Believe it or not, there will be NO Rider news/discussion in this post. Rather I just wanted to take a few minutes to share my thoughts on the NHL's decision making over the last couple of days.
First off, yesterday I spoke of how, even though it was against the team I cheer for, the Edmonton Oilers, I didn't feel Zack Kassian deserved a suspension for the incident involving Sam Gagner and his broken jaw. That being said, he got the remainder of the regular season and the first five games of the regular season. Tell me how Brendan Shanahan deems this intentional and worhty of much more than a game or two? If Sam Gagner doesn't break his jaw on the play, is there any supplemental discipline? Does this mean that if Milan Lucic hits a guy into the boards and tears the guy's knee up that he needs to sit? Call it what you will, but it is essentially the same principle. I get that you should be in control of your stick but the broken jaw was a freak incident to go with the freak play. If Gagner skates away unharmed, am I wrong to think that Kassian gets a double minor and we move on?
What compounds this and makes it more aggravating for me is that Dale Wiese, who deliberately sticks out his elbow and pastes Taylor Hall on the chin gets only the remainder of the pre - season. Dale Wiese has presumably made this team so this is essentially a holiday for him. Truly the fact that Taylor Hall was fine probably played into this, and should it have? Absolutely not. Give Dale Wiese the five game regular season ban if anyone.
And then there was the showdown at the ACC on Sunday between the Leafs and Sabres. Granted John Scott acted like a moron, and granted Phil Kessel was probably scared spitless but the way he swung his stick at Scott TWICE followed by a spear was complete abuse of the stick in your hand. While he was protecting himself from a bit of a pummelling, how does he NOT get a single game for those actions? I mean really NHL, when are you going to wake up and move in the right direction when it comes to these rulings? I don't care who you are or the scenario that is playing out, you can NOT use your stick as a weapon the way Kessel did and walk away scott free.
All this adds up to for me is presumably several more blog posts over the next eight months bemoaning the NHL discipline and trying to make sense of it, something I, along with several other NHL fans will probably never accomplish.
On that note, how can you not be cheering for the Pittsburgh Pirates. If you are Canadian and like the sport of baseball, they have two great Canadian kids on the team in Catcher Russell Martin and 1B Justin Morneau. Add that to the fact this is their first winning season and post - season berth since 1992 and you have to be a fan. Can you imagine an Oakland / Pittsburgh World Series?
Off to bike ride with the kids...
HM
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Monday, September 23, 2013
Another One Slips Away
More than 39, 000 left disappointed yesterday afternoon as the Saskatchewan Roughriders let another victory elude them. Paul McCallum's 42 yard field goal as time expired was the difference as the B.C. Lions improved to 8 - 4 and took over second place in the CFL's West Division while the Riders fall to third after their third consecutive set back. The result is more unfortunate given what Zach Collaros and the Toronto Argonauts did the night before in Calgary.
All that aside, I have said this before and I will say it again; it sickens me to read/listen to supposed Rider fans jump down the throat of Darian Durant whenever adversity shows up in Riderville. Was Darian perfect yesterday? No. Did he turn the ball over a couple of times? Yes. Could he have been better? Yes. But most importantly, at least to me, did he put us in a position to win with less than a minute remaining? ABSOLUTELY. A 352 yard performance with a couple of scores is a not bad afternoon of football.
I am not in any way pinning this on Chris Milo, but he has had the unfortunate luck of hitting three up - rights in two weeks, including two yesterday. Make one of those, and we win. Go back a week, and if he misses the upright either way, we either win or take the game to OT. Adversity has appeared and it is time for this group to overcome it. Here are my general thoughts in no particular order, take them for what they're worth:
* Darian Durant is a good QB. While we couldn't move the ball at times yesterday, I see two explanations, neither of which are Darian himself. (1) George Cortez seems to be running a play book similar to the eight play book used by the Alexandrai Titans in the film "Remember the Titans". How many times have we seen Taj Smith run that crossing route? A lot have, including opposing coaches as it isn't working anymore. (2) We are a much different team with Kory Sheets in the line - up. Nothing against Chris Garret who played all right when given the ball but Sheets make our offence much more two - dimensional. The last two games have seen Darian thrown the ball 101 times. An effective run game not only brings that number down, it also gives the opposition a second element to look out for.
