Well, while we still got 4 days to go till we kick our game off, we save the best for last.  Meantime, Thursday night should be a good one to kickoff the 2019 season.

The subplots: The TiCats for obvious reasons are the favorites to win the east, and with the return of Steinhauer, the high hopes they got on Masoli and what looks to be a rock solid roster, there's many reasons the optimism is high.

For the Riders, the questions will be whether or not Craig Dickenson will prove to be their O'Shea, and whether or not they can protect Collaros.  A lot of changes have come to the roster with several former BC Lions including Arceneaux and Elimimian now there as well as former Colts WR Moncrief.

All that to say, while Steinhauer built his reputation on running an aggressive defense for Kent Austin, I seen some experts on the CFL site expressing concerns about June Jones no longer being there to be the guider for Masoli.  So will the TiCats offense get a high level of play under a defensive HC?

And the Riders will be a very different team than what we saw under Chris Jones, a guy who could win but had a toxic attitude at times and brought in cancers like Duron Carter.  Question is will this change be for the better or the worse for them?  Can't wait to see what this year of change is going to be.

1 hour ago, Ripper said:

I am disgusted.  gonna take some time off from all this. How can we have a serious professional football league and allow this to happen. Don't care that we lost, that happens. Head shot against Rider QB's is becoming a joke. Unacceptable, no excuse for this

Again, it’s Ambroise’s fault and the Bombers has something to do with it. 😂😂

Just now, Geebrr said:

Sounds like targetting in the NCAA.

I like it 

You could possibly even look at letting the next play run and not stopping the game. Next play runs and it's dirty kick em out any way. 

 Though I think any time a qb is hit like that play is gonna stop long enough to look and see if it's dirty. I kind of feel like the conman center could review every hit on a qb or possibly dirty hits down field too with out disturbing the flow of the game. Instead of another ref on the field but that ref in the command center and have him review that alone. 

I'm also enjoying on how quick they are jumping off the Fajardo bandwagon .... quite hilarious

13 minutes ago, Brandon said:

I'm also enjoying on how quick they are jumping off the Fajardo bandwagon .... quite hilarious

Exact same thing they did to bridge and Bennett. Idk why collaros gets soo much leash with them while others get none. 

5 hours ago, AKAChip said:

Considering it was Lawrence, you can't help but think that it was part of the gameplan going into to hit him in the head first chance they got to try to take him out of the game.

I can not believe any of the coaches would even consider that kind of action.  It might have been Lawrence's plan to give his team a better chance of winning.  Sadly it has stained the whole team. What happens within that organization will  demonstrate how management feels about the hit and what it will do to assure the league it will not happen again.

Hey, I get the anger but the cries of "human garbage" from a fanbase that cheered Dwight Anderson carries a little less weight than they think.

57 minutes ago, Zontar said:

Hey, I get the anger but the cries of "human garbage" from a fanbase that cheered Dwight Anderson carries a little less weight than they think.

No, not really- Simoni Lawrence is human garbage. Play with some edge, just don't go full Hebert. 

Collaros is damaged goods and everybody knows it. There is no excuse for the way Simoni hit him, it was a terrible dirty play, but Collaros would not have made it out of the game anyway. The RIder OL is AWFUL!! Bunch of matadors, and Collaros simply cannot survive contact anymore. He is done like dinner. Also, the Riders, by their own admission, had a very soft camp and it's resulting in injuries right off the bat. On several occasions Dickenson ripped his team on their effort during camp. It seems they are happy coming out of the gate half arsed and this is what happens. A QB and two NAT starters down in the first game.

On that Lawrence hit. 

A grade 2 penalty was immediately called, and correctly. This upped the normal 15 yard RTP to 25 yards in the new rule change. 

I would suggest they give the refs a hip pocket option of immediate ejection if they deem it intentional. I don’t think, right now, they have that option. Only after a 2nd infraction.

I hope the punishment to “oh so sorry” Lawrence is immediate and relevant.

Which NAT starters are burt for the riders? I saw Bladek go down but who else?

Evans went down...may have came back but unsure..knee..Labatte is already out...I seen Clarke too come up real slow a few times..for a team with very thin depth as it is this spells trouble...I knew Bladek would get hurt especially a O-line guy with a knee rebuild as being there 2 times myself it seemed awfully quick to be back fully participating considering it happened in Oct...

On Collaros maybe this was a good thing for him and Riders...Get the first of what will most likely been/be multiple concussions this year out of the way right away..and maybe make a decision to move on/away now..save the guys noodle more trauma it would get over the season...pretty sure quality of life is more important than trying to turn that tire fire around...

The loss of Jones may be more far reaching than thought as that staff looked lost and perplexed, and that team of primarily 30 somethings as starters is gonna be beat up bad by mid season...Powell is gonna be worn down to a useless knub in no time

I would like to see if its 25 yarder its immediate disqualification. On your second one of the season its ejection and suspension for a game. For each following one during the season suspension doubles.

