GITC Podcast 402 - Out the Door Edition

Does the Riders' four game losing streak have you down? Fear not gentle reader/listener: Episode 402 is here! In it we look at the disastrous Rider-Lions game, the new BC Place, the trade deadline, why Keith almost quit watching football, and our picks for Most Outstanding Player.

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Well, That Was Completely Expected

The Riders' latest lopsided loss has rousted me from my slumber. The Riders laid an egg on turkey day, losing 17-1 to the hometown Edmonton Eskimos. That is correct, we scored a single rouge. At this pace, next game we will score -1 points. Is that even possible? I'm sure we will find a way... Allow me to add a little rage to the previous article.

QB
OK, Ryan Dinwiddie looked horrible behind our ancient o-line. Why is Cole Bergquist on our team if we refuse to play him? The coaches should be ashamed of themselves for even dressing Darian Durant for this game. He is the future of the franchise and risking his career in a meaningless game (come on, you know it was) was inexcusable. Durant has regressed this year, but I still believe he has the qualities to win a Grey Cup given an o-line and a good quarterback coach.

RB
The Montreal Allouettes who are the league's model franchise got rid of their perpetual all-star running back Avon Cobourne last year. Western powerhouse Calgary has benched their all-time leading rusher and perpetual all-star running back Joffrey Reynolds this season. Yet the Riders keep trotting out Wes Cates year after year. This man has lost so many steps he has had ladders installed in his house. Like Francis has mentioned on many occasions, running backs are a dime a dozen. Montreal knows it, Calgary knows it. Why don't we know it? Give Brandon West a look when he gets healthy, please. Get rid of Hugh Charles if you are never going to use him.

WR/SB
Hill has looked alright. I have to disagree with Coach Gord and insist that Cary Koch is awesome. He catches the ball when it is thrown to him. That is what you want your receivers to do. Getzlaf is overrated but decent. Fantuz will be fine with a training camp under his belt. I feel bad for Dressler because he's our only playmaker and we can't consistently get him the ball. Put the ball in his hands! Time's up for Clermont.

O-Line
Gotta blow it up. 3 oldies, who are very old. Chris Best's picture is in the dictionary under "pedestrian" and Marc Parenteau is a centre who can't snap the ball. He should be at guard, but Jeremy O'Day had the good sense to retire last year.

D-Line
Gotta blow it up. Brent Hawkins might never be healthy, so let's not talk about him please! Our defensive ends are castoffs from other teams and our tackles are old and mediocre, respectively. This unit and the o-line are the core of the team's problems. The game is won and lost in the trenches and this is where we consistently get dominated. As Ron Lancaster showed us 30 years ago, these are difficult and time-consuming pieces to replace. However this can pay huge dividends years down the road. We have to tear off this bloody bandage now before it festers even more.

Linebackers
Barrin Simpson has had a down year. Is it because he's 34? Maybe. Jerrell Freeman is fantastic. Sean Lucas should not be playing. I watched him a bit in isolation and he is not even hustling to the ball. He hasn't made a play in about 3 seasons. James Patrick, the league's best safety is playing linebacker!? That's the dumbest thing I've seen since Jason Clermont playing wide receiver. Oh wait, that was this year too. Good thing we got rid of that bum, Tad Kornegay who's starting for the league's best team.

DBs
This is actually the strength of the team. Rookie Craig Butler has shown flashes of competence, and newcomer Tristan Jackson has played well on defence and special teams. Sophomore starter Chris McKenzie had had two pick sixes and is a physical presence despite his size. Veteran Lance Frazier had not made a lot of plays, but has not been burned a lot either. With most DBs, no news is good news. Our secondary has been hampered by the fact that that most quarterbacks can sit in the pocket versus our pass rush and have about 15 Mississippis followed by another 12 steamboats.

It's a mess folks. The word is that Regina will be hosting the Grey Cup in 2013. The natural reaction would be for the home team to set themselves up for a playoff run. I feel as if that would be a mistake. Rebuilding a team takes more than a year or two. Successful franchises are always moving forward, and always upgrading their talent. The Riders have been treading water for two seasons and are now fully understanding the consequences.

Who should the Riders keep for 2012?

Today, the Riders take on the Edmonton Eskimos, and their chances of making the playoffs are all but gone. Hamilton would have to lose 4 times, and the Riders win 4 times to close out the season for them to cross over into the East. With Durant's foot hurting, Ryan Dinwiddie gets the start. Yep, it's over.


So, with only pride left to play for in 2011, we can start looking to 2012 and those who should be key players for the Saskatchewan Roughriders. What players would YOU keep if you were General Manager of the team?


Here's mine, and my buddy Coach Gord's look at the offense and special teams:


Offense
QB
Francis - Darian Durant is mighty capable, and has proved it over the last 3 seasons. While 2011 has been a disappointing season, Durant is capable not only of taking this team back to the Grey Cup for a third time, but winning it. He's on my team in 2012.

Coach Gord - Darian Durant has gone from hero to goat.  He was given slack at the beginning of the season based on a statistically marvellous 2010 season and a berth in the Grey Cup.  However, after the firing of Greg Marshall and Doug Berry, followed with Ken Miller back at the helm, expectations rose. Durant had looked invincible during a three game winning streak following Miller’s return (8 TDs – 2 Ints), and totally inept against the Lions and Stamps the following two weeks (27-46 for 316 yds with 0 TDs and 2 Ints and 8 total points in two games).  He can no longer blame the coach as Darian got his coach back.  Durant looked lost in these losses and will start to feel the pressure that being a QB in SK on a losing team brings.  He needs to start making some better throws on the long outs and using his legs to break down defensive contain and coverages.

Where does this leave us for 2012?  Well, Durant is clearly the starter in SK, Dinwiddie is a capable back-up and Bergquist, based on preseason observations, is still a third string QB.  We need someone like a Drew Tate (irony) in SK to challenge Durant to get better, much like how Jyles did in 08/09.

RB

Francis - I would still keep Wes Cates, even if he is getting up in years. He is a bruising back, great blocker, and a team leader. My team could use his veteran experience. I would also keep Brandon West for his explosiveness, but let's be honest. Running backs are a dime a dozen. A good one isn't all that hard to find.

