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 $7.95 for a Big Crunch combo at participating Saskatchewan KFC locations.
Here are Luc’s keys for Friday night’s game in Toronto.
This team has to start fast. That's the biggest key to the game, especially on defence. Currently, it is far too easy, especially in the first quarter, for our defence to be exploited by offensive production.
So we have to start fast. I like the chances here. You've got a very vulnerable offensive line, especially at the tackle spots.
We haven't seen a ton in terms of creativity around the blitz and pressures that Corey Mace is going to throw. Do you throw a little bit more at Nick Arbuckle and this offensive line, which may struggle with communicating and defining where the Mike Linebacker is on different spots? So you have to start fast. That's key number one.
Key number two is what I mentioned off the top. We have to start communicating better in the red zone, especially as a defence. Opponents are literally 100% in the red zone against the Saskatchewan Roughriders. And when we've watched these games, the first two, you can always tell when teams have scored, there's been a little bit of a breakdown in the back end about who was taking what. So, defensive communication has to be key number two.
And key number three, we discussed this extensively as a team in 2009 and 2010. Be yourself. Everyone else is taken. Continue to pound the football.
There are some big plays that the Riders are potentially going to be able to break in this game. The Argos are the worst in the league when it comes to 30-plus-yard plays gained. And I'm telling you, if this offence continues to pound the football, we saw it in Hamilton, especially late in the fourth quarter, when the Riders needed to control possession.
Even when they were executing the play-action pass fakes, these linebackers from the Ticats were staying in because they knew how much of a threat the run game had become that game. So, the offence needs to continue pounding the football. It's paying dividends.
And maybe, just maybe, you're able to suck those linebackers in that secondary's eyes into the play long enough to hit them over the top. So we got a big play alert, but it's based on continuing to pound the football.
