Riders Losing Their Fans with Anemic Performance

The latest wrinkle in the Riders self-destructive run down the standings was the inability of the defense to tackle Taylor Cornelius the running quarterback or cover deep passes in the middle. Considering the time that the defense is spending on the field because the offense cannot sustain drives, it was just a matter of time before they ran out of gas.

Edmonton just rushed three people at Fajardo and in dropping nine back into coverage, forced Fajardo to try to demonstrate patience and the ability to let his receivers get open before he was sacked.

Fajardo did not do well.

The failure of the running game to get going to take pressure off Fajardo was disappointing because there were signs the Riders could run well. The loss to Edmonton has moved the Riders closer to losing the cross over or even a shot in the west which would be appropriate for this Grey Cup season.

The frustration Riders fans expressed about the ability of their offense to move turned from boos to laughter in sheer frustration at the ineptness they were witnessing. The Riders love a variety of gimmicks to attract fans, but they have not stumbled yet onto a formula that provides effective pass blocking.

While the prospect of a cross over to the east has sustained Rider playoff dreams, the team is at best looking at an 8-10 record and with no ability to protect the quarterback, the team will be one and done in any eastern playoff.

The Riders could save themselves and their fans the humiliation of being run out of the eastern semi-final or final by continuing their losing so either Edmonton or the other eastern teams get their acts together and mount a more credible playoff drive.

I have been comparing the Rider offensive line play now compared to 1979 when Ron Lancaster blew everything up and brought in Roger Aldag and Bob Poley to start on the offensive line. The Riders offensive line then had better coaching.

There are a few things are becoming obvious as the season winds down. If Fajardo returns next year, it will not, nor should not, be at the same levels, but if he makes his incentives, that will help.

Fajardo needs to hit a quarterback coach, either a Tom House or a Paul Palmer who can work with his footwork and release so Fajardo can throw something new at opposing defenses.

I do not know what Duke Williams can offer in the locker room, but on the sidelines, he has cost the Riders games with his antics. Until the Riders can learn to block someone, it is hard to say what use this receiving corps is.

For Rider fans, it was obvious this year’s edition is not a Grey Cup contender and Rider fans would be better served by this team getting eliminated before the playoffs rather than being one and done. The Rider defense may keep things close, but this offense will lose games for the Riders now and in the future.

So, the Rider loss helped Edmonton get closer to a playoff spot and Hamilton’s 48-31 win over Winnipeg certainly shows the other eastern teams are not going to go quietly to a cross over.

For Hamilton the win was an opportunity for Dane Evans to show the team made the right decision for him to stay and Jeremiah Masoli to go. Evans has been snake-bit by bad decisions regarding ball security and throwing interceptions in inopportune times so seeing him throw five touchdowns in a game that Winnipeg did not need and was just trying to avoid serious injury in was a nice touch.

The Hamilton Winnipeg game showed the danger of not looking at a larger picture. Teams like Winnipeg that have clinched a playoff spot will then start playing backups to reduce the risk so teams like Hamilton who are scrambling for a playoff spot can still give it a shot.

The Vernon Adams experiment in BC as the former Montreal QB attempts to fill in for Nathan Rourke went better in this game as BC clinched the season series with Calgary with a 31-29 win.

Adams had a better control of the offense and with his running provided enough variety to give Calgary defenders pause when trying to defend against him running or passing. Adams is not playing at the same level as Rourke, but he offers similar tools to help BC ride momentum into at least hosting the western semifinal.

Calgary goes out to BC for the final game of the season series and even though BC has won the series, there is still a lot at stake for both teams. BC has a game in hand on Calgary and a BC win would put them two game up on Calgary although Calgary has two game remaining against the Riders.

Calgary and BC are the two most explosive offenses in the league although Calgary by buttressing their running game has their sights set on being in the Grey Cup in outdoor conditions.

BC still hasn’t demonstrated a consistent running game, but with Adams, he can offer the Lions a more dynamic approach than one led by Antonio Pipkin.

For this game, I will go with Calgary to win, 32-31, because BC with Adams at the helm has not shown enough consistency to counter Calgary’s obvious advantage in the running game.

Hamilton and Montreal will hook up on Friday for the battle for second place. Montreal is up two points in the standings and has a game in hand on Hamilton, so the pressure is on Hamilton to win this to keep their season alive.

Hamilton is four points behind the Riders in the race for the cross over and Hamilton does have a game in hand so picking up wins anywhere will be helpful.

The question for this game is whether Evans has finally turned the corner on his starting quarterback dream or if last week was Winnipeg throwing Hamilton a bone for giving them back-to-back Grey Cups.

Hamilton and Montreal are relatively evenly matched except when it comes to turnovers and penalties. Montreal has a bigger problem with discipline than Hamilton and Hamilton has a problem with turning the ball over either through interceptions or penalties.

Hamilton has not won on the road this season. Montreal is playing 500 at home. Montreal wins this 30-24.

Finally, we have Toronto at Ottawa with both teams coming off a bye and Ottawa looking at staying alive in the eastern playoff race.

Ottawa desperately needs the game to stay even with Hamilton while Toronto will be looking to nail down top spot in the east as soon as possible.

Ottawa has not won at home this season while Toronto is 3-2 on the road. Ottawa’s defense has been pretty good considering what it has been operating with this year while Ottawa’s offense has looked better with Nick Arbuckle, a former Argo quarterback of the future.

Toronto has a good defense, and their offense is streaky depending on what side of the bed McLeod Bethel-Thompson gets out of for this game.

Toronto has a no name running offense, Ottawa has somewhat better, so this will come down to who can get the turnovers. Toronto appears to have the better balance than Ottawa, but you must wonder how much of this is smoke and mirrors.

Ottawa should be able to break its losing streak with a 27-24 win.