Riders get fixed by Tiger-Cats

Hamilton was without Bo Levi Mitchell at quarterback and started Harrison Frost who looked somewhat competent against BC, even though Hamilton lost. Hamilton’s defense is mostly intact and for me the interesting thing was how the Rider young receivers would handle the more experienced Hamilton defensive backs.

Hamilton did something I thought was very simple and brilliant. They played man to man defense against the young Rider receivers who lacked the speed or strength to break the coverage of the Hamilton defensive backs and made quarterback Trevor Harris’ jobs a lot tougher.

The Riders started slow and awkward with a deflected pass to Dhel Duncan-Busby that was intercepted by Hamilton and gave Frost a short field to get the Cats out in front.

If there was anything that was a pleasant surprise it was Rider kicker Alan Hale made all the field goals he attempted. It was an unpleasant surprise to see the Rider receivers unable to make consistent catches and the Riders resorted to sideline passes and not try anything deep, probably knowing that outside of Keesean Johnson the other receivers would be unable to make the catches Rider fans had gotten accustomed to from Samuel Emilus and Kian Schaffer-Baker.

Hamilton managed to turn off the Rider offense halfway through the third quarter and the Riders were unable to even pick up a first down during the last quarter and a half. The Rider doom scroller fans called for Harris to be replaced but the simple fact was Harris had nowhere to really throw because his receivers were tied up by the Hamilton defense.

Ultimately the only cure for this is for the receivers to learn from their experience and be better in the next game against the BC Lions. There were also suggestions the Riders should bring in receiver Geno Lewis who had been cut by Ottawa earlier in the week but who had a great relationship with Trevor Harris when both were in Montreal.

I went to Rider practice Wednesday and you could hear the mass sigh of relief from fans watching when Samuel Emilus took his usual spot with the first team receivers. If Emilus is ready to come off the injured list, he takes a lot of pressure off Keesean Johnson and the young receivers by forcing the opposing defense to spread out their defensive backs.

Ali Saad, the top draft pick of the Riders in 2025, returned to the defensive line and James Letcher was back returning kicks. The return of these three gives the Riders options to tinker with their offense to make sure they have the optimum mix of Canadians, Americans, and Global players.

Saad could also help the Rider defensive line who did well against Frost but lost the complete thread when Tre Ford went in for an apparently concussed Frost in the second half. Ford has done well against the Riders when he was in Edmonton, but I always thought if the Riders could keep him in the pocket, Ford would be flustered because while he is a great athlete, he doesn’t have the patience to read the defense like Harris does.

The Riders could not keep Ford in the pocket and the weak ass tackling allowed Ford to spread the field and allow his receivers to take advantage of a relatively inexperienced defensive secondary. The Riders lacked a deep threat at receiver and when Hamilton was able to jam the Rider receivers, the Riders were unable to move the ball down the field and the offensive line had problems with their run blocking to keep the running game as a factor in the game.

The Riders came to the end of their rope dealing with injuries as the receivers stepping in now showed they have a lot more to learn. In one sense the Riders are fortunate to have the depth to be able to field receivers who could develop into front line players but on the other hand, they would have learned more being rotated in and out instead of being force fed game action.

Rider fans are relying on the Riders coaching staff and leadership from Harris to bounce back this week against the BC Lions who like the Zombies from Night of the Living Dead, have been roaming the country scrapping away with wins including a 30-26 win over Calgary.

Nathan Rourke is back at quarterback and teamed with Zander Horvath at running back have a solid basis for making a playoff rush. After that it gets a bit hazy because the Lions have a leaky offensive line, and their linebackers are vulnerable.

Rourke is coming off a shoulder injury on his non-throwing shoulder and is still dealing with the aftereffects of the injury. He does have the arm and leadership to get the team rolling and you have to accept that but Nathan Rourke is fairly thin-skinned and that can work in the favor of a team willing to trash talk him or hit him repeatedly.