* That being said, why is Darian not using his legs. We all know he is a much better QB when on the move; he himself knows that. I am almost convinced they have told him not to run out of fear that he will get hurt. If you are playing with fear, or coaching for that matter with fear, you are not nearly as effective as you could and should be.
* Our secondary needs to be better in clutch moments. We all knew that Thomas Demarco was looking sidelines yesterday on 3rd and 10, but still the corner; not sure which one it was gave him a pile of space to make that catch and get out of bounds. That is on Richie Hall and the D. I get it that injuries and last minute scratches weren't on our side but that is simple Football 101.
* We will get better, and we will get over this. That is what I believe, and that is because I am a true fan. I despise the fickle who speak only during down times and even then couldn't find an ounce of positive in a pound of gold. Ask anyone, I am as loyal as they come.
* Montreal on Sunday afternoon; look out Alouettes as you are going to meet a composed, hungry football team.
* On to the NHL, and as much of an Oiler fan as I am, Vancouver's Zack Kassian should not be suspended for the stick incident which broke the jaw of Sam Gagner on Saturday night. That is as freak an incident as you will see. He had no intention of hitting Gagner; none. Dale Wiese on the other hand, he will get a few for the elbow he planted on the chin of Taylor Hall.
* John Scott is the laughing stock of the NHL today as the Sabres 6'8 hooligan went after mighty Phil Kessel last night. The Leafs will lose David Clarkson for the first ten games of the season as per league rules which is right. I found humour in the story reported this morning that Joffrey Lupul had to hold back Nazem Kadri from jumping the boards. I get team unity and sticking up for teammates but Kadri coming to the rescue of Kessel would be like trying to extinguish a fire with gasoline; good luck.
* I LOVE the fact that the Giants and Steelers are both 0 - 3.
* If they leave the horses to run, the Broncos may put up 60 on the Raiders tonight.
* The Jaguars are still terrible.
* Can't help but feel good for Marc Trestman as his Chicago Bears are now 3 - 0 and atop the NFC North. Also shines a positive light on the CFL.
* Congratulations to Weyburn's Graham Delaet on a great season which wrapped up yesterday at the Tour Championship. All told the young man won nearly $3 million, moved up to 32nd in World Rankings and opened a pile of doors for next year. The Majors, WGC events will all see the kid who grew up playing golf in Weyburn teeing it up with the world's best; something he has earned through hard work and determination.
* I am outta here.
All that aside, I have said this before and I will say it again; it sickens me to read/listen to supposed Rider fans jump down the throat of Darian Durant whenever adversity shows up in Riderville. Was Darian perfect yesterday? No. Did he turn the ball over a couple of times? Yes. Could he have been better? Yes. But most importantly, at least to me, did he put us in a position to win with less than a minute remaining? ABSOLUTELY. A 352 yard performance with a couple of scores is a not bad afternoon of football.
I am not in any way pinning this on Chris Milo, but he has had the unfortunate luck of hitting three up - rights in two weeks, including two yesterday. Make one of those, and we win. Go back a week, and if he misses the upright either way, we either win or take the game to OT. Adversity has appeared and it is time for this group to overcome it. Here are my general thoughts in no particular order, take them for what they're worth:
* Darian Durant is a good QB. While we couldn't move the ball at times yesterday, I see two explanations, neither of which are Darian himself. (1) George Cortez seems to be running a play book similar to the eight play book used by the Alexandrai Titans in the film "Remember the Titans". How many times have we seen Taj Smith run that crossing route? A lot have, including opposing coaches as it isn't working anymore. (2) We are a much different team with Kory Sheets in the line - up. Nothing against Chris Garret who played all right when given the ball but Sheets make our offence much more two - dimensional. The last two games have seen Darian thrown the ball 101 times. An effective run game not only brings that number down, it also gives the opposition a second element to look out for.
