Random Quasi-Coherent Playoff Thoughts

With the Riders enjoying a bye, it gives me the opportunity to breakaway from my normal game previews to just opine on whatever thoughts pop into my head on this Friday. I can’t promise they will be particularly witty or even relevant thoughts but its Friday and you’re probably looking for an excuse to no actually of your job or house chores or whatever it is you are choosing to slack off from at this moment.

-        I still don’t think we’ve fully grasped how big a regular season the Riders just head. 13 wins. First place. We just don’t do things like that. Craig Dickenson and his staff deserve a ton of credit. We finished the season 12 and 2 after a 1 and 3 start.

-        Many are choosing to focus on the “I will be in the West Final” part of Cody Fajardo’s comments. While I do believe that part of it I still don’t think we can ignore the “No matter how painful it is” part that immediately followed. The bye week was absolutely needed for Fajardo but just how healthy he will be by the 17^th remains to be seen.

-        I say pump him full of steroids. Its unlikely he gets caught and even if he is there’s no way the CFL would be able to figure the discipline before the end of the season so at worst he gets 2 games off in 2020.

-        I’m kidding about that last one… mostly.

-        Here’s you weekly dose of Prophet’s Jon Ryan hate. He should not have been the Riders’ Most Outstanding Special Team Nominee (that should have been Purifoy) and he should definitely not have been a West All-star. At best he’s the 3^rd best punter in the West. He’s definitely improved as the season went on but I just don’t get the hype.

-        I’m not sure if it will be in the East Semi or the East Final but the Esks are destined to get beat by like 30 points (and Maas will definitely try and kick 10 FGs to make up the point difference). Odds are good it happens in Montreal but there is a chance they hold it together for that one. But I think we can all see where this is going… the will lose, Maas will break something and be promptly fired.

-        In the West-Semi, since both teams losing isn’t an option, I guess I will hope these 2 teams beat the hell out of each other. Like quadruple OT in -20 degrees. Winnipeg brings a great D and run game. Calgary brings a great pass game and a pretty solid D. There's going to be no easy path to the Grey Cup... unless Winnipeg loses Collaros to injury in a winning effort. 

-        I’m entertained by the whole “Andrew Harris as the victim” for being snubbed on awards. I hope that if I’m ever come up with an explanation from wrongdoing that I have zero proof for, that people will believe me as much as they do Harris.

-        If the RedBlacks really think they can find a better coach than Rick Campbell they would be wise to recall how it turned out when they thought they could find a better QB than Trevor Harris.

Monday Morning Sentimonies: First Place Clinched

Riders 23 – Eskimos 13

That may have been about the most Riders way possible to clinch first place. I mean we never do things the easy way or even the pretty way… and Saturday damn sure wasn’t pretty. So I think it’s fitting that a game in which we were forced into starting a rookie QB in his first start and one in which our kicker missed 4 straight FG attempts, that’s when we clinch first. The only way it could have been any more fitting was if someone had been arrested in an incident on Dewdney following the game.

Defense needed to step up in this one and they did… albeit against a really craptastic opponent. They forced 3 big turnovers, notched 3 sacks and held the Esks to 148 yards passing (45 of which came on a WR throw). I would not have guessed it but AC Leonard was the one leading the way. At times he seemed like the only guy trying on the field. By far his most impactful game of the year and it couldn’t come at a more opportune time. While he wasn’t making sacks, I thought Micah also had a good game and was disruptive (at least at times). I wasn’t overly impressed with Gainey or McCray’s performance in this one. On that Smith TD, Gainey ran the laziest coverage I’ve seen in a while. I think a lot of credit should go to Jason Shivers. There was certainly a lot of talk about how turnovers were down but by and large this season, when we needed the D, they’ve stepped up. Without the turnovers in this one we don’t win.

Offense gave me flashbacks to the Brandon Bridge offense of 2018. The one where the OC clearly doesn’t trust the QB so we pick only 3 short passes and run them all game while trying to make someone who clearly isn’t comfortable scrambling try and be mobile. I get that a conservative O is called for with a strong D and rookie QB but there has to be limits. From my vantage point, the only time Harker looked truly comfortable was when he was pushing the ball beyond 3 yards. His first pass to Roosevelt for 10 was good. He just missed Shaq deep. He threw a perfect ball to McInnis (that he dropped). Yet we seemed to deliberately run plays that went away from that. The offensive game plan we called was really better suited to Bennett and his scrambling abilities. Overall Harker did ok. He didn’t turn the ball over at least. He didn’t really win us the game but as least he didn’t lose it.

