Why is it that people in Regina stop at intersections which have no Stop signs, and don’t stop where there is a Stop sign?

Because they do.

And, why is it that the Saskatchewan Roughriders can’t figure out just what is wrong with a team that was in the last two Grey Cup games and now seems destined for a last place finish?

Because they can’t.

In the sober, somber aftermath of the Massacre in McMahon, which preceded the Torture in Taylor Field, vice-president of football operations and head coach Ken Miller mentioned he was going to sit down with some of the veterans and try to figure this mess out. Some think Miller has more titles than he does answers. I think he’s spinning his wheels. He’s going to sit down with the players who aren’t getting the job done, pat them on the back, and ask: What’s wrong men?

There is no joy in Riderville, as one may conclude, when it is noted that the Big Grim Machine has already lost nine games this season, and has zero chance of getting to a 9-9 record, especially if quarterback Darian Durant is unable to play against Edmonton next Monday in a game that will likely offer nothing for the Riders to give thanks for.

Miller has said, over the last two disastrous weeks, that he believes the talent is there to win. If that’s the case, then the coaching isn’t.  Less than two weeks away from his 70^th birthday and two seasons late in retiring from coaching, as he hinted last year he was, then Miller and his coaching staff may well be trying to wrestle a steer to the ground that is far too big and ornery for them to handle.

In a league that is more and more going to younger and more daring coaches who don’t mind walking the edge, the Riders have produced one of the oldest coaching staffs in pro football and, in some areas of the roster, the oldest players. Who, for instance, in their right mind would fill an assisting coaching staff with three former head coaches?

It ain’t working, that much is obvious.

The Rider Nation, whose devotion to the green and white, varies from week to week, are no different than any other fans in the world. If their teams are winning, they are with them. If their team is losing, they are gone faster than Doug Berry left town. The flip flop shoe was named after them.

“This is like watching a fat kid eat chocolate cake without a fork or napkin,” mentioned long-time fan Jarrod Livingstone.

Now, they are ready to turn on Darian Durant, who has spent the last two games running for his life, and who started the season with a set of receivers who couldn’t get open and when they did couldn’t catch. Now, they have no running game to speak of.

You think somebody will snap their fingers, and everything will be okay?

So, Durant becomes the target.

People seem to forget that it took Ron Lancaster at least five years before he was comfortable at quarterback.  And although he gave the Rider fans the greatest quarterbacking they have ever seen, they booed him off the field in his last game here. Flip flop. You think Anthony Cavillo was an overnight sensation? Hamilton couldn’t wait to get rid of him.

Durant is the least of the Riders’ problems.

Their most obvious problems lie in recruiting. They have yet to replace Stevie Baggs and John Chick at defensive ends. Teams manhandle their defensive line. The offensive line was shored up by some tackle that was already past 30 years of age. They can’t run the ball, and they can’t throw it, and they can’t stop the other teams from doing that to them. Their kickoff return team has improved. It should have. They get to return enough kickoffs very game they should be able to do it with their eyes closed.

This team was parked on the edge of creating a dynasty when it won a Grey Cup in 2007. It got to the Grey Cup games in 2009 and 2010, losing two Cups they should have won. But, if there is one underlying thing that just won’t go away, it is this. The Roughriders have not improved from year to year, and if you don’t, you will end up with what they have this season.

It is not a disaster yet. The team, if not this season, can be salvaged. And, while it won’t be easy, it can be done. Sitting on your hands is not going to get it done.

Y’er welcome.

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