* That being said, why is Darian not using his legs. We all know he is a much better QB when on the move; he himself knows that. I am almost convinced they have told him not to run out of fear that he will get hurt. If you are playing with fear, or coaching for that matter with fear, you are not nearly as effective as you could and should be.
* Our secondary needs to be better in clutch moments. We all knew that Thomas Demarco was looking sidelines yesterday on 3rd and 10, but still the corner; not sure which one it was gave him a pile of space to make that catch and get out of bounds. That is on Richie Hall and the D. I get it that injuries and last minute scratches weren't on our side but that is simple Football 101.
* We will get better, and we will get over this. That is what I believe, and that is because I am a true fan. I despise the fickle who speak only during down times and even then couldn't find an ounce of positive in a pound of gold. Ask anyone, I am as loyal as they come.
* Montreal on Sunday afternoon; look out Alouettes as you are going to meet a composed, hungry football team.
* On to the NHL, and as much of an Oiler fan as I am, Vancouver's Zack Kassian should not be suspended for the stick incident which broke the jaw of Sam Gagner on Saturday night. That is as freak an incident as you will see. He had no intention of hitting Gagner; none. Dale Wiese on the other hand, he will get a few for the elbow he planted on the chin of Taylor Hall.
* John Scott is the laughing stock of the NHL today as the Sabres 6'8 hooligan went after mighty Phil Kessel last night. The Leafs will lose David Clarkson for the first ten games of the season as per league rules which is right. I found humour in the story reported this morning that Joffrey Lupul had to hold back Nazem Kadri from jumping the boards. I get team unity and sticking up for teammates but Kadri coming to the rescue of Kessel would be like trying to extinguish a fire with gasoline; good luck.
* I LOVE the fact that the Giants and Steelers are both 0 - 3.
* If they leave the horses to run, the Broncos may put up 60 on the Raiders tonight.
* The Jaguars are still terrible.
* Can't help but feel good for Marc Trestman as his Chicago Bears are now 3 - 0 and atop the NFC North. Also shines a positive light on the CFL.
* Congratulations to Weyburn's Graham Delaet on a great season which wrapped up yesterday at the Tour Championship. All told the young man won nearly $3 million, moved up to 32nd in World Rankings and opened a pile of doors for next year. The Majors, WGC events will all see the kid who grew up playing golf in Weyburn teeing it up with the world's best; something he has earned through hard work and determination.
* I am outta here.
Monday, September 16, 2013
General Football Commentary
The sky is not falling. Regardless of what many Roughrider fans might say, there is no need to panic in Riderville yet. Sure we lost on Saturday for the second week in a row, and the third time in our last six outings but still we hold our fate in our own hands. We are one game behind Calgary for first, and one ahead of BC for second. Three games with BC and one with Calgary will determine where we line up come play - off time.
In no particular order, here are my thoughts on Saturday's 31 - 29 loss to Toronto:
*Once again the offensive line struggled to give Darian time. Patrick Neufeld has not looked good in his two starts and we sure missed Ben Heenan on Saturday. We needed the two - point conversion to force OT and Darian had absolutely no time to make anything happen.
*George Cortez appears to be getting stagnant in his play calling.
*If/when Jock Sanders gets healthy and back into the line - up, we must find ways to utilize him the way he was used last year. Coming out of the backfield or lined up in the slot made Jock very dangerous.
*Our DB's were not good on Saturday. There were too many occasions where they were simply running to catch up to their man, having no clue as to where the ball was. This led to some penalties and big plays against. Carlos Thomas sticks out as having had an off game. What happened to the coverage being played in the early weeks of the season?
*Hopefully Eljiro Kuale, brought in recently can help be the run stopper we lost when Rey Williams went down. Jerious Norwood ran roughshot up the middle in the waning moments of Saturday night.
