ROUGHRIDERS FANS DESERVE SOME RESPITE FROM LOSING

The Saskatchewan Roughriders are still looking for their first victory and, for that matter, Weston Dressler.

When the Roughriders last displayed their matador defence at Mosaic Stadium, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers were the visitors, it was Canada Day, and Dressler scored two rapid-fire touchdowns without anyone clad in green paying any attention to him.

The, uh, defence was such that the Roughriders amassed 40 points and still managed to lose the game, bowing 43-40 in double overtime before a sellout crowd of 33,500.

Many people in the audience had seen it all before.

INURED TO INEPTITUDE

By now, the fans must be inured to ineptitude after bravely following a team that has won only 10 of its past 47 meaningful games.

At some point, the Roughriders have to deliver something other than empty promises. If not now, when?

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats, in their only game to date, performed in such a ragged fashion that they made the Roughriders look like the New England Patriots by comparison.

In a season-opening, 32-15 loss to the Toronto Argonauts, the Tiger-Cats failed to protect their quarterback (Zach Collaros) or pressure the opposing pivot (Ricky Ray). The future hall of famer threw for a career-high 506 yards against the shabby Tabbies, even though two Argos receivers dropped touchdown passes.

After a bye week, the TigerCats return to action Saturday at 10 p.m. against the host Roughriders. Saskatchewan is also winless (0-2), but the losses have been by a combined margin of four points.

If there is to be any restoration of hope, the Chris Jonescoached Roughriders simply have to dispose of Kent Austin’s crew.

“I think the bottom line is, you have to come out this week with the determination that this is as big of a Week 3 game as there’s ever been,” Roughriders assistant vice-president of football operations and player personnel John Murphy told CKRM radio’s SportsCage earlier this week.

“The bounce back has to happen this week.”

Failing that, the Roughriders will enter a bye week — an occurrence that will signify progress if the losing doesn’t stop — before facing the perennial powerhouse Calgary Stampeders on July 22 at that archeological marvel known as McMahon Stadium.

Denizens of Rider Nation are feeling sour enough without having to lament an 0-3 record for a fortnight. Meanwhile, they’ll be tortured by the concern that 0-4 is pretty much an inevitability.

With a bye week looming, it’s the long suffering Roughriders fans — more than anyone — who deserve a break. rvanstone@postmedia.com twitter.com/robvanstone