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.
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