If the majority of the Rider Nation is correct, their beloved football team will be hosting a playoff game in November of 2015.
In an online poll at RodPedersen.com聽readers were asked in which place they think the Saskatchewan Roughriders will finish this season.聽 The poll will remain open until Canada Day but so far the largest margin of respondents (45 per cent) feels the football club will finish in second-place, which would carry with it an automatic berth in the Western Semifinal.聽 I think we鈥檇 all take that in a heartbeat.
In fact the breakdown looks like this: First聽鈥� 35 per cent, second聽鈥� 45 per cent third 鈥� 12 per cent, fourth 鈥� five per cent and fifth 鈥� two per cent.
You can put me down in the 12 per cent, as I鈥檓 going on record this week predicting an 11-7 record for the Green & White, and a third-place finish.
It sets the bar relatively low but it represents a modest improvement over last year鈥檚 10-8 mark and means the club would at least get an invitation to 鈥淭he Dance鈥�.聽聽And what the heck鈥檚 wrong with 11-7 anyway?聽聽The Riders鈥� depth has been questioned after being raided in the 2014 off-season and the 18 games ahead will test how well it鈥檚 been replenished.
The Roughriders themselves set the bar surprisingly high just before training camp when General Manager Brendan Taman told a Regina radio morning show he feels his team could go 12-6.
That could be the sweet spot.聽 12-6 could very well get you second-place because I think we鈥檙e all anointing the Grey Cup champion Calgary Stampeders the West Division pennant right now.聽 After a 15-3 campaign last year, they could well achieve 16 wins this time around.
In the end of course, records don鈥檛 really matter other than to determine playoff seeding.聽 The Riders finished 10-7-1 in 2009 but finished first and hosted the Western Final for the first time in 30-some years.聽 I鈥檝e seen them finish better than that, but still have to go on the road for the postseason.
But one thing鈥檚 for certain: everyone鈥檚 goal is to get to the 2015 Grey Cup at Investors Group Field in Winnipeg, no matter which road they take to get there.聽 And now as we enter the second week of Roughriders training camp in Saskatoon, head coach Corey Chamblin is envisioning his team back in The Big Dance.
鈥淭his looks like a team that has the makings of being a Grey Cup football team,鈥� Chamblin said confidently.聽 鈥淚'm very pleased with what I see. I'm pleased with the talent, I'm pleased with the way the systems are coming along and I'm pleased with where we are.聽 Overall I think the staff is doing a good job, the coaches are doing a good job and the players are doing a damn good job of making themselves ready to play football games."
Frankly the only knee-knocking question mark surrounding the football club is the offensive line, which was noted here last week.聽 The team is working to fill holes at centre and at right tackle and brought in 2-time Grey Cup champion and former B.C. Lions centre Angus Reid as a guest coach to help speed up the cohesion in training camp.
Veteran import Levy Adcock appears to be the one to replace Ben Heenan at right tackle while veteran non-import Dan Clark is ahead of Corey Watman in the battle to replace Dominic Picard at centre.聽 So far the reviews have been good but the real bullets won鈥檛 fly until this Saturday鈥檚 preseason game against Edmonton in Fort McMurray.聽 Kickoff in the Northern Kickoff is 8:00 pm Sask Time (on TSN and the CKRM Roughrider Radio Network).
"Everything looks good right now," Angus Reid cautioned.聽 "The thing is you're going to see a different looking offensive line from a scheme perspective.聽 It's taking these guys a little longer to learn a new system, if you will, but what I will say is you got guys here who are willing to work their butt off and always try their best.聽 They're not questioning or fighting the system and that's what you need.聽 I think by the end of camp you'll see a well-oiled machine and I'm really excited to watch this group this year."
Perhaps I should鈥檝e asked the Richmond, BC product to vote on where he thinks the Roughriders will finish in 2015.
Then truly, it would have been an Angus Reid Poll.
