Riders at Stamps week 7

Well after last week, I for one see little of a chance for a win, even with Doubles back, to much O line missing, and well, our D just sucks for the most part. Show signs of greatness, then totally blow it!! but Always fun to watch us play the Stamps!

Thoughts??

I don't know what to say in this one until the 46 is up...been so rough with injuries but there are a few surprises right now! There are a pile coming to practice that were on the 6 game from the start of the season...those we can assume are still out for this eek, back next (can't wait to see that). however...there were some faces that were put on the 6 that were at practice this week...if those guys are actually good to go it changes things a lot. Still a tough fight and might have better luck in the return game when more bodies are available...but right now I don't even have a clue who is all dressing.

it appears Dryer is gone, no where to be found on roster.
And not sure about our starting RB this week, we need to find a good one!! DD starts and a few off the 6 game, that will help.

Yeah…IMO Dyer was less than impressive last week…running backs don’t get a lot of shots to impress unfortunately. He was released but I suspect he will be floating around town for a bit.

They signed Ivan Brown (NI DE)…:meh"…and international Anthony Criswell on the DL as well

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IN: 1 Jackson*, 41 Jones*, 42 Newman, 67 Clark, 81 Bastien, 97 Brown

OUT: 2 Steele*, 28 Dixon*, 29 Hartmann, 37 Dyer*, 52 Picton, 77 Reaves

As suspected...Durant is pegged to start....clark is also back, so that is a boost. Getting Jones back at MLM to back up Jones is nice...he has had a huge impact on ST coverage...his absense was very noticable. Jackson back is of course pretty huge.

One move I am liking...and I know I was talking to someone about this in the past bit...with the woes in the secondary WTF is Foster not moving back to HB...they have more options at LB...looks like they are going that way...I like it....still looking forward to seeing Brooks back, but this is a nice changeup.

Bastein getting a look is nice but also disapointing...would rather see a look at Stanford...though this may be STs related.

Lawrence in at RB...this is it...do or die IMO. if this new guy appears to pick up blocking over the next week...he will be in the next game. he already has rushing and catching down...really fast and shifty...pretty interesting. Clearly direct competition for Lawrence's spot and potentially more

Yet Lawrence is the “feature back”? Lmao the guy can’t handle a punt hardly without juggling it, I can imagine how well he will do on dump passes. Someone please remind him that going backwards toward your own goal 15 yards is not a good thing.

I still think Lawrence has some dirt on Jones from after last years Grey Cup. That is the only explanation I could think of that he still has a job. I mean Dyer gets one shot and yes I admit he was nothing special but Lawrence has been in since pre season and has not looked any better, yet he still is getting a pay check. Sounds reasonable?

Steele got put on the 6 and hasn’t practiced in 2 weeks…what can you do…

Like I said…they have a new guy around that is looking interesting…exciting player to watch…and that has not been present in the backfield. that player is up to potentially displace Lawrence and/or Steele…so look at this as a job interview…I would say this is Lawrence’s opportunity to proove he should remain with the club…so that is great

Where he might surprise people is catching a swing pass…that could be rather interesting…but either way…it is all on him to prove himself in this game…

I have not been a fan of either player’s production (though Steele was averaging well and blocking great)…and I don’t think many were over the moon about that situation coming into the season…hopefully he will impress or prove it is time to move on.

Well all I can say is this, this team just sucks the big one. What works.... very little. This so called great D of Jones is worse than last year, I am seeing no improvement, why is it worse you may ask, well this D is in the bottom or near in all categories, at least last year, we where a lot high on the sack list, releasing Chick was such a great idea. I will say it again, Jones gutted this team so bad don't know how many years it will take to recover. We need a D line, a returner, and most of the D backfield.

Yes our O line is banged up and Doubles had little time to unload. We need a RB, we need a Def Cordinator, hell we need a coach. Jones head is so far up his own arse. All these side throws and gain 1 yard reminds me of a few years back, didn't work then still not working.

And Finally, this 3 man rush needs to end period, no pressure on a QB means we lose games, at a point I feel like as a fan, whats the point watching, I know we are going to lose. we will be lucky to match last years season. I was against Jones when he came, I have not changed that feeling. He has totally ruined this team in all phases, those Jones lovers can defend him all you like, we have yet again a losing team. Reynolds maybe needs to be replaced also, enough of this crap football, sorry but we are the joke of the whole league. I am so ******* :x :x :x :x mad!!

Actually it would be Mac calling that lame side pass thingy. Which by the way didn’t work either time they tried it. Oh and talk about lame. That trick play where they take Durant off the field? Umm hellooo who is going to get the ball? Oh that other guy lined up in the backfield. Yes so very sneaky. Ever hear of misdirection? No Durant and what are the options left? Dumb dumber dumbest.

Oh man I agree the D line issue is out of control. Jones get it through your freaking thick skull you do not have the players to get pressure rushing 3. Yes Calgary does but we are not Calgary. Bo missed so many open receivers or they simply dropped the ball but guess what Jonesy? Rushing 3 had ZERO EFFECT on this. Unless you consider that Bo was so shocked that he had so long with no heat that his arm fell asleep and effected his accuracy.

