Riders 9 - Alouettes 40
Thanks-giving? More Like Beat-taking... Am I right? (It's the best I got today)
Life with Durant added another painful chapter on Monday as the Riders got thoroughly ass kicked by the Als. The performance was so painful that it made the obligatory Black/Forde carving the turkey segment seem not that bad by comparison. Rather than give by usual post-game analysis and breakdown the game, I will just save time and say the we sucked in all phases, some more than others admittedly, but the general level of performance for everyone was set on suck for that holiday Monday.
So rather than breakdown all the ways in which we sucked, here are some random thoughts on the game:
- I blame poor effort by #26. I mean come on, show some hustle.
- Lots of talk about George Cortez during this enduring string of QB garbage. Here's the deal.... he didn't just suddenly stop being one of the brightest offensive minds in the game. But what's concerning is that he knows offense and our QBs and has reasoned that our best chance of winning was by Sunseri not throwing a pass. To me that says he doesn't think much of Sunseri's abilities other than he's apparently better than our other 3 options. Again that's concerning.
- That said, we could do a bit more to help him out. The playbook we gave him for this game might as well has come with training wheels attached or padding on the corners. Sunseri may show all the decisiveness of a woman trying to get dressed for a night out but he can do more than handoff. For all his offensive ineptitude, Ryan freakin' Dinwiddie is getting decent production out of a mediocre QB like Crompton, can't tell me Cortez can do a little bit more.
- Roll Sunseri out, cut the field in half for him to make his reads. I'm not offensive guru but that seems like a reasonable approach to me.
- Seth Doege, we want to like you. We really do. But you just keep throwing picks.
-Though I hopeful when Clark showed well in his one start replacing Picard at centre, the extended absence of Best and now Labatte have convinced me that he is not a starting caliber O-lineman. Great at TE, extra blocker, pass catcher, emergency fill in at OL but clearly over matched as a starting guard.
- Milo could double his salary by betting drunks that he can hit the ball off the uprights from anywhere on the field on cue.
- Was it wrong that I was hoping that Calvillo would inadvertently wander onto the field during a play and cause the Als to take a too many men penalty?
- To be perfectly honest I see only 2 scenarios where we win again in the regular season. Joseph quickly rediscovers his '07 form or the Esks rests their starters in the final game of the regular season because their playoff position is already decided.
- To anyone thinking the crossover is the easy path we are now winless on the road against Toronto, Hamilton and Montreal and have been outscored 116-27 in the process.
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Tuesday, October 14, 2014
Monday, October 13, 2014
A Fifth Grey Cup
Now it hasn’t been the best of seasons for
the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Their nine wins in 14 games is okay and will
merit a playoff berth, so it is by no means a disaster but it is hardly awe
inspiring. So can the defending champions win their 5th Grey Cup or
will it be playoff disappointment?
In the betting markets the Riders are one
of the favourites. Bookmakers bet365 rightly have the Calgary Stampeders
instilled as favourites, it’s hard not to - the Stampeders have been
superb this season. However, from the odds, the Riders certainly have a
succinct chance of winning.
Here’s
why they will win a fifth Grey Cup
·
Darian Durant
o
The South Carolina native is
one of the best quarterbacks outside of America. Last season he was impeccable,
throwing 31 TDs in 18 games.
§ This season he has been blighted by injury but the franchise are
optimistic that the former Baltimore Ravens man will be back sooner rather than
later. The Edmonton Eskimos game has been
pencilled in for his return.
§ Durant is a general on the pitch. He laughs in the face of
adversity. If he is fully fit for the playoffs then the Riders are a completely
different side.
·
Corey Chamblin
o
Just as important as the QB is
the coach and in Corey Chamblin the Riders have an impeccable coach. He has
taken the Riders to the playoffs every season and turned them into one of the
most dominant forces in Canada.
§ His years as a defensive coordinator come in handy for the Riders.
He has installed in his side a defensive acumen that makes them near impossible
to break down.
·
If they do get beat it is never
easily. To beat the Riders you’re going to have to bleed.