Lots is being made of Brett Lauther’s performance. Dude got booed in his own stadium, it was bad. In all honestly I was one of the ones booing him. Look, you miss 4 straight in a game, you get booed. I still like him as a kicker and would trust him with the game on the line but he had an awful game, and the 11 points he cost us could have cost us the game. Post game he said his plan was to drink a lot of beers and try and forget this happened. I will do the same to show my solidarity with him. He's still a good kicker and you know he'll be reliable in the playoffs.

But more than Lauther, if we had lost this game it would have been on our coaches. Too many mistakes were made by them. The decision to gamble on third and one from our own 34 in a game where the Esks were doing nothing and we had a 2 score lead was bad. It was made worse by running off tackle. We had second down to try that east-west stuff. On third down in your own end run forward! Then that abomination at the end of the half was something. I don’t know how Harker got so confused on a called sneak (that should have at least been a toos to the endzone) but as soon as it became apparent that he was taking too long, Dickenson needed to call a timeout and kick a FG. Lauther may have missed (haha, just kidding... kinda) but at least its better then running a useless sneak as time expires.

I need to switch gears back to positive now. For all my criticisms of the coaches and players, they needed to be commended for what they accomplished. First F’N place!!!! Few outside that room likely thought it was possible but they believed and got it done. With our QB hurting a 2 week break while our potential opponents beat the hell out of each other is massive. Not only that, we are 1 win away from the Grey Cup. One win on home turf away. Better stock up on Pilsner and Wisers now because there could be an impending shortage.

Other random thoughts:

-        The reffing was not good and it negatively affected both teams throughout the game as well as the fans.

-        Another day, another game where Kyran Moore caught every one of his targets. He gets less hype than Shaq but Moore is developing into one hell of a receiver.

-        For all my criticisms of Jon Ryan, I do need to say that he is an excellent holder. Underappreciated but important skill. Salvaged at least one bad snap. He also punted pretty good in this one.

-        For anyone who wasn’t at the game, during the pre-game they asked fans to “light it up” by turning their phone lights on. Only problem is that is was the middle of the day. The sideline guy quickly moved on when it became apparent what a terrible idea it was.

Riders vs. Eskimos: Eye On The Prize

Who would have thought?

Look, we are not a franchise that finds itself in first place at the end of the season very often. We win the West only slightly more frequently then we change our clocks. So you’ll forgive us if not many thought that odds of us finishing first in a year where our GM/Head Coach/D Coordinator/Supreme Overlord (complete with all black apparel) bolted unexpectedly in January and our starting QB was concussed on the 3^rd play of the game in June, that this would be the year we end the first place drought. As someone who use the terms “screwed” to describe both the Jones and Collaros events, I’m as shocked as anyone. But as improbable as it may be we sit just one win away from finishing first for just the second time in the last 30+ years. A generation of Saskatchewan children may actually know what a home West Final is instead of assuming its something that is against the law in this province (like a wedding that doesn’t play Cotton Eye Joe).

But we can’t celebrate just yet. We need a win on Saturday first.

Note: I had a super cocky draft of this post already to go and then Fajardo had to go and hurt is back. And throw the whole cocky narrative out the window. I mean, sure Isaac Harker can beat an Eskimo team resting their top players… but my certainty of that fact has dropped and my stress levels suddenly sky rocketed. Damn Riders can’t do anything the easy way!

As much as the potential for no Fajardo adds some drama to this match-up, here are the facts: Edmonton couldn’t beat us at home, with all their starters, having been spotted a 14-point lead. Do we honestly think their odds improve playing at Mosaic, resting many starters (including Harris and Ellingson), in a meaningless game for them? Knowing Fajardo, if there’s a chance he can play, he’ll be out there but even with Harker I still like our odds.

Offensively, for the love of god can we please do something at any point before 3 minutes remaining in the first half?!? Since Labour Day, we are averaging 2.8 points in the first quarter and have scored 3 or less points on 5 of 7 occasions. In just our last 3 games we have been outscored in the opening quarter by a combined 30-8.  Whatever we’ve been doing at halftime just do that before the game starts. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before but we should lean heavy on the run… even more so if Fajardo is not playing. Want to suck what little life is left out of a team going through the motions? Run it down their throat early and often. We also need to be quick at adjusting to Edmonton’s pass rush. If they continue getting pressure up the middle early then start swinging it outside or running off tackle or running quick slants or outs. Or just ignore everything I said and chuck it like crazy as we saw in that final drive last week… a strategy I would only advise if Fajardo plays. As much as we need to be aggressive, we also need to be smart and play the long game. The run game might not get huge gains early but as the game wears on, if we keep pounding it at them it will become more effective. Above all control the ball. If we play turnover-free ball I like our chances even without Cody…. But seriously we need some Jesus sprinkles ASAP. Is there a line of Jesus Sprinkle-infused Robaxacet?

