’Riders release of Carter part of Belichick effect on Sports

The Roughriders released Duron Carter on Saturday night.

    If you live in Saskatchewan, there is a good chance you were consumed by some degree with the news the CFL’s Roughriders released Duron Carter over the weekend.

    Late Saturday night while the Montreal Alouettes were in Ottawa falling 24-17 to the host Redblacks, social media went haywire with the news that the Roughriders, who were on a bye week, released Carter. The Roughriders confirmed the move with a note on the club’s website that night while the CFL game in Ottawa was still going on.

    Carter had been playing both receiver and defensive back for the Roughriders this season.

    It was one of those moves that wasn’t a surprise, but it did catch you off guard. The Roughriders (3-4) aren’t due to return to game action until Aug. 19 at 5 p.m., when they host the Calgary Stampeders (7-0) at Mosaic Stadium.

    It wasn’t a surprise from the standpoint that it feels like teams at all levels of sports these days try to mirror how the NFL’s New England Patriots and Patriots head coach Bill Belichick operate. Basically, what that means is information is to be guarded tightly by the secret society of that team.

Duron Carter makes a circus TD catch against Toronto last season.

    In media gatherings, you expect a team official to go in front of a podium and say in a monotone voice, “In order to have success, we must be better on offence, defence and special teams.”

    You repeat that answer to any question that is fired your way.

    A lot of teams to varying degree these days follow the Belichick effect.

    Carter, who is from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, has never been shy when it comes to speaking his mind since he broke into the CFL in 2013 with the Montreal Alouettes. The 27-year-old comes off as being genuine when it comes to saying what he things and believes.

    That alone will get you cut from a number of sports teams these days despite the fact it has brought Carter a lot of respect in many circles.

    On Sunday morning, Carter sent out a tweet saying he received calls from teammates on Saturday asking if he was still with the Roughriders. Carter said he sent a text message asking why he was being asked these questions to Roughriders head coach and general manager Chris Jones.

Carter said Jones called and said the receiver was being released.

    Jones spoke to the media about the move during a press conference held Sunday morning in Regina.

Duron Carter defends a pass as a DB this season.

    “Over the break, we are always evaluating our roster, our team and the way we do things, processes and coaching (and) things that we do at practice,” said Jones. “Upon that evaluation again made the decision that we were going to go in a different direction from Duron.”
    His answer mirrored a scene that comes from the 2011 baseball drama movie “Moneyball” based around the Oakland Athletics’ 2002 MLB season. In the one scene in the movie, Athletics general manager Billy Beane talks to fictional assistant general manager Peter Brand about how you tell players they have been released or traded.

    During that scene, Beane said you inform the player that the team was “going in a different direction” and nothing more needed to be said. Due to the fact players moves are made frequently in sports, this tactic is used to avoid having a discussion to give reasons why a player was let go in order to not get too bogged down with lengthy conversations.

    This tactic from the movie Moneyball is used often in professional sports.

    Jones was asked for a specific reason for Carter’s release during the press conference. He responded with an answer that was a mix from what you would see from Belichick and the movie Moneyball.

    “We’re not going to go into any kind of specifics or anything like that,” said Jones. “We’re not here to put a guy on trial or anything like that.

    “We released a very good player. He is going to land on his feet. We decided to go in a different direction for our football team.”

Duron Carter makes a catch against the Argonauts last season.

    Jones did say the decision to release Carter had nothing to do with the fact the sideline boss worked out 44-year-old Pro Football Hall of Fame receiver Terrell Owens last week.

    Like anything that has to do with the Roughriders, interpretation of what went down is being spun in various directions by fans.

    Carter, who is 6-foot-5 and weighs 205 pounds, has had his share of well-documented antics during his CFL career including to getting into a fight with a practice roster player in October of last year. He is also an extremely talented football player.

    Last season in his first full campaign with the Roughriders, he hauled in 73 passes for 1,043 yards and scored eight touchdowns to be named a CFL all-star. On defence, he returned an interception 43 yards for a touchdown in a 30-7 victory over the Stampeders in Calgary on Oct. 20, 2017.

    This season, Carter has seen more limited time on offence catching eight passes for 111 yards and one touchdown. He started five games at cornerback and returned an interception 28 yards for a touchdown in a 40-17 loss to the Redblacks in Ottawa on June 21.

Duron Carter celebrates a TD catch last season.

    On the field, Carter did everything that was asked of him, and he returned kicks on occasion last season.

    During his time in Saskatchewan, Carter became a fan favourite for the Roughriders faithful. Carter acknowledged in a tweet on Saturday he loved the fans and his time in Saskatchewan was the most fun he has had in a long time.

    The majority of the fan responses to Carter on social media were those that wished him luck in the future. Carter embraced being in Saskatchewan and played hard, and that won him a lot of fans in Rider Nation. He was particularly awesome with little kids.

    There doesn’t appear to be any bad will between Carter and Jones when you view their statements over the last couple of days, so that has to be considered a positive sign.

    For my two cents, I do not see Carter as a diva receiver in the image of Owens and former NFL star veteran Chad Johnson. In the few encounters I have had with Carter, I see him as a good guy, but a different cat.

    I see him more as a person that gets his fun trolling on Twitter, playing video games and watching science fiction movies. I could never see him out at a nightclub or a fancy hotel partying it up like how former NFL star receiver Michael Irvin did in his heyday with the Dallas Cowboys in the early and middle 1990s.

