Dave Ritchie

Ritchie was quoted in the Vancouver Sun today....."To get to be the chief of the mountain it's very simple. You fight your way up. You take the chief's head off, you put it in a burlap sack, and you play polo with it. And then you take a pee, because all of that is going down a river to the people below. And right now we're at the top of the mountain"

You gotta love Ritchie for coming up with a colourful quote like that!! Politically sensitive? No!! A players coach? Yes!! Spout any B.S.? Never!
Gruff? Yes! Glad he's our defensive coordinator? A BIG YES!!

Ritchie's defence is a treat to watch this year. Its complex and aggressive. The Leos defence has more team speed than I can ever remember. Ritchie believes in pressure, at times living on the edge with blitzes, at other times only going with a three man rush and dropping everyone into coverage. It's never dull!! He's using all the Leos defensive personell by utilizing a number of schemes. Last year's defence was boring and vanilla with a four man rush on most occasions... with the linebackers covering the short zones. This year offences don't know what they are going to see on each down. It means higher stakes but also more turnovers, opportunities for more big plays and sacks. It's exciting to watch!

Tonite I have a feeling that Ritchie will zone blitz a lot to help stop the run and also put pressure on Burris. It's hard to know how Burris will play.. but the Leos defence is not going to let him have the time he had last year when he played for Saskatchewan. Really looking forward to the game tonite!!