DEFENSIVE STATEMENT

Never as good as it seems after a win; never as bad as it seems after a loss. 

Not our words-- but "THE WISDOM OF OUR ELDERS"; since the days when vast buffalo herds, roamed the open plains for as far as the eye could see. Then white man come-- kill all. 

BUT, we digress. 

Story time. Always, with the story time???

According to the scuttlebutt over at the Co-op..... Old Maid Haversham-- former matron of the local chapter of "The Smiler's Club" and Dilke's last known-- free range virgin; well.... seems her beloved carrier pidgin-- Cedric, fell ill and dropped cold as a stone. Then, Forty Horse Johnson's cherished hamster Cecil, choked on a cheese sandwich. Then the interweb went down. ALL AT EXACTLY THE SAME MOMENT!  No Cedric-- no bandwidth , no Cecil-- no wheel turning, electric generator;  ya can't have the interweb, here in Dilke.

Least, that's the way we understood it. 

'Sides, deadlines in Dilke make no kinda sense. Strange rhythms here. Time and space warps, twists, bends, expands and contracts till we lose what day it is.

Cut to chase-- had this instalment loaded in the chamber, days ago-- pulled the trigger but no interweb-- no go. 

WE'RE HERE NOW.

First a musical intro-dedication to Etch.

Both, refreshing and uplifting to hear an added voice of reality and reason in the barren media wilderness. Like the man said, "YE SHALL BE KNOWN BY YER WORKS".

Big, tip of the sombrero for upping the game with the cornucopia of new Rider Alumni; Mullinder, Fraser,  Szarka, Etchevary. And Polecat, ya can't miss with Polecat!.... ABSOLUTELY OUTSTANDING!

This is a cool one. Peter Green, who wrote Black Magic Woman, as well as the original organ player perform it with Carlos.

Carlos LIGHTS IT UP with the Dave Matthews Band-- "All Along The Watchtower".

SOUL TRAIN on CBC Saturday nights in Dilke; the gang huddled around the rabbit ear antennaed TV.  Came on right after Don Messer's Jubilee.

Defensive statement from the coaches and the players. 

About, four minutes left in the 4th. 2nd &10. Calgary on their own 32 yd line. Glenn in at QB.

Rider DC Ritchie Hall presents a mirage that gives the QB a coverage change and the OL an illusory pre-snap read. Provides opportunistic front 7 job descriptions and match-ups. Creates just enough indecision to work like a charm.

Trace, Etch-esque elements endure and exist. All CFL defences, to varying degrees, employ concepts Etch evolved and introduced north of the border.

One example is to place defenders in untypical alignment and exploit the Red Hog's--- "what the fuck?"-- moment. Example; Chick in a 3 technique (outside shoulder of guard) and Williams as a Rush End. Then place Brackenridge as a mirage Middle LB-- break the plane of N's heels which captures the Red C and RG attention and bring Butler from 3rd level depth. Add an N/Q stunt (#93 first, #95 delay twists behind) Another way to describe is R reduced to b, M at c, N/Q, W to -c.

No matter the nomenclature, excellent job of "GOING FOR THE THROAT". Placing the right personnel in the right place at the right time.  The players execute it to perfection.

Bonus-- puts the fear of god in future opponents and loads their prep plate. 

SLICK!!!  Foley delays, with four defenders in view, Tsoumpas' decision-- delayed a nano unit.

Green Pearl Harbour.

Tsoumpas allows #93 to stealth attack his comrade's inside shoulder and cylinder edge, untouched. Foley and the other upfield flash of Green capture Red #65's focus, Red #67's recognition and communication delayed, George goes and "GITS SOME!"

Tsoumpas gets on it. Too late. You can see Red #65's shoulder tilt change from inside shoulder down to inside shoulder up as a result of George's blow. 

Chick begins his predetermined spin move. 

Williams slow plays it perfectly to put Red #66 in a no-win.

Distracted and exposed, "BAM!" Red RT #65 gets rocked. THAT, boys and girls--  is how to deliver a blow. TEE-ARUS "GETS MONSTER WITH IT".   Check out his body position.

Red Brett still head scratchin' about Brackenridge.

Chick works the spin.

Red #65's center of gravity has been displaced and he's goin' down. 

Have a look at Chick's technique. Polished and efficient. He got the spin and now-- hell bent for leather-- about to blow up the pocket.

Williams slow plays it, keeping Red #66 in a no win.

Foley works the delay twist.

Red #65-- goin', goin'.......

Arrow indicates Red #65 earth bound.

Fun to watch Chick get after it.

The upper circle reveals an interesting point. Overall, really like the way Butler plays the game. He did fulfill his role in the scheme-- get contain and occupy a blocker. But, he had Cornish by the short and curlies. If he was proficient at bending his knees, gathering up a solid base and delivering a blow with leverage, he could've taken advantage of Cornish's momentum to send #9 into the nickel seats and take a clear path to the QB.

With better technique, (like the kind they teach at, say... E. Michigan for example) Red Brett had a chance for a knock-out shot on Foley. Alouette  Alumni-- Brian Chui was lethal.  

For all you Cornish haters out there, give the man his due. Job well done-- in the unglamorous duty category. He does an excellent job of recognition and picking up Butler. Note veteran savvy technique.

Veteran guile. Glen has seen this movie before. 

No clear reads downfield thanks to Ritchie's initial illusion. Feeling the pocket collapse, constrict and squeeze-- like a James Bond flick. Down big, late in the game; Glen goes into veteran self preservation mode, secures the ball, turtle shells and lives to fight another day.

