Riders’ coach set the stage
Robservations ...
■SaskatchewanRoughriders head coach Corey Chamblin was an unsung hero last Friday, when the Green and White snapped a four-game losing streak by defeating the host B.C. Lions 31-17.
■ Chamblin’s pre-game speech enlivened the players to the extent that they could not wait for the game to begin. He emphasized that the Roughriders were still a top-flight team, despite the aforementioned skid, and put them in position to take out a month’s worth of frustration on the Lions.
■ The victory over B.C. may very well prove to be a signature game for Chamblin, who pushed all the right buttons when it seemed that so many factors were aligned against the Roughriders.
■ Why don’ t some Roughriders fans celebrate victories as actively as they vent after defeats?
■ Glen Suitor noted on CJME’s Green Zone the other night that Roughriders quarterback Darian Durant is a lightning rod for criticism when the team struggles, but that he is seldom applauded in times of triumph. So true.
■ When the Roughriders win, the celebratory chatter is typically along the lines of “Kory Sheets was unstoppable” or “Weston Dressler made some nice catches,’’ but the team’s pivotal offensive player — the starting quarterback — is routinely overlooked.
■ Name another player in Roughriders history who has been taken for granted to a larger extent than Durant. Nominations?
■ The overall response to the Roughriders’ acquisition of defensive end Alex Hall from the Winnipeg Blue Bombers was rather ho-hum. That, too, is difficult to understand. With the playoffs looming, along with a Regina-based Grey Cup, the Roughriders added this season’s league leader in quarterback sacks.
■ Reminder: The Riders have won only three Grey Cups in their history. Accordingly, they should load up anytime the team looks like a contender. The possible alternative for Riders management is to sit around at the end of November, during the annual post-mortem, and wonder: “What if we had made the Hall trade?’’
■ The Lions’ “gun metal” jerseys would look much better if the uniform numbers were decipherable.
■ This is even tougher to figure out: How did the Lions manage to hand off to their ace running back, Andrew Harris, on only six occasions last Friday night? Receptions included, Harris touched the ball eight times. He should handle the football at least eight times per quarter.
■ The Roughriders are preparing to oppose the Edmonton Eskimos at home for the first time since July 8, 2012. The last four Roughriders-Eskimos games — five if you count the 2013 pre-season — have been played at Commonwealth Stadium.
■ The Eskimos, who are to visit Mosaic Stadium on Saturday, have a 3-12 record (playoffs included) since firing general manager Eric Tillman last November.
■ Compare that to the Eskimos’ 23-21 record under Tillman, and their 33-49 record in the 4 1/2 seasons before his arrival in Edmonton.
■ To all who suggest that the NFL is boring, consider this: The Denver Broncos and Dallas Cowboys combined for 99 points on Sunday, when Peyton Manning and company won 51-48 on the road in Texas. The most total points in a CFL game this season: 77 (Montreal Alouettes 39, B.C. 38 on Aug. 22).
■ In Sunday’s shootout, Manning and the Cowboys’ Tony Romo combined for 920 aerial yards. Romo threw for 506 yards and five TDs. Manning countered with 414 yards and four TDs.
■ The CFL’s season high to date is a combined 969 passing yards. On Aug. 18, the Eskimos’ Mike Reilly threw for 511 yards in a 36-33 loss to the host Toronto Argonauts, who got 413 yards from Ricky Ray and 45 from Zach Collaros.
■ Since the Broncos-Cowboys game, a frequent refrain has been: What is it like to score 48 points and lose? The mind flashes back to Aug. 21, 1991, when B.C. beat Saskatchewan 50-47. A few hours later, Roughriders head coach John Gregory was fired.
■ Each week, a plea is sent out via Twitter, asking for Roughriders predictions. Cory Furman and Paul McGregor were the most accurate respondents last Friday. McGregor envisioned a 32-18 Saskatchewan victory, so he was off by only one point per team. Furman did not provide a score, but his “Riders by 14” prognostication was bang-on.
■ So was Durant, for most of the game. (Sorry. Couldn’t resist. Onwards ...)
■ What is the opposite of a 51-48 game? Fighting in hockey, which is completely pointless.
■ What is it going to take for the deep thinkers at the NHL level to lead the way and eradicate fighting from the game? Does someone have to die, or suffer a Steve Moore-type injury in a fight, before something is finally done? Here’s hoping (but not optimistically) that sound judgment and good taste prevail before there is a tragedy on the ice.
■ The University of Regina Rams were acknowledged by the NFL Network’s Brian Baldinger last week. While dissecting a play, Baldinger referenced a New Orleans Saints defensive lineman who spent the 2010 and 2011 seasons with the Rams. The quote: “I want you to watch this player right here — Akiem Hicks out of the University of Regeena in Canada.’’ It was also noted that Hicks is “playing well.’’
■ Here’s what Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Randy Carlyle had to say on Wednesday: “We’ve got to do a better job of managing the puck in the offensive zone.’’ That must warm the hearts of fans who pay hundreds of dollars for overpriced Leafs tickets.
■ Alas, the National Hockey League’s collective mindset is not geared toward excitement. If anything, suppression of skill is the priority. Consider the manner in which the San Jose Sharks’ Tomas Hertl is being criticized for having the temerity to shoot the puck between his legs on a breakaway during Tuesday’s 9-2 victory over the New York Rangers. When asked about the goal — Hertl’s fourth of the game — Washington Capitals head coach Adam Oates snorted: “Don’t disrespect the league.’’
■ In the NBA, which does emphasize entertainment, such a creative play would be celebrated and marketed. Such a mentality does not prevail in the NHL, even though commissioner Gary Bettman was once employed by the NBA.
■ Nice people who deserve a plug: Roy Antal, Flo Rolls, Bill Hamilton, Crystal McGregor, Paul McGregor, Larry Robinson, Dawson MacAuley, Kelly Adams, Rob Trainor, Meagan Lane, Aubrey Burlock, Mary-Lou Gibson, Bob Hughes, Ashley Shumate, Trent Glover, Lance Frazier, Isaac Nadarajah, Al Hirschmueller, Darwin Kanius, Cliff Burns and Dr. Mark Anderson.