’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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Cooke wins 50th with Huskies

Kendall McFaull, left, gives congrats to Jordon Cooke on his 50th win.

    Jordon Cooke further cemented his status as one of the best goalies to ever play for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s hockey team with a unique accomplishment.

    On Saturday at the ancient Rutherford Rink, Cooke made 26 saves as his Huskies, who are rated fourth in the U Sports Top 10 rankings, downed the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds 5-2. With that effort, Cooke became the third goalie in the history of the Huskies men’s hockey team to win 50 career regular season games.

    The other two netminders who have pulled off that feat are Ryan Holfeld, who won 53 games playing for the Huskies from 2010 to 2015, and Jeff Harvey, who picked up 60 wins playing for the Huskies from 2005 to 2010.

    During his career with the Huskies, Cooke has been phenomenal. Currently during regular season play with the team, the Leduc, Alta., product has posted a 50-19-2 record, a 2.38 goals against average, a .920 save percentage and eight shutouts.

    The 24-year-old has been the U Sports goalie of the year and a U Sports first team all-Canadian in each of the past two seasons.

Jordon Cooke makes a glove stop for the Huskies.

    He was instrumental in helping the Huskies win the Canada West title in the 2015-16 campaign and make an appearance in the U Sports championship game – the University Cup – last season.

    Cooke was a prized recruit for the Huskies back at the start of the 2014-15 season have been named the Canadian Hockey League’s goaltender of the year back in the 2013-14 campaign while with the Kelowna Rockets.

    Standing 5-foot-10 and weighing 185 pounds, Cooke was passed over in the NHL Entry Draft as those clubs are hooked on finding netminders who stand at least 6-foot-2.

    With that said, Cooke can flat out stop the puck making key bailout saves, and he should be in the professional ranks. Numerous pears that he played with and against in major junior and the university ranks believe Cooke should be playing in the professionally now.

    What can’t be denied is Cooke has made his mark with the Huskies. He is arguably the most recognizable player on an extremely talented Huskies men’s team.

    He is the type of player you want representing your team out in the community. Cooke is well-mannered, personable and approachable, and he has a pretty slick sense of humour too, which makes him a beauty.

    Cooke has held his own in the classroom too. Before the start of the season, he was named one of many recipients of the Huskie Athletics All-Academic Second Team award for having an average of at least 74.5 per cent on a minimum coarse load of 24 credit units last season.

Jordon Cooke, left, and Levi Cable chat during a stoppage in play.

    For players coming out of major junior hockey, they always face initial anxiety about the classroom work, when they join a university squad. A lot of times, those players will have been out of school for two or three years. Academic achievements are gratifying for those players.

    While Cooke had a solid night on Saturday, Michael Sofillas scored twice for the Huskies, while Kohl Bauml, Parker Thomas and Logan McVeigh all had singles helping the Huskies improve to 8-1-1.

    Manraj Hayer and Tyler Sandhu replied with singles for UBC. Saskatoon product Rylan Toth turned away 36-of-40 shots taking the setback in goal for the Thunderbirds (5-4-1).

    The Huskies return to action this coming Friday when they host their forever rivals the U of Alberta Golden Bears (10-0) at 7 p.m. at Rutherford.

Proud to be 3rd Huskie goalie to hit 50 wins in a Huskie uniform. Thanks boys, aiming for 61! #thedogs

— Jordon Cooke (@jordoncooke32) November 12, 2017

Vance still in prime form after layoff

Jessica Vance in her last game with the Bears on March 25, 2015.

    Jessica Vance showed a layoff of about two and a half years didn’t diminish any of her skills when it comes to play goal.

    On Saturday at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre in Vancouver, B.C., Vance made her second consecutive start for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team. She made 17 stops to back the Huskies to a 2-1 victory over the host University of British Columbia Thunderbirds.

    One night earlier, Vance made 33 saves to pick up a 2-0 shutout victory for the Huskies against the Thunderbirds in her U Sports regular season debut. UBC had been ranked first in the U Sports Top 10 rankings heading into the weekend.

