What a time to be an Alberta football fan…

By Lethbridge Herald on July 13, 2023.

Graham Kelly

Inside the CFL

Before last Thursday’s Edmonton-Saskatchewan game, a Roughrider fan and friend said, “I hope we don’t play down to their level.”

“That may be impossible,” I joked.

Actually they played below their level with the Elks winning the statistical battle yet still losing the war 12-11.

“And the defeat goes on and on and on…”

Chris Jones was cool, calm and collected. To adapt a phrase from Rudyard Kipling, “If you can keep your head while those around you are losing theirs… you don’t appreciate the gravity of the situation.”

So far 2023 has been a tough season for Alberta football fans. Yes, the Elks are a train wreck at 0-6 but the Calgary Stampeders are only two points ahead of them with a mark of 1-3, their latest defeat in Winnipeg. Last night, the Ti-Cats extended the Elks winless streak in our provincial capital  while the Stampeders are at Mosaic Stadium on Saturday. The last two weeks of July, Edmonton draws Winnipeg and B.C., Calgary, Ottawa and Montreal.

For Saskatchewan, it was their first win at Mosaic Stadium since July 8, 2022. The Riders are winning ugly but after the victory, their coach Craig Dickenson observed, “Winning ugly bodes well for you down the road. You need to steal one once in while”

As to the manner in which they won – Elk rookie TJ Sims conceded a single in the last minute to give the Riders the win – Dickenson said,”I don’t think I’ve ever seen a game end like that, ever.”

The Green and White have turned into the Cardiac Kids, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat in Calgary when cornerback Nic Marshall intercepted Jake Maier in overtime in the end-zone, and, of course, the gaffe at Mosaic last Friday. After the error, the same Marshall snuffed out the final Elk possession with another game-ending pick. Very, very tough to swallow for Edmonton fans, especially since their team gave everything it had.

But Saskatchewan fans are no strangers to heartbreaking defeats, such as losing the 1972 Grey Cup on a last-minute Ian Sunter field-goal to Hamilton. Older Rider rooters still bemoan the 1976 Cup when Ottawa’s Tony Gabriel caught the winning TD in the end-zone with less than a minute to go. And what about the 13th man Grey Cup defeat in Calgary in 2009? They lost the 1992 semifinal in Edmonton when the most reliable kicker in the history of our game, Dave Ridgway, slipped and fell trying to make a chip-shot field goal.

I clearly remember the last home game of the 1960 regular season which my Dad and I attended on a windy, rainy day at Taylor Field, and the Riders at 2-11-2 couldn’t see a playoff spot with a telescope. The opposition was Edmonton (9-6). They had defeated the Riders 19-1 and 29-6 in their first two encounters.

In the third meeting in the Queen City, the score was 9-2 in favour of the Green and Gold until late in the game. But in the fourth quarter, the home team, having played the game of their lives, scored nine points to take an 11-10 lead. With the final seconds ticking away, Edmonton lined up for a desperation three point attempt. It was 51 yards into the wind.

Tommy Joe Coffey kicked the ball toward the uprights, a line drive that barely made it over the crossbar. Final score: Edmonton 13, Saskatchewan 11. Like a sudden hail storm on a summer day, faint hopes for victory were dashed.

Ten years later, Calgary’s Larry Robinson kicked the Roughriders out of the Western Final with a field-goal in a blizzard.

Although Craig Dickenson said, “The Elks aren’t a bad football team, they’ve got some good players over there,” I like Calgary’s chances more than Edmonton’s. The Stamps are a young team riddled with injuries to key starters but they should be healthy come August. If QB Jake Maier can improve they will be in contention. And considering the only team more beaten up than the Cowboys is Saskatchewan, I like Dave Dickenson’s chances Saturday.

Quarterback Trevor Harris and the Rider offensive line made the CFL Honour role for last week. That unit gave up a whopping 77 sacks in 2022. This season the highly rated Montreal O-Line has surrendered the most sacks. Guess who the quarterback and coach are in both cases? Cody Fajardo and Jason Maas.