Riders vs. Alouettes: Bet the Under

When the schedule came out I had this game circled as a loss. Short week. Road game. In La Belle Provence. Against the defending champs. This one screamed loss. “But Prophet,” you say, “Surely it can’t that bad?”. We have lost our last 2 games in Montreal by a combined 78-25. We haven’t scored more than 19 points in Montreal since 2018. We don’t play well in Montreal. Now add in the fact that we go into Montreal on a short week without Harris, Hardrick, Ouelette and Schaefer-Baker (arguably our 5 most important offensive players). There is not a lot of objective reasons for optimism.

But here I am officially upgrading our odds from “Chris Jones winning coach of the year” to “Riders selling out a non-Labour Day game”. Why? Well dammit I am buying what Mace is selling. More importantly so is the team. Obviously Fajardo not playing is a factor but for anyone who has not aggressively repressed any memory of last season, we lost to Caleb Evans last year… by a lot. My shred of optimism is fueled more by the fact that we are just a good team.

I titled this post “Bet the under”. I haven’t looked at what its set at yet but they can’t set it low enough for me not to bet under in a Thursday game featuring 2 back-up QBs and the top 2 defenses in the CFL. There might be more scoring in Olympic soccer... also more drone-based attempts at cheating in soccer apparently. 

Without Fajardo, the Als are much like us. High powered defense looking to compensate for a weakened passing attack. But that defense is a problem. People will point to the 37 points the Argos hung on them last game but 14 of those were not the defense’s fault (pick 6 and kick return) and losing their starting QB led to them being on the field a lot. I expect that was an anomaly.

So how does Patterson (minus Ouelette and Baker) manage against the stiffest test he’s faced this season (if you exclude the Montreal night life he may or may not participate in)? First and foremost he needs to keep protecting the football. Offense wasn’t great last week but he didn’t turn the ball over and he rarely went to 2 and out. That kept our D rested and in good field position. Do that more. Als are second only to the Riders in takeaways so we need to be smart. We are resting the walking limp that is Ouelette (who could still probably run for 80 if he needed to) so Hickson checks. Having a fresh RB on a short week is something we need to leverage. He needs big workload. Als are #1 against the pass but 2^nd worst at stopping the run. So not only do we a fresh RB, running is the one weak point of a stout Als D. With Baker out we need to find ways to get Bane more involved. He can turn screens or short slants into first downs. Realistically it will be a win if we can get to 21 points. Be patient and take what the D gives you. Montreal allows the least big passing plays so we are going to need to grind out drives.

Defense has the exact same game plan as last week. Shut down the running back and the rest will be easy. In our last visit to Montreal, Walter Fletcher had 141 combined yards. Caleb Evans ran for 66. We have the #1 run D so I don’t see that happening this time around. Goal needs to be, force Evans to beat us with his arm. Spoiler alert, he can’t. The Als have allowed just 7 sacks all season. Fajardo is living his best life because he could have taken that in one game here. D-Line will need to prioritize containing Evans and Fletcher and being disruptive where they can.

The potential x-factor in this one is kick return. Alford hasn’t notched a score yet but is quietly having another solid season returning. The Als have allowed a league high 9 big returns (including 2 TDs). In a game were points will be at a premium Alford could be a game breaker.

Other random stat I found interest. The Als, under Jason Maas, are the least penalized team in the CFL. Amazingly that is not a typo. Somewhere in his travels east from Edmonton through Sask, Maas apparently learned how not to be an undisciplined spaz. Between that and Winnipeg being awful this really feels like the Bizzaro CFL sometimes.

This will be a low scoring, hard fought game that will likely come down to 1or 2 plays. As much as I am hard pressed to bet against Mace, in a match-up of evenly matched teams the one coming off the bye gets the slight edge over the team on a short week.

Als by a FG.

Monday Morning Sentimonies: Loserpeg

Riders 19 – Bombers 9

What a night? Friday night. Biggest crowd in a while. Slick new jerseys. Most importantly adding to the continued misery of a hated rival while moving to 5-1. Good times were had by all… well except for Bombers and their fans, but really, can they even be considered people?

Most impressive part of the night was by far the defense. They held an offense featuring a multiple time MOP, the top running back in the CFL and Demski (who always kills us) to just 9 points. Back-up QB or not, its pretty easy to win a game when your defense holds a team to single digits. I guess for a province that may have difficulty counting that high, 9 may seem like a lot. But here in the real world, 9 points means you suck.  Run D stepped up and locked down Olivera. And really, other than a few passes here and there, the pass D limited Collaros to checks downs. Those few times the Bombers did put a drive together the Bombers were forced into mistakes. Pressure made Collaros make an absolutely horrendous decision to throw into double coverage (while in scoring range) resulting in a pick. Milligan should have had an easy pick early in the game. And after calling his shot in the halftime interview, Jameer Thurman went out and delivered a textbook forced fumble (again in scoring range) effectively snuffing out any life the Bombers had left. I still find it hilarious how much the broadcast crew was hyping Collaros as being “back”. Dude has 2 TDs and a league leading 7 INTs. He’s struggling more than a Manitoban does to find a date that is not a cousin or a barnyard animal. Believe it or not its possible to acknowledge that Collaros has been the best QB in the league for 4 years and that he currently sucks. Both things can be true. 

Offensively, obviously 19 points is not going to cut it most weeks but the offense did their job and enough to win. Who would have guessed the only TD in the entire game would be by Ratkovich? There were 2 keys for me: 1 – we didn’t turn the ball over. 2 – Even on drives that didn’t result in points we moved the ball. There were very few 2 and outs which allowed our dominant D to get the rest they needed. Patterson continues to progress. This time our slow start was not on him. He hit Baker in the hands on that first drive and that wasn’t he only drop his receivers hung on him. He reads defenses well. Hell in terms of back-ups I have seen in recent years he is miles ahead on how he reads and reacts to the blitz. He’s still making some mistakes but for a guy with 3 career starts I am very impressed with where he is at. I rewatched the game and keyed in on Brammer and thought he fared quite well. He plays physical and was definitely not a liability. Ouelette had another hard running day. Even the runs that got snuffed out early went for 3 yards minimum. At the rate his body is piling up the damage at some point I expect him to roll himself to the huddle in a wheelchair, rip off a 20 yard run and then army crawl back to the bench because he can't use his legs.

And what can you say about Ajou squared? Every time the guy gets an opportunity he capitalizes with big plays. It usually takes Canadian receivers until their second year to really hit their stride in the CFL… and if that’s the case for Ajou then look out! Because a guy that size is going to be a problem for defenses. My only slightly negative comment on the O is that we need to find ways to get Bane the ball more often. Much like Ajou, he just makes things happen. 

