Obit: Saskatchewan Roughriders Season Ends After Another Collapse
Published: Sunday, Oct 22nd 2023, 3:10pm
By Alex Dormuth (@RealAlexD)
Yesterday afternoon in front of what might have been the lowest attended game in my tenure as a 20+ year season ticket holder (just under 17,000 tickets scanned), the Saskatchewan Roughriders ended their 2023 season the only way they knew how… starting out good and choking it away at the end. The 29-26 loss to Toronto was a microcosm of the Riders season. So much hope to start, just to let their fans down yet again, this time against backups. For the second straight season, the Riders go from 6-5 to 6-12 with 7 straight losses to end the season.
But, this year was different, right Craig Dickenson? (Okay, now that the season is over, can Jeremy O’Day FINALLY fire Coach Dickey? Enough of this man as the “leader” of the team. I mean, he practically gave his own eulogy to the team before the game in their final “pump up” speech before the game! ARE YOU KIDDING ME??)
We’ll talk more about coaching and management another day. Today, we put the Riders 2023 season to rest.
Remember back on June 11th when there was so much hope for the Riders? They win an ugly game against Edmonton thanks to a great goal line stand? Good times. Or how about the time that Nic Marshall intercepted Jake Maier in overtime to secure a win over Calgary?
Best of all, remember July 6th and the Riders winning a game because an American returner didn’t know the CFL rules and allowed Brett Lauther to get a single on a kickoff? That exciting 12-11 win over Edmonton will forever have a place in Rider history. Cherish it. Oh, and the Riders beat the Bombers in the Labour Day Classic in overtime for their final win of the season!
Some will say that the season ended when QB1 Trevor Harris got injured on July 15th against Calgary at Mosaic Stadium… but not me. In fact, after Harris’ season ended on that play, the Riders offense finally started moving the ball. We’ll skip over the Mason Fine part of the season, but Jake Dolegala averaged more points scored per game than Harris did… well, when Offensive Coordinator Kelly Jeffrey actually let him throw the ball downfield.
But as I look back on the 2023 Saskatchewan Roughriders, I will remember them for being one thing: Being the 2022 Saskatchewan Roughriders. The players gave up on their coaches, the coaches put their players in truly awful positions all season long, the coaching staff were in way over their heads… it turns out that the scapegoats Jason Maas and Cody Fajardo WEREN’T the issue with the team after all. This team didn’t change, they didn’t evolve. It was status quo with an even worse group of coaches. THAT’S where the season ended… before it even began.
The 2023 Saskatchewan Roughriders are survived by hopefully none of their current coaching staff and an even smaller number of season ticket holders than last year.
In lieu of flowers or donations, please give @GregOnSports a pity follow.
And hey, at least the Pin Pals got to go bowling one last time together and got to enjoy each other’s company. We’ll always have that.
Join The Piffles Podcast later this week as Greg, Stephen & I say our final farewell to the 2023 Saskatchewan Roughriders in the next episode of the show. Subscribe now on YouTube so you never miss a show!
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