Jones needs to be patient with Glenn
Reed and Durant both class acts; three-man rush working; and other Robservations
Robservations ...
Saskatchewan Roughriders head coach etc., etc., Chris Jones needs to show more patience with quarterback Kevin Glenn. Jones has become increasingly amenable to replacing his starting quarterback with Brandon Bridge, which is fine if the No. 1 pivot is clearly struggling. However, Glenn was pulled after only two series on Oct. 13, when the Roughriders defeated the host Calgary Stampeders’ 30-7, and Saskatchewan was leading 14-0 on Friday when Jones started playing musical quarterbacks in a 37-12 victory over the visiting Montreal Alouettes. Bridge did not play especially well in either contest.
Reminder: Glenn has thrown 25 touchdown passes this season — two more than Calgary’s Bo Levi Mitchell — and sports an impressive quarterback-efficiency rating (100.7). The Roughriders need to make a commitment to playing, and protecting, Glenn.
Chris Jones after Friday’s game: “Kevin Glenn is our starter and it’s a pretty simple process.” Well, it should be, anyway. To eliminate any confusion and squelch any speculation, keep playing Glenn unless the offence looks hopeless under his direction. It’s a pretty simple process.
Where would the Roughriders be without Glenn? They entered the 2017 campaign with a cavernous void at quarterback, following the January trade of Darian Durant to Montreal, and the 38-year-old Glenn has provided stability at football’s most crucial position.
Glenn and Bridge have combined for 34 touchdown passes — 18 more than Saskatchewan produced last year. And one regular-season game remains.
Avid reader Lorne Kazmir suggests a nickname for the GlennBridge quarterbacking combo: KGB. (Talk about “Russian” the passer!)
Yes, that was awful. Onwards ... George Reed registered 137 touchdowns during his illustrious career, and didn’t celebrate after scoring any of them. And showboating before he reached the end zone? Unthinkable. What’s good for No. 34 should work wonderfully for everyone. As reader Roy Schneider put it: “After each of Reed’s 130-plus touchdowns he walked over to the nearest official and handed him the ball. It’s called class. It’s called professionalism.”
And I’m all for (burp) professionalism.
Kudos to the Roughriders for their pre-game video tribute to Durant last Friday. It was a classy manner in which to recognize a classy player. Montreal head coach Kavis Reed also did the right thing, opting to start Durant in a city that has become his home.
Durant playing for the 2017 Alouettes reminds of me of
Tom Clements with the 1979 Roughriders. The quarterback, regardless of his resume, simply has no chance.
The Roughriders seldom found it necessary to blitz the Alouettes’ quarterbacks — Durant and Matt Shiltz — last week. According to information compiled and kindly shared by TSN’s Derek Taylor, the Roughriders sent five or more pass rushers only 16.7 per cent of the time. In those situations, Montreal was 2-for-5 for 17 yards while surrendering one sack.
More from Derek: Save for one play — a 10-yard touchdown pass from Shiltz to Sam Giguere — the Roughriders’ three-man rush was highly effective. When Saskatchewan sent three men, Montreal’s quarterbacks were a 4-for-12 for 38 yards, adding one rush for two yards.
Over the last three games, the Roughriders’ three-man rush percentages are 35.5 (versus the Toronto Argonauts), 15 (Ottawa Redblacks), 50 (Calgary Stampeders) and 16.7 (Montreal).
Memo to Roughriders coordinator Stephen McAdoo: Fullback Spencer Moore, an all-star human being, has been a loyal member of the team since 2013 and has yet to score a CFL touchdown. So how about it?
As much as I love stats, they can be deceiving. The Regina Pats’ Sam Steel did not register a point in Wednesday’s 5-1 victory over the visiting Kootenay Ice, but he dominated during every shift.
With each passing game, I am more impressed with Pats defenceman Dawson Davidson — the pride of Moosomin.
Ken Dryden’s latest book, “Game Change,” is a must-read. He convincingly challenges the conventional wisdom in hockey — honestly, what is the point of finishing a check? — and makes a case for outlawing any hits to the head, regardless of the intent. Dryden does this by telling the sad story of oft-concussed former NHL defenceman Steve Montador, who was only 35 when he died in 2015. The book is a must-read — especially for Gary Bettman.
Nice people who deserve a plug: Darian Durant, Ken Dryden, Anita Sehgal, Arun Sehgal, Atlee Simon, Curtis Kleisinger, Diane MacDonald, Jeff Weafer, Stephen Johnson, Jason Johnson, Sarah Fedirko, Brent Sjoberg, Patricia Robertson and Ryan Pollock.