We talked about our killer July schedule. Well now we are guaranteed to emerge no worse than .500… with a back-up QB. And with Fajardo out, a tough short week game in Montreal is suddenly a lot more winnable. Mace has this team excelling. They believe in him. They believe in each other. The defense seeks out and creates turnovers. The offense finds ways to get it done even when faced with adversity. They are fun to watch. 

Other random thoughts:

-        That awkward “attempt” at a QB draw by Collaros kinda epitomizes his season. Like, how on earth did that seem like a good idea?

-        I can’t tell if the 60 yard FG attempt was O’Shea displaying confidence in his kicker or a complete lack of confidence in his offense to produce points any other way. Either way it was a bad call and if the ref didn’t take out Alford it could have ended much worse.

-        Caleb Sanders (the Colonel as I will now call him) had a really good game. Noticed him on a couple plays in addition to his big sack.

-        I immediately regret using phrasing that results in me complementing Sanders’ big sack.

-        I like Dalke but if he doesn’t stop taking dumb penalties he will find himself on the bench soon. Ford won’t be injured for ever.

-        That PI was absolutely atrocious. I’ve seen more physicality in spelling bees. That said it shows the perils of using up your challenge super early in a game. Also, given the number of calls that have not gone our way, I’m ok with the football gods balancing the ledger a bit.

-        Lastly, need to address the hit on the last play. Firstly, Patterson did hold the ball too long and put himself in danger as a result. He admitted it. But the issue is not that Adam OverTheHill initiated contact. Its that he drove him to the ground with the intent to make him hurt. A simple shove or shoulder tackle would have sufficed. I can guarantee if Thurman had done that to Collaros, there would be tears, outrage and calls for suspension.

-        How good does 5-1 feel though?

 

Riders vs. Bombers: Friday Night Football

Friday the 2-4 Bombers are in town for a showdown with the obsidian-clad 4-1 Riders. Two weeks ago this match-up was looking very different. Bombers had so few wins they were at risk of being legally required to no longer advertise themselves as WINnipeg. The Riders were undefeated and their injured list contained far fewer important names. Suddenly we are banged up and coming off our first loss and the Bombers are on a 2 game win streak. While I wholeheartedly disagree with these 2 teams playing before Labour Day, this should be an intense battle between heated rivals under the Friday night lights. 

Completely random thought but do you think if obsidian night was done in the Chris Jones era he would have caved and wore it because it’s close enough to black? Who am I kidding, he would have made them create an all black button-up long sleeve with the smallest logo imaginable... and sunglasses strapped to his head despite it being a night game.

We all expected the Bombers to stop losing at some point. I enjoyed the hell out of their winless start but it was never going to last. There were even signs of their resurgence before they started winning. Their last 3 loses were by a combined 9 points. Turns out that losing all your top offensive players to injury will impact performance. Go figure? The Bombers may not be the dominant force they have been over the past 4 seasons but they are still a good football team. 

I actually don’t mind coming into this one as the underdog. Had they still been losing it would have been easy to get overconfident. I have confidence that Mace will have them ready to play and feeding off that underdog status as well as the crowd.

Offensively I can’t say I’m enamoured about facing Willy Jefferson with a back-up QB and a tackle making his first pro start. Betting on a Jefferson pick is probably a good idea. The thing about the Bombers D is that they are stingy against the pass but the worst in the CFL at stopping the run. So let's not overthink this. Make it easy on Patterson and Brammer by feeding Ouelette. For all his mistakes Patterson has actually been very good about protecting the football. We have the least giveaways. We do allow a lot of sacks… and losing Hardrick won’t help that. Surprisingly the Bombers have the 2^nd least sacks. In addition to a focus on the run, I would like to see us use that quick passing attack we went to in BC after the first 2 drives failed. Emilus, Baker and Bane can make things happen with the ball in their hands. Let them do the heavy lifting. Been a while since Bane had a big game, seems like a good time to feed him. I would be in favour of someone slapping Patterson before the game or whatever it takes to get his head on right and avoid his game starting craptitude (it’s a word now, feel free to use it). 

Defensively the key matchup is the leading rusher in the CFL in Olivera vs. the #1 run D in the CFL. This is the match-up that gives me some confidence. I am used to watching Olivera run all over us but this is the best equipped the Riders have been to shut him down. Without the run it will force Collaros to do the heavy lifting. Lots of people talking about how Collaros is “back” after last game… but he still threw 2 picks. He leads the league in that category. I am betting on 2 more picks added on Friday. D-line needs to be disruptive. Either hit him or make him hurry. I am also betting on a Demski TD. Guy always seems to have monster games against us. The Bombers have the least point but half their point have come in the last 2 games (did I mention who they really really sucked to start the season). Shut down Olivera, disruptive front 4 and don’t give up the big plays, those are the keys. And for the love of god when Streveler comes in can Williams actually play man and not get caught peeking. Steveler has 2 plays run and huck it deep. 

Betting lines have us as the underdogs and I agree. I think we have a very good chance but the Bombers aren’t going to just lie down and let us take it. Historically new Mosaic has been very kind to the Bombers… though I feel ever since Toronto blocked that kick here in the Grey Cup, some good mojo has been restored. This season, the Bombers are winless on the road and the Riders have yet to lose at home. Should be the biggest crowd of the season. Players are pumped for the new jerseys. Atmosphere should be electric and I expect the team to feed off it. 

I expect a patented Shae Patterson crap start but I expect it to be balanced by a patented Corey Mace strong 4^th quarter comeback. 

Riders by an Ouelette TD. 

Get loud!

Monday Morning Sentimonies: Should Probably Cover That McInnis Guy

Riders 20 – Lions 35

If I were to tell you that at one point Miles Brown had to play guard that should pretty much be all the information you need to know it did not go as planned on Saturday. Look, we all expected a loss at some point (most of us expected it sooner) and to lose to the top team in our division on the road is not the worst kind of loss… the Elks appear to have the market cornered on those. But the game did highlight some weaknesses this team has that they will need to overcome to be in the conversation with the top dogs come season end. It also unfortunately further added to an already full injury list. 

For me the game boiled down to one simple thing. We made more mistakes than the Lions and they made us pay when we did. I thought we held our own not bad. Yes Justin McInnis seemed to put up yards at will on us but through 3 quarters that only resulted in 1 TD. We were down 2 points in the 4^th quarter. Honestly the goal line stand and the Emilus fumble were the difference. Take away those 2 and it drastically changes things. Add in Sterns losing a sure TD in the roof and the missed FG that followed and we easily left another 17 points on the field. But when you play top end teams you can’t pile up mistakes and expect to win. 