    Before stepping in goal for the Huskies on the weekend, Vance’s last competitive hockey start came way back on March 25, 2015 for the Prince Albert Northern Bears in Game 3 of that year’s Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League championship series. She made 20 saves in that game, but the Bears fell to the host Saskatoon Stars 2-0 at the Agriplace Arena and were swept out of that series 3-0.

    Playing for the Bears from 2010 to 2015, Vance became one of the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League’s all-time greatest goalies posting a 48-36 record, a 2.27 goals against average, a .926 save percentage and 16 shutouts in 91 career regular season games. Her 48 wins, 16 shutouts and 91 games played are all SFMAAAHL career regular season records.

    After exhausting her midget AAA eligibility, Vance committed to play for the U of Manitoba Bisons women’s hockey team, but she was forced to sit out the 2015-16 campaign as a medical redshirt after suffering a major leg injury playing competitive softball in the summer of 2015.

    Vance dressed for one game as a backup goalie very early last season for the Bisons before electing to play closer to home. Due to dressing for that one game, she wasn’t eligible to play for the Huskies until Nov. 1 of this year.

Kayla Kirwan scored her first U Sports goal on Sunday.

    Against the Thunderbirds, Vance didn’t show any rust. The 20-year-old played up to her star reputation from the past stopping 50-of-51 shots over two games against a powerhouse Thunderbirds side.

    With those two wins, the Huskies improved to 7-2-1 to sit first in the Canada West Conference by a single point over the Bisons (7-3).

    U of S built that record playing three goalies who have all delivered strong performances in Vance, Jasey Book and Chloe Marshall. Huskies head coach Steve Kook has a good problem of having to make a tough decision of who starts, who dresses and who sits among the trio on any given night.

    In Saturday’s win, Emily Upgang had a goal and an assist for the Huskies, and the assist came from helping set up defender Kayla Kirwan’s first career U Sports regular season goal.

    Hannah Clayton-Carroll had the lone reply for UBC. Amelia Boughn made 26 saves to take the loss in goal for the Thunderbirds, who fell to 6-4.

    The Huskies return to action this coming Friday, when they travel to Edmonton to take on the defending U Sports champion U of Alberta Pandas (6-2-2).

Thompson stones Blades

Jake Kustra scored for the Blades on Saturday.

    The Saskatoon Blades couldn’t overcome a hot goaltender against the Wheat Kings in Brandon on Saturday night.

    Overager Logan Thompson made 36 saves to allow the Wheat Kings to slip past the Blades 3-1 before 4,804 spectators at Westman Place.

    The two teams played through a scoreless opening frame. Baron Thompson scored the only goal of the second period to give the Wheat Kings a 1-0 lead.

    At the 13:45 mark of the third period, Stelio Mattheos potted his 11^th goal of the season to give Brandon a 2-0 edge. Blades defenceman Jake Kustra got the visitors on the board with a short-handed goal with 1:15 to play in the third period.

    Saskatoon pressed for the equalizer, but Evan Weinger closed out the Wheat Kings victory with an empty-net goal right before the third period buzzer.

    Ryan Kubic turned away 21-of-23 shots taking the setback in goal for the Blades.

    The Wheat Kings improved to 11-6-1 with the win, while the Blades fell to 7-10-1.

    The Blades return to action Wednesday, when they host the Moose Jaw Warriors (7 p.m., SaskTel Centre).

Get ready for Roughriders hysteria to crank even higher

Quarterback Kevin Glenn led the Roughriders to a playoff win in Ottawa.

    Now that the Saskatchewan Roughriders have won the East semifinal, you can expect the excitement for the CFL club to hit an even higher fever pitch in the province that boasts the “Land of the Living Skies.”

