Riders let another slip

An air of stunned disbelief hung over Mosaic Stadium Saturday afternoon as the Saskatchewan Roughriders blew another big lead in the fourth quarter for the second week in a row and fell to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 35-34.

The Riders self-destruction could be traced to many things. Some blamed the field goal kicker for missing field goals, others question the play-calling, particularly in the fourth quarter when the Riders decided to pass on second and two instead of running the ball and picking up a first down. Let’s not forget how Hamilton followed Calgary’s example and ran crossing patterns across the middle all game, picking up yardage and the touchdowns they needed to steal the win.

While my cat celebrated the Tiger-Cat win, which is OK because she is a cat, the sad truth of the matter is that the Riders lack the depth of good teams, especially in the defensive secondary. Sitting out this game due to injury were Woody Turenne and Eddie Russ, both of whom are aggressive and physical defensive backs who can handle the challenges posed by jamming receivers at the line of scrimmage and throwing off the timing of crossing patterns.

The players in the defensive secondary were not capable of playing aggressively or physically enough to counter the Hamilton receivers and the Rider pass rush was non-existent that help in slowing Hamilton down was not forthcoming. A couple of basic mistakes, like Chris Woldu looking at the offensive backfield instead of watching his receiver, meant Hamilton took advantage of players who either lack the experience to cope with a situation like Saturday afternoon, or are simply no able to play at the level demanded in those types of situations.

You can criticize Richie Hall and his defensive play-calling, but when you coach you have to deal with the players you have available. Russ has stepped up this season as an aggressive defensive back, and that presence along with Turenne, is a major part of the success of the Rider defensive efforts. Take those players out and not having their replacements step up, means no team has to worry if the Riders go up by 19 points in the fourth quarter because a comeback is always possible.

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Hall can be criticized for his defensive play calling in not unleashing a pass rush, or even improvising one that would make guys like Henry Burris think. It was great seeing Odell Willis on the sidelines calling together a meeting of defensive players and reading them the riot act, it was not great seeing Willis held, Hawkins kept in check, and the big disappointment of Shomari Williams at middle linebacker conspicuously absent in defensive plays.

The lack of any physical inside play, be it on the defensive secondary or the linebackers, was a major disappointment and after the game had me thinking the time is rapidly coming when rookie linebacker Sam Hurl can be expected to see some repetitions in the middle. Hurl is a special teams demon, but more importantly, he has a nose for the ball and is a physical battering ram. Hurl may need to work on his upper body strength, but he has the attitude you need for a middle linebacker – aggressive, mean and nasty. Williams, who was yelled at by Rider Coach Cory Chamblin on the sidelines at least twice during the game, seems more like a wallflower. Either Williams lacks the aggressiveness to dominate play or he is uncertain about the defenses being called.

The offense, especially the passing game, was again a disappointment. Chris Getzlaf dropped an easy touchdown pass, although I will contradict myself by saying those passes can be tough to get ahold of when you have to adjust on the run. The Riders got a long touchdown from Taj Smith and Efrem Hill did surprise many by running after catching the ball.

But the offensive line was shaky in this game and offensive coach Kris Sweet was not shy about letting his displeasure be known on the sidelines about their performance. Darian Durant saw constant pressure, leading to his first interception, a ball that was completely underthrown, and again in the fourth quarter, Durant did not secure the ball and fumbled, leading to Hamilton getting back into the game.

The Riders running game was consistent and it was extremely frustrating to see in the fourth quarter when the Riders were looking at a second and two to have them throw an incompletion rather than letting Kory Sheets take the ball for a first down.

The play-calling on both sides of the ball was frustrating by the coaches. But if they don’t have the players who can execute the plays, then is it fair to assess blame solely on their shoulders? A number of players were off on Saturday, not just Getzlaf. Chris Milo missed some makeable field goals in perfect conditions on the Taylor Field turf and people were wondering how quickly Chris Bodnar could be brought in to try some long field goals and push Milo into being more consistent.

In my last column I talked about the Riders lack of maturity in knowing how to put their feet on their opponents throat and not allow these epic meltdowns in the fourth quarter. That lack of maturity came through again loud and clear against Hamilton. But even more obvious was the lack of depth once you get past the starting lineup.

The Riders need to bring in some more physical defensive backs and again try to find a big play receiver to take the pressure off of Weston Dressler. Getzlaf is maybe best suited as a number three receiver because when he is called up to act as Andy Fantuz did as a big play receiver, he has been inconsistent.

The Riders are now on their bye week, which strikes me as ridiculous after five games into an 18 game season, but the Riders will be scouting NFL camps, which will be in full swing, looking to recruit for next year definitely, but perhaps also for those needs already discussed.

For a team that could easily have been 5-0, this is a disappointing turn of affairs, and the Riders face off against the Eskimos on their return, BC and Calgary. It would have nice to have some separation between us and the rest of the west, but these wouldn’t be the Riders we all know and love if they did things the easy way. Let’s just hope they get the growing pains out of the way soon or else there will be a serious dog fight in the western conference.