Things might not be going as well as the Saskatchewan Roughriders would like as of late, but the last thing anyone should do at this point of the season is panic.
That’s the message both Rider Broadcast Network analyst Luc Mullinder and TSN reporter Farhan Lalji had for fans of the Green and White during their SportsCage segments on Friday afternoon and in advance of Saskatchewan’s meeting with the Toronto Argonauts on Saturday night.
Mullinder was up first and offered that a 6-4 record and second place in the West Division is most certainly a positive at this time of the season, especially with how competitive the division is.
“We need to keep perspective here,” Mullinder said. “We're going to be in a tough race. The teams that we're playing in the West are going to get better.
“Just blowing everybody out of the water in the division, that doesn't guarantee success. You have to be tested, and I think this is a good test. This is two games. It's not all bad.”
A major factor playing into Mullinder’s confidence in the team is that both recent losses were products of miscues and penalties that were the Riders’ own doing, which means they are problems that can be fixed.
“When you have those games where you shoot yourself in the foot, you literally say (to the players), ‘Guys, that wasn't on them, that was on us,’” Mullinder said. “We got to clean things up, but at least we've got to clean things up. We're not just getting blasted because we're not better or as good as the opponent. These guys are dropping games because they're their own worst enemy at the moment for the last two weeks.
“And honestly, wouldn't you rather have that than just be Ottawa and terrible and not as good as everybody?”
Lalji was of much the same opinion, pointing out that the CFL season is a marathon and the Riders are in a pretty good position with where they are in the pack at Week 13. Add in that this is nothing new for the team, given that they experienced similar mid-season lulls the last two seasons, and a light begins to shine at the end of the tunnel.
Then there’s an extra positive to it all: With the team getting so many players in live game action due to injuries, they’re going to be battle tested down the final stretch.
“They're going to go through some growing pains, but look at what happened last year,” Lalji said. “They had nine receivers that caught at least 30 passes. So that's a big deal. It tests your depth and I think they do a good job of evaluating and integrating and implementing.”
In time — and possibly as soon as this weekend against the Argonauts — that’s all going to pay dividends.
“I think they're going to be able to get the most out of what they've got,” Lalji said. “I have no doubt they're going to figure it out.”
Mullinder pointed out that a single win this weekend could push all the concern onto the back burner, especially with what there is to look forward to in the back half of the season.
“We're in a place that really cares about their football,” he said. “The fans really care, and I'm glad but there's no time to panic.
“We've got a lot of football left and all it takes is a couple of good games and everything changes, right?”
The Riders Broadcast Network will have the pregame show beginning at 2 p.m. on Saturday, with Dave Thomas and Luc Mullinder bringing you the game call from Mosaic Stadium at 5 p.m.
