The trainwreck that has been the Riders season continues tonight in Calgary with their fourth and final meeting with the Stampeders. Seriously, the team has not scored a touchdown in over a month, and there four game losing streatk has seen them be outscored 125 - 23!
It only makes sense that Darian Durant, broken foot and all will take the snaps at QB tonight. I mean honestly, they have nothing to play for but job security and Durant's job is secure regardless of his injury. At the same time, is there any other team in the world that would start the same QB who hasn't guided his team to the end zone in over 17 quarters of play? Not a flippin' chance.
The fact that Durant is starting with a broken foot in a meaningless game for the Riders appears even more ridiculous when you realize that Calgary, a team going to the play - offs and who still has an opporutnity to win the West will sit their starter and reigning league MOP, Henry Burris and opt for Drew Tate behind centre.
The last few weeks has led me to think one thing, and I have said it before..Ken Miller has not only lost his coaching magic, his mind seems to have gone AWOL as well. At what point, do you give in, put Durant on the nine game, give Dinwiddie the clipboard and start looking at Cole Berquist and others who need to earn an invite to camp in June of 2012?
While I am hoping for the Riders to provide something positive either tonight or in the next two weeks, the cynic in me almost wants them to continue to struggle so the powers that be realize that the status quo needs to change. This means, no more 36 year old linemen (see Gene Makowsky, Dan Goodspeed and Alex Gauthier) along with other areas that I don't want to get into.
Sticking with football, but the brand south of the border, is there an easier guy to dislike than New York Jets Head Coach Rex Ryan? This guy is nothing but a loud mouth who is far too high on himself and his coaching abilities. Amongst the idiotic things he has done and/or said was this weeks dandy when he refernced his teams opponents this week, the San Diego Chargers and their Head Coach Norv Turner. Ryan stated that if the Chargers had hired him when they hired Turner, he would already have a few rings, as in Championships. Is there any worse way to motivate the opponent. I have disliked Rex Ryan for a long time, he is a shadow of the coach his old man was, and all this does is make me cheer really loud this week hoping for the Chargers to not only beat the Jets, but eat their lunch and then shit in the bag.
I love the Edmonton Oilers, have for a real long time but one thing about this team kills me. Is there a team in the history of the NHL who blows more one goal leads in the last minute of play. Last night they were in complete control of the Minnesota Wild until...with .5 seconds left the Wild tied the game only to go on and win in a shootout. If this team is ever going to make the jump from irrelevancy to playoff, and eventually Stanley Cup contender, they MUST learn to finish teams off. This has happened far too often over the last three years.
On another Oiler note, Eric Belanger was by far the best player on the ice last night, full of jump, great on the kill and hit two posts. In a losing effort and without a point, he was easily my first star of the game.
Not much else to say, see ya next week...
I think we're either seeing a different side of Miller or seeing him apply his coaching theories in ways that don't jive with common beliefs. Either way, this is tough to watch.
ReplyDelete