Defensively, to say Logan Kilgore offers a different kind of challenge than Trevor Harris is like saying Cheez Whiz that a hobo has stuck his junk into offers a slightly different taste than a platter of gourmet cheeses. He’s less accurate, more likely to toss a pick and generally just not as good. One thing we will need to do is limit Shaq Cooper as you know they will want to lean on the run game to take pressure off Kilgore. I also hope, that our D-line actually makes their presence known. I can forgive not getting pressure on a quick release guy like Harris but if we don’t knock Kilgore around at least a bit, I’ll be concerned (Kilgore has taken 14 sacks to Harris’ 8 in roughly a third of the playing time). Be aggressive, hit hard, suck the will out of the Eskimos. No better way to enter the playoffs than with a dominant defensive performance. D will need to step up and lead in this game whether it’s a limping Cody or Harker playing QB. Make life easy on the O and dominate.

I realize that the Esks aren’t just going to hand us the game by virtue of us showing up. We need to play and we need to ensure we don’t play down to the level of our competition. But assuming the players play with a level of effort that matches the opportunity we should win. If the prospect of being one win away from the Grey Cup and getting a week off while Winnipeg and Calgary beat the hell out of each other isn’t enough incentive, I don’t know what is?

If Fajardo plays - Riders by at least 14. I expect one of LaFrance or Bennett to score a rushing TD in this one.

If Harker plays – Riders by 50 yard Lauther FG that damn near kills me with stress.

Let’s F’N Go! First Place Baby!

Monday Morning Sentimonies: Climbing To The Top

Riders 27 – Eskimos 24

Well holy crap! Everything somehow fell into place and we emerged from the weekend in sole possession of first place and control over our own destiny. I’m not sure which is more shocking, that the Riders managed to win that game after a dreadful start or that the Bombers managed to do something useful? However the hell it all came together, the end result could not be better for the Riders. Sure it took a gritty, stress-filled, last minute comeback but the important thing is we won.

I’m not one to toot my own horn… and if you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time you know that’s a lie. Toot toot time! I’d like to point out a few things I wrote in this space in the week leading up to Saturday's game…

Oct 25 - Based on how this season has gone I’m already mentally preparing myself for a game that we make way more difficult than it needs to be. It will take another late game sprinkle of Jesus comeback

Oct 21 - Moore has caught all of his targets in consecutive games and made some key catches including a TD in this game. Not saying we should give up on Shaq but I think we could maybe benefit from giving a bit “Moore” love to the hot hand of Swerve

Oct 24 – If Edmonton gets the lead they will attempt to end the game early by faking a power failure.

Okay maybe that last one is made up but damn if I didn’t nail those first 2. Will someone please tell my wife that instances of me being right are not as rare as she would have you believe?!?

Our offense reminds me of trying to download a great song on Napster on a dial-up modem. Now, I’m going to pause here and acknowledge that I probably lost a chunk of my readers who are too old to know what Napster is and another chunk that is too young to get the concept of dial-up. Congrats to those of you in the sweet spot in the middle who fully get that reference. Anyway, picture watching the progress bar as you are downloading a great song… it takes forever to do anything and seemingly is completely inactive at times but eventually completes and you get to rock out. That’s our offense. Spent most of the first half loading and then suddenly with 3 minutes left in the first half, just when you’ve given up on them, it’s go time. I’ll again re-iterate that if they could be even remotely useful prior to 3 minutes left in the half it would make it a lot easier to win games. That said, if there’s one guy you trust to deliver in a pinch, its Fajardo. He did it against Hamilton, he did it on Labour Day, he did it against Montreal, he did it again on Saturday. That drive from his own 6 with the game on the line is exactly why he just got paid. He’s a leader plain and simple. Gotta make special mention of Kyran Moore who carried the offense even when we had nothing else going on. Had we not completed that second half comeback this pace would have been filled with how dumb I thought our offensive play calling was in the first half and how we stubbornly refused to adjust to the pressure up the middle they were killing us with. At some point we will need to figure out why the first quarter is our kryptonite, but for now let’s appreciate the amazing comeback our O delivered when we needed it.

