Friday, August 03, 2007

Riders play giant killers

Congrats to the Saskatchewan Roughriders for knocking off the previously unbeaten B.C. Lions 21-9 last night. In honour of the occasion, I allowed young Jacob to stay up waaaaaaaaay past his bedtime - actually I had zero choice in the matter, but I like to pretend I'm still in charge.

Wes Cates continues to impress as the Riders feature back. Which could really make things interesting if Kenton Keith fails in his bid to make the Indianapolis Colts roster. Nice problem to have, really. And fullback Chris Szarka has been very impressive running and catching the ball out of the backfield. And some deep thinkers on the message boards wanted to cut Zark loose in the offseason - as if!

Another dominating performance by the defense last night. Let's face it, Jarious Jackson isn't going to make anyone forget Dave Dickenson (or even Buck Pierce) anytime soon - but the goal is to shut down the opposing offense, regardless of who's playing. And the Green Gang achieved that goal rather impressively.

Now, just because there's no such thing as a perfect game:
  • Luca Congi - for the third straight game - missed a field goal of less than 30 yards. This is a disturbing trend, to say the least.
  • Kerry Joseph continues to sail the ball way over the heads of wide-open receivers. This is not a new development.
  • Big plays (offense and defense) continue to be negated by bone-headed penalties. Seriously, why does a receiver need to go offside on a running play?

Next up, a trip to Toronto to take on the reeling Argos. Will Rocky Butler get the start at quarterback for the Boatmen? Should the Riders defense be salivating at the prospect?

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