Mitchell Blair
Win or lose, Saskatchewan Roughriders Head Coach Corey Chamblin learns something about his team every time they take to the field. As he spoke to reporters after a 24-19 loss to the Edmonton Eskimos—a loss that will deny the team the opportunity to host a home playoff game this year, he shared what he had learned on yet another tough afternoon for the football club and it was something that didn’t please him.
“It’s about having that fire and as I told some of the guys after the game, there are some guys out there who understand what playing championship football is all about.” Chamblin said. “There are guys out there busting their hump, but there are guys who still don’t understand what it is to give their best, each and every day, each and every down. We have to find those guys going into the playoffs—guys that have a burning desire to win each and every day.”
Chamblin made the comment as he referred to the game-changing play which was the opening play of the second half. With the Riders leading by nine, Kendial Lawrence took the kickoff and returned it 96 yards to give the Eskimos a spark and kill any momentum the Riders had after 30 minutes. Chamblin says there is no doubt that play turned his team’s fortunes around.
“The fire went out for a lot of guys after that play.” Chamblin admitted. “When I saw that, what I told the guys is it allows me to know what type of players I have. Some didn’t let it bother them, but others were of that mindset that once something negative happened it wasn’t going to get better. They don’t understand that’s a part of football. You can be down 20, but you have to find a way to fight back. We learned that last year during our losing streak. We have to find guys who no matter what the obstacles are in front of them that they are able to overcome it.”
A visible sense of frustration could be seen in the dressing room after the game as the team realized a goal set at the start of the season would not be accomplished. Ricky Foley was frustrated to see the game change on the Lawrence touchdown, but he wasn’t about to throw anyone under the bus saying inexperience is perhaps to blame for the latest letdown in the return cover game.
“It’s hard when you’re asking first year guys to play like veterans,” Foley said. “It’s tough especially when you are going up against guys that have played teams for years. It’s tough, but coach (Bob) Dyce is a good coach and I know this is bothering him. I have confidence he will get everything right and get a sense of urgency going with those guys. At the end of the day, I think special teams will tell a lot about who wins the West and we can still play good teams.”
Paul Woldu is one of those special teams players who was left searching for answers at game’s end. He says it’s very simple as to what you need to do to be successful, but it just isn’t happening.
“You have to be disciplined and you have to play hard,” Woldu said. “The two things you have to do are tough to do at the same time though because they don’t go together sometime. You have to have that controlled intensity and playing smart by being where you want to be. At the end of the day though, it’s our 12 against their 12. It’s incredibly frustrating to see this happen again today because we are letting everyone in this organization down. We are just not getting the job done. It’s a lack of focus I think.”
Going into the game, all eyes were on 41 year old Kerry Joseph. Could he spark a Rider offence that has been dormant for much of the time since Darian Durant went out with an injury and give the team some momentum. Joseph certainly did bring the offence a spark, but he was very critical when assessing his own play.
“We just have to be better in a lot of areas.” Joseph said. “I have to be better in extending drives and making some smarter throws. We had a lot of ups and downs today, we had momentum and we lost momentum. In the end though, we made plays in the first half that we couldn’t make in the second half. We just have to be disciplined, stay together and stay the course.
The loss—Saskatchewan’s 4th in a row—drops them to a record of 9-6. They will have a short week of preparation for their next game which is in Calgary on Friday.
GAME NOTES:
- In his first game as the Riders starting quarterback since the 2007 Grey Cup, Joseph was 17 of 36 for 213 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions
- Foley had three sacks on the afternoon leaving him at 11 for the season.
- Riders offensive lineman Brendon Labatte missed his second straight game with an undisclosed injury
The Riders rushing game which had been so dominant continues to struggle. The team only had 54 yards on the ground with Will Ford leading the way with only 27 yards
