MULLINDER’S WEEK 18 PRIMER

By: Luc Mullinder

Ladies and Gentlemen….Herm Edwards and the greatest summarization of sports EVER:

“This is what the greatest thing about sports is.  You play to win the game.  HEELLLLO???  YOU PLAY. TO WIN. THE GAME!  You don’t play to just play it…That’s the great thing about sports…you play to win.  And I don’t care if you don’t have any wins…you go play to WIN.  When you start telling me it doesn’t matter, then retire…get out…cause it matters.”

Go to YouTube and enter Herm Edwards into the search bar and this sound bite from that quote pops up.  It’s funny to watch the frustration in Herm’s face as he attempts to set the record straight to a reporter he’s clearly agitated with.  There is no “this game doesn’t matter” in sports Ridernation, and please don’t be drawn into that notion over the next couple of weeks.  In Corey Chamblin’s eyes, it doesn’t matter who gets sent out there prior to the first round of the playoffs; the expectation is to COMPETE and to WIN if you are putting on the green and white.

ON PAPER, it doesn’t look like the Roughriders have much to play for other than figuring out a 3rd place or crossover scenario.  Coach Chamblin is already giving other guys an opportunity to showcase their abilities, and is also sitting certain players down that have nagging bumps and bruises.  Even the Stamps have stated that Cornish is a no-go due to SORENESS.  All in all, the depth charts look alarmingly different than we would have expected in a week 18 vs. Calgary match months ago, and there’s obvious ramifications and reasons as to why things are the way they are.  That’s where we all need to remember that we are ‘outsiders’ and the way that Ridernation conceptualizes the organization at this point is not the outlook that is being shared by the coaches and players.

There is plenty to play for!  That’s why I lead with Herm Edwards.  Professional athletes work too hard in their short window of opportunity to have any of the pending games “not matter.”  Try telling Keith Toston that this game isn’t as important as any of the previous competitions.  Look Corey Watman in the eyes and say that “we’re only using you to rest Chris Best.” Coaches spend far too many hours breaking down film and preparing the things that hopefully give their players an edge come game time.  Try telling George Cortez that we’ll all just hold out and hope Darian can play in the playoffs.  Every game, every snap, every opportunity means something in a sport where you’re literally one play away from having everything taken away from you.  Sure coach Chamblin has to figure out who he goes into the playoffs with and where they fit.  Sure Chamblin also has to balance the line between health and standings when it comes to some of his vets.

I can’t, for the life of me, figure out, how any of this points to the last two weeks of the season being meaningless.  “You play to win the game…you don’t just play to play it!”

Here’s some players and things to check out during the battle with the Stumps.
 
A Glimpse at the Future

The Saskatchewan Roughriders are the deepest team in the CFL when it comes to Offensive Line depth. The future of the O-line in Saskatchewan will be on full display against Calgary on Friday and depending on the way the off-season shakes out, we may be seeing a couple of these guys a lot more and a lot sooner than expected.  The scouting department of the Riders has done an incredible job in finding these guys.   Levy Adcock, Dan Clark, Corey Watman, and Ben Heenan are an absolute testament to the quality of work that Craig Smith, Jeremy O’Day, Brendan Taman, and Coach Chamblin have put in.  Heenan and Adcock look like they’ll be starting tackles for the long haul, Dan Clark has made the most out of his opportunity, and Watman and Vonk have both shown signs of ability and aggressiveness that bode well for the future.

The fact that the Riders can go this deep into their bench when Labatte, Best, and Fulton are all ailing is made possible by the presence of the most underrated coach in the CFL, Doug Malone.  It cannot be stated how good a job Malone has done here since he jumped ship from Hamilton.  One of his (Malone’s) biggest accomplishments has been getting Chris Best to play with his hands “inside” consistently on run and passing downs.  That and a few footwork points have turned #66 into one of the CFL’s best guards when he is healthy.

Expect to maybe see Vonk in some TE sets or, if the opportunity presents itself, playing some guard, but if that O-line doesn’t excite you a little bit Ridernation, take a gander at the rest of the CFL teams’ second string O-line.  I’m guaranteeing you that you’d take these guys in a heartbeat.  The future will be on full display Friday night.

