Edmonton Vs Saskatchewan #2
8/29/2008 7:53:45 PM

When the first place team in your division comes into town you better be ready. When the Riders are the first place team in the league you best bring all the game that you can. Injuries or not, the Riders have still found a way to beat good teams all year. Stud running back Wes Cates, and their stingy defence has carried them throughout the season to this point, so the injuries haven't seemed to matter to them as much as perhaps they should. They've been playing very well as a team and have overcome almost every obstacle in their path thus far. Calgary was able to outplay them in their own back yard and survive a late surge by the Riders to escape with 2 points. Naturally, I expected the Saskatchewan to come out swinging, especially in light of the 15k plus rider fans that were able to make their way into Commonwealth stadium.

As a team I felt that we started off slow, and at times seemed somewhat unsure of how we wanted to attack them. Once the defence settled down, the offence took the cue and began to roll and it all started up front. I feel safe in saying that when our Offensive and defensive lines can dominate the opposition the way that they did on that night, we will be a very difficult team to beat. It took a miscue between A.J. Harris and Ricky Ray that Harris turned into a long touchdown run to change our offensive philosophy for the remainder of the game. The ground game became a focal point, and we took that cue and ran with it. Saskatchewan is usually a ball control team, relying on a healthy dose of Cates in order to stay within striking distance. On this night it was us who were able to control the tempo and feel of the game offensively, as our offensive line and receivers took the cue and made sure to raise the level of physicality in the blocking game.

The dominant performance that the defence turned in spoke volumes towards what this team can be. We showed that we have the capacity to strike quickly through the air both deep and intermediate as well as the ability to pound the game out with the run game if need be. Both of these offensive styles will end up serving us well throughout the rest of the year, and we need to continue to cultivate both of these offensive cultures each week. Offensively and defensively we must continue to feed off of each other in effort to keep the ball rolling.©

Kp8

Edmonton Vs B.C. #2
8/11/2008 7:33:45 PM

Believe it or not, sometimes you just don't play well enough to win. I know most people are used to athletes stressing that it wasn't the other team that beat them, that they beat themselves, and sometimes its bull to be honest. But when you've got 7 turnovers as a team, 3 of which were on special teams. I feel safe in saying that we beat ourselves. That being said, it would have been just as easy for B.C. to fold the tent at a few points in that game as it would have been for us, so I credit them for finding a way to squeeze a win out of an otherwise ugly affair. Hopefully, the next time we trek up to Vancouver we'll be able to find a way to look more like ourselves.

There are some interesting undertones going on with that team however, that will be watched closely throughout the year and especially before we meet them again. Stefan Logan is a good back in his own right, I was able to see that up close and personal. There are a lot of skills that he brings to the table and I understand why B.C. is so high on him. However, Joe Smith is a 1500yd 18-20td back in this league. It baffles me to see him fall from grace so fast. Baffles me, but doesn't quite shock me, since I've been around long enough to remember Antonio Warren, going through a similar escapade in B.C. Just following a season in which he was the team's MVP.

The quarterback position is a turnstile currently, but I'd imagine that will stabilize itself sooner than later. While both quarterbacks offer the full gambit of skills required, I'd be surprised if one of the two didn't take the position and run with it within the next few weeks. In the secondary, it will be interesting to see if they can get back to the form that they've played with for the last few years. I would imagine that it's just a matter of time before they find their stride. The receiving corps will obviously take a different complexion once Geroy Simon is back in the lineup, so I won't even pretend for a second that they won't be more explosive offensively next time we see them.

Hopefully by then we'll have some of our guys back as well, maybe Braidwood, Williams, or even Comiskey could certainly change the game dynamic. Either way, I have a feeling that the two games that we have remaining against them will be worth something.

Personally, I wouldn't have it any other way. ©

Kp8.

Edmonton Vs BC #1
8/6/2008 9:20:39 PM

Once I heard that Tuck was going to be able to walk in to greet us pre-game, I knew I was in for a battle to keep my emotions in check for the entire night. To my credit – I was right. It took every ounce of strength I had it seemed, not to break down at the sight of him walking stiffly in the brace. Just knowing that he was gliding around that same commonwealth field a couple of weeks prior, making everything look easy, and now the simple task of walking seemed labored for him. I knew from the time that they told us the extent of his injury that the dynamic of our team would instantly change. I knew that everyone's role had changed overnight. With the doctor's diagnosis of Jason's injury, each of our individual responsibilities changed and we would have to embrace such changes immediately if we were to have a chance at winning this season.

I make it a point to listen to classical music, R&B, Salsa, and Jazz before a game just to mellow me out and allow me to think clearly. Try as I might, Vivaldi and Coltrane just couldn't bring my pulse down for this game. I may have served my teammates better as a safety out there with my intensity level, since I was hell bent on hitting someone after that pre-game Tucker sighting. Just seeing him back on his feet again so soon after going through so much, so quickly, made me feel as if there was no effort that I could not give to honor his own.

The first drive was almost perfect. Everyone seemed to be involved, everything that we ran seemed to work just as we'd drawn it up – in a sense, life was good. B.C. was able to do some things to us defensively that we didn't answer well for the majority of the second quarter, which was extremely frustrating to me. After my first catch on the first drive, I was so anxious to make a play and break up the monotony of the game itself that I found myself pacing on the sidelines. That play didn't come for me until shortly into the third quarter, but it's not the play you're thinking. We called a swing screen to the right, and I cracked back on the linebacker and was able to send him off of his feet, which allowed A.J. Harris to reach the corner and get a nice gain. I never know what play it will be each game that dials me in. While I've mastered the art of maintaining a high level of focus throughout the game, it gets even more acute from time to time. As crazy as it sounds – contact centers me. Luckily for me, the next play that I was asked to make had plenty of just that…contact.

After coming down from that catch, the natural reaction for me after being on the receiving end of such a hit is to pop up before the hitter. In doing so, and hearing the ovation that followed I could think of nothing better than to try to deflect as much of that ovation as possible onto who it really should have been for – which was #83. Seeing my team feed off of that action and absolutely take over the game in all facets at a time when it seemed to be up for grabs was amazing. To see my fellow receivers each get into the action and pay respects in their own way to one of our positional captains, was something that I'll never forget.

That was the most emotional game that I've ever played in. Bar none…Grey Cup included. At the same time it was easily the most fun I've ever had on a football field as well. Jason Tucker will be a prominent figure in this receiving corps throughout this season. That was not a one game event. I'll pick my spots as to when I unsheathe the #83 on the undershirt – I'll try to reserve it for catches that I feel honor his legacy. ©

Kp8