First
thing… if you’ve never been to a game at Mosaic, you’re totally missing out. It
is an unparalleled experience. The singer could barely finish O Canada and the
crowd was going insane. Then the flypast. In formation… Oh my word! I love
jets. I love military jets flying low. I mean our family trekked over one
province and four states in order to hit the airshow at Offurt air force base
in Omaha a couple of summers ago. Just to see the Blue Angels. (I also have
family in Omaha, but the airshow dictated the timing of the visit.) Highly
recommended airshow, btw.
Just as
kick off was about to occur another flypast – this time in single file. The
crowd was delighted later in the game when the pilots showed up and revealed
their Rider gear under their flight suits. The pilots then took their seats just
a few rows in front of us. I still smile when I think about the flypast.
Back to
football, because that’s what you came for, right?
Well, here are my observations from the endzone sidelines.
So it was
kind of like the football game that almost wasn’t. I know many in the media
called the Rider-Eskimo contest a “dog”. “Dull” and “boring” were also used.
Though I have to admit the first half was rather uneventful, it was like a
standoff. When you consider the first half saw one measly field goal as the big
scoring event, it makes you think the offense on both teams were struggling. I do
think the ‘Schmoes got some work to do on their offense. Starting at the
position of pivot. Their current QBs are mess. Jyles and Joseph looked like
amateurs out there. But the Green and Gold had some bright spots. Sadly one of
them was Adarius Bowman who went out of the game with a season-ending knee
injury. Our condolences.
But our
defense was up against a seriously stingy Esks defense. Don’t get on Darian too
hard for not throwing the ball. He didn’t have much time to find someone to
throw the ball to and when he did have time there wasn’t anyone open. It might
have seemed like an offensive misstep and I’m sure there’s work to be done, but
when your offense shuts out the opposition, it doesn’t take more than a field
goal to win the thing.
Of course,
we scored more than a field goal. Kory Sheets (1) found a hole and squeaked in
a TD with less than three minutes remaining. Sheets is awesome. If he stays on
track and doesn’t get injured, he’s going to melt the records books.
And my
little buddy Dressler (7) was like he always is – delightful and fun to watch –
doing what he always does: finding holes and making the defense miss. He went
in for punt returns after Sinorice Moss (83) went out with an injury and managed
to get in some good returns, as well.
Probably
the thing that stuck out most to me by the end of the game was the intensity of
the Riders’ play. There wasn’t a single snap of the ball where these guys
weren’t ready to make something happen. They were driven, motivated (how’d that
happen?) and expecting success. The best part? By the fourth quarter these guys
were having a blast. They were thoroughly enjoying themselves out there. And
why not? From the defensive standpoint they executed a near flawless game plan.
Willis (11)
and Hawkins (90) are a powerful duo. They’re like a two-man wrecking crew on
defense. If it wasn’t Odell in the face of the QB it was Hawkins. They each
snagged one sack each.
And I have
to admit: I’m eating crow. I was one of those people that thought we gave up
too much to acquire Odell in the off-season. And I wasn’t so sure the former
hot-headed Blue Bomber would really be an asset. We’re only two games in and
I’m chowing down on a generous serving of crow. He gets the crowd going, acts
as a sparkplug on the field for his teammates and is nothing but a menace to
the opposing quarterback. Remains to be seen if he can keep it for 16 more
games (and I hope he can keep himself in check and avoid those roughing the
passer penalties), but so far, I’m picking feathers out of my teeth.
Shomari
Williams (99) is a freakin’ force of nature. With five tackles and one sack
that guy pretty much destroyed any play-making ability the ‘Schmoes had.
Sam Hurl (31)
was also making Eskimos hurt on the field. Kromah (52), McCullough (45) – who is
one of the most underappreciated guys in the CFL, Craig Butler (28) – who tagged
an interception late in the game and Tyron Brackenridge (41) were all stellar!
As “uninteresting”
as this defensive battle was for some, it was definitely a memorable day at
Taylor Field for yours truly. I’ve always said: an ugly win is still a win. Though
I think anyone who loves defense would probably argue that game was a thing of
beauty.
I will be
missing Mosaic this Saturday when we face the first serious test of just how
far this team has come. We’ll be hosting the B.C. Puddy-tats this week. If you’re
going to the game…
Cheer long. Cheer loud! Go GREEN!
No comments:
Post a Comment