Riders visit the injured Lions.

I won’t feed you the usual lines like: it will be a battle of the trenches, or fewer turnovers will win this one…etc. This game will boil down to field position. Both defenses are very stingy, and whichever offense has to work with the longer field will face defeat in this one. BC typically has to put up very few yards due to their strong, ball-hawking defense. The Lions are known for generating turnovers, thus providing their offense with a short field. The last time these two teams faced each other the Lions scored nearly all their 42 points off turnovers, affording their offense a very short field nearly every possession. If the Riders are able to avoid the turnover and hold their offense, it should be a cake walk for the Riders. But it won’t be that easy.

Third stringer, Jarius Jackson should get the start versus the Riders tonight, but Buono has been able to get his team prepared for the big game. On offense the Lions will still have their major weapons on the field, Simon, Smith and Clermont. On defense, aside from Washington, Marsh and Banks, all players remain healthy...although Washington and Banks are expected to play Hurt on Thursday. If the Riders hope to have a chance they’ll have to push the ball downfield via the air.

BC has a very stingy run defense, so look for the Riders to use the run very sparingly, affording the BC defense to rush Joseph often. Joseph will have to decrease his release time after playing the poor rush of the Edmonton Eskimos. The last two games against the Eskimos may hinder the performance against the Lions. Edmonton has one of the worst defenses and worst offensive lines in the CFL. BC, on the other hand, has one of the best defenses and probably the best offensive line in the CFL. The Riders will have to play physical up front on defense and provide a lot of offense to come out on top. But again, the big determining factor will be field position; I don’t necessarily feel that the team with the most offensive yards will win this one.

My prediction for tonight’s game:

Lions: 22
Riders: 18

That’s all I got for today!
Enjoy the game! GO RIDERS!

/=S=/

Those Pesky Eskies Come to Town.

This task should prove to be the toughest for the coaching staff of the Saskatchewan Roughriders. After coming off a disappointing 21-20 road loss to the Eskimos, coach Austin has to rally his troops and get them prepared for Saturday’s tilt against those same Eskimos. The Riders showed well in the first half, going into the locker room sporting a 20-1 lead, only to give up 20 points in the second half.

What will coach Austin do different in this game??? Well I can tell you this; players will be held more accountable for their actions. Fan favourite, Andy Fantuz has already been demoted to the bench for Saturday’s game due to his lack of production on the field. This move may just be the spark needed to inspire the starting roster and lead them to victory.

S far this year Austin has been able to gain the players’ respect and has so far coached a very disciplined team. Although, in their two losses that same undisciplined team has given up 9 turnovers and have committed 20 penalties…both far too many and both are far beyond their season average. So if coach Austin Can keep their team disciplined, he will more than likely move his team into second place ahead of the Edmonton Eskimos.

The Roughriders have the edge on defense and special teams, but I’d have to give a slight edge to Edmonton’s offense. As long as the Rider defense can provide pressure and keep Ray on his back, a victory should come rather easy for the Riders. The Eskimos typically play far better at home, so I expect that home field advantage should also play into effect for this game.


Result:

Eskimos: 24
Roughriders: 33

That’s all I got for today!
Enjoy the game, Rider fans!

/=S=/

Under_miner

Battle of the Lossless!

This will be the biggest game of the first third of the Riders’ schedule. They face the 2 and 0 BC Lions. The Lions have come off wins in Toronto and at home against the Eskimos. Needless to say, the BC Lions haven’t been tested like the Riders have thus far, but you wouldn’t think that by looking at the score sheets. Friday’s game should feature strong defensive battle. BC and Saskatchewan are ranked among the top three in total defense, so look for the offenses to struggle early on. Dave Dickenson tends to have his weakest games in Saskatchewan as of late, so he will have something to prove on Friday night.

There is expected to be roughly 26,000 fans in attendance for Friday’s game, so the noise level should be quite high. The CFL’s best fans know exactly when and how to cheer, so I should expect Friday’s crowd to be extra loud for the Lions while their offense takes the field. The running game has shown some success against the Riders, so I’d expect the Lion’s to go to the ground early. I’d also expect Dickenson to spread the ball quite a bit, but he’ll have to be on top of his game to be able to be successful against the very aggressive Rider defensive backs.

I’m expecting Coach Austin to take advantage of the noisy crowd and go for the throats of the Lions early, as they did last week against the Stampeders. If the Riders strike first the game could possibly be over earlier than expected. The Riders’ defensive front four will have to have their best game of the year against possibly the best and most aggressive offensive line in the CFL. Marcus Adams and Scott Schultz will have to provide a strong push inside for the Riders to have any success on defense. If Dave Dickenson has any sort of time to stand in the pocket and find the open receiver, it will be a very long night for the Rider defense.

My prediction for Friday night:

Riders: 34
Lions: 28

That's all I got,

Enjoy the game!