§ A side that is hard to beat certainly has a good chance of victory.
Here’s
why they won’t win a fifth Grey Cup
·
Calgary Stampeders
o
The Stampeders have been
absolutely sensational this season, winning 12 of their 14 games.
§ Form breeds confidence and right now the Stampeders are incredibly
confident. Now this confidence does not border on cockiness, the Stampeders are
better than that. However, they do believe that they are capable of winning
every game and will enter the field in this manner.
§ What’s more, is their awesome offence this season. Their 392 points
is the highest in the league. On average, they are scoring 28 points a game,
which is a darn good total.
o
The Stampeders are most
definitely the team to beat and sadly it is hard to imagine the Riders beating
them.
§ That said, who saw the Riders beating them last year?
·
Darian Durant
o
The other side to the Durant
coin. If he doesn’t fully recover from injury then the Riders are without a
top-class QB, you cannot win the Grey Cup with a dud QB.
§ The Riders have had to bring Kerry Joseph out of retirement,
that’s how depleted they are at QB. Nothing against the 41-year-old but surely
he is too old to offer anything?
Conclusion
It is going to be a stretch for the Riders
to make it two consecutive Grey Cups. If Durant is fit then they have a chance,
and that is still requiring Chamblin to be at his managerial best. If Durant is
not fit then we may as well go home now.
Friday, October 10, 2014
Riders vs. Alouettes: Action De Grace
Although you probably assume the title of this post is just full of the grammatical errors that I am prone to, its suprisingly not. For those of you who don't speak french a) you are missing out on drastiucally expanding your array of curse words b) the title translates to Thanksiginvg.
But you probably didn't come here to be lectured on bilingualism.
Monday the Riders travel to Montreal for a Thanksgiving showdown with the Alouettes. Last time these 2 teams met we were "treated" to one of the least exciting games I have witnessed in a while. We will have to see if Sunseri vs. Crompton leads to more fireworks than Durant vs. Brink.
Admittedly the Als have been better since "Straight Outta" Crompton took over. But then again he was replacing Troy Smith and Brink so a one armed blind hobo would likely have also looked good by comparison. Also keep in mind that 2 of their last 4 victories have come over Ottawa. Though they did beat the Stamps so let's not take them lightly. An unheralded key to the Als' resurgence has been the play of their O-line. They looked bad to start the year but have been doing a very good job of keeping Crompton upright lately. Our D-line will need to bring their best if they hope to make life difficult for Crompton. We also need to take away the run (just not sure if we will be trying to stop Whitaker, Sutton or Rutley). If we force Crompton to take the game on his shoulders I think our secondary will win that battle handily... Carter and Green are a formidable pair but only if Crompton can get them the ball. It will really help our cause if our D-line can get pressure without us having to resort to the blitz.The Als also like to involve their RBs in the passing game so our LBs will need be mindful of that.
Of course the biggest concern is the offense. We learned first hand last time how good that Alouette D can be and that was with Durant in the line-up. The big unknown is which Sunseri will show up. The timid one that does nothing or the good one that puts up points. We can win with the latter. The former just leads to drinking. In 2 road starts, Sunseri is averaging 70 yards passing and 45% completion. In the first half of all his starts, Sunseri is averaging 43 yards passing... 43!!!! The is no way we win if he can't do something, anything in the first half. We need to help keep the pressure off him with the run. Sounds like we will be getting both Hughes and Best back which is huge for our blocking. I would run some short crossers, or receivers screens, or TE leakouts early. Start with easy high percentage passes to get Sunseri's head in the game an increase the odds of good Sunseri appearing before its too late. I'm intentionally not discussing Doege or Joseph, its because I figure that if it comes to either of them playing we are likely going to lose.
I would be more confident if this wasn't an early game on the road. Sunseri has been awful in the first half and awful on the road. All things combined doesn't bode well for our odds. But I think our defense will keep it close and generate some turnovers. The addition of Best and Hughes (not to mention Fulton) should give an added boost to our run and pass blocking. Every time I express faith in Sunseri he seems to make me look like a fool so I may regret this next part but I think this is the game where he finally shows up in the first half. I don't expect style points but I do think we sneak out a win somehow.
