Rider Broadcast Network Colour Analyst, Luc Mullinder, shares his keys to the game before every Saskatchewan Roughriders game. Luc’s keys to the game are for the KFC Game Day special: $4.95 for a Big Crunch and $7.
Here are Luc’s keys for Friday’s game vs Edmonton.
I've got two imperatives and one bonus key. The first key, again, is about the Saskatchewan Roughriders, not the Edmonton Elks.
When you see an Edmonton Elks team that's really struggling, you have to make it about yourself. So, what do you want to do to prevent this from becoming a trap game? The first thing is execution.
You have to execute, especially on the offensive side. Let's get guys in and out of the huddle. Let's understand where we're going.
But more importantly, I think this defence has to take some chances. If I'm looking at Noah Zerr starting his first game, I want to apply some pressure and make him think.
I've got to get his eyes moving because that enables me to potentially get to the quarterback. So when it comes to execution, listen, AJ Ouellette, whichever running back is in there, if they're blitzing, you have to work from inside out, right? Protect the inside first, then work to the outside.
So everything has to work here, and it has to work on time. They have to listen to what your coaches say and stay on schedule. The Riders have to execute and stay on schedule, especially offensively.
Two, communicate, especially on the defensive side. I've been in plenty of ball games where the team you're against is considered a bad offensive team, right? And the first way that we turn those guys into looking like All-Americans is by not communicating with each other, right?
You have to be out there, you have to talk. You have to make sure people are getting lined up. Here's the other thing: you've got Cody Fajardo starting, so guess what that might mean, Justin Dunk? Guess what that might mean, Teagan? What if Trey Ford has his package today? What if he becomes a package quarterback today where we put him in in second and two to three, right?
And he runs a quarterback option. Well, you know what stomps all that out, even though you haven't seen it on film? Hey guys, let's make sure we're playing our base coverage here. Guys, defensive line, you know where you're going. Make sure the gaps are secure. Defensive backs, make sure you're lined up.
So, communicating is gonna be essential here for the Riders' success.
The third one is my bonus key. Defensive players, if you get a chance to smack Cody Fajardo, please, please, please focus on the upfield shoulder because there are a lot of folks out here who were really getting tired of that backside pirouette that he consistently did when he was a starting quarterback here.
Every single time you do the left-sided pirouette, you wanna know how to avoid that and not get PTSD for Rider Nation? Tackle the upfield shoulder. Always hit the upfield shoulder.
That way, if a quarterback does spin out, he spins out into you versus away from you. So there you go.
These are my three keys. Let's go get a W.
