Riders 5-0!

For those of us who were raised in Saskatchewan there is a love of the Saskacthewan Roughriders Football team that goes beyond description or explanation. The joy we feel when they win and the pain we feel when they lose is deep. Without exaggeration the atmosphere in Saskatchewan after a win or a loss is noticeably different. We Roughrider fans are unique in the CFL. Most other teams just recognize this and do not even bother to argue it. It might be because the Canadian Football league is the only professional sport in the province. It could be that we are often seen as underdogs both as a province and often as a football team. For example - most experts were picking the Riders to finish last this season. And now we are 5-0! The best start for the Riders in modern history!

FYI for my American friends: The CFL is made up largely of players that you likely watched play College ball but were not quite good enough to make the NFL. Many of the Defensive Linemen and Linebackers play up here who would be considered too small for the NFL but fit well in our game because it is more a game of speed. Same goes for some of the smaller running backs. The field is much bigger and some of the rules (i.e having to give a yard from scrimmage when lining up) lend itself to smaller quicker players.