Rider Pride Report

In a game without highlights, a Rider fan is forced to create them.

Late in the 34 – 15 thumping, with nothing all day to excite this fan, I spotted friend and injured Bomber Chris Cvetkovic on the sidelines during a close up shot of Winnipeg coach Doug Berry. Since I never tire of seeing people I actually know on TV, I guess it was the highlight of my September 9 Rider viewing.

There seemed to be scant pickings for Rider-fueled excitement. It seemed to me that the game pointed out a few things in a slightly clearer manner than past 2007 contests, however. Most importantly, it’s not possible to take much away from the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on this day. They seemed to play very well in nearly every facet of the game, combining long drives, trick plays, Chuck Bob and a strong passing attack into a relatively easy victory. In the somewhat weakened East, they are a clear favourite at this stage of the season.

As Coach Kent Austin pointed out, the Saskatchewan Roughriders really didn’t do much of anything very well on this September afternoon. If there was an effective pass rush, I certainly missed it. This lack of pressure made it very tough for the secondary and also made it hard to judge whether the shortcomings of that group were based on the Bombers’ almost free plays or another, more serious, weakness in personnel or schemes. It would seem that the return of stalwart Eddie Davis cannot come too soon for the Rider defensive backfield.

However, in a bit of a surprise, the Lions lost also, enabling the Riders to maintain their slim one-point Western lead. In the rear-view mirror, almost out of nowhere, we see a flash of red, the Calgary Stampeders. The Riders’ next two games loom as extremely important, since victories against Calgary on September 15 and BC a week later could really propel Saskatchewan in a great direction. With the Rider late-season schedule including Hamilton times two, the opportunity to create some space in the standings is there for the taking.

The opposite is clearly possible too. It will be a good test for the Riders and their fans to see how the group rebounds from this Winnipeg game. The tumble from the heights of Labour Day excitement to the reality of this Banjo Bowl has to be tough to handle, and thus the measure of these Riders will soon be judged, I think.     

But it still was cool to see Cvetkovic on TV. . .