10/7/2007 9:34:51 PM

Struggle

Well, we’ve officially painted ourselves into a corner. Toronto gave us opportunities for two straight weeks, and we simply didn’t have the presence of mind to take the opportunities and run with them. It’s not to say that the entire team hasn’t shown up in those weeks, in actuality the defence has been playing fantastic…offensively, we simply have not held up our end of the bargain. The common excuse of course, as it will be throughout the remainder of the season, is that in Ricky’s absence we lack identity. I don’t pretend not to understand the importance of Ricky Ray’s presence to this offence. I do not believe for a second however, that Ricky being out is an excuse for us to make week one mistakes with only 5 games remaining. That type of thing is unacceptable of a playoff caliber team, and while most will say that this is not a playoff caliber team as evidence by our inability to win games that we absolutely need – I still choose to see the team that has shown itself in flashes.
This week has been impossibly difficult for me because it marks the first time that I’ve been injured but still playing. People always say that there is a difference between hurt and injured, and that’s definitely true, but I don’t think I really understood the difference fully until now that I’ve tried to play through injuries that under normal circumstances would keep me out of games. From field level, this game seemed to be about the Argos making 2 maybe 3 plays that we simply weren’t able to make on that day. While that’s an easy thing to say, and probably very easy to see even to the untrained eye, it’s difficult to swallow for someone like myself who fancies himself somewhat of a playmaker. For me it was excruciating to see the searching looks on our sidelines as we grasped for answers collectively knowing that in order to win – someone would need to make a play or two for our side. Excruciating for me because if I’m healthy, I believe that I can be the one to make that difference for us, I believe that I can make that play. To be out there dressed up and trying to play the part without being able to outrun anyone or squeeze a football, was like a starving man being ushered bound and gagged through a buffet line. My team needed me, and while I was out there in terms of my presence physically – my ability to contribute to the cause was so limited that I couldn’t be what they needed me to be in order to win.
I had said that Stefan could get it done, but that he couldn’t do it alone. Unfortunately for us, I was correct in that statement and it’s unfortunate because we certainly had our chances to make plays. Each and every one of us had opportunities to directly influence the outcome of that game. While some had more visible opportunities – a dropped ball is no more significant than a missed blocking assignment that translates into a loss of yardage. I felt like we took a step back in that game as a unit, and it’s imperative that we understand on what levels that we aren’t performing up to par. In order to fix them, they must first be recognized as deficient. The team that’s coming in here on Saturday is one that will not only prey on your weaknesses, but will exploit them fully and capitalize on them if they are allowed to.
Only two good things came out of this past game that I can think of. First, Stefan got his first start out of the way and under his belt – they’ll all be more comfortable from here out for him. And second, I was able to escape the game without doing more damage to the injuries that I came in with.
Hopefully, by Saturday I’ll be somewhere near full strength and more able to help the cause. We’ll need a great performance from everybody to beat B.C. and I’m certainly no exception. It’s a daunting task that lay ahead of us; one that I doubt anyone would think we have the capability of overcoming. B.C. is the hottest team in the league, and has amassed 10 wins with their third string quarterback at the helm. Be that as it may, if we can’t find a way to beat them at least once out of the two games we have against them…our fate may be sealed. ©

KP8