By Greg Urbanoski

Riderville

Two down, 12 to Go!

Aug 18, 2021 | 12:04 PM

If the season opener for the Riders against BC was the great unknown, in that no one knew what to expect, then the next game against Hamilton was the great yardstick where the Riders would measure their Grey Cup chances against the host team.

The Riders have to be feeling pretty good about their initial reviews following a 30-8 thrashing of the Cats, a game notable more for the penalties, but also for the spectacle of a defensive line emerging through an offensive line that was even more fragile than BC’s.

It was not all poutine and gravy for the Riders as they lost receiver Shaq Evans for six games to what appears to be a high ankle injury, but that injury may serve as an introduction for what appears to be a pretty good receiving corps.

There was also a problem with penalties, especially when the Riders had an epic goal line stand marred by offside penalties. However, after the first game, marred by the Riders running out of gas after an epic one and half quarters, the Riders this game was a model of economy.

The Riders used a number of different motion formations to try to draw Hamilton offside, but ultimately relied on a physical rush and hitting to throw Hamilton off its game.

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Hamilton’s first game revealed a young offensive line that was barely able to keep quarterback Jeremiah Masoli clean, a trend that continued against the Riders. Masoli is a rhythm passer so if the Riders pass rush threw him off his momentum, then Hamilton’s offense would continue its anemic performance livened up only by commercials featuring Neymar saying he is in at Poker stars.

The Riders managed to not just compensate for the loss of Evans, but also to get a running game going under William Powell that provided a nice balanced attack. The Riders also got running help from Kienan LaFrance as the team looked to further diversify their offense.

On defense the addition of Jonathon Woodward resulted in a physical line play that gave Woodward three of the Rider six sacks during the evening. The defense definitely tightened up in pass coverage, but in their eagerness to send a message to the presumptive Grey Cup favorites, they racked up more penalties and penalty yardage than was necessary.

If there was something in the team play that was flat last Saturday night, it would be the special teams returns. When the Riders had Marcus Thigpen, he was a threat to break a punt return for a touchdown but that feeling is not there with Matt Murphy, whose returns ranged from the fumbled to stumbling forward.

So are the Riders that good, or the Cats that bad?

Hamilton probably thought all it would have to do is show up and they had a chance to run the table and go undefeated in a 14 game schedule. The problem with Hamilton is offensively it laid an egg in the 2019 Grey Cup, then the 2021 season opener and against the Riders.

Where it was Masoli at the controls or Dane Evans, the Cats have no real rushing game worth speaking off, which would help what is a talented receiving corps. But that group includes Brandon Banks who while he won Most Outstanding Player, is also a player who is easily distracted.

When I saw the Cats offensive line have trouble against Winnipeg, I was pretty sure the Riders would do well because even if their defensive line is not as talented as Winnipeg’s, or over-rated, it is a talented line that can exert pressure. The Riders have been tinkering with their own offensive line and the result was Fajardo was kept relatively clean and the rushing game helped balanced the passing.

BC beat Calgary for the second straight loss at home that afterwards revealed that Bo Levi Mitchell has a broken leg and was placed on the six game injury list. That puts Michael O’Connor from UBC into the starter role and provides Calgary with a ready made excuse as to why their 75^th anniversary will be one they will not want to remember anytime soon.

BC had Michael Reilly taking the lead after stating that Nathan Rourke would be starting and that ambiguity is driving The CFL to review their injury reports which were supposed to provide gamblers with an idea of how to make informed bets. Reilly apparently has an elbow injury and depending on how it responds to treatments, BC either looks like world beaters or extras in an Ducks Unlimited advertisement.

Anytime Calgary goes 0-2 is a good time and Calgary is facing up to the fact that paying so much to Bo Levi Mitchell usually means there is not enough to go to paying for an adequate supporting cast. With Mitchell out of action for six weeks, probably, Calgary may be headed to one of their worst seasons for awhile.

What makes the Mitchell absence interesting is when Mitchell is due to return, it would be the start of a three game series because the Riders and Stampeders. At that point the Riders may be looking at first or second and picking up as many points as possible from injured teams could pay off.

So we have Edmonton at BC to start week four and Edmonton is another team going through the shock of understanding that just because your roster looks great on paper does not mean it will translate into wins on the field.

Trevor Harris was mocked by Almondo Sewell of Montreal when Montreal opened their season with a decisive win over the Elks. With the way the BC defense is playing aggressively, Harris may rack up the yardage, but I suspect touchdowns will not be all that common for the Elk.

BC had gotten rid of their International kicker from Japan who if they had been suffering from stage fright, might have come up with enough points to beat the Riders in week 1. BC had a pretty good, if wild opening two weeks on the road, and this return to BC Place may be enough to spark fan interest.