I am also troubled by the fact that it is well known that Collaros has had concussion problems and this was a clear shot to the head. I am all for playing hard but doing something like this to not only take Collaros out of the game but potentially ending his career and leaving Collaros with recurring trauma such as has been described. This is potentially a life-diminishing injury and the league ought to come down on Lawrence like an avalanche. Lawrence is a good enough athlete that he doesn't need to do this kind of crap, particularly when the Riders were such underdogs to start with.

CBA, CFLPA will appeal if Simoni gets a suspension.  It’s not the league or Ambrosie but the precedent with Rose has been set. Simoni will get a 1/2 game paycheque lost. 

Do I agree with it, no but it’s due process to appeal a suspension (if one is handed out). 

Zach and his advisors should really consider long term affects to him. 

Baldek, IMO came back to early, but maybe it’s an unrelated injury and I’m wrong?

Im not sure Booch isn’t correct in stating that even without the “dirty hit” Collaris would not have made it through the game. Hammy was getting to the QB often. 

Riders are in serious trouble at the o-line position this year IMO. 

Powell is 31.

We will see how he holds up.

Harris is s freak 

Harris also is surrounded with a QB and passing game...good to great o-line and other weapons to take the abuse off of him..Powell is going to get destroyed this year..also Dickensons claims that he wants powell to have 20 carries a game..like wtf...360 carries in a year in these times is ridiculous at best...

 

Harris is also a good receiver and can be be used there 

51 minutes ago, Jpan85 said:

I would like to see if its 25 yarder its immediate disqualification. On your second one of the season its ejection and suspension for a game. For each following one during the season suspension doubles.

I like your idea but needs to be harsher. A players second infraction involves a hefty fine and 3 game suspension. If we are serious about getting blatant head shots out of the game I'm even thinking that the team itself needs to be punished if they have a repeat offender on their team.

Yesterday's could be a picture of more hits to come. Collaros should hang 'em up. Save himself, and the Rider's season. 

O'Day should be calling Double D(ouche) now. 

Edited June 14, 20196 yr by M.O.A.B.

26 minutes ago, Booch said:

Harris also is surrounded with a QB and passing game...good to great o-line and other weapons to take the abuse off of him..Powell is going to get destroyed this year..also Dickensons claims that he wants powell to have 20 carries a game..like wtf...360 carries in a year in these times is ridiculous at best...

 

That is the thing that annoyed me most about all the "Powell will carry the Riders" talk. Ottawa had a pretty good OL in my view while Powell was there, I don't see the Riders OL being of the same calibre so he's going to have to earn his yards harder than he has in the past. Plus the passing attack in Ottawa was more of a focus too so that's just more hard running Powell is going to have to endure. He is a good runningback no questions there, but the situation in Saskatchewan this year makes it harder on a back than the one in Ottawa the past few years. 

Lawrence can claim he wasn’t headhunting... collaros was pulled down by his jersey at the last second as well

maybe one game suspension 

I can't stop laughing at Booch's "Powell will be worn down to a useless nub" comment....

same can be said about Michah Johnson..talks about how his and AC Leonards addition makes their D-line better than with Jefferson there...which in itslef was laughable, but Johnson now has to work with weaker talent around him than in CGY and won't be the force he was there, and didn't do much last night though it is only one game in..but still...didn't wow me, and Hughes picked up right where he left off the last 2 seasons...non factor and invisible

Riders DL was underwhelming. Too much hype for Johnson. Again, good player but as soon as the Riders sign someone in free agency they're just the best thing since sliced bread... hardly. Jefferson won the Riders some games on his own by making plays. Johnson is not going to make those same kind of big plays so their D is automatically weaker. 

I just see that team falling hard this year. Jones voodoo on defense is what dragged them along, but that's gone. 

45 minutes ago, Tracker said:

I am also troubled by the fact that it is well known that Collaros has had concussion problems and this was a clear shot to the head. I am all for playing hard but doing something like this to not only take Collaros out of the game but potentially ending his career and leaving Collaros with recurring trauma such as has been described. This is potentially a life-diminishing injury and the league ought to come down on Lawrence like an avalanche. Lawrence is a good enough athlete that he doesn't need to do this kind of crap, particularly when the Riders were such underdogs to start with.

Collaros is subjecting himself to this risk again and again, no one is forcing him to do so.  If it wasn't this hit that took him out of the game it could have been the next,  even a hard body shot like Tasker absorbed could be enough to rattle his fragile noodle.  Makes you wonder if he was being paid $100,000 instead of $400,000 would he continue to expose himself to this risk.

 

 

Edited June 14, 20196 yr by Throw Long Bannatyne