    I think Carter is a high-maintenance player, and Jones said he had daily meetings with Carter during the 2017 season which didn’t happen this season. Those meetings included talking about other subjects besides football. It seems like the coaches didn’t want to put any more energy into the high-maintenance aspect of Carter.

Duron Carter always interacted well with young fans.

    In June, Carter pleaded guilty to drug possession after getting caught with marijuana-laced chocolate chip cookies at the Winnipeg airport, and he received an absolute discharge as well. Another charge of marijuana possession in Saskatoon is still before the courts.

    Those developments don’t bother me, because I believe marijuana should be legal. I also came across a situation where it led me to believe marijuana could possibly be used to treat cancer and more research needs to be done on that front, but I will save my views and debate that for another day unless someone asks me person to person out in public.

    It has been reported by multiple sources that the Alouettes, Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Toronto Argonauts and B.C. Lions have shown interest in Carter. Hopefully, he will find a new football home sooner than later.

    As for the Roughriders, their offence has been waffling all season. Part of that is due to the fact starting quarterback Zach Collaros missed time due to injury.

    Saskatchewan has shaken the deck a bit on that side of the ball too. Besides Carter’s departure, Bakari Grant, Rob Bagg and Nic Demski were all regular receivers with the Roughriders last season, and they moved the ball quite well in that campaign and are no longer with the team.

Duron Carter was always popular with the fans in “Rider Nation.”

    The steady influence of veteran quarterback Kevin Glenn from last season is missing too. Glenn is the backup quarterback with the Edmonton Eskimos this season. Cameron Marshall, who was a regular running back last season, is no longer with the Roughriders as well.

    For the present, Carter’s release has been made. Now, Carter and the Roughriders will go their separate ways in search of respective successes on the new path that was created.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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The curious case of the Saskatchewan Roughriders

CFL team’s season could go in many directions

QB Brandon Bridge (#16) calls a play in the huddle for the Roughriders.

    REGINA - The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a 3-3 middle of the pack team like their record says.

    Over their first six outings, they have often been a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde type of squad being at their best and at their worst in the same game regardless if they win or lose. Saturday’s 34-22 setback to the 6-0 Calgary Stampeders at Mosaic Stadium proved to be another example of that trend for the Green and White.

    The Roughriders were at their best on the defensive side of the ball. They limited the powerful Stampeders offence to just 242 total yards for the entire game.

Terry Williams, left, celebrates a punt return TD with Richard Sindani.

    Veteran star defensive end Charleston Hughes, who spent his first 10 CFL campaigns with the Stampeders, is still a beast at age 34. He recorded two sacks for the Roughriders and leads the entire CFL with eight sacks.

    Defensive lineman Tobi Antigha, who stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 223 pounds, proved he is a heck of an athlete. Dropping into pass coverage, he collected his second interception of the season in the second quarter of Saturday’s game. This time, he returned the ball back 52 yards to the end zone for a pick-six.

    On defence, a myriad of players proved they can continually get the job done like Samuel Eguavoen, Ed Gainey, Mike Edem, Eddie Steele, Zach Evans, Jovon Johnson and Willie Jefferson. Duron Carter, who is normally a receiver on offence, is improving each game since being inserted at defensive back full time in Week 2.

Eric Rogers (#15) reacts to scoring a touchdown for the Stampeders.

    Place kicker Brett Lauther had a monster game on Saturday hitting all five of his field goal attempts including a monster shot from 56 yards out shortly before the end of the first half. The Truno, N.S., product also connected from 35, 48, 32 and 47 yards out.

    The Roughriders were at their worst in the first quarter of Saturday’s game making a bunch of gaffs to fall behind 24-0.

    The surge started early in that frame, when Roughriders running back Marcus Thigpen fumbled the ball away. It took the Stampeders just one play to score, when star quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell hit receiver Marken Michel on a deep corner route for a 41-yard touchdown pass.

The Roughriders celebrate Tobi Antigha’s pick-six.

    After Rene Paredes booted a 52-yard field goal to put the Stampeders up 10-0, the visitors went ahead 17-0 when Terry Williams returned a punt 78 yards for a touchdown.

    The bleeding didn’t stop there for the Roughriders. Running back Jerome Messam fumbled the ball away, and the Stampeders recovered it at the Saskatchewan 40.

    Calgary drove that distance in four plays to score another touchdown, when Mitchell hit receiver Eric Rogers with a 15-yard scoring toss.

    The Roughriders offence was not a pretty sight gaining just 247 yards on the night, fumbling the ball away a total of four times and turning the ball over on downs once.

Charleston Hughes hit the big screen with a couple of sack celebrations.

    Thanks to a defensive score and four field goals, the Roughriders were able to trim the Stampeders lead to 24-19 with 5:20 to play in the third quarter. One of those field goals came after Williams fumbled away a punt return.

    Saskatchewan’s offence couldn’t sustain any drives or make any big plays to create some much needed major scores. Running back Tre Mason had the longest play from scrimmage for the Roughriders with an 18-yard run.

    Roughriders quarterback Brandon Bridge fulfilled the role of game manager completing 19-of-29 passes for 147 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions, and he wasn’t responsible for any of Saskatchewan’s four fumbles. The Saskatchewan coaching staff didn’t call any plays which would allow Bridge to stretch the field.

