Dan Plaster
Two solid weeks of training camp and seeing nothing but green and white, each and every practice, it is finally time to hit the field for real.
Tonight’s game (5:30pm pre-game show start on 620 CKRM, 96.3 Cruz FM Saskatoon, 8pm kickoff on CKRM, TSN and ESPN3) in Fort McMurray will be interesting on a myriad of levels. The first, is if we will see Darian Durant take a snap behind centre tonight. In the previous three seasons with Corey Chamblin as the head coach of the Riders, Durant has seen action in all six pre-season games. All but one game saw Durant play significant time and it was quality time finishing 45/67 for 454 yards, five touchdowns and just one interception. There was just one game that saw Durant play a few snaps and leave; that was in the Riders 44-10 loss in Vancouver on June 13, 2012.
The focus of every game is to win, and with Coach Chamblin, it is no different. Pre-season is more of an evaluation and installation process for Chamblin and the coaching staff; this is reflected a little in the 2-4 record in his three years with the Riders. Whatever he’s doing, keep doing it, Chamblin has never missed the playoffs and has had some torrid starts to the regular season.
There are so many things to look for in this game tonight, but here are a few of the highlights:
– Other than whether Durant sees the field first and foremost, watch for the evolution of the newly minted Jacques Chapdelaine offence. Once it gets going, it will be fun to watch and very fast paced, not quite to the current trend in the NCAA and with the Philadelphia Eagles. Something to consider; they huddled only a handful of times all camp!
– On defence, we will only see a glimpse of what the coaching staff has in store for the 2015 season. Multiple defensive fronts and coverage packages, many of them very unique and adapted to the new five-yard chuck rule.
Quick note on the new rules, both the five yard contact (chuck) rule on defence and five in the box until the ball is kicked on punts are based on current NFL rules. The only difference is the size of the field. To roll the coverage to make up the room on pass defence and to spread the formation to cover punts will be just a couple of the new things we will see now and into the early weeks of the CFL season.
– Kicking and punting will be very interesting. Chris Milo, Ray Early, Hugh O’Neill, Denton Kolodzinski and Cody Thornton have all made the trip to Fort McMurray. There are so few opportunities punting, kicking and in kick-offs to see what these players can do, and the arrangement of who does what, and when, will be fun.
– With Tyron Brackenridge staying home, Keenan MacDougall will see a ton of time on defence. Coach Chamblin wants to see MacDougall improve and become a defensive starter. He is improving and is on track to becoming a defensive regular, but it’s a tall task to reach the all-star level of Brackenridge.
– Watching Ryan Smith in practice the past two weeks has been a treat and with Weston Dressler not in the line-up, let’s see if it translates into game play.
The casual fan will want to tune in early in the game and then once the starters are finished for the night, will want to turn the channel. Please don’t, it is very entertaining to see the newest members of the Riders fight for a spot on the roster and we may see the next stars of the Saskatchewan Roughriders strut their stuff for the first time.
Few notes:
– Chris Getzlaf hasn’t caught a ball in pre-season since June 14, 2013.
– Taj Smith has caught a ball in five of the past six Rider pre-season games and is the leading receiver over that time 14 catches for 168 yards.
– Familiar names staying at home: Terrell Maze, Tyron Brackenridge, Weston Dressler, Scott McHenry, and Korey Williams
– This will be Tino Sunseri’s fifth pre-season game with the Riders.
– This is the Riders first pre-season opening game away from Mosaic Stadium since a 31-24 win over the Eskimos at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton.
– Three former Riders will be on the field for the Eskimos; Alexander Krausnick-Groh, Odell Willis and Cory Watson (even though he never played a game).
– Edmonton is dressing four quarterbacks; Mike Reilly, Justin Goltz, Matt Nicholls and James Franklin. Franklin will be the most interesting to watch. The former Missouri star will push Goltz for that third QB spot on the roster.
Rider Media is on the ground in Fort McMurray and will have all of the coverage from the Northern Kickoff including Corey Chamblin’s post game presser. At home and on the road, riderville.com will be the best place for all of your Rider coverage all season long.
