By Ian Hamilton, Leader-Post September 5, 2010
In Luc Mullinder’s mind, the defence doesn’t rest.
After the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ defence turned in another stellar effort Sunday, Mullinder said the unit will do anything it has to do to help the CFL team win — no matter the sacrifice.
After the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ defence turned in another stellar effort Sunday, Mullinder said the unit will do anything it has to do to help the CFL team win — no matter the sacrifice.
“If it involves playing 90 plays in a row, we’ll play 90 plays in a row,” the veteran defensive lineman said after the Roughriders’ 27-23 victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Labour Day Classic at Mosaic Stadium. “We’ll sub in, we’ll sub out and we’ll play 90.
“The big picture is we want to get to the Grey Cup — and everybody’s doing a great job of buying in. If there are some guys not buying in, they’ll get strung along until they do realize the big picture and we’ll be just fine.
“The big picture is we want to get to the Grey Cup — and everybody’s doing a great job of buying in. If there are some guys not buying in, they’ll get strung along until they do realize the big picture and we’ll be just fine.
“We’re gelling at the right time.”
The defence’s roll began in the second half of the Roughriders’ 30-26 loss to the host Montreal Alouettes on Aug. 6. Saskatchewan held the Als to six points, one first down, 12 yards rushing and 27 yards passing after the intermission to give the Roughriders’ offence a shot at a comeback.
Since then, the Roughriders haven’t surrendered double digits in points in any quarter, nor have they allowed more than 400 yards in total offence in any game. The B.C. Lions had 365 yards in a 37-13 loss to Saskatchewan on Aug. 12, the Edmonton Eskimos managed 299 yards in a 17-14 victory over the Roughriders on Aug. 28, and Winnipeg had 391 yards on Sunday.
“It was a challenge, not only by the coaches but within ourselves,” defensive back Lance Frazier said when asked what the difference has been. “We know we didn’t play the best defensive football starting off the season. As a professional, you’ve got to take that personally.
“It was a challenge, not only by the coaches but within ourselves,” defensive back Lance Frazier said when asked what the difference has been. “We know we didn’t play the best defensive football starting off the season. As a professional, you’ve got to take that personally.
“This is our livelihood. This is what we feed our families on. If you play bad defence, you won’t be around long. Everybody here takes it personally and everybody here wants to be great.”
To many of the Roughriders, the key in the unit’s resurgence is the players’ growing familiarity with each other. That in turn has allowed the unit to function more effectively.
To many of the Roughriders, the key in the unit’s resurgence is the players’ growing familiarity with each other. That in turn has allowed the unit to function more effectively.
“We’ve been working week in and week out trying to get better as a core,” said safety James Patrick, who recorded his league-leading seventh interception Sunday. “We’re going up from here.”
“The style of defence that we play is very team-oriented,” added head coach Ken Miller. “It doesn’t have a lot of spectacular individual plays. It’s related to cohesiveness of the group of men who happen to be on the field.
“I think that we have had some bonding and some understanding of each other’s skills, and we’re getting that team concept down a little bit better than it was prior.’’
On Sunday, the defence certainly stepped up in the fourth quarter to help out the offence. After quarterback Darian Durant lost a fumble at the Saskatchewan 45-yard line, defensive end Brent Hawkins held Bombers tailback Fred Reid to a two-yard gain before Jerrell Freeman sacked Winnipeg quarterback Buck Pierce to force a punt.
That sparked the Roughriders’ offence, which subsequently drove 91 yards in eight plays for the knockout blow: An 11-yard scoring run by Durant that gave Saskatchewan a 25-17 lead.
“It’s a complete team effort,” running back Wes Cates told the Leader-Post’s Rob Vanstone. “Every play that’s made out there gets your buddies riled up.
“It’s a complete team effort,” running back Wes Cates told the Leader-Post’s Rob Vanstone. “Every play that’s made out there gets your buddies riled up.
“Our defence has been doing a great job of doing that. When we’ve put them in a tough situation, they’ve been answering the bell consistently and getting stops in situations where it was dire and we needed a stop. I commend the defence for that. Luckily, we got it together and let them thank us for getting it in the end zone.’’
Despite their renaissance, the defenders aren’t resting on their laurels. Mullinder and Frazier both said there were numerous mistakes during Sunday’s game — and in the preceding contests as well — that must be addressed.
“We have a long way to go still,” Frazier said. “We’re going to get better and better. The ceiling (he pointed upward) is still up there.”
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