The Morning After – Riders Show Intensity in Win over Lions
Published: Monday, Aug 21st 2023, 12:08pm
By Alex Dormuth (@RealAlexD)
I wrote that I wanted to see some intensity from the Riders in last night’s game, especially with the bye week here when some players start looking ahead to the week off before finishing off the last day of work first. Well, that was the most intense, focused football team I have seen here in Saskatchewan in years! The Riders sure know how to make us sweat, but they pulled back to .500 with a big 34-29 win over the BC Lions.
We’ll get deeper into the game with Greg and Steve on the next episode of the show, but for now, here’s some of my thoughts on The Morning After:
– How great is it to have Kian Schaffer-Baker back on the field? Not just getting a TD right off the hop, but the blocking, getting the fans going when he’s on the bench. There’s a reason why he’s my favourite Roughrider.
– Jake Dolegala for the most part impressed me. He had time this game and trusted his receivers to go out there and make plays. Dolegala recognized that the Lions left a LOT of space in the middle of the field and he was able to carve them up a bit.
– Speaking of guys making plays… Samuel. Emilus. My goodness. The growth he has shown this year has been awesome and DAMN can he go out there and make your jaw drop! I still can’t get over that touchdown grab he got when everyone thought the ball was going to be intercepted!
– There wasn’t as much running by Jamal Morrow and company as I thought we’d see, but they did an okay job. The cut and vision on Morrow’s TD was great to see. I would have liked to have seen some running to try and close that game out late.
– For a unit that gave up 29 points and 450+ yards against, the Riders D actually did a hell of a job. The D-Line got steady pressure on Vernon Adams Jr. (who made a few AWFUL decisions with the football when he wasn’t throwing long TD passes) and put the Riders O in good spots, especially in the first half.
– The injuries to Amari Henderson and C.J. Reavis sure didn’t help the cause, the team gave up quite a few big plays after they went out. Hopefully both are back for the Labour Day Classic against Winnipeg.
– Use your time outs, Craig Dickenson! Otherwise, this was a pretty well coached game, easily the best of the season. Situational awareness still isn’t a strong suit, but he had this team focused and ready. Good job, Coach!
– Oh, and maybe let this team fight a bit more in practice. Not ALL the time, obviously, but after seeing an uninspired team in Montreal, they really put forth their best effort of the season in this one… and I do think that has a bit to do with things getting heated in practice. I know the coach didn’t like it, but that’s a thing that can really help unite a team. That’s a good thing once in a while!
– A few more shoutouts include Anthony Lanier II for singing Old Town Road, the fan that was tarps off, but had his chest hair shaved into a bra and to the audio guy for playing “Incomplete” by the Backstreet Boys after a Lions missed pass.
Check out Piffles Podcast later this week when we go deeper into this game and much more around the CFL! Subscribe now on YouTube so you don’t miss a show!
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