A friend of mine was headed to the game at Mosaic stadium today. She asked me last night if she was going to see a winning game or not.
I said, yes.
Most likely.
I told her Montreal was playing like crap lately and we played better last week than we had in a long time.
Ergo... I thought a victory was pretty well assured.
We thumped 'em. Thrashed 'em. Pummelled 'em. In fact, we laid an old fashioned lickin' on them.
Which is a good thing. We needed it.
Corey Holmes needed to get involved in the offence. Two touchdowns outta do it.
Fantuz needed some confidence. I lost track of how many big catches he made, but one touchdown grab was enough to make him CBC's Warrior of the Game - which I predicted late in the second quarter.
But it wasn't just offence that needed to win. The defence came through in a big way thanks to the likes of Fred Perry and Scott Schultz.
However, my favourite play of the game goes to our trusty rusty punter Jamie Boreham. After a short punt that everyone is waiting for Montreal to touch, I see this green bullet move across the screen like a bat out of hell! He recovered his own bloody punt!
It was amazing!
This game definitely showed some creativity on the part of the riders. Plays were going to a wide array of receivers and every area of the team contributed to this win.
The last quarter still made me nervous - a better team might have capitalized on a noticeable softening of the defence. Hopefully, they get the defence to put together four quarters. Because if they ever do, God have mercy on the team we're playing, cuz they gonna get turfed!
Even still, a win is a win. A a decisive victory like this one, just feels good!
Eight and five, people!
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Monday, September 24, 2007
My last post on the Rider game, I promise!
General manager Eric Tillman of the Riders has gotten into a nasty war of words with Lion's coach Wally Buono.
News story here.
Tillman says they are friends off the field and that he has a tremendous amount of respect for the man.
He added that B.C. won the game in Regina over the weekend with two players who shouldn't have been playing after the little bar fight broke out at centre field.
I just wanted to point out this one quote from Mr. Wally:
"It's usually after a loss, and let's put two and two together. It was a tough game and an important game and emotions are going to run high. But I don't believe it does anybody any good for team officials to go public, and now you bring it down to this because of sour grapes."
Is this the same Wally Buono that whined and complained to the CFL, the media and anyone who'd listen after Dave Dickenson suffered a concussion in the first meeting of these two teams earlier this season? (On a perfectly clean hit, btw.)
Now correct me if I'm wrong... Didn't Saskatchewan win that game?
Thought so.
News story here.
Tillman says they are friends off the field and that he has a tremendous amount of respect for the man.
He added that B.C. won the game in Regina over the weekend with two players who shouldn't have been playing after the little bar fight broke out at centre field.
I just wanted to point out this one quote from Mr. Wally:
"It's usually after a loss, and let's put two and two together. It was a tough game and an important game and emotions are going to run high. But I don't believe it does anybody any good for team officials to go public, and now you bring it down to this because of sour grapes."
Is this the same Wally Buono that whined and complained to the CFL, the media and anyone who'd listen after Dave Dickenson suffered a concussion in the first meeting of these two teams earlier this season? (On a perfectly clean hit, btw.)
Now correct me if I'm wrong... Didn't Saskatchewan win that game?
Thought so.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
To Rider Nation
Stop it!
No seriously. Shut. Up.
There is a lot of ruffled feathers in Rider Nation today. In fact, we as a collective group are downright grumpy.
And perhaps we have a right to be. 7 - 5 is not where we thought we'd be now. Or where we would have liked to be.
However.
I want to be adamantly clear here: Kerry Joseph is not responsible for last night's debacle.
Ok?
Got that Rider Nation?
Stop. It.
Our propensity to pile on the QB after a loss has got to end. The QB can't do his job if his protection decides to call in their game from the dressing room. The QB can connect every pass, move the ball effectively and yet still come up short if the defensive has an off night and allows the opposition to run wild.
KJ may not be the best ball tosser in the league. I don't even think he would argue with that. But he has developed a poise I haven't seen in one of our QBs for a very long time. He doesn't fold under pressure. He doesn't meltdown after a bad drive.
He goes out there and gets the job done.
He's not going to make every pass... or every play. But let's look at what he DID do last night, k?
Out of 36 tosses he made 23 completions. Not bad. For a total of 354 yards in the air and 40 yards rushing. What the freak is wrong with that? On most nights nothing. It's enough to win.
But when your defense stands around twiddling their thumbs looking for someone to make a play, nothing the QB does is going to be good enough.
No one in Saskatchewan would be upset at those stats had the defense not had a huge mental lapse in the dying few minutes of the game.
In fact, if we had won this game those stats would be looking mighty fine, don't you think?
