By Rod Pedersen

Rider Insider, SEPT. 21/2015

Sep 21, 2015 | 9:10 AM

Are we having fun yet?

The 30,480 on hand at Mosaic Stadium for Saturday’s Roughrider game against Ottawa certainly were having a lot of fun.

In a rematch of the 1976 Grey Cup, this game saw five different lead changes in what turned out to be a heavyweight slugfest between the CFL’s two oldest quarterbacks (Ottawa’s Henry Burris at 40, and Saskatchewan’s Kevin Glenn at 36).

The Riders actually led by quarter 10-3, 20-14 and 23-21 but Burris set an Ottawa pro football record with 477 passing yards and looked like his days a decade ago with Calgary as he rallied the visitors to victory at Canada’s football shrine on an absolutely gorgeous fall night for football.

However it was another former Roughrider who spoiled the party in this one.  Kicker Chris Milo, who was cut by the Riders after going 1 for 2 in a Week 1 loss to Winnipeg, kicked a game-winning 14-yard field goal for the RedBlacks with six seconds remaining for a 30-27 victory.

skin care +

LUXE22 Clinic : Elevating Beauty with Expert Treatments

11m ago

Leadership Needed to Stop Federal Overreach

2h ago

Vise grip driver

Vise grips not a steering wheel: RCMP

19h ago

Then, reality set in.  The loss dropped Saskatchewan to 1-11 and they now face a scenario where they have to win all of their remaining six games just to have a chance at making the playoffs in 2015.

And another gloomy story emerged in the postgame interviews.  Slotback Rob Bagg, who caught four passes for 79 yards and a touchdown on the way to being named the game’s Offensive Star, said the players aren’t looking at each other anymore.  They’re starting to look over their shoulder.

“The only way you can approach it is prepare your best and play the best because you don’t know how many games you have left as a player period,” Bagg said, and in doing so became the first to admit this season may cost some their careers.  “There’s no guarantees so it’s essential that each player does their very best to put themselves in the best position for the days ahead.”

Ditto for Rider running back Jerome Messam who, like Bagg, turned 31 this spring.  He entered Saturday’s game as the CFL’s second-leading rusher but said collectively, this team isn’t getting it done and soon they may find targets on their backs as the franchise looks to get younger and cheaper in a rebuild.

“Guys gotta do some soul-searching and this is a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately type of business and you gotta produce,” Messam said solemnly in a silent locker room.  “We gotta play free, not tight.  We gotta trust our technique and make plays.  That’s what we get paid for.”

However it’s unlikely that the team will play loose as long as they know in the back of their minds one fatal mistake could cost them a win and mathematically eliminate them from post-season contention.  That’s what it’s come down to.

As far as interim head coach Bob Dyce goes, he remains undeterred and will continue to press for wins no matter the playoff situation the rest of the way.  He’s coaching for his job, and doesn’t seem to see it as his responsibility to look beyond this season.  Why would he?

“It’s funny you say I’m in a tough spot,” Dyce said in his postgame interview on CKRM Radio.  “As a coach, you’re always thinking about winning each week and putting the best players on the field.  Jeremy and I will sit down and see what the plan is for the future.  For me, my thought process doesn’t change.  I plan to put the best players out there next week to beat Montreal.”

Dyce is referring to interim General Manager Jeremy O’Day who also needs to put his best foot forward in the hopes of having the “interim” tag removed from his title this off-season.

What’s the answer?  What is Rider President Craig Reynolds and the team’s Board of Directors looking for with regards to who will fill these roles into 2016?

Who knows.

For now, the week’s mantra is “bring on the Alouettes”.