Huskies, Rams open Canada West football playoffs on road
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"The thing with the playoffs is every play gets amplified," said Huskies head coach Scott Flory.
Saskatchewan Roughriders training camp broke in early June and, at the time when I was asked if the Riders were a Grey Cup contender, I said no.
Chris Jones left the province late in the off-season. With Zach Collaros at quarterback, Saskatchewan didn’t even have one of the top three quarterbacks in the division. Free-agents Mike Reilly, Trevor Harris and Bo Levi Mitchell all took a pass on being with the Riders. And, Saskatchewan’s top playmaker on defence, Willie Jefferson, bolted for Winnipeg.
Four months later, and with five regular-season games to go, the Riders have a share of top spot in the West Division, and have locked up a playoff spot with time to spare. Riders head coach Craig Dickenson has empowered a group of players in the ultimate team game to play as a team. That has more than made up for any losses in personnel.
Barring a total collapse in the final five games of the regular season, Craig Dickenson will be in the coach-of-the-year conversation. (Hopefully that prediction goes better than the one I made in June.)