If I was BC, I would not quite jam all the Rider receivers, especially with Emilus in who creates spaces for the other receivers. I would run Horvath at the Riders repeatedly until the Riders prove they cold stop him.

For the Riders they need to keep Rourke in the pocket and deny him the opportunity to break out of the pocket and use his legs to beat the Riders. They also will have their run defense tested but the addition of Saad allows the Riders to rotate their defensive linemen and avoid them getting pooched in the humid insides of BC Place.

On offense, the Riders should run but the return of Emilus allows the Riders intermediate receivers the chance to get open. Emilus doesn’t allow the Lions the opportunity to press the Riders younger receivers and double-team Kesean Johnson.

It will be a close game, but the Riders bounce back with a 28-26 win.

Ottawa goes to Montreal after losing their best chance to break their losing streak with a 33-21 loss to the Stony Mountain Blue Bombers. If Ottawa can’t beat Winnipeg, a team made of the best recruits out of Winnipeg and Selkirk nursing homes, they deserve to go 0-18.

Ottawa’s big move was transferring their president to look after the Ottawa 67’s junior hockey club. Ottawa’s losing streak is creating the feeling among local fans their team is being run by stunted people who don’t know how to build a football team.

Ryan Dinwiddie, the GM, Head Coach and Offensive coordinator who has one job too many, will be able to hang on for another year thanks to the CFL Football Administration cap which says if a team fires its coach, it can’t fill it until the fire coach is fully paid out.

Jake Maier the Ottawa QB is having a good year, he is not the problem but the lack of talent through the Ottawa roster is a major reason why Ottawa is winless. Ottawa has no ability to evaluate talent when you look at running back Greg Bell who had a big year in Hamilton, has come to Ottawa and completely disappeared.

Ottawa has the misfortune of facing a Montreal team who is coming off the bye week and is welcoming some of their walking wounded back on the roster. Montreal is in the position of being able to break away from the rest of the east and likely clinching first place by Thanksgiving.

The one thing about Montreal I must wonder about is the behavior of Davis Alexander and Tyson Philpot. Philpot like to point his finger like a gun at the defensive backs he beats for touchdowns and Alexander gets rather emotional trolling opposing sidelines.

This should become somewhat like an exhibition game and Montreal wins easily 35-25.

Watching the Bombers made me think of a football team built from the more active members of various nursing homes. The return of Zach Collaros against Ottawa must have looked good in the crystal ball of Bomber head coach Mike O’Shea but when Collaros got body slammed on a legal sack, you must wonder what the Bombers are thinking.

The Bombers are going to Edmonton to play a team that flayed Toronto 42-12 to move into sole possession of first place in the west. Edmonton is a real contender for the Grey Cup, but you have to wonder if Edmonton needs to lose in the playoffs to get the message that discipline wins Grey Cups.

Edmonton has a chance to put distance between themselves and the rest of the west and more importantly, use the Bombers as a measuring stick to see if the Elk has what it takes to win the Grey Cup.

If Edmonton’s offense misfires, the Bombers can keep it close. Edmonton wins this one 29-26.

Hamilton has the look of a team that just got off the autopsy table and got back into contention for a playoff spot in the east. With Ottawa playing itself out of the picture, Hamilton must contend with their ancient blood foe Toronto for second place.

The play of Ford gives Hamilton options to throw at the Argos who had problems with a mobile quarterback in their 42-12 loss to Edmonton. Toronto reminds me of the Riders under Henry Burris who played in many entertaining games and had to score a ton of points because their defense gave up the points as fast as the Riders were scoring them.

Toronto has Chad Kelly who when he is good, he is very good, and when he is bad, it is best to just drink and never speak of what you have seen.

A traditional rivalry game brings out the best in both teams and Toronto’s inability to play complementary football against Edmonton, the ideal situation is they rise to the occasion of a Hamilton team that is sniffing hope like it will put them in the playoffs.

Maybe it will, but Toronto should win this 29-28. Hamilton is also a real team.

by Greg Urbanoski

Riders get fixed by Tiger-Cats

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