So to all my readers who are Roughrider fans, take note: We are better than this. We are not Edmonton fans. We are not Calgary fans. So let's stop acting like it. Act like Roughrider fans, pete's sake.
You want to complain about something... how about the lack of leadership on defense! You want to complain about something... write the CFL about the chronically pathetical state of officiating in the league right now.
You want to complain about something... cheer for Hamilton! They got enough to complain about to last you all year.
Stop whining like a bunch of little school girls. Cuz, those boys in green and white just lost a heartbreaker on home turf. And I know KJ did everything in his power to prevent that.
KJ deserves better than this after each loss. It's time we as fans stepped up to the plate.
No seriously. Shut. Up.
There is a lot of ruffled feathers in Rider Nation today. In fact, we as a collective group are downright grumpy.
And perhaps we have a right to be. 7 - 5 is not where we thought we'd be now. Or where we would have liked to be.
However.
I want to be adamantly clear here: Kerry Joseph is not responsible for last night's debacle.
Ok?
Got that Rider Nation?
Stop. It.
Our propensity to pile on the QB after a loss has got to end. The QB can't do his job if his protection decides to call in their game from the dressing room. The QB can connect every pass, move the ball effectively and yet still come up short if the defensive has an off night and allows the opposition to run wild.
KJ may not be the best ball tosser in the league. I don't even think he would argue with that. But he has developed a poise I haven't seen in one of our QBs for a very long time. He doesn't fold under pressure. He doesn't meltdown after a bad drive.
He goes out there and gets the job done.
He's not going to make every pass... or every play. But let's look at what he DID do last night, k?
Out of 36 tosses he made 23 completions. Not bad. For a total of 354 yards in the air and 40 yards rushing. What the freak is wrong with that? On most nights nothing. It's enough to win.
But when your defense stands around twiddling their thumbs looking for someone to make a play, nothing the QB does is going to be good enough.
No one in Saskatchewan would be upset at those stats had the defense not had a huge mental lapse in the dying few minutes of the game.
In fact, if we had won this game those stats would be looking mighty fine, don't you think?
So to all my readers who are Roughrider fans, take note: We are better than this. We are not Edmonton fans. We are not Calgary fans. So let's stop acting like it. Act like Roughrider fans, pete's sake.
You want to complain about something... how about the lack of leadership on defense! You want to complain about something... write the CFL about the chronically pathetical state of officiating in the league right now.
You want to complain about something... cheer for Hamilton! They got enough to complain about to last you all year.
Stop whining like a bunch of little school girls. Cuz, those boys in green and white just lost a heartbreaker on home turf. And I know KJ did everything in his power to prevent that.
KJ deserves better than this after each loss. It's time we as fans stepped up to the plate.
Saturday, September 22, 2007
ARG!
The final score didn't tell the story of the game.
Here's my two cents... er... ok... buck fifty.
Two good things:
1. Austin finally found his friggin' challenge flag. Good, good. Nice to see him use it! Keep it up.
2. The third down gamble by B.C. inside their own 20 yard line will go as one of my favourite plays of the season - hands down! Sacked Jackson on their 15 to take over the ball. Would have loved to see Buono's face on that one. Hurts, don't it, Wally?
Kudos for our defense for coming through on that play in a big big way. No one was getting through the green wall that time!
Two things that were not so good:
1. Six times. Not once, not twice, not even thrice, but ... well... you get it. SIX FREAKING TIMES Jarious Jackson hands the ball to Joe Smith who walks around for a pick up of seven or so yards. Do it once and way to go, nice play. Big whoop. Do it twice and I think... well hey they found a weakness, go for it.
After third time I screamed myself hoarse!
Hello...! Defense...! You there?
Knock, knock. Anybody home?
I'm not very bright when it comes to football plays. But even I could tell you what the B.C. team was about to pull.
Seriously.
Could they not see him coming?
Did they think he was going to trip eventually or tire from carrying the ball all the time?
Come on, defense! Pick up the guy and haul his butt down. They gave you six times to figure it out. Pick up the learning curve a bit there.
Smith eventually carried the ball in for a TD. On the same freakin' play.
Six times.
I'm telling you...
2. Something I've learned this season... you don't ever throw a helmet. You never ever rip the helmet off of your teammate or an opposing team member. It is the ultimate in disrespect in football. Football is a violent game and their helmets are the biggest piece of safety equipment.
This is a dangerous sport and so you don't mess around with the helmet.
Ask the kid in college ball in the States who was told a few weeks ago he'd never walk again after a hit in a Buffalo Bills game just how dangerous. (A neuro-surgeon later said... oops, we jumped the gun on that one, he'll probably walk again...)