Riders by a FG.
But you probably didn't come here to be lectured on bilingualism.
Monday the Riders travel to Montreal for a Thanksgiving showdown with the Alouettes. Last time these 2 teams met we were "treated" to one of the least exciting games I have witnessed in a while. We will have to see if Sunseri vs. Crompton leads to more fireworks than Durant vs. Brink.
Admittedly the Als have been better since "Straight Outta" Crompton took over. But then again he was replacing Troy Smith and Brink so a one armed blind hobo would likely have also looked good by comparison. Also keep in mind that 2 of their last 4 victories have come over Ottawa. Though they did beat the Stamps so let's not take them lightly. An unheralded key to the Als' resurgence has been the play of their O-line. They looked bad to start the year but have been doing a very good job of keeping Crompton upright lately. Our D-line will need to bring their best if they hope to make life difficult for Crompton. We also need to take away the run (just not sure if we will be trying to stop Whitaker, Sutton or Rutley). If we force Crompton to take the game on his shoulders I think our secondary will win that battle handily... Carter and Green are a formidable pair but only if Crompton can get them the ball. It will really help our cause if our D-line can get pressure without us having to resort to the blitz.The Als also like to involve their RBs in the passing game so our LBs will need be mindful of that.
Of course the biggest concern is the offense. We learned first hand last time how good that Alouette D can be and that was with Durant in the line-up. The big unknown is which Sunseri will show up. The timid one that does nothing or the good one that puts up points. We can win with the latter. The former just leads to drinking. In 2 road starts, Sunseri is averaging 70 yards passing and 45% completion. In the first half of all his starts, Sunseri is averaging 43 yards passing... 43!!!! The is no way we win if he can't do something, anything in the first half. We need to help keep the pressure off him with the run. Sounds like we will be getting both Hughes and Best back which is huge for our blocking. I would run some short crossers, or receivers screens, or TE leakouts early. Start with easy high percentage passes to get Sunseri's head in the game an increase the odds of good Sunseri appearing before its too late. I'm intentionally not discussing Doege or Joseph, its because I figure that if it comes to either of them playing we are likely going to lose.
I would be more confident if this wasn't an early game on the road. Sunseri has been awful in the first half and awful on the road. All things combined doesn't bode well for our odds. But I think our defense will keep it close and generate some turnovers. The addition of Best and Hughes (not to mention Fulton) should give an added boost to our run and pass blocking. Every time I express faith in Sunseri he seems to make me look like a fool so I may regret this next part but I think this is the game where he finally shows up in the first half. I don't expect style points but I do think we sneak out a win somehow.
Riders by a FG.
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Wednesday Quick Thoughts
It's been an eventful week already in Riderville and we are still daysd away from actually playing. I'll keep this brief but I wanted to post a few thoughts on the transactions and what's been going on.
Obviously the big news is the Kerry Joseph signing. While I don't see this move as greatly improving our odds of getting to the Grey Cup, I don't get people who are mad at the move. It cost us nothing to bring him in and you can't tell me he will decrease the production we have been getting at QB (unless he has discovered a way to score negative points). Joseph is here because Sunseri has yet to prove he can play a full game, Doege was terrible in his debut. We need some emergency plan if Sunseri struggles again next week. I've heard people call it a desperation move and that what it is. We are desperate at QB, there is no denying it. It doubt Joseph will be the miracle cure that solves our problems but I also doubt he can make things worse. I'm just glad we didn't sign Juan Joseph.
The signing I am more excited about it Diamond Ferri. The guy may be a douche bag but he played one hell of a role on our D last year. And he brings needed depth, versatility and nastiness to our D. Quite frankly with all our LB departures I was surprised we didn't keep him in the first place. (Somehow I see this paragraph getting misconstrued as "Prophet excited for arrival of Ferri"... not that there's anything wrong with that).
I'll be back on Friday to tee up the Thanksgiving clash with the Als.
