Rod Pedersen
CFL.ca
One would think losing to the last-place team in the CFL and dropping to 1-5 in the standings would signal rock bottom for the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
However, in this columnist’s opinion they’re nowhere near that point yet, but they can definitely see it from where they are.
The Riders closed the book on the opening third of the 2011 CFL season with a rather stunning 24-11 loss to the previously winless BC Lions in Vancouver. It was stunning because the Roughrider offence, which was picked apart in this space last week, managed a measly 11 points against, statistically, the worst defence in the CFL.
Rock bottom? No, not even close and here’s why.
This football club displayed what it’s capable of when they upset the Grey Cup champion Alouettes two weeks ago. That victory bought the club a little extra time as they continue to figure things out under new head coach Greg Marshall.
However back-to-back losses against divisional opponents are a tragic sign.
In BC, the Riders looked disorganized, ill-prepared to adapt to adversity and completely at a loss for how to turn momentum in their favour.
While the team continues to sort the mess that followed them home from Vancouver, things won’t get any easier for them, as the 4-2 Stampeders are next on the docket.
Now, 1-6 doesn’t seem so unrealistic.
So now you begin to wonder who’s to blame or who should pay?
No one seems able to put their finger on who’s responsible, although the dropped passes, missed tackles and blown assignments make it pretty easy to point the fingers at the players.
However, this is a team coming off back-to-back Grey Cup appearances. Their players don’t suck and they’re simply trying to execute the game plan set out for them.
Really, it’s up to team President Jim Hopson and V.P. of Football Ken Miller to assess the damage, and then chart the path ahead.
Neither one has shown hesitation in the past to make the necessary changes.
“I don’t think you make sacrificial lambs out of anyone,” Hopson reasoned.
“If there needs to be a change, then we’ll do it but I’m not in a position to say that right now because we haven’t sat down as a group to see where we’re going. We won’t make a change just to appease people. The reality is if you make a change and don’t get better, what’s the next change?”
The key right now for this football team is to string a succession of plays together and start to re-establish trust in each other.
And they need to do it in a hurry because the loyal fan base is quickly losing faith and letting this club know it. If the players start to believe what they’re hearing and reading about themselves, well, then they’re sunk.
However, rest assured that the woeful play has caught the attention of the highest-ranking position on the team.
“We understand the seriousness of it,” Hopson declared. “And we’re going to turn it around and get it back on track.”
