July 11, 2013: Saskatchewan Roughriders vs. Toronto Argonauts

[1argoholic]

Do you think that Barker and Jones have a certain arrogance that they can simply lose,not sign or give up on talented players because they feel they can find new ones just as good?
I know it's early on but the D looked lost out there. We've talked about plenty of things they did wrong but I'm not sure if anyone mentioned missed tackles. Yikes it was bad as well. Sad night to be sure. It's not all on the D side though. We're not running the ball enough and it would be nice to see some balls tossed deep. Man those two bombs just killed us.

[jerrym]

Do you think that Barker and Jones have a certain arrogance that they can simply lose,not sign or give up on talented players because they feel they can find new ones just as good?
I know it's early on but the D looked lost out there. We've talked about plenty of things they did wrong but I'm not sure if anyone mentioned missed tackles. Yikes it was bad as well. Sad night to be sure. It's not all on the D side though. We're not running the ball enough and it would be nice to see some balls tossed deep. Man those two bombs just killed us.

I think they were faced with budget constraints, such as Ray's high salary (if you want the best qb in the league you have to pay for it which is the only choice the Argos had considering the alternative -witness Edmonton without Ray), and unforeseen circumstances. They could not foresee Younger retiring at the last moment before training camp or Horne not wanting to be part of the team leading to his being cut, so they were willing to let McCullough go as a valuable but expensive free agent.

[Argocister]

My two cents worth:
O-Line .... They are still not together, and I hope the changes made show an improvement from last year sooner rather than later. There are times when there is improved time for Ricky, but others where Ricky panics and looks to the right....
The run game isn't very successful as well, but I'm not sure if this is mostly the Oline or just the defences we have played are very strong.
QB - Receiver connections ....... Obviously Ricky feels most confident with Innman and Owens as even in double coverage he goes for them. My question is, are the others not getting open? Or does it look like the one on one coverage is too lopsided favouring the defence? .... There was a comment on my way home last night that they felt the physical readiness of the Argos seemed below par and that the physicality of the team should improve. .... I hadn't thought about that before, and maybe it is a factor?
There were more " shiny" moments for our offence in this game than the last one vs. the Lions. So that is hopeful .... The Roughrider offence did look a bit more together, but that may have been the strength of their O-Line compared to our defence. Durant seemed to have an eternity to decide where the ball should go, and Sheets looked like he could go any which way. I liked his tactic of constantly bumping up against his line and patiently waiting for the path to open. ... Don't know if that's planned but the times I saw it, he was always getting a first down.

Our defence.... As mentioned already.... The line was being held ad infinitum .... And this morning on Sportscentre they showed Chris Jones' face on one of those missed coverages for the TD .... Priceless but good . He'll get the group together so that doesn't happen again. .... I hope ..... No I'm sure of it, but again sooner than later. We are missing the experience and the strength on our D but I hope the guys learn fast. It is harder this year to accept this step back because we won the cup last year.

[Argoriffic]

I know that SM said that Marcus Brady is now calling the offensive plays, but ever since game 1 against the TiCats Ricky Ray has looked very indecisive with the ball. He is not making the quick reads that he did in the final parts of last season. I think SM should really think about taking over the play calling until the offense can get on a role and MB can really figure out what this group does best.

How long will SM go until this happends?

[Argo57]

My two cents worth:. It is harder this year to accept this step back because we won the cup last year.

You hit the nail on the head with this comment, I think many of us feel the same way, last year particularly the last third of the regular season and playoffs were so enjoyable that many anticipated the team to simply pick up where they left off which probably wasn't realistic given the huge turnover in personnel.

[stuntdog]

1. The dome was open!

2. The minor football players dressed as mini-me Theismann, Corrigall, Profit et al, did a stellar job guarding the Argos mid-field logo when the Riders were introduced.

3. Riders still having trouble counting to 12 on special teams.

4. Inman & Durie's efforts were impressive. Iglesias also impressed me late in the game.

5. Collaros' ability to scramble and to throw on the run -- Marcel of the Gardens should be paying attention over at RedBlacks HQ

6. Recovering the onside kick was the highlight of an otherwise subpar special teams performance.

7. Dave Ritchie is looking good (he was at field level on Riders sideline).

[doubleblue]

1. The dome was open!

2. The minor football players dressed as mini-me Theismann, Corrigall, Profit et al, did a stellar job guarding the Argos mid-field logo when the Riders were introduced.

3. Riders still having trouble counting to 12 on special teams.

4. Inman & Durie's efforts were impressive. Iglesias also impressed me late in the game.

5. Collaros' ability to scramble and to throw on the run -- Marcel of the Gardens should be paying attention over at RedBlacks HQ

6. Recovering the onside kick was the highlight of an otherwise subpar special teams performance.

7. Dave Ritchie is looking good (he was at field level on Riders sideline).

Dave Ritchie generally shows up as a guest of Wally Bouno when the Lions are in Town. Was wondering if he is now doing some scouting for the Riders, seeing he was down by their bench all night. I believe he lives in Pennsylvania.

[matchuk]

im still worried about how much owens is used as a receiver...he was slow to get up again a few times last night...i dont wish him ill at all, but i would be surprised if he didnt lose some time to injury this season...