As for fullbacks, keep Hughes and Bell. Hughes is one of my favourite players, but is criminally underused. The whole tight-end/fullback position didn't really exist in Doug Berry's or Paul LaPolice's offense.

Coach Gord - Wes Cates in running back years is getting old.  He longer has the speed to exploit the holes that do get opened or breakaway speed when he is in the open field.  He is a fantastic blocker, picks up the blitz well and a good receiver out of the back field.  Prognosis; re-sign to a one-year contract, closer to veteran minimum.  If he doesn’t take this deal then we should part ways.

Hugh Charles: has shown flashes of brilliance, tempered by an inability to pick up the blitz and is small for an RB.  He cannot move the pile, and is no good in short yardage.  He is good in open space and is good on screens and swing passes.  I would release him if we re-sign Wes Cates.

Stu Foord: will never be more than a special team player seeing spot duty at the RB position due to injury.  Keep as a ratio player and home town kid.

Brandon West: has improved as the season has progressed with limited touches.  He is worth keeping around for a second look.  He has also done a decent job returning kicks and punts.

Neal Hughes: is an excellent receiver out of the back field or Tight end position, good special teamer and ratio player.  He is also another Home Town Kid.

Graeme Bell: is the only FB, a special team player and ratio player.  He is also a “home” town boy.

WR/SB

Francis - I wouldn't change a lot, as long as Fantuz re-signs with the team. He is the key here. Keep the Canadian Air Force ( I hate that moniker)  together. The question is whether Rob Bagg can get back to playing how he used to. I'd also hang on to Dallas Baker to get a better look at him. Finding someone for the wide side position has been difficult, but I'm not sure either Hill or Robinson are the answer.

Coach Gord - Fantuz, Getzlaf, Bagg (assuming his injuries aren’t career ending), Baker, Dressler and Hill all have places on my team.  I would like to see another receiver over 6’03 on the team, and another speedster besides Dressler to help spread the field for the possession type receivers. Release Robinson and Nunn outright.  Koch, Clermont and Wheelwright are on the bubble.  Wheelwright has the size but 1 catch for 7yds and a stint on the 9-game injured list is not impressive.  Koch has not impressed on his return off the 9 game, but has 5 more games left in the season.  Clermont is a personal favourite, much like Ray Elgaard and Dan Farthing were in the past.  Unfortunately I think time and the beating he has taken going over the middle have caught up with him.  It may be time to use his roster spot on a younger Canadian player.  Re-sign Fantuz to whatever he wants, or the fans will riot.

O-line

Francis - This is a hard one to judge, but the bottom line is this unit needs to get younger in a hurry. Who do you keep? I imagine lots will depend on whether Makowsky will keep playing beyond 2011, what with him running in the provincial election. I think it's easier to determine who you don't keep in this situation, and in that case Goodspeed is the odd man out. Replacing an import tackle can't be that hard, can it?

Coach Gord - Let’s face it, we are old.  I think Gene is going to win his riding and retire so we need a new, young, Canadian guard, maybe Patrick Neufeld can fill that spot.  Parenteau needs to start doing a better job with the shot-gun snap at this stage in the season.  He also needs to do a better job reading the blitz/stunt schemes the opposing defenses are throwing at the Riders.  Goodspeed and Gauthier as tackles have been susceptible to the speed rush.  Is this age or the blocking scheme?  Either way we need more out of these vets.  Releasing Goodspeed and Gauthier may not be a bad idea if we can pick up a good free agent at either position.  Best is good for at least one holding call a game but is good for the ratio.

Special Teams

K

Francis - Congi or Milo? I'm going with Milo because he can punt, and he can punt extremely well. While he may not have Congi's accuracy in the kicking game, I think with experience it will come. Meanwhile you can trade Congi and get back a good Canadian or draft pick. Also, this means the mustachioed wonder Eddie Johnson is gone.

Coach Gord - Milo stays in my Riderville.  Congi and Johnson are out.  Johnson ties up a valuable import spot and Congi can’t punt or do kick-offs.  Milo has gotten better at FG’s and his punting and kick-offs are good enough to make Johnson and Congi expendable.

KR/PR

Francis - Kick and punt returns have been at times the highlight for the entire team this year. I believe that has more to do with Craig Dickenson than anything else, but Brandon West and Tristan Jackson have done a good job. While the kick return position is not one you usually worry about, I'm happy to keep these two.

Coach Gord - Jackson has probably been the best off season pick-up the riders have made.  He has made a difference in the return game, and is the starting CB on defense.  Jackson’s average has also taken a few hits due to long returns called back due to penalty.  West is the other returner in this formula.  Looking for a KR specialist can be possible if Eddie Johnson is released.

Why wait? Fire Taman now

After the 40-3 shellacking the Riders received at the hands of the Stamps yesterday, and after the beat down from the Bombers last week, it's clear this team is returning to its old ways. The Ken Miller honeymoon is over and we see this team for who they really are: 4-9. With the Riders all but out of the playoff picture, it's time to start looking at next year. 

Over at Rider Rumblings Ken Miller was asked about the team's talent, and here's what he had to say:

“We have talent. I think our talent is as good as it has been in recent years. Right now, we’re not playing cohesively. We’re not being able to have a collective effort in any phase of the game right now.’’

This is another example of Coach K standing up for his players, like his now-famous comments after him being asked if the team played flat last week. So, it's nice of him, but it's not really factual. This team is not good, point blank. And it's not the coaches fault, either. It's the players. It's also the General Manager's job to bring in good players, and that's something the current G.M. has not done. He seems to have been riding on the coattails of Eric Tillman since he arrived in Regina. It's as if he inherited a successful team, and believed he didn't have to do any work to keep it a successful team. Meanwhile if you look at Montreal, arguably the league's most successful team over the last decade, they experience constant turnover in their player personnel. Their G.M. is always searching for someone younger, faster, and cheaper. Avon Cobourne is an example you`ll remember from earlier this year. Is our G.M. doing the same? The results would indicate no.

We talked about the problems with Brendan Taman back in July, and over the Labour Day weekend we advocated terminating him at the end of the season. After the last two blowout losses, I've changed my mind. Why wait? What's the point? Start looking now for a new G.M. now and give the new one more time to find players for the start of training camp next year. It's the sensible thing to do.

This team needs wholesale change, and the sooner the better.