Defense I thought played a good game all things considered. If you exclude the TD they allowed when Cody gifted the Esks the ball on our own 2 yard line, they only allowed 17 points and allowed just 10 points over the final 45 minutes of the game. They added 2 more key turnovers. They allowed yards but that’s to be expected with the quick release game of Harris. Our D-line was essentially invisible but the quick release was a factor in that. The thing is I’ve found this year that with Shivers you need to look at the performance overall. Sure a lot of things you don’t like play to play but consistently when the game ends you look back and go, “well they did their job”. They are kinda like me that way, not much to look at most of the time but pretty good at what they do. It will be important to win next week as you can tell that a lot of guys on D are banged up and gutting it out. A week to rest will be hugely beneficial.

As much as hate our slow starts, they have proven time and time again that this team has the heart to find ways to win even when they aren’t playing their best. That intangible more than any individual skill will make a difference come playoff time.

Home playoff game is clinched. First place is just a win away. For a team that started the season with a concussed starting QB and a 1-3 record, that’s not too shabby. Get pumped Saturday’s game against the Esks is massive!!!

Other random thoughts:

-        I still can’t get over the call to throw a 50/50 ball to Christion Jones when you look at all the other talented receivers they could have chosen to do that with. Maas would have been better off to stick with the tried and true FG.

-        I can’t believe that we out penaltied a Jason Maas team. We added 10 more penalties (mostly on special teams). This needs to stop.

-        I’m just glad that after spending the week forced to cheer for the Bombers, we didn’t waste the opportunity. If I had cheered for the Bombers for nothing I would have been pissed.

Riders vs. Eskimos: Just Win Baby

Saturday the Riders are in Edmonton to face the 8-8 Eskimos. The Riders will be looking to lock down a home playoff game and keep their hopes of first place alive (though they are admittedly slim as they rely on the Bombers being useful). The Eskimos have really nothing to play for as they are already locked in as the crossover team. Trevor Harris returns so they will be looking to get their offense clicking again but other than pride they really aren’t playing for much. Weird schedule this year as this will mark the first meeting of the year of these 2 teams. I think the CFL had a bit more dramatics in mind for this season ending head-to-head. Way to screw that up Edmonton!

Despite having nothing to play for, I expect the Esks to put up a strong fight. They actually have a pretty solid defense and with getting a healthy Harris back they have enough offensive weapons to be dangerous. Last week we played down to the level of the inferior Lions and slept through half that game. Edmonton is a better team and will make us pay if we try doing that again. We have a chance to finish in 1^st place and be one win away from the Grey Cup (something we haven’t done since 2010) … it would be nice if we showed up with intensity matching the size of the opportunity.

Our offense will need to actually show up at kickoff as opposed to having a leisurely nap and then deciding to start trying part way through the game as they have been. In our last 3 road games we have scored a total of 9 first quarter points… compare that to a total of 32 second quarter points. We have the ability to score we just choose to make life difficult on ourselves by not flexing that ability until later in the game. It would be nice to start correcting that now so we are good to go for the playoffs.

The primary challenge you face in the Eskimos is an aggressive pass rush. Lots of blitzes, lots of pressure, lots of guys who can get after the QB (they have 4 players with 5+ sacks). O-line will need to have a strong game. We also (and I know I say this every week) need to run. The Esks are #1 against the pass but #5 against the run. If you just drop back and try to beat them through the air, you play into their strength as pass rushers. Use Powell to slow down that rush. Also, given the aggressive front there should be holes for Fajardo to exploit with his legs. The other way to slow things down is slow, patient drives to wear down the d-line. If the deep shots are there don’t be afraid to take them but more important to take what they give you and string together long drives. If you keep pounding at them and make them work, a team with nothing to play for with eventually check out. You can’t fake caring. I love that Arceneaux is back for this game. Facing a blitz heavy team, having vet receivers who can read the blitz and adjust their routes to help their QB are import. Look for a lot of Manny, Roosevelt and Watson.