[shayman]

2. The minor football players dressed as mini-me Theismann, Corrigall, Profit et al, did a stellar job guarding the Argos mid-field logo when the Riders were introduced..

THAT was great. Here's a picture from the Argo web site. (Click to enlarge) This should become a tradition!

crop_19622733330.jpg

[argolio]

Was there even a flag thrown?

Based on the two or three times I scoured the field before celebrating, NO!

It's obvious that the LBs (McCune, Ball, and Isaacs) from the play on the field are the glue that holds the Argo defence together once again with all the newcomers on the DL and among the DBs.

Very true. I think the D will come around eventually, but we're definitely not there yet.

The Bombers will probably try to run it down our throats, so we better tighten up the run defense.

I did not notice the apparent push-off on the second long TD while it was unfolding, and I either didn't watch that replay or didn't notice anything untoward on the replay, so I can't comment on the legitimacy of that call.

I thought the push-off was more subtle than blatant, and they generally give a receiver a lot more leeway than a defensive back on interference calls.

[Rich]

I thought the push-off was more subtle than blatant, and they generally give a receiver a lot more leeway than a defensive back on interference calls.

Subtle, yes full credit to the receiver, but it made the difference in him catching the ball or not since Carter was closing fast.

[ArgoRavi]

Let's not forget how bad our defence looked against Winnipeg back in Game #16 last season. We couldn't stop the run or the pass that night. We rebounded from that which marked the end of a three game losing streak - all at home - to win the Grey Cup so I have a lot of faith in Chris Jones to get this defence playing the way that it needs to.

BTW, if Hamilton beats Winnipeg on Saturday night, there will be a four way tie in the East at 1-2 with the Argos holding the early season series edge over the Ticats. Things could be worse but we need a win in Winnipeg next Friday and I expect that we will get it.

[Ron]

Based on the two or three times I scoured the field before celebrating, NO!

Yes! As I mentioned earlier ... the flag was thrown right away. Well more like dropped and the ref just stood by it. (probably blocking many a fans view of it)

Also from the look of it ... the other officials didn't see it until after the TD. I guess the head ref went "Where's Dick?" ...and then they saw him standing way back by the Argo 15 yard line. He didn't wave or nothing ... just stood there. But the flag was thrown immediately.

[Ron]

I actually find it easier to accept the D's and offense problems this season because we won the Cup last season. We (as fans) do not have the pressure of living in shame by not having our team "do it for us" for years or even decades. They did it for US last year ... so they earned some slack from us fans to not lose faith so quickly.

I don't follow the game like I used to. But one just has to look at all the new names on defense to see that the dominating killers that shut everyone down last November. So to hold them to that high standard is not fair.

The key (and hope) is that they will improve from week to week like many of them did last year. We all know that Jones is up to the task and it's now on the players to "make it so."

[paulwoods13]

1. The dome was open!

2. The minor football players dressed as mini-me Theismann, Corrigall, Profit et al, did a stellar job guarding the Argos mid-field logo when the Riders were introduced.

3. Riders still having trouble counting to 12 on special teams.

4. Inman & Durie's efforts were impressive. Iglesias also impressed me late in the game.

5. Collaros' ability to scramble and to throw on the run -- Marcel of the Gardens should be paying attention over at RedBlacks HQ

6. Recovering the onside kick was the highlight of an otherwise subpar special teams performance.

7. Dave Ritchie is looking good (he was at field level on Riders sideline).

Stuntdog, what part of 240 were/are you in? My seats are there (row 1).

[VANRIDERFAN]

THAT was great. Here's a picture from the Argo web site. (Click to enlarge) This should become a tradition!

Attachment 300

That is sooo cool! I wish that TSN would show more of what is going on during the 15 min prior to kick off. There seems to be a lot of pregame action that we never see on TV

[stuntdog]

Stuntdog, what part of 240 were/are you in? My seats are there (row 1).

Paul, my seats are in row 1 of the bronze half of sect 240. I assume you're in the silver half across the aisle. Given our proximity I'd love to buy a copy of your book in person at the next game. Let me know if that's possible.

[ArgoGabe22]

Top 4 rated sports broadcasts from past weekend were all #CFL games on #TSN. Top game #SSK vs @TorontoArgos - 786,000 viewers

[paulwoods13]

Paul, my seats are in row 1 of the bronze half of sect 240. I assume you're in the silver half across the aisle. Given our proximity I'd love to buy a copy of your book in person at the next game. Let me know if that's possible.

I'm not sure which is bronze and which is silver, but I'm also in Row 1, right on the aisle (on the right as you come down the stairs). Unfortunately I will be out of town for the game on the 30th but I'll be there on Aug. 18. I'll be selling books at the Aug. 23 game (likely on the 100 level) and don't anticipate being at my seat that night (or being able to watch much of the game, unfortunately), so maybe we can hook up on the 18th.

[stuntdog]

I'm not sure which is bronze and which is silver, but I'm also in Row 1, right on the aisle (on the right as you come down the stairs). Unfortunately I will be out of town for the game on the 30th but I'll be there on Aug. 18. I'll be selling books at the Aug. 23 game (likely on the 100 level) and don't anticipate being at my seat that night (or being able to watch much of the game, unfortunately), so maybe we can hook up on the 18th.

Yes, Aug 18 sounds good.