Jim Lang
CFL.ca
SASKATCHEWAN AT B.C.
When the Roughriders take to the field on Halloween against the Lions, it will be exactly 29 days since their last win. Three games losing streaks are not supposed to happen to the Riders. But the losses are very real and Ken Miller has exactly two games to fix what is wrong with his team. I asked the voice of the Riders, Rod Pederson (@sportscage on Twitter), about the level of panic in Saskatchewan over the current losing streak. My man Rod pegged the panic level in Regina at a seven out of 10.
A major concern for Miller and the Riders is their porous run defence. You have to go all the way back to the Riders win over the Stamps on September 17th to find the last time they didn’t allow a running back to gain 100 yards on them. Since then, the Riders have allowed running backs to gain at least 100 yards on them in five straight games. It is obvious opposing teams have spotted a weakness in the Rider D and are game planning to exploit it. Now it is up to defensive coordinator Gary Etcheverry to make some adjustments to his scheme in an effort to stop the bleeding.
I asked veteran linebacker Barrin Simpson why he felt the Riders have given up so many rushing yards the last three games. Like the old pro that he is, Simpson didn’t pull any punches:
“It’s been a combination of things. First of all we haven’t tackled as well as we should and secondly our execution hasn’t been where it should be. Those things do typically go hand in hand but when it comes down to it, I have to say that the issue has been our tackling and execution.”
The entire Riders nation will also be looking closely to see how Darian Durant responds to getting pulled in last week’s loss to Edmonton. The Riders are not going to win the Grey Cup with Ryan Dinwiddie at the controls of the offence; the fate of the team rests on the shoulders of Durant.
While the Riders struggle to recapture their “A” game, it is obvious that the BC Lions are not going to go down without a fight. Last week’s win over the Stampeders was vital in their drive for the post-season.
While Wally Buono deserves credit for this late season run, the Lions coach said that linebacker Korey Banks deserves a ton of credit for his leadership in the locker room.
“Korey is one of our most fierce competitors and it’s contagious among the other guys in the room many of whom are in their first season. He leads by example on the field which makes his vocal leadership in the room that much more effective at crucial times during what has been a difficult season. He’s emotional, extremely intelligent and a pleasure to coach.”
The Lions have a tougher schedule than the Eskimos to close out the season. This week, the Lions play host to the Riders, they then close out the season on the road against the Ticats. The Eskimos get the Bombers at home this week before closing out the season against the Riders in Regina. This means if the Lions are going to get into the playoffs, they are going to have to run the table and hope for a little luck from the football gods.
Because of the situations facing both teams, this has the makings of a good game. The Lions are desperate for a win to stay alive in the post-season. The Riders are desperate for a win to get off the schneid and get back in a winning mode before the West Semi-Final. Something has to give. Can the Riders really lose four straight games? If they don’t tighten up on defence, it certainly could happen. But the betting here says the losing stops against the Lions.
WINNIPEG AT EDMONTON
Even without Ricky Ray in the line-up, the Eskimos were still able to win for the fourth time in their last five games. With Ray’s shoulder too banged up to play, Jared Zabransky threw two touchdowns to lead the Eskies to victory. With the Eskimos uncertain of the status of Ray, they signed Kerry Joseph to a contract this week.
Now if you think the Eskimos quarterback situation is a little convoluted, it is kid stuff compared to the mess they have going on in Winnipeg. The Bombers ended up using all three quarterbacks in last week’s loss to the Argos. Both Steven Jyles and Alex Brink are done for the year as a result of various injuries. That means Joey Elliot will get the start this week against the Eskimos. Yes, the Bombers fourth string quarterback, Elliott, is now their starter. Because of all the injuries, the Bombers were forced to bring in some quarterbacks this week just to serve as backups to Elliott. In other words, Paul LaPolice better pray that Elliott can last the entire game without getting hurt or he’s in big trouble.
Richie Hall has been through so much this season, I highly doubt he’s going to celebrate the fact that Elliott is starting for the Bombers. The Eskimos still have to go out and take care of their own business. One of the reasons the Eskimos have been able to win four of their last five has been the play of their defence. Last week against the Riders, TJ Hill had a fantastic game with three tackles, one forced fumble and returned an interception 28 yards for a touchdown. Those are the kind of big plays that the Eskimos dearly need to keep the dream alive. The other thing that has been key to the Eskimos resurgence is the re-emergence of their running game. Daniel Porter has put together back-to-back 100 yards games and is averaging 6.8 yards a carry.
I have all the respect in the world for Paul LaPolice. But unless Elliott turns into the second coming of Dieter Brock, the Bombers have almost no chance of winning this game. So no matter who ends up playing quarterback for the Eskimos, by the time this one ends, Edmonton will have won for the fifth time in the last six games.
Note: An Edmonton win combined with a B.C. loss would clinch the final playoff spot in the West for Edmonton.
MONTREAL AT TORONTO
They might have a boring offence, they might have a flawed quarterback, but eight wins is eight wins and Jim Barker should be proud of his team. After winning a combined seven games in the previous two seasons, the Argos clinched a berth in the playoffs with last week’s win over the Bombers.
Now that they have locked up a spot in the playoffs, Barker and the Argos can use the final two games to fine tune the offence. Basically Barker has two more games to get Cleo Lemon and the Argos passing game ready for the playoffs. Thanks to Chad Owens, the Argos special teams are good to go. The combination of good special teams and a solid defence is a big reason why the Argos were able to get into the post-season with the lowest scoring offence in the CFL.
Barker has emphasized all week to the Toronto media that he’s treating the playoffs as a three game mini-season. That means these next two games are crucial for Barker to make sure his team can run the table in the post-season. It will be interesting to see if Barker gets a little experimental with his offence during these final two games of the regular season.
For Marc Trestman and the Als, it is another week to avoid boredom and injury. This is not an easy thing for a coach to deal with. How do you keep a team motivated and razor sharp when they go weeks without playing any meaningful games? The East Final doesn’t take place until November 21st. Between now and then, Trestman has to make sure the Als keep playing with a high level of intensity, without losing any key players to injury.
Trestman can’t be very happy with the way his team has played the last two weeks, so I expect the Als to play with a real sense of urgency in this game and bounce back from last week’s 40-3 loss in Hamilton. Unless Cleo Lemon can burn the Als defe
nce for three touchdowns like he did back in week seven, Montreal wins this game.
HAMILTON AT CALGARY
John Hufnagel is a very intense and secretive coach. But even Coach Hufnagel would tell you that the Stampeders will be paying very close attention to Tiger-Cats defensive end Stevie Baggs. After his performance in the Ticats win over the Als, Baggs received defensive player of week honours for the second straight week. Baggs did it all; four tackles, one interception and he returned a fumble 80 yards for a touchdown.
Hufnagel will go into this game with something else in the back of his mind. He knows that there is a possibility that Stamps could end up facing Baggs and the Ticats in the Grey Cup in Edmonton.
Offensively the Stampeders have put up some huge numbers this year. With two games in the regular season, the Stamps have scored 536 points and 54 touchdowns. In almost every single offensive category in the CFL, the Stamps are number one. What makes this game intriguing is the fact the Stamps league leading defence will be going up against the team that has allowed the fewest points in the CFL; the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
Even though the Tabbies will be on the road facing a very good Stampeders team, unless Calgary can find a way to neutralize Baggs, Hamilton will extend their winning streak to four games and clinch second in the East.
