Monday musings

The start of a new week. For some, the start of a new school year. What better time to wipe the slate clean?

• Judging from the reaction of the less lucid residents of Rider AbomiNation, you would think Saturday night's loss in Edmonton was the seventh sign of the Apocalypse.
• Granted, it was a nose-plugger. But, it was game eight of an 18 game regular season. Stuff happens.
• The offensive gameplan (assuming there was one) seemed to be to get Prechae Rodriguez the ball as many times as possible. Darian Durant's performance (such as it was) was not helped by a case of tunnel vision.
• While everyone rushes to condemn the offensive line for what they perceive as porous pass blocking, here's another perspective to consider: maybe the quarterback hangs onto the ball too long?
• While it was obvious to anyone watching that Durant was having an off night, would pulling him have been a good move? Without a proven back-up, and in a tight game, I'm not so sure.
• Fun fact: Three of the teams in the CFL's west division have exciting up-and-coming back-up quarterbacks. Drew Tate in Calgary, Jared Zabransky in Edmonton and Travis Lulay in B.C. The Riders have a journeyman (Ryan Dinwiddie) at #2 on the depth chart.
• The Riders were pretty good on kick coverage in Edmonton. Kick returns remain a rumour.
• The atom Cougars improved to 3-0 with a 30-14 victory over the Panthers at Mosaic Stadium Saturday morning. We're back on the Taylor turf this Saturday for a showdown with the Lions.
• The J-man continues to improve daily at fullback. He had a strong game Saturday, including crashing into the end zone on a two-point convert. Atta boy!
• Dexter the dog continues to be an absolutely delightful addition to the Paczko clan. I can't believe you guys were stressed about it!