Dan Plaster
Hi Rider fans!! So what is old is new again in Riderville. This comes on the heels of the return of former quarterback Kerry Joseph to the fold. The 41-year-old pivot has been brought in to provide some stability to the position, not so much on the field, but off. On the field Joseph may provide some help in short yardage situations. Joseph has always been a stout runner and with the riders having the 2nd worst short yardage group, going 9-for-14 on 3rd and short, he will be able to provide some help there.
The injury to Darian Durant may have hurt the Riders more off the field. Yes, the all-star passer is in the locker room and on the side lines helping out Tino Sunseri and Seth Doege through the trials and tribulations of a late run through the CFL season, but Durant must concentrate the bulk of his time on getting better. Having Joseph around will also help things, not just with his on field experience, but coaching. He spent training camp as an intern coach with Sean Payton and the New Orleans Saints, and I’m pretty sure he learned something from one of the best offensive minds in football history as well as one of the top QB’s in the game today, Drew Brees.
It’s now time for the once a year trip to Montreal to face the surging Alouettes. Jonathan Crompton took over the QB reins six weeks ago and this team has had a monumental turn around. They have won four of their last five games and have made things very interesting in a suddenly competitive East Division. It seems like everything is in the favour of Montreal this week; they are turning it on at the right time of the year, they are fresh off a bye week and will be honouring the all-time CFL passing leader, Anthony Calvillo, at half time. This will be one very hyped up and fresh football club.
What is also going against the Riders is heading east for an early game time start. Whereas the Riders have had some success in recent seasons heading west to Vancouver and adjusting to the late start, the early Eastern Standard Time start has given the Green and White fits.
Since 2009 in games that start at 2pm EST or earlier:
September 14th, 2014 – 28-3(L) at Hamilton (1pm Start)
September 29th, 2013 – 17-12(L) at Montreal (1pm Start)
September 9th, 2012 – 25-24(W) at Winnipeg (1pm Start)
September 16th, 2012 – 28-17(L) at Montreal (1pm Start)
September 12th, 2010 – 31-2(L) at Winnipeg (1pm Start)
July 11th, 2009 – 46-36(W) at Toronto (1pm Start)
October 31st, 2009 – 24-6(L) at Hamilton (2pm Start)
To put this in perspective, in 2011, when the Riders visited Montreal for a 7pm kick-off, they came away with the 27-24 road victory. Again, when I verbally (or numerically for that matter) barf a slew of stats, it just shows trends. Every team is different, and this one could enjoy the early Thanksgiving Day wake up call. Critics say the NFL does this all the time, but that’s just it, they do it all the time. The CFL is a predominantly late afternoon to night-time kick-offs and the rare early start gives the visiting team fits.
If you wake up late for this game, you won’t miss much. These two teams are the lowest scoring 1st quarter clubs in the CFL. The Riders have just 58 points in the first quarter (eight over the last nine games), while Montreal’s 47 points in the 1st quarter is the lowest in the CFL. The Als have just eight points on their 12 opening possessions this season.
After a 1-and-7 start, the Als have seemed to figure things out. During their four wins in a five game stretch, they do the things that successful teams accomplish; win the turnover battle (+7), win the time of possession battle and run the football. Jonathan Crompton isn’t doing anything special; he’s just managing the game and letting the other offensive stars make plays.
What they will miss is Brandon Whitaker. Their offensive MVP has been placed on the six-game injury list with a foot injury. He is the first, second and third option on their offence. He is responsible for a CFL best 27% of their offensive yards from scrimmage, is second in the CFL with 764 yards on the ground, all while adding 42 catches for 274 yards. With his key weapon out of the line-up, Crompton will have to rely more on his arm and getting the ball into the hands of some very good receivers.
Few more Alouette chirps:
– They have the second best Red Zone defence in the CFL, allowing just 18 touchdowns on 36 entries.
– This isn’t the greatest big-play team (20+ yard rush, 30+ yard catch/return) with just 27, but defensively, they don’t let up much either, a league low 28 big plays.
– Even with their recent solid stretch, this is still the worst team on first down (4.9 yards per attempt) and the worst passing team in the CFL
– The Alouette defensive front is in the middle of the pack in sacks (36), but they still like to get a lot of pressure on the quarterback, with a league high 10 roughing the passer penalties
– Duron Carter’s next catch is his 100th in his short CFL career
All of the eyes of Riderville will be on the play of Tino Sunseri, and that is no surprise. There is definitely a good Tino and a not so good Tino.
His good, is all-world good, in the win at B.C., the home win over the REDBLACKS and the loss last week against Calgary, Sunseri is 44/64 for 635 yards, 4 touchdowns and a passer rating of 121.54.
In the three other games where he had significant playing time; the Labour Day rematch win in Winnipeg and the losses in Hamilton and Edmonton, Sunseri is 17/38 for 171 yards, two interceptions and a passer rating of 36.18.
What everyone, including himself wants, is something down the middle. If that happens, and the Riders are able to run the football, good things will happen.
Running the ball will be made more difficult with the league’s top offensive lineman, Brendon LaBatte on the one-game injury list. Dan Clark will slide to left guard as Chris Best returns to the line-up. Clark has had quite the remarkable season, with the game Monday; he will have started games at both guard positions and at centre. He also has spent the first half of the season at tight end, where his athletic ability shines. This is so difficult to do, not just technique-wise, but also in the teamwork with the other linemen. Just has Ben Heenan has become comfortable with Clark beside him at right guard, now either Xavier Fulton or Levy Adcock will have a new face beside them.
Few fast facts to think about while the turkey is cooking:
– If the Riders were able to pull it out of the fire last week, the 24 point comeback would have been the second biggest in the CFL this season
– The 10 play, 109 yard drive in the early 4th quarter last week was the longest of the season for the Green and White. It is also the only touchdown drive of the season that has started beyond the 20 yard line (1/41).
– This is still the second best running team in the CFL. In the 14 games the Riders have played this season, the team with more rush yards are 13-and-1 (Ottawa out rushed the Riders on week six)
– The offence has a CFL 2nd best Red Zone efficiency at 67% (20TD’s on 30 entries), but the defence is a league low at stopping teams in the Red Zone as opposing offences score at a 67% rate (24TD’s on 36 entries).
Here are five things to watch:
1. Fast start. With everything seemingly against the Riders, a fast start is key to a win. They haven’t scored a first quarter touchdown since August 2nd in Ottawa. That covers a nine game stretch.
2. Rider receivers. There is an opportunity for the Rider receiving core to take advantage of a very passive Montreal defensive backfield. The Als have just six interceptions this season, they also are a league low in pass interference/illegal contact penalties with eight. If Sunseri can get the ball into the hands of Weston Dressler, Rob Bagg, Chris Getzlaf and the rest of the pass catchers, they will have the time and space to do the rest.
3. Extended drives. Combine the first two things to watch, extended drives will happen.
4. Rider DB’s. On the other side of the coin, the Riders have one of the most aggressive set of defensive backs in the CFL. The Riders are second in the CFL with 15 picks, but are also tied for second in the league with 16 pass interference/illegal contact penalties. Continue to be aggressive on the Alouette receivers, and it could be a long day for the likes of Duron Carter and S.J. Green.
5. Pound the rock. This goes for any team in the CFL. Teams’ that win the rushing game, are 53-and-7 heading into week 16.
For the best Rider coverage, keep tabs on riderville.com, and tune in Tuesday nights for Rider Rewind and Thursday nights for Countdown to Game Day. Also, follow me on twitter @dan_plaster. See you in the stands, Rider fans.