Grey Cup Cometh to Saskatchewan in 2013

Murray McCormick over at the Leader Post is reporting that Regina will host the 2013 Grey Cup, which will the 101st anniversary of the game. A formal announcement is expected to be made on October 13th.

Regina last hosted the Grey Cup in 2005, where seating at the then Taylor Field was expanded to 50,000 for the game.

Yay economic impact!

Bullock to sign with Ti-Cats?

According to Drew Edwards of the Hamilton Spectator, and Marcus Adam's Twitter feed, former Rider Byron Bullock LB has signed with the Tiger-Cats. You'll remember Bullock was cut during this year's training camp. Will become another ex-Rider who comes back to haunt his former team?

GITC Podcast 401 - Level 20 Edition

What the??! We're back? After months of dormancy the podcast makes its triumphant return! In this episode we get caught up on what's happened so far this year, we talk about the games of the past week, and Anthony Cavillo's skin care products. Clearly this is an episode not to be missed. Yes gentle reader, finally all is right in the world.

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The Labour Day Classic is here, and thoughts on the Marshall firing

Hard to believe it's already mid-way through the season, but on the other hand I'm glad it's here because the first half of the Riders' 2011 season was an absolute disgrace. Only 1 win in 8 tries. This season has been a magnificent fall from grace.

Management has attempted to turn the season around by firing head coach Greg Marshall and Offensive Coordinator Doug Berry. It's also an attempt to placate the fans who've been screaming relentlessly on the call-ins shows for change. The question is - will it work? 

Marshall's team did not get off to great starts in games, but this was a trend that was evident last year, and even the year before. While this has been dismissed by some in the media, I have to think having the old boss around (Miller) on the field during practice, and visible everywhere else drastically undermined Marshall's credibility and authority. Think about it. Ever had a new boss when your old one was still involved in day to day to stuff? Would you respect the new boss as much with the old one still around, or would you start to tune him out? The fact is, Marshall was never given a chance. This goes back to the fact that Miller never should have been given the Vice President retirement gift after only 4 years with the team. Why? What purpose or need was it to serve, and was Miller even qualified as player personnel guy? Last point about Marshall - if management didn't think he could do the job, why did they hire him? And why only give him 8 games when he has a contract guaranteed for 3 years?

As for Doug Berry, yes the offense was last in points scored, but they were 3rd in yards gained and 3rd in in passing yards. Did 8 games really warrant his dismissal? Look at the offence's numbers from last year - Durant lead the league in passing with over 5,500 yards, they were 3rd in points scored, 2nd in TDs scored, 3rd in yards per game, and 1st in rushing TDs. Did Berry really mess things up that badly this year?

You can tell General Manager Brendan Taman, Vice-President of Football Operations Ken Miller, and President Jim Hopson only made these moves as a knee-jerk reaction to make fans happy, and I suppose to give the team a jolt to turn things around. If they were serious about making needed change, they could have also cast a glance at the defence. The defence, in case you were wondering, is dead last in the league in points given up (31.6), last in takeaways, and near the bottom in most defensive categories. So then, why wasn't Richie Hall let go? Simple, the fans love Richie and virtually no one was calling for his head. Statistically, his unit is far worse than Doug Berry's offence. The firings of Marshall and Berry therefore make little sense and show the actions of desperate people trying to cover their backsides. 

Putting Coach K back onto the field does give some hope to the hopeless, but I have to wonder how much change he'll actually be able to make. I fully expect there to be some rebound in the team's fortunes. There will be a boost in morale, but that will only take the team so far. After that it's up to the players, and that's where ultimately this team falls short.

This brings us to Brendan Taman and the real reason for this franchise's decline. The personnel on the field have not been good enough, and until this changes I don't have any reason to think the team's fortunes on the field will. Clearly Taman should be let go at the end of the season, barring some dramatic 2nd half turnaround. The shortcomings of this team has been obvious for some time - defensive end, receiver, defensive back, and now you could add linebacker to the list. (Can anyone explain to me why the league's interception leader is now playing linebacker? Does that make sense or have I been taking crazy pills? Sean Lucas isn't the player he used to be but is there really no one else to take his place? The Riders have to put their backfield leader in at linebacker. It's almost laughable in its absurdity. I could go on about the defensive ends and how the Riders' middle linebacker Barrin Simpson leads the teams in sacks with 3 which is good for, wait for it, 15th in the league.)

I hope no one needs anymore convincing that Taman needs to go in the long and short term interests of the franchise. Is he doing anything to improve his team? Has he been at NFL training camps like Jim Popp? Has he been working 3 phones this extremely important weekend, cut-down weekend in the NFL? Is he scrambling to update the team's neg list like Eric Tillman? 

Who knows?

As for the LDC, I hate to disappoint the Swaggarians who have travelled to Regina, but I like the Riders in this game and expect a bounce-back with Coach K at the helm.  We also finally get a look at Dallas Baker (and get rid of Terrence Nunn!) and Wes Cates makes his return after having been out about 6 games.

We will attempt to live tweet the game. Follow us @greeniscolour. Game time is 2:00pm SK time on TSN and on ckrm.com

After 1-7 Start, Riders Fire Marshall and O.C. Berry

Greg Marshall has been fired as the head coach of the Saskatchewan Roughriders. He will be replaced by Vice-President of Football Operations Ken Miller. Marshall was a first-time head coach after years as a player, an assistant and a coordinator in the league. Also fired today was Offensive Coordinator Doug Berry.

The Riders did not waste any time making a change to the team after a a disastrous 1-7 start, the worst in 15 years. Miller takes over and his challenges will be back to back games against the league-leading Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Conceivably the Riders could be 1-9 by the middle of September. While Marshall in the last 24 hours has looked and sounded like a man defeated, both of these moves appears to be change for change's sake. Marshall and Berry do however deserve some of the responsibility for the team's lacklustre starts to games, but the problems with this team remain with the talent on the field, and that falls to General Manager Brendan Taman.

Can Miller pull off a miracle and get this team into the playoffs? Stay tuned.

Updated and edited to add: It's not all bad for Marshall. He has a 3-year contract and will continue to be paid through the 2013 season.

