Riders Using Kitchen Sink Approach Against Montreal This Week

The lack of cohesion on the field was finally acknowledged by Head Coach Cory Mace and linebacker Jameer Thurman and quarterback Trevor Harris. Mace spoke about the Riders needing to work on details, but the interesting remarks came from Thurman and Harris who said the younger players are not listening to what needs to be done and the result is a four-game losing streak.

A few weeks ago, I noticed that dysfunction on the field, especially in the defensive secondary, and wondered if this stemmed from the untimely death of Jayden Dalke in July. The Riders were 4-2 when he died, they are now 8-8, having gone 4-6 since then.

Now you must add coaching to the mix, especially on defense where the Riders insistence on playing zone is opening bigger holes for other receivers to set team or league records for reception yardage. The Riders defense did not seem to make any adjustments in the second half and Davis Alexander sliced the Rider defense like he was carving up the turkey at home.

The question is shifting between are the Riders making adjustments but the players are not carrying them out, or are they not making any adjustments and the defense just goes through the motions in the fourth quarter?

A part of me was happy to see Mace, Thurman and Harris talk about the elephant in the room. With two games left against Montreal and Edmonton, the Riders have run out of room for margins of error but was this too little too late?

Montreal is deciding who to sit for this game, and with Tyson Philpot in the running for 2000 yards receiving this season, I don’t see him sitting out and I can see Alexander playing the first half to try to get him the record and maybe into the second half until Philpot gets the award.

With the player awards now expanding to three nominations from two, I can see Philpot, Alexander and Nathan Rourke of BC being the nominees for most outstanding player. Philpot getting the record would be nice for him, but the Riders are not exactly going into this game short-handed.

At Rider practice Samuel Emilus and Keesean Johnson were practising with the team and if Emilus gets back on the field, it will be the first time since July that Harris had his three top receivers in the lineup, Injuries to the receiving corps took a bite out of the Rider attack and Harris has struggled trying to establish chemistry with his receivers without whining like Cody Fajardo how his receivers are failing him.

Tevaughn Campbell spoke about the lack of communication in the defensive secondary, which makes sense, and even though it was Campbells first game back since an arm injury, if the Riders can find the right combination of defensive backs maybe their zone defense will work.

Thursday was a closed practice for the Riders, so it won’t be until Friday until we see how the lineup shapes up against Montreal. The Riders hope Emilus will help Harris get back to the offensive mastery he showed at the start of the year and give the Riders a fighting chance to get a win.

A lot of this depends on the defense who can not seem to stop a deep pass or a mobile quarterback. The Riders biggest loss in free agency seems to have been defensive end Malik Carny who had the skills and the experience to be a top rusher.

The Riders defensive line seems to be good at getting pressure on opposing quarterbacks, not so good at tackling. This extends to the defensive backfield where the backs seem to want to go for the high light big hit that often results in the opposing player spinning off and either scoring or get big yardages.

This preoccupation with the hit instead of the tackle is a symptom of why the Riders are failing. Players seem to be too concerned with their perceived image and not doing what they need to do to help the team win.

So, is it too late for the Riders? Is it better to miss the playoffs and reload for next year or back into the playoffs only to get the boots taken to them by say Toronto in the first round?

There are moments when teams and individuals come to face their own mortality and either rise to the challenge or fold under pressure. When the Riders are looking at their opponent’s roster hoping they rest most of their starters, so they have a better chance of winning, the Riders probably don’t deserve to make the playoffs.

At practice this week I was talking to an even longer-term Rider fan than myself who pointed out the massive injuries to the Rider receiving corps in 1989 which was so bad quarterback Jeff Bentrim suited up at receiver. The Rider receivers coming back from injury were Ray Elgaard, Jeff Fairholm and to some extent Donald Narcisse.

The Riders then went on a legendary path to the Grey Cup, beating the Separatist Stampeders in their own barn, then going up to Edmonton and upsetting the 16-2 Eskimos in one of the Greatest Upsets Ever and then prevailing over Hamilton 43-40 in a game for the ages.

Its kind of the same, but I would take the 89 Riders defensive secondary over the defensive secondary playing this year. This is where the Riders must decide if they have the right system in place for the players they have on the field.

All this boils down to an intangible called character, which is being challenged in the locker room. Teams either use this as a catalyst for turning around their season or just imploding for everyone to see.

The Riders don’t have room for error but the return of Emilus may be the spark to turn this into a shoot-out and a 31-28 Rider win.

Toronto wanders into Ottawa looking not to be the first team to lose to Ottawa this season. Chad Kelly is back at quarterback, and I suspect the Toronto coaching staff is pondering who to dress for this game considering next week they play Montreal in the last game of the year.

Ottawa is starting a rookie quarterback because presumably Russ Jackson is happily retired, Ottawa used its exemption under the Football Administration Cap and therefore is stuck with Ryan Dinwiddie for another year.

Ottawa will likely hire a GM who has more on the ball than Shawn Burke or Dinwiddie whose first job will be to reestablish credibility for Ottawa fans. These games for Ottawa have been an extended training camp where Ottawa is evaluating players to decide who can really be counted to build around.

Toronto 45-25 over Ottawa

Winnipeg goes to Edmonton bloated from the feast of leprechauns they enjoyed before they knocked off Calgary last week and have their sights set on maybe hosting a playoff game but at least making the playoffs.

Winnipeg is tying their Red River cart to Zach Collaros who wants to play another year because as we saw in the Grey Cup telecast last year, he doesn’t like talking about anyone but himself, which makes him a lousy figure in the broadcast booth.

Edmonton can clinch first and with their defensive line, this shouldn’t be too hard. The Bombers are going to have to dig up the weirdest gadget plays to catch the Elk napping, but I don’t think they will find the time to make them work.

Edmonton has won a lot of close games, but I expect them to show some showmanship in front of their fans and beat the Bombers 31-20 because the Elk, like the Riders, win more often with very close scores than blowouts.

BC goes to Calgary in a game that could decide many things in the west, including the elimination of the Stamps if the Riders win and Calgary doesn’t. BC is still in the running against the Elk, but if they beat the Bombers, the Lions may decide to rest some key players,

Calgary is consistent for inconsistency, but it would be fair to point out the Stamps have gone through injuries as well and found their depth was not what they were expecting. This should be an entertaining shootout with BC winning 43-41.

by Greg Urbanoski

Riders Using Kitchen Sink Approach Against Montreal This Week

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