    The excitement in warranted. After missing the CFL’s playoffs for two straight seasons, the Roughriders have exceeded expectations in the current campaign posting a 10-8 regular season record. It has been enjoyable to watch this team come together over the course of the season. Going into the playoffs, the Roughriders had nothing to lose and everything to gain.

    On Sunday before 24,107 spectators at TD Place in Ottawa, the Roughriders downed the host and defending Grey Cup champion Redblacks 31-20. Thanks to that win, Saskatchewan advances to the East Final this coming Sunday against the Argonauts in Toronto.

    In the win over the Redblacks, Roughriders ageless 38-year-old quarterback Kevin Glenn completed 18-of-28 passes for 252 yards and one touchdown to pace the visitors. Glenn carried the ball three times for 10 yards and scored one touchdown.

    Running back Marcus Thigpen carried the ball 15 times for 169 yards and scored on an electrifying 75-yard touchdown run.

    Redblacks quarterback Trevor Harris did his best to try and keep his side’s post-season alive. He completed 37-of-60 passes for 457 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.

    Listening to the radio call of Roughriders play-by-play voice Rod Pedersen was fun, when he described Thigpen’s 75-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. Pedersen goes right out there being excited for the Roughriders, and the entertainment value of his call was priceless. As a fan, you come away thinking your team is number one, if you are a Roughriders backer like I am.

    At that moment, I was thinking too hard on a serious subject, and that touchdown call came at a perfect time to lighten the mood. I had a good chuckle.

    On the Roughriders front, the figures are crossed for this upcoming Sunday.

    The Edmonton Eskimos dumped the Blue Bombers in Winnipeg 39-32 in the West semifinal. The Eskimos advance to face the Stampeders in Calgary this coming Sunday in the West Final.

    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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A coaching change won't help Riders

Corey Chamblin has had a rocky season as Roughriders head coach.

    For now, the Corey Chamblin deathwatch is on hold in Rider Nation.

    The voices calling for the head of the head coach of the Saskatchewan Roughriders will only stay somewhat muted until the next sign of trouble. If the Roughriders totally lay an egg in their clash against the Argonauts in Toronto on Saturday, the deathwatch will be on again.

    People will be asking, “Will Chamblin be fired today? How about tomorrow? The day after?”

You will also likely see the odd story appear in a mainstream media outlet saying Chamblin will be axed and another person is about to be brought in as head coach. That could possibly result in Roughriders general manager Brendan Taman holding another media conference to say Chamblin is safe like the one that was held earlier this week.

    Welcome to the daily life of players, coaches and management of the Roughriders, who constantly live in a fishbowl and forces outside the organization can turn things into a soap opera. When the team starts 0-6 for the time since 1979, the fishbowl becomes that much smaller. The 1979 club lots its first 12 in a row and finished with a 2-14 mark.

    Whenever the voices rally again calling for Chamblin to be dumped, it has to be noted that type of change likely won’t help the Roughriders, but it has a high probability of making things worse.

    In the modern era of professional football or even football at the university level be it Canada or the United States, a mid-season coaching change has less of a chance to provide a temporary spark or shake up compared to any other sport. When you dump a head coach, you basically dump the system that head coach brought in.

    The team will likely have a week, or even two weeks to try and learn a new system for the next game. In all reality, the mid-season replacement head coach would be smart to keep using the system his predecessor had in.

    The preparation a team puts in during a week has a huge classroom component, which most in the general public likely don’t have an appreciation for. For every hour a player spends on the practice field, it is likely he spends at least three hours studying video.

    The coaches go through more video than the players. At the professional and university levels, it is also common for the head coach to sleep four hours a night in his office at various times in the preparation week.

    During a meeting, it is possible to go through just one play for 15 minutes. The days when quarterbacks called their own game and squads only ran like 30 different offensive plays are long gone. Playbooks these days are thick.

    Due to all the preparation that needs to be done during a football work week, teams are basically saddled up with the current coaching staff for the duration of the season. If a coaching change is made, it is easier to do it in the off-season. Hench in the NFL, that is why every Monday after the regular season ends you usually see a large amount of coach firings.

