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Farewell Season for Taylor Field Starts with a Bang in Rider Loss

Jun 13, 2016 | 9:06 AM

So, are the Riders really as bad as the gong show known as the 28-16 loss to the BC Lions in the final exhibition game played at Taylor Field would seem to indicate?

Well, I sat there. I sat there even after B.J. Coleman seemed to demonstrate his arm was not that strong in throwing three interceptions (to his credit, one bounced off a receiver), Brent Smith did his impersonation of happy feet (having an offensive tackle resembling more a turnstile than a blocker did not help), some idiot fired a confetti gun into a power line cutting power off for a half hour, seeing for the first time how the Predator movie character would look like if he played quarterback in Phillip Simms and, of course, the apocalyptic deluge of rain that ended the game.

Let’s get the obvious point out of the way: the Rider back-up quarterback situation is not ideal.

Coleman made his reads, but either his arm is not strong enough to get the ball faster into the receivers arms or Coleman fell back into thinking he was playing on an NFL field.

Smith, as we noted had happy feet, but while some of the more stupid Rider fans wanted him cut Sunday for running first, the Riders’ offensive line didn’t give him time to check his reads. By my count, he ran three times without making a read, but he also ran himself out of trouble when he was in danger of getting killed in the defensive backfield.

I remember watching Ron Lancaster run out, short and with a beer belly. Lancaster was one of us, mind you, with one of the great football minds and great leadership skills. He also threw an impressive arm.

I tried keeping that in mind as Philip Simms, the latest Rider quarterback, ran out in the fourth quarterback for mop up duty. Simms looked like he was wearing a girdle, and as former CIPA Anchor Trevor Doroschenko said to me, it looked like movie villain Predator had somehow ended up in a Rider jersey and was taking snaps.

Simms looked incredibly out of shape with an arm that had some zip, but by that time BC had dressed their bus drivers and assorted fans and put them into the defensive backfield. In Rider GM Chris Jones’ post-game interview he said he was disappointed in the play of the quarterbacks, especially with the turnovers from Coleman and probably the happy feet of Smith and put the blame on them not executing the offense.

I can see that with Coleman being able to throw intermediate and short passes, but he looked shaky on when to go downtown with a deep pass. Coleman may have confidence in his arm strength, but when the opportunity came to go deep, he came up short and BC came up with an interception.

If Darian Durant goes down again, the Riders are definitely in trouble.

So what did work?

The Riders running game was surprisingly effective because I would have been hard pressed to tell you who was running the ball. This was due to the play of the offensive line and the running backs and while the Riders likely don’t have either the second coming of Kory Sheets or the return of Jerome Messam, I think the Riders will not be suffering in the running game department. Please note that Kendal Lawrence did not play in this game, or at least not so I noticed. While the offensive line had problems handling the blitz, their run blocking was very solid.

In the receivers department John Chiles was hit and miss. Sometimes he made the big catch, but sometimes his concentration was off and he dropped balls that he should have had. The size of the receiving corps will definitely make a difference, and to my surprise Clarence Denmark showed some veteran savvy when in the fourth quarter he adjusted to an underthrown Brent Smith ball thrown under pressure and caught the ball and scored a 56 yard touchdown. That kind of play may mean he has a job coming up in the season.

Rob Bagg had a big play to open the game, but struggled to get some sort of rhythm with either Coleman or Smith. If Bagg is playing slot back, he will have a 1000 yard receiving season. Shawamd Chambers impressed me with his size, although other than noticing him lining up, I don’t think he did anything. This will be a receiving corps by committee and I suspect the Riders will start running the ball to open the season and then open up the passing game as they develop more chemistry with Durant or whoever lines up under centre.

Defensively the Riders look like they are going to be a more solid tackling team, which is a sizeable step forward from last year.

Their defensive secondary is looking like a work in progress, but there are some real building blocks there and they will rely on a ferocious pass rush to take the pressure off.

Greg Jones looks like the answer at middle linebacker, and assuming Jeff Knox Jr. returns soon, the Rider linebacker corps looks like a team strength.

Another source of strength should be the defensive line where Shawn Lemon will be every bit as good as he advertised. The line got good penetration and managed to string out and hurry plays and used their height to their advantage by knocking down passes.

Robin Bartel is looking very good as the punter for the Riders, which no doubt comes as a disappointment to those hoping he would survive training camp. Quinn Van Gyswyk who was drafted by the Riders, has a good leg, but missed a field goal. I hear he will be stashed somewhere on the injury list while the Riders see if the other guys can do their job.

The Riders jumped on their cuts on Sunday instead of waiting until Tuesday. This gives the team time to concentrate more on the core group while giving the players cut a chance to catch on with other teams.

Say goodbye to International receiver Marquez Clark;  International offensive lineman Will Corbin; National receiver S.J. Haidara;  International running back Johnta Hebert;  International defensive back Caesar Rayford;  International linebacker Rollins Stallworth;  International defensive lineman Ino Vitale; National defensive back Dan West and  International receiver Devrin Young.

Clark was an interesting cut, along with Rayford and Young. Haidara and West were also somewhat unexpected, but the Riders seem to like their young Canadians. Haidara and West were leftovers and that team was 3-15. While those cuts were easy, the rest should be tougher.

So the Riders go to Edmonton on Saturday and while that game is not televised, it will be interesting to listen to.

Darian Durant will have some playing time and the Riders will be looking to see which quarterback will emerge from the backups.

I think the Riders will muddle through the first half of the schedule and then turn it around at Labour Day. What this team needs is time to play together and thank Jebus we have a first week bye to work on our timing. That is something we definitely need.

The Riders will be competitive, I don’t know if they will be 12=6, but I will say this. They are much better than last year.