Obviously the big news is the Kerry Joseph signing. While I don't see this move as greatly improving our odds of getting to the Grey Cup, I don't get people who are mad at the move. It cost us nothing to bring him in and you can't tell me he will decrease the production we have been getting at QB (unless he has discovered a way to score negative points). Joseph is here because Sunseri has yet to prove he can play a full game, Doege was terrible in his debut. We need some emergency plan if Sunseri struggles again next week. I've heard people call it a desperation move and that what it is. We are desperate at QB, there is no denying it. It doubt Joseph will be the miracle cure that solves our problems but I also doubt he can make things worse. I'm just glad we didn't sign Juan Joseph.
The signing I am more excited about it Diamond Ferri. The guy may be a douche bag but he played one hell of a role on our D last year. And he brings needed depth, versatility and nastiness to our D. Quite frankly with all our LB departures I was surprised we didn't keep him in the first place. (Somehow I see this paragraph getting misconstrued as "Prophet excited for arrival of Ferri"... not that there's anything wrong with that).
I'll be back on Friday to tee up the Thanksgiving clash with the Als.
Monday, October 6, 2014
Monday Morning Sentimonies: Coming Up Short
Riders 24 - Stamps 31
Figured I'd start on a happy note this morning...
I would have paid money to hear the 911 call when the Maxtron lit on fire.
Operator: 911 what's your emergency?
Caller: The Maxtron is on fire!
Operator: That just a video sir. We've been through this before.
Caller: No I swear its on fire for real this time!
Operator: Its a god damn video of a fire place!! Quit tying up the emergency lines!
Now onto the game...
I've resigned myself to the fact that my love of this team will lead to frustration, false hope, adrenalin pumping highs, curse filled lows and a higher than expected alcohol intake. Friday hit for the cycle. The game started out so bad (at least offensively) that I had pretty much given up on the rest of the season and started pondering just how much worse things we would if we brought back Michael Bishop. We of course proceeded to mount of the more impressive comebacks I have ever seen. Only to crush our hope with an agonizingly painful end.
Well, we now know what we have in Seth Doege... the ultimate wing man for Tino Sunseri... because man does he make him look good by comparison. Evidently no one told Seth that he was no longer at Texas Tech and that he should avoid throwing to the red jerseys. He completed as many passes to Stampeders as he did Riders. About the time we were reduced to re-inserting Sunseri I was convinced it would be a long time before I witnessed an offensive point again. But evidently Sunseri is only wired to work in the 2nd half (and on 2 pt conversions). Its like he's bipolar. There are times when he looks like he doesn't belong at this level and there are times when he shows the skill of the pro QB we all thought he would be. His performance gave me hope where there previously was none but if he can't start showing up in the first half his career win total is unlikely to increase. I liked that Brett Swain actually made himself useful. I like that Getzlaf actually made a big catch. I like that DePalma continued his streak of turning short passes into massive gains. I did not particularly like our pass protection. O-line needs to play better. I guess we are all praying for Best's return to have the same impact it did last year. Certainly some positives that can be taken away (like Sunseri putting together drives against a legitimate defense). But like I said, if we can't find a way to do that in the first half then there isn't much reason for hope.
Defense was un-freaking believable early in that game!! To be only down 9-0 despite Doege's best efforts to literally hand the game the Stamps is a credit to abilities of our D. I thought we did a decent job of limiting Cornish while he was still in... we contained him as best as I've seen anyone do this year (excluding teams that tried to knock his head off). I hate to be mad at them for the late game failures because they really carried the team for the bulk of that game but man did we ever need a stop from them late and I know they were likely tired as hell but we really needed them there. And dammit Brian Peters!!! That was a costly mistake. I won't harp on the D because like I said, if they didn't play as well as they did we would have gotten destroyed.
The positive is that for half he game, we went toe to toe with the best team in the CFL... now of course the caveat is that they were without their starting QB, reigning MOP RB and best defensive player. The negative is the League awards as many points for moral victories as Seth Doege scores. Luckily the East did us a massive favour and kept all our competitors from gaining ground on us. Hopefully the second half success can carry over into a Thanksgiving showdown with the Als.
