Rod's Blog

Labour Day or Judgement Day?

If there's one thing the bizarre events of this week in Riderville prove, Roughrider G.M. Eric Tillman doesn't like to lose.

Nor does his head coach Ken Miller.

So when the football club stumbled to a 27-10 loss in its Week 9 game at Edmonton on Thursday, you had to know changes were coming. But everyone was caught off-guard when the team announced two days after the game that it had acquired quarterback Michael Bishop from Toronto for a conditional draft pick in the 2011 CFL draft. It marked the end of veteran pivot Marcus Crandell's time with the Green and White, and plunged the team into a new era.

As the team prepares for Labour Day Classic XLII this Sunday at Mosaic Stadium against the visiting Winnipeg Blue Bombers, it sits at a crossroads; a loss would send them into a tailspin with a three-game losing streak while a win could signal this is now Michael Bishop's team and blue prairie skies may be ahead.

"Look, we've lost two straight games," Tillman hissed at practice this week. "Every player on this team needs to look in the mirror and ask themselves what they did to contribute to this. This is a production-based business and when you've only scored three offensive touchdowns in ten quarters, there's an accountability there. There's some people on the field today that need to look in the mirror."

The players had barely gotten a chance to look in the mirror as they were still grieving over the loss of the popular Crandell, who was asked on Sunday to go home to await a trade. Several days later, he's still waiting.

"In terms of the players' reaction, hey, they're human," Tillman continued. "Players are people who wear uniforms and they all have great affection for Marcus Crandell. We understand that and there's going to be emotions that come with that."

But the team must move on. Michael Bishop arrived in Regina Sunday night and practiced with the Riders for the first time on Monday, wearing #11. He looked sharp running the offense, adept at rolling out of the pocket, and his bullet-firing arm was clearly evident.

"It felt good to get out there and take some reps with the first team," Bishop said after his first workout. "I'm just trying to get familiar with it but the first day went pretty smooth. I need my new teammates to get familiar with me and get the ball rolling."

Coach Ken Miller has yet to announce his starter for the Labour Day game but insiders feel it will indeed be Bishop, backed up by incumbents Steven Jyles and Darian Durant. Those industry insiders include the Roughriders' opposition this week.

"I think it could be a rather seemless fit for Michael Bishop to integrate into what they're doing over there," Blue Bombers coach Doug Berry told CJOB radio in Winnipeg on Monday night. "From the first time I heard the rumour that he may be going there, I felt he'll be playing this weekend."

"I think he's going to know the system. Now it's just a matter of plugging him in and giving him a week's worth of reps. If you're going to make a commitment to him, why wait? You might as well play him now."

Eric Tillman insisted this move was not made to shake up his football club. It was simply made to upgrade the quarterback position, at the coach's request. However a message has clearly been sent within the Rider locker room.

"That's not why Mike Bishop was brought in, for a wake-up call," observed Rider lineman Gene Makowsky. "Management thought he might give us a better chance in the future to win games. But no one can deny it's a bit of a wake-up call. It gives you a greater sense of urgency, especially for the younger guys. I've been around awhile and have seen this sort of thing happen before but you can only focus on what you can control."

There should be considerable guilt within that locker room for the demise of Crandell. Although he had far from his best showing last week against the Eskimos, he was victimized by several dropped passes by his receivers. Those ball-catchers are the replacements for injured starters Andy Fantuz, D.J. Flick and Matt Dominguez and they didn't help Crandell's cause.

"Guys are expected to step in but those big-time players are there for a reason," explained Makowsky. "They're the best receivers in the league and when they're gone, at some point you're going to have a drop off. It's unfortunate because those three injured receivers made things happen for us. Sometimes you could just throw the ball up and Matt would make a play. We don't have that now."

Will the presence of Michael Bishop be the cure that ails this struggling Saskatchewan offense?

Time will tell, but we'll find out soon.

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Trade is a Shocker

MINOT, ND -- The news of the Saskatchewan Roughriders acquiring quarterback Michael Bishop from Toronto Saturday afternoon was big news on both sides of the 49th parallel. Here in "The Magic City" on a weekend respite with the family, all CFL news slowed to a trickle. However early Saturday the texts and phone calls starting rolling in (things might be different if I could send and receive emails on my Blackberry in the U.S.!)

Nonetheless, this move is another shocker by Roughrider General Manager Eric Tillman. Perhaps we should stop being shocked by all the incredible moves he makes. Once I heard the news, I immediately called him and he was back in his office just after having met with the media.

News of the trade first hit the Canadian Press wire at 1:17 p.m. The Riders' media gathering was not long afterwards.

"We played Toronto at home last season on one of the windiest days of the year," Tillman told me. "But if you remember, Michael threw the ball with precision. It was like he was cutting it with a knife, and they blew us out that day."

It was one of Bishop's eleven wins as a Toronto for the Boatmen in 2007, against just one loss. They blew the Riders out by about thirty points that day, and Bishop shredded the Rider secondary like a cheese grader.

