MULLINDER’S WEEK 6 PRIMER

Week 6:  The Invasion on Parliament Hill
By: Luc Mullinder

I find it amusing that there are still CFL fans in the Nation’s Capital that believe the real “Roughriders” name and image should still be property of the city of Ottawa!  Look guys, cut it out!  Just be thankful that you even got a team back after your last little episode.  The rest of the CFL is still sceptical as to how long you guys will stick around the party this time, before you realize that you’re not a real sports city again.  One thing that’s for certain is that if anyone across the country hears the words “Mardi Gras” or “Beads” being mentioned in the same breath as a football game around TD Place, Mark Cohon himself will be backing up the moving trucks that will escort you all to purgatory.

Speaking of moving trucks, that big green 18-wheeler that pulled into Parliament Hill blasting country music is the equipment truck that houses the battle helmets and pads of the defending 2013 Grey Cup Champions … The Real Roughriders; and the men that don that equipment on Saturday are fully intent on continuing the momentum they began coming off the bye week, after slaughtering Ricky Ray and your double blue buddies.

As we all know in Ridernation, there is no such thing as an easy win in the CFL.  I know the victory last week may seem to argue to the contrary for most of you, however, in order to go 1-0 THIS WEEK, the Riders are going to have play together in a very loud and enthusiastic environment.

Saskatchewan does have a number of things going for themselves come kick off time, and that is where we’ll look today for our weekly keys to victory and guys to watch out for…

Offense:

Saskatchewan needs to start fast in this game.  Nothing takes a loud group of fans out of the game quicker than forcing them to realize that the deficiencies everyone sees, on paper, reflect the reality of real life.  I’m not a huge stat guy, but there’s a reason why Ottawa sits last in all defensive categories.  Communication, on all levels, seems to be a huge issue for Ottawa at this point in the season, and opponents have exposed some of those issues (on the ground and through the air) for large chunks of yards a number of times thus far in 2014.

Chris Getzlaf

• It’s good to see Getty on the depth chart this week.  Now, we should all be cautious here and not jump to conclusions, as to how many reps he should get, but the fact that the Riders and more importantly himself, feel good enough about his leg is a definite step in the right direction.  Number 89’s presence in the slot represents stability and timing for the Saskatchewan offense, especially the franchise quarterback.  Brett Swain has come a long way for the Green and White, but finding another slot to hold things down while Getz has been out has proven to be tough.

As previously mentioned, Ottawa has struggled with communication and sometimes the mistakes on the back end (the secondary) have been glaring.  Having Getzlaf back in the fold should really open up the field for the Riders because George Cortez and Darian Durant won’t have to scheme up ways to bring guys like Rob Bagg and Taj Smith closer to the action in order to get the ball in their hands, not to say this was a problem, I’m just showing you that it takes the need away.

Durant will benefit the most from Chris’s return.  This is a tandem that has played together for a while now, and that brings certain advantages.  Number 4 now has a guy in the huddle that he knows inside and out.  Doubles spoke very early in the year about his relationship with his veteran receivers, and the aspect that he looked forward to the most was having guys that he was on the same page with, in terms of the intricacies of certain routes and reads.

He (Durant) knows that if something breaks down or a window appears faster than normal, Getzlaf will see it too, and he can get the ball into a good spot.  You can’t do those things with guys that don’t know the game or each other as well as those two.  If there is a need to cut a route short, the trust is there to get the ball out earlier in order to make things work.  Once again, this is something that develops over time, and cannot just be pointed out in a film session to guys that are still trying to understand the ‘waggle’.  Little things that are honed over a period of time.  Years of sitting together during film sessions and talking about how to make things more efficient on the field.

Learning about how each guy thinks during certain situations etc.  That’s what the Riders get with the return of Chris Getzlaf.  Another one of Durant’s weapons is now lacing ’em up.  For a secondary that has been going through a rough start, this may spell trouble.

Darian Durant

• Another noticeable trouble spot for Ottawa is the tendency for the Redblack defensive line to really compromise their gap integrity (the lanes from which they pursue the QB) and open up huge holes that a Quarterback can escape through.  Ricky Ray hit them for big plays on the ground, and so did new QB Dan Lefevour.  Part of this problem may be because they rotate a group of guys that don’t have a ton of CFL experience (save for former Rider Keith Shologan) and the heavy emphasis on sacking the passer that exists on most CFL squads.

