The 2013 CFL season started exactly as Ridernation hoped it would. Saturday afternoon's 39 - 18 drubbing of the Eskimos in Edmonton got the Riders off on the right foot. The end result was truly flattering to the Eskimos as they trailed 36 - 1 miidway through the third quarter before the Riders called off the dogs. In many ways the season opener gave us plenty of reasons for optimism along with the usual issues that people want to over analyze which I will also bring up.
First up, the bright spots:
* Darian Durant looked calm and poised in the pocket. He made some things happen with his legs and he made ZERO mistakes. Three TD scores without an INT. Great start to the season for Darian in that it should shut a lot of Durant haters up for the meantime. I, along with many others also know DD is capable of more which is promising as a Rider fan and scary for future opposition. I look forward to unveiling my spanky new Durant #4 jersey on Friday night.
* Kory Sheets is a beast. Sheets is part of the reason why the passing game was less active as he got it done on the ground for most of the afternoon. I know Sheets would like to eclipse 2000 yards on the ground this season which is something that is not entirely out of the realm of possibility.
* Chris Getzlaf looked like an entirely different reciever. He caught everything thrown his way and was able to gain additional yardage after the catch, or the YAC yards as they are commonly referred to. I think Getzlaf is the one who will truly benefit this season from the presence of Dressler and Simon (when healthy) along with the emergence of Smith and Sheets. He could have a real good year.
* Mitchell Blair, AKA Scruffy called for Keith Shologan to have a big year and so far, he is absolutely correct. Two big sacks for #74 up the middle along with eating a lot of eating up space and minimizing the effectiveness of Hugh Charles.
* Macho Harris and the secondary played great. I haven't seen a Rider secondary cover like that in years. There was nothing being given and they were all over the ball. I was in conversations with Mrs. Morin yesterday about potentially purchasing a #3 Harris jersey. That is how much he impressed me on Saturday.
* Ben Heenan was under the gun all week. He had been moved outside with the injury to Neufeld and hadn't looked particularly good against Calgary in the pre - season finale. I thought Heenan played very well on Saturday as did the entire line who gave DD lots of time in the pocket.
* I could go on and on which about the players who played well. I won't but I could and this is refreshing because it shows just how complete a game the Riders played on Saturday.
* One more, Diamond Ferri is one tough SOB. He got nailed by Matt O'Donnell but got up and walked off. He has so much left in the tank from what I see. He is a true asset to the Riders.
Now, the issues people need to leave alone...
* Yes, Dwight Anderson had a melt down. Yes, Dwight Anderson has a history. Yes, many of you never wanted him in the first place. How much did Fred Stamps do on Satruday afternoon? Next to nothing. Who covered him for most of the game? Yes, that's right Dwight Anderson. Look, Anderson is not going to cost us thirty yards every week, and he is one hell of a cover guy to have. I will take a little Tom Foolery with that type of play every week. I look for him to be a real thorn in the big ass of Nik Lewis this week. If he can shut down Nik Lewis, I can completely forget his moment of weakness which meant little to nothing in a game that was in the bag.
* Geroy Simon was ruled out for Friday night this afternoon by Coach Chamblin following practice. People are going to bitch and people are going to call for his release and bemoan the release of Greg Carr. Look, Geroy is 37 years old. I would much rather we get Geroy back at 100% than have him rush back at 80% only to see him make it worse. Those that are calling for his release need to sit back and think; this is the greatest reciever the CFL has ever seen. If we get 75% of a season out of him, and 60% of his season averages he is still bringing a lot to the table, not to mention what else had does aside from simply stats. He is a true leader on and off the field. Geroy, I doubt you read this but if you do, don't listen to the no - mind's who think they know everything. Take your time and get healthy. Ridernation is ready for the arrival of Superman whenever Superman is ready to go.
* Greg Carr got cut yesterday. People on Rod Pederson's blog had a running debate as to whether it was a salary thing, a Geroy thing or what was the reasoning. Here it is; Greg Carr isn't that good. The guy is 6'6 but is afraid to get hit. He won't go over the middle to make a catch and his hands are just slightly better than average. He had chances to become a household name and never got there. I also had high hopes following last year's Western Semi but he just didn't fit into the plans this year.
And then there was Friday. In approximatley 52.5 hours I will be right back in my favorite place in the world, Section 24, Row 23, Seat 19 for the Rider's home opener. As of today, 34, 000 tickets had been sold for the game and there is a realistic chance the old girl could house 40, 000 for Friday night. That is going to be one electric atmosphere.
Friday should be a real good litnus test for the Riders and also one that does a little more to clear up the debate as to how things might shape up in the west. Calgary looked pretty good against BC on Friday night and many have them ahead of the Riders at the end of the season. I am not one of those people but still think BC is the team to beat. That being said, Friday could give us a real indication as to whether both or one of these two teams are as good as they looked in their season openers.
As mentioned earlier you can expect Nik Lewis to get a face full of Dwight Anderson all night. Those two will beak and battle all night long and if Anderson can do half the job he did on Fred Stamps last week, we are in great shape. At the same time, if our front seven, stronger this week than last with the return of Tearrius George can keep Jon Cornish and his gigantic ego in check, things will be even better. I can not wait for Friday; is there any better way to start the seasn than a smacketh of the Eskimos followed by a beat down of the Stamps? Hang on to your hats, crack open the Pil and get ready for some good old fashioned Rider football. WOOOOEEEEE!
And in other, unrelated to the CFL News:
* Apparently Aaron Hernandez has been a despicable loser for quite some time.
* Yasiel Puig is a decent baseball player
* I shot 61 on nine holes last week. Fortunatley I didn't have any rope laying around the garage when I got home.
* I also suck at fishing; two trips up north on consecutive days resulted in the filleting of exactly ONE fish. Maybe I need to revoke my 'we eat only what daddy catches this summer' rule. Kruze could stand to lose a few but Kylie already struggles to keep straight in a slight prarie breeze.
* NHL Free Agency has open. Teams can talk to UFA's but not sign until Friday. While there are no real marquee names on the market this year, that doesn't mean stupid amounts of money won't be agreed to on Friday. If you had more than eight goals and twenty points last season, daddy will surely be getting more than a new pair of shoes.
* The Philadelphia Flyers are really an interesting group aren't they. They just saved a bunch of money buying our Danny Briere and Ilya Bryzgalov only to turn around and give Vinny Lecavalier $22.5 million. To me that's a stretch for Lecavalier who hasn't been at his best since the Lightning's Stanely Cup run of 2005. I think I would rather give that kind of money to Vinny Damphousse.
* That move could help the Oilers however as needed to clear cap space could mean the Flyers may be more willing ot discuss a potential deal for Brayden Coburn which the Oilers have made no secrets regarding their desire to acquire him.
* Speaking of the Oilers, what a refreshing move they made on Sunday, taking Darnell Nurse at #7. That is exactly the type of player this club needed and if he molds into the form many expect him to, he could become a staple on the Oil blue line for years to come. And if nothing else, perhaps his Uncle, Donovan McNabb could move to Edmonton in search of work. I know a football team not far from Rexall Place with with a bit of a stench to them.
And with that I have said about all I have to say, or can think of to say. It's hot out there, avoid milk.
