The Western Domination Tour is now complete.  The Riders have ended the seasons of all three of their divisional rivals in consecutive weeks.  With the first mission taken care of, its time for the team's final battle… The chance for redemption.  The Riders now get their chance to redeem themselves for last year's Grey Cup defeat at the hands of the Alouettes.  The defense will have to be on  top of their game for the Riders to claim their second Grey Cup in four years.

Everyone knows that the Als have the best passing quarterback in the league for at least five years running now.  Anthony Calvillo is a cerebral passer who is very accurate and doesn’t turn the ball over very often.  Calvillo is a timing quarterback.  The Riders have to disrupt his timing with his receivers.  Montreal has big receivers, so the Riders won’t be able to play bump and run coverage with much success.  The Riders best bet at messing up the Als offenses timing will be to get into Calvillo’s passing lanes.  The Riders interior line will need to collapse the pocket and force Calvillo to get rid of the ball earlier than he wants to.  Keith Shologan has played very well for the Riders in the playoffs and I expect him to have a big game versus Montreal.  Calvillo is very difficult to sack because of his quick release, so any blitzing linebackers have to get their hands up and knock down passes.

For the third straight game, the Riders run defense will be put to the test.  After finishing the regular season with the league's worst rated run defense, the Riders have responded in playoffs with two great efforts.  The Riders have not allowed a hundred yard rusher in the playoffs.  Now, the biggest test for the Riders run defense comes from the quick feet of Avon Cobourne.  Cobourne rushed for 163 yards against Toronto and is the x-factor for the Alouette offense.  When Cobourne makes big plays, it slows the defense's pass rush on play action and makes Calvillo’s job that much easier.  The Riders need to continue to play strong against the run for the defense to be successful.  If Calvillo is forced to attempt 35 plus passes because of a lack of a run game, the Riders should be able to keep the Als offensive output to a minimum.    

Bleeding Green,
Matt

After ending the seasons of divisional rivals Edmonton and B.C in the past two weeks, the Riders now face their toughest task of the season against their biggest rival.  The Calgary Stampeders have the highest scoring offense in the league and will be a stiff test for the Roughrider defense.  Henry Burris and company are rested and waiting for the Riders.  Calgary is great on home turf and will be looking to force their offensive ways on the Riders defense.

With all the weapons Calgary has on their offense, the real strength of their attack is their strong o-line.  Lead by the West Division’s candidate for offensive lineman of the year, Dimitri Tsoumpas, the Stamps o-line has been able to impose their will on their opponents all season long.  The Riders d-line is definitely outmatched in this one on paper, but it’s a different game on Sunday, it’s the playoffs now, not the regular season.  Stars are born in the playoffs, (refer to Lance Frazier last week).  The Riders d-line may not be the most talented, but they play with a lot of emotion and heart.  Those guys keep battling all game and they just may come up with the big play in the West Final that could send the Riders to the Grey Cup.

Coach Etcheverry will definitely be blitzing in this game, but needs to be cautious of the Stamps run game.  Run blitzing early in this game that fills the gaps will be crucial to slowing the Stamps run game and eliminating the effectiveness of Burris to use play action pass.  Joffrey Reynolds and John Cornish are the best “one, two” punch at running back in the league and have to be focused on in the game plan.  The Riders did an admirable job last week of stopping Jamal Robertson, but will have to be even better this week to halt the Stamps running game.

The last worry for the Riders defense is to keep contain on the ends.  Every time, believe me, EVERY TIME Burris breaks contain it results in a big play for the Stamps.  Burris has an uncanny ability to escape pressure and keep his eyes down field to find an open receiver.  Hawkins and Mullinder will be relied on heavily to make sure Burris stays in the pocket and isn’t able to make plays with his feet.  Hit Burris early and often and he will be more worried about complaining to the refs than playing football.  The Riders defense needs to let Burris know it’s going to be a long day for him early and the team will do just fine.

Bleeding Green,
Matt

The weather is getting cold and it is time for playoffs at Mosaic Stadium at Taylor Field.  The regular season is over it’s time for the “win or go home” season to begin.  The Riders get their chance of moving on to Calgary next weekend by hosting B.C this weekend.  The Lions cannot be taken lightly in this one as they have finished the season winning 7 of their last 10 games.  Two of B.C’s loses in that time came in overtime.  So it is clear that B.C is no pushover and the Riders have to be at their best to win.

B.C is an interesting opponent because they don’t have a quarterback that needs to be feared.  Also, they have a weak o-line that is very susceptible to the blitz, which should play into Coach Etcheverry’s hand.  B.C has a strong defense and exceptional special teams and because of that, it is even more important for the Riders defense to dominate.  If the Riders other two phases of their team are struggling the defense has to step up and make the big plays to win the game. 

Lulay is a young quarterback who has problems reading defenses. The Riders should load the box to stop the run.  If Lulay is forced to beat the Riders and not Jamal Robertson, our defense stands a great chance.  When the Riders blitz, they should worry most about covering deep.  When Lulay gets into trouble he likes to throw the ball deep and let his receivers make a play.  The league's leading interceptor, James Patrick, should have a few chances to get one in the playoffs with Lulay slinging the long ball.

