Riderville Report

Anthony Calvillo threw five touchdown passes, but methodically went over the middle, victimizing not so much the rookie Canadian safety Craig Butler, but defensive halfback Chris McKenzie. Calvillo dissected the Rider defence, which got a minimal rush, and raises the question of whether or not it is the schemes or the quality of the players that has the team in a hole.

My money is on the schemes and coaching. The bend but don't break style of Richie Hall is so easy to read that Montreal had its receivers call out the coverages to Calvillo as they approached the line.
The lack of a pass rush, or even having linemen or even linebackers put up their hands in an effort to at least block some of Calvillo's sight and passing lanes added to the ease with which the defence was burnt on all sides.

Canadian Luc Mullinder did not start the game, played very little, and may be traded or released. This would allow Canadian Ryan Lucas to come in but still does not answer the question of how to juice up the pass rush.

While former defensive coordinator Gary Etcheverry walked away from the Riders just before training camp, what he brought to the table for the team is only now being appreciated. Etcheverry was known as the mad professor and his schemes drove not only opposing offences, but his own players crazy.

Etcheverry had the same level of talent last year as this team did, but with his various defensive looks, opposing offences could not really get into a comfort zone because players were going everywhere and it was unlike anything other teams had seen before.

The Achilles heel of his defence was that while it was built to stop the pass, it was not great against the run. His defences were constructed around the talents of the players that were available, so if there were no run stoppers available, Etcheverry would try to distract other teams from the glaring weaknesses in his defence.

The Riders seemed to revert back to the Danny Barrett era with a lack of adjustments to the defence in the third quarter. The defence could have played physical with Montreal's receivers, but the unsettling thing is maybe our defence does not have the players who can be physical with Montreal.
So with no schemes to at least make Calvillo think twice before throwing, and the inability to jam Montreal's receivers and disrupt the timing of Calvillo's pattersn, the score of the game was not a surprise.

The Riders adding Jerrell Freeman did add a level of physicality to the Riders defensive play, and Remond Willis, the former Blue Bomber who was brought in as a defensive end, was neither notable by his absence or his playmaking ability.

The offence spotlight has shifted from Darian Durant, who did not have any interceptions and fumbles, to his receivers, who seemed to fall down as soon as they were hit, never mind caught the ball.
Terrance Nunn was the principal offender, making a few drops but also hitting the ground every time he caught the ball or was grazed by it. Contrast that with Jason Clermont, who when he caught the ball, fought like hell to get extra yards.

Chris Getzlaf also had some notable drops, but seemed to play his way through it by recording a beautiful touchdown reception in the fourth quarter. But Getzlaf lacked consistency and anyone expecting him to step into Andy Fantuz's or Rob Bagg's shoes may be asking a bit much. Getzlaf might benefit from what former Rider Coach Kent Austin did to Andy Fantuz who was benched in 2007 for making a number of drops. Fantuz responded and if it helps Getzlaf from not fighting the ball so much, it is certainly worth exploring.

Efrem Hill had an OK start, despite his problems with running out of bounds and back onto the field again (which resulted in a penalty and loss of a good gain), and Weston Dressler was an animal. Unfortunately, Dressler seems to be the only serious deep threat we posses, and what was alarming was at the end of the game we were still throwing to Dressler, incurring the risk of injury. If you remember how Matt Dominguez got injured against Winnipeg in a Banjo Game that got out of hand, why would we risk losing our best receiver at the end of a game whose outcome was not in doubt?
The Riders need to establish some continuity with the receiving positions because the timing is off with Durant and the receivers themselves are being manhandled.

The Riders had an effective running game, when they used it. Wes Cates ran and blocked well, which couldn't be said all that much for Brandon West, and if the Riders are in a hole, don't expect to see much of a running game.

The Riders offensive line was somewhat OK, with Durant having some time to make throws. One moment that had many shuddering in the third quarter was when a Montreal player shed the block of Alex Gauthier and nearly pancaked Durant.

The Riders special teams were better, both in kicking and returns. Eddie Johnson has instilled some confidence with his field goal kicking and his punting into the wind was exceptional. Tristian Jackson had one return that sparked the Riders in the second quarter, and some mental mistakes by Rider returners meant the Riders conceded points they didn't have to.

So is it time to push the panic button?

The Riders went through a five game skid at the end of last season, which was turned around in the last game of the season, through the playoffs and ended in the Grey Cup. The aggravating thing is the Riders had all off-season to find some viable candidates for defensive line, but are left with literally nothing.

The fans are debating either firing Brenden Taman or Greg Marshall or Richie Hall if things don't improve by Labour Day. That is asking for a bit, but the Riders had better be careful about how they address the concerns of fans because expectations have been raised over the last three years and still continue today.

The Riders have to show they are taking the fan's concerns seriously and rumours of a trade or two may address the immediate concerns of fans that something is being done. The Riders are facing a problem with the NFL lockout, which is keeping players in limbo and preventing players from coming to Canada in the first wave or so of NFL cuts.

So for this week, the Riders are on the road and play in Hamilton on Saturday at 2 p.m. our time. I would think the Riders should win that one, but then they go to Montreal the week after. I'm not so sure about that game.

But if the Riders drop both games, then they are seriously behind the eight-ball and then we may be seeing Greg Marshall relieved of duty and replaced by Doug Berry or perhaps even Ken Miller.

by Riderville

Riderville Report

What's Trending