By Greg Urbanoski

Riderville

Who Are These Guys?

Jul 10, 2024 | 11:45 AM

“The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of Pattison Media and this site.”

I think looking back at last that seeing the Riders beat Toronto on Thursday and then flying out to Vancouver on Friday to see the Rollin Stones play in BC Place was a one-two punch that will be tough to top. However, wait until Saturday night when the Riders play the BC Lion s in BC Place.

The Riders were home underdogs because Shea Patteson was starting at quarterback in place of Trevor Harris who is on the six-game injury list with a MCL strain.

Paterson saw his first game action two weeks ago against Hamilton when he came on for Harris and managed to keep the win despite not looking that impressive. This continued for the first quarter and a half but unlike last year when the Riders would have imploded, the offence managed to put together drives and scores while the Rider defence got five turnovers including a pick six to seal the win. I will not make too much of the resiliency of this team, overcoming cramps to their left tackle, injury to two defensive linemen who were invaluable in rotating in an out of the heat.

Whether it is in practice or during game time, the culture change brought in by Rider Coach Cory Mace is a sea change over the Riders last year where the Rider players had tuned out their coach.

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One of the interesting things was seeing how Marc Mueller, offensive coordinator, would manage Patterson. Mueller did not hesitate to push Patterson, dialling up medium to long passes along with a consistent running game to get Patterson into a groove. More importantly, after Patterson threw balls into the dirt in front of his receivers, Mueller adjusted the play calling, rolling Patterson out to give him more time to find his targets downfield.

Mueller will be CL head coach in two to three years if he continues to show the fire and maturity, he has shown in these last four games, the Riders are going to surprise people. The Rider offence is still having a bit of a problem with pushing people back, but it is getting better. The growing pains of the last two years are starting to pay off in better pass protection and maybe even a running game that will be good in November. Where the Riders are serving notice, they are a force to be reckoned with is their defence.

They are fast, aggressive, and like to create turnovers and may be the best defence in the CFL not named Montreal. The Riders lost two defensive linemen to ACL knee injuries and will look at their practice roster depth or free agents to get their rotation back up to snuff. The Stones concert in BC Place had the roof open but it was still a hot and muggy place and you can expect players will cramp up.

The Riders have not yet been favourites this year and BC started off as a seven-point favourite after hammering Hamilton 44-28. That was an impressive offensive show but a some things to keep in mind.

Hamilton has no defensive secondary and that team is a hostage to the whims of quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell who wants to show he can still pass but is not on the same page as the rest of the team. The other thing that is sticking in my mind is the last time Vernon Adams Jr. faced a Cory Mace led defence, he was intercepted six times. If Adams gets rushed or confused, he tends to force his throws and the Riders lead the CFL in interceptions.

The Lions are 4-1 with the loss coming against Toronto, which Mace coached last year. Mace built that defence in Toronto and he is building a similar style defence in Riderville. Riders go to 5-0 with a 28-26-win ad sole possession of first place in the west. The Bombers came away with their first win of the season with Zach Collaros on the sideline due to a chest injury by running the ball down Ottawa’s throat. The Bombers also helped themselves with knocking Dru Brown out of the game with a head shot.

Collaros is back this week and so is Calgary who earlier this season handed Winnipeg one of four losses in row. The Stamps got help in dealing with a potential Bomber running attack by signing linebacker Diego Fagot. Fagot is from the US Naval Academy and was in the Rider camp in preseason where he got an interception and played solid against the run.

The Bombers brought back Lucky Whitehead, the former Bomber and Lion receiver whose cost benefit to the Lions was not clear. The Bombers need to get a stretch in their passing game but I like the Stampeder changes in their defence and like the Riders, the Stampeders are enjoying the underdog status and given a chance to drive a stack into Winnipeg by sweeping the season series. The Riders may be surprising me, but the Stampeders are becoming an equally surprising team that may no be the most talented but are playing sound fundamental football. Calgary wins 26-16. Montreal managed to hold Calgary off for a 30-26 win to be one of only two undefeated teams in the CL.

Montreal has the soundest defence in the CFL and an offence that is erasing memories of Cody Fajardo in Saskatchewan. That could have been a bit o a trap game for Montreal, but this week they can’t say they are overlooking their opponent in the Toronto Argonauts. Toronto played out of character for their second straight loss, but I still like Cameron Dukes even though he is facing his second straight elite defence. Toronto’s defensive line suffered injuries which may be a factor in pressuring Fajardo, but their offence is still built on a short passing and running game.

Montreal defensive coordinator Noel Thorpe will do what he can to confuse Dukes and it will be interesting to see if Nick Arbuckle coms in if Dukes does get overwhelmed. Montreal toys with Toronto and wins 23-17. Finally, we have Ottawa at Edmonton and Edmonton better hope the bye week helped dispel the curse they are currently labouring unde

Edmonton is not bad, but the chaos Edmonton GM and head coach Chris Jones likes to create when building his roster has not resulted in a roster that feels it can play without fearing to make a mistake. Ottawa may or may not be with the services of Dru Brown, but with Edmonton adding every free agent it can, Jones is well aware if he doesn’t win soon, the new owners may decide to get rid of him and his contract. Edmonton 19-16 over Ottawa.