Unlike Figure Skating there are no points awarded in football for artistic impressions

The Riders eight sacks were probably the most notable thing about the win, besides Edmonton’s offensive line being completely outmatched even though they were coming off a bye week. The Elk also changed up their quarterbacks, starting Cody Fajardo over Canadian Tre Ford, who has show progress, but as yet has not brought his team into the promised land with passing that matches his scrambling.

The Elk made the change after being dominated by the BC Lions who had a time of possession of 42 minutes compared to 18 for the Elk. Ford has problems making more than one read when dropping back and if his initial ready is not open, he tends to run around and either throws a high light ball or misses the receiver completely.

Fajardo also had his problems with scrambling, with his initial starting time in Saskatchewan eventually failing due to the fact the offensive line could not block anyone and Fajardo had the same moves when he dropped back to pass, and any team scouting would plan for those moves accordingly.

When Fajardo went to Montreal to follow Jason Maas, previously the Rider offensive coordinator and then Montreal boss, Maas worked with him to get into tempo rhythm and this led him to the Grey Cup where Montreal beat Winnipeg and

Fajardo emerged as the Most Outstanding Player. However, a year later, Fajardo went to Edmonton after Montreal was impressed with Davis Alexander who would be a good quarterback if he is allowed to heal properly.

After stumbling out of the gate with Ford, the Elk did a change of pace but probably did not take in account the complete and utter collapse of the Edmonton offensive line. Eight sacks tells a sad story.

There is also the question of whether the Elk offensive coordinator Jordan Maksymiac has his offense tailored to the players he has or if he is trying to fit them into the offense he wants to run. I thought about this as Edmonton seemed to abandon their running game which might have caused the Riders to tap the brakes on their pass rush.

The Edmonton defense played good in giving the Riders short passes and runs, but with an eye towards preventing any deep threats. The Riders offense went cold like Christmas in July in the fourth quarter as the Elk threatened to play scrooge with Rider fans expectations.

Last year the Riders injuries on their offensive line forced them to bring in younger players and get them coached up so Trevor Harris can stay on his feet. The trial by fire last year seems to have resulted in a competent offensive line and this same thinking is being used with the Riders receiving corps which has gone through multiple injuries so far.

The Riders may have lost Samuel Emilus but there are two days before the game and with the Riders having another bye week after the Montreal game, there is no need to rush him back into the lineup. The Riders young Canadian and American receivers are rising to the challenges posed by injuries.

This is important to remember because the game is played on Saturday night and the Riders arrive in Montreal on Friday. They have Friday night off in Montreal which if you are young and in your early to mid-20s, is one of the most entertaining places to be, but not if you have a football game the next day.

The Riders schedule after Montreal and the bye week has Hamilton in Saskatchewan, the Riders go to Calgary for a game which may determine first place, then the Riders are home against the Bombers, go to Stony Mountain for the Labor Day rematch, then come home to Montreal.

So, if I am correct and the Riders are Grey Cup contenders, running this gauntlet with a winning record or 500 record will establish the Riders as real Grey Cup contenders, with hopefully injuries not playing a role. The team and the fans should be nervous and excited because this is where the Riders prove it or lose it.

After the Riders lost at home to Calgary, fans thought the team would embark on their mid-season swoon but wins against BC and Edmonton and now facing a Montreal team with McLeod Bethel Thompson subbing in for the injured Alexander have fans thinking what might be possible.

Injuries are hitting all teams and Montreal is no exception. In addition to Alexander, they are also missing some receivers and I suspect offensively Montreal will depend on a short passing and running game to try to keep the ball out of the Riders hands.

Montreal’s defense is the strength of the team and will be asked to carry them through the next five games until Alexander is recovered enough to come off the six-game injury list. This will be a very physical game with each side looking to dominate on the line of scrimmage with basically the same game plan.

I am going to go with the Riders in a 27-26 win because no one is fooled by the Riders blowing anyone out, but winning a close game on enemy turf with those frigging air horns is a mark of a mentally tough team. This may be a Grey Cup preview, but I think if Alexander was starting, the game would be even more interesting.

