voodoochylde

I agree, wind wasn't much of a factor last night. I've seen that team, in worse conditions, perform much much better.

I'm going to simply say there's a lot of over-reaction going on but also some very valid and warranted concerns. I think Montreal, at least defensively, is one of those teams we don't match up well with. Noel Thorpe has done a pretty damn good job of making our "stars" look very pedestrian. That said, it didn't help that our starting offense didn't play a single rep in the preseason. That's on our coaching staff and, to a lesser extent, the players for not advocating for themselves. The organization has enjoyed so much success the last half decade that complacency may be setting in - I don't see the hunger or urgency any longer. Montreal on the other hand looks like they want it. That goes back to last year and their Grey Cup run. Three turds for this one: Zach Collaros - I'm not going to jump on the Zach is cooked bandwagon but last night was a continuation of what we've seen at various points over the last couple of years. In the game day thread I asked what QB will we see and sadly we got the guy who looks like a deer in headlights. Sergio Castillo - even recognizing that the chipped ball may have played a role in what happened last night, he's paid to do one job and do it well. I think he would recognize that wasn't his best effort. Mitchell - another guy I called out in the game day thread and a guy I've never been sold on. He sort of demonstrated why last night but will acknowledge that he's never been asked to return kicks in a game (up here) before last night. Even with some of the defensive struggles last night (which I think largely stems from guys not playing together a whole lot), they did enough to win the game had the offense showed up. I didn't think BA looked terrible, he's still a physical presence but he doesn't have the range he used to. WJ was invisible - still has to be accounted for but was hoping for more last night. The secondary, in general, will play better the more they play together and I sort of figured that chemistry and communication would be an issue early. Overall though, this side of the ball wasn't the issue. Three stars: Chris Streveler - guy played with more heart and emotion than anyone else on our offense - he's hungry, he still has the dawg in him, he still has a sense of urgency. Devin Adams - for a guy still playing his way into game shape, he was disruptive and made his presence felt. Terrell Bonds - got tested a few times and was solid, really happy with his addition to the backfield.

I thought Bonds had a tremendous game at corner. Interior of the offensive line was an issue, at least early in the game. Neufeld in particular struggled. We got late 2023 Zach tonight. Strevy played with more heart and emotion than anyone tonight.

I’m not going to beat a dead horse but this is fully on the coaching staff and their approach to this season.

Just dropped in to say this offensive performance is brought to you today by a coach’s hubris. What a **** show.

They are absolutely going to take advantage of Streveler's athleticism (and would be foolish not to) but I hope he's not reduced to running gimmick plays that become obvious and we have an opportunity, whether by design or necessity, to see his growth as a passer. This is more a thought in the context of the overall season and not necessarily specific to tonight's game.

Who smell better (and have better teeth) than the average Rider fan.

A couple of thoughts leading into this game: Special teams are going to be a bigger factor in tonight's game than we want them to be. I won't be surprised to see Mitchell double clutching a few balls or putting one on the ground - I don't have a lot of faith there. Maybe that sentiment is misplaced and I'll gladly eat crow if he turns out to be a dependable, not spectacular, return guy. Are we going to consistently lose the field position game this season? Let's hope Sheahan has sorted his **** out and that Miller has his guys assignment sound. Two edge guys on opposite sides of the ball need to make an impact. Can Haba be disciplined and disruptive on a consistent basis? Can Lofton hold up on the edge? On the topic of protection .. last year Zach got hurried / hit more than at any other point in his career with us. Are we going to see that continue and, if so, which Zach shows up? The guy who makes miracle plays and turns something into nothing or the guy who turned the ball over and left you wondering "what they hell were you thinking?" I wouldn't want any other starter in the CFL on my team but there were stretches in games and stretches of games where he looked largely ineffectual. I hope they don't turn Streveler into a gadget guy - he can be more than that. While Ford got limited play time while he was here last, he hasn't proven much (don't get me wrong, I love his ability and athleticism and thought it criminal he didn't get more playing time) and our other corner is a rookie as well. Will some of that inexperience and lack of continuity in the secondary be a weakness? What is the in-game communication and chemistry going to be like between Holm / Ford and Nichols / Bonds? Will BA look good .. will he be in a position (again) where he's doing "too much"? Gauthier is more than serviceable but he's not someone who is athletic enough, rangy enough to make a play if the interior of the defensive line doesn't hold up. I think it's going to be a close game tonight. I'm not discounting Montreal and their defense. Looking forward to some regular season football. Go Blue.

I don't think O'Shea is anti-American but he does put a lot of stock in his vets and the guys who have 'grown with the club'. This has always been one of O'Shea's best and worst traits. I'll reserve judgement on Schmekel until we see how he holds up and plays in the regular season. With that said, it appears he's taken a step .. which is good .. we desperately need someone out there pushing Thomas for a spot.

Or how Zach fairs playing behind an offensive line that hasn't taken a lot of reps together.

As a guy who has never really been a fan of Kramdi, I'm OK with him starting. He's not who I'd have out there but he's nowhere near the biggest liability on the field. I look at this depth chart and just see a giant hole right up the middle of our defence. Same old same old.

My one hope looking at this depth chart is that we come out of this first game healthy. There are a lot of bodies in there who haven't taken a single (live) snap all preseason and that's a prime recipe for soft tissue injuries.

You can all choose who you wish to engage with. You also have an option to ignore posters. Self moderation is a wonderful tool and if we can't have a conversation without getting too far into the weeds it's a damned shame (especially when the season is right around the corner).

Keep the discussion on football and not each other.

This makes me ill but hopefully will be meaningless in the context of the actual game (and rotation).

And if people don't think that defences will take the opportunity to tee off on Streveler if they put him in that position regularly they are sadly out to lunch.

To be honest, 5th receiver isn't a position I expect a lot of production out of. What I do expect from that spot is someone who blocks well in both the pass and run game and be incredibly efficient with the touches he does get - he needs to buy in and play his role well.

See Roughriders, Saskatchewan.

Just a couple of quick thoughts because with so many bodies and so few quality game reps it’s hard for me to be too invested: Based on how our roster is constructed, and where we have invested heavily on NIs, cutting Rosery is somewhat baffling. Can’t ask a guy to do much more than what he did and it’s not like Augustine has every really done anything of note. How McGhee is still here is beyond me. I joked in another thread, asking if he could potentially play himself off the roster and he did nothing to alleviate any concerns I might have. We had nobody better / willing to stick around? Yikes. i don’t get the Mitchell love (from the staff). Feels like Greg McCrae with worse hands.

Solid rotational piece (for a NI) and would be an upgrade over Jake Thomas (love the guy but he’s well past his before before date).

Just cleaned up some unnecessary walls of text.

This.

Could McGhee play himself off the roster? I haven't been to camp but he didn't look good last game and was picked on a fair bit. I'm actually hoping another DB steps up and takes that spot because I don't have a whole lot of faith there.

I completely agree that WJ's game hasn't fallen off, I simply don't feel we've gotten the most out of him the last couple of seasons because a) we've had a group of duds playing on the interior of the line b) haven't had a regular guy who can stand up on the other end c) he's played way too many snaps. He's best, and most disruptive, when the opposition has to account for another body on the line and he can stay fresh.

It's a reason why I tend to favour a guy like Garbutt over Haba at the other end; he's a more complete, physical player .. in a vein similar to Jeffcoat in that he is responsible / disruptive on both rushing and passing downs. With that said, we may see more out of WJ if we establish a dominant presence inside. I have hope for some of the new guys and what they might do to free up our ends.