Win or lose it is now Tino's team and that's the way it should be. It has been a long and painful four weeks and the bad news is for the Saskatchewan RoughRiders is it is now over yet. The Riders have gone 1 win 3 losses since Darian Durant was injured and to say there has been uncertainty around the quarterbacking position would be the understatement of the year. Sunseri floundered in the starting roll save for one half of football against the Ottawa RedBlacks where he pulled out a win in overtime.Somewhere along the way there was the loss to Hamilton where only three points were scored and the embarrassing 24 - 0 rout by the Edmonton Eskimos.
Things looked bleak last night against Calgary. Seth Doege started, threw three interceptions and the Stampeders rolled out to a 24 - 0 lead. Shades of Edmonton all over again. Well not so fast.
Tino Sunseri enters the game at half time, earning the nickname Second Half Tino, and completes 16 of 19 passes as the Riders rally for 24 points to tie the game.
The fact that the Riders could not get the win and ended up losing 31 - 24 is a non factor. Tino Sunseri showed he can play and he should be the guy come win or lose, hell or high-water for the Riders until Darian Durant is completely healthy and ready to play. If he has a bad half or quarter stay with him. He has earned the right and frankly you do not have any alternatives.I have to be in agreement with Matt Dunigan who severely roasted the Riders coaching for their mismanagement of the quarterback situation. Dunigan is right and who knows if Tino Sunseri had been the starter last night maybe, just maybe, the Stampeders don't get the three interceptions, maybe they don't build a big 24 - 0 lead and maybe the Riders win. We will never know but Dunigan is completely right when he says all the Riders have achieved up to Sunseri's strong showing is shatter the confidence of two quarterbacks who feel the team has no faith in them.
Now it's Tino's team. Coaches get out of the way and let him play. Accountability can come at season's end.