- Losing the Grey Cup on a last play field goal is heartbreaking. Having that kick come on the heels of a missed kick that should have ended the game is doubly heartbreaking. Having the Als get a second chance to kick the field goal because of an illegal substitution penalty is tragic beyond words.
- The Rider player who failed to come off the field when the coaches called for the field goal "block" unit screwed up. Huge. However, nothing would be gained by the rest of us knowing who that person was/is.
- Quite frankly, there's enough blame to go around for that fourth quarter collapse.
- If the Riders had picked up one (ONE!) first down after Montreal's failed two point conversion, Rider Nation would be celebrating today, instead of mourning.
- Give Anthony Calvillo and the Als credit though. They figured out a way to get it done.
- Darian Durant played better than you would expect a first year starter to, but those two interceptions (one of which was not his fault) he served up were devastating.
- I guess we had to have one final parallel to 1976. The Riders finished first in the West for the first time since that year, hosted the west final for the first time since '76, and lost the Grey Cup in heartbreaking fashion - just like 33 years ago.
- With the abundance of young talent on this team, and the return of a few key injured players (Weston Dressler, Belton Johnson, Wayne Smith), 2010 is shaping up to be a very exciting 100th anniversary year for the green guys.
- Was last night's game the final hurrah for veterans like Gene Makowsky, Jeremy O'Day and Chris Szarka? If so, they should be applauded for their outstanding careers, and major contributions to this year's successes.
- And of course, the big question mark heading into the offseason - will Eric Tillman be back as general manager in 2010?
- In the meantime, I hope lots of fans show up at Mosaic Stadium at 2:30 this afternoon to welcome home the West Division champs, and congratulate them on an outstanding 2009 season.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Monday musings
Various thoughts in the aftermath of Grey Cup Sunday:
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
If Duval had made the first kick, and the game ended with that, people would have been happy. You would have had Rider fans clapping each other on the back, shouting 'Good game' and continuing their party.
The game ending the way it did was an anti-climax. After a close game where we'd been winning, to lose because of a technical mistake and not because of an actual play, sucked. (Yes, that's the technical term.)
I'm not complaining, just analyzing the after-game shock. The Riders played a good game. Now that they've had a practice run at the Grey Cup this year, next year will be the BIG one. :)
Post a Comment