DAYTONA HOMES FRIDAY RODSERVATIONS

1 – THE USUAL:  The oddsmakers have been scared off in this one.  At the time of this writing, the Vegas oddsmakers have yet to make a prediction for Sunday’s CFL Western Semifinal between the Roughriders and Eskimos in Edmonton.  As far back as Monday, Bodog.net installed the Montreal Alouettes as 3-point favourites over B.C. in the Eastern Semifinal but the questions around the Riders’ and Eskimos’ quarterback positions seem to have them scratching their heads in that dingy, smoke-filled room in Las Vegas.   Does it really matter?  No.  But I always like to post the odds to give us a barometer of what the forecasters are thinking.

Speaking of the forecast, it’s supposed to be sunny and minus-10 for the 3:30 pm Sask time kickoff at Commonwealth Stadium on Sunday.  The windchill could dip to minus-17.  However those are the temperatures the two clubs have been practicing in this week.

Hopefully we get to the game without anyone dying of frostbite.  As of 8:00 am Friday it was minus-29 with the windchill in Regina and the Riders will hold an open, outdoor practice today.  It’s ridiculous this league is playing at this time of year.


2 – 5 FOR FIVE IS ALIVE:  So last week in this space we mentioned the slogan which had begun making the rounds in Saskatchewan regarding #5 Kerry Joseph leading the Saskatchewan Roughriders to their fifth Grey Cup title.  It lost some steam when it looked like Darian Durant would return to lead this club into the playoffs but Thursday’s admission by head coach Corey Chamblin that Durant isn’t ready means it’s K-J’s time.

Last night while guesting on the CFL podcast The Stag ‘N Swag Show, the hosts asked if I thought Kerry Joseph could lead the Riders to the Grey Cup.  What immediately flashed through my mind was ‘Why not?  He’s done it before!”  That was in 2007, of course, but Joseph’s body and mind betray his age (and what’s wrong with being 41 anyway?).  The starting Rider receiver group in the 2007 Grey Cup hardly struck fear in anyone’s heart, led by Yo Murphy, Mike Palmer, Corey Grant and a young Andy Fantuz.  With Chris Getzlaf, Weston Dressler, Rob Bagg et al at his disposal this time around, Kerry may stand a better chance at lighting it up.  Don’t forget he looked sharp in playoff wins over Calgary and B.C. on the way to that 23-19 win over Winnipeg in the playoffs in 2007.

The playoffs are when Rider offensive coordinator George Cortez earns his money (or at least his bonuses) and you can expect to see something new on Sunday.  Remember Darian’s 97 yards rushing in last year’s WSF or Geroy Simon’s two touchdowns in the Grey Cup?  Voila.

AND when you consider the lack of experience at the quarterback position amongst the remaining CFL clubs, you’d have to think the Riders have the edge at that spot against just about anyone.  Kerry Joseph has five playoff games under his belt while Darian Durant has nine.  B.C.’s Kevin Glenn (11 starts) is the only one with considerable playoff experience and I don’t expect them to get past the Alouettes.  Bo-Levi Mitchell?  Matt Nichols?  Jonathan Crompton?  Zach Collaros?  I’ll take the Riders in that area every day and twice on Sunday.

3 – AS FOR DARIAN:  It’s hard to gauge where Darian Durant is in his rehab.  We were told to expect him on the roster for the Riders’ October 24 game at Calgary but we’re almost a month past that and he still has yet to suit up.  In Wednesday’s open practice, Durant’s elbow looked tender and even Corey Chamblin admitted he’s a ways away from looking like “the Darian Durant of old”.  Should we even expect him back at all?  It may definitely be 5 FOR FIVE.

4 – THE PROFESSOR SAYS:  3-time Grey Cup champion lineman Vic Stevenson was our analyst on Access 7’s In The Huddle this week and his advice to the Riders is to shut Durant down for the year and not risk further injury.  “There are four huge cranes building a new stadium and a large hole in the crowd and they’re all dependant on Darian’s right elbow!” Vic gasped.  “Who’s gonna fill those seats?  Tino Sunseri?  No.  Darian Durant.  The best thing for the long-term future of the franchise is to shut him down for the year.”

Think about that immense amount of pressure that Darian carries around every single day.  On the flipside, now you know why he so badly wants to come back this year.

5 – QUOTE OF THE WEEK:  Rider defensive end Ricky Foley is always quite outspoken and his comments aimed at whomever runs the CFL’s official Twitter account (@CFL) on Thursday made headlines nationwide.  The CFL office inexplicably took a shot at Foley saying he’s not one of the top 30 players to watch in the CFL playoffs.