The Eskimo offense features a ton of talent with guys like Harris, Ellingson, Daniels and even Collins. The problem is that their offense is built around a core philosophy of complete avoidance of the endzone and reliance on FGs. Bold strategy Cotton. The Esks have 32 TDs (second least) and 46 FGs. By comparison the Riders have 46 TDs and 35 FGs (And we complain that we settle for too many FGs). The Esks are 47% in the redzone second only to the RedBlacks. The Esks allow the least sacks, due in large part to Harris’ quick release. So it will be tough to get pressure on him but we need to try. He’s just back from injury and wanting to make sure he’s good to go for playoffs so he’ll be trying to avoid any contact. We need to takeaway those quick releases and force him to hold the ball longer to give our D-line (bolstered by the return of Micah) a chance to get there. With Gable out Shaq Cooper will be the RB and I actually think he offers the Esks more explosive ability out of the backfield. Gotta keep him in check. What I really want to see is us set the tone physically. The Esks are playing for pride. If we hit them hard and hit them often they will eventually wear down and check out.

This game will feature the two most penalized teams in the CFL. For the love of god Al Bradbury better not be assigned to this game or it make take 5 hours to complete. We need to be disciplined and not retaliate when the Esks do stupid things. Let them hurt themselves. Let their coach hurt the Gatorade jug. Stay cool. Be smart. Be physical. That said I'm already calling that Marshall takes his usual 15 yarder and AC Leonard gores offside at least twice. It's gonna happen.

This is not gimme game. If we walk in there and half ass it, we could lose. But here’s a dose of reality for you. The Esks may be a .500 team but 7 of their 8 wins have come against the 3 teams who are eliminated from the playoffs. Their only other victory was week 1 over the Als… who were still starting Antonio Pipkin at that point. Remember how awful he was? Point being, the Esks are better than the bad teams but not on par with the good ones. So that leaves a good team playing for first place versus a not good team playing for pride. We should win. Based on how this season has gone I’m already mentally preparing myself for a game that we make way more difficult than it needs to be. It will take another late game sprinkle of Jesus comeback but in the end…

Riders by a Roosevelt TD

Monday Morning Sentimonies: Job Done

Riders 27 – Lions 19

It certainly couldn’t be described as a job well done, or even decently done but it was a job done by the Riders on Friday night and that’s what’s important. They needed a win to keep their hopes of first place alive and that exactly what they got. It was closer than it should have been and I’ll admit to uttering a least a couple curse words during that awful opening half. But in a results-based business they got results. If you have been a Rider fan for any length of time you have developed a healthy tolerance for ugly wins.

The defense did their job. Through 3 quarters they allowed just 9 points and 3 of those came as a result of Shaq Evans fumbling in FG range. They force turnovers. They notched 6 sacks. About the only thing you can fault them for not being able to contain the super-human catching abilities of Bryan Burnham. Short of shanking him I’m not sure what more you can do to stop him… and even them he’d probably still make the catch with the shiv still hanging out. Penalties are trending down but there were still too many of them for my liking. Better teams will make us pay for those kind of mistakes. Judge made his impact felt in his return and you get the sense that Elimimian is starting to peak at the right time of the year. Another week another solid game by Chad Geter. Still wondering what led to the decision to release him at the start of the year.

Offense was unfortunately a familiar song and dance. We started slow yet again, essentially sleeping through all but the final 2 minutes of the first half. Not sure if we need some caffeine in Fajardo’s Gatorade or what but we get off to consistently slow starts. In our last 6 games we are averaging 3 first quarter points. That won’t cut it come November. I also thought our offensive play calling was suspect. While the pass game was sputtering to start, William Powell was not. Three of his first 4 runs went for 10+ yards. So naturally we gave him the ball just 6 times in the first half and opted to continue to lean on a struggling pass game.  Hell Powell even managed to get a first down on a Cody Fajardo run when Cody fumbled and he saved the day. Fortunately we figured things out in the third quarter and got rolling. Roosevelt continues to be our most valuable WR. In know he doesn’t have the most yards or TDs but he is what makes our pass game go. Evans and Moore are WRs trending in opposite directions. Evans has had a rough couple games  while Moore has caught all of his targets in consecutive games and made some key catches including a TD in this game. Not saying we should give up on Shaq but I think we could maybe benefit from giving a bit “Moore” love to the hot hand of Swerve (I know that pun was awful, I do not apologize). We need to get better at finishing drives. 4 FGs is too many. Again, when we play teams that actually made the playoffs a lack of finish like that can hurt us.

The game really seemed to me to be a case of playing down to our competition. The game wasn’t ever really in doubt but was way closer than it ever should have been had we played up to our usual level. You can see the times in the game where we tried (i.e. end of the 2^nd, whole 3^rd) and when we were in coast mode (1^st and latter portions of the 4^th). We need to be better but it’s not time to panic. We got the win we needed. 