Other random thoughts:
- Early in that game I was reminded of a Mo Lloyd quote that I will never forget "You can play against the deaf, blind and the homeless and you will never win a game with (seven) turnovers"... at least Doege didn't make it to 7.
- I don't mind the decision to punt on 3rd and 2... you should be able to count on your D for a stop and Chamblin probably thoughts those odds were higher than counting on our offense.
- I don't care if it counted, the goal line handoff to Messam from shotgun was a terrible pay call.
- That hit on Charboneau-Campeau was something. Not sure I've seen someone get hit that hard when the DB was legitimately playing the ball and not headhunting.
Figured I'd start on a happy note this morning...
I would have paid money to hear the 911 call when the Maxtron lit on fire.
Operator: 911 what's your emergency?
Caller: The Maxtron is on fire!
Operator: That just a video sir. We've been through this before.
Caller: No I swear its on fire for real this time!
Operator: Its a god damn video of a fire place!! Quit tying up the emergency lines!
Now onto the game...
I've resigned myself to the fact that my love of this team will lead to frustration, false hope, adrenalin pumping highs, curse filled lows and a higher than expected alcohol intake. Friday hit for the cycle. The game started out so bad (at least offensively) that I had pretty much given up on the rest of the season and started pondering just how much worse things we would if we brought back Michael Bishop. We of course proceeded to mount of the more impressive comebacks I have ever seen. Only to crush our hope with an agonizingly painful end.
Well, we now know what we have in Seth Doege... the ultimate wing man for Tino Sunseri... because man does he make him look good by comparison. Evidently no one told Seth that he was no longer at Texas Tech and that he should avoid throwing to the red jerseys. He completed as many passes to Stampeders as he did Riders. About the time we were reduced to re-inserting Sunseri I was convinced it would be a long time before I witnessed an offensive point again. But evidently Sunseri is only wired to work in the 2nd half (and on 2 pt conversions). Its like he's bipolar. There are times when he looks like he doesn't belong at this level and there are times when he shows the skill of the pro QB we all thought he would be. His performance gave me hope where there previously was none but if he can't start showing up in the first half his career win total is unlikely to increase. I liked that Brett Swain actually made himself useful. I like that Getzlaf actually made a big catch. I like that DePalma continued his streak of turning short passes into massive gains. I did not particularly like our pass protection. O-line needs to play better. I guess we are all praying for Best's return to have the same impact it did last year. Certainly some positives that can be taken away (like Sunseri putting together drives against a legitimate defense). But like I said, if we can't find a way to do that in the first half then there isn't much reason for hope.
Defense was un-freaking believable early in that game!! To be only down 9-0 despite Doege's best efforts to literally hand the game the Stamps is a credit to abilities of our D. I thought we did a decent job of limiting Cornish while he was still in... we contained him as best as I've seen anyone do this year (excluding teams that tried to knock his head off). I hate to be mad at them for the late game failures because they really carried the team for the bulk of that game but man did we ever need a stop from them late and I know they were likely tired as hell but we really needed them there. And dammit Brian Peters!!! That was a costly mistake. I won't harp on the D because like I said, if they didn't play as well as they did we would have gotten destroyed.
The positive is that for half he game, we went toe to toe with the best team in the CFL... now of course the caveat is that they were without their starting QB, reigning MOP RB and best defensive player. The negative is the League awards as many points for moral victories as Seth Doege scores. Luckily the East did us a massive favour and kept all our competitors from gaining ground on us. Hopefully the second half success can carry over into a Thanksgiving showdown with the Als.
Other random thoughts:
- Early in that game I was reminded of a Mo Lloyd quote that I will never forget "You can play against the deaf, blind and the homeless and you will never win a game with (seven) turnovers"... at least Doege didn't make it to 7.
- I don't mind the decision to punt on 3rd and 2... you should be able to count on your D for a stop and Chamblin probably thoughts those odds were higher than counting on our offense.
