Like a Phoenix rising from the ashes, the Saskatchewan Roughriders have jerked themselves from the land of the living dead in one of the most arresting stories so far this season in the Canadian Football League.

Seemingly ready for the embalmer after falling to 1-7 in a pathetic first-half of the season, the Roughriders resembled anything like a Grey Cup bound team, unless they were willing to buy tickets to the big game in Vancouver. And, then, somebody blinked, and it all turned around. Just like that, actually.

From the very beginning of the season, there were three impediments standing in the way of the Roughriders putting together a successful season. One was, the players never bought into Greg Marshall as head coach, for whatever reasons. Two, Darian Durant was never comfortable operating Doug Berry’s offence because Berry, in fact, insisted on operating it. Durant wanted to play the hand he had dealt himself, but Berry insisted on calling the majority of plays. And, thirdly, and perhaps the biggest impediment of them all, was the long shadow Ken Miller cast over the whole franchise as vice-president of football operations, whatever that means.

Miller had taken over as head coach when Kent Austin up and left after the 2007 Grey Cup game, and the kindly old coach coaxed two Grey Cup appearances out of the Riders, losing both of them to Montreal.

The players loved Miller, or so goes the story, and you could see them peering wistfully beyond Marshall when Greg finally landed the head coaching job he coveted for so long. With Miller around, Marshall never had a chance to claim this team as his own, and the players betrayed him, obviously hoping Miller would come back.

Two weeks before the Labour Day Classic and with the season going down much faster than the old Plains Hotel, the Riders had no sooner returned home from a dismal night in Toronto than Miller made general manager Brendan Taman tell Marshall and Berry they were fired and that Miller was returning as head coach.

And, just like that, the magic came back. The Riders rolled over the Bombers in the Labour Day Classic, which was not surprising, as they usually do. But when they went into Winnipeg a week later and splattered the Bombers again, the rest of the league stood up and took notice. Last weekend, the Riders played a mostly lethargic game against Toronto, but in a valiant show of their new found sense of purpose, popped the Argos with a big fourth quarter.

And, all of a sudden, the Riders had won three games, and all was good in Riderville.

But the real test has yet to come. The Riders dug themselves such a huge hole through their first eight games, that it will take nothing less than a minor miracle to pull themselves out of it and catch a playoff spot.

Their biggest test so far will come this Saturday when the Riders play the B.C. Lions. It’s what they call a four-pointer. It’s a huge game. Beat B.C., and the teams will be tied for the third and final playoff spot. Lose, the Riders will drop four points back.

There are a lot of reasons why the Riders suddenly became a contender. They suffered serious injuries and player losses, most notably to their receiving corps and a shaky kicking game. Both of those issues have settled, and Andy Fantuz has returned from his nightmarish excursion into the NFL, even though he has suffered a similar injury to the one that kept running back Wes Cates out of the lineup for four games.

Unsettling still, though, is the state of Andy Fantuz. The big Canadian receiver, who could catch a hiccup in a hurricane, obviously plans to play out his option this year and become a free agent. Free to go for another NFL tryout. Free to sign with any team he wants. And, the betting is that if he doesn’t make the NFL, he will end up playing for an Eastern Division team, for a whack of cash, and to be closer to his family and friends. I would bet this will be the last season Rider fan see him in green and white. The Riders have a wealth of receivers right now, even without Fantuz. So, why not trade him to an Eastern team and get something significant for him. Otherwise, they will end up getting nothing for him.

Remember, the Riders’ three straight wins really have not had any Andy Fantuz stamp on them.

Y’er welcome.

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