It's Game Day - Week 8 vs Argos

It's the Basement Bowl today at 5:30pm SK time, as your 1-6 Roughriders take on the 1-6 Toronto Argonauts. Whoever is the victor will walk away feeling a little bit better about themselves heading into the bye. The loser meanwhile, will face the harsh reality that they are a bad team who likely won't make the playoffs and will have to spend the rest of the season playing for pride.

Keys to the game:

Leadership - Somebody needs to step up and show that they care. Play with some emotion. Show us something, for God's sake.

Offense - Don't get behind, make some catches, throws, blocks, etc. etc. The Argo's defense, just like the Riders', is struggling. Brandon West gets the start with the injuries to Cates and Charles. We'll also get the first looks at WR Dallas Baker and RB Yvenson Bernard in a Rider uniform. Receivers need to show what they can do in this game. Changes are coming to that group during the bye week.

Defense - I can't believe I'm typing this but...stop Cleo Lemon? He's had 300+ passing games the last 2 weeks. Let's not make it 3. I would also say stop Cory Boyd, but we know that isn't happening. Newcomer R.J. Roberts get the start at DE over the injured Remond Willis. Please, please show us something. Also, message to the secondary - please don't bite on pump fakes, and watch out for double moves. Thanks.

I expect this to be a good game as players' jobs are the line and they ought to be fighting for them. I'm not sure about who's going to take this. Which team is more desperate?

The game is on TSN tonight and you can also listen live at 620ckrm.com. We'll be live-tweeting. Follow us @greeniscolour.

Anatomy of a Train Wreck Part Two

With the loss last week to the Stamps (for the 2nd time this year), the Riders have fallen to 1-6 on the season, and are 0-4 at home. This is the worst start to a season in over 10 years.

Last time I wrote about the train wreck that is the Riders, I pointed out the issues with Brendan Taman. I want to take a look at some problems the Riders are having in greater detail.

Coaching

Would there be any point in making a coaching change at this point in the season? I think if you do, you're essentially giving up on the season because that big a change is too disruptive to a team's morale and continuity. We are two weeks away from the midpoint of the year. There's been lots of talk recently about the Riders making a move next week during the bye. I can't see it happening, or at least I don't think it should. There's a saying in sports that coaches get too much of the credit when a team wins, and too much of the blame when they lose. There's no way, first of all, that this disaster of a season can be blamed on Greg Marshall. Realistically, the problems the Riders have been having goes back to 2010 when they lost 4 or 5 in a row to end the regular season. He's not responsible for the holes on this team.

What about Doug Berry? People have complained about him this year (and last) but people quickly forget that last year the Riders had one of the top offences in the league. Durant passed for over 5000 yards! Berry took Winnipeg to the Grey Cup, and was a big factor in Montreal's success when he was the OC. It's not Berry's fault the O-line is old, and the receiving corps weak. Take the most outstanding Canadian out of any offense and see what happens. This can't be pinned on Berry

Even the though the defense was a sieve against Calgary and has had some rough games, making a move on Richie Hall doesn't make sense either. To his credit, he hasn't been afraid to make what changes he can to the defense (Montez Murphy, Remond Willis). Keep in mind Hall also turned around the Eskimos last year after a brutal slide to start the season. So, bringing a new DC isn't worthwhile (what, would you rather have Etch back?) We know the defense has a non-existent pass rush (11 sacks to Winnipeg's leading 29). I'm interested in knowing how much that affects the secondary and if it's measurable. In other words, is the secondary really just terrible this year? I think it might be. The Riders lead the league in points given up, and the most in passing TDs. For me this is one fundamental problem that has to be addressed in the next few weeks.

Durant's Play

Has he regressed this year? Statistically, he's having his worst season. He has 8 TDs and 8 interceptions so far. He's 6th in the league with 1660 passing yards. The Riders are dead-last in the league in points scored, so yeah, it hasn't been pretty. Does he need to run more? Yes, but that depends on Durant improvising, and not on specific play-calls. Henry Burris, the leading running QB, only has one more rushing attempt and 40 more yards than Durant, so I think this is overblown. I believe he has been steadily improving this year. Taking a look at the Calgary game, DD was 24 of 34 (71%) with 2 TDs and 2 INTs. The first interception was on the last play of the first half, so I'm really not worried about it, and the 2nd one was in the endzone that was overthrown (was it tipped?) and was picked off. That particular play was bad because not only did the Riders not score 7 points, Calgary took it the other direction and got 7 and it put the game out of reach. That said, I counted 5 dropped passes in that game. Had they been caught DD would have been 29 of 34 (85%). The real problem with DD as I can see is the lack of a go-to guy. Sure, we can  point to Weston Dressler, but he doesn't have the catches that Fantuz had last year. Until the sudden emergence of Efrem Hill last week, Dressler's been all alone on an island, making it easy for defenses to key in on him. The Riders have really missed a clutch 2nd and long possession receiver. In lots of his media scrums this year DD has been asked about Fantuz. It's no secret he's desperate to have him back.

Fantuz, Chick and the NFL

I don't have any expectations that either Fantuz or Chick will return to the Riders. First of all, I'm uncomfortable rooting against a guy trying to live out a dream and make a roster. I would be happy for both to stick in the NFL. Will they though? It looks like Chick will once again, but Fantuz remains a question mark. He's last on the depth chart with the Bears. What I'm not clear on is even if he is last, would they still have room for him on the practice roster? I'm hoping Arash Madani or David Naylor finds out. If given the chance, I see Fantuz opting for a practice roster spot and $350,000 over returning to the Riders. That being said, the Riders knew over the winter Fantuz would sign in the NFL, so their eyes have been open the whole time. Unfortunately, not much was done to replace him. This leads us to...

The Receiving Corps

I can narrow the Riders problems to 3 things: pass rush, secondary, and receiving corps. The team knew they had problems with the loss of Fantuz, the injury to Rob Bagg, and then the training camp injury to Cary Koch. There was lots of training camp hype around Terrence Nunn and Ernie Wheelwright, who was also injured. Nunn has been a complete disappointment. After 7 games, he has just 13 catches for 171 yards. Before last week's game, I would have called Efrem Hill a disappointment too. I know he moved to slotback last week so I'm going to withhold judgment at this point. The Riders have recently traded for Montreal's Dallas Baker, and have brought in Tyree Burks and former Argo James Robinson. It's a revolving door, but given the circumstances, it's a necessity. It's just doesn't lend itself to consistency on offense.