*Kierre Johnson has to make some catches on Saturday. He dropped some balls at inopportune times. Here's to hoping Weston Dressler will be back on Sunday.
*Given the week he had, I was not surprised at the body language of Taj Smith. He looked lost and generally uninterested.
*Too bad injuries cost Chris Milo a shot at Rider history. With Huculack and Dressler out, Peters and Schmitt made a mess of the snap and hold resulting in a missed FG which would have been 29 in a row and a record that has stood for a long time. It also cost us the game if you think more about it. If he makes it, the Getzlaf TD wins it. If he misses but avoids the upright, all we need is the single to tie.
*A lot of people are writing the Riders off; season is all for not, Durant's a bum, blah, blah, blah. I buy none of it. This team has as much talent as we have seen in a long time. They also have leadership which needs to come front and centre this week. With the likes of Simon, Durant, Labatte, etc. leading the charge this week and for the remainder of the season for that matter, I have no worries with the direction of the team. This is a bump in the road, not the dead end sign many have taken it for.
*Good teams find ways to overcome adversity; the Riders simply need to prove what we all know, they are indeed a good team.
And in regards to the NFL:
*Jacksonville is awful. They won't win a game all year.
*New England may have the record for the most unimpressive 2 - 0 start in NFL history.
*Peyton Manning and the Broncos are ridiculously good.
*If I am an NFC team, I am scared of the Seattle Seahawks, particularly on their home turf. What a beating they laid on the 49ers last night.
*The NFC East has proven to be a huge disappointment with a collective 2 - 6 record after Week Two.
In no particular order, here are my thoughts on Saturday's 31 - 29 loss to Toronto:
*Once again the offensive line struggled to give Darian time. Patrick Neufeld has not looked good in his two starts and we sure missed Ben Heenan on Saturday. We needed the two - point conversion to force OT and Darian had absolutely no time to make anything happen.
*George Cortez appears to be getting stagnant in his play calling.
*If/when Jock Sanders gets healthy and back into the line - up, we must find ways to utilize him the way he was used last year. Coming out of the backfield or lined up in the slot made Jock very dangerous.
*Our DB's were not good on Saturday. There were too many occasions where they were simply running to catch up to their man, having no clue as to where the ball was. This led to some penalties and big plays against. Carlos Thomas sticks out as having had an off game. What happened to the coverage being played in the early weeks of the season?
*Hopefully Eljiro Kuale, brought in recently can help be the run stopper we lost when Rey Williams went down. Jerious Norwood ran roughshot up the middle in the waning moments of Saturday night.
*Kierre Johnson has to make some catches on Saturday. He dropped some balls at inopportune times. Here's to hoping Weston Dressler will be back on Sunday.
*Given the week he had, I was not surprised at the body language of Taj Smith. He looked lost and generally uninterested.
*Too bad injuries cost Chris Milo a shot at Rider history. With Huculack and Dressler out, Peters and Schmitt made a mess of the snap and hold resulting in a missed FG which would have been 29 in a row and a record that has stood for a long time. It also cost us the game if you think more about it. If he makes it, the Getzlaf TD wins it. If he misses but avoids the upright, all we need is the single to tie.
*A lot of people are writing the Riders off; season is all for not, Durant's a bum, blah, blah, blah. I buy none of it. This team has as much talent as we have seen in a long time. They also have leadership which needs to come front and centre this week. With the likes of Simon, Durant, Labatte, etc. leading the charge this week and for the remainder of the season for that matter, I have no worries with the direction of the team. This is a bump in the road, not the dead end sign many have taken it for.
*Good teams find ways to overcome adversity; the Riders simply need to prove what we all know, they are indeed a good team.
And in regards to the NFL:
*Jacksonville is awful. They won't win a game all year.
*New England may have the record for the most unimpressive 2 - 0 start in NFL history.
*Peyton Manning and the Broncos are ridiculously good.
*If I am an NFC team, I am scared of the Seattle Seahawks, particularly on their home turf. What a beating they laid on the 49ers last night.
