The Tuesday morning after the Saskatchewan Roughriders got off to their worst start in a number of years, is a bright blue one with no smoke. Perhaps it’s a sign that the not recent feeling of being 0-2 will all blow over soon. So where do the Riders go from here?
Offence
The Riders were clicking at times and the stats sheet was full, but the green machine left a lot of points on the board.
An illegal hands to the face penalty on Brendan Labatte negated a touchdown to Chris Getzlaf in the north endzone at the jam-packed Mosaic Stadium. That’s unacceptable for him and everyone else with something invested in seeing the Riders move to 1-1.
On a great drive, several receivers made critical catches for the starting quarterback Kevin Glenn. The backup pivot threw a pick-six when veteran receiver Taj Smith failed to work back to the ball. That can’t happen either if you want to win. That was a swing of 14 potential points in 20 seconds. The Riders offence also failed to convert in the red zone twice.
Special Teams
You can’t ask for more than what Paul McCallum gave the team in his glorious return to Regina. Ray Early did well punting the ball, although the young National Toronto P/K Ronnie Pfeffer from Wilfred Laurier outshone him. Look out, Swayze!
The Saskatchewan coverage was better than it was in week one on punts and kicks. The interior did encroach before a Rider punt once for a penalty. That gave Toronto great field position and they converted with a touchdown in the ensuing drive. Toronto P/KR Chad Owens was held in check all but once thanks to Argo penalties.
Defence
The defence allowed one too many completions, and the Riders lost by a two point convert in double overtime. But many plays that could be called the losing play in a soft defensive performance.
Upon his hiring in the spring, Riders management insisted that coach Greg Quick was a more aggressive defensive coordinator than Ritchie Hall. The Riders dropped Hall earlier in the off season.
He’s shown none of that aggression in the first two games this year. In the spirit of fairness it is evident that Corey Chamblin is calling the plays on the defensive side of the ball.
One cannot blame the defensive coordinator. But isn’t that how the protocol of accountability goes in the CFL? Stay tuned and watch this relationship; it is the single biggest problem facing the Riders at this time.
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes
I could recommend about ten changes but, as it turns out, the Riders have already made a few. They brought back Tino Sunseri and former place kicker McCallum, and released the ineffective Chris Milo outright.
Milo was a jovial guy when he was kicking well a few years ago. Ever since he’s been snarling at media and uninterested in general in anything that anyone has to say. That change needed to happen, whether with the 46-year-old McCallum or someone else.
But the Riders have a huge problem on defence. I would fire Greg Quick or, as the coordinator, let him call the defensive plays. The Riders have not disputed that head coach Corey Chamblin is calling the plays. So let him do that à la Chris Jones in Edmonton and quickly fire Quick before this weird relationship completely softens the scheme.
A couple of established vets and few players new to the team have been asked to play major roles. The fact is, they still are not where they need to be. Invest in coaching them up, or cut them and find someone capable of making a score-saving tackle or a crucial catch. I’m making it sound easy, I know. All you have to do is look around the league and you’ll see examples of management teams that are making it look easy.
As long as Ryan Smith is good to go for next week, cut the ever-regressing Taj Smith and sign Naaman Roosevelt to the active roster. The benefit is heavily outweighed by the risk at this point.
A huge home-and-home next couple of weeks with the BC Lions looks like it may affect playoff positioning in the third to fifth slot. Fans in Rider Nation hope this blue sky Tuesday means something positive is around the corner. There had better be.