Bleeding Green,
Matt

Things are getting a little edgy in Riderville. Losing four games in a row at any point during the season is a bad thing, but losing four in row just before playoffs is a very scary situation.  Teams always want to be playing their best football heading into the playoffs, but the Riders definitely are not doing that.  The regular season is all but over and the biggest problem for the Riders defense is that they have yet to create an identity for themselves.

Last season, the Riders defense was feared for their ferocious pass rush, while this season, the team is second last in the league in sacks.  The Riders rank near the bottom of the league in all the important defensive statistics.  I don’t think the defense has suffered from a lack of effort.  The players on the defense take a lot of pride in how they play and I can guarantee not one member of that defense is proud of how the season has turned out so far.  The team seems to play hard game in and game out, but for some reason the results just aren’t there.  Coach Etcheverry has tried many different systems with heavy blitzing, playing coverage, sending delayed blitzes, having extra linebackers on the field, using uneven defensive fronts and pretty much any thing a defensive coordinator can think of.  The defense just hasn’t produced like Riderville had hoped for. 

Leaders on the Riders defense need to step up to lead this team through the playoffs.  Barrin Simpson, James Patrick, and Chunky Adams need to put this defense on their shoulders to make a name for themselves.  It’s never too late for the defense to step until the season is officially over.  The Riders defense has yet to perform to full expectations this year, but that doesn’t mean they can’t dominate when the games matter most.  The Riders defense must step up now for the Riders to have any chance going forward.  Playoffs are right around the corner and it’s time let the rest of the league know who the REAL Green Machine is!... LETS GO RIDERS!

Bleeding Green,
Matt

In the midst of a three game slump, the Riders need to focus on gaining some momentum as they enter the playoffs.  It’s very tough to “flick the switch” from just going through the motions of a game to the playoffs where it’s do or die.  The Riders need to treat the last two games as if they were fighting to secure a home playoff game.  Learning to fight and scrap for victories are important lessons to learn late in the season to prepare for playoffs.  The Riders defense needs to find a swagger to get them rolling into the playoffs.

The defense hasn’t performed up to the standards they are use to this season, but it’s never too late to start. The biggest problem with the defense is tackling.  The players just haven’t been able to break down and make regular tackles.  The Riders defense has given up way to many free yards by having the first and some times even the second guy miss a tackle on the ball carrier.  These free yards are what are hurting the defense as they are allowing opposing offenses to steal first downs and extend drives.  On defense, any mistake gives your opposition more plays, which gives them more chances to make a big play.  Breaking down and tackling is the fundamentals of football and the Riders just need to focus on the basics to break out of there recent funk.

Some people in Riderville seem to think the sky is falling, but I don’t think so.  People forget how bad things were in Saskatchewan through the 90’s and early 2000’s in terms of winning.  We presently have clinched our fourth straight home playoff game (longest streak in the league) and are in contention for another run at the Grey Cup.  Our last Grey Cup in 2007, the Riders, under Kent Austin, had a later season three game losing streak to lose out on first place.  Gang Green then finished the season strong in second place and the rest is history!  I’m not saying were guaranteed to win the Cup, but, I am saying that a three game losing streak is not the end of the season.  Take it easy on our boys in Green and we’ll wait until the end of the season (and playoffs) to judge how this team faired against expectations… LETS GO RIDERS!

Bleeding Green,
Matt

Well the Riders lost the showdown for first place on their own field.  Now, it’s almost guaranteed that Calgary will win first in the West.  It’s not all bad though, even with the loss the Riders will still host their fourth consecutive home playoff game.  The Riders last Grey Cup win, 2007, the team lost a first place showdown with B.C only to go to B.C in playoffs and beat the Lions.  The Riders will have to do the same thing, except in Calgary, this time around if they hope to get back to the big dance.  The Riders aren’t a championship caliber team yet, but they aren’t as far off as their performance in the last few games would suggest.

The Riders defense definitely needs to improve for the team to win three games in playoffs.  I was clearly wrong when I blogged the two previous weeks about how not stopping the run wouldn’t cost the Riders any games.  It’s now been two straight weeks that the Riders defense has been run all over and it has cost the team both games.  So, I’m taking a new stand and saying that the Riders defense has to shore up their run defense to make it anywhere in playoffs.  The entire team, to a man, has to tackle better.  Broken tackles have cost the defense many yards and that is a big reason the opposing teams run game has been so successful.

Before playoffs start, the Riders still have three games, all against the two teams they are likely to play in the first round.  This week, the Edmonton Eskimos are the Riders opponent.  Edmonton has played the Riders tough since Richie Hall has taken over as their head coach.  The Eskimos are 3-2 versus the Riders over the past two seasons and are playing their best football of the season right now.

The Eskimos are a very dangerous team because they are fighting for the final playoff spot in the West.  Ricky Ray looks determined to lead the Eskimos to the playoffs.  Ray rushed for over 100 yards for the first time in his career last week and has opposing defenses on the edge.  The one thing hurting Edmonton’s offense is the injuries to their receivers.  The Riders really only have one threat to worry about catching the ball… Fred Stamps.  The one problem with that is Stamps maybe the biggest threat in the league.  He had more than 200 yards when he played the Riders early in the year and must be game planned for.  The Riders defense needs to know where Stamps is at all times and shade safety coverage over the top his way.  The Riders need to pick up their play and get some momentum heading into the playoffs.  These last three games for the Riders are crucial to the team building to be a Championship quality team.  No better time than the present to start… LETS GO RIDERS!

