There isn’t a whole lot to say about our last game that hasn’t already been said.  It’s still hard to accept the fact that we lost the way we did but there isn’t anything we can do about it…it’s in the record books.  People tell me that it’s an unfortunate ending but that we exceeded everyone’s expectations for the whole season and made it tough on Montreal.  Those words mean little to the players at this point because when we can in June 6th we knew we had a special team even though we were picked to finish last in the West and rebuild our team.  Games are won on the field between the white lines, not on paper and we knew we were going to be a tough team to deal with.  Some people are out on a witch hunt looking for who the extra man on the field was last Sunday night…does it really matter?  Even if they found out, what would that change?  We had a chance to win that game in all 3 phases of the game and we didn’t get it done…we whipped the Als butt and unfortunately didn’t get the win.  It was indeed a bitter-sweet ending to a great season where a team worked together to win the Western division.  We got a bunch of all-stars that emerged for us and this team, just like the past 2 years, felt like a family out there.  Now everyone goes their own way for a few months but we’ll all keep in touch and hopefully we can re-sign most guys that are up for free agency…like myself.  I have made it clear to the team that I want to be here and would love to finish my career as a Rider because this is the team and these are the fans that I want to play for…simple as that.  Unfortunately, free agency is a two way street and it isn’t always up to one side to decide…both sides have to come to terms and be happy with the decision.  I doubt it’ll be hard to get a deal done…I won’t even worry about it until after the holidays.

I had been looking back at the goals I set for myself this year and it looks like I reached many of them.  I became a full time starter at right guard for all 18 regular season games and 2 playoff games.  I wasn’t named to the all-star team but there’s always next year…I now have 6 months to work on things I need to improve to be an all-star.  Of course an important reason why I did well this year was because of the other 4 guys I played next to all year long.  If it wasn’t for all the guys that played this year (Geno, Jeremy, Chris, Joel, Antonio, Matt O’Meara, Bobby Harris, Belton and Nick Hutchins) I wouldn’t have been able to perform the way I did.  Success for one o-lineman always correlates to how he gets along with his 4 linemates in a game and we may not have had anyone flashy in our group but as a unit we were as smart and tough as they come.  Young guys who didn’t get a chance to play this year will have another chance next year and we’ll have one tough group again in 2010.

It’s nice to finally be able to sit back and relax for a little bit.  Running into people for 6 months can cause havoc on your body so the healing process begins.  Nagging injuries that we have to play through finally get a chance to get fixed so hopefully I can start going down the stairs normally instead of hanging on to the rail for dear life while slowly walking down each step with both feet…much like a 2 year old!  Soon the off-season workouts will begin and we’ll get ready for another run at the cup in Edmonton.  I’ll be able to dedicate a lot of my time to my other career: real estate with Exit Realty Fusion!  I was able to complete a few deals during the season, helping out people looking for that perfect home and that was such an awesome feeling.  It never gets old to see the look people have on their face when they walk into their dream home.  If you miss me too much this off-season, stop by one of my open houses this winter or call me if you need some info, I’d love to help you out (I know I know, shameless plug).

I want to thank my gorgeous fiancée, brother, mom, dad as well as the rest of my family for all the incredible support you provided me this year.  I also want to thank the coaches, support staff and administration for helping us will all the little details that go with football so we can just worry about playing.  I want to thank Rider Nation for once again being the best fans in the world, you guys are awesome…see you all around town this winter…and I tell you my friends, I’m not making this stuff up…