Don't even get me started on their cleats in those big pile ups.
That's why there are hefty fines and usually an automatic game ejection for a helmet violation.
In all my football watching career I have never seen such an objectional display of poor sportmanship and judgement on behalf of a professional sports team.
B.C. had better learn to reign it in because for the second time in two games they played with a man down because someone got ejected from the game.
That's not the story, though.
In fact, I initially thought the officials might have gotten the number wrong when they ejected #18 after a hockey brawl broke out on the field after Saskatchewan sacked Jarious Jackson.
I thought they got the number wrong because #55 went into the melee throwing punches. Yes, punchES in plural. And a knee.
And ended his little hockey outing by ripping the helmet off Scott Schultz who later had to be held back from ripping apart the offending player. God bless whoever held him back because as you may know... Scott's not a small guy and it wasn't easy.
In the end B.C. got off lucky that they weren't down two men. And what that says to me is their team is playing lose and emotional.
And that, my dear little green friends, is a very bad thing for Mr. Wally.
Because the team I saw wearing orange and black tonight was totally a beatable team. They didn't win because they played well. In fact, they played terrible. The only thing that kept them alive was Joe Smith. (SIX TIMES!) They squeaked out a win in a game that could have gone either way.
They got lucky on the ejection and they got lucky in the final point total. And as my grandfather used to say... Luck don't last forever.
So should we meet this team in the playoffs, I'll put money on my Riders any day of the week. Because B.C. showed today Saskatchewan might be the only team that can beat them. If for no other reason than that they lose their cool around us.
They are beatable. Trust.
But back to Saskatchewan...
Nice to see their back on the field and playing the game. In fact, I'd say all round improvement in every department. The game could have gone either way. If they can keep their head about them and not let this loss get to them they might actually be able to salvage the season.
The season is still circling the down the spout, but there's still time.
And again... I say if we meet B.C. again we won't be making the same mistakes we did tonight.
One more freebie:
If Geroy Simon wasn't so darned likeable I think I would actually hate the man. He's infuriatingly effective. Still... it was nice to see him drop a few balls tonight.
Here's my two cents... er... ok... buck fifty.
Two good things:
1. Austin finally found his friggin' challenge flag. Good, good. Nice to see him use it! Keep it up.
2. The third down gamble by B.C. inside their own 20 yard line will go as one of my favourite plays of the season - hands down! Sacked Jackson on their 15 to take over the ball. Would have loved to see Buono's face on that one. Hurts, don't it, Wally?
Kudos for our defense for coming through on that play in a big big way. No one was getting through the green wall that time!
Two things that were not so good:
1. Six times. Not once, not twice, not even thrice, but ... well... you get it. SIX FREAKING TIMES Jarious Jackson hands the ball to Joe Smith who walks around for a pick up of seven or so yards. Do it once and way to go, nice play. Big whoop. Do it twice and I think... well hey they found a weakness, go for it.
After third time I screamed myself hoarse!
Hello...! Defense...! You there?
Knock, knock. Anybody home?
I'm not very bright when it comes to football plays. But even I could tell you what the B.C. team was about to pull.
Seriously.
Could they not see him coming?
Did they think he was going to trip eventually or tire from carrying the ball all the time?
Come on, defense! Pick up the guy and haul his butt down. They gave you six times to figure it out. Pick up the learning curve a bit there.
Smith eventually carried the ball in for a TD. On the same freakin' play.
Six times.
I'm telling you...
2. Something I've learned this season... you don't ever throw a helmet. You never ever rip the helmet off of your teammate or an opposing team member. It is the ultimate in disrespect in football. Football is a violent game and their helmets are the biggest piece of safety equipment.
This is a dangerous sport and so you don't mess around with the helmet.
Ask the kid in college ball in the States who was told a few weeks ago he'd never walk again after a hit in a Buffalo Bills game just how dangerous. (A neuro-surgeon later said... oops, we jumped the gun on that one, he'll probably walk again...)
Don't even get me started on their cleats in those big pile ups.
That's why there are hefty fines and usually an automatic game ejection for a helmet violation.
In all my football watching career I have never seen such an objectional display of poor sportmanship and judgement on behalf of a professional sports team.
B.C. had better learn to reign it in because for the second time in two games they played with a man down because someone got ejected from the game.
That's not the story, though.
In fact, I initially thought the officials might have gotten the number wrong when they ejected #18 after a hockey brawl broke out on the field after Saskatchewan sacked Jarious Jackson.
I thought they got the number wrong because #55 went into the melee throwing punches. Yes, punchES in plural. And a knee.