Rider Nation signals a first down for the hosts at Mosaic Stadium.

    The breaks didn’t go the Roughriders way either. With the Stampeders holding a 24-19 lead, the Roughriders had an interception from defensive back Crezdon Butler negated by a tough illegal contact on the receiver penalty on Johnson that could have gone either way.

    On the ensuing play after Butler’s interception was taken away, Mitchell hit receiver DeVaris Daniels with a 15-yard touchdown toss to put the Stampeders up 31-19.

    To make things worse on Saturday, the Roughriders couldn’t deliver a win before a sellout crowd of 33,350 – most of whom wanted to see the host side defeat one of their biggest rivals outside of a few pockets of Stampeders supporters.

Mascot “Gainer the Gopher” circles the field.

    Over the first third of their regular season schedule, the Roughriders have hit equal parts of the spectrum of being good and bad. Despite their inconsistencies, they could possibly be 5-1.

    Back on June 30, the Roughriders dropped a 23-17 decision to the Montreal Alouettes, who are 1-5 on the campaign. That was a game that slipped away.

    On Saturday, the Stampeders did not look indestructible like they have at points in the past decade and appeared very beatable. That contest in the end was another that got away from Saskatchewan.

    The Roughriders defence has found its groove. The Roughriders offence looks to be hurt by the fact the deck might have been shuffled too much from last season.

    Bakari Grant, Rob Bagg and Nic Demski, who missed a lengthy stretch due to injury, were all regular receivers last season, and all are no longer with the team. Carter, who had 1,043 yards receiving last season for the Roughriders, has been used sparingly on offence.

    The Roughriders offensive line has had struggles but is getting better. Saskatchewan could draw from the steady influence of veteran quarterback Kevin Glenn last season, but he is now with the Edmonton Eskimos.

QB Bo Levi Mitchell and the Stampeders were opportunistic.

    On the injury front, the Roughriders are due to get defensive back Nick Marshall back off the six-game injured list after he sits out one more contest. Starting quarterback Zach Collaros has spent four contests on the six-game injured list with a concussion.

    When both return, the Roughrider deck will be shuffled in a way that might help the offence. Both will be missing, when the Roughriders travel to Edmonton to face the Eskimos (4-2) this coming Thursday.

    At the moment, the Roughriders are an average team in the CFL. They still can potentially be really good, really bad or finish out the regular season at 9-9.

    They are at a crossroads, and no one can predict with certainty how they will finish.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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Roughriders’ Bridge is still the great Canadian QB hope

Brandon Bridge (#16) fires a pass downfield for the Roughriders.

    If you’re a Canadian quarterback, you likely have your figures crossed for Brandon Bridge.

    The 26-year-old Toronto, Ont., product is still the biggest hope of proving to management and coaches in the CFL that a Canadian can be the starting quarterback in the league. Since the legendary Russ Jackson led the Ottawa Rough Riders to a Grey Cup title in his final game in 1969, the CFL has been looking for the next great Canadian star starting quarterback.

    Bridge came into the 2018 campaign riding a lot of momentum from his performance with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the 2017 season.

    Last season, Bridge won his one start and came off the bench in numerous other contests completing 92-of-138 passes for 1,236 yards, 10 touchdown passes and four interceptions. He also ran the ball 20 times for 127 yards and scored one major.

    During last year’s 25-21 Eastern Final loss to the eventual Grey Cup champion Toronto Argonauts, Bridge came off the bench for the Roughriders completing 11-of-21 passes for 141 yards and one touchdown.

    Last December, Bridge signed a one-year contract to remain with the Roughriders. At the time, it appeared he might be the favourite to be the club’s starting quarterback.

Brandon Bridge (#16) calls a play in the huddle.

    That changed in early January when the Roughriders made a trade with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats to acquire veteran starter Zach Collaros and signed him to a restructured contract.

    Collaros guided the Roughriders to a 27-19 victory in their regular season opener on June 15 against the defending Grey Cup champion Toronto Argonauts at Mosaic Stadium. In a 40-17 drubbing in Week 2 at the hands of the Redblacks in Ottawa on June 21, Collaros was lost after sustaining a concussion injury and was placed on the six-game injured list.

    Due to that development, Bridge gained the opportunity to lead the Roughriders as the starting quarterback over a sizable sustained period of time.

    In the three games that followed, Bridge did indeed start each contest, but he was often rotated with another young signal caller in David Watford, who is a 25-year-old product from Hampton, Virginia.

    The results for Bridge were mixed. He showed brilliance at times, but his inexperience also came to the surface as well.

    So far in 2018, Bridge has completed 49-of-75 passes for 522 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. On the ground, he has carried the ball 16 times for 79 yards.

Brandon Bridge (#16) calls signals at the line of scrimmage.

    The Roughriders fell in Bridge’s first start of the season 23-17 to the lowly Montreal Alouettes at Mosaic Stadium on June 30. Saskatchewan proceeded to pull out an 18-13 win in Bridge’s second start on July 5 at Mosaic Stadium against the Tiger-Cats.

    Those two clubs went at it again on July 19 in Hamilton, and the Roughriders pulled out a 31-20 victory in Bridge’s third start of the campaign.

