The last time we see a 55 yard line in Mosaic Stadium

The Riders rested their own starters starting with quarterback Trevor Harris. Jack Coan started with Brayden Schager coming in the fourth quarter. This might be Harris’ last year and I think Coan is a free agent after this season, so it helped the Riders find out if grooming Coan for three years would pay off.

After Harris came in for speculation his arm strength might have departed like Peyton Manning in his final year with the Denver Broncos, Coan came in and threw by my count three passes of over 30 yards. The Riders can go deep, it may be that they don’t yet know how.

The Riders also gave AJ Ouellette and offensive lineman Jemarcus Hardrick the game off as both are nursing injuries and could use the rest before the playoffs. The running game in their absence had some pop, but nothing sustained as the Riders played catch up with the Elk in the first half and were passing more than running.

The Riders looked better on defense with Head Coach Cory Mace calling defensive signals for the last two regular season games. The Riders have suffered continuity problems since game 5 and ranked third in the league in games lost to injury with 217.

The injuries affected the offense and defense and the result was players playing out of their natural position and when that happens, communication problems usually happen. On defense if the players are not on the same page, it is easy for opposing defenses to exploit poor communication with deep passes.

There is another factor to keep in mind for Saturday’s semi-finals. There is one speed when it comes to playing exhibition games, regular season games are played at a higher speed and the speed gets even faster in the playoffs.

With no way to determine off the last two games if the Riders offense has gotten its mojo back, especially with the return of receivers Samuel Emilus, Keesean Johnson and Kian Schaffer-Baker, the answer to the question of how the Riders will do Saturday is simple – it is up to the guys in the locker room.

The players must buy in in the changes brought in the last few weeks, try to get as healthy as possible, establish some continuity on offense and defense, and shut out all the noise writing the Riders off on Saturday.

Before last weekend the discussion around the Riders was whether the Riders would prefer being a crossover team or staying in the west. I didn’t think going through the east would be easy, even with Argonaut QB Chad Kelly’s trick leg and especially the prospect of going into Montreal for the eastern final.

In the west I will think that Riders toughest game will be against the Lions who have been lionized by TSN commentators as Grey Cup contenders. The interesting thing is the Lions current secondary did not see the Riders big three receivers in the last two games between the clubs and BC’s secondary has been the team’s weak spot.

The Riders biggest challenges will come facing Nathan Rourke. I could have added the BC offense, but Rourke is the straw that stills the Lions Margaritas and while the Riders got pressure, they did not close the deal and that will be the difference between victory and defeat. Mace taking over the defense is another factor that makes things interesting and not as easy for the Lions offense as they enjoyed in their last two games with the Riders.

Look for the Lions to try to jump on top of the Riders early. The Riders have a ball control offense that is great at eating up time on the clock which is good when you are ahead and not so good when trying to come from behind.

If Rourke can spread out the Riders defense with his legs, that will open up gaps he can easily exploit and make it a long afternoon for the Green and White. The Lions also have running back Andrew Horvath who offers the Lions a power running option that can also take time off the clock.

The Riders have the advantage of being underdogs of whom nothing is expected. The Riders have no one to blame but themselves for their inconsistent play and should have wound up with a better record if they had not handed games over to their opponents.

This is the best roster for the Riders since the start of the season even with the absence of defensive back Rolan Milligan. The point spread is currently 5 ½ for the Lions with an over-under of 58.

The Riders and Lions will provide offensive fireworks with the Riders getting through to the western final with a 30-29 win.

The Eastern Semifinal has me intrigued with the Stony Mountain Blue Bombers looking to change their logo over to Wiley E. Coyote because no matter how many times the Bombers got pounded this season, they kept bouncing back into the playoffs.

There is an air of uncertainty regarding the status of quarterback Zach Collaros for the Bombers and Kelly for the Argos. The word out of the Bombers is Collaros has a rib injury, so this is why he hasn’t practiced at all this week.

I think the Bombers are matched by only by Vladimir Putin for misinformation and showmanship. Anyone with a rib injury will rest it and not risk aggravating it by throwing in practice. Expect to see Collaros take the field against the Argos.

Kelly now has $1.5 million reasons to start the game after becoming the first player in the salary cap era to make $1 million a year. The CFL is getting extra money from their television deals and whatever they get from gambling, and if players want to make $1 million, they will need to provide their club with the length of contract to justify the expense.

Kelly is a big risk but big reward quarterback who can riddle you for four touchdown passes but also throw four interceptions. The Argos had four receivers over 1,000 yards so Kelly has his choice of receivers if the Bombers decide to double team someone. This is good because the Argos have no ground game to speak of.

The Argos are facing a Bomber defense that is tops in pass defense but can also be run on. The Bombers do have Willie Jefferson who sticks out an arm and knocks down a pass or two, but Jefferson is a guy who plays at his own pace and there is no guarantee he will feel lively on Saturday.

The Bombers cannot get into a dogfight with the Argos because their offense, no matter who is quarterbacking, is not built to make quick strikes. The Bombers only real shot is playing extremely physical in all three facets of the game and make the Argos pay for whatever gains they make on offense.

I do not know if the Bombers can pull this off through the whole playoffs, but if they are going to get to Calgary to play in the Grey Cup, they will have to be physical and use Brady Olivera until a team of sled dogs comes to the field and drag him off from sheer exhaustion. If Olivera can keep the ball out of Kelly’s hands, we may see two upsets on Semifinal Saturday.

Bombers win 30-28 over the Argos.

Tribute before game for four soldiers who died at Camp Wainwright

Coen back to pass

Riders Try Deception with their Running Game

Lauther hits a field goal

Rider pass rush is on

The last time we see a 55 yard line in Mosaic Stadium

by Greg Urbanoski

The last time we see a 55 yard line in Mosaic Stadium

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