August 26, 2016

Luc Mullinder’s ProPerspective- Consistency

as the Saskatchewan Roughriders take on the Calgary Stampeders in Saskatoon, SK, August 13, 2016 Photo Electric Umbrella/Liam Richards

 Luc Mullinder

In the world of professional sport, consistency, is the bridge between good and GREAT.

As a young pro, when I asked Legendary CFL Lineman Ron Estay what I needed to do to become a major contributor to the Saskatchewan Roughriders, his simple answer in his Southern Bayou dialect was,

“Ya gotta become consistent Luksta.”

As pundits talk about the unbelievable work ethic of guys like Milt Stegall over the course of a career, the one word that accompanies the Hall of Fame body of work is consistency.

During a look at the Calgary Stampeders and how they’ve managed to remain at the top of the Western Division for so long, the first thing that CFL insiders will point to is the consistency in every phase of the organization that John Hufnagel has brought to the club.

During 2012 I had the privilege of being a teammate of the best Quarterback to play the CFL game, Anthony Calvillo.  As I watched and learned from AC, what sticks out about him was the way he spent the entire travel day, whether we were on the plane or the train, going over his 8×11 call sheet making side notes with his pen and mentally playing every snap against the Defences he was about to see.

The process was unreal.  Pre-game after pre-game, AC would sit by himself making every throw in his mind far before the first whistle of the actual game.

Anthony Calvillo is thought of as one of the greatest.  What Anthony Calvillo was, was consistent.

When one looks at today’s game against the Edmonton Eskimos, one of the characteristics that has NOT been present for the Green and White is, unfortunately…consistency.

Much has been made of Chris Jones trying to find the right guys to build his team with, but while change has been consistent, what has not been are the “W’s” in the Win/Loss column.

That’s the odd juncture that the Green and White are at right now…Theoretically, in order to be competitive, teams need a core presence that they can build around.  Continually having to change depth charts, and roster spots (for whatever reason) makes it hard to win; thus creating a difficult cycle of instability due to the fact that losses are more likely to happen for the same reasons week in and week out.

The battle that Saskatchewan faces is trying to change what they are consistent at right now, and a victory over the defending Grey Cup Champs will be the first step in the right direction.

A win promotes the coach’s confidence in some of the decisions that need to be made in certain roster spots, and that in turn creates stability moving forward into Week 11.  Mix that with the momentum that the players will get off the victory will and the result will yield the potential that many saw at the beginning of the year.

Consistency…It’s what allows good teams and players to become GREAT teams and players.

Right now, for the Saskatchewan Roughriders, finding consistency of any kind will be the beginnings of the bridge between BAD and GOOD.

It may seem like a small step in the grand scheme of things, but it will be monumental in the only place that matters, the Locker Room.

#BeatTheChamps