It’s only the first game of the year and an exhibition one at that, but the Green Riders of Saskatchewan have sent a message to their friends down the highway in Edmonton. Expect a battle when you come to Taylor Field and know that the Defense is lying in wait.
The pre season opener for both teams gave the Saskatchewan faithful some positive signs for the 2004 campaign. As the Roughrider defensive unit put its stamp on the always popular match up. The Riders have nine returning veterans on the defensive roster and some high intensity battles for those positions waiting to be filled. Defensive end Marcus Adams picked up a fumble and returned it 37 yards for a touchdown, capitalizing on a strong defensive play by Derrick Ford who stripped the ball from Eskimo quarterback Bert Hendricks. Through the afternoon the Rider defense served notice that points are going to be hard to come by this year.
The Quarterback situation on both teams got a solid workout Sunday, as both the Eskimos and Riders experiment with all of their QB recruits. The Riders started the game with Henry Burris, giving the ball to Nealon Greene for the second quarter; Rocky Butler got the ball for the rest of the game his chance to make a case for moving up on the Danny Barrett depth chart. Saskatchewan is in the enviable position of having three solid quarterbacks in their camp, a chip that will be of use to them once they identify their one missing ingredient. Maybe a receiver, special teams’ addition of adding more wealth to their defense, they’ll be able to deal from a position of strength with a QB to dangle to potential trading partners.
Much the same situation is playing out in Edmonton in the Post Ricky Ray era of Eskimo football. The Eskimos started Jason Maas in the game, turning the ball over to Hendricks, followed by Jason Maas. The pre-season opener was a costly one for Edmonton as running back Troy Mills suffered a fractured fibula and will most likely miss the first half of the season. Not how Mills or the Esks would have thought the season would begin.
The Esks move on to their next pre season game June 10th when provincial rival Calgary roll up the highway to put a wrap on the pre season. Saskatchewan takes their impressive defense to Vancouver on the 10th as well, a match up that will point out the problem areas for Danny Barrett and Wally Buono. One game into 2004 and the Riders have a lot to be pleased about, solid performances show that they are ready to challenge, Danny Barrett can’t ask for anything more than that, the Rider faithful will be ready to celebrate along with him.
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