"We probably wouldn't have made the move if Kenny (Miller, head coach) and Paul (Lapolice, offensive coordinator) weren't so keen on him," Tillman continued. "They're excited."

So too are Rider fans. And so too was Tillman. In my haste, I forgot to ask if Bishop will be starting for the Roughriders in the Labour Day Classic next Sunday against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Would you be surprised if he did?

I also never asked the reason for the trade, although that likely doesn't need an explanation. At this point in the season, the 6-2 Roughriders must not be enamoured with the production they're getting at the position. However after Thursday's 27-10 loss in Edmonton, I was helping Roughrider staff load their gear into the equipment truck when I overheard an interesting comment.

"There isn't a team in the league missing its to three receivers like we are," huffed one Rider staffer as he heaved another bag of equipment on top of the pile.

I've steadfastly defended and supported Rider quarterback Marcus Crandell, and I will continue that stance. I also believe Darian Durant is this team's quarterback of the future. But the question remains, can Michael Bishop's able arm and nimble feet be the cure for what the Riders need to
snap them out of the doldrums? Can Bishop's presence alone overcome the absence of D.J. Flick, Andy Fantuz and Matt Dominguez?

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, we're about to find out.

(Rod Pedersen is the Voice of the Roughriders on 620 CKRM radio.)

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Coach Miller's Media Scrum

Here's the transcript of Rider coach Ken Miller's media scrum following Sunday's workout at Mosaic Stadium..

LEADER POST: Safey Scott Gordon wasn't out here today??

MILLER: He's still nursing that knee that he hurt in the Calgary game. It's a lot better than it has been, but I don't know if it's going to be good enough for him to go (this week at Edmonton).

LEADER POST: You had Sebastian Clovis playing safety.

Where's Tristan Clovis?

MILLER: Tristan is away on personal business at the moment. He should be here tomorrow. Sebastian would fill in in that situation in a fail-safe opportunity.

LEADER POST: John Chick was working out a bit. Should we get excited about that?

MILLER: The short answer is no. I think he's 3 weeks or 4 weeks away yet.

CJME: D.J. Flick is out here as well .. what's the prognosis?

MILLER: I was just talking with (trainer) Ivan Gutfriend today and D.J. has worked so hard to rehabilitate himself.

We expect that he should be able to practice in the next couple of weeks. You saw him running a little bit, but he's not at practice speed yet. In two weeks or so he'll be able to.

CJME: Talk about this team coming back after a loss and there's been no finger-pointing which happens on other teams...

MILLER: That is just so important and today I complimented them on how they worked today. We had guys in the weight-room early, we had guys in the film room early and we had guys working on their pass-rush in between drills on

their own. We have players coaching each other and we

have great communication. They're working hard to get better.

CJME: Is the hunger as strong as last year to get to the top of the mountain?

MILLER: Absolutely. They have a hunger that food isn't gonna take care of.

CJME: There are a lot of teams that let details slide when they win a championship. How nice is it that that isn't happening here?

MILLER: It's really nice but from the very first day we said that winning the Grey Cup last year was more of a liability than an asset. Because a lot of teams feel when they win it that they've arrived and have reached a level of success. For us, we are not going to take that approach. We said we're going back to square one with the basics and the players have bought into that.

CJME: Do you have goals for the 'thirds' of the season?

MILLER: Really it's game by game but in the big picture I do look at the season in thirds and we do want to be

successful in each third. We put ourselves behind a bit

in this middle third but we have a chance on Thursday at Edmonton to recoup that. The second third is really a slugfest. Everyone gets into a situation with injuries and it's a test of toughness in this middle third.

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GAME PREVIEW

Calgary Stampeders (3-3) at Saskatchewan Roughriders (6-0), 8pm Thursday, Aug 7, Mosaic Stadium, Regina

RIDERS - Home: 3-0, vs West 3-0, Last Week: 22-21 win at Calgary STAMPS - Road: 1-2, vs West 1-2, Last Week: 22-21 loss vs Saskatchewan

RIDERS OFFENSE: (Rush 2nd, Pass 6th, Overall 4th) The Riders are 2nd in the CFL in points scored (180). RB Wes Cates is the CFL's leading rusher (632 yards) and his nine touchdowns are eight shy of the Riders' single season record of seventeen held by Hugh Campbell. Rookie receiver Adarius Bowman leads the team in receiving yards (235) among active players but is 24th in the CFL. QB Marcus Crandell's pass efficiency rating (87.4) is fifth best. Injured QB Darian Durant is second in the league (107.4).

STAMPS OFFENSE: (Rush 3rd, Pass 3rd, Overall 1st) The Stamps are 3rd in points scored (173) and wide receiver Ken-Yon Rambo leads the league in receiving yards (573, two touchdowns). Henry Burris is the league's 3rd-leading passer (1,945 yards) and his efficiency rating (102.9) is fifth.

RIDERS DEFENSE: (Rush 1st, Pass 2nd, Overall 1st) The Riders have allowed a league-low 129 points and along with Calgary, have given up the fewest first downs (119).