- I don't care if it counted, the goal line handoff to Messam from shotgun was a terrible pay call.
- That hit on Charboneau-Campeau was something. Not sure I've seen someone get hit that hard when the DB was legitimately playing the ball and not headhunting.
Thursday, October 2, 2014
Riders vs. Stampeders: Friday Night Showdown
It's been 11 months since the Stampeders and Riders last played... it was the West Final and the Stamps coughed up more loose balls than a... you know what, I'll let you finish that simile yourself. Bottom line is the Stamps lost and after a ridiculously long wait they finally get to do battle again. It's the long anticipated showdown: Doege vs. Tate! Well ok, the League was probably hoping for a little more of a marquee QB match-up but the fact remains, Friday night the arch-rival and much hated Stamps come to town for a divisional match-up with big playoff implications.
If we are being perfectly honest with ourselves we have little reason to expect a victory. The Stamps are the best team in the CFL, score the most points, allow the least, have the #1 run game, allow the least sacks... I mean I could go on but I think you get the point. We are taking on the best team in the CFL and we'd probably feel a lot better about our chances if we had a QB. But I'm guessing you didn't come here to have me depress you with reasons you should probably plan on getting drunk at the game so allow me to talk about how we can go about giving ourselves a chance.
I'll start with the defense...
In what is likely the most obvious statement you'll read today, the most important thing on defense is limiting Jon Cornish. I'd say stop but based on how he has been running this year I don't see him getting completely shut down. I think we need to keep him under 70 yards to have a chance. It would really help if we could rediscover the long lost middle linebacker position. Sounds like Hurl will get more reps there which gives me some hope. But we will need a team effort to contain Cornis. D-line will need to win the war in the trenches to fill the gaps and keep the OL off our LBs. The other thing you need to be wary of against the Stamps is Maurice Price. He is a threat to score from anywhere if he gets behind the DBs (unless of course he fumbles). I expect the Stamps to try and force us to bring Brackenridge up into run support to get one on one match-ups. Sounds like LeGree may be back which adds some versatility to our formations. If we can avoid the big plays, I like our DBs chances against the rest of those receivers. If Dave Dickenson watched any tape of last game or even if he just saw the stat line, he will be looking to use Tate's legs. Not lots but every so often, we need to keep him in the pocket and let our D-line rough him up. I loathe Tate so seeing the likes of George and Chick sack him will be extra satisfying (let's just hope George doesn't headbutt him). Our D got embarrassed last week and with a full week of practice I expect them to respond and make it personal in stopping Cornish. D will keep it close enough to win.
As for the O... if you have a preffered deity I suggest praying and making offerings to them. I'm kidding... mostly. Seth Doege (which I insist on saying like its spelled as opposed to his ridiculous pronunciation) gets the start. I have no clue what to expect but he really can't be worse than Tino was in 2.5 out of the last 3 games. I expect us to use his mobility to help move the chains which is something that certainly wasn't Tino's strength. Thing is Doege can't do it alone. We need the O-line to be the dominant force they were at times early in the year. We need a strong running attack. We need receivers to catch the damn ball. And we need coaches to call plays to help him out. Short crossers, swing passes to Ford to push the edges, receiver screens. Lets get the ball out quick to keep the pressure off him and let him get in a rhythm. Calgary has a great D but with a pile of injuries along the DL (most notably Charleston Hughes) that is their biggest weakness and where I would attack. Run our big OL and Allen/Messam at them early and often. Early success will pull the LBs up and open things up for the aforementioned crossers and what not in the intermediate range. Their secondary is good we need good reads/decisions from Doege. We need to lean on Dressler and it would be nice if Getzlaf could rediscover his inner Stamp-killer than served him so well early in his career.
Every ounce of logic in me says we lose and I end up trying to drink the game pretty. We are facing the best team in the league without Fulton, Best, Taj or Durant. That said I have watched enough Rider football over the years to know that this is exactly the type of game they will surprise you with an inspired performance. They will have a rowdy (and likely very drunk by 8pm kickoff) home crowd on their side and I expect them to respond with pride and heart and go blow for blow with the Stamps. In every pick'em pool I'm in I'm betting on the Stamps but here I'm ignoring all my logic and picking with my heart. I just have this weird feeling we somehow pull this out.
