Aug
Roughriders must improve in several areas
Courtesy Regina Leader Post:
The good news for the Saskatchewan Roughriders is that they are tied for first place in the CFL’s West Division.
The bad news? The Roughriders’ performance was substandard in every facet of the game during Friday’s 35-20 loss to the B.C. Lions, leaving head coach Ken Miller and his staff with plenty to fix over the next week.
“We have to play with greater energy,” Miller said Saturday at Regina International Airport. “We have to do a better job on our special teams in the energy area. We have to get something going in our return game, and then we have to re-emphasize our coverage aspect of that.
“We have to have continuity in our offence. On defence, late in the game we were able to make some stops, so we have to be able to do that early on as well.”
Offence, defence, special teams . . . that pretty much covers everything.
The special teams have been a constant concern since the season began July 3. Early on, the Roughriders were neutralizing their special-teams gaffes by creating turnovers and scoring touchdowns. Lately, however, the special teams have been a liability, without much evidence of an upside.
On Friday, for example, the Roughriders allowed a series of significant kick returns by Ryan Grice-Mullen without responding in kind. Saskatchewan’s only return of note — a 47-yard kickoff return by Stu Foord — was negated by a penalty. Additionally, a fumbled punt return by Gerran Walker ended up being recovered by B.C. and returned for a touchdown to put the Lions ahead for the duration.
Not only that, Saskatchewan also had a convert blocked and watched an onside kick sail out of bounds.
“It’s a big concern to me and it’s something that we will get corrected,” Miller said of the special teams. “Traditionally, we’ve had really solid special teams here, and we want to continue that tradition.”
Walker, a wide receiver, has been the primary punt and kickoff returner in each of the past two games. That could change Sunday against the visiting Hamilton Tiger-Cats if Eric Morris, who began the season as the Roughriders’ return specialist, has recovered from a knee injury that has forced him to miss three games.
The main injury concerns pertain to middle linebacker Renauld Williams, who is expected to miss seven to nine weeks after injuring a medial collateral knee ligament in Friday’s game.
“It’s a big blow,” said Miller, whose team is to return to practice on Tuesday. “He really gutted it out because it occurred early in the first quarter and nobody really knew anything about it until after the game.”
Miller did not identify a successor to Williams, although import Jerrell Freeman is a possibility. The team is unlikely to contact former Roughriders and Montreal Alouettes linebacker Reggie Hunt, who resides in Regina.
Even with Williams in the lineup, the Roughriders have struggled to defend the run. The challenge is intensified without a proven middle linebacker.
The Lions had also been susceptible to the run until Friday, when Roughriders tailback Wes Cates was held to 44 yards on 11 carries. Saskatchewan’s passing game produced some big plays — most notably sophomore wideout Rob Bagg’s first two CFL touchdowns — but the offence struggled to sustain drives.
“We made some big plays, but we weren’t able to move the ball consistently,” Miller said. “That’s just something that we have to be able to repair.”
Despite the need for upgrades, the Roughriders are tied with the Calgary Stampeders and Edmonton Eskimos for first place in the West. All three teams have 3-3 records. B.C., at 2-4, is last in the four-team division.