    No other sport undergoes this type of preparation work. It is common to come across hockey coaches that say they don’t put in the hours their counterparts do in football.

    In the current CFL season, the biggest turning point for the Roughriders came in Week 3, when they led the B.C. Lions in Vancouver 29-18 with 2:21 to play and fell 35-32 in overtime. Holding a 29-26 edge, the Roughriders faced a third and one at their own 48. If the Roughriders gambled to get a first down, they would be able to end the game with kneel downs.

The Argonauts and Roughriders face each other on Saturday in Toronto.

    The visitors elected for the gamble and quarterback Brett Smith was stuffed on a sneak play. The Lions kicked a field goal to force overtime, and the rest is history.

    Immediately after that game on social media, Roughriders fans expressed their displeasure and took shots first at new defensive coordinator Greg Quick. The anger quickly moved to Chamblin, who in the off-season replaced Roughriders great Ritchie Hall as defensive coordinator with Quick.

    From that time, Chamblin’s work has been dissected in almost every way imaginable good and bad, especially when it comes to his influence on the defence. It seems no one remembers that Chamblin was the Roughriders head coach when they posted an 11-7 regular season record in 2013 and moved on to win the Grey Cup on home turf in a 45-23 romp over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

    Chamblin has earned the right to have a bad season and should be given the chance to turn things around. It also must be noted that might not be possible in Saskatchewan.

    When the Roughriders won the Grey Cup in 1989, then head coach John Gregory could have run for premier of the province after his team’s 43-40 victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in Toronto. Gregory was still very much loved two years later, when he was dumped as Roughriders head coach after the green and white started the 1991 season at 1-6. Saskatchewan finished with a 6-12 regular season mark to miss the playoffs.

    Chamblin was never as popular as Gregory was even during good times.

    On top of that, the Riders are starting Smith, who is in his full rookie season, at quarterback due to injuries to standouts Darian Durant and Kevin Glenn. Saskatchewan is also mired in a host of other injuries as well.

    At the moment, a new head coach would likely have a harder time cracking the win column than Chamblin does now.

Old guys whoop it up at Hilltops Alumni Game

David Stevens scores the winning touchdown for the "Has Beens."

    Looking upon the post-game scene at Saskatchewan Minor Football Field on Thursday night, you would have thought the “Has Beens” won the Super Bowl.

    The Canadian Junior Football League’s Saskatoon Hilltops’ annual alumni game came down to the wire, where the team’s current roster clashed with a squad made up of former Hilltops players. The alumni team was also stocked with a few players who graduated from various post-secondary clubs, where the majority of that representation came from the Canadian Interuniversity Sport ranks.

    On the final play of the game, tailback David Stevens ran a major in from a yard out to give the alumni squad a 16-14 victory over the current Hilltops. Following the score, the alumni team, which went by the moniker the “Has Beens,” stormed off their bench to mob Stevens in celebration and whoop up the victory in the end zone.

    The old players showed they still have game and gave the Hilltops, who returned most of their CJFL title winning team from a season ago, a stiff test.

    Stevens, who was a star carrying the rock out of the backfield for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies, was still as fast and elusive as ever. Watching Stevens play, you wouldn’t believe his final season with the Huskies came back in 2006. If he still had eligibility to play, he might still be one of the top three running backs in the CIS.

    Receiver Kit Hillis, who just wrapped up his CIS career with the Huskies as their all-time leader in receptions last season, also made a number of huge plays. On the series before the alumni team secured the win, Hillis, who is also a former Hilltops pass catcher, dropped a potential winning TD reception on a third down gamble.

    On the game-winning drive, he hauled in an intermediate route and turned it into a gain of about 50 yards to set up the alumni team in the red zone.

    The current Hilltops, who went by the moniker the “Will Be’s,” played inspired, as they ensured their whole roster saw action. Unfortunately, they racked up too many penalties.

