Week 4: Pre-game post

Well, big news out of Riderville this week was the sad news that Rob Bagg (6) was put on the 9-game injured list today. There are few in football who work as hard as Rob Bagg. He fought all last year to get himself back into shape for this season - fighting through rehab for two knee injuries. I follow him on Twitter and there was nothing he was looking forward to more than getting back on the field with the Green and White this spring.

This particular injury is to his left knee. His previous injuries were to his right. There are no details yet on how serious this tear is.

I was so looking forward to Bagg having a break out game, snagging that clutch catch for a much-needed first down or that one arm catch in the end zone for a TD. However, it looks like for the moment it is not meant to be.

I do hope Bagg can be back sooner rather than later. I know hearts are breaking all over Ridernation after hearing the news.

Sad new aside, there is still a game to play in Cow Town or as I like to call it: Taylor Field - West. I expect there to be just as much green in the stands as red. Don't disappoint me, Cow Town.

This game will be a good test of how our guys handle adversity. I'm certain they will all be mindful of taking the field without Rob Bagg. Can they keep their head in the game?

Especially our offense. Our offense has been doing enough to win games, but we're still waiting for a big aerial assault by Darian and his Posse. With Bagg down, there's a bit more pressure on the other receivers to man up and show their stuff.
I remember a few seasons back it was injury that brought up guys like Bagg and Dressler (7) and look what they did with the opportunity. It's time for Sisco (12) and Harper (82) to dazzle us.

The diminutive Jock Sanders (29) will be backing up Dressler (7). Getzlaf (89) will be in at slot. Hughes (32), Bell (26) and McHenry (18) will cycle in at fullback. Sheets (1) will be the starting running back.

I expect the Stampeders will be run Cornish all over the place. He's been very effective against us in the past. And with a big fat question mark hanging over their quarterback position, the run game may be all they have. Okay, Kevin Glenn isn't that bad. It's just that he's not always that good either. And he was thrown into action only last week after Drew Tate injured his shoulder and opted for season-ending surgery to repair it.

But back to the defense, I expect Cornish will find his night a little uncomfortable if our defense can shut him down. Sam Hurl (31) sounds like he's looking forward to a bit of a homecoming of sorts. The Riders chose him in the draft from the U of C and I can't think of a better homecoming than to make his presence felt every time the Stumps have the ball. Go Hurl!

Calgary has the potential to be dangerous. They might be struggling a bit so far this season to figure things out but, they could easily pull it together. No question. The worst thing our Riders could do is walk into McMahon and think it's going to be a cake walk. It'll be nothing of the sort. It'll be a hard fought game for sure.

I would expect if our defense is on fire like they have been that Glenn maybe curled up in the fetal position by the end of the night.

The last I heard there were still decent seats available at McMahon which I'm going to chalk up to this absolutely horrid schedule the CFL came up with this year. What's with all the mid-week games? Shedcule the games on the weekends and the stands will fill, it's not rocket science, people!

Can you believe that if we win this one, we'll be 4-0? And we will have beaten all of our division rivals. A loss won't be fatal, but a win... a win would make sure everyone got us on top of their power rankings.

Cheer long. Cheer loud! Go GREEN!

[Blogger's note: Blogging may be off for a few days. My workhorse of a laptop needs a little TLC and I will be taking it in for repairs tomorrow. Blogging is kind of tricky on a iPhone, but I'll do my best. Hopefully, I'll be back up to full charge soon enough. As always, to stay up to date follow me on Twitter. @saskriderschick]