The numbers don’t lie for Saskatchewan’s defence

EDMONTON — Henoc Muamba isn’t that interested in comparisons.

When it was pointed out to the Saskatchewan Roughriders linebacker that the CFL team’s defence has improved statistically from the 2016 season to the 2017 campaign, Muamba shrugged off the contrast.

“Personally, I don’t want to make comparisons to last year’s team only because there are so many new parts to this team; this is a whole new team,” Muamba said in advance of Friday’s game against the Edmonton Eskimos at Commonwealth Stadium (7:30 p.m., TSN, CKRM).

“The biggest thing I’m preaching to the linebacking crew as one of the leaders on the defence is to continue to improve one week at a time, one game at a time and quarter by quarter. I think we’re headed in the right direction, but I think there’s so much more left in our tank.

“It’s a good position to be in, but it’s a big challenge ahead of us as well.”

The Roughriders had their challenges on defence during the early stages of the 2016 season, the first year of Chris Jones’ tenure as the team’s defensive co-ordinator and head coach.

Through their first seven games of that campaign, the Roughriders allowed averages of 33.3 points, 316.1 yards passing and 91.8 yards rushing per game.

Opposing quarterbacks completed 66.9 per cent of their passes (158 completions in 236 attempts) with 15 touchdown passes in those seven games, while Saskatchewan surrendered eight rushing TDs.

By the time the season ended, the Roughriders had allowed averages of 29.4 points, 104.2 yards rushing, 294.3 yards passing and 383.7 yards of net offence per game. Opposing teams had thrown 37 touchdown passes and rushed for 15 TDs over 18 games.

Through the Roughriders’ first seven games of 2017, they have given up an average of 24.6 points per game. Opponents have 14 passing touchdowns, but Saskatchewan has allowed a league-low two majors along the ground.

The Roughriders have given up an average of 96.9 yards rushing and 291.6 yards passing per game. Quarterbacks have a completion percentage of 60.7 (147 for 242), while teams have recorded a league-low 139 first downs against Saskatchewan’s defence.

“You can see a difference, from last year to camp this year to the beginning of the season to right now,” said defensive end Willie Jefferson. “It has been a progression to where we are right now and we’re just trying to steadily progress each week.

“(The improvement year over year) isn’t a feather in our cap. We don’t want to get caught up in being better than we were last year because that’s always the goal. You never want to be as good as you were last year; you always want to be better.”

Had the Roughriders been better defensively in their first two games, their record could be better than 3-4-0.

On June 22, a busted coverage allowed Montreal Alouettes quarterback Darian Durant to find B.J. Cunningham for a 65-yard walk-in touchdown. The defence also couldn’t stop the Als from driving 72 yards in eight plays late in the fourth quarter, a march that set up Boris Bede’s game-winning, 18-yard field goal in the Als’ 17-16 victory.

On July 1, the Roughriders again had coverage issues as Winnipeg Blue Bombers quarterback Matt Nichols found Weston Dressler uncovered for 87- and nine-yard touchdown passes on back-to-back possessions. Saskatchewan rallied, but eventually lost 43-40 in overtime.

“Early in the season, we gave up some big plays that cost us some football games,” Jones said. “I think that guys realized (since then) that if we communicate and make sure guys are in the right areas, the right gaps and the right zones, then you’ve got a chance to be competitive in every game.”

The Roughriders are 3-2-0 since those losses and have tightened up defensively in some areas. They’re coming off one of their best defensive efforts of the season, a stifling of the B.C. Lions in a 41-8 victory on Aug. 13.

The Lions had 73 yards rushing (which included a 50-yard run by Jeremiah Johnson) and 301 yards passing (but with a completion percentage of just 47.6). Saskatchewan recorded 14 quarterback pressures, four sacks and seven takeaways, including a franchise-record four interceptions by Ed Gainey.

“I feel like we’re a lot more balanced in every position,” Gainey said when asked if there’s a difference between the 2016 and 2017 defences. “Coming off of last game, I feel like we’re coming together and growing more as a defence as opposed to where we were last year.”

That said, the Roughriders know they can’t rest on their laurels.

“Everybody wants to improve,” Jefferson said. “Nobody wants to settle and be like, ‘All right. Last week we did this, so we’re good and we can just stay here.’ Everybody wants to get better from our last game.”

One key to the improvement over 2016 could be improved chemistry.

Players were in and out of the lineup last season, with some defenders being replaced or suffering injuries and others like Jefferson and Muamba arriving late in the campaign. For the most part this season, Saskatchewan has been able to stick with much the same lineup.

For Muamba, that consistency is paying off.

“If we continue to play disciplined and play together, the better we’ll be,” he said. “The biggest thing has been being able to play as one and gel together. If we’re able to do that, the sky’s the limit for this team.”