*The NFC East has proven to be a huge disappointment with a collective 2 - 6 record after Week Two.
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Labour Day Thoughts
Nearly 45, 000 people packed into Mosaic Stadium on a beatiful afternoon for football on Sunday to watch the Riders and Bombers clash in what I believe was the 46th Annual Labour Day Classic. In the end the Riders came out with a rather convincing 48 - 25 victory. While the Bombers hung around in the first half and actually took a four point lead into the break, the Riders showed their mettle in the second half outscoring the Bombers 34 - 7. In fact the only Bombers score came on a busted play brought on by a poor snap. In no particular order, here are my thoughts from the weekend:
* Darian Durant was on full display Sunday utilizing his legs when required. We all know when DD is able to scramble he is simply a more effective QB. While he threw his first pick of the season (to be discussed later), he countered that with four scoring passes bringing his season total to 22.
* John Chick had what I saw as his best game of the season. There were times he was unblockable.
* I have complete confidence in Christopher Mile moving forward. He is 23 / 23 this year and had plenty of leg to spare in making a 48 yarder.
* Geroy Simon may not have had huge numbers but Sunday was the type of game we all hoped we would get from Geroy when the trade was made earlier this year. While he only had five grabs for 44 yards, three were for first downs and two were for scores.
* Say what you will about Dwight Anderson losing his cool on Sunday. Given what had transpired in the quarter and a half prior I can't say I wouldn't have had choice words for the official as well. Anderson plays with his heart on his sleeve and I can honestly say I love having him on this team. He brings in on every play and while he might talk a lot, he generally backs it up with his on field performance. Speaking of talking, did anyone else see Chad Simpson right in the face of the Riders prior to kick off. I had a chuckle then made sweeter by the Riders ability to keep Simpson almost competely in check.
* The Officials were BRUTAL. The only points the Bombers seemed to score in the first half came about on drives sustained by rubbish calls against the Riders. Dwight Anderson was called for PI simply because the reciever fell back - pedalling. Meanwhile, it what led to Darian Durant's first interception of the season, Weston Dressler was being mauled by one of the Muamba brothers well before the ball arrived. It is so hard to tell what is and is not pass interference anymore. It seems to vary from week to week. Let's add to that the fact that not only do the calls they make leave something to be desired they are not calling a lot of stuff that needs to be. At one point on Sunday, DD gets facemasked while scrambling in the backfield but no flag. On the QB dive by the Bombers late in the 1st half, one of the Bomber linemen came up swining but no flag is thrown. I would seriously hope that Tom Higgins and the CFL is doing something to improve the officiating; if not the quality, at least the consistency.
* The Riders have never been 8 - 1 in their history. Let's still be cautious that the last nine games will be sligthly more difficult as we have BC three times, Calgary one more time in Cowtown as well as an ever improving Eskimo squad twice. (More on them shortly as well).
* Regardless of the schedule we have had and have in front of us, this is a great Rider team that I love watching. Here's to hoping the wonder of the first half of the season carries through to Nov. 24th.
* And things just got a little crazy in Edmonton. One day after nearly pulling off a tremendous comeback against the rival Stamps, Eskimo GM Ed Hervey went OFF. He basically shamed his football team and its coaching staff while singling out Linemen Simeon Rottier saying that he hopes the team never sees him play another down this season. Really Ed Hervey, you want to point the finger. Sure Eric Tillman made some questionable moves but who is responsible for the team on the field now? You! This is no way to motivate a team that is so close to getting a win. Mike Reilly is as tough as nails and this team is getting better each week. Sure they played like hell for three quarters yesterday but I thought showed a lot of composure and maturity by never giving up and fighting right until the final horn. Personally I would think you acknowledge the tremendous finish from yesterday and use that to build on heading into next week's rematch. Blasting the team publicly like that can only cause more problems short and long term. The only coach he seemed to still care for was Kavis Reed who I personally think is part of the problem there. A team that came out the way they did yesterday was clearly lacking motivation and a lot of that needs to fall on the coaches shoulders. In closing, I am very glad to not be an Eskimos fan at this point in time.
