Sunday Morning 'Rider Blogging

As important as it was for the Saskatchewan Roughriders, yesterday's win over Toronto should put to rest a few of the theories about how a change in coaching and strategy has dramatically changed the team.

No, the move to have Darian Durant call his own plays didn't stop the 'Riders from going into exactly the same kind of offensive funk that was all too common earlier in the season. And no, Ken Miller's coaching hasn't ensured that the 'Riders will be ready to take control of each game from the first series - as for a second game in a row, they allowed their opponents to take an early lead.

But the difference now is that the 'Riders were able to come back from those obstacles to win their third game in a row. And while most of the elements of the win (a streaky quick-strike offence, a defence that gave up a fair amount of yardage but held the 'Riders' opponents to field goals) have been common to the team under both of its head coaches this season, it's the end result that matters most for a team that's now back in the thick of the West race.

Mind you, there is one aspect of the team's preparation and coaching which deserves some mention.

All too often, the tendency for any football team with a late-game lead is to go into prevent mode - calling off the pass rush and playing to avoid mistakes rather than to make big plays. And it's exactly that tendency on the part of opponents that's allowed the 'Riders to make the score respectable in so many of their early-season losses.

In yesterday's game, even a slight move in that direction may have allowed the Argos to get back in the game after Saskatchewan took its 23-20 lead. But instead, the 'Riders forced a fumble with a strong pass rush on the Argos' first series. And they then sealed the game on Chris McKenzie's interception return for a touchdown.

Which means that while the 'Riders left more to chance than would have been ideal yesterday, they were willing to take the risks necessary to make the game less of a nail-biter than it might have been. And that confidence in the defence to make big plays when it counts should pay off as the 'Riders face a series of division rivals in the weeks to come.