“I see the CFL website Tweeting out crap to me this morning, trying to talk noise to me,” Foley snarled.  “That’s what’s the chip on my shoulder.  I have no idea why those idiots are doing that.  Whoever’s in charge over there.  No idea.  But as far as the awards go, I’m happy for those other guys (who were named finalists for the M.O.P. awards).

6 – WHY THE RIDERS WILL WIN:  The Edmonton Eskimos are atop almost every major defensive statistical category including #1 overall defense and #1 fewest points allowed but the Riders have led wire-to-wire in sacks.  They will relentlessly pursue Matt Nichols and put him on his back with a game plan designed around negating their short passing game coupled with a stout run defense with some new personnel in the second level.  Kerry Joseph will put the ball in the hands of his playmakers and do just enough to earn the win in a low-scoring affair.  They’ll also need to buckle down on special teams and have their strongest outing of the year in that phase.

7 – WHY THE ESKIMOS WILL WIN:  The smothering Edmonton defense will confuse Kerry Joseph with an array of stunts and new looks up front that could confuse Kerry Joseph after setting him up all game long.  They’ll be smashing the ball inside with John White and then go play-action and hit Adarius Bowman and Fred Stamps for long gainers.  But can Matt Nichols engineer it all?  He’s 0-5 as a regular season starter and never started a CFL playoff game in his life (see Point 2).

8 – RIVALRY?  WHAT RIVALRY?:  While chatting on Winnipeg’s TSN 1290 Radio this week, host Troy Westwood asked me if this is an historic, bubbling-over rivalry between the Roughriders and Eskimos.  Sorry, but not since the late-60’s and 1970’s.  These clubs haven’t met in the playoffs since a semifinal in Edmonton in 2004 when the Riders won 14-6.  They met the year before in the West Final with Edmonton winning 30-23 on the way to a Grey Cup championship in Regina.

However Sunday’s game could be the first of many playoff meetings to come as GM Ed Hervey and head coach Chris Jones have restored the Eskimos to respectability.  And there will be plenty of snot flying in the trenches as these clubs have very quickly built up a deep contempt for one another.  Edmonton DT Almondo Sewell referred to Rider centre Dominic Picard as a “garbage player” this week for allegedly punching him in the face after a play last Saturday night.  Boys will be boys but Sunday’s game will be a real old-fashioned grudge match.

9 – GROUND AND POUND:  Westwood also asked me if the Riders will win if they achieve 150 yards rushing on Sunday.  I countered that no, both teams will probably hit 150 yards minimum on the ground but predicted the team with more rushing yards will earn a trip to Calgary for the WDF.  In the CFL this season the team with more rushing yards was 68-13 overall.  Edmonton features the CFL’s #2 rushing attack (136.6 yards per game) while the Riders finished #3 (132.2 yards per game).  The starting tailbacks also have similar numbers: Edmonton’s John White (852 yards) versus Saskatchewan’s Anthony Allen (930 yards).

10 – GO PATS GO:  It’s tough to miss a pair of Regina Pats home games this weekend as the 9-9-1 Queen City Kids host a pair.  On Friday they welcome the Medicine Hat Tigers while on Saturday the Seattle Thunderbirds pay a visit.  Both games feature 7:00 faceoffs and can be heard on 620 CKRM.  The Pats have consistently been in the top eight in the WHL’s Eastern Conference all season long but admittedly haven’t played their best hockey.  They’re just biding their time, finding themselves, until football season is over and they take centre stage in this town.  December 1 is when WHL teams generally separate from the pack and here’s hoping once they return from the late-November west coast trip, they emerge as a contender.  Get out there and watch this exciting hockey team this weekend! … Speaking of the Pats, congrats to celebrated alumnus Jordan Eberle who notched his 100th career NHL goal in Thursday night’s overtime loss to the Ottawa Senators.

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Football fans can get an exclusive and all-inclusive experience at the Hall of Fame Weekend in Vancouver from November 28th to December 1st. Not only will guests receive three nights accommodation in the heart of Grey Cup festivities, they will have the opportunity to mix and mingle with some of the best players and builders in Canadian football, including Don Narcisse and Damon Allen, score CFHOF merchandise and tickets to the big game, and watch history in the making as the 2015 Induction Class is announced live the Hall of Fame Party.

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You can’t miss StubHub’s Tailgate party at BC Place. Your admission is included in the weekend packages is also available at: http://www.stubhub.com/grey-cup-tickets/

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THAT’S ALL FOR TODAY.  ENJOY SUNDAY’S GAME!
RP
@sportscage