Do the Riders have momentum to finish the season right?

So the new Rider punter is Kaare Vedvik from Norway who punted at Marshall University and had some NFL experience. Who will fit Moore’s place in the offense is another question but expect that Kian Shaffer-Baker will pick up more work and perhaps the Riders will see which of their other receivers can help in the intermediate passing range.

If I thought the Riders win against Calgary was ugly, the game against Montreal was uglier, but it felt better as well. The defense played very well, there were not the stupid penalties Rider fans have come to expect this year.

The solid play of the secondary was pretty impressive as well as it shows their stellar performance against Calgary was no fluke. It is interesting how this looks like 2017-2018 when the Riders has a suspect offense but had a defense that gave them the potential to win most games they were in.

The Loucheiz Purifoy interception helped not just to kill a Montreal drive, but sparked the Riders into one of the drives they needed to clinch the game. The Riders defense could use these two games with Edmonton to perhaps rest some players and give some of those on the practice roster some reps in case they are called to fill in.

Since sneaking into the Eastern Conference playoffs is apparently out of the question, the Riders need to clinch second place to force Calgary to come to Regina. Yes, the Stumps beat the Riders two of three times this year, but the Stumps have five to eight players who are refusing to get vaccinated and therefore will not able to follow their team into the playoffs.

Heading into the playoffs, teams should try to be as healthy as possible, and give their back ups as much playing time as possible since they are just a hit away from going in. If the Riders blow out the Chronic Wasters in their first game on Friday, they should do some strategic roster management to ensure those who need rest gets it.

After the Riders second loss to Calgary, I wrote the Riders season was essentially over because the Riders had been unable to solve either Winnipeg or Calgary and were starting to turn on each other. Then the by-week came and when the Riders came back, they beat Calgary and then Montreal.

I’m not ready to anoint them as Grey Cup champs just yet, but if they can finish 10-4 with minimal injuries, they should get by Calgary and then face their demons in Winnipeg. It may seem imposing, but the Riders faced longer odds in 1989 when the 9-9 Riders went to see the 16-2 Edmonton Chronic Wasters in the Western Final and finally stopped their crowing.

Speaking of Chronic Wasters, the trade for Nicholas (Fatty) Arbuckle was maybe an attempt to move on from Trevor Harris who was traded to Montreal, but maybe an attempt to stop the fans from storming Commonwealth Stadium using their finest pitchforks and burning torches to march the GM, coach and board of directors through the streets of Edmonchuk shouting “Shame” as disgruntled Chronic Waster fans threw Elk poop at the guilty party’s to punish them for not being Hugh Campbell or even Chris Jones.

Terry Jones of the Edmonton Sun said the time has come to take a match and burn the whole structure to the ground, sow the land with salt and move on. The attendance at the Chronic Waster disease last game was announced at 22,000, but the actual amount in the seats was between 6,000 – 8,000.

The attendance issue is one of quiet concern because of the Covid restrictions, the requirement to have double vaccinations before entering, and the generally blah level of play, attendance will take a hit this year.

The failure of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment to not promote the Argos makes sense if you consider that MLSE probably uses the Argos losses to offset their massive profits from the Leafs and Raptors. The weird thing is that there are a lot of CFL viewers in Southern Ontario but attendance doesn’t express that because BMO Field is located in Narnia where the trains don’t run and the only way to reach the stadium is using Red River carts.

The Riders kind of use the same tricks as the Argos in announcing tickets sold instead of actual bums in the seat. However, the blurring of the attendance line just points out the problem the league has with its season ticket base getting older and younger potential fans moving on to soccer or hockey to other things like getting out and seeing friends.

TSN has the exclusive contract to broadcast the CFL games and long time fans like myself remember checking the old pocket schedules to see the one or two away games being televised. CTV, which is one of the owners of TSN, has scooped up the NFL games for broadcast on CTV which, since it is not a specialty channel, will get people watching in greater numbers than on a specialty channel, thereby creating the impression the NFL is more popular.

One solution may be to open the TV contract so other networks could get a piece of the action and be more inclined to show CFL highlights on their sports casts. The NFL is in the midst of its season, but seeing how they have turned the NFL combine and draft into entertainment in its own right, you wonder what the impact would be if TSN, CBC or Sportsnet put the same effort into promoting the CFL draft and combine as if it were an NFL game.

Another possible longer term solution would be to open up the CFL to First Nations broadcasters in their own languages. By promoting the use of First Nations languages and getting exposure for the CFL into areas that may not care all that much, the CFL is doing its best to live up to obligations under the Truth and Reconciliation report.

These are all small steps which may or may not pay off right away, but in being consistent and getting the message out over as many platforms as possible, the CFL is laying the foundation for future success and nurturing of fans.

There have been some good games played this year, but it is time for the CFL to take the next step and show some initiative instead of going through the motions. Which brings us to this week’s games

On Friday BC goes to Hamilton with their faltering playoff hopes being a wing from QB Michael Reilly and a prayer their defense can stop something. Hamilton for their part is in a dogfight with Montreal and Toronto and it appears for the first time in years the East can supply three playoff contenders instead of two.