Defensive halfback Lance Frazier is second in the league with three interceptions. Anton McKenzie leads the club in tackles

(35) and tackles for losses 93). The Riders have a league-low eight sacks.

STAMPS DEFENSE: (Rush 2nd, Pass 8, Overall 5) Calgary had the CFL's best run-defense until Wes Cates rolled up 139 yards last week. They are sixth in sacks with 10. They've allowed the fewest plays from scrimmage (458).

RIDERS SPECIAL TEAMS: Kicker Luca Congi is second in CFL field goal percentage (93.8%). Rookie returner Weston Dressler was leading the league in punt return yardage when he was injured in Week 3. He returns to the lineup tonight.

Punter Jamie Boreham is sixth in punting yardage (43.7), but leads the CFL in kickoff average (65.6).

STAMPS SPECIAL TEAMS: Kicker Sandro Deangelis is 3rd in field goal percentage (77.8%) but missed a potentially game- winning 54-yard field goal last week against the Riders.

Punter Burke Dales is fourth in punting average (47.1). Primary returner Markus Howell is fourth in punt return yardage while rookie Demetris Summers is sixth in returning kickoffs.

INTANGIBLES: The Riders are a league best +7 in the turnover ratio while Calgary is sixth at -3 ...

Saskatchewan is the third-least penalized team in the CFL while Calgary is sixth ... Tonight is the second of four meetings in the season series between the two western rivals.

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August 5/2008

LUCKY, GOOD OR BOTH?

At 6-0, the Saskatchewan Roughriders are off to their best start as a franchise since the 1934 season. That year the Riders also finished the regular season at 6-0 under coach Greg Grassick and went on to lose 20-12 in the Grey Cup to the vaunted Sarnia Imperials. Oh, the Sarnia Imperials'

dynasty!

In short, one more consecutive win for the Roughies will equal their best start in the franchise's 98 years of existence. They will have to do it this week at home against the Calgary Stampeders on Thursday night at Mosaic Stadium in Regina. A twelfth straight sellout of 28,800 will be on hand to welcome the Riders home after a 22-21 win at Calgary on Saturday.

As elated as the Riders are with the 6-0 start and their successful defense of the Grey Cup title (so far), they are screaming at the football heavens wondering why they've been hit so hard by injuries. By rookie coach Ken Miller's count, up to fifteen starters have been lost due to long-term injuries. Saturday night at McMahon Stadium, receiver/returner Carl Berman (achilles) went down, along with veteran fullback Neal Hughes (fractured fibula) and star wide receiver Matt Dominguez (knee).

Throw that in with slotbacks Andy Fantuz (broken leg) and D.J. Flick (fractured fibula and tibia), quarterback Darian Durant (cracked ribs), defensive end John Chick (knee) and a host of others, and you start to realize this tremendous start is a near miracle.

"I've never seen anything like this," said Miller.

"Anywhere at any level. You wouldn't expect fifteen serious injuries in a season let alone six games."

Somehow or another the Green and White have persevered and some across the CFL actually think they are lucky.

Lucky? Well it's true the Riders certainly have had some good fortune in the form of a few gratuitous replay challenges and some calls and bounces which have gone their way. The first quarter ejection of Calgary's middle linebacker JoJuan Armour Saturday night (for contacting an

official) didn't hurt, nor did the fumble recovery touchdown by popular tailback Wes Cates late in the first half. The football bounced out of Dominguez' hands at the Calgary twelve-yard line and right into Cates' stomach where he scored an easy touchdown.

Good luck? Pffft. The Riders don't want to hear about it.

"Enough is enough!" countered Miller. "This swarm of injuries is certainly unusual but we're going to rally together this week and play well again. But you want to talk about breaks? The bad breaks we've gotten have far out-shadowed any calls we may have had here or there."

"People want to talk about the touchdown Wes scored off of the fumble. Well if it wasn't for great effort on Wes'

part, he wouldn't have been in a position to pick up the fumble. It just points out the team effort and the great effort the players are giving to create some of their own breaks."

The 6-0 start couple with the rash of injuries have a lot of people around here scratching their head. What's the reason? Is it superior depth? Great coaching? Learning how to win last year during the Grey Cup season? Magic?

Luck? Or a combination of all of these things?

"It is amazing," smiled Rider safety Scott Gordon. "It is something special and we do have something going that's maybe magical. Who knows. Hopefully we can keep it going."

The growing number of players in the sick bay has forced the Riders to recall import receivers Brian Hernandez and Vincent Marshall who were cut in training camp, and sign non-import defensive back Sebastian Clovis, a former B.C.

Lion. They may all be on the roster in this week's game against Calgary.

How long will the good/bad streaks continue?

No one knows, but it's made for the most interesting story in the Canadian Football League so far this season.

(Rod Pedersen is the Voice of the Roughriders and Saskatchewan reporter for The Score Sports Network. Check out his award-winning blog at www.rodpedersen.com)

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