Fate dealt the Roughriders a cruel blow in the 2009 Grey Cup and helped Montreal to the championship. Now Saskatchewan is playing with a chip on its shoulder.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders had a very painful end to the 2010 CFL season. Just when it looked like the Montreal Alouettes missed the potential game-winning field goal on the last play of the Grey Cup, they quickly earned another chance as the Roughriders had too many men on the field.
The Alouettes took full advantage of the break, Damon Duval nailed the 33-yard field goal and fate changed for the 'Riders.
After that stinging defeat, the Roughriders have been a team on a mission in 2010 and it doesn’t look like anything will stop them this year (not even another Too Many Men penalty, which they incurred in Week 1 against Montreal, which again could have led to a win but extended the contest).
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The Roughriders are playing with a big chip on their shoulder. With a football team that has that much talent, not much is going to get in their way if they stay focused the entire way through.
Leading the way is an offense that is as good as it gets in the Canadian Football betting. After a “sluggish” total of just 24 points in Week 3, the Roughriders are averaging 38 points per game.
Meanwhile, opposing defense are trying to figure out how to stop them.
We’ll get to the passing game in a second, but it’s worth mentioning that running back Wes Cates currently leads the CFL in rushing. Why that’s relevant is because most pundits wrote off the 30-year-old running back, suggesting he was over the hill and past his prime. If you thought he’s lost a step, his 7.7 yards per carry average is telling you to think otherwise.
But it should be fairly easy for him to run – or at least to find space. The Roughriders passing game is lethal.
Quarterback Darian Durant orchestrates the show and the 2009 West’s Most Outstanding Player has been quite outstanding once again.
Not many people would argue with that at this point as he has completed 61.4% of his passes, thrown for seven touchdowns and just one interception, rushing for two more touchdowns, and averaging a total of 368 yards per game.
Even better – for him – is that he’s working with the deepest group of CFL receivers. From Andy Fantuz, to Prechae Rodrigeuz, to Chris Getzlaf, to Weston Dressler, to Jason Clermont, to Rob Bagg, the Roughriders are stocked with receivers.
This team is a nightmare to face on a weekly basis.
As mentioned, this team is motivated and better should be riding them throughout the year until they see otherwise. They are also a decent play on the football betting 'overs' as they definitely do their fair share of scoring.
Don’t be surprised if the Roughriders are your Grey Cup Champs of 2010. They are young, talented and hungry, which is all the constituents necessary to win.