By Greg Urbanoski

Riderville

Ask Not for Whom the Kerwin Bell Tolls…

Jun 25, 2019 | 1:56 PM

Last week in the CFL went a long way to prove that making projections based on one week is a fool’s errand.

For instance, based on the first week’s performance of the Ottawa Redblack and Saskatchewan Roughriders, one would have expected a defensive struggle featuring two inept quarterbacks thrown into the deep end and expected to paddle on their own.

What came out were two once highly regarded defenses looking like glorified Swiss cheese and two quarterbacks shooting it out in a 44-41 Ottawa win.

The fears of Saskatchewan Roughrider fans about their offense resembling a Soviet Union style collective farm drunk on cheap vodka and unable to throw a bottle past the goat eating the cabbage turned out to be nothing more than the collective anxiety of a fan base whose hopes had been crushed as often as a Winnipeg mosquito.

Instead fans looked on in amazement as Nick Marshall, who last year was making interceptions, returning them for touchdowns and acting as the Riders short yardage quarterback get beaten like a gong for touchdowns despite his best efforts to claim offensive pass interference.

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The Marshall plan was sheer genius compared to Makana Henry getting a penalty for leaning into Ottawa quarterback Dominique Davis as he was pushed out of bounds. The play was a vivid demonstration that the 2019 Riders are trying to carry over their swagger from last season, but perhaps they should add some smarts to go along with all that aggression.

On the offensive side, it was the first time in seven games the Riders offense had scored a touchdown through the air. The play of quarterback Cody Fajardo was a welcome surprise considering how he had struggled against Hamilton the week before.

Fajardo is an interesting case because as a backup to Ricky Ray and Travis Lulay, he had the opportunity to watch a couple of the better quarterbacks in the CFL prepare and how they operated on the field and why they made the choices they did on the field.

In defense of Fajardo, his first appearance from Hamilton in place of the injured Zach Collaros showed a back up quarterback who did not get many first team reps. For quarterbacks, familiarity with receivers goes a long way to determining success and Fajardo’s underwhelming appearance against Hamilton made it difficult to determine if he would enjoy any success against Ottawa.

To everyone’s surprise, Fajardo threw deep and hit the receivers. The offense moved the ball for the most part and if Ottawa hadn’t recovered fumbles by Christian Jones and William Powell, and say Brent Lauther hadn’t missed a field goal and extra point, the Riders would be 1-1 instead of 0-2.

So the see-saw between the adequate defense one game to the lousy defense the next, and the popgun offense to the aerial circus is something Saskatchewan fans are going to have to get used to. As this team finds its identity, this type of inconsistency can be expected until this team determines what it is and who they are.

For the criticisms of Craig Dickenson and how he doesn’t seem to be taking the Riders efforts seriously or cracking the whip, all of this is predicated on the fact that Dickenson is learning how to manipulate the levers of being a coach that is different from being a coordinator. The hard-ass approach some liked under Chris Jones ignores the fact that while Chris Jones is a great defensive coordinator, he knew jack about how to operate quarterbacks as demonstrated by his Punch and Judy treatment of quarterbacks after Collaros went down with an injury last year.

Consider how Dickenson said the game plan prior to the Ottawa game was to play both Fajardo and back-up Isaac Harker, but when Fajardo seemed to get into a rhythm, Dickenson shelved the initial plan and went with Fajardo because Fajardo was getting results and results are ultimately what a quarterback is judged on.

The questions now go to the defense and to the special teams. Defensive coordinator Jason Shivers had problems getting the right defense called against Ottawa, and Marshall being victimized was either Davis making perfect throws or Marshall not using proper technique. I’m not prepared to throw anyone under the bus yet, I have no problems with the Riders trying and failing, but the most important thing is the Riders learning from their mistakes.

The Riders have a new special teams’ coordinator, defensive coordinator and right now a new quarterback and it will take time for them to find their stride. Fortunately, the Riders this week face the Toronto Argonauts who were edged by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 64-14 in the Riders home opener on Canada Day.

What would be appreciated and will be watched for is the Riders ability to continue their offensive production including getting a better balance between their running and passing game. An over reliance on Powell at running back allowed opposing defenses to stack the box when it appeared the Riders had no choice but to run and their passing game appeared to consist of nothing more than dump passes.

On defense, if defensive back Solomon Means is unable to provide meaningful support to the team, then a call to the cut Crezdon Butler is strongly recommended. Means may be able to contribute meaningfully, and the Riders picked Means as a cheaper and presumably as talented as Butler, but consistent errors in coverage means the Riders have a small margin of error and sometimes those mistakes end up costing them a ball game in what is a tight western conference.

The Riders can look at BC and see a team that spent so much on Reilly it has not much more to offer and you could see Reilly getting sacked more often than Troy in the Edmonton-BC game. BC could well be a poster child for a team of free agents thrown together and not having developed any continuity, especially along the offensive line.

Calgary’s defense is also something to be watched as the number of defections from Calgary may have finally caught up to the Stampeders. However, the Stampeders have only played one game, so drawing any conclusions is a fool’s game.