Lots of work needs to be done to improve this team. But is it happening? On the Fan 590 radio station yesterday Als G.M. Jim Popp was discussing what he does, and that's going up and down the east coast visiting NFL camps. Has Brendan Taman been doing the same? This is a great time to visit NFL camps, because they've been allowed this year to bring an extra 10 players into camp. That's a lot of players that can be seen and evaluated. Taman and Craig Smith should be hitting every camp they can get to. After Labour Day literally hundreds of players will return to the open market. The question is, how many will be brought to Regina? Or will the Riders settle for other CFL teams' castoffs, and players not good enough to get into NFL camps? It remains to be seen.

It's Gameday - Week 5 vs the Stampeders

After a great team victory in week 4 Saskatchewan Roughrider fans have to be asking themselves, "Where was that the first 3 weeks?" Or possibly, "Were we really that bad, or are we really this good?" The answers are: I don't know, and probably somewhere in the middle respectively. The defence played by far their best game of the season. Remond Willis moved into Montez Murphy's spot at defensive end and generated some pass rush. Nick Graham stepped into the secondary which was reshuffled with the release of Tad Kornegay and played a solid game. Speaking of the secondary, they sure looked a lot more comfortable with the return of their all-star safety James Patrick.

The offence showed improvement as well. We only had one turnover, and while it was embarassing and shouldn't have happened, it really had little impact on the game. We continued to run the ball effectively, and Weston Dressler torched the Als for a 75 yard touchdown catch and run. The offensive line played better also, and when the pocket collapsed Durant at least had the time to make good decisions.

So now the Calgary Stampeders ride into town. The lacklustre Western Division will see two of its biggest rivals go head-to-head in a battle for second place. Both teams have underachieved so far this year. What will the Riders need to do to secure a much-needed victory?

For starters, Chris Getzlaf will have to have a typical Getzlaf versus Calgary game. Just as the aforementioned Dressler owns the Alouettes, Getzlaf really owns the Stamps. He teases us all season with unfulfilled potential and dropped passes, but it's the games against Calgary that he really shines. And that's why we love him. If I could pick only one team to dominate against and be average-to-subpar against the rest it would be the Stampeders every time.

We will need to maintain our composure. Montreal really tried to get under our skin last week. They took numerous roughing and facemask penalties (and committed a blatant one that wasn't called). I'm not sure if they're becoming the Calgary of the East, or maybe it's Dwight Anderson's influence. Regardless, I've never seen a less-classy performance from a Marc Trestman coached team. You better believe we will see that all again this week against a team that doesn't know the meaning of the word classy.

Darian Durant, you have legs. You are such a better player when you use them! Doug Berry, please roll Darian out once in a while. Also, use Hugh Charles but remind him not to fumble. That should do. Go Riders!

It's Gameday - Week 4 Vs the Alouettes

An optimist would think the Riders will eventually get their season turned around. This may well be the case. However a realist would suspect it would not be this week versus the two-time defending Grey Cup champions and current class of the CFL. So with lowered expectations in mind, what can we hope for on Sunday?

 

It would be nice if the offence could rebound from their worst performance in recent memory. They managed 3 points against Hamilton last week. Let's try to sustain some drives, protect the passer and practice ball security. These sound like fundamental sorts of things, but when you are 0-3 it's time to get back to basics.

On defence, we should try to hold Montreal to our weekly average of 40 points. Anything less than that and I would consider it as Borat would say, "Great success!" Our secondary is down one Tad Kornegay, and reserve safety Craig Butler is injured. The good news is a hopefully healthy James Patrick returns to the lineup. Tristan Jackson replaces Kornegay on the corner just in time to be tested by the league's best quarterback and receiving corps. Combine a new-look secondary with the league's worst defensive line and what do you get? Anthony Calvillo may well break all of Damon Allen's remaining records THIS WEEK. 

Prediction? I think the Riders will play hard this week and show a little pride. However that can only make up for so much and the Alouettes are too well-prepared by Marc Trestman to take us lightly. Als 41 Riders 32. Check back after the game for some coverage and as always: go Riders!

Tad Kornegay Placed on Waivers

In something of a bold move, the Riders placed DB Tad Kornegay on waivers, opening the door for him to be traded or out-right released. Last night Twitter lit up on the subject of Kornegay as he trended nationally for a few hours. As we tweeted last night, does this mean the Riders have someone better waiting to step in? This is after all a hurting secondary to begin with and has already missed James Patrick. Hmmmmm...

Another anatomy of a train wreck

 sportsnet.ca

While Tim does a good job below of trying to understand how the Riders find themselves winless heading into Week 4 of the 2011 CFL season, I wanted to add my two cents.

It appears to me that responsibility for the situation so far lies with 3 people - General Manager Brendan Taman, Director of Player of Personnel Craig Smith, and Vice-President of Football Operations Ken Miller. Why? They are in charge of the people on the field. (Though I'm not entirely sure of Coach K's role in the organization. It's an enigma to me and I think most of the fan base. What does his title even mean? Has anyone ever questioned this? Was this a golden-landing/retirement gift kind of thing? Does anyone know what the job description actually is?)

The writing was on the wall for the Riders back in 2009 when Eric Tillman ran into legal difficulties. Taman was brought in to help out in the office, and appeared to be the heir apparent should there be a worst-case scenario. Taman was the local boy after all, and it would be a feel-good story. Well, we all know how it turned out. Fortunately last year Joe Womack agreed to stay on as Director of U.S Scouting despite being passed over for the G.M. job. Womack left this off-season to become the assistant G.M. to the 71 year-old Bob O'Billovich in Hamilton, with the idea being he would take over when Obie finally retires. The departures of these two people marked the start of the Riders' gradual decline to mediocrity (or should that be depravity?) These two men have solid reputations and track records for being extremely well-connected in U.S. collegiate circles. Success in the CFL depends on not only having the best Canadians, but the best Americans as well. The loss of Tillman and Womack meant that the Riders would be cut off from a steady supply of talented players. Look no further than the turnaround in Edmonton. Over half the roster was turned over, and suddenly Edmonton has joined Montreal as a team no one wants to play.