Bleeding Green,
Matt

The Riders defense played decent, not great, against the Argos, but they just couldn’t get the stop at the end of the game when the team needed it most.  The defense recorded three sacks and forced three turnovers, but it wasn’t quite enough to pull out a win for the Green and White.  Allowing 24 points in a game is usually good enough for the team to win, but on Saturday it turned out that the defense just needed to do a little more to get a victory.

At the end of the game, where the Riders defense had stepped up so many times this season, the defense just couldn’t stop the Argos to get the Riders offense one more shot to steal a victory.  Not being able to stop the run doesn’t cost a team to lose in the CFL, but a team still needs to be able to stop the run when trailing at the end of a game.  The Toronto run game alone didn’t beat the Riders as Lemon completed many key passes throughout the game to keep the defense off balance, but not being able to stop the run in the closing minutes cost the Riders the game.  It’s plain football knowledge to know that trailing late in a game, your only hope of a comeback is stopping the opposing teams run game.  The Riders couldn’t do that on Saturday afternoon and it forced them to drop their first game at home for the season.  

Well the good news for the Riders is that the Alouettes did them a favour and beat the Stamps to keep the Riders within two points of Calgary in the West standings.  And who’s up next for the Riders, well wouldn’t you know it… the Stamps!  It’s the final meeting between the two teams this season and by far the most important.  The winner of this game wins the season series between the two teams and gives that team the tie-breaker advantage.  If Calgary wins, they all but clinch top stop in the West, if the Riders win, they have the inside track to be top dog.  The Riders defense really needs to step up if the Riders hope to bounce back from last week's disappointing loss.  Burris will be more focused than ever   after his terrible outing last week in Montreal where he was at fault for four turnovers. 

Bleeding Green,
Matt

Once again, the Riders defense didn’t play too great to start the game, but turned it up in the second half to claim another victory.  Toronto scored 13 points in the first half, but we’re held to only a single field goal in the final thirty minutes of the game.  The Riders continue to use the same type of scheme on defense to shut teams down in the second half.  The Riders have been starting out games with lots of heavy blitzes with little success.  At halftime, coach Etcheverry continues to make the right adjustments to confuse the opponent’s offense. Etch, again this week, dialed down the pressure in the second half, played coverage, and the defense dominated.  It’s not how you start a game, it’s how you finish it!

The defense definitely stepped up to make a difference in this game to assure the Riders a victory.  The turning point of the game was created by a great defensive play.  Keith Shologan, the guy who plays the middle of the Riders d-line and gets little time in the spotlight, got his moment to shine last week.  With the game still within one score midway through the fourth quarter, Shologan blew through the offensive line and made a sack to force a fumble.  Fellow defensive tackle Chunky Adams recovered the fumble deep in Toronto territory and set up a game clinching field goal for the Green and White.  Shologan has played hard all season without recording the “big stats” and was finally rewarded for his efforts against Toronto.   

Now it’s back to Mosaic Stadium at Taylor Field for the Riders to cap of the second half of a home and home.  The Riders look to continue their quest for first place in the West as the Argos come to town looking for revenge from last week.  As the Riders defense learnt last week, the Toronto offense begins and ends with running back Corey Boyd.  Boyd rushed for 145 yards last week and was the only reason the Argos had any offensive life at all.  As big of a threat Boyd is, I don’t think the Riders should focus overly hard on just stopping him.  It’s been  proven many times in the CFL that you don’t win with a great rushing attack alone. 

Bleeding Green,
Matt

The Riders continue to put themselves in a hole early in the game, but keep finding ways to win in the fourth quarter.  The Riders defense was very shaky early in the game allowing 15 points in the first quarter, but rebounded to only allow seven points in the entire second half, which included a shutout in the fourth quarter.  At the end of the game, Hamilton had one last play from the thirteen yard line to tie the game, but that is when the Saskatchewan defense stepped up.  Their coverage confused Glenn on the play and James Patrick did what he has done all year and come up with a timely interception.  It’s not a good thing that the Riders struggle out of the gate to start a game, but it’s better to be a bad first quarter team, rather than a bad fourth quarter team.

For the second straight game, the Riders defense had to overcome injuries to get the job done.  The Riders started the game without the services of starting defensive tackle Chunky Adams and starting defensive end Brent Hawkins.  Then, to make matters worse, the leader of the Riders defense, the “Minister of Defense” Barrin Simpson missed most of the second half due to illness.  The Riders definitely had a drop off in pressure without the defensive lineman. The Riders couldn’t manage a consistent rush without sending multiple blitzes to help the defensive line.  However, at middle linebacker, as great as Simpson is, their was no drop off because the Riders have the luxury of having the best back-up in the league as Mike McCullough filled in admirably in the middle.  McCullough ended the game with six tackles, second on the Riders only to Simpson’s seven tackles.  Injuries are an unfortunate part of the game, but it’s good to see that the Riders have been able to find a way to overcome the injuries.

