MULLINDER’S LABOUR DAY PRIMER

By: Luc Mullinder"It's…About…To…Go…Down"
– JAY Z-That quote, from one of the greatest rappers ever to bless a microphone, pretty much sums up the next two weeks in the CFLs best division. A wafer thin 2 points currently separate the first place team in the West Division and its fourth place team. The best part for CFL fans, and you Ridernation, is that all four squads are about to kick off a home-at-home showcase for the ages. We don't have to wait long. Kick-off is a few hours away. Winnipeg vs. Saskatchewan will get this important 2 game stretch going under the watchful eyes of an entire country.Labour Day weekend, followed by the "Banjo Bowl" is a heavily anticipated time of year in Saskatchewan. There's always incentive for a player to perform at a high level in this production based business, but the atmosphere that is created by the Bombers and Riders fans during this time, generates the feel of a major college conference rivalry. The stakes have been bumped up a little, now that important "positioning" within the division has been thrown into the mix. As a former player, my favourite part of the week leading up to the game, was seeing all the people wearing Winnipeg jerseys slowly start to trickle in from Manitoba. Hearing fans taking verbal jabs at each other while out and about was always funny. It's nice playing in a game that means so much too so many people. There was always some type of Labour Day party or gathering going on that I had to restrain myself from being a part of. Tickets for this game always seem to be in higher demand, and there's always a ton of things going on after the game that guys used to make a mental note of…It's definitely a great time for fans and players alike.What's most important, even with all the cool things that come along with the Labour Day classic and the Banjo Bowl that precedes it, is for the guys involved, to not get too caught up in the emotions of the atmosphere. It is, after all, just another game. One can't get over excited sprinting out onto the field amongst the fireworks and the blaring music, it saps valuable energy and throws a players optimum playing levels all out of whack. The first two or three plays of a game like this can't be spent trying to calm oneself down a bit. The roar and excitement of the Labour Day game crowd can sometimes lead to over-anxious mistakes that can prove costly. Younger players sometimes let themselves get caught up in the moment, luckily there is a plethora of experienced vets on the Riders roster that will add the calming demeanour that is required to "stay on schedule" and play an effective game early on, while the emotional dust settles.As always, no matter what the storylines are, the goal is to be 1-0 on Sunday. Players have spent the majority of the week watching film from the first time these two squads met, and aside from a few adjustments here and there, the formula for the Riders will be the same as last game:
1) Run the rock with an emphasis on ball security. (This is an opponent that preaches going for the ball in an effort to cause turnovers)

2) Force the Bombers into a one dimensional air attack and let Dline pressure cause mistakes and incompletes.

