analyze this game but I can tell you the Stamps won because they are better in the trenches. 

I don’t even where to start with this mess. Much like in July it started out with us digging a hole. The good news was we manned up and punched back this time. We had the lead at half and looked to ready to go toe to toe with the Stamps. We apparently assumed that the Stamps would just stay down after we punched back because we seemed to have no answer when they responded with a punch of their own. We also seemed to think the second half was optional. 

There was some good on offense. Ouelette had a good day against a tough front and I like that we kept him involved. 2^nd quarter Harris looked like the guy we all think should be in the MOP conversation. Unfortunately the list of good things was much like our offense for most of the day… 2 and out. Harris tried in the first quarter but his receivers could not catch. Then out of frustration he decided to throw to Calgary instead. You can’t beat a top end team like the Stamps when the offense only puts in a quarter worth of work. 

The defense came into this game having not given up a TD in 2 straight games. As I predicted, they promptly ended that streak on the first drive. D-line couldn’t get within an area code of pressuring VA. Even when we tried sending pressure it looked like we just blitzed 3 versions of Scott Gordon (some of you may be too young for that reference but I assure you anyone who watched the Riders of the early 2000s knows vividly the Scott Gordon safety blitz/vanishing act). No one could tackle. Secondary looked exactly like you would expect when only 2 actual starters are playing their normal position and one of them is Fields. Communication was a mess and there were more missed assignments than a high school math class.

You may be expecting me to now join the mob and turn my anger to Lauther. Much like Lauther’s kicks, you would be inaccurate. I was originally pissed at him like the rest of Rider Nation but a buddy pointed something out. Go back and watch that kick… specifically watch the holder. Odds are you will yell out “Laces out Dan!” as I did. Couch screwed up the hold and Lauther hit nothing but laces.  Lauther is too much of a leader to say but its quite clear that even if its just mental… Couch is not working on holds. Please let Maier or Tommy try and see if it calms Lauther down. That does not in anyway absolve Lauther of responsibility here. He’s been atrocious this season but for at least this game… it was not all his fault. And if we are being honest, Couch is at best a mediocre punter.  

Look, we are still a good team. But Calgary is better. And you can’t make as many mistakes as we did and hope to beat a top team. Johnson dropped an easy TD. Brammer got rightly yelled at by Hardrick because he missed a fairly routine block that resulted in a sack. We missed tackles. We missed blocks. We missed coverages. Harris forced bad throws. The mistakes piled up and Calgary made us pay. The great teams will do that. We on the other hand still struggle make teams pay for mistakes. We had 2 INTs in that game and got exactly 1 point off those turnovers. On the season we average 2.5 points off turnovers. 

With the season series lost and Calgary hot on our heels, our hopes of first now hinge on staying ahead of Calgary in the standings. Once they pass us I don’t see them relinquishing first… unless VA is struck down by lightning or a car or Micah Awe en route to record setting 15th consecutive fine.  

Other random thoughts:

-        Jaxon Ford has potential to be an impact safety but he tackles exclusively with his shoulders. A bad habit he will need to correct if he wants to stick in the starting rotation.

-        If you watched on TSH you would have been oblivious to the fact that Lokombo got hurt at some point in the first half and never returned. TSN either did not notice or feel the need to mentioned that Exume had taken over at corner. They were too busy talking about German soccer for some reason. 

-        We need to start getting some bodies back. We have outstanding depth but are starting to reach the limits of it. Not a Lokombo lover but at this point we can’t afford him to be out any length of time. Guys like Wiebe, Korte-Moore, Hudon, Miller may not be starters but that some rock solid depth that has been taken out.

-        Exume looked like a lot less of a trainwreck at corner this game. Still don’t want him playing defense but he has improved.