Riding a two game winning streak, the Riders now will stay out East and start a home and home with the Toronto Argonauts.  The Argonauts so far this season have been up and down with a shaky offense and a very solid defense.  This means the Riders defense will be called on to make some big plays to lead this team to victory.

The Argos are a team dependent on the running game and if their leading rusher is healthy, he will be hard to stop.  Running back Cory Boyd was leading the CFL in rushing before he got injured a couple weeks ago and if he comes back this week, it will be a huge boost for the Argos offense.  Stacking eight guys in the box will have to be the Riders game plan this week.  The Riders should not have to worry about being beat by Cleo Lemon’s arm.  He is basically in the game to manage it and not win it for the Argos.  Lemon has been throwing lots of interceptions and the more he is forced the throw, the better the odds are that the Riders will create turnovers. 

The Green and White are just two points back of Calgary for first in the West.  They need to take advantage of this home and home with Toronto to keep pace with the Stamps… LETS GO RIDERS!

Bleeding Green,
Matt

It wasn’t their best game of the season, but the Riders defense stepped up at the right time to get the job done.  Calgary did score a fair amount of points during the game, but when the game mattered at the end the defense was at its best.  The Riders stopped the Stamps “two and out” on their final two drives of regulation and then made a goal line stand in overtime to preserve the win.  The defense wasn’t great the entire game, but they were outstanding when the game mattered most.  

The defense’s late game performance was even more impressive considering the number of starters who didn’t finish the game.  Brent Hawkins, Chunky Adams and Daniel Francis all were injured throughout the game and did not finish.  Everyone in the defense had to step up to help the team battle all the way to the finish line.  Whether it was Chris McKenzie making a big tackle on second and short to force an incomplete pass to Stamps full back Cote on Calgary’s last drive in the fourth quarter, or Lance Frazier blanket covering Stamps receiver Lewis on the last play of the game to clinch the victory, everyone had to make a play to get the victory.  The way the Riders defense responded after Miller’s call to punt the ball through the end zone for the “rouge” victory failed showed a lot of heart from the team backing their coach.  The players have made many mistakes in the past and were defended by Miller, so it says a lot about the players to make a stand for their coach.  

Up next for the Riders are the scrappy Tiger-cats.  The Riders have been poor on the road thus far this season and need to turn that stat around very quickly to stay in contention for first place in the West.  Hamilton has been inconsistent for most of the season, but can be very dangerous offensively when Glenn is hot.  Last time the Riders and Ti-cats faced off Arland Bruce was on fire and had more than 270 yards receiving.  Bruce and Stala are the two biggest threats at receiver for Hamilton and have to be paid special attention.  Bruce is definitely the biggest worry for the Riders.  The Riders need to jam Bruce at the line and have a safety over top to contain him.  Bruce lives for the big plays, but a Riders safety paying him extra attention should help eliminate the deep threat. Glenn is a timing quarterback and needs to be rushed or have his receivers jammed at the line to mess up their timing and the consistency of the Ti-cat offense.

Bleeding Green,
Matt

At the start of the season it looked like the Riders were going to have to win games with big offensive outputs and hope the defense could just make a couple timely stops.  Now, 10 games into the season, the Riders offense has hit a huge road block, while the defense is trying desperately to keep this team within striking distance of first place in the west.  The Riders defense didn’t play great in the Banjo Bowl, but it’s hard to blame them when the offense only put up two points.  

The one struggle the Riders defense had was stopping the run.  It’s an unusual problem for the Riders as Fred Reid was the first runningback to break the century mark all season versus the Saskatchewan defense.  The defense was so close to making a game changing play three times during the game, as all three of their forced turnovers were called back on penalties.  It wasn’t even close to a good game for the Roughrider defense, but it was far from a terrible outing.  However, who’s fault the loss was doesn’t really matter.  What matters is that the Riders lost the game and the entire team needs to play better to avoid an embarrassment like that again.

This week’s upcoming game will be the toughest challenge to date this season for the Riders defense.  The Stampeders come to town with their high flying offensive show leading the way.  Calgary has been putting up points in bunches over the past several weeks and their offense is going to be tough to stop.  They have a two headed monster at running back with Reynolds and Cornish running like wild over their opponents.  The great rushing attack has opened up the playbook for Burris at quarterback as he has had lots of time in the pocket behind a great o-line.  Burris has done a great job of looking downfield for his first read and if nothing is open then taking what the defense gives him with a short pass. 

The Riders have to show up with an attitude in this game.  The team has struggled over the past three weeks and the only way to get out of the downward spiral is to force your way out of it.  The defense has to dictate the play to Calgary and let them know that they are not going to have a free ride in Mosaic Stadium at Taylor Field.  The Riders need to use lots of run blitzes to slow the Stamps tough running game and then turn that pressure later in the game on Burris.
Rambo and Lewis are Burris’ go to guys and have to be tightly covered all game.  Rambo is a speedster deep that the Riders need to contain and make Burris force the ball to him.  Burris leads the league in interceptions and will definitely give the Rider DB’s a chance to make a game changing play. 