/=S=/

Home Opener Sunday!

Can the Rider defense pull of the near impossible and stop the powerful Calgary defense? If last week's showing is any indication, I say yes! Anthony Calvillo is a far superior quarterback to Henry Burris, he makes fewer mistakes and makes hi reads much faster than his Calgary counterpart. Calgary's running game will be the difference this weak, but if the Riders can put big numbers on the board early, the Stamps will be forced to go to the air, which could play right into the hands of the Riders. If the Riders score first, I believe that the have a real good chance of running away with the game. If Burris is allowed to have time to make his reads, it will be a long day for the Rider defensive backfield. With the performance of the Rider defensive front four, and secondary for that matter, I don't expect Burris to have much time to flex his aerial muscle. Look for a wide open Rider win in this one.

Sunday's outcome:

Riders: 34

Stampeders: 19

That's All I Got!!

Enjoy the game!

Season opener!

Tonight the Riders face their first real opponent in the very unfriendly confines of McGill Stadium in Montreal. Montreal's offense has been re-worked from the ground-up under their new head coach and offensive co-ordinator. The Riders will also be showcasing a new-look offense, and possible be bearing more changes than Montreal. On a whole, I feel that Montreal's offense is still stronger than the Riders'.

You still have to give Callvilo a lot of credit, he can still get the job done, but whether their new system suits his abilities will remain to be seen. The Riders, under the leadership of Kent Austin are expected to pass the ball more, which may play into Montreal's only weakness on defense. Look for Montreal to blitz a lot, exposing receivers to single coverage. I'm expecting Dominguez and Fantuz to be successful in the absence of Yo Murphy, who will be on the injured list for tonight's game. With the addition of two new defensive tackles, the run stopping ability of the Montreal defensive line will be tested early by the Riders. I'm expecting this game to be rather one-sided given the strength of the Riders defense, and the massive changes made to the Allouettes defense. Coby Rhinehart will be starting after having a terrible outing against the Riders in the pre-season, so look for a solid outing by the wide-outs there. Whether the Riders will be able to put the ball in the end-zone rests on how well the players were able to absorb the playbook in the past weeks, I expect Congi to do much of the scoring for the Riders.

Final outcome in tonight's game:

Allouettes: 20
Riders: 22

Stampeders coming to town on Friday.

This Friday will be coach Austin's last look at some of his players competing for a roster spot with the Riders. Kent Austin and his staff will have to pare down the active roster down to 42 players plus 4 players on the the reserve roster. Some positions still up for grabs are running back, slotback, offensive line (3 spots), defensive tackle, linebacker (2 spots) and defensive back (2 spots). My guess is that the safety role will be shared between Canadians Tristian Clovis and Scott Gordon.

This week's game should feature more of the starters and players who are in the front running for starter. One position that I find particularly interesting will be the nose tackle position left vacant by Nate Davis. Vying for this spot are veterans; Luc Mullinder, Marcus "Chuck" Adams and new-comers Eddie Freeman and Andrew Browning. My guess is that former KC Chief, Eddie Freeman has an inside track on this position, purely based on his size (6'-6", 320lbs.). His large frame exceeds that of Nate Davis', meaning the Riders front seven shouldn't miss a beat with Freeman in. Applying heat to Freeman is Marcus Adams, who's been with the Riders since the 2003 season. Adams isn't a large player (5'-11, 285lbs) but plays with a lot of heart and intensity. The player possibly on the bubble will be rookie Andrew Browning, whose lack of CFL experience is hindering is first tryout in the CFL. However, I wouldn't be surprised if Kent Austin and Richie Hall keep him around for future considerations.

With Calgary coming into town the defense will be faced with a daunting task. Calgary's offense features a strong aerial attack, coupled with a more than capable ground game. The Stampeder's offensive line is much improved this year and should be able to provide Burris with the time he needs to make decisions. The order for the Rider defensive secondary will be rather tall, especially considering that the Stampeders will be featuring the talents of Ryan Thelwell and Marc Boerigter. Not to mention the fact that the Stamps will also bring with them Kenyon Rambo, Nik Lewis, Marcus Howell and Jermaine Copeland. If Kent Austin ever needed a test for his defense, this will be it. Don't get me wrong, the BC Lions were adequate foes for last Friday's game, but for much of the game the starters were on the sidelines. This game, Calgary will probably be featuring their starters for at least half of the match, giving Austin a real clear look at just how well his defensive secondary will perform. I for one, am happy that the Riders drew Calgary and BC as pre-season opponents.

Friday's result:
Calgary: 22
Saskatchewan: 34

That's all I got for today!

Enjoy the game - GO RIDERS!

Gameday is finally here!

TGIGD Rider fans! That's for Thank God It's Game Day. It's been roughly seven months since the Riders last suited up for action on the field. Tonight they face off against the reigning Grey Cup Champs, the BC Lions.

