A weekly look at all of the action in the CFL from a former player’s perspective.
Only a few games to discuss, but in both there are more than enough talking points. Add in a personnel upheaval in Saskatchewan and the second half of the season on the horizon and it is looking like it might be a case where the preseason contenders will start to separate themselves from the pretenders.
Here a few thoughts jotted down from Week 8:
Saskatchewan @ Toronto | Boxscore
For the past two weeks on the Riders first play ... bad snap and fumble. Not a good way to start any game.
The Riders dominated in almost all statistics, except the one that matters most ... the scoreboard. Saskatchewan controlled the time of possession, yardage gained and first downs. It seemed like every time the Riders were driving and made a big play, a penalty would nullify the positive yardage or stall the drive.
Give Toronto some credit, they played a bend but don't break defence and were patient, simply waiting until Saskatchewan made its errors.
Stats for thought:
** The Riders gained 468 yards of offense to the 248 yards for the Argos.
** Saskatchewan had 27 first downs vs. 19 for Toronto.
With these two numbers, you would think Saskatchewan dominated the game, but when a team is 1-6, it is more a case of a team trying to find a way to give the game away. The team needs to play with the same urgency as it did in the last two minutes of the game ... except for the entire 60 minutes.
As a result the team fired Greg Marshall and Doug Berry, using each as scapegoats. It still doesn't rectify anything with there defence. It's a good thing the Riders have plenty of money in the bank, Marshall has two more years on his contract, salary guaranteed. By firing the head coach halfway through his first season, they are basically saying that a mistake was made. So, who's being held accountable for this?
In my opinion, the Riders' D is one of its biggest problems, yet that issue has still not been resolved. Hopefully, Ken Miller can step in and change the culture of this team ASAP, revive the 'swagger' and start believing in each other.
After all, the Riders have the most passionate fans in the CFL.
It's time for this team to show that they are better than its record ... if they really are that good.
BC @ Edmonton | Boxscore
The Eskimos made history! Fewest points scored by the home team at Commonwealth Stadium. Also, the team has not scored a touchdown in the last 11 quarters of football. I understand that the team is depleted by injuries, but not scoring a touchdown is simply unacceptable.
With a slew of new receivers, it was apparent the timing with Ray was simply not there.
The O-line has struggled over the last three weeks, and as a result, Ray has spent much more time on his back. But let's give B.C. some credit: Travis Lulay looked better, and I'm sure he appreciated the coaches having his back.
This was also the coming out party for Arland Bruce. Opposing teams will now have its hands full trying to contain both Bruce & Simon.
Now with the bye week ahead, both teams will have a chance to rest and get some injured guys back.
As we approach the second half of the season, the contenders will start to separate themselves from the pretenders.