I have 2 criticisms of Shea Patterson and then I’ll get to some compliments. 1 – He starts like pure garbage. His first few series are always painful and then he eventually gets it going. But he’s gotta find a way to start better. 2 – Someone needs to teach him how to strap up his helmet properly. Every single time he uses his legs, he adjusts his helmet mid stride… every time! It’s a really weird bad habit. Now to the good stuff… he’s actually a decent QB for this only being his second start. He’s no phenom but he at least looks like he belongs on the field and can manufacture drives. Hell he should have had another TD as he literally hit Sterns with the ball in the endzone (beauty throw) but Sterns lost it in the roof. Major credit to Marc Mueller who has shown a great ability to adjust his play calls when things aren’t working and find things that do. Patterson will need to keep improving if we want to get back to winning but he has certainly shown me more than either Fine or Dolegala did (though having an OC that is actually qualified for his job probably helps a lot there too). 

Defensively there was some really good things. On a day were we were very short staffed on the D-line Lanier stepped up and had a big game. Micah was impactful too. Our pressure definitely made VA feel uncomfortable. Unfortunately sprinkled in a amongst some great plays were mistakes that VA made us pay for. Not sure what in the world Williams was thinking on that 3rd down fake. He had one job and managed to fail at it. I am decidedly not sold on Lokombo at safety. I don't know enough about the kind of D we are running to know for sure but I see him a step or 2 late to a lot of plays but rarely (if ever) actually making a play. The margin for error against the top end is so small and our pass defense found out what happens when you are off, even by a little bit. 

We saw the good and bad on special teams too. Alford’s big return led to points and Lauther might run the best dribble kickoff in the CFL. But he also missed a makable FG. Just another mistake in the pile of things we could not overcome. 

Big time injuries continue to pile up. D-line is down pretty much all their depth with Carney, Albright and Dabire out (honestly Dabire is the biggest loss there). Now the O-line (already down Blake) is likely to be without Hardrick long-term. As of writing this we don’t know how long but usually leaving on a cart with a knee injury is not a good omen. That would be a massive loss and erode all our depth on O-line too. 

I expected us to lose this and we did. Looking only at the passing stats and the final score doesn’t tell the full story. We proved we can hang with the big boys. We need to make less mistakes to upgrade from hang with to beat but we aren’t far… without our starting QB.

Other random thoughts:

-        We might set the record this year for technically correct calls that are travesties of logic. This week Williams got called for unnecessary roughness… for incidentally contacting Vernon Adams while lying on the turf after previously falling down. Did he contact a defenseless runner? Yes… but a sneeze would have had more impact on Adams than that hit.

-        There was 100% holding on the Vernon Adams TD run. And not even the incidental holding that happens on every play but blatant, overt holding.

-        I love watching Schaefer-Baker run with the ball.

-        Since BC smashed watermelons when we came to town, does that mean we get to do the same with kittens when they do? Asking for a friend.

Saturday Morning Sentimonies: Bonus, Undefeated Edition

Riders 30 – Argos 23

You might be wondering what would possess a notoriously lazy man to post early (and not the more likely late and/or not at all). Well, I leave tomorrow on my annual spiritual retreat… the retreat being held at a fishing resort and the spirits being the liquid kind. I will be off the grid from Sunday until just before our next game on Saturday. So there will be no Game Preview post on Friday. And rather than deny you 2 posts, I am blessing you with my sentimonies before I go. 

What a game! After pushing their undefeated streak to 4 games and taking down a quality opponent in the process, it may just be time we start taking this team seriously. I am not saying plan the parade route (trust me a few enthusiasts are no doubt already on that). I am just saying that we might be more than just the best of the bottom tier teams. We may be contenders. 

Shea Patterson passed the first test… barely but C’s get degrees. His first quarter was awful. To his credit, he did not turn the ball over which is important for a young QB. But he really didn’t do anything. True to my scouting report, he only saw the right side of the field and the only time he went left he failed miserably at the patented Fajardo spin left. But the defense (more on them later) held us in the game until a magical drive in the 2^nd quarter when a spark was lit. Starting at our own 16, Patterson led a 8 play, 94 yard drive that culminated in a highlight reel Emilus TD. He hit 5 different receivers on the drive. The complexion of the game changed right there. It was the first time all year we did something productive in the second quarter. Patterson was far from an all-star the rest of the game, but he definitely settled down, was more productive and confident. He still has an insane bias to the right side of the field that will eventually catch up with him but even in a so-so performance he scored two TDs and got the job done. Harris would have eaten that Argo D alive.

The other offensive player to highlight is Logan Ferland. Normally a guard sliding out to tackle due to injury creates a weakness in your line. Not with Ferland. I don’t want him starting there full time but he does a great job at tackle whenever called on. It does make me wonder why we didn’t try him when we were rotating through some of the worst American tackles imaginable over the past 2 years. Telling me he would not have been an upgrade?

Defensively they dominated. They allowed 3 total points in the first half and 6 points through 3 quarters. 2 sacks and 5, count ‘em 5 turnovers. When we needed them most they stepped up and delivered. Best game so far of the season for Micah and Lanier. Thurman is a force out there. Milligan may be the most well rounded DB in the league. I’ve seen guys that cover as well. I’ve seen guys that tackle as well. I’ve seen very few that do both extremely well. After a rough game 1, Marcus Sayles is settling in nicely. I take back most of the awful things I said about him. My scouting report was that running was the Argos' strength and we take that away better than anyone. Well low and behold, without the benefit of a dominant running attack, Cameron Dukes went from being talked about as a future all-star to being talked about as someone doing a great homage to when his head coach played in the Grey Cup. Not writing Dukes off but he’s still got lots of developing to do. 

The one thing that I think will become the calling card of Corey Mace is overcoming adversity. In Game 1 and 2 we needed miracle 4^th quarter comebacks, but we won. In Game 3 we lost our starting QB, but still won. In Game 4 we played out toughest opponent to date, with a backup QB who sucked to start, but we still won. He has instilled a never give up mentality in that team and they believe they can overcome whatever gets placed before them. It’s a welcome change from the fold early and try next time mentality we dealt with for the past 2 years. 

With Montreal and BC on the road over the next 3 weeks the challenges only increase from here but there is reason to believe again in Riderville.

Other random thoughts:

-        People keep talking about how good Toronto’s D is and I don’t get why. They have McManis and decent front 4 but they have allowed more points than any team not name Hamilton and allow more passing yards than anyone. They are maybe a mediocre defense.

-        I love that we iced the game by pulling out the “they forgot that Mitch Picton exists” page of the playbook. The first one was too the left side too.