Riders by 3
Buckle up for a roller coaster game. Let's make it loud.
If we are being perfectly honest with ourselves we have little reason to expect a victory. The Stamps are the best team in the CFL, score the most points, allow the least, have the #1 run game, allow the least sacks... I mean I could go on but I think you get the point. We are taking on the best team in the CFL and we'd probably feel a lot better about our chances if we had a QB. But I'm guessing you didn't come here to have me depress you with reasons you should probably plan on getting drunk at the game so allow me to talk about how we can go about giving ourselves a chance.
I'll start with the defense...
In what is likely the most obvious statement you'll read today, the most important thing on defense is limiting Jon Cornish. I'd say stop but based on how he has been running this year I don't see him getting completely shut down. I think we need to keep him under 70 yards to have a chance. It would really help if we could rediscover the long lost middle linebacker position. Sounds like Hurl will get more reps there which gives me some hope. But we will need a team effort to contain Cornis. D-line will need to win the war in the trenches to fill the gaps and keep the OL off our LBs. The other thing you need to be wary of against the Stamps is Maurice Price. He is a threat to score from anywhere if he gets behind the DBs (unless of course he fumbles). I expect the Stamps to try and force us to bring Brackenridge up into run support to get one on one match-ups. Sounds like LeGree may be back which adds some versatility to our formations. If we can avoid the big plays, I like our DBs chances against the rest of those receivers. If Dave Dickenson watched any tape of last game or even if he just saw the stat line, he will be looking to use Tate's legs. Not lots but every so often, we need to keep him in the pocket and let our D-line rough him up. I loathe Tate so seeing the likes of George and Chick sack him will be extra satisfying (let's just hope George doesn't headbutt him). Our D got embarrassed last week and with a full week of practice I expect them to respond and make it personal in stopping Cornish. D will keep it close enough to win.
As for the O... if you have a preffered deity I suggest praying and making offerings to them. I'm kidding... mostly. Seth Doege (which I insist on saying like its spelled as opposed to his ridiculous pronunciation) gets the start. I have no clue what to expect but he really can't be worse than Tino was in 2.5 out of the last 3 games. I expect us to use his mobility to help move the chains which is something that certainly wasn't Tino's strength. Thing is Doege can't do it alone. We need the O-line to be the dominant force they were at times early in the year. We need a strong running attack. We need receivers to catch the damn ball. And we need coaches to call plays to help him out. Short crossers, swing passes to Ford to push the edges, receiver screens. Lets get the ball out quick to keep the pressure off him and let him get in a rhythm. Calgary has a great D but with a pile of injuries along the DL (most notably Charleston Hughes) that is their biggest weakness and where I would attack. Run our big OL and Allen/Messam at them early and often. Early success will pull the LBs up and open things up for the aforementioned crossers and what not in the intermediate range. Their secondary is good we need good reads/decisions from Doege. We need to lean on Dressler and it would be nice if Getzlaf could rediscover his inner Stamp-killer than served him so well early in his career.
Every ounce of logic in me says we lose and I end up trying to drink the game pretty. We are facing the best team in the league without Fulton, Best, Taj or Durant. That said I have watched enough Rider football over the years to know that this is exactly the type of game they will surprise you with an inspired performance. They will have a rowdy (and likely very drunk by 8pm kickoff) home crowd on their side and I expect them to respond with pride and heart and go blow for blow with the Stamps. In every pick'em pool I'm in I'm betting on the Stamps but here I'm ignoring all my logic and picking with my heart. I just have this weird feeling we somehow pull this out.
Riders by 3
Buckle up for a roller coaster game. Let's make it loud.
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Tino Sunseri For Starting QB Ad
Breaking: I have just been given an advance copy of a new video produced by Tino Sunseri outlining why he should be starting QB
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