Riders Treading In Deep Water

The Riders managed to hydrate players but playing a physical sport where wrong move could trigger a gastro-intestinal collapse not seen since the Russians left northeastern Ukraine.

The result was a 54-20 ship kicking at the hands of the Bombers, but then again, these games don’t really matter because the money games are in November. The Riders, who lead the league in injuries, penalties and probably excuses, are facing something worse than a fan revolt.

They are facing being tuned out by fans who bought into the belief the Riders would have upgraded their offensive line for this Grey Cup hosting season. The 2013 Grey Cup experience is still fresh in people’s minds despite being almost 10 years old and people thought the team management had learned the lessons from 1995 when the Riders hosted the Grey Cup for the first time and promptly sank to the bottom of the standings.

In the Covid and post-Covid world, where inflation eats away everything people have to decide what is important to them and tickets for a team that cannot seem to fix the one thing everyone agrees with them is wrong seems to sliding down the list. A few months ago I wrote about the cost of a family of four coming down to a Rider game from PA and it was between $1,200 to $1,700 when you factor into concessions, shirts, hats, gas, restaurants, hotels and the like.

That was when gas was $1.48 a litre and before it rocketed over $2 a litre. Now it is $1.55 a litre but the sight of empty sections in Mosaic for the Labour Day game was a stark reminder this team may have serious off field problems next year.

In terms of the on-field performance, you could say the Riders were brave in hitting the field despite being poisoned. The Bombers for their part just marched the ball on the Riders, keeping the offense off the field and looking like they read my earlier column on how to win games like this.

It’s interesting that the Riders run blocking has improved while the pass protection remains the subject of myth and conjecture. Frankie Hickson has managed to move into fourth place in the CFL rushing race while replacing the injured Jamal Morrow.

Having both in the backfield would provide enough variety to manage a pretty potent running attack, which in theory would take pressure off of Fajardo. A sturdy running attack heading into November is what you ideally want to have when weather conditions start to deteriorate.

The issue is not just with the offensive line, but it goes a long way to solving the problem with the Riders hapless offense. The cap on football administration forced teams to cut back on coaches and amongst those casualties are the quarterback coach.

For the Riders, that job is held by offensive coordinator Jason Maas, who is also responsible for the offense, including the clown circus that is the offensive line. Maas has enough trying to figure out how to make those dogs bark without trying to figure out why Fajardo has poor footwork, overthrows passes and perhaps is operating a bit out of his depth.

The Riders used to have a quarterback coach by the name of Steve Walsh who was with the club in 2019, Fajardo’s breakout year, but now with no one seemingly monitoring Fajardo’s progress, it seems the only move that seemed to spark an improvement in his play was being benched for one half against BC.

This week Fajardo is in Reno for the birth of his first child and while one wishes him and his family well there and hopefully the change of scenery will help his fragile psyche. While Fajardo is away, the rest of the Riders try to sort out who might be starting where on the offensive line and receiving corps.

The blame game has started and it seems the combination of Jeremy O’Day and Craig Dickenson may get one more year to work their way out of the mess that quite frankly, they got themselves into.

The puzzle at the heart of this is O’Day was a former offensive lineman so he should at least have a personal understanding of what a good offensive line should consist of. O’Day should also have a good idea of any potential draft picks who might decide to retire to seek more lucrative job opportunities elsewhere.

It has been pointed out that with the establishment of the USFL, XFL, Spring Football league and whatever else is out there, there are a number of other leagues providing the important windows of visibility for potential NFL scouts.

The new NFL collective bargaining agreement providing for expanded practice rosters, spots for veterans on that roster and the like, makes it very attractive for CFL players to try all options so they could at least qualify for the lucrative NFL pension. Let’s not forget that depending on what state the player may live or work in, the money from just being on a practice roster is more than what thy could make in the NFL.

So, with increased competition for players, especially right tackles, the alternative for the Riders is finding a coach like Bob Wylie, a legend amongst offensive line coaches who stresses fundamentals for effective offensive play. The Riders in 2021 gave up 40 sacks, ranking next to last in the CFL. This year they have already given up 51 sacks, which works out to an average of four per game.

The Riders are on pace to set a new record for sacks given up in a season with a projected total of 71. Stephen Sorrells, who is in charge of the offensive line, may finally have them run blocking, but their pass protection is mostly a figure of myth, like the Loch Ness Monster or classy Bomber fans.

The Riders were not helped by an injury to centre Dan Clark, which forced the line to be juggled throughout the season with relatively inexperienced players. Some free agent acquisitions like Evan Johnson have proven to be poorly made investments, even though he is from Saskatoon.

The right tackle position seems to be most bothersome spot with edge rushers having their way with Fajardo like Hell’s Angels at a party. I remember watching Tom Clements coming to Saskatchewan in 1979 to be the centrepiece of new Rider head coach Ron Lancaster’s offense only to be traded away after seven games in an act of mercy as Clements was being hammered into the painted concrete that passed for artificial turf at that time.