Bleeding Green,
Matt

The Riders defense dominated the Bombers on Sunday and were led by their middle linebacker, “The Minister of Defense”, Barrin Simpson.  Simpson was especially excited for this game as he was playing his former team of four years.  Simpson was all over the field during the entire game and finished the contest with nine defensive tackles and one fumble recovery.  Barrin was a main reason the Riders controlled the Bombers offense and kept them under 25 points.  

The Riders defense did a great job early of keeping Fred Reid contained and forcing the Bombers to give up on the running game.  The Bombers really only got production off trick plays.  The double reverse, flee flicker was actually a pretty sweet play, but it only got Winnipeg three points and teams don’t win games on trick plays alone.  The Riders were tricked there, but the defense bent and didn’t break on the drive. Another trick play that got the Bombers points was a fake punt.  Again, the Riders stopped the Bombers on the next two consecutive plays to hold them to a field goal.  The Riders defense played very well, even when faced with adversity.  The defense continues to improve and they are carrying the Riders right now through the offenses rough patch of the season.

The Riders succeeded last week against the Bombers, but will have to play even better if the Riders hope to win the Banjo Bowl.  The Riders last week did a great job of containing the Bombers best receiver Terrence Edwards.  Because of this, Adarius Bowman had a big game, but Bowman alone won’t beat the Riders and it’s better to take the chances of leaving Bowman open than Edwards.  Once again, stopping Fred Reid will be the focal point early.  Simpson will have to duplicate his success of last week and hammer Reid at the line of scrimmage over and over again.  The deference in the game this week from last will be at QB for the Bombers.  Jyles gets the start over the again injured Pierce and will be looking to show the Riders what they let go in the off-season.  Jyles had success at the end of the Labour Day game when he came in leading the Bombers to a touchdown.  Even though that touchdown was against a “vanilla” Rider defense, Winnipeg will look to build off of that momentum. 

The Riders have to come out playing like their season depends on it and crush any confidence the Bombers have right off the bat.  The Banjo Bowl is usually a tough game for the Riders and I’m looking forward to a great effort by the Riders defense in this game… LETS GO RIDERS!

Bleeding Green,
Matt

After a very disappointing loss to the 2-6 Eskimos, the Riders have to regroup for a showdown with the arch-rival Bombers.  The Riders defense has played well over the last three games and has to be ready to carry the load if the Sask offense sputters again.  The defense continues to improve and will have to be on top of their game for the rest of the season if this team has any hopes of first place in the West and make another Grey Cup appearance.  

This week's game against the Bombers will be a stiff test for the Riders defense.  The Bombers offense has been inconsistent so far this year, but when they are on they have the ability to throw deep, roll out of the pocket and run on any given play or down.  Fred Reid is among the league leaders in rushing and is a threat to break a big run on every play.  The Riders need to focus on him to start the game to try to force the Bombers to pass the ball.  Barrin Simpson will be looking to have a big game against his former team who let him go in the off-season.  Simpson in the middle will be the key for the Riders to stop the run.

In the passing game, the Riders have to be worried about Terrence Edwards on the deep pass.  Edwards has had big play touchdowns all year and can torch any stingy secondary at any point of the game.  The best way to protect against the deep ball is to get quick pressure on the quarterback.  Etcheverry's unique blitzing packages will be needed to help the Riders keep the Bombers to a low score.

At quarterback for the Bombers will most likely be Buck Pierce.  Pierce only plays limited games every season because of injuries, but when healthy, he is very dangerous.  Rider fans remember many games from when Pierce was a Lion where he carved up the Rider defense.  The plan with Pierce for the Riders is to make him a pocket passer.  Pierce is best at making plays when he breaks the pocket and makes plays with his feet.  Hawkins and Mullinder on the defensive ends for the Riders have to keep contain all game to keep Pierce between the tackles.
The odds of the Rider offense having a game as bad as last week again are pretty low.  As long as the Riders defense plays near the form they played at last week the team will win more games than not.  The Riders are on the right track and with a few minor adjustments this team could be very tough come November.  As for now, we're worried about a home and home with the hated Bombers.  The Riders need to gain some momentum through this series to get back on track for the rest of this season… LETS GO RIDERS!

Bleeding Green,
Matt

The Riders defense seems have found their stride.  After a very valiant effort two weeks ago against the powerhouse Alouettes, the Riders defense dominated the B.C lions last week.  The defense only allowed two field goals and one touchdown in the blowout win over the Lions.  Only a few short weeks ago the Riders defense was last in points allowed, but the team has played much better lately and has now moved up to fourth in the league in that category.   

Coach Etcheverry seems to have found a system that suits this group of players.  The team has dialed down their blitzing just a little bit and relied on four or five rushers instead of the regular six or seven guys that were being sent during the first few games of the season.  Brent Hawkins hasn’t been as dominant on the defensive end as Stevie Baggs or John Chick was last year, but he does tend provide consistent pressure and is tough against the run.  On the other end, Luc Mullinder has played better than anyone could have expected as a first year starter after six seasons as a back-up.  Mullinder is very important to the Riders because he is a ratio buster as both him and Keith Shologan are non-imports on the defensive line.  Also, guys like Jerrell Freeman and Mike McCullough have contributed to the Riders group effort of creating pressure on the quarterbacks.  The Riders use everyone on the defense at different times to cause pressure and it seems to be working as they are still near the top of the league in sacks.

