It’s hard to know what to make of the Saskatchewan Roughriders these days. SportsCage regular Arash Madani certainly feels that way.
“I don’t quite know only because I almost feel like a lawyer who says the defence reserves the right to call this witness back to the stand,” Madani said on his Tuesday appearance on the show.
The Roughriders head into their next game, Friday against the Calgary Stampeders, with an 8-6 record. They’re third in the West Division after losing two straight contests and four of their last six.
Madani is intrigued to find out how different the Riders look once receiver Kian Schaffer-Baker gets the rust off and once pass catcher Sam Emilus and defensive back Tevaughn Campbell work their way back into the lineup after injuries. Both Emilus and Campbell are expected to return before the end of the regular season.
Those three players could make the Riders much better. But is it too late for them to impact the team’s fortunes?
That’s the question with the Riders.
“Are they getting back into the mix of what they were or is the magic gone and it was just too much to overcome?” Madani said. “As they sit here today, they’re nowhere near good enough. We all can agree on that.
“I’m interested to see where they’re going to be in a couple of weeks.”
How do the Riders stack up in the West right now in their attempt to get back to the Grey Cup? It’s tough to get a true read on that.
“Are they better than Winnipeg when everyone’s back? Yeah,” Madani said. “Are they better than Calgary? Yeah. Are they better than B.C., even with all those dudes back? I’m not sure. Probably not, but November football (is different). Are they better than Edmonton? Depends which Elks team you’re going to see.”
Of course, the Riders must get into the playoffs first. They can punch their ticket to the postseason with a win over the Stampeders on Friday.
Madani said how the offensive line manages to contain Stamps pass rushers Clarence Hicks and Folarin Orimolade could determine the game’s outcome.
“Are they going to make life miserable for Trevor? Are they going to shut down the running game completely in the middle of that defensive line?” Madani said. “That, to me, is a real X factor, game within the game from this Stampeders team. That’s a major factor.”
Watch the full segment below.
