LET'S SEE SOME DIRECTION NOW

Despite the score, I was pretty happy with the first half today.

Ryan Dinwiddie showed us he can't play quarterback in the Canadian Football League.  Really, that's all you need to see at this point in the season.  Any Roughrider management who felt as though this team still had a shot at the playoffs as recently as last week should be canned.  You have to look at reality, not mathematical formulas.

Next week, hopefully Cole Bergquist will give us a good answer as to whether or not he can play quarterback in the CFL.

As long as I see a sense of direction and an effort from the players on the field, consider me a fan.  I will not cheer or applaud what I've seen this season.  Forget the last three weeks.  This club sewered their year from the moment Edmonton scored the first touchdown of the season in week one.

Let's get some rookies in there at offensive line.  The old guys are...well...old.  Time to change the guard.  And, not just one of them.  All of them.  Remember, you can lose 40-3 with rookies and still be happy provided you see they are giving their all and you have a keeper or two amongst the bunch.  These last few weeks need to be an early look at next year.

I stand by previous remarks that aside from Durant, Dressler, Fantuz, Shologan, Butler, and Freeman; there should be no guaranteed roster spots next year.

If running backs are a dime a dozen, spend a nickel.  The Roughriders should have, at least, that much cash in the kitty.

Find a defensive end that can wreak havoc.

Jim Hopson:  please get down on your hands and knees and beg Joe Womack to return to the organization as General Manager and give him full control over football operations.

As far as a head coach goes, I don't know what the answer is.  It can't be Miller.  Is Marcus Crandell too raw?  I don't know about that.  Greg Marshall showed us teams were right to 'not' name him a head coach time and time again.  Maybe it's time to jump the gun and grab Crandell and let him learn on the job if you think he has the tools to be successful.  Scott Milanovich doesn't want to be a head coach bad enough if you ask me or else he'd already be doing it.  Mike Benevides is, possibly, headed to Toronto to clean up Jim Barker's mess.

People are wondering if this year is just a blip.  I'm concerned 2007, 2009, and 2010 were blips.  With three Grey Cups in 101 years, the only real constant through two of them was that Kent Austin was a quarterback for one and a coach for another.  In the 2009 and 2010 Grey Cup finalist years, there were still enough support staff and players left over from the Austin/Tillman regime.  As those players and staff members drop off, so too does the excellence to which this organization was held to for a brief time.  Hopson has his work cut out for him.