While the teams seem to be shaking out the rust and figuring out how they fit in the larger picture, the league is facing its own problems with linebacker Simoni Lawrence appearing his two game suspension for the dirty hit that knocked out Collaros. CFL Commissioner Randy Ambrosie came up with the two game suspension to demonstrate the league is serious about player safety, but when Lawrence said he would appeal, Ambrosie issued a statement condemning the CFLPA for not working with the league to help increase player safety and have sufficient deterrents.

The CFLPA has taken some heat for appealing what seems an open and shut case of a deliberate shot to the head of a quarterback who has a history of concussions, but the CFL has its own spotty history of talking a good game about player safety but when faced with say, Jalen Rose pushing an official last year, appealing, getting to play in the Grey Cup and then only getting a fine, the league fails to establish any confidence among players or fans that the League would act consistently in player discipline.

The CFLPA for its part wants the disciplinary process taken out of the hands of the league because they feel the league would use that power arbitrarily to punish players when the incidents in question get a lot of publicity. If you look at the Atlantic Schooners about whom it was once said there would be an announcement at the end of June about the future of the team, but now there is nothing but radio silence, the CFL is great about making big announcements, but when those announcements do not pan out, the silence is amazing. I suspect the same will happen with the Lawrence hit.

Another problem for the CFL is the ongoing situation regarding the Montreal Alouettes who are currently being operated by the league. While the team continues to operate, the perception of the team and league as unable to overcome bad management and marketing creates an impression of a team and league that doesn’t have its act together and if that is the case, why would anyone else take them seriously?

Montreal was also hit with the loss of their starting quarterback Antonio Pipkin who went on the six game injury and was replaced by Vernon Adams. Montreal signed former Rider quarterback Brandon Bridge who got his start in the CFL with Montreal to fill the gap left by Pipkin’s injury. Bridge signed as a free agent quarterback with Toronto after the Riders let him walk following a disappointing 2018 season, but Bridge’s performance in the preseason wasn’t all that bad and judging on how badly Toronto got spanked, it could be said Toronto also has no idea of what it is doing.

So this week we have Edmonton go to Winnipeg in what some are calling the game of the week, for lack of better choices. Edmonton has racked up wins over BC and Montreal which considering the teams involved is not quite the motivation to start booking Grey Cup tickets in Calgary.

Winnipeg is coming off a bye and an opening week win over BC, so in truth, neither team has beaten what might be considered a quality opponent. Winnipeg has spent its bye week enjoying the Grey Cup in June celebration that is a hallmark of Winnipeg wishful thinking dating back to 1990.

Keep in mind last year Edmonton won their first seven games before swooning to a 9-9 finish and out of the playoffs. This will be the first significant test for Edmonton who had a terrible road record last year.

Winnipeg for their part will be looking to demonstrate their offense and defense are Grey Cup calibre and they have added advantage of playing at home. Edmonton will be attempting to deal with some injuries and a familiar problem – penalties. That would be a reflection of their coach, the always entertaining Jason Maas.

That should make this an interesting game and as Edmonton desperately tries to prove it is for real, Winnipeg has had a bye week and seen what Edmonton has done the first two games. This will be a tight game and Winnipeg should take this 29-28.

Montreal goes to Hamilton and the best that can be said for Montreal is that they had a bye week last week and an opportunity to sign Brandon Bridge to shore up their quarterbacking. Vernon Adams Jr. takes the reins an Adams is not a bad choice, but whether or not he can lead Montreal to the promised land is an open question.

Montreal showed a competitive side in their loss to Edmonton, managing to come back to tie the Eskimos before losing by a touchdown. The Montreal defense seems improved, but the question remains if Montreal can move the ball consistently with their offense.

Hamilton for their part showed their complete and utter domination of Toronto, coming after a narrow win against the Riders. The win was one of the more lopsided in Hamilton history and the worst in Toronto history and Hamilton fans are now reassured until this weekend their team is destined for the Grey Cup.

It shouldn’t be a 50-point spread, but Hamilton and its rhythm offense under Jeremiah Masoli seems ready to continue the roll it enjoyed against Toronto. Hamilton will win, but this game should be more competitive than the laugh fest against the Argonauts – Hamilton 37-20.

BC goes to Calgary and this game may stand as an example of what happens when you give a quarterback a record contract but don’t have enough money to pay for adequate offensive linemen. Mike Reilly’s toughness has never been questioned, but the feeling he will be beaten regularly like a gong this year is something that is hard to dismiss.

You have to feel for BC fans who were sold a vision of a new team under Reilly and now they have a team that may give Toronto a run for worst team in the league. It was a bold gamble by Ed Hervey and while he has had his moments, this is not what envisioned and if BC can’t protect Reilly, things will go from bad to worse.

So BC will try very hard in DeVone Claybrooks return to Calgary to stem the inevitable. It won’t work as Calgary wins this one 32-27.

Finally, on Canada Day we have Toronto gracing Mosaic Stadium for Canada Day. How Toronto rebounds from its 64-14 loss will be interesting because if Toronto gets beaten like a gong again, it continues Cory Chamblin’s losing streak as a head coach – 9 and counting, and any effort to attract fans to this tire fire will only bring out the homeless, hobos and people waiting for the Canadian National Exhibition to start.

The good news for Toronto is the loss won’t be as bad. The bad news is the Riders should win this one 45-23