Red Brett. Perfect set-up for a Three Stooges-- ass over tea kettle, gag. Won't see another opportunity like this knock, anytime soon.

Very nice job by Williams. Gets the sack with solid execution and a class, no intent to injure, brother in law tackle--  of  a fellow long term CFL veteran. The way the game is meant to be played.

Foley got an assist on Tee-arus' beastly move. Set it up perfectly. Then, put his body where it was supposed to be-- eating up two blockers; then was allowed to keep hustling. Now with an eye on an incentive clause half sack. 

Credit #95. Exercises sound judgement and avoids contacting Glen and taking what would've been a drive extending penalty. 

THAT, was a thing of joy and beauty, for those of us-- who pump Green Blood, to behold. 

Only one snap out of ?? but IT WAS-- a defining moment. 

As Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh once put it, " IT'S ONLY A MOMENT.... BUT.... OH!!!....   WHAT A MOMENT!"

GROUND CONTROL TO MAJOR BOZO

Riders vs Stamps game 2-- CKRM half-time broadcast:


 M B, "nothing against Corey Watman and we don't know what type of career he's going to have here. BUT BRETT JONES, is ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC tonight! Fer the er U of R er uh grad, he's been FANTASTIC tonight for the Calgary Stampeders unda WOW! And I know a lot of people are upset the Riders didn't take Brett Jones. I'm almost wondering if Brett Jones maybe shoulda went first."

Wanna wind bag on and on about players catching or dropping the ball, breaking tackles etc.-- events within your comprehension--  SUPER!  Burn some time and let the pro's take a half time leak... but, call out Hogs about things you have absolutely no clue... IT'S MEMO TO BOZO TIME.

Water don't like gettin' pushed uphill, much....  BUT..... 

THIS IS AN ISSUE OF SOME GRAVITY. 

The Bozo brigade, by virtue of holding microphones, have the power to influence Rider Nation's perception of what's what. They heard it on the radio.

Bozo's half time statements sow toxic seeds of discontent, yet again. Seeds, that will surely  germinate, then grow to noxious weeds and create considerable kvetching in the vast prairie viewscape. 

We call BULLSHIT! 

Gonna rip the noxious sprouts right outta the fertile Saskatchewan glacial till--  NOW.

The statements are based on the fact Red Brett is a Saskatchewan guy and a former home town, Regina Ram; while Watman isn't. Watman played at E. Michigan. Because of personnel, the opportunity in the Stamp's camp is very different from the Rider situation.

Believe this, we're not talkin' kool-aid, spin or kissin' ANYONE'S ASS. This is about truth and setting the record straight.

Believe this, as well. Zero probability we have an agenda to curry favour or garner any media action. Debunking bullshit and highlighting Hog glory-- is where it's at.

The stone cold truth is-- Jones has potential. As it currently stands, Bozo's statements, in no way reflect the reality. The guys that surround him-- especially TSOUMPAS, make him look good-- right now.  Put Jones in a different situation and a very different perception is most probable. 

So what? 

Is what it is. 

Awesome that Jones seized the opportunity and he's hangin'  in there. However, manufacturing dissent toward Watman, with Foghorn Leghorn media hype and fabrication is CHICKEN SHIT!

This snap is one example of many. Always, some good; and in this case, lots of bad. In this game, not an isolated nor an uncommon event. What game was Mitchel Blair watching? 

Brings the validity of media assessment of both players and coaches into extreme question. Or has the question already been answered in the form of a sad yet tragic joke?

Stamps first possession, 2nd & 6. This was the long pass to West. If Tate didn't get exactly what he wanted thus getting the ball off quick, very good sack opportunity due to the middle of the pocket quickly collapsing.

High probability pass situation. Nice scheme. Riders get what they want with Red Brett required to single block Sholo.

Sholo lands it.

Sholo strikes the blow with great hand placement and leverage; BOOM #69's head snaps.

 #69 gets trucked in a hurry.

Red #65 & #67 did tremendous jobs. Even so, if Tate needed a half second more, it's a high probability sack situation.

Would Watman have done better? Based on limited observation, we'll go on record, saying there is a high chance of yes. 

Watman plays with more knee bend, is better with his hands and has a better punch. No doubt, due to his college background, training and level of competition. Maybe that's what Cortez was keen on? Outside of Rider Command Headquarters, none of us have access to the information or the considerations that to go into personnel decisions. 

Only one snap, but serves as a reality tonic to overblown windbag hype. No need to show more examples and labor the point. 

Again, Jones is doing really well. If he sticks with it, given the current situation, no telling how good he can become. 

These highly trained, incredibly committed, extreme athlete-- CFL players-- lay their life's work and their bodies on the line with a focus and an intensity the Bozo media brigade couldn't comprehend in their wildest dreams. Coaches and management operate on a similar envelope. 

To a man, they wholeheartedly and fanatically compete for the opportunity to enter,  "The Great Football Meat Grinder".  

In the end, they all get spit out.  Some extruded as unrecognizable meat by-products-- spam, budget franks and the like. Some depart of their own volition-- jockey marked-- but neatly packaged  prime cuts. 

If they can't or don't get it done; or are no longer capable-- they're gone.

Bozo....  what're you still doin' here?

Oh, and Betty says, "while we're on it....  SHUT YER PIE HOLE ABOUT D.A."! 

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ROD BLACK UP NEXT IN THE BATTING ORDER.