Hey, I said it before the season started. We are going to need an offence that can put up 45 points a game as we have a highly suspect defence. Blow a 22-0 lead? Yuck.
Whiner :thdn:
In fairness this defense is on the field way too much! It’s been stated by everyone that the Riders are going to have to find a way to increase time off possession. We all agree on that. That doesn’t change the fact that this defense is suspect when it comes to playing both the pass and the run! I understand where patcarm is comming from because blowing a 22 point lead is simply inexcusable! While it’s true, the defnse was on the field too much there is no way that they could have been exhausted by the middle of the second quarter! I certainlly would not call patcarm a “whinner” for stating the obvious.When Joe Faragalli was the head coach in Saskatchewan he used to say that anytime the offense scored 24 points he would win the game! His reasoning was simple! CFL defenses were only allowing an average 23 points in a game. Of course “Papa” Joe was coaching away back in the 1980’s but the point is taken. Game by game it’s becoming obvious that there are problems with Etcheverry’s defense that go beyond being on the field for too much time. That is not to say that there isn’t something really wrong with LaPolice’s offense. Yes, I am aware of the dinged up o-line but I don’t think it’s a legitimate excuse! The Riders are always bragging about their depth but what good is it to have depth if your backups can’t step in and do the job when needed? The Riders have two quarterback coaches which is a luxury that other teams don’t have. They also have three quarterbacks on the active roster. If Durant is the problem then one of the other quartebacks who are the beneficiarys of all this coaching should be able to step up! Obviously the Riders are not seeing that in practise because they stil believe Durant is their best chance to win. In any event patcarm’s comment is a legitimate one and I for one appreciated hearing it!
Troller :thdn:
Opponents conversion rate:
Week 1 ( BC ) - 1st half - 46.7% - 2nd half - 60.0%
Week 2 ( Tor ) - 1st half - 50.0% - 2nd half - 76.2%
Week 3 ( Mtl ) - 1st half - 47.1% - 2nd half - 76.2%
Week 3 ( Edm ) - 1st half - 64.7% - 2nd half - 73.3%
A conversion rate of 50% means an average of one first down / series. The defence holds very well in the 1st half. A 75% conversion rate means an average of three first downs / series. The defence is performing poorly in the 2nd half. They had a really bad game all around against Edmonton. That's why Ricky Ray makes the big bucks.
I don't think the defense is a write off just yet, they have given up a lot of yards, but they've also caused a ton of turnovers and have scored some points for us.