By Riderville

Riderville – October 1

Oct 3, 2011 | 9:18 AM

Quitters.

That was the first thought that went through my head as I watched in amazement as the Calgary Stampeders ran and passed at will through the Saskatchewan Roughrider defense and exposed the Rider offense as lacking less punch than a new born kitten.

I thought back when I worked in Prince Albert and made those long treks to Taylor Field in the 1990s, games which usually resulted in a loss, but at least were competitive. After these last two weeks, I would not blame anyone from outside of Regina from avoiding making the trip to Mosaic Stadium to see a team that doesn't have the same passion and fire the Saskatchewan Roughrider fans have.

I remain a fan of the team, but I am ashamed of the efforts most of the players displayed against Calgary, ranging from sloppy tackling, timid defensive secondary coverage, atrocious blocking, inept leadership and a game plan that could best be described as hypothetical.

There was a lot of swearing across Saskatchewan at a performance that few expected. Rider Coach Ken Miller was offended when reporters asked why the team seemed to come out flat against BC, but clearly the question is not out of line, especially when the Riders defense failed to show up in Calgary and the Rider offense looked more like a blooper reel come to life.

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To add insult to injury, the Riders will be hosting the 2013 Grey Cup, which means this team has just two years to turn this around, be competitive and realize the ultimate Rider fan dream of the home team playing for the Grey Cup in Mosaic Stadium and winning it.

The chat lines were full of rumors that Chris MacKenzie may be booted from the roster for his lousy tackling, that Rider President Jim Hopson was blowing gaskets over the train wreck this season has become, that the Riders should trade Andy Fantuz and either sit down Darian Durant and let Cole Bergquist get into the game to see if he can actually play.

The offensive line has gotten old, fast. It reminded a lot of 1977 when the Riders came off the 1976 Grey Cup appearance and slid into the first of 11 years out of the playoffs. That team got old fast and so has this one.

After these last two weeks, I think that Gene Makowsky should have retired last year, the Riders cut Dan Goodspeed and either played or cut Alex Gauthier, and put in the young kids. We would have taken our lumps, but it would have been the same in 1979-1980 when Roger Aldag and Bob Poley were put in by Ron Lancaster and they formed the basis of an outstanding offensive line.

Reading body language is a fool's game, but Rider great Jeff Fairholm tweeted the Rider players looked like they have given up on themselves, the fans and the team for this season. Fairholm played with Ray Elgaard, who would not have put up with this crap when he played and knows of what he speaks.

I would suggest the Riders hire a sports pyschologist to get to the bottom of why they are coming out so flat. Maybe they are just playing for the paycheques, but that pay is tied to job performance and very few players would have earned their pay these past two weeks.

But, I thought instead of rehashing of what is actually a very painful set of games against BC and Calgary, I would throw it open to the readers of paNOW.com.

My rationale is since the Riders monitor media coverage, and this is probably the biggest market outside of Regina and Saskatoon, how fans here feel about the team and what should be done might as well be heard by the Riders and the Rider board of directors.

So in descending order…

1. Should the Riders fire CEO Jim Hopson?
2. Should the Riders separate the positions of director of football operations and GM as is done at this time with Ken Miller as VP and Brendan Taman as GM, or combine them?
3. If the two positions are combined, who should be the Rider VP/GM?
4. How would you rank the performance of Jim Hopson on a scale of 1-10?
5. How would you rank the performance of Brendan Taman on a scale of 1-10?
6. How would you rank the performance of Ken Miller on a scale of 1-10?
7. Should the Riders trade Andy Fantuz for draft picks since he becomes a free agent at the end of this season?
8. Should the Riders sit Darian Durant out if they lose against Edmonton and see what their other quarterbacks can do in a game situation?
9. Should Ken Miller stay on as coach of the Riders for 2012?
10. Should Ken Miller stay on as VP of football operations for 2012?
11. Who is your choice for the next GM/VP of football operations of the Riders?
12. Who is your choice for the next head coach of the Riders?
13. Should the Riders play their practice squad players for the rest of the season to see if they are ready to step up in 2012?
14. What would you do if you were the GM of the Riders for the rest of this season?
15 Do you feel the Riders are doing a good job recruiting and drafting players?
16. Why do you feel the Riders season has gone so badly in 2011?
17. Do you feel the Rider players have given up on their team?
18. Is Ken Miller doing any better than Greg Marshall?
19. Should Wes Cates retire?
20. Should Richie Hall be relieved of his job and Gary Etcheverry invited back?

If the editors of paNOW.com were smart, they would compile all this, and send it on to the Riders. The Rider problems did not come up overnight, and this season I suppose was not unexpected. The reaction here in Regina is to burn everything to the ground and build over again, with a different crew in charge. A lot of it is from fans who are hurt by the performance of the team this year and who remember the years when the Riders struggled to try to get into the playoffs.

The difference between those years, which I sat through, and now, is that back then we knew the team had no talent, but they had heart. This team has talent, but no heart. I do not want to see this team slide through that disaster again, and the difference between now and then, is we have the Internet and forums like this, and the Riders have to acknowledge that. Otherwise those huge profits and sold out stadiums will be fading out like the Riders last ditch playoff change against Edmonton on Monday.