-        Yards won’t show it but Ouelette had a solid game and the hard yards he earned were key.

-        I almost lost it when Mace was thinking about going for it rather than taking the field goal to make it a 2 score game late in the 4^th. Fortunately, logic prevailed.

-        DeMarcus Fields did not register a defensive stat… for someone playing halfback that is a very good sign. Means they were not targeting receivers in his area.

-        Seems wrong that the Williams INT counts against Dukes. He made a good pass, Williams just stole the ball away from the WR.

-        The lightning was definitely much closer during the last game than it was went they called a lightning delay to warmups.

See you in a week.

Riders vs. Argos: Thursday Night Patterson

Side note before I start this: Today marks the 17th Anniversary of this blog. Its a staggering milestone that I never would have imagined possible. My thanks to all you readers who for some reason still come here to hear biased football analysis, Simpsons references and super immature humour. 

And with that let's get on to discussing how I am hoping for a big showing from Cox.

Tonight the 2-1 Argos are in town to face the (still) undefeated Riders. Shea Patterson gets his first start with Harris out. Bane will also not play. And we finally have to play a team that has managed to win a game. So you know, everything is fine. 

After losing many of their top defensive players (and coach) to other teams and their starting QB to being an idiot and then having other idiots attempt to cover up his idiocy, many expected the Argos to struggle. They have not. Their only loss is to Montreal and Cameron Dukes looks like a capable QB. Turns out Ryan Dinwiddie may indeed be more than just a pair of soul sucking eyes. 

We will start on the defense this week because with our starting QB and best receiver out I think we all know that defense is going to need to step up and keep us in games. The good news is that I think they should be up to the challenge. It will be strength against strength. Toronto has by far the most potent rushing attack powered by Ka’deem Carey and Deonta McMahon (who I can only assume is the long lost son of Vince). They are averaging 136 yards per game. But they will face the #1 run D in the CFL. We have allowed 98 TOTAL rush yards. I expect Carey and McMahon to push those numbers higher but I don’t expect them to run wild. 

Cameron Dukes is an interesting guy to watch. He looks calm in the pocket, protects the football and makes good decisions. But he hasn’t had to do a whole lot. They have the second least pass yards and have attempted 20 less passes than the next closest team.  But Dukes is making the most of it when he does throw. 77% completion rate, 5 TDs to just 1 INT. Key to success will be limiting the run game to make them more one dimensional than they are used to and then disrupt Dukes. Toronto has allowed the 2^nd most sacks (despite only playing 3 games) so opportunities should be there for the front 4 to make plays. Dukes has the lowest average depth of pass so taking away the quick easy ones will force him to stuff outside of his comfort zone and increase the chances for our D to force a turnover. 

Offensively we are accepting prayers to your preferred deity. I have Jebus handled so let’s focus on some of the other ones to cover our bases. If Harris had played I really think he would have had a monster game. Toronto is allowing 31 points per game (2nd worst) and are the worst at defending the pass (most yards allowed and a staggering 77% completion rate allowed). They really miss Jamal Peters and Quantez Stiggers. But Harris ain’t playing. Its Patterson and will all due respect to him, my expectations will be lowered despite facing a porous defense. 

I am hopeful that with the benefit of a bye week and full week of practice, Mueller will have a game plan in place that suits Patterson. Everyone is talking about getting his legs going and while I think that’s an important part of his game, he is going to need to pass the ball to win. Losing Bane hurts but Baker, Emilus and Sterns are capable. Even mix in a little Ajou squared. Frankie Hickson will dress for the first time this season and I can’t imagine they do that without plans for him. We need to keep Ouelette’s momentum from last game but Hickson can be an effective change of pace. He runs angry and that’s just what we need. I hope the O-line spent time working things out with Patterson. Very different blocking for Harris who hangs in the pocket and makes quick reads vs. Patterson who is not afraid to use his legs (to roll right). Also, while I think we all can agree the O-line is much improved over previous years when it comes to pass blocking, they still have allowed more sacks than any team despite having a bye week last week. Toronto has some quality pass rushers and I’d rather not leave it all up to Patterson’s legs to try and beat that. 

This is a test game for the Riders no doubt. We may be 3-0 but we have beat only teams with a philosophical opposition to winning. If we can hang with an actual good team then you'll start making believers our of people. I think our defense should be up to keeping us in the game. Offense will be a struggle but I don’t think has hapless as some as expecting.

 As I said, with Harris I think we win. With Patterson… I am not sold yet. I think we keep it close and go punch for punch with them (hopefully not literally). But in the end I think this will be just the start of a very rough July.   

Riders by a 4^th quarter Coxie TD… most likely on Sayles.

 

Monday Morning Sentimonies: Uh Oh

Usually bye weeks are a positive thing. You anticipate the players getting some rest and relaxation and emerging healthier than when they entered. Well the Riders emerged from the bye week with a bang… and not in the good way.

Trevor Harris was moved to the 6-game injured list and Rider fans (known for their calmness and rationality) took it about as well as expected.

Look, we already knew that July was going to be a lot tougher than June even with Harris. The schedule makers served us up a very friendly start to the season, full of teams that couldn’t win if their lives depended on it (combined record of June opponents 0-8). July features road games against the top teams in each division, a Thursday match against a pretty good Argo team… and mixed in there is another team that couldn’t buy a win (combined record of July opponents 9-6). Pre-Harris injury I was thinking 2-2 in July would be a realistic outcome.

But suddenly we face one of the toughest parts of our schedule without our most important player. Defense has been playing some solid football (in spurts) but the strength of this team through 3 games has been the passing attack and its ability to average 30 points per game. I think Harris would have struggled to keep up that pace as the quality of competition increased. Shea Patterson has about as much chance of doing it as Chris Streveler has of becoming renowned for his throwing mechanics and the accuracy of his passes. 

I do like that we are at least being smart with Harris. He could play if we let him. When faced with the same situation 2 years ago with Fajardo we let him try and limp his way through it and it went about as well as you’d expect. Its early in the season and we are currently 3-0 so no need to push Harris. Let him heal up for when it matters. If we run him into the ground now we can expect the “finishing the season on an 8 game losing skid” streak to continue. While the timelines for recovery are unknown, the fact that we signed essentially a practice roster QB instead of a “veteran” like Fine, Pipkin, etc… tells me that this is not expected to be a longterm thing (at least that’s what I keep telling myself to maintain my state of denial). 

