Monday Morning 'Rider Blogging

Needless to say, yesterday's result was a much-needed change from what the Saskatchewan Roughriders have produced through most of the 2011 season. But it's worth noting that the differences between the 'Riders' Labour Day Classic win over Winnipeg and its last few losses came down to a couple of fairly subtle points which combined to tip the balance in Saskatchewan's favour.

First, there's the addition of one more effective receiver, with Dallas Baker thoroughly impressing in his first game as a 'Rider. Thanks to the combination of Baker's addition, Efrem Hill's emergence and Chris Getzlaf's better play, the 'Riders now have enough effective pass-catchers to ensure that Darian Durant can keep defences on their heels throughout any given game - rather than forcing the ball to Weston Dressler or hoping for the best from somebody more prone to drops. And the potential additions of Andy Fantuz and Cary Koch to the unit could well turn the 'Riders into one of the more dangerous teams in the CFL going into the second half of the season.

Meanwhile, the other key change was the 'Riders' rare success in gaining the upper hand early. The previous several games, Saskatchewan had staked opponents to large leads, then played fairly well in the second half to leave a modicum of hope until the last couple of minutes of each game. But the 'Riders have spent most of the season playing from behind - forcing its offence to press for points while ensuring that opponents could play conservatively.

Yesterday, that dynamic was turned around. And indeed, the 'Riders won the turnover battle because of their success on the scoreboard rather than the other way around: having taken a lead despite a couple of costly giveaways, Saskatchewan was then able to rack up two turnovers on downs and a late interception.

Aside from those factors, the 'Riders' success yesterday was mostly a combination of incremental improvement and good timing. All three units have had their moments in recent weeks, but the defence and return teams in particular went from effective to dominant against Winnipeg. And the few mistakes the 'Riders did make (most notably the two first-half turnovers) didn't lead to much damage on the scoreboard.

Of course, there's some danger in reading too much into one game in either direction. And indeed, I'll stick to the argument that the most important development for the 'Riders in September will be less what happens on the field than what the team can do to bring in the best of the crop of NFL cuts.

But the 'Riders nonetheless deserve credit for their first truly strong win of the 2011 season. And whether the change is more the result of Ken Miller's return as coach, upgrades in player talent or simply more breaks going the 'Riders' way, there's far more reason for hope for the rest of this season than 'Rider fans could enjoy this time yesterday.

Monday Morning 'Rider Blogging

Obviously the result of yesterday's game wasn't what Saskatchewan Roughrider fans had hoped for. But there's at least some reason for optimism compared to the path the 'Riders took to defeat in the previous few weeks - even if there's still plenty of room for improvement.

While the 'Riders' point total was one of the team's worst on the season, that wasn't for lack of far more success than usual in moving the ball with a wide variety of offensive plays. Darian Durant was back over 300 yards through the air (with Cary Koch and Andy Fantuz doing particularly well catching passes), both Durant and Wes Cates managed to do at least some damage on the ground, and the 'Riders were mostly able to avoid the Lions' pass rush thanks to a combination of Durant's elusiveness and a fairly strong performance by the offensive line.

The only problem was that while the 'Riders fired on all cylinders moving the ball in their own end, they stalled nearly every time they had a chance to score. So once again, the issue was one of points left on the field rather than a lack of opportunities, with a missed field goal plus two turnovers in field goal range more than making up the Lions' margin of victory.

Of course, by this point in the season one would expect the 'Riders to have figured out how to turn opportunities into touchdowns, especially after their 9-4 start. But it's at least a plus to be doing an effective job chewing up yardage - and there's still time for a reminder how to get the big plays working in the 'Riders' favour again.

Meanwhile, the defence did a better job of bottling up the Lions' offence than it's done in virtually any game this season. The 'Riders limited the Lions to a short passing game that was bound to be difficult for an inexperienced quarterback to execute, and tossed in an effective pass rush to boot. And the end result was that the Lions were held to 268 yards of total offence.