John Chick

It’s been tough lately for John Chick to make an impact in the CFL stat columns.  Even though he’s my boy, I’ve even put him down as being the 4th best D-lineman in the league right now behind Sewell, T. George and Odell Willis…wait…Willis?????  That ranking really has more to do with the momentum at which the guys are playing versus how they actually match up against one another.  But make no mistake about it Ridernation.  John is still one of the best pound for pound players in the league, just ask the opponent.

There is nobody in the CFL that commands more attention and additional blockers than #97.  Football purists will be in awe if they actually sat down and watched the scouting tapes whether it be run or pass.  There is a HUGE difference between making “the play” and making “the tackle.”  John’s teammates know how important he is when it comes to making “the play.”  There are examples of John’s work literally presenting tackles and sacks on a platter for his teammates, and that’s what the best players in the league do.  They provide opportunities for others.  They elevate other guys around them.  John’s performance may not be front and centre on the stat sheet folks, but if you were to be privileged enough to check out the coaches grading sheets, the marks from his peers and coaches would absolutely scream “MVP”.  #Grinder

Keith Toston

I’m not going to lie here … I thought Toston should have been in the rotation at the beginning of the 2014 campaign.  In camp and during his stints of play in the exhibition season he ran hard, and was the most physical of the RBs when it came to blocking for Darian Durant or whoever was slinging the rock at the time.  One has to admire his patience, probably due to lack of film, when it came to sitting and waiting for his opportunity, and now he’ll finally get some touches during a live bullets game.

It’s important for Toston to keep himself at a level of optimal playing ability.  That means if Toston plays his best football at a 7 out of 10 (for examples sake), he needs to do his best to maintain the 7 out of 10 feeling throughout the course of the process leading up to and through Friday’s clash.  If he lets his emotions run too high, he’s going to tire easily and open himself up for mistakes made by ‘pressing the issue.’

If he’s too low, he’ll open himself up to mistakes made from not being focused on the rep at hand.  It’s a huge opportunity for Keith Toston.  And his presence does not equal the Riders going back to training camp mode for the last two games.  His presence represents the fact that he has worked hard on the things he can control as an individual athlete and that the coaches trust him to put the team in a winning position.

Stubler’s Scheme

Now that KJ has been at the helm for the Riders, and looked very good, Rich Stubler and the Stampeder defensive staff will clearly have a way that they want to play Joseph.  Stubler has a propensity for zone schemes, but they may be adjusted to combat the shorter routes that Joseph was successful with against Edmonton.  Calgary will probably be okay with Joseph using his legs here and there but their main aim may be to get Joseph to throw interceptions by throwing assorted zone looks at him

If you listen to Kerry address the media, you get the feeling of why his teammates love him and what gives them an actual chance going into the playoffs.  Everything Kerry talks about is based on the success of the TEAM.  If he’s dealing with a personal question, he reverts it a team issue.  It’s a far cry from the “I” and “Me” terminology that the young guys used in their interviews, but that’s okay!  Kerry should be providing that example to the younger guys.  It’s a team game, and when Kerry speaks, it’s from that standpoint.  I hope Doege and Sunseri are watching and learning, because there are valuable teaching points being thrown out there, and they need to be picking up on them for the future.

“YOU PLAY.  TO WIN.  THE GAME!”

The storyline in the media and the storyline of the actual team is never the same.  Granted, teams may ask a few guys to stay at home during the course of the coming weeks, but that by no means signifies the coaches conceding a victory.  There are too many hours in the gym, in the office, in front of the film screen, and maybe more importantly, away from home, to consider any game, a rest day.  There are 44 men that will dress for the Riders each week, no matter what the scenario, and those guys need to get a W.  The Riders need to be playing their best football going into the playoffs…knowing that, try telling the guys in the green and white, that there’s nothing to play for.
You have to be CHAMPIONS…All Day, Everyday.

#Properspective