Now, I am not ready to write off Shea Patterson or this team yet, but realistically we need to lower our expectations while he’s at QB. I will be interested to see if he looks better with the benefit of a week practicing to be the starter and a game plan built around him. But even me, a guy who dresses in a robe and sees the world through rye hazed glasses has figured out that Patterson loves to roll right more than Cody loved spinning left. Take away his first read and he will panic and try to use his legs to buy time but always moving towards his right. If I have figured that out then D-Coordinators who do this for a living will be licking their chops. Hopefully Mueller can design a game plan that suits his strengths and keeps him away from predictable bad habits. The one thing I will say about Patterson is that despite his habits, he is not reckless with the ball. He didn’t force turnovers and that will be important. 

But it can’t all be on Patterson. Mueller has been doing a great job with Harris and those receivers, now he needs to earn his money and elevate Patterson. The run game needs to step up. A vet like Harris who can make quick reads can compensate for a one-dimensional offensive attack. If defenses don’t have to respect the run, Patterson will be in trouble. If we can keep the momentum from last game where Ouelette finally got going it opens up a lot for Patterson both in terms of passing and him using his legs. Defense also needs to step up and play a full game… and not just come causally strolling in in the 4^th expecting that will be enough. Harris was putting up 30 per game. That will not be happening any time soon. So winning will require the defense keeping things close. 

Mace’s team has shown its ability to overcome adversity so far. That will be put to the ultimate test in the coming weeks.

Monday Mornings Sentimonies: Emphatic Win

Riders 36 – Ti-Cats 20

After back to back weeks where the Riders felt lucky to escape with wins and had to rely on furious 4^th quarter comebacks, they opened their home schedule with an exclamation mark. From the fumble on the opening kickoff they were the better team. The final score flatters the Ti-Cats as they were not close to making it a game at any point. Despite the happiness of winning I left both the previous games with more questions than confidence… but many of those questions were answered. I love that we attacked early. We turned an early mistake in a TD right away and then didn’t let up. We kept being aggressive and built a 17 point lead.

Let’s start on offense. We can run!! Ouelette finally had his coming out party in green. That was made much easier by the fact that we were actually able to run block. A lot easier to put up yards when you aren’t getting first contact behind the line of scrimmage. We used him effectively in the pass game as well. With every passing week I am more and more convinced that we have a very dangerous passing attack. Our best 2 receivers in Baker and Bane were held under 42 combined yards but it did not matter. We spread the ball around. Eight different players caught passes. Emilus stepped up and made up for last week’s struggles. Ajou squared had a picture perfect TD. If Harris didn’t get hurt we may have hung 50 on Hamilton. Emilus fell down and still scored a TD from his knees for Pete sake (Sterns damn near one upped him and scored from his back). Thank-you football Jebus, it looks like Harris will be ok. He even tried to sneak himself back into the game. Credit also to Patterson. It wasn’t pretty but he came in and did his job. Which was protect the lead and don’t make mistakes. He tried a couple times but he was overall smart with the ball. 

Defense showed what they can do when they don’t wait until the 4^th quarter to show up. Pass rush was noticeable this week. Not a ton of sacks but a lot of pressure. Through 3 games our defense has not allowed 100 rushing yards… that’s total. Bo was Hamilton’s leading rusher. I would also like to point out that he completed more passes to Riders than to his supposed #1 receiver White.  His #1 receiver this game was the turf. Even Marcus Sayles didn’t look like a lost tourist who does not speak the local language this week. What was the best to see what the defense stepped up when this team needed a boost with Harris being out. Turnovers galore. 

We even managed to not take penalties on special teams. It was a well rounded, total team effort. Hell we even managed to have our most productive 2^nd quarter of the season by far (sure it was only a single but its more than we scored all year).

This is the best I’ve felt after a win. Now the caveat is that we just beat 2 teams that were expected to be bottom dwellers so I’m not ready to say we are the team to beat yet. But we are now showing that we can be a well rounded team. We are 3-0 despite not playing our best football… if we can keep improving on our weak spots we could be very dangerous.

Other random thoughts:

-        That PI call on Lokombo was 100% tipped and should not have been a penalty. I don’t know how command centre doesn’t fix that.

-        After years of screaming that Hardrick jumps early, I am suddenly very ok with it all of the sudden.

-        CJ Avery has a knack for making plays.

-        That onside punt attempt was damn near perfect. Great back spin on the kick by Korsack and Milligan was so close to getting there.

-        On that one drive in the first quarter I thought we might set a record for the most first downs while not gaining yards. We had like 3 first downs and did not move 10 yards total.

Riders vs. Ti-Cats: Home Opener

Sunday the Ti-Cats are in town for a rematch. The Riders will look to go 3-0 in front of the hometown crowd for the first time this season. The Ti-Cats will look to avoid starting 0-3.

There is really two schools of thoughts on the 2024 Riders and I’m not yet sure which one I think is right yet. The first way of thinking is that they are 2-0 despite playing some dreadful football and needing to rely on improbable late game comebacks. So look out if they ever get things figured out and start playing a full 60 minutes. The other way of thinking is that their record flatters them and they are a couple plays away from 0-2. So when the miracles dry up, they are in trouble. I think the truth lies somewhere in between.

This is clearly a team with some serious weaknesses. Penalties, pass defense and rushing to name a few. But I also don’t think their wins are flukes. That offense has legit firepower in the passing attack and the defense tightens up and makes plays when it matters most.

So what will it take to extend our winning ways?

The strength of this team is Trevor Harris and the passing attack. He has the most yards and TDs. He and Mueller are also finding ways to leverage the strengths of Bane, Baker and Sterns. 1 out of every 5 Harris drives is ending in a TD. We had 37 total offensive TDs last season and have 7 through 2 games this year. They once again get to face a defense that is… how do the French say it? L’Horrible… at least when it comes to pass defense. They have allowed over 30 points in back to back games and have allowed the 2^nd most pass yards. And the thing is, they have only allowed 1 pass over 30 yards so its not big chunk plays that make up their stats, its short and medium stuff that they just can’t stop. Want another quirky stat? They have zero takeaways so far (I know I probably jinxed things just by typing that, I’m sorry). While Bane and Sterns seemed to have escaped major injury, unfortunately Balke did not. So Sceviour will be a full time starter. Be nice to get some semblance of a run game going. Harris is playing great but also being sacked more than any QB. Even a slightly useful run game takes some pressure off him and likely extends his shelf life. The concern is our O-line. We know Blake is out long-term and we had Sceviour waiting in the wings so all’s good. But as of writing this, Godber has not practiced this week due to a personal matter. That takes our OL depth from sittin’ pretty to sweet merciful crap really quickly. Hamilton has a decent DL so that is definitely something to watch. Our pass blocking has been able to overcome our run blocking but if that starts to falter too, all the fancy QBs and WRs in the world won’t help.

