A short column with a couple of notes from the Calgary game a week ago and a comment on the B.C. game.
Mario Alford had an amazing game against the Stampeders returning two punts for touchdowns.
On the first, he gave a step inside and then broke it to the left going wide to get to the sidelines and then dodge tacklers to the end zone. He said it was intended to be a middle return but it was clogged and he took it outside.
On the second he went up a seam inside and broke free. He said it was a vertical return and the blockers created a seam he said you could drive a bus through.
Craig Dickenson said he wants Alford to get a quick 10 and then go from there.
The Riders miracle drive started after a Calgary kickoff following a field goal. It was clear they were going to kick away from Alford and they did kick it to Frankie Hickson who had a modest return. I asked Craig Dickenson if the Riders thought about a reverse with Hickson handing off or tossing the ball to Alford going the other way. Dickenson said they have different kick returns but no reverse. I was surprised they did not have a reverse available.
Against the Lions, Alford did not have a big return. I thought the Lions punter did an excellent job of booting the ball so high that the hang time let the cover team give Alford no room.
Watching Jake Maier against the Riders he was often unsettled in the pocket. His feet were moving and he threw off the back foot several times. Pete Robertson said they tried hard to get him off his spot saying, as with most quarterbacks, he is less effective if he must move within the pocket.
Maier has been inconsistent in his decision-making this season. He will make beautiful throws and then make throws that must leave Coach Dave Dickenson’s stomach churning.
In the first Rider - Stampeder game in Calgary he cost the Stampeders the chance to win in overtime when he made a dreadful throw that was intercepted by Nic Marshall.
Against the Riders he had a brilliant last-minute drive to set up the winning field goal.
Last night against the Ottawa Redblacks he threw another pick-six interception, fumbled an exchange, made another poor throw for an interception and missed an open receiver for the two point convert in overtime.
At the same time, he threw for 450 yards with four touchdown passes including several perfect deep throws.
Over seven games he has 10 touchdown passes and six interceptions.
When Maier was signed to a two-year contract last fall John Hufnagel said Maier was “very consistent”. I wonder what he would say now.
I was surprised by the Riders going for 3rd and 2 from their 42 late in the B.C. game. Dickenson has spoken previously about being aggressive early in a game. After the B.C. game he spoke about the defence being gassed late in the game. They were even more gassed when the offence failed to make the first down. Still I never thought the Riders were going to score a touchdown in the second half. The offence was so limited being unable to run the ball and Fine throwing very short passes.
Bill Selnes, who’s based in Melfort, has written about the Saskatchewan Roughriders since the late 1970s. He was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, Football Reporters of Canada wing on Nov. 24, 2013.