But there was once again a glaring omission from the scoresheet: once again, the turnovers that have been such a big part of the 'Riders' recent success against B.C. were entirely absent (as the Lions' lone fumble came on an interception return). And that's why B.C. could squeak out a win despite being generally outplayed on both sides of the ball.

Of course, the special teams foibles continued for the 'Riders. But at this point in the season, there's no realistic hope that the team will get that part of its game together when it counts - so the real question is whether the offence and defence can make up for the 'Riders' glaring weakness. And while yesterday doesn't provide a lot of confidence that the answer is "yes", it at least suggests that the 'Riders aren't too far away.

Sunday Morning 'Rider Blogging

With the rest of the regular season already figuring to have little if any effect on the 'Riders' playoff positioning, it would be nice to simply look at whatever positives came out of yesterday's game which might serve the team well later on. And there was in fact one story worth noting on that front, as even before his two late touchdowns Cary Koch proved to be a reliable possession receiver who's well equipped to at least fill Rob Bagg's shoes in the lineup (even if Weston Dressler's role might be asking a bit much).

But aside from Koch's breakout game, yesterday's loss was a disaster on nearly every possible front - not just because it highlighted some of the 'Riders' longstanding weaknesses, but because it also included some new ones that never would have been expected based on the matchup.

On the offensive side of the ball, Darian Durant's typically middling completion percentage might look like the biggest problem on paper. But it had a far different cause than usual.

While Durant characteristically fired a few passes off target, the biggest culprit was a receiving corps which coughed up the ball at regular intervals, either by dropping passes at the outset or serving up fumbles on a silver platter. And the result was that even while Durant had a strong game in the ball-control department (not only avoiding any fumbles or interceptions himself, but not serving up any shoulda-beens either), the 'Riders ended up with an embarrassing combination of turnovers and drop-induced two-and-outs.

Now, some of that problem should be fairly easily solved: a few extra ball-control drills and a less-frustrated Andy Fantuz should make a world of difference in future games. And if the 'Riders can combine the passing game we've come to expect with the production they got from Wes Cates yesterday and a far more aggressive running game from Durant, then the offence shouldn't be far from where it needs to be.

Unfortunately, it's in the defence that there's an almost total lack of positives to take from yesterday's game. On paper, one could hardly have asked for a better matchup for the 'Riders: a young quarterback informed at the last minute that he'd be making his first CFL start going up against a pressure-based, turnover-happy defence. But even knowing that they could effectively stack the line of scrimmage to take away runs and short passes against a team that didn't have any apparent confidence in its ability to throw deep, the 'Riders not only allowed both Jared Zabransky and Daniel Porter to have strong statistical games, but also failed to force a single turnover.

Now, part of that might be attributed to chance - as there's certainly an element of luck involved in relying on turnovers as a defensive strategy. That said, part of it also seemed to involve some opportunities missed: the 'Riders weren't often able to tip even low, short passes which should have been ripe for the picking, and consistently lacked a second wave of defenders in position to deal with Eskimo backs and receivers after they beat the first tackle.

For now, I'm not sure there's much the 'Riders can do but chalk it up to missing personnel and luck, and work on making a few more big plays once the games start to count again. But it surely can't be a good sign that the D couldn't take advantage of a game which seemed ideally suited to its philosophy.

Meanwhile, the special teams were fairly consistent with the recent pattern since Ryan Grice-Mullen joined the team: a number of fairly respectable returns, coupled with a few absolutely disastrous plays that put the team in a hole it couldn't escape. This time it was Grice-Mullen fumbling the game's opening kickoff and the coverage team allowing Jason Armstead a touchdown on his first punt return that stood out in the negative department - but it's hard not to see the problem as systemic at this point, as every time the 'Riders paper over one glaring flaw in their special teams another one seems to emerge.

We'll find out soon whether the 'Riders will ever manage to get their act together in 2010, or whether the best of this season is squarely behind them. But an all-unit collapse against a likely playoff opponent surely can't bode well for later on - and it remains to be seen if the 'Riders have any answers left.