Perhaps this is coincidence, but Clements also had a baby during his short stay in Regina.

The other thing hanging over the Riders and this is probably not limited to the Riders, but there is a perceptible bias on the part of officials towards to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

I looked at all of Winnipeg’s game so far this year. They have received less penalty yardage than their opponents in 12 of 13 games. In terms of actual penalties, they have done better than their opponents 10 of 12 games with one game tied.

In case this sounds like sour grapes from a disgruntled Rider fan grasping at straws at a season being flushed down the toilet, consider the Calgary Stampeders who got swept by the Bombers and who saw then get called for just one penalty in their last game.

Calgary has probably as much, if not more to complain about this apparent bias in favor of Winnipeg in the eyes and apparently ears of the refs.

The Riders get crucified for the Garrett Marino hit on Masoli, (realistically it was for the WWF style celebration he had after the sack) he gets suspended, accepts it, serves his time, comes back and the whole team has a target painted on their backs.

Meanwhile, our quarterback, who runs as much as Masoli and probably more these days, gets hit on slides and not a single silky flag hits the rubber pellets that makes up Dollarama Stadium turf. The inconsistency in application of the standards in regards to hits on quarterbacks lends credence to the appearance of incompetence or bias on behalf of the CFL and its officials.

Which is rich considering how Rider fans have been keeping the league afloat in the stands and on the TV listings the last few years. You do not see Bomber fans flying the country to see games, probably because of parole restrictions.

The Riders cut Marino because he was becoming a distraction, but I think that ship sailed as the Riders managed 13 penalties for 141 yards versus Winnipeg who had five penalties for 59 yards, which makes one wonder if anything the Riders did would be looked at favorably by the CFL.

So, this week the Riders get a chance to climb out of the cesspool they have adopted as their home this season and get a chance to eliminate the Edmonton Elk and their puppet-master Chris Jones. This is the first time Jones has returned to Regina since he left to take a position with Cleveland in the NFL and while he did improve the team, he did not win a title, making him a mediocre coach.

Jones is using the same formula he used with the Riders, first by holding a 21-week training camp bringing in a variety of players and seeing which ones can mentally and physically play his system.

The Achilles Heel for Jones is offense because he cannot manage a quarterback to save his soul. Things were easier for Jones his first coaching go around in Edmonton when he had Mike Reilly, but now he has Taylor Cornelius (named for two characters in Planet of the Apes) who might emerge into something but in the meantime has to take his lumps.

The Elk are coming off a whipping at the hands of Calgary and if Edmonton can not get a win at home, they will have to do it on the road. If Edmonton loses, they are eliminated from the playoffs.

The Riders for their part are acting like they already are eliminated, but still have a bunch of motions to go through. The Riders are also facing questions about why and how they screwed up with the offensive line and what are they planning to do about it.

After beating Edmonton twice in Edmonton (not a major accomplishment since it has been over 1,000 days since Edmonton had a home win) the Rider should be favored to beat them at home, where the Riders have not won in four games.

The only thing keeping the Riders in any sort of contention is their defense, but if the offense cannot or will not help, the team will be one and done in the eastern playoffs. Beating Edmonton does not guarantee a Grey Cup berth, but losing to Edmonton sends as message this season is as good as over. Riders win this one 33-27.

Winnipeg goes to Hamilton and while there might be buildup about this game because these two teams faced each other in the last two Grey Cups, the closest Hamilton is getting to the Cup this year is of they hit the ticket office.

Hamilton gambled big on Dane Evans and so far, has come up snake eyes. Evans seems like a quality individual, but his lack of ball security makes him a dead man walking until the end of the season when Hamilton with the help of Khari Jones, has to decide if Evans has shown enough to be invited back.

Winnipeg though is fat and sassy as well as they should be. When you factor in the natural edge they have with the officials, there is no way Hamilton can win this game. Winnipeg 23-16 over Hamilton. If you live in Ontario, maybe bet on Hamilton getting more penalties than Winnipeg. I would be interested in seeing what the sports books have to say about that.

Finally, we have what could have been the game of the week and probably could still be in all works out right for BC. BC goes to Calgary in a battle for second place.

In the place of Nathan Rourke, BC will unveil Vernon Adams Jr. who can move around but who can also get flustered with enough pressure and may not be as familiar with the playbook as BC would like.

BC has no other choice but to start Adams to salvage their season which looked really good when Rourke was tearing up the league until he got hurt against the Riders. Calgary despite dropping three against Winnipeg by relatively narrow scores, can move into the driver’s seat for hosting the western semi final with a win.

Hosting the western semi-final is important because if the game is outside in November, it takes away from the advantage BC has playing in the dome in weather free conditions. All sorts of intangibles enter into this including having a good running game, a solid offensive line and a physical dominating defense.

BC has a good defense and a competent line, but the rest is iffy. This is not the end of the universe for BC if they lose, but they can see it is a lot closer from where they are.

Calgary 31-17 over BC.

by Greg Urbanoski

Riders Treading In Deep Water

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