The Riders secondary, who also struggled at the start of the season, is starting to reap the benefits of a renewed pass rush.  Both Lance Frazier and James Patrick have taken advantage of quarterbacks having to get rid of the ball quickly under pressure as they are tied for second in the league with three interceptions apiece.  Over the past two games, Tad Kornegay has been moved back to half-back, while his weak-side linebacker spot has been filled by Daniel Francis.  Through these last few games the defense has looked better than at any other point during this season.  The only issue with the current personnel setup is that with Donovan Alexander out, the Riders lose a Canadian starter on the defense.  Kornegay has played really well in the injured Alexander’s spot, but it would be tough for the Riders to sit out a talented Canadian every game.

Bleeding Green,
Matt

After getting beat up in the first half against the Alouettes, the defense and coordinator Gary Etcheverry had a half time meeting and changed the defensive plan.  With these changes in the second half of the game, the Riders defense allowed only three points and a dismal one first down in a losing effort to the second best offense in the league (best being the Riders offense).  Through the entire game the Riders only allowed 256 yards passing and 44 yards rushing.  The defense was unbelievable in the second half even though team didn’t win. 

It seemed in the final two quarters the Riders decided to play coverage with less blitzes.  Its not the first time this season the Riders have tried to leave more players in coverage and blitz less, but this was the first time that it was really effective.  The difference in this game was that the front four of the Riders was able to create pressure on their own.  Mullinder, Adams and Hawkins were all able to get a sack and even more importantly, the front four was able to get consistent pressure even when they weren’t recording sacks.  The pressure was so relentless that they even knocked Montreal quarterback Anthony Calvillo out of the game late in the fourth quarter.  If the Riders defense can build on the momentum from the Alouettes game, this defense could get back to the form they were in at the end of last season.  The better this defense gets, the closer this team will be to getting back to the Grey Cup.  Now all we need is some special teams!

Week seven brings the Lions to Mosaic Stadium at Taylor Field.  The Riders have to be very careful to not overlook this game.  They blew out the Lions with ease in week two and are now playing them the day before a bye week.  If the Riders decide not to prepare hard for this game and just look forward to the week off, then they will probably be on a two game losing streak.  The Lions have lost five straight games and will be desperate for a win.  Jarious Jackson will get the start in this one at quarterback for the Lions and will be determined to take back the starting job.  Jackson will be playing his best, so the Riders secondary better be ready to play.  Geroy Simon at slot back is always dangerous for a big play at any place on the field and has to be respected deep all game.  The Riders have to once again take advantage of B.C’s weak offensive line by sending lots of confusing blitzes to create havoc in the Lions backfield.  The Riders should be able to get lots of pressure in this one and as long as the team brings their “A game” they should be able to bank on a win!... LETS GO RIDERS!

Bleeding Green,
Matt

After five games have passed in the regular season, the Riders defense is not producing any great stats.  The team is last in passing yards against and last in points allowed.  Those stats are making the defense seem on paper to be sub-par, but you can’t argue with the team’s record.  At four wins and just one loss, the Riders defense has obviously done enough to help the team win.

There is no arguing that the Riders are a team built around offense.  This means that the defense isn’t expected to carry the team every game.  The Riders defense is giving up big yards to opposing offenses, but they are still contributing.  In the game this last week against Hamilton, the Riders gave up over four hundred yards through the air, but they forced turnovers that helped turn the game in the Riders favour.  Two interceptions one by Luc Mullinder and the other by Lance Frazier set the Riders offense up deep in Hamilton territory.  The defense only allowed 24 points in the game as well.  Keeping any team under 25 points is what should be expected from this defense and if they achieve that goal it should translate into many victories for this offensively talented team. The Riders defense will probably not be a top rated defense at the end of the season, but they won’t care if the team keeps winning.  Stats can only tell so much of the story, while at the end of the day the only thing that really matters is winning football games.

The defense definitely has some problems to clean up to help this team to keep winning.  They can not continue to allow a single receiver on the opposition to get more than two hundred yards in a game.  Fred Stamps’ 212 yards in week three and Arland Bruce’s 272 yards last week are big problems to fix in the secondary.  Also, the Riders are not tackling very well right now.  Calgary in week four broke a lot of Rider would be tackles and the problem continued into last week as Hamilton receivers gained too many extra yards off of broken tackles.  Leaders on the defense like Barron Simpson and Mike McCoullough need to make the other defensive players focus on the importance of breaking down and making good tackles to limit the gains by the opposition.  