While it’s not super surprising to see Hamilton’s D struggling, many people (myself included) are surprised to see their O playing so well. And they are doing it despite their best receiver displaying all the catching reliability of a greased up double amputee. It would really help limit Bo and the passing game if our D-line could get some pressure… any pressure. Our pass rushers seem to be maintaining a halo around the QB like he has some sort of highly communicable disease. Though I am starting to wonder if scheme plays a part in it. In back to back weeks very talented RBs have failed to run on us at all (69 total rush yards allowed). I am not smart enough to know if we are intentionally sacrificing success in the pass rush to eliminate the run game but it does make me wonder. It would also help if our secondary (cough Sayles cough) could figure out their coverage assignments. We can’t be letting guys go completely uncovered and hope to win again this week. I am predicting that the home town crowd fuels the D-line to a 3 sack performance. Bo played his best game in years last week and it still wasn’t enough. For all the criticisms against our D there is one stat they should be proud of. They have allowed 6 total points in the fourth quarter. They up their play with the game on the line and I expect that to continue.

It goes without saying that we need to get penalties under control. But to be more specific we need to get special teams penalties under control. Almost half of all our penalties came on teams. Mario Alford may legitimately fashion a shiv out of supplies from the trainer’s kit and murder someone if one more guy ruins a big return of his.

The key to the game lies in the 2^nd and 4^th quarter. We need to stop sucking in the second where we have been outscored 25-0. Anything above utter futility and despair in the 2^nd will drastically improve our odds of victory. I doubt our furious 4^th quarter pace is sustainable (we are outscoring opponents 37-6) but its clearly a strength of this team.

If we follow the usual script, we will start slow but finish Q1 up 7-3. Proceed to play awful in every phase. Wake up late in the 3^rd. Dominate the 4^th and win. I expect us to deviate a bit. Look for a hot start, the 2^nd Q will still suck but we will have a lead as a buffer this time. Still and strong 4^th …

Riders by a Schaefer-Baker TD in a game that will yet again take years off my life and teach kids around me new curse words. Not my kids of course, they have heard them all already.

Be loud.

Monday Morning Senitmonies: Chaos

Riders 33 – Ti-Cats 30

Just as everyone expected, the Riders became the only remaining undefeated team remaining in the West after another comeback win. After the game I had a buddy ask me “what even is this team?” My answer was “Chaos”. There’s good, there’s bad, there's elation, there's swearing, but its never boring. 

For the second week in a row we used the patent pending Cory Mace method to win. That being: score a 1^st quarter TD and then immediately quit being useful for a large chunk of the game on both sides of the ball, fail to do any kind of run blocking, fail to generate any kind of pass rush, commit more penalties than you can fathom, get to the point where pretty much everyone has given up hope and then claw your way back to an improbable victory. Definitely not a sustainable formula for success but at this point, no one is complaining about style points. Keep the wins coming no matter how. 

Its only 2 games in and I expect defenses to start adjusting as more and more film becomes available but I am liking Marc Mueller as an OC. You can tell he is scheming his receivers open. He is making adjustments when something is not working. And him and Harris seem to be in synch. Our passing attack is legit dangerous. If we could ever get any semblance of a run game going, look out. But the lack of rushing yards is not on Mueller or on Ouelette. Our O-line just plain sucks at run blocking. Its weird because they are pretty good at pass blocking and usually that is the more difficult aspect of their job. I at least like that Mueller found a way to keep Ouelette involved in the pass game this week. He’s too important not to keep involved somehow. Hopefully Sterns and Bane are not out for long. They are both impact receivers in this offense. Nice to see Baker step up and own the day (like a certain robbed prognosticator predicted). Emilus was fighting the ball today but Ajou made the most of his first reps.

Defensively it was painfully obvious to everyone (especially the Ti-Cats) that we rushed Sayles onto the roster. He was an absolute liability out there. He looked like a guy on just over a week’s practice… because he was. He had no business being on that field. D-line did the exact same thing as last week… that being next to nothing until the very end when they started making some impactful plays. We are very good against the run but the D-line can’t seem to generate any pressure even when we blitz. It’s kinda like when Scott Gordon used to safety blitz… people are running in the direction of the QB but can’t get within the same area code. Cox has some issues maintaining contain (a younger less mature Prophet would have no doubt made some sort of crude joke about not containing a black Cox… but I’m clearly above such low brow comedy now). On the positive side, Rolan Milligan is a tackling machine. Whether its on defense or on teams he sheds blocks and consistently delivers sound, impactful hits. 

Overall, chaos remain my word to describe this team. I hate that we go to sleep in the 2^nd quarter. I hate that we can’t stop taking dumb penalties. I hate that we can’t run the ball. But I love that we are so resilient that we find ways to win in spite of all of that. Defense seems to show up and make plays when needed despite being inconsistent and full of issues. Offense delivers points when we need it. There is a level of confidence in Harris and co’s ability to deliver. An amazing 60% of all points we have scored this season have come in the fourth quarter.  But at some point teams are going to stop making the key errors (like whatever Tim White did to pop that INT up) that keep us in these games.

But this week was not that week. We won. We overcame a lot. We should be ecstatic at being 2 and 0 at this point.

Other random thoughts:

-        It was technically the correct call but its still stupid. Common sense says Reavis recovered that fumble.

-        Sterns a tough bugger to hang onto that catch while his leg was bending ways it shouldn’t. Was surprised he walked off so hopefully it looked worse than it was.

-        Feel bad for Blake. Injuries seem to be following him like a black cloud.

-        Don’t want to jinx it but for all the preseason Lauther doubters, he seems to be doing just fine so far.

-        I feel for Hamilton because Bo Levi Mitchell in the last 2 games has played his best football in the past 3 years and they can’t manage to win even with that. When his body inevitably starts breaking down again in a couple games they will regret wasting this narrow window of health and usefulness.

-        Seriously, Marcus Sayles was awful.

Riders vs. Ti-Cats: Going for 2

I am loving this early season tradition the CFL year has started with. If every week could start with Winnipeg losing on Thursday that would be fine with me. It really just starts things out on such a positive note. 

Saturday the Riders look to continue doing the opposite of the Bombers. They will need to be better, Hamilton may not be Grey Cup favourite at this point but it’ll probably take more than a furious 4^th quarter to win a second straight road game. Its still so early in the season that its hard to get a handle on teams. Is Hamilton only slightly not as good as a good Calgary team? Or is Calgary only slightly less crappy than a crappy Hamilton team? Are we good or just not a crappy as the Elks?  Lots left to be sorted out. 

