Greg Marshall's dream job has turned into a nightmare.
After waiting 17 long seasons as an assistant coach in the CFL, the former all-star defensive lineman couldn't wait to finally get his hands on the head coaching job with the league's flagship franchise, the Saskatchewan Roughriders, in 2011.
To say things haven't gone according to plan, however, would be an understatement.
Seven games into his first season, Marshall's Riders are a disappointing 1-6 and even the hard-core optimists in the Rider Nation are becoming more than a little discouraged.
The most recent deflating loss came Friday night at Mosaic Stadium in a West Division showdown where the rival Calgary Stampeders romped out of town with a 45-35 victory, a score that greatly flattered the home side.
It was the greatest offensive explosion of the year for the Riders as they gained over 500 yards and scored their highest point total of the season. However it was the defence who let them down Friday, allowing Calgary to score on their first four possessions including three touchdowns. The Stamps held a 31-14 half-time lead and did enough things in the second half to hang onto the victory.
"If I knew the answer to that, I'd be a rich man," Rider defensive coordinator Richie Hall said when asked how his players could come out so flat. "Our heads just weren't in it in the first half."
It was a complete role reversal from the team's prior games where the offence languished woefully while the defence held the team in games until the point where it was clear they weren't going to come back.
"We stunk on defence," huffed Marshall after the game. "The first few weeks we weren't good defensively and were good on offence, then it flipped. Tonight we reverted back to the first two weeks of the season. The low light of the night was when they marched it right downfield late in the second quarter and it was like we weren't even on the field with them."
The lone silver lining is that the Riders are one of three clubs at 1-6 (along with B.C. and Toronto) and the team which gets its act together the quickest will get into the playoffs and then anything can happen.
But right now the outlook is grim. The once-proud Riders aren't showing signs that they'll get their game together any time soon.
I maintain this team has more talent than its record indicates but they're closing in on the halfway turn and rather than pulling together, they seem to be unravelling.
That's where Greg Marshall comes in. He is a much-decorated football man with a resume which speaks for itself. Right now his team is looking to him for the leadership and inspiration they require.
The next 11 games will prove if he can get the job done.
I believe he can.
(Rod Pedersen is the voice of the Riders on 620 CKRM Radio)