Up next for the Riders is the toughest test of the season as they travel east to play the defending Grey Cup Champion Montreal Alouettes.  The Riders got their revenge in week one for the Grey Cup loss last season and now the Als will be looking for their own revenge from the season opener.  The Riders defense will definitely be in tough as they will look to recover from the 51 points the Alouettes put up on them in week one.  The main battle in this game will be between Als quarterback Anthony Calvillo and Riders defensive coordinator Gary Etcheverry.  Etch loves to send heavy blitzes, but Calvillo has the quickest release in the league and can render a blitz ineffective with three step drops that get the pass off in two seconds or less.  Etcheverry will have his hands full game planning a defense that can confuse Calvillo and not allow him to get a good pre-snap read on the defense.  Unique formations are a specialty of Etcheverry’s and he’ll need to pull out his whole play book to make things tough on the Als future Hall of Famer quarterback.  Etch definitely has the knowledge and the tools to get the Riders defense prepared for this game.  The Alouettes have the advantage with two extra days rest and playing at home, but the Riders are a determined and persistent team and will not go down without a fight... LETS GO RIDERS!

Bleeding Green,
Matt

Well it seems to be back to square one for the Riders defense.  After keeping back to back opponents to no more than 20 points, Calgary torched the Riders defense for 40 points on Saturday night.  The Rider defense isn’t all at fault as they didn’t have much help from their offense as Calgary was set up with great field position all day.  Even without help from the offense there is no excuse for the defense to allow 250 rushing yards in any one game.

The Riders defense held their own for the first three quarters, but could not continue that success in the final frame.  Calgary scored 21 points in the fourth led by their stellar rushing attack.  It seemed late in the game that the Riders defense wasn’t playing with 100% effort to end the game and it was a real disappointment.  On Romby Bryant’s second touchdown of the game Omarr Morgan had him wrapped up at the ten, but then lost his hold, while Tad Kornegay stood beside him and watched as Bryant scampered into the end zone.  Another questionable effort came when Calgary backup quarterback Drew Tate rushed for 45 yards on a second and short and when he was close to the sidelines, Morgan just ran by him instead of trying to make a tackle and allowed Tate an extra twenty yards on the run.  I’m not saying the Riders gave up in this game because I’m sure the team has more character than that, but I do think Calgary was a much more motivated team in this one.  One deserved “shout out” goes to Riders safety James Patrick who definitely didn’t show a lack of effort as he had two interceptions and led the team with 8 tackles.

The major problem for the Riders defense on Saturday evening was the fact that they could not establish a consistent pass rush.  Burris usually had lots of time in the pocket and could look to his third and sometimes even fourth reads.  The Calgary offensive line was suppose to be a weak point the Riders could target, but instead they protected Burris very well.  Even when the Riders blitzed they normally could not get to Burris fast enough to interrupt the play.  Blitzing in this game was actually a weakness for Saskatchewan as the Calgary line picked up the blitzes quickly and gave Burris time to beat a defense that had less guys in coverage.  When a quarterback has this much time it is almost impossible for the defensive backs to hold their coverage through the entire play.  

Bleeding Green,
Matt

After the 51 points allowed in week 1, the Riders defense has played a lot better in the following two weeks allowing only 18 and 20 points, respectively.  The players seem to have a better grasp of Coach Etch’s system.  Etcheverry did a great job against Edmonton in adjusting through the game from starting with blitz packages to playing coverage late in the game.  When the defense allows twenty or less in any game with the offense the Riders have, I don’t think the team loses any of those games.

Early in Saturday’s game, Edmonton was running quick swing passes, end arounds and short hook routes all designed to eliminate the effectiveness of the Riders blitz.  After allowing 14 points in the first half, Etch decided to alter his defensive game plan for the rest of the game.  He allowed his front four to do most of the pass rushing and try to create pressure without blitzing.  Even though the pressure wasn’t consistently there on every play, the strategy ended effectively.  The Riders only allowed 6 points in the second half and ended the game with a respectable 3 sacks (from McCoullough, Adams and Mullinder).  I have to give credit to the Rider front four (Mullinder, Adams, Shologan and Hawkins) for giving their all and even when they didn’t get early pressure, they kept battling in the trenches to make Ricky Ray fight to get every pass off.  Coach Etcheverry loves his crazy blitz packages, but he is also smart enough to drop his defense into coverage when the blitzing isn’t working.   

The biggest difference maker caused by the defense was the timely turnovers.  Fred Stamps (as usual) lit up the defense for big numbers, but he didn’t get any touchdowns.  Stamps had 213 receiving yards and one late game fumble in Roughrider territory.  The fumble was caused by a great effort from Tad Kornegay punching the ball out from Stamps as he was fighting for extra yards down the field.  Also, another big fourth quarter turnover was created inside the Rider ten yard line when Sean Lucas stripped the ball from Eskimo runningback Calvin McCarty.  These two turnovers were definitely big plays in the game that helped turn the outcome in the Riders favour.

Bleeding Green,
Matt

Game two of the season went much better for the Roughrider defense than game one.  The defense cut their points allowed down from 51 in game one to 18 in the second game.  Coach Etcheverry’s defense is starting to figure out the unique schemes he runs and it is translating to better performances on the field.  B.C has a weaker offense than many other teams in the league, but it was good to see the Riders defense step up.