Is this an indictment of Taman? It's not clear yet. It's only Week 4, but the proof is in the pudding. To be fair, Taman does have his own connections and abilities. His 2007 Bombers did get to the Grey Cup and he was responsible for bringing in some key players to the league. I can only hope though that Taman and Smith are doing more behind the scenes than hold free-agent camps with 59 year-olds. I have a few examples of questionable decision-making this past off-season to consider:

• The defensive line. Not much has been done to replace Chick and Baggs following the 2009 season. One of the replacements was supposed to be Brent Hawkins, who played in a limited number of games last year because of a shoulder injury, and registered only 3 sacks all year. Going into Week 4 in 2011, the Riders have 3 sacks in total. Even at this time last year, the Riders had 8 through 3 games! So, improving the d-line should have been a priority in the off-season. What happened? An aging Dario Romero was let go by Edmonton for being too expensive, and was picked up the Riders to stop the run. But pass-rushing? That hope appears to have been pinned on a healthy Hawkins, who subsequently re-injured his shoulder and is now on the 9-game injury list. Plan B consisted of Remond Willis, a training camp cut of the Bombers, thrust into a starting role in Week 2. Really? This was it? 6 months of off-season to find players and this is the best we could do?
• Offensive line. It's no secret that the Riders have the honour of owning the league's oldest offensive line. The off-season solution to rejuvenate the line? Bring in Alex Gauthier who turns 35 in December.
• Drafting. This is offensive line-related and deals with the Riders' first pick in the 2011 draft Matt O'Donnell. O'Donnell has aspirations of playing in the NBA despite not even playing basketball at the CIS level. He did not report to camp, and held out. Whether this was over money, or more chances at the NBA, no one seems to know. Now, I don't really care what O'Donnell ends up doing (if he's the next Shaq, great), but did the Riders not talk to him or his agent before he was drafted? Did they really not know this was a real possibility? It seems like the NBA thing came out of left field for them. It's an embarrassment that this was allowed to happen and was a complete waste of a first-round pick, if in fact O'Donnell never dons a Rider jersey.

So what are the real solutions here? Many point to the labour problem related to the NFL lockout. Undrafted Americans who might otherwise come north are still waiting for an NFL shot. I don't buy this as an excuse because every team in the league has had to deal with this. Again, look at Edmonton. Didn't seem to hamper them. Also, now that the UFL is all but dead (barring a last minute purchase by the NFL), many players from that league ought to be interested in a real pay cheque. The Riders need to be pro-active and identify people who aren't getting the job done, and bring in others who may be able to. Lots of teams are bringing in new bodies - Hamilton, Winnipeg, Calgary, so it should reason that Saskatchewan could too. 

I could go on and on, but I'm going to stop here. More later.

What Does 0-3 Mean?

Hello Saskatchewan Roughrider fans! It's been a while. It takes a lot to roust us from our slumber here at GITC and apparently an 0-3 start to the season qualifies. A lot of people are pretty upset about the results so far. There have been calls for coaching changes, personnel changes, mascot changes, and a whole lot of whining and complaining. Mike Abou-Mechrek has a column in the Leader Post here making fun of some of the overreaction by Rider fans. I agree with most of what he has to say, except for blaming the defensive line's woes on the injury to Brent Hawkins. Brent Hawkins is one of those players whose first name could be legally changed to "Oft-Injured" and nobody would notice the difference. Our defensive line and to a lesser extent our secondary were the two main areas that needed to be addressed in the off-season. Instead of adding players at our weakest position, our head office chose to stand pat and rely on injury-prone Hawkins and the underwhelming Montez Murphy and Luc Mullinder. They did add an aging Dario Romero at defensive tackle to replace an aging Chunky Adams but I consider that a wash. So what did this lack of change mean? The coaches are catching a lot of heat, but I feel like Richie Hall is doing the best with what he has. His sad-sack, or rather sad-sackless (see what I did there?) defensive line is impotent, which in turn exposes the average secondary. Add an offence that turns the ball over with some frequency and it's a miracle that we've only been giving up 40 points or so per game. 

The offence is a whole other kettle of fish. They say time waits for no man. Our offensive core is aging, and this team has always been very loyal to its players. That is an admirable quality, but you cannot have things both ways. If you hang onto players too long out of a sense of loyalty you will be faced with diminishing returns. A more draconian policy with regards to personnel and performance risks higher turnover and alienating the players. There is a happy medium (hello Montreal), but in Riderville it seems like we are struggling to find this balance. We have some very very old players on offence who are well past their physical primes. We have not brought in players to challenge for these positions. We have had some bad luck with injuries in the receiving corps, and it is impossible to replace a player the calibre of Andy Fantuz. However it is ironic that last year our receiving group was considered the strength of the team and this season it is just another in a laundry list of weaknesses. 

I don't really have a handle on Greg Marshall yet, but they say a true test of a coach is how they deal with adversity. If that's the case we should have a good feel for him after the team is 0-5 and has just lost to the despised Calgary Stampeders. He does not look like the most inspiring guy in the world, but I think it is still too early to pass judgement on a coach after only 3 games. Doug Berry on the other hand has not impressed me since he's been here. His play calls are baffling at times, and he seems to have little chemistry with Darian Durant. I especially enjoyed the very first offensive play we ran this season. Okay Berry, you've got a blank canvas. Amaze me! How about a slow-developing running play to Wes Cates for zero yards. Sigh...

I have not forgotten about Darian Durant either. It seems like raging against DD is a full-time job for some of the "fans" these days. I fully intend to cover this large subject in a future article, because I'd imagine most of you stopped reading several paragraphs ago. It's nice to be back and, uh, go Riders!

So, what's been goin-- OH MY GOD WE'RE 0-3!!!!!!

Why didn't you say anything?? How could this have happened? We step away for a little while and everything goes to hell, is that it? Does this mean we can't trust you? You know, your mother and I need some time for ourselves, and for once we went for a nice dinner leaving you in charge of the house. But you had to have your friends over, and now look at this place!! What's that stain on the carpet? I don't even want to know...

You know, it's not that we're angry with you. We're just disappointed.

We awaken from our slumber by Lyle Green. He's Back. Umm, in Red.

cbc.ca

We've been gone since November for many reasons - primarily health and family ones, but we've been jolted awake by the Stamps' signing of Lyle Green. This according to Sportsnet's Arash Madani.

