8/19/2007 9:49:44 PM

Edmonton Vs Saskatchewan #3

Only in the CFL can you get a memory like that game was. I could be wrong I suppose, but I doubt it. That game just seemed tailor made for CFL lore, and it’s really a shame that we had to be on the wrong end of it. Down several starters, and multiple all-stars we rode into Regina with intent on putting up the fight that nobody thought us capable of, and until that lightning storm hit it looked like we were going to pull it off. That was an odd circumstance really, at the beginning of the 4th quarter you’re so riled up as a player and settled into the game it’s difficult to come back and match that intensity when sitting for an hour. It becomes increasingly difficult sitting in a cold, damp visitor’s locker room with no light because the power seems to be off at least where we were at anyway. (I must admit, visions of the riders changing into dry gear, and staying warm on stationary bikes did pop into my head) But good for them if that was the case, because that’s certainly what we would have been doing if the same thing happened here.
I was proud of the fight that we displayed as a team while at the same time disappointed in the lack of killer instinct shown when we had an opportunity. I can see how this team will be the source of frustration for a lot of people this year, because we’re frustrated by ourselves as players much of the time it seems. We tend to show up and disappear in spurts and waves, lacking the consistency of a truly good team. This plays on the observing mind and makes one wonder if we’re actually a good team with bad spells and habits, or a bad team with good moments.
I honestly think that we’re a good team, but I do think that we have confidence and identity issues. I knew a girl in college that had aspirations of being a high fashion model. While she was stunningly beautiful, she would show strong signs of insecure behavior in her dealings with people and couldn’t understand what her photographers and agents meant in saying that she was “missing something.” Her lack of true self-confidence never enabled her to really be comfortable in the position that she was seeking. She never felt that she was deserving of such attention even though she did want in the worst way. I believe this team to be going through such insecurities in this first half of the season as well. Offensively we played with poise, urgency and swagger at times last night regardless of what happened with the defense and special teams. We were able to focus on our task which was putting points up. Other times, we looked tentative and afraid to make a mistake. We make it look so unbelievably easy sometimes that it’s maddening to think of how productive we’d be if we showed up on every other series, let alone every series. That being said, we did not account for a single point offensively in the second half. It’s asking too much of any defence to hold a CFL team scoreless for 30 minutes in my opinion, especially in their own yard.
It’s as if we want to believe that we’re an elite team, but need to see it happen before we can make it happen. I hope that’s not the case, because that really isn’t going to work at all. If we’re going to be a team of contention it will only come from us as players becoming dominant players. There is a tentativeness that I see in us at times that can be very hindering to anyone trying to be truly successful at anything. In order to have true success, one cannot be afraid to fail. At times it seems as if we play tentative or do just enough not to stand out for any negative reason. A negative grade on the game sheet, a visible flaw on the film or anything like that. In order to achieve greatness one must be willing to risk all.
On the path to greatness, you may encounter struggles and setbacks but they can’t deter you from going big each and every time, otherwise you’ll always dwell in mediocrity. Cornerbacks cannot stop breaking on routes that they read because they misread one and get scored on, lineman can’t think it too ambitious to overset to a known outside rusher for fear that he may expose them inside. We as receivers must continue to leap and dive for catches outside our body frame instead of letting them sail to the ground for fear of dropping them, or accepting that the pass wasn’t where it needed to be.
I hope that everyone uses this time off to collect their thoughts and decide where we want to end up as a team this year, because the second half will be even wilder than the first. ©

KP8