    Adding difficulty to the evaluation of Bridge is the fact the Roughriders offensive line has been suspect for most of the first five games. There is a fear things could really go down in that department if Canadian veterans in guard Brendon LaBatte or centre Dan Clark are ever lost to injury.

    Evaluation of Bridge also has to take into account he is working with some new receivers. Rob Bagg and Bakari Grant were both regular receivers in 2017 and are no longer with the Roughriders this season. Star receiver Duron Carter has mainly been employed by the Roughriders on defence due to injuries and lack of personnel in the defensive backfield.

    Still, there are signs Bridge is finding his groove. He guided the game-winning 77-yard touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter that allowed the Roughriders to beat the Tiger-Cats by five points on July 5.

    During Saskatchewan’s win in Hamilton on July 19, Bridge took the bulk of the snaps under centre completing 17-of-22 passes for 165 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. He ran the ball five times for 17 yards.

    These are the signs of growth you want to see from the young inexperience quarterback.

    Tonight, Bridge faces his biggest test. He leads the 3-2 Roughriders against the undefeated 5-0 Calgary Stampeders, who have won 10 or more games a season since the start of the 2008 campaign. 

The Roughriders need to protect Brandon Bridge (#16) in the pocket.

    The two sides go at it at 7 p.m. local time at a sold out Mosaic Stadium.

    The Roughriders defence has played lights out, and that has bought the club’s offensive time to get on track.

    Bridge will have an opportunity to make another step forward. If the Roughriders stumble, he will likely have to more chances to guide the team after the Saturday’s clash with the Stampeders before Collaros is scheduled to come off the injured list.

    The CFL may still get its Canadian star quarterback, but the path in that journey will have its bumps.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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Stampeders star QB Mitchell is great for the CFL

Signal caller entertains mixing it up with Roughriders fans

Stampeders QB Bo Levi Mitchell is one of the best players in the CFL.

    Saskatchewan Roughriders fans may want to sit down before they read the following line.

    Calgary Stampeders quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell is great for the CFL.

    He might be even better for the CFL when he is exchanging beaks with Roughriders fans. It is too bad he deleted his Twitter account during the off-season. The Katy, Texas, product was good at using that social media platform to get Rider Nation all worked up.

    Last season after Roughriders receiver/defensive back Duron Carter returned a Mitchell interception for a touchdown, Saskatchewan play-by-play voice Rod Pedersen made his famous “Bo Levi, shut your mouth” call. Saskatchewan won that contest 30-7 on Oct. 20, 2017 in Calgary.

Stamps QB Bo Levi Mitchell,  left, escapes a Roughriders pass rush in 2016.

    On Saturday, Mitchell, who stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 198 pounds, will once again likely exchange barbs with his favourite opposing fanbase as the Stampeders (5-0) travel to Mosaic Stadium to take on the Saskatchewan Roughriders (3-2) at 7 p.m. The Roughriders announced on Wednesday the game was sold out, and tickets on the team’s verified resale channel are starting at $73.

    Mitchell, who hasn’t missed a start this season, was playing things cool in front of the media in Calgary on Thursday saying a knee he injured in a 27-3 victory over the Redblacks in Ottawa on July 12 feels great.

Stamps QB Bo Levi Mitchell, centre, burst into the open field in 2016.

    Here is hoping he is saving some verbal jabs for the pre-game press conferences and scrums that will be held in Regina on Friday.
    Even if Mitchell keeps his mouth shut, Rider Nation will likely give him a welcome worthy of a wrestling heel worthy of Ric Flair or the late Nick Bockwinkel in their “bad guy” primes.

    Like Flair or Bockwinkel in wrestling, Mitchell, who turned 28-years-old in March, will likely become a baby face for Rider Nation the longer he keeps playing in the CFL at a high level. Heck, you might like Mitchell right now, if you are a Roughriders supporter. You just don’t want to say it.

    Fans that spend a lot of time getting their “hate on” for a player on an opposing team doing research for heckles, making signs or creative props usually deep down find they actually like that player.

Bo Levi Mitchell gets set in the pocket in 2016.

    You would be hard pressed to see a Roughriders fan say they hate defensive end Charleston Hughes now that he plays for Saskatchewan. Hughes used to be a target for taunts from Roughriders fans, when he suited up for the Stampeders.

    Part of the reason you get your hate for Mitchell if you are a fan of the “green and white” is because he is a good player. Actually, Mitchell might be one of the best in the entire CFL.

    Now in his seventh campaign in the league, Mitchell has a 61-10-2 record in the regular season as a starting quarterback, and he has completed 1,592 of 2,428 career pass attempts for 20,679 yards, 124 touchdown passes and 48 interceptions in regular season play.
    Mitchell was named the CFL’s most outstanding player in 2016.

    He has guided the Stampeders into the Grey Cup game on three occasions winning in 2014 and falling in 2016 and 2017. The haters will likely take glee in the two title game losses.

Bo Levi Mitchell fires a pass downfield in 2016.

    Had the Stampeders won those latter two Grey Cup appearances, Mitchell would be the CFL’s version of Tom Brady of the NFL’s New England Patriots.

    While Brady makes much more money in the NFL than Mitchell does in the CFL, the Stampeders signal caller has a pretty good life.

    Mitchell met his wife, Madison, while attending Eastern Washington University in Cheney, Wash., and playing for the Eagles football team. Madison would become the captain of the school’s cheerleading team.