The "Has Beens" celebrate victory at the Hilltops Alumni Game.

    Most of the flags came from illegal procedure, off-side, illegal substitution, too many men and illegal formation calls, which was surprising to see from a veteran club. They had a number of instances where players weren’t aware if they should be on the field or not.

    On one play, an official chuckled he didn’t have to throw a too many men flag, because the Hilltops offence ran a play with 11 players.

    Head coach Tom Sargeant and his staff accumulated a lot of video that can be used to illustrate what mistakes need to be fixed.

    The Hilltops do have time to iron out the errors. They open the regular season on Aug. 16, when they travel to Calgary to take on the Colts.

    If you have comments about this blog post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

Rumblings are a plenty for Roughriders

Darian Durant is attended to by the Roughriders training staff on June 27.

    If you live in Saskatchewan, you know you can talk about the CFL’s Roughriders at any time, all the time and get heated dissecting every facet of the team.

    Since taking the field and falling in their regular season opener 30-26 to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on June 27 at Mosaic Stadium, there is no shortage of things to discuss surrounding the green and white in Rider Nation. Everything is not all good, but everything is not all bad.

    • The worst news revolves around starting quarterback Darian Durant, who ruptured his left Achilles tendon shortly before halftime in the season opener. Durant completed 13 of 18 passes for 165 yards, two touchdown passes and no interceptions before being carted off the field.

    Durant tore a tendon in his right elbow last season in a 30-24 win over the Blue Bombers on Sept. 7, 2014 in Winnipeg. That injury occurred when the officials didn’t blow a play dead at the snap with certainty in a loud Investors Group Field, which saw half the players stop and half continue on the play. Bombers defensive end Bryant Turner continued with the play and nailed Durant to cause the injury.

    The elbow injury was created by an unfortunate set of circumstances. The ruptured Achilles occurred due to bad luck. Durant dropped to the turf after following through on a pass, and he wasn’t even contacted on the play.

    The 32-year-old has already cemented his place as a Roughriders legend leading the team to a Grey Cup championship at home in 2013 and Grey Cup appearances as a starter in 2009 and 2010. He was also part of the Roughriders 2007 Grey Cup championship team as a third stringer.

    For anyone that has dealt with Durant for a number of years, you know he legitimately cares and enjoys being the starting quarterback of the Roughriders, and he has excelled in that role. That hasn’t always been the case for a club that endures arguably more scrutiny from its fan base than any other sports team outside of the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens.

    Here is hoping Durant’s luck changes on the injury front in 2016.

   
    • The Roughriders need to play tougher and more aggressive defence going forward in 2015, if they want to have any shot of challenging for the Grey Cup. Against the Bombers, the Roughriders defence gave up 28 first towns, 325 yards passing, 145 yards rushing and failed to force a turnover. Winnipeg running back Paris Cotton had 108 yards on the ground on just 13 carries.

    The Roughriders defence missed numerous tackles and was non-existent. The fact the Bombers were able to drive the ball at will was also disheartening. Safety Tyron Brackenridge is expected to return to the Roughriders defence for Sunday’s game against the 1-0 Toronto Argonauts (1:30 p.m., Mosaic Stadium), so that should help Saskatchewan’s defensive unit.

    • Offence wasn’t a problem for the Roughriders in their season opener. Under Durant or backup

Kevin Glenn (#5) calls out signals for the Roughriders.

Kevin Glenn, the offence looked good. The Roughriders put up 285 yards through the air and 212 yards on the ground without injured star receiver Weston Dressler, who is expect to return on Sunday.

    Glenn has put up Hall-of-Fame numbers in his 14 seasons in the CFL. With a full week of practice with the first-team offence, expect Glenn to be that much more efficient going forward.

    Life is also coming full circle with Glenn, who started his CFL career with the Roughriders before moving on to play with Winnipeg, Calgary, Hamilton and British Columbia. The 2003 West Final looked at one time to be Glenn’s last with the Roughriders. As a backup, he entered the contest with the Riders trailing the host Edmonton Eskimos 23-2 for an ineffective Nealon Greene.