Riders defensive co-ordinator Gary Etcheverry’s high pressure defense is starting to work for the Riders.  Etch is constantly putting six or seven players on the line of scrimmage and making the defense guess which ones are blitzing.  Sometimes Etch sends all seven and sometimes he only sends three.  Etch is also gaining mismatches by lining up all four defensive lineman inside the offensive guards.  Doing this also helps in the running game by plugging up all the inside holes on the defense.  Etcheverry’s revolutionary schemes are continuously confusing the offensive pass block and allowing Rider blitzers to get quick pressure on the quarterback.  Etch’s efforts were rewarded last game with four sacks, two forced fumbles and a defensive touchdown as a result of the pressure generated on the quarterback.   

One man definitely benefitting from Coach Etcheverry’s “organized chaos” is new-comer Brent Hawkins.  Hawk made a name for himself on Saturday with two sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble return for a touchdown.  No one player on this defense had more pressure on them coming into the season as Hawk did trying to replace departed All-stars John Chick and Stevie Baggs playing the defensive ends.  It’s only been two games, but Hawkins is starting to look like a young Fred Perry.  He is very quick to read and react to where the ball is going on any particular play and is able to hunt down a ball carrier at any point on the field.  It’s early in the season, but Brent Hawkins has a chance to be the answer on defensive end that the Riders were looking for.

The next test for Gary Etcheverry and the Roughrider defense is Ricky Ray and the Edmonton Eskimos.  The Eskimos have struggled to score points early in the season, but that only means they will be hungrier on Saturday when they visit Mosaic Stadium at Taylor Field.  Receivers Kelly Campbell and Fred Stamps are two of the fastest players in the league and pose the threat of being able to score from any point on the field, no matter the situation.  Those two will be the Riders main focus.  The best way to eliminate the deep threat is to get quick pressure on Ray.  Edmonton has a much more experienced and talented offensive line than B.C did last week, but they do have weaknesses.  One is Patrick Kabongo at right tackle.  The Riders need to blitz his side heavy as he tends to take holding penalties under pressure.  The most crucial part of the Riders blitzing in this game will be to cover their blitz.  Ray loves to throw the ball quick to the spot where blitzing linebackers just vacated.  Etcheverry needs to confuse Ray by sending overload blitzes from one side and sending coverage in behind the blitzers.  The Rider offense should be able to put up some points on a weak Eskimos secondary, so all Sask’s defense needs to do is execute coach Etcheverry’s game plan and the team should do just fine... LETS GO RIDERS!

It wasn’t pretty on the defensive side of the ball, but the Riders did find a way to win the season opener.  The defense had some blown coverages and times with lack of pressure. The defense didn’t win the game for the Riders, that is for sure, but after allowing 51 points, they can only get better as the season goes on.

Alouette quarterback Anthony Calvillo found some holes early in the game in the Riders secondary that led to some big touchdown plays.  Defensive back Donovan Alexandre definitely had a game to forget as he was picked on all day and fell victim to many great passes from Calvillo.  Even when Alexandre had good coverage, Calvillo would make a pass that only his receiver could catch with back shoulder passes and throws behind the receiver to give him the better chance to adjust to the ball. The biggest reason Calvillo had success was because of the time he had in the pocket.  The Riders struggled to generate a consistent pass rush without blitzing.  That being said, the Riders did manage to get four sacks with timely blitzes and made Calvillo somewhat uncomfortable in the pocket which caused him to be a little less accurate as the game went on.

The Riders defense looked like they were still trying to figure out their own defense for the most part of this game.  The players weren’t always on the same page as defensive co-ordinator Gary Etcheverry, but they did play hard.  There weren’t many missed tackles by Roughrider defenders and when the Green and White crowd really started roaring in the fourth quarter the defense held their own on the grid iron.  The defense was only held accountable for seven points in the second half until the eleven points in overtime.  The special teams of the Riders put the defense in some tough situations with weak punts and even a blocked punt.  The defense has many new faces and will be tough to play against as the year progresses.  To be realistic, this Rider team isn’t built to win on the backs of their defense.  That is evidenced by the dedication to offense in the off-season as the Riders replaced defensive all-stars Chick, Baggs, Davis and Williams with offensive stars Dorsey, Goodspeed, and Rodriguez.  The defense isn’t expected to win the game for the Riders, but they are expected to keep teams at least under 51 points.

Week two for the Riders brings a very different quarterback challenge.  The B.C Lions are led by Casey Printers.  Printers is a scrambling quarterback as compared to Als quarterback Calvillo who is a pocket passer.  The Riders defensive ends, Brent Hawkins and Luc Mullinder have to keep contain.  Printers is best when he has time to improvise on an extended play by getting outside the pocket and throwing the ball deep.  Printers isn’t the only worry for the Riders though.  Jamal Robertson is a force at running back as he started off the season with 168 yards rushing.  Barrin Simpson was brought in this off-season to shore up the run defense and he will be tested in this game.  Etcheverry’s defense has been noted to being weak against the run in the past, but the Riders brass is hoping Simpson can be the difference maker in that department this year.  If the defense hopes to do well this week they will need to eliminate the big plays that hurt them last week.  Geroy Simon and Paris Jackson live for the deep ball and the Riders will need to pay extra attention to the deep ball this week.  If the offense plays like it did last week, then the defense may not even need to show up for this game, but that kind of support can’t be expected every game and thus the defense needs to step up now... LETS GO RIDERS!