And ended his little hockey outing by ripping the helmet off Scott Schultz who later had to be held back from ripping apart the offending player. God bless whoever held him back because as you may know... Scott's not a small guy and it wasn't easy.
In the end B.C. got off lucky that they weren't down two men. And what that says to me is their team is playing lose and emotional.
And that, my dear little green friends, is a very bad thing for Mr. Wally.
Because the team I saw wearing orange and black tonight was totally a beatable team. They didn't win because they played well. In fact, they played terrible. The only thing that kept them alive was Joe Smith. (SIX TIMES!) They squeaked out a win in a game that could have gone either way.
They got lucky on the ejection and they got lucky in the final point total. And as my grandfather used to say... Luck don't last forever.
So should we meet this team in the playoffs, I'll put money on my Riders any day of the week. Because B.C. showed today Saskatchewan might be the only team that can beat them. If for no other reason than that they lose their cool around us.
They are beatable. Trust.
But back to Saskatchewan...
Nice to see their back on the field and playing the game. In fact, I'd say all round improvement in every department. The game could have gone either way. If they can keep their head about them and not let this loss get to them they might actually be able to salvage the season.
The season is still circling the down the spout, but there's still time.
And again... I say if we meet B.C. again we won't be making the same mistakes we did tonight.
One more freebie:
If Geroy Simon wasn't so darned likeable I think I would actually hate the man. He's infuriatingly effective. Still... it was nice to see him drop a few balls tonight.
Monday, September 17, 2007
RIP - writing legend dies
James Oliver Rigney Jr, aka Robert Jordan of Wheel of Time fame, died today of a rare blood disease.
News article here.
He was was working on his 12th book in the series at the time of his death. (I hope he left notes!)
I believe it was he who said he would keep writing until they drove the nails into his coffin. I think he pretty much sums up how many writers feel.
How incredibly sad. Yet also how inspiring. He dared to share his gift of story with the rest of us and we are all the richer for it.
Even still we are pointedly reminded that we aren't promised tomorrow and we may not have much time to share the stories that are within us.
Bless you, Mr. Rigney. And deepest sympathies to his wife.
News article here.
He was was working on his 12th book in the series at the time of his death. (I hope he left notes!)
I believe it was he who said he would keep writing until they drove the nails into his coffin. I think he pretty much sums up how many writers feel.
How incredibly sad. Yet also how inspiring. He dared to share his gift of story with the rest of us and we are all the richer for it.
Even still we are pointedly reminded that we aren't promised tomorrow and we may not have much time to share the stories that are within us.
Bless you, Mr. Rigney. And deepest sympathies to his wife.
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Second straight (just for Roy)
The game in Calgary stank to high heaven. Never in my life have I wanted to rip the radio off a wall so badly and toss it across the room.
Several observations... (some of it recycled from The Green Zone over at ckom.com)...
1. It is so sad to watch Henry Burris do so well. Mainly, because he used to play for the Riders. Mainly, because the previous administration let him go. Mainly, because I rather enjoy when Henry has to pick turf out of his helmet!
2. Have our defensive line gone on strike? Vacation? Taken a leave of absence? What gives? An 85-yard touchdown? Where the freak were they? Did they forget to get on the plane to Calgary? Somebody better fix that problem. And they better be fixing it fast.
If for no other reason than the psyche of the team... they were doing well... now they can't string together a touchdown drive for more than three plays to save their souls. If we don't start winning awful fast we're going to forget how to do it!
3. I would like to respectfully remind the CFL officials they ARE NOT PLAYERS! Therefore they should stop acting like they can influence the outcome of the game. Two calls last week were so bad the CFL sent out a news release saying they goofed.
I know. I know! Just two?!
(Btw, I think I heard pigs flying by at the same time...)
I am really sick and tired of lousy calls. Like DJ Flick said at the end of the game in Winnipeg... we didn't lose because of the officials, but they sucked!
(Though some could make a pretty good argument that lousy calls is interrupting the momentum of the team. I think they might have a point... )
Same deal this week.
And for the record... Kent, if you want to have any prayer of winning another game this season then you'd better find your damn challenge flag and THROW THE STUPID THING! I'm sick and tired of bad calls going against the green and white and nobody doing anything about it. Our boys are out there getting hammered with bad call after bad call... (simultaneous touch means no touch... what the?)... and you're not doing anything about it.
They've given us a recourse, Kent, so use it! Take a page from Wally Bouno if you have to... only with less snivelling, please.
All in all the Riders are in danger of losing the season... my prediction... if they lose to B.C. in Regina next weekend... they're done. Not because I am a fickle fan. I'll cheer for the green should they hire second-string high school players...! My point is if they lose one more, I do not believe this team has enough time to figure out what the problem is and snatch this season from the crapper.
