They certainly have to do a better job than the Bombers did in their defensive meltdown last week. Amongst the Riders receiving corps last week were 4 rookies; Dressler, Washington, Bagg and Marshall, a converted RB in Childs, journeyman Michael Palmer and veteran Corey Grant who was hurting and only saw limited action. The Riders racked up 532 yards in offence, half of it in the 4th quarter. 3 of those rookies had never caught a pass in the CFL before but were responsible for over half of the Bishop's 24 completions.Rammer wrote:I really hate these back to backs, but the advantage of this one is it should give us a quick indication of which spot the Lions will have to work for. Here are some random thoughts in no particular order.
1. The big one, the trenches, Lions have not really beaten the Riders on either side very often, but got roasted earlier this season on both. They cannot afford to have an off game, they need to establish dominance in order to protect BP and get holes open for the scat back set.
2. Eliminate Bishop, he cannot be allowed to get first down yards by running, especially the QB sneak in the red zone.
3. Force the Riders to throw long, although that has been a little bit of a liability this season, I feel that you can afford to count on Miles to knock down those and maybe even get a pick or two. But more importantly, you have to take the short game away (especially Cates) from the ball control offense that the Riders like to deploy given the success of their D.
4. Be prepared for the opening drive, don't start another game from behind.
5. Get the crowd into the game, start strong and allow the 13th man to make it difficult on Bishop, who isn't known as the brightest bulb at the QB position.
6. Do not lose the turnover game, with a Rider team that thrives on emotional flow, turnovers can and will kill the Lions. \
7. Know that you are playing a team that finds a way to win, never says die, so play the entire 60 minutes.
The Lions also have to avoid the pitfall they had against the Riders in Week 2. The Riders were very successful on 2nd and long as the Lions continually dropped off into coverage to prevent the big play and left the underneath stuff wide open. It was almost like they were saying "you need 10? We'll give you 15, but you're not getting 20". The Riders lapped it up with a simple NFL 3rd and long mix of draws and screens to Cates who had all kinds of room to rumble uncontested. While they can't totally disrespect the abilities of the Riders' makeshift receiving corps they do have to pay special attention to Cates on those 2nd and long situations.
Fortunately, I'm going to visit a friend who does security at TF, and she has some pretty good plans for us! 