    They make their home year round in Calgary, are involved with many charitable endeavours there and have a baby daughter named Ele. They are one really great looking family.

    It feels like if you sat down and talked to Mitchell, it would be really tough to actually hate him.

The veteran pivot will dish out respectful complements to opponents too, which another fact that shouldn’t be forgotten.

    During the current campaign, Mitchell is playing out the final year of his contract with the Stampeders. If he continues to have the success he has had, the NFL could come calling.

Bo Levi Mitchell, centre, knows how to escape trouble.

    Like former CFL star quarterbacks of the past like Warren Moon, Doug Flutie and Jeff Garcia, Mitchell is ready for that step.

    For present day, Mitchell, who has a radio show in Calgary, is an established star in the CFL. The colour he can bring with his gift for the gab adds interest to the circuit and to games that involve the Stampeders.

    The antics that could occur on Saturday will likely have more of a fun twist to them.

    Besides the colour, Mitchell has been a leader on the field and in the community for the Stampeders.

    He is one of those guys you want to be an ambassador for your league.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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Roughriders exceed predictions in 2017, best may still come

Duron Carter has made a tonne of huge plays for the Roughriders.

    Remember when it seemed like the Saskatchewan Roughriders 2017 season was appearing to go off the rails?

    Actually, there were two distinct points, when it looked like that was going to happen. Way back on July 1, the Roughriders played their first regular season game at new Mosaic Stadium and dropped a 43-40 double overtime heartbreaker to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to fall to 0-2.

    Saskatchewan opened the regular season going on the road and falling 17-16 to the Alouettes in Montreal on June 22.
    Having missed the playoffs in 2015 and 2016 going a combined 8-28 over those two campaigns, it seemed like the Roughriders were going to find a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

    After pulling their record back to 2-3, the second panic point occurred on Aug. 6, when the Roughriders went to Vancouver and dropped a 30-15 decision to the B.C. Lions to fall to 2-4. Saskatchewan trailed 30-0 in that contest before scoring two late fourth quarter touchdowns.

DB Ed Gainey (#11) hauls in an interception.

    When those two teams met again on Aug. 13 in Regina, the Roughriders rolled to a 41-8 victory before a roaring sellout crowd of 33,350 at their new home park. From that point, the team took off.

    Today, the Roughriders enter their final regular season game at 5 p.m. at Mosaic Stadium sporting a 10-7 record against the visiting Edmonton Eskimos (11-6). The winner will finish third in the CFL’s West Division and third overall in the entire league.

    The majority of pre-season predictions foresaw the Roughriders scraping into the playoffs, if they made the post-season at all playing in a tough West Division. Only those close to the team’s inner circle would have thought that winning 10 games was a possibility.

    Had the Roughriders defeated the Bombers in overtime in Week 2, Saskatchewan would have had a chance to finish second in the West and host a division semifinal contest with a win over Edmonton today.

    Overall, this Roughriders team has been fun to watch.

    The most exciting player has been receiver Duron Carter. The 26-year-old from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, has been one of the team’s colourful characters and has found a strong home of supporters in the Saskatchewan community. Carter and the community have embraced each other.

QB Kevin Glenn played a major role in getting the Roughrider to 10 wins.

    Like his Pro Football Hall of Fame father Cris, Duron can flat out make plays on the field. He has hauled in 73 passes for 1,043 yards and scored eight touchdowns on offence.

    He stepped in at defensive back on the defensive side of the ball and made a memorable start at cornerback against the Stampeders in Calgary on Oct. 20. Carter highlighted Saskatchewan’s 30-7 win returning an early fourth quarter interception 43 yards for a touchdown.

    He also took down Stampeders power back Jerome Messam with a tackle in the backfield for a loss. That tackle might have been as good as any acrobatic catch Carter made all season.

    Carter wasn’t the only receiver that made plays. Naaman Roosevelt broke the 1,000-yard barrier in receiving for the second straight campaign hauling in 75 passes for 1,035 yards and eight touchdowns. Veteran Bakari Grant has set career highs in catches (81), yards (995) and matched his career high in touchdowns (five).

Brendon LaBatte (#57) had an all-star year playing centre and guard. 

    On defence, Ed Gainey has been the showstopper. The 27-year-old defensive back leads the CFL with 10 interceptions to go along with his 44 total tackles. He set a team record with four interceptions in one game in the Aug. 13 blowout of the Lions.

    Defensive end Willie Jefferson has become a force on the edge piling up a career high eight sacks to go along with 44 total tackles.

    At quarterback, ageless veteran Kevin Glenn has been a steady presence and added a key contribution in getting the Roughriders turned around. On the season, the 38-year-old has completed 313 of 458 passes for 3,975 yards, 25 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.

    Brandon Bridge has been strong as well at the pivot position completing 80 of 120 passes for 1,074 yards, nine touchdowns and four interceptions. The 25-year-old product from Toronto, Ont., is showing the Canadian born player can play quarterback in the CFL.

RB Cameron Marshall (#32) celebrates a touchdown run.

    At running back, Cameron Marshall and Trent Richardson are showing the Roughriders have two very capable options at that position.

    Brendon LaBatte proved he is still one of the best offensive linemen in the CFL playing in standout fashion at both centre and guard.

    On special teams, third-year kicker Tyler Crapigna has connected on 36 of 42 field goal attempts and has made all 46 of his conversion attempts.