Then again, they don’t give artistic impression points for wins in the CFL – yet.

Edmonton slinks home to play the suddenly explosive Hamilton Tiger Cats who beat BC 37-33 in a game that featured an amazing interception by Hamilton. Edmonton had more consistency under Fajardo than Ford and Edmonton needs to be competitive quickly to get back into the playoff race before they fall even behind the Eastern teams in a crossover berth.

Hamilton has the benefit of momentum with a chip on Bo Levi Mitchell’s shoulder. Edmonton is a team in search of an identity while Hamilton is determined to shoot their way to the top of the eastern conference and into the Grey Cup.

If you remember the point spread for the Rider Edmonton game, Edmonton screwed that up by playing good defense and despite having no coherent offensive

line, Fajardo used the benefit of experience to keep at it before the offensive line imploded on their last drive.

There is going to be lot of desperation in Edmonton with this game as the team tries to show the fans, they are different than the Chris Jones endless training camp. Desperation is good for a team fighting for a win, unfortunately they don’t have the personnel. Hamilton wins 30-27.

The CFL week starts with Calgary in Ottawa and Calgary’s 23-21 loss to Montreal also had the loss of their leading receiver and quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. who left with an apparent concussion. Adams is being held out, which is probably a wise move considering how Montreal rushed Alexander back before he was fully recovered from his first hamstring injury and made it worse.

The fascinating thing about this season is injuries happen to all teams, it comes down to who steps in for the players injured and if Calgary does start PJ Walker at quarterback, then Calgary will lose.

Ottawa has had a bye week to consider where things have gone wrong and maybe get some people off the injury list. Ottawa beat Calgary once in a torrential downpour already this season and I expect we will see a game that is tight and close, because Calgary’s defense is sound, but Ottawa’s defense will try to turn PJ Walker into Walker Texas Ranger.

Until I heard today Calgary was starting Walker, I thought Calgary would win this but now I think Ottawa will win 19-12.

Finally, we have the rematch of the Grey Cup rematch between Toronto and Winnipeg. Toronto won last week 31-17 and exposed the Bombers as old and their pass defense as a quiet rumor.

Bomber fans went ballistic on their fan site and blame management for not bringing in another quarterback, or paying Collaros so much to begin with that it hampers their room under the salary cap. Collaros was also removed from the game, maybe it was a concussion, maybe it was a neck injury as Mike O’Shea claimed, but the Bombers Trumpian disregard for the rules maybe finally catching up to them.

In 1976 the Riders went to the Grey Cup with their last group from the 1960s and early 1970s and lost the Grey Cup. The Riders made essentially no roster changes and the team got old fast in 1977 and when Ron Lancaster was named head coach,

he blew up the team and laid the foundation for the team that would finally win a Grey Cup in 1989.

The Bombers kept the old band around for one last hurrah which is winning a Grey Cup at home which I can attest to is the most fun you can have with your clothes on. The problem is the Bombers do not have enough weapons or playmakers on offense or defense to make those critical plays to get back to the Grey Cup and extending their losing record in the championship to four games.

Toronto has been in a holding pattern with quarterback Chad Kelly still rehabbing his broken leg and Nick Arbuckle holding the fort and doing not bad considering the Argos have a replacement defensive line, their offensive line sometimes sucks, and Arbuckle has been trying to establish chemistry with his receivers.

The game is a sell out in Winnipeg, which is grasping onto straws trying to show they are still a dominant team to their fan base. I’ve seen this play out a few times in Riderville and there is nothing as angry as a fan base whose team did not do everything possible to get into the Grey Cup.

I am not writing the Bombers off yet. At least not until the Riders drive a stake into their W like you do with vampires. While a Winnipeg loss would be ideal if everything shakes out like I think, I am going to err on the side of caution and pick the Bombers to win 28-25, but if I get this wrong, it will indeed be Christmas in July.

by Greg Urbanoski

Unlike Figure Skating there are no points awarded in football for artistic impressions

What's Trending