The Green Zone: Riders' Jeremy O'Day preparing for 2025
2h ago
O'Day discusses Trevor Harris and changes to be made to get the Riders back to the Grey Cup.
I spent over a decade reporting from the sidelines for more than 100 CFL football games when I was in television from 1998 to 2010. I heard the conversations, visited with the players and coaches as they prepped for the games, and got a feel for the buzz of the fans in the stadium that you didn’t get in a press box or in the stands.
The annual Labor Day match up between the Bombers and the Riders always defied logic. There was always a playoff feel, even though the season wasn’t even half over. I’ll never forget watching Rocky Butler, a quarterback not many knew, lead the Riders to a convincing win over the Bombers in 2002.
In recent history the Bombers had a better record than the Riders going into the matchup in 2011, 2015 and in 2017 and the Riders won all three of those Labor Day Classics. This year the Bombers have a depleted lineup but are 8 and 2. The Riders are 6 and 3. Don’t be surprised to see the 2019 edition defy logic too.