    Glenn gave the Roughriders a chance to in that contest, who eventually fell 30-23. During that offseason, the Roughriders brass of general manager Roy Shivers and head coach Danny Barrett backed Greene, who had been erratic his whole Roughriders tenure, as the starter going into 2004.

    That decision led to Glenn’s departure from Rider Nation, as many felt he should have been elevated or given the chance to compete for starter status. Glenn resurfaced in 2004 with the Bombers after a couple of transactions.

    Now a cagey veteran, Glenn will have his chance to lead the Riders as the starter.

    • Kicker Paul McCallum also had a back to the future moment, when he resurfaced with the Roughriders this week. The 45-year-old last played for the Roughriders in 2005 before moving on to excel with the B.C. Lions.

    McCallum’s name was linked with one of the most infamous moments in the Riders’ history. After he missed a chip shot field goal in overtime of the 2004 West Final helping the host B.C. Lions pull out a 27-25 win, his home was vandalized, he was threatened and manure was dumped on his neighbour’s property.

    McCallum was brought back to add more consistency with the kicking game, which wasn’t there with Chris Milo. Milo, who is well-liked by the Roughriders organization, struggled last season hitting 71.4 per cent of his field goals, and he often hit the post. He was 1-for-2 in the team’s regular season opener, but it is obvious the Saskatchewan coaches still have big concerns.

    Since 2009, McCallum hasn’t had a campaign where he has made less than 84.6 per cent of his kicks. Last season, he made 38-of-42 field goals for a 90.5 per cent success rate.

Any one that has followed football for any length of time knows an accurate place kicker will always find work and age won’t be a barrier.

    Over the long term, the Roughriders would love for Milo to regain his form from 2013, when he made 46-of-52 field goals for an 88.5 per cent success rate.

    • As the Roughriders go forward, the coaches also have to step up their game.

Since becoming the Roughriders head coach in 2011, Corey Chamblin has done an excellent job overall. With that said, the coaches always have to get better too. Chamblin preaches that to his players and that also has to stick to himself and his staff.

    In the opener with the Roughriders down 30-26, they faced a third and three from midfield with under three minutes to play. Chamblin went with conventional wisdom, and the Roughriders punted hoping to get a defensive stop and one last possession.

    Coaches are responsible for putting their players in the best positions to win the game, and this looked like a smart move. Unfortunately, Chamblin didn’t do a good job in reading the flow of the play.

    The offensives on both sides were running the show. At that time in place, the Roughriders needed to get the go-ahead score, as time was running out.

    Chamblin needed to mirror Bill Belichick, who is the head coach of the NFL’s New England Patriots, and gamble at this point in time. With the way the Bombers were moving the ball, the chances were high the Roughriders would not get another possession, and Winnipeg did indeed ground out the clock.

    A good head coach knows that each game contains its own story and makes the best decisions to try and win with what is occurring. He can’t worry about making a decision to slight one side of the ball or the other, and he is able to get that message across to his players no matter what the outcome.

    Belichick always has the message that he always expects to make it when he gambles. Chamblin can say the same thing, if the gamble doesn’t work.

    At some point in time, the game hits a critical juncture, where you have to go for it. Chamblin needed to gamble on that third and three.

    • Penalties. As far as penalties go, the officials should go back to calling things the way they did in 2013. The tweaks that have been made to calling penalties in 2014 and this season have helped grind the CFL game down. The way calls have been made in 2015 really hasn’t led to more scoring in the early going outside of the Hamilton Tigers-Cats bombing the Blue Bombers 52-26 on Thursday night in Winnipeg.

    The only other squad to score 30 or more points was when the Bombers beat the Roughriders on June 27 at Mosaic. Offence wasn’t really broke in 2013 and didn’t really need fixing.

    If you have any feedback about this blog post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.