The Bombers did us no favours… useless buggers. So we are still sitting in second place. Technically we have not clinched a home playoff game yet. In the unlikely event that both the Riders and Stamps lose out and we finish in a 3-way tie with the Bombers then we could finish 3^rd still.  We can ensure it doesn’t come to that with a win next week over the Esks. I won’t say I like the chances of the Bombers actually doing us a favour and winning. They have a hard enough time winning with a mobile Streveler. A gimpy Streveler is certainly not going to improve those odds. They may have to decide between a concussion prone Collaros or non-running Streveler to salvage their slim hopes of a home playoff game. For the love of god let give Collaros a chance to be the hero Rider Nation always hoped he’d. Also for the love of god, Stamps don’t kill him.

Riders vs. BC Lions: Drive For First

Despite the disappointment of last week’s loss, the Riders enter this week with a very real chance at first place. We need to win out and then hope that Winnipeg beats Calgary at least once. As I’m sure anyone in Manitoba can attest to, counting on the Bombers for anything positive this late in the year is a recipe for disappointment but it’s the best chance we’ve got.  For now the Riders can’t worry about other teams. They need to take care of their own business and that starts with a road trip to face the 5-11 Lions.

I get the narrative about how much improved the Lions are in the back half of the season. They’ve won 4 of 5, offensive line is playing better, blah blah blah. And I’m here to tell you its all a bunch of BS. The Lions have not improved. They happened to hit the easiest portion of a schedule imaginable playing Ottawa twice, Toronto and Montreal on the road without their QB. And all the talk of their improved O-line? That 4 game stretch was against 3 of worst pass rushes in the league. Low and behold when they played Edmonton (not even a top end team) they lost and gave up 4 sacks. Here’s the true facts on the Lions. They are 0-8 against the west and in those western games average just 18 points scored to 35 points allowed. And that was with Mike Reilly. They have the second least offensive yards on the season… and that was with Mike Reilly. Are they as bad as Toronto and Ottawa? Lord no. But does that make them a good team? No, it makes they a slightly brighter shade of awful.

If the Riders are serious about finishing first place they should waltz into BC Place and lay a beating on the Lions so bad that PETA ends up protesting. Let me reiterate that the Lions are 0-8 vs. the West… and that was with Mike Reilly… AND that was when they had something to play for. Do you really think that a team led by Danny O’Brien playing for pride will somehow magically manage to cure themselves of the craptastic play that has plagued their 2019 season? Anything less than a convincing win has to be a disappointment.

It really starts with the defense. A stat (courtesy of the CFL Game Notes) I found very interesting was that in our 10 wins we have allowed an average of 16.1 points per game… in our 5 loses 33.8 per game. So its no secret that we perform best when our D is playing at a high level. And man oh man does our D have a juicy match-up this week. Danny O’Brien has a career completion % of 54 and has not thrown a TD since 2014. Add in a shaky O-line and it should add up to a good night on D. I honestly don’t get what people keep seeing in O’Brien. I thought it was pretty obvious in Ottawa that he didn’t have it, but here he is 2 teams later still getting opportunities (and still not looking very good). The run game has improved so we need to make stopping that a priority. I don’t care that he has Bryan Burnham (currently the bet receiver in the CFL) to throw to, Danny O’Brien is not winning this game with his arm. Be physical, dictate the play to them and we should be in for a defensive performance much like last time we travelled to BC… only this time we get to feast on O’Brien not Reilly. I just hope we manage to play so dominant on defence that they end up playing Brandon Bridge. After suffering through him here last year, I feel I’m owed this moment of joy.

Much like we need to set the tone physically on defense, I want to see the same on O. These guys are playing for nothing, do you really think they will be committed to repeatedly stopping us running down their throats? Get the O-line attacking, get Powell running at them and wear them down. As the game wears on what’s left of their care factor will dwindle. Run early run often. That will also open up the pass game. With Aaron Grymes done for the season there will be open receivers. Outside of TJ Lee, nothing in that secondary scares me. I expect a bounce back game for Shaq with a couple crossers and at least one deep one. Basically as long as we don’t turn the ball over, we should be able to do enough to get and maintain a lead.

Special teams could also be a factor in this one. BC has the worst punt return average (almost 2 yards less than us, and we aren’t very good). They also allow the second biggest punt returns. Last time we played in BC 2 big special team plays were all they really had. It would be nice to flip the script and have the big plays go in our favour this time.

As long as the Riders show up and put in full effort they will win. Can’t afford to sleepwalk through this one even if the Lions are not very good. As long as we take this game seriously…

Riders by 16 minimum