Two things need to happen in this game if we want to win and they both start in the trenches. D-line needs to make an impact and O-line needs to find a way to open a least a couple holes for Ouelette in the run game. Win the trenches, win the game. 

Taking a deeper dive at out offense, I do like our chances of a run game better in this one. Hamilton has an OK D-line but a very green group of linebackers. That should be something we can exploit either with the run or short passing game. Jamal Peters (Hamilton’s best DB) did not dress for game 1 and they missed him. He has a chance to play in this once which would make Harris’ life harder. But otherwise this is not a secondary that should scare us. Hamilton allowed an 80% completion rate in game 1 and their leading tackler was their cornerback that is a sign someone is being picked on. Obviously the league is on notice that Bane is an impact player and we need to continue to lean on him but I expect someone else to have a big game. Possibly Schaefer-Baker. I expect Sterns to continue to play a big role (maybe not yardage-wise, but as a move the chains guy). Hamilton allowed over 30 points in game one. If we can play an even 4 quarters (and not just go to sleep for half the game) we should come close to that. 

Defensively this will be a big test for the D-line. Figueroa and Murray are supposed to be their stating tackles but are currently on the 6-game IR. You can pass off week 1 as an off-week for the D-line but if they can’t make an impact in this one then I will start to get concerned. The key to slowing the Ti-Cat offense is limiting James Butler. They lean heavy on him. Tim White was dropping balls like he was hitting puberty in game 1. I don’t expect that to happen again. Fortunately White’s production is tied heavily to the performance of Bo Levi Mitchell. Bo didn’t look great in game 1, though he did rally late to make it look more respectable. But I don’t expect his performance to improve as the wear and tear of the season starts to pile up. D-line needs to get in his face and make his life miserable. Quirky week 1 stat… Bo was the 2^nd worst QB at the deep ball… only Zach Collaros was worse (what a world). I have Milligan getting a pick and good odds on a second one… unless Bo just continues to sail his passes.

It goes without saying that our discipline needs to be better. An ejection and 4 fines is probably not going to endear the team to Coach Mace. Though you could have given 40 tries to guess the first Rider to get ejected this season and I would not have guessed Ferland. Hopefully its just an aberration. 

Hamilton is not likely to implode and hand us the game, so we are going to need to find a new way to win this one. But on paper, there aren’t many positions I can point to where we aren’t as good or better than the Cats. If we can get the run game going and have the D-line make an impact we should be able to grind out a win. I still expect us to find some way to make it far more difficult than it needs to be. 

Riders by a Schaefer-Baker TD

Monday Morning Sentimonies: Not Pretty But Good Enough

Riders 29 – Elks 21

It was:

-        Shabbier than a hobo’s coat.

-        Uglier than the south end of a northbound mule

-        As pleasant as the laundry hamper of an O-lineman after a summer game

Take your pick. That was an ugly game that probably would have fit better as a 3^rd preseason game. But ugly or not the Riders found a way to win. That is definitely not a sustainable way for Cory Mace and his team to win. But on Saturday it was just enough. 

But oh man did they try hard to lose it.

The first couple drives were a little shaky on both sides but then at the 5:38 marker of the 1^st Q Harris hit Bane on a beautiful TD and it looked like we were settling into a rhythm. We were not. What ensued over the rest of that quarter and all of the 2^nd and 3^rd quarter was essentially the Riders playing “find every way possible to blow a game” Bingo. Turnovers, dropped passes, missed tackles, no pressure from the D-line and penalties in all shapes and sizes. Regular penalties, ones that took return TDs off the board, dead ball fouls, ones that resulted in injections. We just crumbled and I was left contemplating how much money I would need to spend on rye to make the rest of the season bearable. 

But while the fans may have given up early on that game, the team did not. They fought back a really flipped the script in an amazing fourth. Suddenly we were forcing turnovers, the Elks were taking penalties and most importantly we were scoring. Well, more specifically Bane was scoring. There have been times where we could not score 3 times in a month and we managed to do it in one quarter. Amazing.

The cherry on top for that wild game is that CJ Avery sealed that game with a pick 38 seconds on the clock… and somehow we managed to not close out the game and gave Edmonton the ball back for a last ditch attempt.

Offensively here is what I saw. I am very excited about our passing game. O-line was pretty good in pass protection. Those 2 INTs weren’t good but for the most part Harris was seeing the field well. Sterns is proving to be a great security blanket underneath. Bane is a star. What I liked the most is that we were aggressive and not afraid to push the ball downfield. didn’t work out but I love going deep on the first play.

The run game is another story. Easy to point fingers at Ouelette. He had a very lackluster debut and fumbled at the worst possible time. But he wasn’t the biggest issue. Our O-line displayed all the run blocking ability of a welcome mat. You could have prime George Reed in the backfield and it would not matter if that’s all our O-line can do. 

Defensively, you definitely noticed energy, aggressive tackling and rallying to the football. Deontai Williams in particular was hitting with authority and forced the fumble that really ignited our comeback. What I did not notice was much impact from the D-line. Only got noticeable pressure on a couple occasions. Even when blitzing we often failed to disrupt Thompson. To their credit the D-line made an impact when it mattered most. Cox forced a fumble. Lanier tipped a pass that led to an INT. But overall the D-line needs to be way better than we saw in that game. 

Let’s be honest. If that were a better team than Edmonton, we don’t have a chance in that one. Good teams will put up more points on you when you go to sleep for 2 quarters. Good teams won’t miss an easy FG in embarrassing fashion. But credit where credit is due. It would have been easy for the team to fold and try again next week aka “the Dickenson method”. But they did not. They kept fighting for a full 60 mins and won even when they did not play their best ball… at least, we all hope that wasn’t their best. 

Lots to improve on going forward but takes the wins however you can get em’.

 Other random thoughts:

-        If they had not eventually called that Ouelette TD in I would have rioted. First they missed a blatant offside on Edmonton. Second the ref right beside Ouellette clearly saw the ball cross the line and then pointed to the far ref to make the call.

-        Was that Alford that the TSN mic’s picked up dropping an F bomb after his TD was called back?

-        The only time I thought we made a coaching error was when we punted from the 42 on 3^rd and 5. Obviously weren’t trying for the single but its still a low percentage play. Better off to go for it rather than punt and gain 1 point but give Edm the ball at essentially the same spot as if you didn’t convert on 3^rd down.  

Riders vs. Elks: Regular Season Opener

CFL Football is back! And in a true gift from the football gods it opened in the best way possible… that being the exact way the last season ended. Winnipeg losing. Oh it just warms your soul and I don’t care how petty that makes me. 