While BC is playing well, the uncertainty at quarterback between Reilly and Rourke provides a bit for defenses to worry about, but also takes away from offensive consistency. BC has just enough talent and schemes to be competitive, but it is not clear whether they have enough to win on a consistent basis.

BC will beat Edmonton 23-17.

Montreal opened their season in Edmonton and handled the Elks easily, unleashing an offense that is not afraid to drop bombs from wherever on the field. Montreal had the advantage of coming off a bye, but considering how Edmonton choked against Ottawa, their inability to respond to Montreal made Montreal look like the second best team in the CFL.

Montreal has a balanced rushing and passing attack but for Montreal, the big thing will now demonstrate that it can respond to whatever challenges it will get from other teams.

Don’t expect that challenge to come from Calgary who even with a quarterback on one leg, was still competitive in both their losses. However the Stampeders may have finally answered the question of when does paying Bo Levi Mitchell so much start to hurt the club – the answer – is when he is not on the field.

O’Connor is a Canadian quarterback and he may be adequate in a game manager fashion, but Calgary simply doesn’t not have enough talent in their supporting roles to help carry a quarterback to victory. BC may have enough talent on its defensive side to make a difference while offensively they have enough mystery to make game planning a challenge. Montreal wins this game, but it is not a blow out –24-14 over Calgary.

Winnipeg takes to the road to Toronto to complete their home and home series and raise the question of how good Winnipeg will be on the road.

In watching Winnipeg’s first two games, they are built to win in November with a punishing offensive line leading what should be a good running game, and with a passing game that looks better than when Matt Nicholls was game managing instead of Zach Collaros.

Whether that lack of a consistent passing game will spoil the Bombers defense of their title, their defense has to be considered the best in the country based on how they shut down Hamilton and Toronto in their first two games.

However, those games were at home and Winnipeg now has to answer the question of whether they can dominate on the road like they can at home. This is Toronto they are playing and while Toronto did get some offensive production out of Nick Arbuckle after replacing McLeod Bethel-Thompson, it really didn’t matter much to Winnipeg who was leading Toronto.

Toronto did well in getting a season opening win against Calgary, who is less than what people expect from them. Now Toronto has to show it can be competitive against a Grey Cup champion.

Based on how the Toronto QBs handled the Winnipeg defense, both are clearly works in progress and the Argos now resemble the Riders of a few years ago when Brandon Bridge and Kevin Glenn alternated at QB with no real consistent production.

Arbuckle may have a hamstring problem and Bethel-Thompson has a problem making touch passes, and Argo head Coach Ryan Dinwiddie has a problem of how to take advantage of his talented defense to compensate for a half-assed offense.

Toronto will be competitive, but Toronto lacks the consistency to provide Winnipeg with much opposition for the return match. Toronto needs consistent quarterbacking that does more than just rack up statistics – it also racks up wins.

It won’t get that against Winnipeg as the Bombers win 20-11.

Finally, we get Ottawa going to Riderville to complete the third week. Ottawa went to Edmonton and in a display of great coaching, managed to beat the Elk without scoring an offensive touchdown.

Ottawa may not have the talent level of other teams, but they are going to scheme harder to make their team as competitive as ever. Teams that regard an arrival by Ottawa as a guarantee win night promotion will be in for a surprise.

This is a good question to ask the Riders who get a bye week after this and then that set ups the Labor Day weekend home and home match with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers that may decide who finishes first in the West.

Ottawa has problems with Nicholls who is coming off shoulder surgery and looked like it against Edmonton, but managed to keep the Elks off balance. Ottawa should try to take advantage of Rider defensive aggressiveness and the Rider penalty problems against Hamilton raise valid questions about the Riders ability to focus on the task at hand.

The changes the Riders made to their lineup on the defensive line and offensive line seem to have worked and with Shaq Evans out with an ankle injury, the Riders will have an opportunity to bring in receivers who will have to show they are ready to take the next step and be starters.

The Riders receivers relative lack of speed will likely have Rider QB Cody Fajardo looking to dink and dunk down the field while avoiding making the same turnovers that Trevor Harris made against Ottawa in Week 1.

This game will force the Riders to be disciplined and focused on taking what Ottawa gives instead of looking to impose their will on the Redblacks. A Riders win will set them up for a first place showdown with the Godless Winnipeg Blue Bombers, but they would be well advised to not take Ottawa for granted.

If Ottawa’s offense is as bad as it showed against Edmonton, then the Riders should be able to take care of business and set the stage for a first show down with the Bombers. The Riders win 22-17 in a game that maybe is closer than it should be.