I swear if I hear the bs excuse that it’s a rebuild and what did you expect I’m going to go commando on someone’s ***, Guess what? I could give a rat’s *** that “it’s a rebuild” I never told Jones to gut the whole thing, that is on him. So why as a fan should I have to put up with this crap?

Unless you consider not giving up 40 points again as "improvement " (that could also be attributed to Durant killing more time on the clock) then what has changed from last week. Oh the effort seemed a touch better but still broken tackles, wide open receivers, Bo pitching a tent and setting up camp because he may as well be comfortable in all that piece and quiet he had. Either Jones is an idiot or just a stubborn fool that refuses to change the defensive plan. You pick as it doesn’t matter, the results are the same.

Oh yah lets add this, Jones needed cap space to bring in cheaper players. so we just release most of our great players to free cap, to bring in a bunch of cheap players, which is what we now have a cheap useless team, I am sure if he had tried to work with some like Chick, Dressler, kept players like Brown, Jackson, R Smith, plus a few others that did play well, we might be winning some games now, but no, we got what we ordered a cheap team and damn does it shows. Depop said DD would be gone next season, he might as well leave, nothing here shows improvement and use his skills some where else to at least win a few games.

Dressler/Smith…not missed. Not sure how one can say receivers are remotely a concern this season
Jackson…loved the guy…but just watch what he has done this season in the secondary…ask Roosevelt how he would feel about lining up with him every season…and he was at a point with the Riders that he was being paid far too much to only be doing returns
Brown was so great that he is still weighing out his options around the league? Because he was NOT beating out Foster for a job…not a chance…not even remotely.
Chick…you…sucked to lose him. No chance he could be kept for what he was willing to stay for.

I still like where this team is heading long term. I am still not sold on the OC. I have heard who the target is for DC for 2017 and I really like that…like Jones said…he doesn’t intend to wear that hat long term…from what I have heard the big reason he is wearing it now was that he anticipated big growing pains there this season and wanted to wear that responsibility…not someone else…I respect that.

The defense actually looked solid yesterday until there was the injury and should look better with Brooks in it.

I am looking forward to seeing what this team can do as some of their 19…c’mon 19 6gamed players start to come in. Brooks coming in should change this D almost instantly. Saw the D changing in this game and starting to apply pressure because the secondary is improving…he should help them out a lot. Thinking Norwood will play this coming game or next…that will be huge. Believe King will be in on OL.

This D has 5 main concerns for starting players once they are healthy…
Still not sold at DT…it is improved but I think they are still missing George in there and have not replaced him…though it is not horrible at the moment
Caps…I always assumed that when they brought him in and looked at the size of the NI DTs that they would be using a lot of 4 many fronts…clearly not the case so he is not the right fit in there…though it will improve as the secondary does and blitz packages increase
Still missing 1 solid DB even once Brooks is back…though Gainey has actually been doing alright
secondary depth…not there…which is expected when you start 2 rookies + a rookie safety. Still wish they had kept Hollins around or Sears in a secondary role. I would suspect this is where we will see an NFL cut come in.
Safety…I am not sure if Francis will get there or not…but right now he is not.

O has 2 main concerns…
getting healthy on the OL
getting a real rusher…though I have rather liked Steele’s blocking abilities and he is only averaging 0.4ypc less than the league leader…even Lawrence was an upgrade at rushing. HOPING the new guy at practice the past week gets a look…if nothing else just to see.

Return wise…the Riders are middle of the pack on kick returns…sure…punt returns have sucked…but a big part of that is the pressure they are putting on the punter…they have what…5 blocked or tipped punts? it is a tradeoff…though they need to at minimum improve at catching the rock in the air

longer term…Still need at least 1 more NI starter…I think that it has to be 4 on the OL long term. Another potential ratio spot that might happen this year is Elie Bouka in the secondary…unfortunately for him he has missed some time with the Cardinals due to a hamstring…that will hurt his chances…but I know that the Cardinals still really like him…so we will see.

Sorry Depop, but I disagree, this team looks bad in all aspects, yes there are a few stand outs, the rest might as well gut them also. I see no improvement on D from last year.

Oh I see Chiles is on the Suspended list, must of seen the crap team and headed for the hills!!

The defense was good last night? Either you or I must have been watching a different game. They were anything but good in my opinion and no Bo did not have a lot of pressure most of the game. I can't count how many times we had 3 man rush and Bo had enough time to read a novel before deciding on who to throw to, and yes there were plenty of open targets to pick from. That is what frustrates me about sticking with the 3 man front, we get no pressure because the linemen are dropping back in coverage, and yet there are still wide open receivers for their qb's to pick from. I also saw more then a few times where a D linemen didn't know if he should rush Bo or drop back in coverage so he chooses to just stand there and does neither? Yeah that worked out well. If the defense was so good how does Calgary walk down the field with less then a minute before half time and easily get in field goal range when they started on their own 34 yard line?