* Graham Delaet, you are a beauty. I love the beard, I love his game and I think his results are a true testament to working hard to get to where you want to be. Well done! Can you imagine if he wins the Fed Ex Cup? Weyburn might never be the same.
* Darian Durant was on full display Sunday utilizing his legs when required. We all know when DD is able to scramble he is simply a more effective QB. While he threw his first pick of the season (to be discussed later), he countered that with four scoring passes bringing his season total to 22.
* John Chick had what I saw as his best game of the season. There were times he was unblockable.
* I have complete confidence in Christopher Mile moving forward. He is 23 / 23 this year and had plenty of leg to spare in making a 48 yarder.
* Geroy Simon may not have had huge numbers but Sunday was the type of game we all hoped we would get from Geroy when the trade was made earlier this year. While he only had five grabs for 44 yards, three were for first downs and two were for scores.
* Say what you will about Dwight Anderson losing his cool on Sunday. Given what had transpired in the quarter and a half prior I can't say I wouldn't have had choice words for the official as well. Anderson plays with his heart on his sleeve and I can honestly say I love having him on this team. He brings in on every play and while he might talk a lot, he generally backs it up with his on field performance. Speaking of talking, did anyone else see Chad Simpson right in the face of the Riders prior to kick off. I had a chuckle then made sweeter by the Riders ability to keep Simpson almost competely in check.
* The Officials were BRUTAL. The only points the Bombers seemed to score in the first half came about on drives sustained by rubbish calls against the Riders. Dwight Anderson was called for PI simply because the reciever fell back - pedalling. Meanwhile, it what led to Darian Durant's first interception of the season, Weston Dressler was being mauled by one of the Muamba brothers well before the ball arrived. It is so hard to tell what is and is not pass interference anymore. It seems to vary from week to week. Let's add to that the fact that not only do the calls they make leave something to be desired they are not calling a lot of stuff that needs to be. At one point on Sunday, DD gets facemasked while scrambling in the backfield but no flag. On the QB dive by the Bombers late in the 1st half, one of the Bomber linemen came up swining but no flag is thrown. I would seriously hope that Tom Higgins and the CFL is doing something to improve the officiating; if not the quality, at least the consistency.
* The Riders have never been 8 - 1 in their history. Let's still be cautious that the last nine games will be sligthly more difficult as we have BC three times, Calgary one more time in Cowtown as well as an ever improving Eskimo squad twice. (More on them shortly as well).
* Regardless of the schedule we have had and have in front of us, this is a great Rider team that I love watching. Here's to hoping the wonder of the first half of the season carries through to Nov. 24th.
* And things just got a little crazy in Edmonton. One day after nearly pulling off a tremendous comeback against the rival Stamps, Eskimo GM Ed Hervey went OFF. He basically shamed his football team and its coaching staff while singling out Linemen Simeon Rottier saying that he hopes the team never sees him play another down this season. Really Ed Hervey, you want to point the finger. Sure Eric Tillman made some questionable moves but who is responsible for the team on the field now? You! This is no way to motivate a team that is so close to getting a win. Mike Reilly is as tough as nails and this team is getting better each week. Sure they played like hell for three quarters yesterday but I thought showed a lot of composure and maturity by never giving up and fighting right until the final horn. Personally I would think you acknowledge the tremendous finish from yesterday and use that to build on heading into next week's rematch. Blasting the team publicly like that can only cause more problems short and long term. The only coach he seemed to still care for was Kavis Reed who I personally think is part of the problem there. A team that came out the way they did yesterday was clearly lacking motivation and a lot of that needs to fall on the coaches shoulders. In closing, I am very glad to not be an Eskimos fan at this point in time.
* Graham Delaet, you are a beauty. I love the beard, I love his game and I think his results are a true testament to working hard to get to where you want to be. Well done! Can you imagine if he wins the Fed Ex Cup? Weyburn might never be the same.
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