Who's Green you ask? Only the greatest fullback outside of Chris Szarka. Wunderbar! Good news indeed. Only problem is - he's with the Stamps. #sadface

 

In all seriousness we are back this season, but it remains to be seen in what form. The podcast may return at some point this year, as we are close to our 50th episode. Stay tuned on that. Meanwhile, if you've followed us on Twitter, we've had to come up with a new account (sorry!) and a better name. Follow us @greeniscolour

GITC Podcast 322 - Bar is Low edition

Grey Cup has come and gone, and once again we are left disappointed. We gather one last time in 2010 to go over the game, make predictions on next year, and announce the Rider Loonie contest winners.

Thanks everyone who downloaded the show this year, and special thanks to all our guests who came on with us. Thanks again for a great year, and enjoy the off-season!

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Grey Cup Gets Good Numbers, Despite Mediocre Game

The Als win over the Riders was TSN's third-highest rated program ever, after last year's Grey Cup and the 2010 World Junior Hockey Gold Medal Game. Pretty good, I'd say.

Overnight data from BBM Canada shows an average of 6.04 million people watched last night’s CFL championship game. It peaked at 7.6 million viewers late in the fourth quarter as Montreal’s Billy Parker intercepted Darian Durant, ensuring a 21-18 victory.

Almost 14 million Canadians (42% of the country) watched some or all of the Grey Cup game.

As the kids say, deece. 

Not Good Enough

(Woooooooooooooooooooooo!)

You wanna be the man? You gotta beat the man. The Montreal Alouettes are "The Man" in the Canadian Football League and the Saskatchewan Roughriders have been unable to beat them for two years running. Sunday's game was close, and the Riders played well at times, but in the end it was not good enough. One cannot blame the defence. If someone was to say to Ken Miller at the start of the game that the special teams would be gaffe-free and the defence would hold Montreal to two touchdowns Miller would take it in an instant. He would also start sizing his Grey Cup ring. However it was not to be. The offence could not get anything going against the league's worst secondary, missing their starting safety. For the second Grey Cup in a row, Montreal kicker Damon Duval had an absolutely brutal game. He missed two chip-shot field goals, punted for a 32-yard average and had an illegal kickoff. Yet he and his neckbeard were rewarded with a ring because the Roughriders' offence could not take advantage. At one stretch in the second half we had punted on 8 consecutive possessions. I will say that again: 8 consecutive punts. Not good enough. Darian Durant did not have a good game. He seemed to struggle with his reads and his accuracy was off. One never got the feeling that the competitive fire was there with the offence all day. The only exception was Wes Cates who always brings his A game to the playoffs. The gameplan seemed pedestrian at best, predictable at worst. Anthony Calvillo was solid, but not spectacular. He played well enough to win, and fed his playmakers Jamel Richardson and SJ Green. The Montreal passing attack was aided by an unfortunate injury to Rider cornerback Leron Mitchell. Mitchell's absence forced a return to action for Donovan Alexander who quickly reminded everyone why he was benched in the first place.

So where do we go from here? Teams who stand pat in the CFL are quickly left behind as the Edmonton Eskimos found out this year. The Riders need improved play from the defensive end position, and better offensive line play. Wes Cates will probably be a question mark again next year, as will veterans Omarr Morgan, Barrin Simpson and Gene Makowsky. Our special teams were a travesty this year. An absolute embarassment. After Montreal's fake punt on the third and two play I was reminded that the Roughriders did not attempt a single fake kick this entire season. That is inexcusable. Obviously major changes are needed in this area next year. We will have more analysis in the coming days. Check back next week for our final podcast also. I just wanted to get my immediate impressions down while they were fresh in my mind. Chins up Rider Nation and we will talk to you soon.

It's Gameday - Grey Cup vs the Als

Well, it's finally here. The Grey Cup. The last game of the season, and what a season it's been. It started off with bang with what's still been the best game of the year back when the Riders beat the Als in double overtime to win in Week 1. It's been a fun season at times, and a really frustrating one at times.

Nevertheless, the Riders have had a very successful year. Looking past their record, there were indicators of great quality on the field in that the Riders had the league's leading passer, receiver, interceptor and touchdown scorer (Cates). This season, there were billboards and signs everywhere, documentaries, books, ice creams, and a town (Avonlea) named Riderville, all in celebration of the Riders' centennial year. They had more sellouts (though not the West Semi-Final), strong merchandise (including cereal) sales and for the most part led the league in TV ratings. 

The best way to cap off a centennial year? A Grey Cup win.

Keys to the game:

Let's Get a Grip Here

(Would this man sexually assault anyone?)

At the start of the season I talked about the relative merits of the CFL versus other professional sports leagues. The reason I love this league is because of the quality of its people. I mean that both on and off the field. We at greenisthecolour.ca love to give the Calgary Stampeders a hard time. Every story needs a villain, and the Stamps seems to relish that role. They are cocky, arrogant, and love to talk trash and push the rules to the limit (and beyond). But when the perceived "bad people" in the CFL just flex their muscles and talk a little trash, then you know you have it pretty good. I enjoy watching the NFL. They are masters of promoting their game and the athletic ability of the players is incredible. However the "bad people" in the NFL allegedly commit uncountable DUIs, sexually assault young ladies, kill people, torture dogs, do all sorts of illegal substances, get into "altercations" at certain establishments, twitter pictures of their junk to employees, etc. And this is only the stuff that makes the news. Is there a correlation between huge salaries and inappropriate behavior? Probably. Do the NFL players deserve their fair share of the massive league revenue? Absolutely. So while we await the news on Brett Favre's nether regions, and keep hearing about how great a person Michael Vick is now, I'm going to be watching two great teams play some awesome football in Sunday's Grey Cup. Both are character teams filled with character guys and the true winners will be the fans.

CFL Announces MOP Awards

(Outstanding Canadian Andy Fantuz also took Top Cereal honours)

The CFL announced its outstanding players on Thursday, with Calgary quarterback Henry Burris winning the league's Most Outstanding Player award for the first time over perennial contender Anthony Calvillo. I was not sure which of Burris' 20 interceptions was the most outstanding one, so I guess he won on body of work. It should be pointed out that Burris did not quite lead the league in interceptions, Roughrider quarterback Darian Durant (22 interceptions) had that honour. Other winners included popular Roughrider Andy Fantuz as top Canadian, BC's Soloman Elimimian as top rookie, Hamilton's Markeith Knowlton as top defensive player, Calgary's Ben Archibald as top lineman, and Toronto's Chad Owens as top special teams player. Calgary safety Wes Lysack was honoured with the Tom Pate Memorial Award for his dedication to numerous charities including the Canadian Cancer Society. Congratulations to all of the winners!