Its time for Cory Mace to show his stuff for real. He has been hyped ever since being hired and now its time to see if there is some substance to go with that sizzle. Its time to start answering all the big questions. Can Mace make this team competitive again? Can Mueller be an effective OC? Does old man Harris have another good year left in him? Can our O-line be every remotely not awful? Will this new look Rider defense be rock solid? Can we keep penalties down? Does Chris Jones shock the world and come out in a nice pallet of pastels?

Offensively my eyes will be on the OL. We went out and got a tackle. Blake and Godber are healthy. Its time for them to prove they can win the battles in the trenches. I think the Elks are a good first test. Chris Jones generally has solid D but his front 4 are greener than the jerseys they wear. Pelly will sit due to injury and the guys they are dressing have a combined total of 5 career sacks. In a case of “keep it simple stupid” I expect us to use Ouelette heavily. We went out and got him to establish a physical run game and that’s the best way to help your OL get in a groove. Should be a great battle between Ouellette and Nyles Morgan. Harris will be looking to get the ball out quick when he throws and let his playmakers do the work. Bane, Schaefer and Emilus have all proven they can do that. We need to find the right balance of aggressive but not reckless. We have a lot of vets on our offense. Elks have a pretty young defense. We can’t be afraid to take shots but need to be picky when we do. We don’t want turnovers to ignite the D. We also no longer have the benefit of Steve McAdoo bringing them down with his questionable play calling. 

Defense definitely has a tall task. Edmonton has a great RB in Brown and at WR Eugene Lewis (one of the best in the league) with Mitchell and Gittens as support. They have playmakers. And unlike last year where they shackled those playmakers with the craptastic play of Taylor Cornelius, they now have a pretty sold QB in Bethel-Thompson. He looked all kinds of rusty in preseason but I expect him to be on point on Saturday. I really want to see how our DL will play under Mace. With Lanier, Micah, Carney and Cox there is talent to boot. They underperformed last year but if Mace can get them going, look out! With guys like the ever-steady Thurman and the playmaker Reavis at LB we will be ok there. In the secondary have Milligan back will be huge. But if I’m Edmonton, I attack the other side of the secondary where we will have raw rookie DeMarcus Field and Nelson Lokombo. Big test ahead for those 2. The more disruptive the front 4 can be the easier it will makes things on the backend.

Special teams will play a factor in this one. Edmonton seems to be cursed with big time special team gaffs (Especially against us). Leake is a dangerous returner so there is a legit chance he scores and gives up a TD on returns. Be nice to see Lauther kick off his preseason funk. 

Many think we should win easy. Well I thought the same thing last year and we barely beat a much worse Elks team in a opener so ugly even Helen Keller would have swiped left. So no guarantees. I expect a very close game with mistakes on both sides. (These are 2 of the worst teams in the league over the past 2 seasons). I expect my walls to echo with both curse words and screams of joy. In the end I think Mace ekes out a hard fought first victory.

Riders by a Ouelette TD.

Monday Morning Sentimonies: Roster Thoughts and Predictions

Saturday, coaches across the league did the easiest part of their jobs… the cuts. By and large the Rider cuts were not surprising. I mean I’m sure somewhere someone is lamenting the loss of Tre Crawford but the majority of us were not overly surprised. Here were a couple things that did surprise me:

 

-        They cut both Pipkin and Fine. I’m not surprised because I think it was the wrong call. I’m just surprised they actually went through with the right call. Patterson outplayed Fine. Coan looked really good for a rookie. Pipkin ranks 43^rd on the list of people on the game day roster that I would like to see attempt a pass. I don’t think Fine did anything wrong per se… he’s just really boring, vanilla, high fibre cereal (whichever expression you prefer). He doesn’t make many mistakes but he also doesn’t make many exciting plays.

-        Lenius was probably the other big surprise. It’s too bad that Lenius was blessed with the structural integrity of Dollar Store furniture. In 2021 he looked like he was on the cusp of breaking out as the next big Canadian WR. Since then he has made 17 catches in 8 games over 2 seasons. Ajou is younger, cheaper and not currently yet again injured. Probably not a super difficult decision.

-        I was surprised Ratkovich beat out Hickson for the back-up RB role (at least for now). I was also surprised Malique Straker made it to the active roster as a rookie (on a team loaded with vet Canadian special teamers). That’s a glowing endorsement of the impact they think he can make on teams.

-        I think Meyers is a better receiver than Johnson but with already having Bane and Sterns both at 5’9 we need some height.

Overall I like the make-up of our roster. Good balance of veterans and youth (just 8 guys over 30). No sure about the depth a some positions (WR, LB in particular) but our starters should be able to compete with anyone.

So with the season starting this weekend where does that leave us? I guess I should at least make an attempt to live up to my name and make some predictions, prophecies if you will. Here’s some quick hitters:

 

-        Record – 9 and 9. We were a 6 win team with questionable coaching and only 5 starts from our franchise QB, 9 seems a reasonable jump even if the season doesn't go smoothly. I see this a bit like 2012. New, hot shot coach inherits a struggling team and re-instills energy. Gets them back to the playoffs but the best is probably going to have to wait until year 2 or 3.

-        Finish - Third in west. Win the west semi but lose in the west final. Quite frankly after the last two years, any win after Labour Day will seem like a playoff win.

o   Bonus prediction – its Winnipeg we knock out in the West-Semi.

-        MOP – Trevor Harris. This team will go as far as he can take them. I expect him to be the leader of this team on and off the field.

-        Leading Receiver – Bane leads in yards. Schaefer Baker leads in TDs. I expect Dhonte Meyers to be starting before Labour Day (the expense of Sterns).

-        Most outstanding defensive player – I’d like to say Lanier will be our most impactful but the stats of DT are rarely award worthy. A healthy Rolan Milligan will be out leader.

o   Most sacks will be Carney (narrowly) but at least 4 people will notch 7+ sacks for the Riders.

-        Top Rookie - DeMarcus Fields. I think he locks down a starter spot and doesn’t let Henderson back in even when healthy.

-        Top Canadian – Schaefer-Baker. We never got to see the Harris-Baker connection last year. I expect it to be a frequent sight this year.

-        Top lineman – Hardrick. He will be the emotional and physical tone setter on that line.

-        Bonus predictions:

o   Shea Patterson starts 2 games going 1-1

o   Jake Dolegala starts 1 game in BC and throws 2 picks in a losing effort.

o   AJ Ouelette gets 10 TDs.

o   Zach Fry still fails to crack the starting line-up in a meaningful way yet again.

o   Happy hour beer prices will reluctantly be reintroduced after Labour Day, which we win

o   Micah Awe will be fined 3 more times before his first suspension

o   The injury bug finally catches up with Collaros again after all these years.

 Enjoy the season