Mean Girl Ashleigh Slaps You Firmly Back in Your Loser Place
Offensive line stands together in Riders' pre-season loss
EDMONTON — One exhibition game doesn't make a CFL season.
If that were the case, the Saskatchewan Roughriders would be in trouble after Sunday's 35-12 loss to the Edmonton Eskimos at Commonwealth Stadium.
The Eskimos' starters manhandled the Riders, who failed to generate a single touchdown. Instead, the Riders settled for four field goals from Brett Lauther.
There are concerns, but the Riders have time to address them before playing host to the Calgary Stampeders on June 8 in the final pre-season game for both teams.
Here are five things that the Regina Leader-Post's Murray McCormick learned while watching Sunday's game:
BIG GAME FOR THE BIG GUYS
Concerns regarding the offensive line were eased during Sunday's loss. The offensive line allowed two third-quarter sacks while rookie Takoby Cofield was still settling in at the position of left offensive tackle. The projected starters — tackles Thaddeus Coleman and Terran Vaughn, guards Brendon LaBatte and Travis Bond and centre Dan Clark — looked good during the limited time they were together. Quarterback David Watford had time to find open receivers while facing Edmonton's starters early in the game. That's a credit to the offensive line. Vaughn was also stout against Edmonton's defensive ends and continues to have a leg up in the competition to be the starting left tackle.
QUARTERBACK QUANDARY
With veteran quarterbacks Zach Collaros and Brandon Bridge dressed but on the sideline, the performances of Watford, Marquise Williams and B.J. Daniels were the dominant storyline. However, no member of that trio did much to earn a headline. Watford played the first half and had more of an opportunity to play with the starters. That meant he also faced Edmonton's starters, who are much better than their prospects. Playing the starters was among the reasons why the Eskimos led 14-0 after their first two offensive possessions. Williams struggled and was released on Monday, along with defensive back Sam Williams, defensive lineman Justin Horton and running back Josh McPhearson. Daniels threw for the most yards (133) of any Riders quarterback on Sunday, but that was against Edmonton's prospects. What we learned is none of them are ready to step into a starting role.
HERE COMES THE JUDGE
Before the game, the Riders scratched Samuel Eguavoen, creating an opportunity for Cameron Judge to start at weak-side linebacker. Judge, the second overall pick in the 2017 CFL draft, made the most of the opportunity. He had a pressure on quarterback Mike Reilly, delivered a big hit on an Edmonton receiver coming across the middle of the field, and recorded two defensive tackles. One of the three linebacker spots is to be filled by a national. Judge helped his cause on Sunday.
CARTER CHECK
Duron Carter is going to be busy this season. On Sunday, Carter started at wide receiver and switched to cornerback in the second quarter. He had two passes thrown in his direction by Watford, but wasn't able to make the catches. On defence, Carter had two defensive tackles and a knockdown. Carter is one of the league's top receivers and showed flashes of becoming a top defender. The ability of the multi-talented Carter to return punts further enhances his value to the Riders.
TALE OF THE TAILBACKS
Marcus Thigpen hasn't lost a step since 2017, when he starred at tailback late in the season and the playoffs. On Sunday, he had three carries for 33 yards and a reception for 23. He showed his power on a four-yard run and his breakaway speed on the swing pass. The Riders will be without Thigpen for the first two regular-season games due to a suspension for failing a random drug test in 2017. They are searching for an international tailback to pair with national Jerome Messam. Zac Stacy (who had seven carries for 38 yards) was the Riders' leading rusher. The release of McPhearson means that Stacy and Thigpen are the only international tailbacks on the roster. The Riders may add another international tailback by the time training camp resumes on Tuesday in Saskatoon.
mmccormick@postmedia.com
twitter.com/murraylp
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Mean Girl Ashleigh Slaps You Firmly Back in Your Loser Place
Source: https://leaderpost.com/sports/football/cfl/offensive-line-stands-together-in-riders-pre-season-loss
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