Mike McCullough Named First Winner of Jake Gaudaur Veteran's Award

Congratulations to Saskatchewan Roughrider Mike McCullough who has been named the first winner of the Jake Gaudaur Veteran's Award. When the creation of this award was first announced, we at greenisthecolour.ca were very leery about comparing the sacrifices that professional athletes make with those our veterans did. Hero is a word that gets bandied about a little too much, especially when used in regards to athletes. A player might be a "hero" in a youngster's eyes, but youth seldom has the frame of reference to know what true heroism is. I do not believe that one must experience loss to "best demonstrate the attributes of our veterans", however the fact remains that many veterans suffered through the loss of friends and loved ones. Most Roughrider fans are aware that McCullough lost his young son Cole to muscular dystrophy. McCullough now works to raise awareness and money to help cure the disease off the field. On the field McCullough calls the defences from the middle linebacker position and sees spot duty, depending on the personnel packages required. Some games he plays very little, but he never complains about his role and always competes his hardest. In the locker room he has the respect of his teammates and coaches alike. These qualities make McCullough an inspired choice for the first Jake Gaudaur Award. It will be interesting to see what they do with this award moving forward, but for now it is in excellent hands.

GITC Podcast 321 - The Party edition

It's the second-last week of the year and we're joined by Rider Prophet Tyler Karwandy to discuss the Riders' upset win over the Calgary Stampeders. We also discuss anti-Rider sentiment, the player awards and our picks for the Grey Cup. One more week to go!

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Getzlaf, Freeman Named Players of the Week

Congratulations to Roughrider players Jerrell Freeman and Chris Getzlaf who were named the Gibson's Finest Players of the Week for the Division Finals of the CFL playoffs. Freeman got the nod as defensive player and was all over the field on Sunday. The Waco, Texas native was easily recognizable because of his lack of sleeves! He may be from Texas, but he has the heart of a good prairie lad. He posted 9 tackles, including a bone-jarring hit on Calgary running back Jon Cornish and added a sack. His biggest contribution however came on special teams when he hustled all the way back on a punt to recover a fumble in the Rider end zone saving the lead in the game, and likely the team's season. Regina native Chris Getzlaf was named top Canadian. Getzlaf compiled 8 catches for 109 yards and a touchdown and completely dominated Calgary halfback Keon Raymond. Calgary likes to matchup their corners in man-to-man but guess what? Their halfbacks cannot matchup in man-to-man because our receiving corps is too deep. The Rider gameplan took advantage of the mismatches all day and Getzlaf was the main beneficiary. In a fitting metaphor for the game, Getzlaf ran over Raymond in the second half and knocked him out of the game with an injury.

Riders Set New TV Record. Again.

The Riders/Stamps game from yesterday has set a new TV ratings record in the modern era. Overnight data from BBM Canada shows the game had an average audience of 2.54 million viewers. This made it the most-watched CFL playoff game (non-Grey Cup) ever. If you'll recall, last year's number for the same game in Regina was 2.2 million viewers. That's a 16% increase over 2009. Additionally, the audience peaked at 3.8 million people during the 4th quarter.

If you were wondering, the eastern final drew an average audience of 1.7 million viewers. Yep, the CFL still has a long way to go in Ontario.

CFL Playoffs Round Two: Rematch, Anyone?

(Shine that up for us, boys)

The Saskatchewan Roughriders played an almost perfect game against the Calgary Stampeders on Sunday and escaped McMahon Stadium with a hard-earned 20-16 victory. The weather conditions were intense with temperatures hitting -25 celcius with the wind chill. The field was icy, and it began to snow in the fourth quarter. These are the sorts of games where teams who play disciplined, run the ball and make the fewest mistakes will win more often than not.

Get your bags packed. We're going to Edmonton!

CP/McIntosh

The Riders won in the cold and snow in Calgary 20-16, despite being the underdogs. The immediate reaction in Calgary seems to attribute the loss to the refs and bad calls. I'd say it's because the Riders wanted it more, and actually figured out how to tackle unlike the Stamps. 

It's off to Edmonton now as the 98th Grey Cup awaits. It'll be a rematch against last year's Grey Cup champions, the Montreal Alouettes, who earlier today destroyed Toronto. Get ready for tons of media coverage on that old 13th man thing from last year. It'd be nice if the media could find a new angle.

More to come.

Just a Suggestion

Hey Brendan Taman,

The Alouettes have released kick returner Larry Taylor. You may remember him as last year's winner of the Special Teams Player of the Year Award. He's only 25.

What do you think? It's not like Special Teams could get any worse.

GITC Podcast 320 - Gonna Say edition

We cover the semi-final CFL playoff games including the double-overtime win over the surprising Lions. We also talk TV ratings, and Keith shares a touching shopping story. Yeah, we're grasping at straws here when we've only got 2 games to talk about.

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Riders Score Three Players of the Week!

Congratulations to three Saskatchewan Roughriders and a former Roughrider who were named the Gibson's Finest Players of the Week for the first round of the CFL playoffs. Weston Dressler was the offensive player of the week with 8 catches for 150 yards and two touchdowns, including a 75-yard bomb from quarterback Darian Durant. Lance Frazier got the nod on defence piling up 6 tackles, 2 sacks, a forced fumble, and a beautiful interception versus Travis Lulay. BC Lions kicker Paul McCallum was the special teams player of the week. McCallum went 5 for 5 on field goals and scored 18 points in BC's semi-final loss to the Roughriders. Rounding out the picks was Jason Clermont as top Canadian. Clermont had 3 catches for 63 yards, including the game-winning touchdown in double overtime to secure a West Final berth in Calgary against the Stampeders next weekend. This was Clermont's first touchdown in almost two years of play, and his first as a Rider. He has a flair for the dramatic doesn't he? He'll hopefully have some opportunities to score an even bigger one in the next week or two.