    Head coach and general manager Chris Jones was once often criticized for getting everything wrong, and now he is a legitimate coach of the year candidate for the league.

    During the team’s training camp in Saskatoon, the Roughriders players carried themselves in a very polite manner. That was a good intangible sign, which showed they had the potential to display the discipline to create success on the field.

    In the early part of the campaign, the Roughriders as a team had to battle to learn how to win. Now sporting an 8-3 mark in their last 11 games, winning has become a habit.

    Today will mark the last chance for the faithful at home to salute the 2017 Roughriders for what has been a fantastic campaign. The best memories from this group might still be coming.

Roughriders DL Tobi Antigha closes in on a quarterback sack.

    It is realistic to think this team could be in the 105^th Grey Cup on Nov. 26 in Ottawa. When the Roughriders are in action throughout the post-season, most people in Saskatchewan will be huddled around their televisions on those Sundays. If anything else in the province is schedule at the same time Roughriders playoff games are going on, those events will be hooped.
    If the Roughriders finish third in the West Division, expect a healthy contingent of supporters to follow the team to Winnipeg, Man., for a clash with the Blue Bombers (12-6) in the West semifinal on Nov. 12.

    Overall interest in the CFL playoffs always increases when the Roughriders make a big playoff run.

    A “November to Remember” could be upon the province where the green and white colour scheme dominates once again.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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Lots on the line as Hilltops and Thunder collide

Hilltops running back Logan Fischer (#21) cuts past two Thunder players.

    To date, the upcoming clash between the Saskatoon Hilltops and Regina Thunder might be the biggest game of the Canadian Junior Football League season.

    While battles between the Hilltops and Thunder are always intense due to their provincial rivalry and their meetings are always key in determining playoff positioning, both squads have to be aware of where they sit with the rest of their Prairie Football Conference rivals.

    Both the Hilltops and Thunder had byes last week, while the conference’s other four teams all had games. At the moment, the Edmonton Huskies lead the PFC with a 4-0 record, the Hilltops sit second at 3-0, the Winnipeg Rifles are third at 3-1, the Thunder are fourth at 2-1, the Calgary Colts sit fifth at 1-3 and the Edmonton Wildcats are last at 0-4. The top four clubs make the post-season.

    The Hilltops and Thunder face each other on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, while the conference’s other four teams all have a bye this week. Besides trying to claim the head-to-head standings tiebreaker with each other, the Hilltops and Thunder also want to keep pace with the Huskies and Rifles in the race for first and second place.

    The top two teams in the PFC host conference semifinal playoff matches. When the match between the Hilltops and Thunder concludes, the first half of the CJFL’s regular season will be in the books and each team will have four games on their respective schedules.

    Looking beyond Saturday at the season’s second half, both the Hilltops and Thunder will play the Huskies just once. The Thunder travel to Edmonton to take on the Huskies on Sept. 24, and the Hilltops and Huskies will conclude their respective regular season schedules in a head-to-head match on Oct. 8 in Edmonton.

    Both Saskatchewan based teams want to win to keep pace with the Huskies just in case their respective single matches with that club have ramifications on the standings tiebreaking front.

    At the moment, the most pressing concern for the Hilltops and Thunder is winning the season series between each other. Back on Aug. 12, the Hilltops downed the Thunder 37-20 in the regular season opener for both sides in the first CJFL game played at new Mosaic Stadium in Regina.

Quarterback Sawyer Buettner fires a pass downfield for the Thunder.

    The Thunder need to win Saturday’s match by 18 or more points to take the regular season head-to-head series. A Regina win of any kind would force the Hilltops, Thunder and Rifles to sit tied for second in the PFC at 3-1.

    A win by the Hilltops would obviously lock up the season head-to-head series with the Thunder and vault Saskatoon back into a first place tie with the Huskies at 4-0.

    Saturday’s battle between the Hilltops and Thunder should prove to be a better game than the regular season opener. The first meeting between these two squads displayed the unpredictable nature that often shadows the regular season opener in any league.

    Both sides made a number of errors. The Hilltops pulled out victory scoring 21 points off turnovers and playing a smooth second half. Still, the Toppers were penalized 16 times for 124 yards, and that could have been a statistic that haunted them.

    The Thunder had to lament the turnovers they committed and the points the Hilltops put up on them. Regina also botched a couple of snaps which were costly in the game. Falling behind 22-8 at halftime, the Thunder abandoned the ground game and relied on the pass in an attempt to mount a comeback.

    Since the first meeting, both sides have had a couple of weeks to work out kinks, so the play in Saturday’s contest should be smoother.

    Both teams are led by starting quarterbacks that can gun it out at any time in Jordan Walls of the Hilltops and Sawyer Buettner of the Thunder.

    The Hilltops have a large stable to standouts in the likes of running back Logan Fischer, receiver Jason Price, defensive end Tom Schnitzler and linebacker Cameron Schnitzler. The Thunder counter with standouts like receivers Kristopher Calcutt and Levi Paul, linebacker Davin Williamson and defensive back Parker Scott.

    The Hilltops, who are the defending three-time CJFL champions, have an elite coaching staff headed up by Tom Sargeant, while the Thunder counter with an elite staff headed up by Scott MacAulay.

