Dan Plaster
Hi there Rider fans, it sure would be nice to have a calm week in Riderville, but yet again the winds of change blew through Mosaic Stadium this week as 41 year old Kerry Joseph was named the Riders (9-6) starting quarterback for this afternoon’s battle with the Edmonton Eskimos (10-5). He is the fourth starting pivot for Saskatchewan this season and is looking to bring just a little of his CFL M.O.P. and Grey Cup winning performance from the 2007 season.
Joseph will be the oldest starting quarterback in Rider history, and is one of the very few professional athletes to step on to the playing field after the age of 40. There have been some fantastic performances from athletes that should be on the couch enjoying retirement instead of plying their athletic trade. In Canada, Gordie Howe and Anthony Calvillo are two that quickly come to mind, here are a few others:
– In football, there are two others that stand out and not surprisingly both are Oakland Raiders. Quarterback George Blanda at age 43, started in the 1970 AFC Championship game against the Baltimore Colts. Even though the Silver and Black lost, the silver haired pivot was 17-32 passing and threw a pair of touchdowns. The other Raider was the G.O.A.T. receiver, Jerry Rice. At 40 years old in 2002, he was a 1000 yard receiver and picked up another 869 yards through the air a season later.
– In MMA, Randy Couture was the UFC Heavyweight Champion (2007) at 43 years old
– The most impressive might be Olympic swimmer Dara Torres. The 41 year old mother won three medals in the pool at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Bejing, including setting an American Record in the 50 metre sprint.
– Finally, we cannot forget that Ron Lancaster was 40 years old when he finished his Hall of Fame CFL career in 1978.
Even though it is rare for someone that is in their 40’s to have success on the professional stage, it isn’t impossible. What the Riders are looking for from Kerry Joseph isn’t a record breaking performance, they just want him to manage the game and have a calming influence in the huddle.
A win for the Eskimos, they would seal up second in the CFL West and a home playoff date. A win for the Riders, second spot probably won’t be solved until the final weekend of the season as these two teams will meet yet again at Mosaic Stadium.
This is also the second match up of what is more than likely will be the West representative for top defensive player. John Chick and Odell Willis are both having unbelievable seasons. Willis is the big play performer and stellar against the pass, while Chick is a notch below on the pass rush numbers, but dominates Willis on the numbers against the run.
Odell Willis: 13 sacks, 2 interceptions, 5 forced fumbles, 5 knock downs, 1 fumble recovery. 33 of his 38 tackles (doesn’t include sacks) are before 1st down yardage was gained with an average gain of 2.2 yards.
John Chick: 14 sacks, 2 forced fumbles with 37 of his 40 tackles coming before 1st down yardage gained with an average gain of just 0.6 yards.
While I don’t have the tackle for loss or QB pressure numbers, Willis has the definite edge against the pass, but if you want the great player on every down, John Chick would be the definitive leader. Of course, B.C. linebacker Solomon Elimimian would have something to say with his 121 tackles this season.
The Eskimos are having an absolute renaissance this season under head coach Chris Jones. You can look everywhere for reasons why they are second in the West Division, but it comes down to one thing; Jones has changed the culture of this football club. They have bought in with what Coach Jones is selling and they are reaping its rewards.
Most of the talk defensively (Jones is also the coordinator) is about Willis, but two other players have been putting in all-star performances. Almondo Sewell is making a mess of opposing offensive lines this season with his nine sacks and 39 tackles while Dexter McCoil has been a superb linebacker with 54 tackles, five picks four knockdowns while also adding 11 tackles on special teams.
Offensively, it’s three players that have led the way for the Green and Gold.
Mike Reilly can do it through the air with his 89.6 passer rating and is also the 7th leading rusher in the CFL. The big stat for Edmonton, they are 10-3 with Reilly at the reins of the offence and 0-2 without him.
Reilly’s main target may be the CFL’s top offensive player, Adarius Bowman. In a season where the offence has taken a major dip, Bowman has put together a season to remember. He has surpassed the 100 reception mark and his 1241 yards are almost as much as Rob Bagg, Chris Getzlaf and Weston Dressler combined (1308). His most important contribution is his CFL leading 31, 2nd down conversions which are nine more than his closest competitors.
The final key of this trio is running back John White. In just seven games, he has 639 yards rushing with a stellar 7.1 yards per carry average.
Some quick Eskimo bites:
– This is the best defensive team in the CFL. They give up just 218 yards passing (2nd CFL) and 94 yards rushing (3rd CFL).
– It’s not just the miniscule yardage stats that stick out, they are also second in the CFL in opposition 2nd down conversion rate (just 35.9%) and second in red zone defence giving up just 15 touchdowns in 36 attempts.
– Offensively, this is a big play offence, they are tops in the league with 48 big plays (30+ passing, 20+ rushing, 30+ returns) and are tops with 24 30+ yard passing plays.
– The offence does stall in the red zone at times with a 50% TD conversion rate.
– Chris Jones is 1-and-10 on coaches challenges and 0-and-6 on defensive pass interference challenges
This isn’t quite do-or-die time for the Riders. This team is off to the playoffs, but would like to go to the dance on a bit of a roll and it should begin today. With all of the offensive woes of late, it will still be up to the defence to lead the way for the Green and White.
They will admit it was an embarrassing effort in Edmonton three weeks ago, especially on the ground. The 299 yards were the most given up by a CFL defence this season. This is a group that knows how to step up to the challenge. After the Lions rolled to 186 yards in their week three win at Mosaic Stadium, the defence turned up the intensity six weeks later in Vancouver, limiting the Leos to just 56 yards along the ground and 214 net yards in a 20-16 come from behind victory.
Offensively, we will see is a lot of CFL rookie Anthony Allen. He is responsible for 22% of the Riders offence this season, and is 151 yards away from the 1000 yard mark along the ground. Heading into the week, he was the league leader in rushing with 849 yards, and is second in big gains with 27 carries of 10+ yards.
Fast Rider facts:
– In their wins, the Riders are a +19 in turnover ratio and -13 in their losses
– This is still the top team in the CFL in getting after the QB with 55 sacks
– Tearrius George is having a better season than his all-star effort a year ago. He is third in the CFL with 12 sacks (a career best) and his 31 tackles are just three away from a career best.
– Second year CFL pro, Brian Peters is tied for 4th in special teams tackles (18) and is 6th in the CFL in tackles with 63
– Corey Chamblin is 4-and-8 in coaches challenges and 1-and-6 on defensive pass inference challenges
Five things to watch:
1. End every drive with a kick – This is pretty simple, no turnovers. Win that battle, and it’s a great first step.
2. Protect Kerry Joseph – Injuries have battered the Rider offensive line as now perennial all-star, Brendon LaBatte will miss his second straight game. Keeping Joseph upright is a must, this isn’t the same quarterback as in 2007 and cannot escape like he once could.
3. Battle of defensive lines – If the group of Chick, George, Foley and company impose their will and outplay their counterparts of Willis, Sewell, Steele and the rest of the Eskimo pass rushers, you can almost chalk up a Rider victory.
4. The feet of Mike Reilly – While the Rider pass rusher want to get after the Eskimo pivot, they have to be very patient and stay in the rush lanes. Stray away from that, and we will see a repeat of three weeks ago.
5. Rider receivers – They will get their opportunities today. At least three big plays will be needed to get the Rider passing offence out of its rut.
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.
