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| The Roughriders defence has given up over 1,300 yards in three games. |
In Canada, the only sports teams that arguably have more
rabid fans than Rider Nation are the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple
Leafs. While supporters of the green and white look forward to relishing in all
the fun that comes along with cheering for the team, they also know it won’t be
a joyride.
If you cheer for the Riders, there will be days when you
think, “Why did I decide to cheer for this team?”
The Riders are also well known for winning games in a fashion
that isn’t easy, and they are notorious for snatching defeat from the jaws of
victory.
The start of the 2015 CFL season has been one of those
stretches that has Roughriders fans shaking their collective heads in
disbelief. The team has dropped three straight games to open the campaign, and
all three outings could have been won as easily as they have been lost.
Friday night at B.C. Place in Vancouver proved to be one of the breaking
points of frustration. The Riders assumed a 29-18 lead over the host B.C. Lions
with 2:21 to play in the fourth quarter only to see the Lions rally back for a
35-32 overtime victory.
Almost immediately after the game, social media, especially
Twitter, exploded with Rider fans expressing their disgust over the outcome.
Rider Nation was in a very cranky mood.
The game’s turning point came when the Riders were trying to
run out the clock after B.C. closed to within 29-26 on a 46-yard TD reception
from former NFLer Austin Collie, who followed that with a catch for a two-point
convert.
Saskatchewan faced a third and one from its own 48 with
exactly a minute to play. The Lions were out of timeouts, and a first down
would all but assure a Rider victory. The visitors would be able to run out the
clock by kneeling down on the ball.
Unfortunately for the green and white, backup quarterback
Brett Smith was stuffed on a sneak play by Lions linebacker Adam Bighill.
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| QB Brett Smith runs the Riders short yardage offence. |
The Saskatchewan bench bosses almost received a reprieve,
when Lions rookie kicker Richie Leone had to attempt a 56-yard field goal to
force overtime. The Roswell, Georgia, product just slipped the lengthy pressure
kick over top the crossbar to force a 29-29 tie with 15 seconds to play.
The Riders scrimmaged from their own 35, but didn’t even try
to move the ball into range for a winning field goal. They took a couple of
knees to go to overtime.
The visitors had the first possession in the shootout OT
format and faced a third and one from the B.C. 26. Saskatchewan rejected the
option to gamble and went for a 33-yard Paul McCallum field goal to go up
32-29.
It took the Lions just three plays to move 35 yards on their
OT possession, which culminated in a winning four-yard TD catch by receiver Emmanuel
Arceneaux.
On social media, a number of people in Rider Nation heaped
criticism on the team electing not to gamble on third and one, when the Riders
had their offensive possession in OT. At that point in time, electing to go for
the field goal was the correct decision in order to have a score on the board.
The fact the Riders didn’t try to move the ball in the final
15 seconds of the fourth quarter after the Lions tied things up was another
story.
Saskatchewan has assumed just criticism for its porous defence
in the early going. The Rider offence has been going at full speed, but the
defence has been soft, especially defending the two-minute drill situation.
The Lions seemed to pick up yards at will on their final TD
drive in regulation and the winning TD drive in overtime. In the Riders
previous outing on July 5, they fell 42-40 in double overtime at home on the
turf at Mosaic Stadium after the Toronto Argonauts completed a two-minute drill
march at the end of the fourth quarter. That march resulted in a 16-yard TD
catch by Chad Owens to force a 28-28 tie.
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| Disappointed Rider fans leave Mosaic Stadium on July 5. |
In the off-season, the Riders let the personable Ritchie
Hall, who has won one Grey Cup ring with the team as a player and two as
defensive coordinator, leave for the Bombers, who are now 2-1. Head coach Corey
Chamblin felt bringing Greg Quick as the new defensive coordinator was a shake
up his club needed. Three weeks into the season, Quick is on the hot seat, Chamblin
is getting thrashed for the decision to change DCs, and Rider fans are wishing
Hall never left.
The heat will keep coming until the Riders hit the win
column. It will definitely be a long practice week at Mosaic leading up to the
Roughriders next encounter, when they host the Lions (1-1) at 8 p.m. on Friday.
If you have any
comments about this blog post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.