    Saskatoon has won the last six straight meetings between these clubs, but four of those wins have come by four or fewer points. Saturday’s game should have all the twists and turns fitting for a rivalry game.

    ENDZONE DINNER – The Hilltops are holding their In the Endzone Dinner before Saturday’s game at the clubhouse complex at Saskatoon Minor Football Field. This year’s guest speaker is Don Narcisse, who entered the Canadian Football Hall of Fame after a legendary career with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Gate open for the dinner at 4:15 p.m. and the meal starts at 5:15 p.m. Tickets are $680 for a table of eight and $85 for a single ticket, and they can be purchased by clicking here.

Football Huskies gain respect with win, host Golden Bears

Mitch Hillis was big in the Huskies opening win.

    It took just one win for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies football team to break into the U Sports top 10 media rankings.

    After not being rated in the opening media poll and ranked to miss the post-season in the Canada West pre-season coaches’ poll, the Huskies were rated eighth in this week’s top 10 U Sports media poll that was released on Wednesday. The rating was a result of the Huskies having beaten the University of Manitoba Bisons 44-23 in Winnipeg in the regular season opener for both sides last Friday.

    In the win over the Bisons, the Huskies led 27-6 at halftime, saw their edge shrink to 27-23 after three quarters before surging ahead for a 44-23 victory.

    The Huskies were impressive on a number of fronts. Quarterback Kyle Siemens 31-of-40 passes for 419 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions.

    Running back Colton Klassen ran the ball 26 times for 136 yards and caught four passes for 38 yards. Receiver Mitch Hillis hauled in eight passes for 120 yards and one touchdown.

    Linebacker Brad Kotania topped the Huskies with seven tackles and defensive back Payton Hall came up with an interception. Kicker Sean Stenger made all three of his field goals, all five of his converts and averaged 39.9 yards per punt.

    Of course, Scott Flory picked up his first win as Huskies head coach.

    The Huskies will try to keep the roll going on Friday, when they host their homecoming game against the University of Alberta Golden Bears at 7 p.m. at Griffiths Stadium.

Koroll commits to Thunderbirds

Hannah Koroll will join UBC in 2018-19.

    Hannah Koroll has celebrated a huge personal highlight, and her season hasn’t even started with the Prince Albert Northern Bears.

    On Wednesday, the star 17-year-old defender committed to joining the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds women’s hockey team for the start of the U Sports season in 2018-19. 

    Last season, Koroll, who is from Saskatoon, netted four goals and 14 assists in 26 regular season games for the Bears.

    In nine SFMAAAHL playoff games, Koroll, who stands 5-foot-8, had four goals and one assist as the Bears captured the Fedoruk Cup as league champions for the second time in team history and went on to advance to the Esso Cup female midget AAA national championship tournament for the first time in team history.

    In August, Koroll attended the selection camp for Canada’s under-18 women’s team in Calgary.

    Koroll is entering her fourth and final season with the Bears collected 13 goals and 29 assists in 82 career regular season games. 

    The Bears open the regular season on Oct. 7 hosting the Battlefords Sharks at 2 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre.

Labour Day Classic spit incident draws to a close

Roughriders receiver Duron Carter fights to break out of a tackle.

    The spit incident from the annual Labour Day Classic battle between the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Saskatchewan Roughriders last Sunday has drawn to a close.

    Before the Roughriders 38-24 victory over the Bombers, Saskatchewan’s star receiver Duron Carter was high-fiving fans that line the first row of Pil Country. He came across a gather of Bombers fans, and one of them spat on the pass catcher.

    Talking with reporters on Tuesday, Carter said he informed security about what happened, and security escorted the fan out of the game. He said he didn’t want to press any criminal charges and that having the fan get kicked out of the game was punishment enough. Carter said everyone makes mistakes.

    The Roughriders head to Winnipeg to play the Blue Bombers on Saturday at 1 p.m. Winnipeg time at Investors Group Field.

    Carter was asked about the possibility of the Bombers fans in the Manitoba capital giving him the gears, and he said he welcomed it. He also suggested they could do anything outside of physically touching him like making signs or doing something else that is creative.

    “I love it,” said Carter to Arielle Zerr of 980 CJME. “It’s fans watching football – they love Winnipeg, our fans love the Riders.

    “It’s a great rivalry, and I’m just happy to be a part of it and add a little bit if fuel.”

Back in the Express with Walls

Hilltops QB Jordan Walls tosses a warm up throw.

    I was back in the pages of the Saskatoon Express this week with a feature story on Saskatoon Hilltops quarterback Jordan Walls.

    Walls is the Hilltops new starting quarterback this season taking over from Jared Andreychuk, who led the Toppers to wins in the last three straight CJFL championship games. 

    So far this season, Walls has won his three starts completing 49-of-80 passes for 700 yards, six touchdowns and one interception.

    Besides being the starting quarterback for the Hilltops, Walls doubles as the offensive coordinator of the powerhouse Saskatoon Valkyries of the Western Women’s Canadian Football League.

    The story on Walls can be found by clicking here.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

Roughriders’ Carter has right to be upset at alleged incident

This photo of Duron Carter led to uncovering an alleged incident.

    I never expected posting a harmless photo on social media would uncover a disappointing alleged incident.

