Stamps Sleep in the First
What do you get when unemployed Rider fans leave their province, get a job in Alberta, never return to Saskatchewan, but still wear the Green and Gold? Beats me, I've met plenty but I can only pit the fact the loser province only has one professional sports team that they vehemently root for their beloveds.
It's much easier to root when the team wins as well..... However, tonight, if it wasn't for a lucky bounce and some referee aided play, Saskatchewan would have been beaten easily. Perhaps this is a good omen for the Stamps, a cocky Saskatchewan team may mean easy pickings in the second installment of the home at home.
Marcus Crandell was hot, back in 2001. That was seven years ago. Apparently the man still has legs. Actually he doesn't, he's marginal at best, but what he does have is a great team and solid play calling to back him up. Calgary? They folded under pressure. Let's review the first half.
Horiffic Reffing & Bone Headed Play Calling
First Half:
Two plays into the game Jojuan Armor was pushed into a ref knocking him to the ground. The referees wanted to make a big mistake by rushing judgement and blowing a call taking disqualifying the middle linebacker from the game. It appears the Stamps on D wouldn't recover from the change until the second half and the Riders capitalized on the bogus call with 3 points.
The Calgary offence took a snooze, as per usual in the first. It seems the game plan for the Stamps is the ignore the run. Reynolds had 10 carriers for 46 yards--ten carriers folks, that's it. The offence did nothing in the first and only manage to put up seven points in the first half. Mind you, that's 6 more than the Riders in the second.
Second half:
Calgary is a team of second halfs, why they fold the tent in the first we still do'nt know (I suppose it's actually a matter they don't get the tent unrolled until the second.) Credit the D, and the inept Sask offence (they aren't that good apart from a tough Oline and a good RB in Wes Cates, they only posted a single point. Rest assured they will not recover from the second half debacle. The Rider receivers are now afraid of getting hurt with crushing hits down the middle, and they realised they got lucky to score as many points as they did.
One astute fan mentioned:
Strange game. You have one of the all-time worst ejection calls on the 3rd play of the game that leads directly to three Rider points. One of the luckiest fumble bounces for touchdowns you'll ever see. The worst 3rd and short call ever made by a CFL offensive co-ordinator. A single point in the second half and a victory yet for the Luckriders.
If anything, Calgary smoked themselves with poor discipline yet again (apparently that was supposed to be cleaned up this year) and HORRIFIC OFFENSIVE PLAY CALLING. 3rd and inches to WIN the game and Cortez calls a deep hand off play. Why there was no QB sneak we'll never know. Compound that with over 12 dropped balls from Calgary receivers and you begin to understand the loss.
BUt, I credit this loss as a good one, not because the Stamps got beat by a better team, but because they mucked up their game so bad that they can't help but be super PO'ed and come into next Thursday's game with something BIG to prove.