BC needs to win and hope that every one loses for the next three to four weeks. That will not cure BC’s offensive line, one of the worst in the league or the poor play of their defense.

Hamilton will be more focused, the game is in Hamilton and a win for them, combined with a Montreal loss in Winnipeg would give Montreal at least second place, considering Toronto is going to Ottawa and we know how that game will likely turn out.

Hamilton’s quarterbacking is still shaky but Hamilton’s acquisition of Don Jackson, the former Stampeder is a sign that Hamilton is trying to deal with its offensive shortcomings by signing impact players who can add some forward progress for the club as the weather grows colder.

BC did rebound a bit after getting beat 45-0 by Winnipeg, but even though they lost by just a missed two point to get a tie, they still lost. The Lions are a feast or famine team that lives on big plays but Hamilton’s defense is just too good to give that to them.

So let’s say Hamilton wins 24-19.

The second game on Friday is the Riders in Edmonton to minister to the dazed fans of the Edmonton Chronic Wasters who can’t believe the divine right they felt they had to be on top of the CFL has been usurped.

By trading Trevor Harris, Edmonton served notice it was tearing things down and by trading for Nick (Fatty) Arbuckle, the former Toronto and Calgary back up QB, the Chronic Wasters may be trying to sell hope to a franchise that wants the president of the Chronic Wasters, the board of directors, GM and head coach run out of town and set adrift in the North Saskatchewan River.

While the Riders saw Trevor Harris in the second half of their game against Montreal, they have already seen and beaten Arbuckle when he came to town with the Toronto Missing Fans Unit. Edmonton still has a potentially good team on paper, but the Riders will have to take care that they do not look past the Chronic Wasters and assume they have second place all but wrapped up.

Missing Moore will hurt because as he demonstrated when Shaq Evans and Jordan Williams-Lambert were both around, they attract the deep attention while Moore can run intermediate routes and use his speed once he got the ball.

The problem is Moore has a slight frame, so it is possible for him to put on weight like Mitch Picton and work on maintaining his speed. However, I would expect to see the Riders start working the ground game even more in anticipation of colder winter.

The Rider defense seems to have their collective wits about them and played smothering defense with Montreal last week. It would be nice to see the Riders run up a 45-0 score on the Chronic Wasters, but since this apparently the last home game for the Chronic Wasters, expect them to do all they can to avoid not winning at home at all this season.

Add to this this is fan appreciation day for the Chronic Wasters, don’t expect Edmonton fans to show up for the hospitality and the chance to win a shiny toy. I would expect Rider fans to show up in D-Day numbers to humiliate Edmonton in their own stadium on Fan Appreciation Day.

If that doesn’t get Brock Sutherland and Jamie Elizondo their walking papers, nothing will. This will be a harder game for the Riders to win considering the state of desperation in E-Town, and the Chronic Wasters are looking to just survive their revamped schedule because of course, they believed Alberta pot bellied pig impersonator Jason Kenney when he proclaimed this would be the Summer of George…uh Jason, and did not get vaccinated or follow any protocols.

So the Chronic Wasters will play games on November 5, 13 (against the Riders), 16^th in Toronto and 19^th in BC. If you have never played football, you may not appreciate how being in a game, which is like an ongoing car crash, takes demands on the body. The Chronic Wasters will be lucky to limp home when this season is over.

So let’s hope the Riders break the spirits of the Chronic Wasters by a 24-18 score. If they do that, the 13^th return match should have a mercy rule so when the Riders hit 49 points, which should be at half time, the rest of the game would be called to give mercy to the Chronic Wasters fans.

So Toronto goes to Ottawa and for Argo fans who survived the 31-29 thriller against the B.C. Neutered and Spayed Cats society, this is a chance to get ahead and stay ahead of Montreal, who has a home and home with the Winnipeg Major Crimes Unit.

McLeod Bethel –Thompson has the starting job in TO and is poised to be the second coming of Tom Burgess. Tom did win a couple of Grey Cups, one as a back up, another as a started for the Winnipeg Major Crimes Unit, but Bethel-Thompson should be OK to shred the Ottawa Dysfunctional Males by a 24-20 score.

Finally, we have Montreal going to Winnipeg in what some may call a Grey Cup preview. Matthew Shiltz did not bad for Montreal against the Riders, but he also threw a costly interception that helped the Riders get ahead and hold on for the win.

Trevor Harris had more pop than Shiltz did, so expect him to start against Winnipeg although few would blame Harris if he had any PTSD for being beaten by Winnipeg like a gong when Harris was a member of the Chronic Wasters.

Winnipeg has clinched first and there is nothing further to prove in their regular season. They will be in gear down mode to try to preserve as many starters as possible while trying to ensure they do not lose the momentum and energy they created with their 10-1 record.

Montreal does not have the discipline to stay with the Major Crimes Unit, but if the Major Crimes Unit decides to freely sub players during the game, then Montreal does have a hope.

But not on this day as the Major Crimes Unit wins 26-18.

by Greg Urbanoski

Do the Riders have momentum to finish the season right?

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