    Following the Saskatchewan Roughriders 38-24 win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Labour Day Classic on Sunday at new Mosaic Stadium in Regina, I posted a photo of Roughriders receiver Duron Carter giving high-fives to fans of the host side during the pre-game introduction of the team.
    Since joining the Roughriders, Carter has been tremendous in interacting with Rider Nation, and that photo of him meeting the faithful along the bottom row of the Pil Country section was a great representation of that.

    What I didn’t clue into was the fact something ran afoul, when I was at that contest as a ticket buyer. During my drive from Regina back to Saskatoon on Monday, I received a couple of messages that my picture of Carter was going viral.

    Upon arriving in Saskatoon, I found Carter’s Twitter post alleging a Bombers fan spat on him and that my photo was taken before that alleged incident happened.

This is before a trash ass bombers fan spit on me... Worst fans in the league... can't wait to kick y'all ass again! https://t.co/ezU9XHbhqD

— Duron Carter (@DC_CHILLIN_8) September 4, 2017

#Saskatchewan #Roughriders receiver @DC_CHILLIN_8 mets #RiderNation before the LDC. #CFL. pic.twitter.com/9iThXi6M1M

— Darren Steinke (@StanksSports) September 4, 2017

    He wrote that Bombers fans were the “Worst fans in the league.”

    At that point, I wanted to check my photos immediately after the one I posted of Carter and the Roughriders fans. Thinking back, I remembered fullback Spencer Moore followed Carter to start high-fiving fans too, and I tried to get photos of Moore as well.

    I remember seeing Carter peel back to the Roughriders bench looking upset. I found a shot later on in my sequence further down the row of a small group of Winnipeg fans mixed in with the Roughriders supporters.

    I tweeted to Carter asking if those Bombers fans in the picture were the problem ones. He replied by identifying the alleged spitter as the fan with blue and gold face paint.

Wow! That's him with the blue and gold face paint! https://t.co/7J8uGT8zQx

— Duron Carter (@DC_CHILLIN_8) September 4, 2017

Hey @DC_CHILLIN_8. On serious side, I checked photos after the high-five one I posted. Were these the problem WPG fans? You look upset. pic.twitter.com/F3KZAFYISp

— Darren Steinke (@StanksSports) September 4, 2017

    On top of that, I found another post of a picture of a Winnipeg fan trying to rip the head off of Roughriders mascot Gainer the Gopher.

    CBC reporter Alicia Bridges contacted Regina Police, and they said they were aware of an incident between a fan and the mascot. The Police said there were no formal complaints and no criminal investigation into either claim.

    On Twitter, fans responded with most expressing sympathy for Carter, and some apologized on behalf of Bombers fans. There were fans that sent chirps Carter’s way too, but those were in the minority.

    I am pretty certain something happened to upset Carter, and due to the fact the alleged incident happened pre-game, there is a likelihood it was on the unprovoked side. When Carter scored a touchdown in the south end zone in front of Pil Country in the second quarter, he did taunt the Winnipeg fans in that section likely due to what happened pre-game.

Duron Carter, left, does a TD celebration on Sunday.

    The 26-year-old had an outstanding game hauling in 10 passes for 101 yards.

    At this point, I believe Carter’s claims of the alleged incident. How it plays out for the rest of the week remains to be seen.

    I suspect the incident will come up during media interviews on Tuesday.

    Overall no matter what walk of life you are in, you morally can’t spit on a person. It is just wrong, and it crosses all sorts of lines. Carter has every right to be upset over what happened.

    On the Winnipeg side, the actions of a couple of people don’t reflect the entire fanbase.

    Back in the day, the Bombers had their section of rowdies that inhabited the east side of their former home in the now demolished Winnipeg Stadium. There were a lot of times you didn’t want to sit on the east side of Winnipeg Stadium, if you were a fan of a Bombers opponent due to fears that you might be harmed.

    In today’s day, the large majority of Bombers fans, especially the one that travel to Regina for the Labour Day Classic, are good. At this year’s Labour Day Classic, I spent an hour pre-game hanging out with Winnipeg fans at “Wayne’s World,” which is the party spot for Bombers fans located across the street from Taylor Field, which is the Roughriders old stadium.

    All my interactions with Winnipeg fans were good ones, and just over a year ago, I wrote a column about how Winnipeg fans add to the atmosphere of the Labour Day Classic in a good way.

    With that said, every sports team has bad apple fans, and Carter wrote in another tweet he wouldn’t condone terrible “fansmanship” for any team.

Just to let you know! I wouldn't condone terrible "fansmanship" for any team... y'all stop comparing who is worse...

— Duron Carter (@DC_CHILLIN_8) September 4, 2017

    At the moment, I believe it is too early to determine what affect it will have on the next encounter between the Roughriders and Bombers, when the Bombers host “the Banjo Bowl” at 1 p.m. Winnipeg time on Saturday at Investors Group Field.

    A search over Twitter occurred on Monday in an effort to find the accused spitter.

    If the accused spitter is found, I would suspect there would be some sort of ban from attending CFL games, but depending what is said, I don’t believe the ban should be a permanent one.

    As far as a criminal aspect is concerned, that would rely on how Carter felt about how things play out in the coming days. The same would go for how the person inside the suit of Gainer the Gopher felt about the Bombers fan that tried to rip his mascot head off, if an accused is found in that situation.

    When the Roughriders and Bombers meet on Saturday, I hope everyone in attendance remembers the two teams are just playing a game, and it is not life versus death struggle.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.