The Riders are lead by new head coach Kent Austin, who is expected to put the ball in the air a lot throughout the season. What does this mean for the running backs in camp, a lot! Shermar Bracey is the most seasoned Rider veteran among the tailbacks, and that's not saying much. Last year he saw limited action, filling in only when Keith was injured. Perhaps his biggest game came late in the season versus the visiting Montreal Allouettes, where he started the game off with a 60+ yard carry for a touchdown. He is competing for the starting job against former Bomber tailback, Henri Childs and Feddie Russell. Russell is expected to be taking on the return duries this year due to his quickness and explosiveness. That leaves the starting duty of tailback between Bracey and Childs.

At Quarterback, Joseph is facing competition from long time CFL veteran Marcus Crandell, last year's fourth stringer Darian Durant and new-comer Drew Tate. Many people feel that Drew Tate will be the face of the future for the Riders. He has a good head on his shoulders and has shown some flashes of elusiveness. Many on-lookers have likened Tate to a young Doug Flutie. Whether Austin and company are able to groom this young pivot into the next Doug Flutie remains to be seen. With Joseph and Crandell nearing the ends of their careers, Tate will have to start maturing and showing his talents early.

If the Riders plan to pass the ball as often as 75% of the time, they'll need good hands at the receiving end. In the off season Tillman picked up free-agnents Kahill Hill and Thyron Anderson and traded for D.J. Flick. In the Draft he picked up David McCoy, whose expected to return to college next season. The starters are expected to be Dominguez and either Flick or Armstead on the outside and Fantuz and Anderson on the inside, expect to see Flick/Armstead and Hill to come in for the 5 and 6 receiver sets. Austin has mentioned that the Riders will often employ the 5 receiver package, which should include Dominguez, Armstead, Flick, Fantuz and Anderson. This package brings to the table a healthy mix of speed, size and possession. Austin and Tillman have done well to field a good, well rounded receiving corps.

The offensive line, for me is an area that is showing a bit of concern. The only returnees are Jeremy O'Day and Gene Makowski. Those two represent possibly the two best Canadian O-Lineman in the CFL, and definitely the best Canadian duo in the league. Along with those two we should expect to see Wayne Smith and Mike Abou-Mechrek. Vying for the final spot are Marc Parenteau, and Jermese Jones (both former Winnipeg Bluebombers).

On defense, the look will be the same , but the faces will be much different. On the defensive line, I'd expect to see former KC Chief, Eddie Freeman to make the most noise at DT to replace Nate Davis. Either than that the defensive line will be the same with Jurineak and Perry at the ends with Schultz in the middle. At linebacker, many are expecting T.J. Stancil and Reggie Hunt to play on either side of the feisty sophomore, Maurice Lloyd, leaving the very capable Kitwana Jones coming in for pass rush. At the defensive back positions, the holes left by Omarr Morgan and Davin bush will more than likely be filled by either Justin Airabin, Sean Lucas, Lance Frazier or Rontarius Robinson. At Safety, the position will be shared by Canadians Tristian Clovis and Scott Gordon.

This years teams will be highlighted by areas of growth and areas of strength and areas of weakness. Below are the areas I feel fall into those categories:

Strengths:

• Receiver: Anchored by veteran Matt Dominguez this group has a healthy mix of possession receivers (Dominguez and Fantuz) and deep threats (Flick and Armstead). This group should pout up some nice numbers with Austin leading the team.


• Defensive line: Anchored by veterans Fred Perry and Scott Schultz, this group should perform well. Even with the powerful Nate Davis gone, this group should cause disruption to opposing offenses.


• Linebackers: With names like Reggie Hunt and Kitwana Jones, coming back, throw into the mix names like Maurice Lloyd, Josh Buhl, and T.J. Stancil, this line backing corps has very good depth. Even with injuries this group shouldn't miss a beat.

Weaknesses:

• Running back: All running backs are relatively new to the CFL, with very little game experience, the learning curve for Bracey, Childs and Russell will be quite steep.


• Defensive backs: With 2006 team interception leader, Davin Bush gone, along with group co-leader Omarr Morgan gone, this group has some rather large shoes to fill. This group will take some time to gel.


• Offensive Line: Last year under new Coach George Cortez, the group struggled. This group is going to have to adjust to yet another new coach and 3 new faces. This group, anchored by long-time Rider Gene Makowski will have some growing to do together in order to get the running game together and allow Joseph some time to find his receivers.

This first game against BC will be a good test for the new-look Riders. It will give fans a chance to find out if all the off-season moves were worth the price. I'm expecting a game filled with mental mistakes, mostly committed by the Riders....which should result in a BC win.

Tonight's result:

Lions - 34
Riders - 17

That's all I got for today!
Enjoy the game - GO RIDERS!