They could prove me wrong. They do it all the time. But if they lose next week we'll have a record of 7-5. I just don't think we'd recover in time to do well in the playoffs.
So like I said... they gotta learn how to play some football between now and next Saturday. In the meantime, I'm glad I'm not wearing a jersey next week in practice, cuz I have a feeling Kent's gonna put a hurtin' on them!
Several observations... (some of it recycled from The Green Zone over at ckom.com)...
1. It is so sad to watch Henry Burris do so well. Mainly, because he used to play for the Riders. Mainly, because the previous administration let him go. Mainly, because I rather enjoy when Henry has to pick turf out of his helmet!
2. Have our defensive line gone on strike? Vacation? Taken a leave of absence? What gives? An 85-yard touchdown? Where the freak were they? Did they forget to get on the plane to Calgary? Somebody better fix that problem. And they better be fixing it fast.
If for no other reason than the psyche of the team... they were doing well... now they can't string together a touchdown drive for more than three plays to save their souls. If we don't start winning awful fast we're going to forget how to do it!
3. I would like to respectfully remind the CFL officials they ARE NOT PLAYERS! Therefore they should stop acting like they can influence the outcome of the game. Two calls last week were so bad the CFL sent out a news release saying they goofed.
I know. I know! Just two?!
(Btw, I think I heard pigs flying by at the same time...)
I am really sick and tired of lousy calls. Like DJ Flick said at the end of the game in Winnipeg... we didn't lose because of the officials, but they sucked!
(Though some could make a pretty good argument that lousy calls is interrupting the momentum of the team. I think they might have a point... )
Same deal this week.
And for the record... Kent, if you want to have any prayer of winning another game this season then you'd better find your damn challenge flag and THROW THE STUPID THING! I'm sick and tired of bad calls going against the green and white and nobody doing anything about it. Our boys are out there getting hammered with bad call after bad call... (simultaneous touch means no touch... what the?)... and you're not doing anything about it.
They've given us a recourse, Kent, so use it! Take a page from Wally Bouno if you have to... only with less snivelling, please.
All in all the Riders are in danger of losing the season... my prediction... if they lose to B.C. in Regina next weekend... they're done. Not because I am a fickle fan. I'll cheer for the green should they hire second-string high school players...! My point is if they lose one more, I do not believe this team has enough time to figure out what the problem is and snatch this season from the crapper.
They could prove me wrong. They do it all the time. But if they lose next week we'll have a record of 7-5. I just don't think we'd recover in time to do well in the playoffs.
So like I said... they gotta learn how to play some football between now and next Saturday. In the meantime, I'm glad I'm not wearing a jersey next week in practice, cuz I have a feeling Kent's gonna put a hurtin' on them!
Sunday, September 02, 2007
Seven wins!
Riders just won a nail-biter at Taylor Field. Kerry Joseph runs in for the winning touchdown in the dying seconds of the game! How cool is that?
I was listening to the last bit of the game on the radio when the commentators got so excited they sounded like Mickey Mouse on speed. When I realized we got a TD I jumped up and down in the kitchen yelling, "Touchdown!"
My kids were sitting in the living room wondering if I had lost my mind. They had a friend over who also shared the same look.
Then I raced downstairs where Richard is watching the game "live" on TSN.ca. (They offer all the games for free on broadband.)
There is a built-in 10 to 20 second delay on the broadband broadcast. So I while I'm screaming "Touchdown!" Richard is like... "but they've still got 30 yards to go!"
Awesome heads-up play by KJ to run it up the middle like that. Very well-executed.
I'm a proud Rider fan today. They just keep impressing me with their poise, their confidence, and their unflappability. This is one amazing team.
For the first time in decades we could have a home playoff game!
So... where do I buy tickets?
I was listening to the last bit of the game on the radio when the commentators got so excited they sounded like Mickey Mouse on speed. When I realized we got a TD I jumped up and down in the kitchen yelling, "Touchdown!"
My kids were sitting in the living room wondering if I had lost my mind. They had a friend over who also shared the same look.
Then I raced downstairs where Richard is watching the game "live" on TSN.ca. (They offer all the games for free on broadband.)
There is a built-in 10 to 20 second delay on the broadband broadcast. So I while I'm screaming "Touchdown!" Richard is like... "but they've still got 30 yards to go!"
Awesome heads-up play by KJ to run it up the middle like that. Very well-executed.
I'm a proud Rider fan today. They just keep impressing me with their poise, their confidence, and their unflappability. This is one amazing team.
For the first time in decades we could have a home playoff game!
So... where do I buy tickets?
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