Doubles doesn’t have to rely on his legs in this game, however, if the Riders find themselves in 2nd and long, there will be opportunities to gain 1st down yardage on the turf.  Thankfully the camera angles of TSN have always given viewers a good look in the trenches, and if one is looking for the gaps that I am hinting of, look for the ‘A gaps’ (the space between the centre and guards) to be Durants primary escape path.  Who knows?  Maybe even George Cortez will call a QB draw or two…It’s worked in the past (*western semi 2013).  I’m really looking forward to the Riders gathering some steam offensively this evening, especially through the air.

Saskatchewan’s offense has shown glimpses of big play potential and vs. a struggling defense in a boisterous environment, it will be good to get a number of lengthy drives going.  It’s already hard for opposing players to tackle Doubles, if he is able to leak out or break contain due to over anxious pass rushers, the Riders have another option that will help them find the ‘W’ that they seek.

Defence

We speak often about teams finding an “identity” and so far, Ottawa has had a tough time doing it.  Right now, everything runs through Henry Burris and Chevon Walker … Hold on let me rephrase that…Chevon Walker and Henry Burris.  If the Riders neutralize one of the two, they strike 50% off the to-do list!  That isn’t to say that Ottawa has got no weapons, all it means is that they haven’t found a consistent way to use them as yet.  Henry will be Henry, he hasn’t thrown a pick yet, but he has always been a QB that has two personalities, “Good Hank” and “Bad Hank”.

Hopefully our defense, that was lights out against the Argos, rattles Henry enough that we the people get to see a solid display of “Bad Hank”.  It will be tough, the Redblacks have a competitive Oline and Burris hasn’t thrown a pick yet, hopefully our D can force some mistakes today.

The other side of the coin for Ottawa is the aforementioned Chevon Walker.  This kid has wheels and if he gets a hole or leverage on the outside, his speed kills, and in this case, turns into touchdowns.  Ottawa has tried different ways and looks to get him the ball, but for some reason they haven’t managed to get as much as they need out of him.  Ottawa may try and take use the Riders ability to get defenders up field against them and employ a screen game.  If they do use this tactic, it’s on the Dline to “feel” the screen and react down the line.  Our LB’s will also have be wary of Walker looking to block and then slip out into the flats, so getting a full head of steam and committing early to rushing the QB (unless told too) is ill advised.

Ottawa offensive coordinator Mike Gibson may also utilize some quick tosses or direct snaps to Walker, in order to utilize his quicks and take advantage of the wider CFL field.  If they do this, the Riders will have to be fundamentally sound with their gap control and up to snuff when it comes to pursuit angles and tackling.  This has left something to be desired at certain points in the year, but I will admit, that as of late, the Riders personnel has looked much better at wrapping guys up.

Tearrius George

• While everyone in Ridernation is singing the praises of John Chick and his dominating start to the year, T. George’ start to the 2014 campaign has been equally as impressive.  Number 93 is a fantastic athlete that uses quick movements and handwork to get by, or through, opposing Olinemen.  What’s been nice to see this season is that George seems to have added more of a power element to his tool belt and thus far it’s lead to 4 sacks and one of the most impressive, strip-sack-recover plays we have seen this year (against TO).  Rushing the passer is definitely his biggest strength and so far he has supplied a push up the middle that nullifies any QB’s that look to bail up the middle because of the defensive pressure.

Many enthusiasts look for legendary Defensive End combinations that we can tag the term “Bookends” too, and that’s cool, as long as you understand that the reason QBs often have to hold the rock, sit in the pocket, and don’t have an escape is because they have a D tackle like Tearrius George collapsing the middle of the pocket and making it difficult to step into any sort of throw.  His athleticism works in his favour this game against Ottawa’s Offensive Guards, J’Micheal Deane and Matthew Albright.

If he can take advantage of Center Jon Gott helping out against the Nose Tackle and get a two-way go, one on one battle, Burris will have to look to get out of the pocket, and that’s tough to do when you also have to worry about two very assignment sound players in 95 and 97.  If George continues to lead the way on the interior for the Riders defensive front, it will pay direct dividends to the successes of Chick and Ricky Foley, and the rest of the team in general.  Keep an eye on the interior today and watch the way 93 goes about his work.

Momentum is huge in football and although nobody in the locker room will admit it, because the players aren’t looking ahead to next week, after this game, there is a quick turn around and a visit to the loudest stadium in the country.  It will make a short practise week in unfamiliar territory a lot more manageable if the Riders come out of the Ottawa contest victorious.  For now the goal, like every week, is to be 1-0 on Sunday.

Like I stated before, Ottawa on paper looks ripe for the picking, however, we don’t play this game on paper.  If the Saskatchewan Roughriders want to compete for a Championship in November, then they need to beat the teams that they SHOULD beat now.  Travel like Champions, Practise like Champions, Conquer the Capital like Champions…

Enjoy the game Ridernation!

#ProPerspective