Pages

Sunday, September 11, 2011

SWAG--Saskatchewan Wins Another Game

Thanks to my good buddy Tom "Mongo" Pura in Grande Prairie, Alberta for giving me the title of this post and thank you to this photographer from the Winnipeg Free Press for capturing yet another hard shot on Buck Pierce courtesy of Craig Butler...


How about the play of the Riders second round draft pick (their first in 2011) from Western Ontario. Tell me he hasn't made an impact this year. Someone should get this picture blown up for him so he can have it as a keepsake. Hell, the Riders should get a bunch of them printed off that he can sign because I think this kid might have a future. 

Is it safe to say the swagger has been taken out of Swaggerville? I had hoped the Riders could win both games of the back-to-back showdowns, but I didn't think they would win in Winnipeg and it didn't look like they would until really that hit by Butler. While Winnipeg came back to score a TD on that drive, Buck Pierce was never the same. In fact, he provided the "picks" for our banjos by throwing 5 of them. Thanks Buck!

Where are the haters now? The Richie Hall detractors are quiet, the Brendan Taman critics have nothing to say, those that are negative towards Darian Durant are silent. Yes, that is what a couple of wins against the league's best team will do. 

Here are some thoughts on Sunday's game. 

--I had cautioned that the return of Andy Fantuz could present a problem as Darian Durant might be focussed in on him too much. Durant admitted after the game that he was trying too hard to get Andy involved right off the bat and that he had to go through his progression and reads and just let Andy get the ball when the time called for it. Once Durant did that, he was the Durant of old as he fired nice ball after nice ball downfield into the waiting arms of Fantuz, Weston Dressler and Chris Getzlaf. 

--A text from a friend during the game said Craig Butler reminded him of Ken McEachern. I don't disagree. As I said, this kid can play and he has a future.

--Say what you will about Buck Pierce, but he is a tough sonofabitch

--Do the Bombers follow the CFL concussion protocol. I really don't know how Pierce could continue after that hit, but I said the same thing after the hit he took from Jamall Johnson in Hamilton earlier this year. 

--How many times can I say that Jerrell Freeman just gets better and better. Like I said last week, he is the MOP for the Riders as far as I'm concerned after the 10 game mark. 

--Did Omarr Morgan's coaching rub off on the defensive backs. They looked pretty good as a group. 

--I loved Chris McKenzie handing the ball to that woman after his interception TD. I'd like to know what he said to her. 

--I loved Darian Durant beaking at the Bomber fans late in the 4th quarter. I have no problems with fans getting on the players case if they can and I have no problems with the players giving it right back or conceeding defeat as Odell Willis did last week by giving the "I'm not worthy" salute to those on the East side that had been ragging on him all day long. 

--If Willis is the mayor of Swaggerville, they might want to dissolve the government and call an election.

--Yes, the Riders got a big break on a holding call that wasn't called in the 4th quarter, but TSN made too big a deal of it. They don't seem to do that when the Riders get jobbed on an obvious call that doesn't go their way. 

--Good on the CFL for remembering the victims of 9-11 before both games today by having "America the Beautiful" and "The Star Spangled Banner" be sung. The only question I have is with the amount of Americans in the CFL, why aren't we playing the US anthem before every game. I think they do it in the NHL.

--I'm a Neal Hughes fan so I love it when he gets in the endzone. 

--It was great to see a trick play on special teams work for and not against the Riders. 

--Ken Miller has more wins than Greg Marshall this year. 

It was also Week 1 of the NFL season meaning my TV remote got quite a workout as I switched back and forth between the Rider game and the Seahawks debacle. Just some thoughts on the opening week there. 

--The Seahawks will be lucky to win 4 games this year. They are that bad. Tarvaris Jackson is horrible and there is nothing special about their special teams when it comes to kick coverage. Ted Ginn Junior returning a kickoff and a punt for a TD in the 4th quarter. Really? Ted Ginn Junior??!!!! ARRGGHHHHH

--Tony Romo is not a smart quarterback. He cost the Cowboys their game against the Jets by fumbling at the New York goal-line when just throwing the ball away gives them likely a 10 point lead and the game and then he throws an interception in the final minute leading to New York's last-second field goal. 

--Who had Cam Newton as their fantasy team quarterback today? If so, you have got to be a happy camper and you have to ask yourself just why Newton was starting in the first place.

--I don't care what team it is, it looks good when the Steelers get their lunch fed to them

--Were the Giants or Atlanta a bigger disappointment, I would have to lean towards the Falcons. 

--Buffalo got 41? 

--So Colts fans, how's life without Peyton?

--Tarvaris Jackson is horrible. Did I mention that already? 


As Rod Pedersen would say, its an up week in Saskatchewan and the Argos bring their circus into town next Saturday. I still can't believe the Riders lost that game in Toronto. 

One other thing. The story of the little boy in BC that went missing and then shows up unharmed at his home days later is incredible and leaves a lot of questions to be asked, but the youngster was unharmed and is safe and that is the main thing. 

If practice makes perfect and no one is perfect, than why practice?




23 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great picture Scruffy. That Butler hit on Pierce may be up for hit of the year in the CFL.

Anonymous said...

I don't follow the NFL but I do follow John Chick and I see that had a tackle in his first ever game for the Jags.

Mike from Vita, MB said...