3) Know the opponent. Head Coach Mike O'Shea is a brilliant mind who understands crowds and positioning. The Riders have to be alert in ALL special teams situations for any funny business. Successful fakes will be detrimental to the outcome of this game.We'll take a quick look into some key guys and ideas, and then get to the tail gating! Enjoy the game Ridernation. Never mind the traditional "Riders win this game, and then lose the Banjo Bowl game" rhetoric. The Riders have a great shot at stringing two wins in a row together here. After Sept. 7th, depending on how the other West Division home-at-home clash goes, we may be reading this from the top of the CFL standings…• OFFENSEIt's going to be interesting to watch how Winnipeg addresses its run defence this week. Gary Etcheverry and his troops have been shaky all year, and it proved costly during the first meeting between these two rivals. Dan Plaster and I spoke briefly on Riderville.com about why the Riders run game can, and has been, successful against the Bombers defensive unit and it will be something that I look forward to watching closely, for the duration of the game. Whenever Saskatchewan attacks down hill, as opposed to stretching the action towards the outside of the tackle box, there is the potential for big chunks of yardage. This bodes well against Winnipeg, because having an offence try to get to the edges of the Oline or wider is exactly what they want a team to do. The Bomber D wants to funnel running backs to certain areas and players, namely Ian Wild and Maurice Leggett. They employ a number of ways to do this, but it all comes down to controlling the available gaps to a RB and essentially giving him one option by extracting all open space by filling it with bodies.
This strategy is made much easier, the more an offensive lineman has to move, so stretch plays to the outside play into the Bombers hands well. What gives Winnipeg trouble is defending against straight ahead runs, like dives, that are aimed behind the guards and centres. By choosing to run straight ahead into anything the Bombers are trying to do, whether it's slanting the Dlinemen into certain gaps or lining up in an odd formation late, the Riders nullify the Winnipeg strategy and allow the Oline to make key chip blocks onto 2nd level linebackers. All it takes is a split second of patience for an RB to let the play develop and lanes will definitely open up because of the way Winnipeg moves around. Just like the last time, the Green and White need a healthy dose of downhill attack, in order to stay away from the 2nd and 6+ play sheet that gets very creative and tricky from the Etcheverry defensive staff.Dan Clark #77'Touchdown Dan' makes his 2nd start of the year at Right Guard for Chris Best. After his performance during his last start, the coaches probably feel great about his ability to step in and fill this void. The key for any Olinemen when they play Winnipeg is to not chase ghosts, meaning just because the formation looks one way, doesn't mean you can lock in on a certain player. Many times, a D-linemen that lines up in your vicinity will be vacating at the snap of the ball. One has to know that another player will always be replacing the space he leaves. Sometimes, nobody even lines up over you, and if that happens, someone will be in your assigned area very shortly. A player's eyes and hands have to be up and alert at all times. Clark needs to play physical, like he was bred too, and most of all, play with confidence. If a player hesitates and over thinks a formation or assignment, he plays right into the hands of an opportunistic defence.Weston Dressler #7Welcome back! I'm excited and sad to see Weston back in the line-up. I really believe that he has the ability to play at the NFL level and wish he had more of an opportunity to showcase his portfolio. That being said, #7 handled the transition well and more importantly, is doing what he loves to do…Play Football and compete. It's not often that a player has an affect on an ENTIRE playbook (scheme wise) but that's what Weston brings to the table. It's tough to scheme against the Riders already. Accounting for Dresslers whereabouts every down just makes things tougher on staffs and defenders.• DEFENCEThere's nothing really to say here. The defence just has to continue doing what they have been. Sure, Winnipeg has a couple different players in the line up this time around, but the make-up of this team hasn't changed. They need to have success in the air because of their inability to control the game on the ground. Against the Rider defence, that particular strategy is definitely worst case scenario. As always, it will start up front. The defensive line needs to create pressure and force Willy to make bad throws. He may complete a few of them, and he may make some big plays, however, over the course of 4 Quarters, all the Riders need to do is create one or two momentum changing turnover, and this game will tip in Saskatchewan's favour. • "Bend but don't break" #ItsAboutWhatWeDo Another important thing of note will be the 3rd down personnel the Riders employ between the 35 yards lines. In order for Winnipeg to win, they will need a substantial contribution from its special teams. I would suspect that Mike O'shea has asked his special teams coordinator to have some Punt and FG fakes ready to go if the time is right. If the Riders are in 3rd and short situations, expect their Defence to remain on the field, in order to discourage any shenanigans from the Bomber play books.Team Equipment Manager Gordon Gilroy gave me a quick look at the small adjustments to the retro fits that the Roughriders will don during today's match-up. But make no mistake; there is nothing subtle about this edition of the Labour Day classic. The start of this game will be a violent physical clash that pad popping enthusiasts salivate over. But it's a four quarter deal! In order to win, one will have to impose their will over the other for the entire game.
Today's not about making spectacular TSN highlight reel moments; it's not about the fanfare and hoopla that comes along with this storied rivalry. It's about getting a win. Whether it's through the air, or on the ground, the only thing that makes these Labour Day games special is the result. For the 42 guys who suit up today on either side of the field, it's a game that they hear about all year. Playing it however is a much different story.See you at the beer gardens Ridernation. Cups up to the fellas going 1-0 this week.#ProPerspective