I don't care about Chick or Dressler in this discussion, they are gone and that is that but seriously our pass rush just plain sucks. Calgary can use a 3 man front because their D linemen are far better then ours. Francis is a bust at safety that is as plain as the nose on your face. It's probably not his fault being he is a receiver that Jones decided to turn into an experiment all the while other teams qb's exploit it. If you want to muck with this in practice a bit and let him learn there that is fine but to do it during the game sure isn't. I would rather have Brack back at safety until we could have gotten the rookies up to speed.

Last week Depop you said Montreal went back to basics and perhaps the Rider's D needs to do the same. Use a 4 man rush 99% of the time, throw in the odd blitz package and get some freaking pressure on the other teams qb. If the secondary makes mistakes it makes mistakes but at least they will either learn from it or if they don't then what good are they anyways, and you replace them. This using a 3 man front garbage when you don't have the muscle to succeed, just so you can help cover up the new guys in the secondary inexperience is clearly not working or the answer. Frankly it was very obvious after the second game that it was a bust and yet Jones keeps sticking to it.

Yes there will be growing pains due to blowing the whole team up and yes there will be mistakes made, but to see the same issues or same mistakes being made game after game after game and yet they keep on doing it the same way is where most fans will start getting angry. This is almost as bad as Cory last year and how he did the exact same thing. Nobody was exactly thrilled with that now were they, so why should it be acceptable this year?

Oh and Mac as the OC is not getting it done either. Just some really stupid play calls again last night.

Funny…because they literally did count it and there was more over 3 man rush than there was 3 man.

I felt the commentators nailed it…teams are careful about how they apply pressure on Mitchell because he is really good at moving the pocket…several times the pressure flushed him over…that was the problem…they were overcutting their contain. Where I found they were having success was flushing him towards contain…in other words a when a DE got into the backfield he would flush Mitchel and then the LB or DT would contain underneath. That is where Mitchel was throwing poorly…and that is the pressure I refer to.

And yes…the Defense did look good last night…like I said…for 2/3 of the game until they had to rotate subs in. surrendering 19 points to the Stamps (the #1 scoring team in the league) through 45 minutes of play is respectable…as is surrendering like 300 total yards…it was late in the 3rd on that the wheels fell off…after those rotations. They were well on pace to keep them under their season average to that point. Like i said…the secondary depth isn’t there

As far as the 3 vs 4 man front…like I said and said before…Caps is the wrong guy for it…that is the problem and as he is a NI it is a tough problem to fix. I am a fan of 3 man fronts…but you need big bodies. I am still waiting to see Brooks in because I think it is the first time we will see this D run closer to Jones’s vision.

Mac as OC…totally agree…said it as soon as they brought him in that it was a downgrade…I thought JC did pretty well last season even though a lot of people disagree with that. Mac did show some signs of wanting to integrate more running…so I am hoping that continues. They were using it…but they were getting a lot of opportunity passing so it is hard to walk away from. I believe they had 1 2 and out until into the 4th quarter and were actually moving the ball well against one of the top 2 Ds in the league…but showed piss poor adjustments yet again in the 2nd half.

So you still didn't explain how easily Calgary could march into field goal range before the end of the first half with less then a minute and kick a field goal, especially when it wasn't a short field to begin with. Bo was not "on" last night and missed some wide open receivers especially in the first half, a few of his receivers also dropped very easy passes and again they had plenty of real estate around them too. How do you consider that good D? If Bo would have been sharp and his receivers not having the dropsies they would probably been even further ahead at half time. Was the sun in the Rider's defenses eyes? A bad case of whooping cough hit them all of a sudden? Or perhaps they were just playing soft as they did against Edmonton to allow them to do the same damn thing and score late in the game . Hmm I don't know, but it seems to me the third option is a pretty reasonable choice.

Because Calgary is a good team, perhaps? Because they have had continuity or a decade? Because they are a 1st place team for a reason maybe? They made a couple nice plays leading into half…it happens. Did they drop some…yup…but the Riders missed a few opportunities as well…perhaps you forget a fumble on a play pushing 50 yards? As far as misses by passers…that worked both ways…though the Stamps seemed to be the only ones dropping anything…Riders have not really suffered from drops much this year…good receivers.

And why have they had continuity, ? Because perhaps they had the same people running the team for the past 10 years? Not blowing up the team every time we switch coaches. Starting over every 3 years, Durante if I'm not mistaken, has had a different offence every year he's been here, that's piss poor. There is absolutely no continuity on this team, there never has been for the last few years ,and here we go again. This is old, poor poor management' they really need to find someone and stick with them.

So which staff over the past decade do you feel should have been kept that wanted to stay?

Hall, perhaps Dyce. I wasn’t a fan of Hall’s defense at first but the last couple of years he was here I thought he did a very good job. Dyce while perhaps not a great HC and yes it would be hard to step back on the same team as the St guy I still say our st last year were very good and better then this years. Now I have no idea if either wanted to stay as I can’t read minds so that one is questionable.

Our ST while not the worst part of the team, besides our returner, they still are not as good as last years.

I don't know, but find someone and stick with them, perhaps Jones will be the guy, but don't let everyone run them out of town , like everyone else,. Stick with it.