Mitchell:

Could the Riders have justified canning Marshall and Berry if we would have won in T.O.? The football gods have a plan, and it is falling into place NICELY!!

Surprisingly the Loserpeg radio announcers (Even the inbred Troy Westwood....it is actually paid to be on radio....boy they are desperate)are still talking smack about Saskatchewan, even though their team got spanked. Will they never learn?

Glenn said...

Practice makes permanent Mitch. Perfect practice makes perfect.

Anonymous said...

Mitch,

The NHL has the anthem of where the teams are from, if it is Red Wings vs Panthers, only the US is sung... If it is Calgary vs Edmonton, only Oh Canada is sung

TJ

Anonymous said...

Another version of SWAG heard in Winnipeg this weekend

Saskatchewan Women Are Great!!

Anonymous said...

What NFL team will Freeman be on next year. We might want to admit it Rider fans. He is the next one to go south.

peter dalla riva

Anonymous said...

How and where would I get that photo reprinted and would Butler sign it for me after practice?


Bryan

Mike from Vita, MB said...

Too bad there wasn't a Rider fan on the edge of the endzone when Mckenzie scored the TD. Why waste a good football on a Bomber fan?

My bet is Freeman for Riders MOP and Butler for Rookie. Stellar play by both guys!!

Anonymous said...

PICTURE OF THE YEAR!!!

Anonymous said...

Its going to be a long year for your Seahawks Mitch. A lonnnnnng year!

Anonymous said...

What a cold statement on Miller wins compared to Marshall. It is true though! Believe it or not, I think this team can still host a playoff game. Edmonton is done as far as I'm concerned.


Trevor

Lee-Anne said...

Mitch, I have said before, Charlie Whitehurst gives your 'Hawks the best chance to win. He makes things happen.
Riders have to be careful going into this week's game against the Argos. It could be a trap game when they beat the best team back-to-back and then have to play the worst team. Although, the Riders were humiliated in Toronto, so payback is in order.
Arash Madani owes Riders' management an apology. He ripped them for firing Marshall and Berry, now he looks silly. How can he give an unbiased opinion when he is friends with Marshall? A true journalist would not let emotion come into the story. This is an issue that he should have stayed out of. If you are not on the bench or in the dressing room, you really don't know what's going on behind the scenes.
Tony Romo keeps making the same mistakes as Henry Burris does. Both are veterans of their respective leagues, and both still have an issue of ball security in important games. Maybe that's why Burris has only won 1 Grey Cup and Romo will never win a Super Bowl.

Anonymous said...

Blair wrote:
The only question I have is with the amount of Americans in the CFL, why aren't we playing the US anthem before every game. I think they do it in the NHL.
THE ANSWER IS: we are not a "branch office" of the USA, so we don't need to play another country's anthem at our sporting events -- the reason it is done at NHL games is there are teams in both countries -- this is the CANADIAN Football League, played in Canada, and the Americans who play in the CFl are guests in our country with a visa to play football because our govt. permits it. They don't play O Canada at NFL games and Canadians play there!!!!!

Anonymous said...

You took Dallas as your upset pick and as a playoff team this year. Did you think Romo wasn't playing for the Cowboys anymore? As long as he is the QB, that team will do nothing. My brother is a huge Cowboys fan and he might be seeing the light after that one last night. He is terrible!

Curtis.

PS: Love that picture!!

Anonymous said...

No anti-Americanism in that one comment. None whatsoever. What an idiotic stance! You sir or madam need to take a solid dose of realism.

Anonymous said...

Lebron James would be proud of that 4th quarter collapse by Tony Romo.

Anonymous said...

Is there anyone out there who doesn't think Marshall and Berry should have been fired now? I just hope that Miller goes to the 7-11 one night and finds some water from the fountain of youth so that he can coach here for another decade.

Larry

Anonymous said...

The fact that I even know an exact name of a CFL official (Andre Proulx) should say it all. He's the only guy I know by name in entire league of officials. It's like an offensive lineman. If you hear their name too much, it's a bad thing.

Anonymous said...

All of you idiots blasting Darian on the airwaves today for yelling back at those loser Bomber fans behind the bench should shut it. Think of the frustration Darian and whole team has felt the entire season until this re-birth with Miller. Those fans were yelling the worst things to him the entire game, while he's having the breakout game of the season in Winnipeg. He let it out, I'm sure it was 1/10th the arrogance of Swaggerville. I'm sure it won't be repeated again.

Lee-Anne said...

Bombers and their fans complaining about the refs. Andre Proulx and his crew aren't biased, they are so bad that they screw everybody! Calls were bad on both sides. Dressler and Fantuz were always being held by DB's, but the Riders didn't holler about it! Tom Higgins should do an honest evaluation on this crew. Brutal.

Anonymous said...

"Hurry to all Safeway locations in Winnipeg this week for their special: 5 turnovers for a Buck...Pierced. #staggerville #cfl #ridernation"

Anonymous said...

We shouldn't play any anthems before any sporting event. I don't have to listen to an anthem before a movie, concert or any other entertainment. There are lots of ways and times to show your patriotism, anthems don't need to be played at sporting events.

Also, the "Hall haters" have disappeared but, on the other side, where were all the "lovers" of Hall before the 2 game win streak?

Up until these last 2 games, most comments I heard regarding both offence and defence were justified.

We'll see how he does moving forward against some of the more effective offences out there. I, personally, hope he does well.

rob in S'toon