Kerry Joseph takes the blame for Riders playoff loss

A few months ago, Kerry Joseph received a phone call while sitting at his kitchen table in Louisiana from Riders Head Coach, Corey Chamblin. The team needed a veteran quarterback and Joseph wanted one more shot at a Grey Cup.

Sunday's game in Edmonton was not the ending the former CFL Most Outstanding Player was hoping for.

It's a playoff game and I throw 5 fricking interceptions. I ain't give us a chance to win at all.- Roughrider quarterback Kerry Joseph assessing his performance after losing in Edmonton.

Instead, Joseph tied a dubious CFL playoff record by throwing five interceptions in an 18-10 loss to the Eskimos. His lone bright spot was a 54 yard touchdown toss to Korey Williams.

"I'm going to take this one," Joseph told reporters after the game while fighting back tears.

"It's a playoff game and I throw 5 fricking interceptions. I ain't give us a chance to win at all. I didn't. Bottom line."

The 41-year-old quarterback won the hearts of Rider fans during the 2007 season. He lead that team toa Grey Cup title with his legs, a strong arm and by being a leader on and off the field.

Joseph's team-mates were not going to let their quarterback shoulder all the blame after the loss.

"You can't put it on him. It was us a whole," Rider receiver Chris Getzlaf told reporters while packing up his gear for the final time this season.

"Kerry's just the type of leader that he's going to take that blame, right?"

The man who convinced Joseph to return to Saskatchewan, Corey Chamblin, stuck with his quarterback as long as he could.

"I wanted to give Kerry that shot. To give us that shot to pull us out with his experience. But once I had that feeling it's like ok, I had to go with Tino Sunseri."

Eskimos posed a fierce challenge

The Eskimos had not given up a touchdown at home in three games heading into Sunday's playoff affair. Edmonton's defence blitzes the quarterback on nearly every play and their players attack anyone with the football.

Scoring points against theEskimos, on their home turn, would have been a challenge for any CFL quarterback. Let alone one who had no training camp and missed the first half of the season.

I wanted to give Kerry that shot. To give us that shot to pull us out with his experience.- Saskatchewan Roughrider Head Coach Corey Chamblin.

But Joseph refused to find any excuses for his poor performance.

"It's not like I haven't seen some things. I just never slowed the game down. Never got into a groove. It just stinks. I stunk it up. Bottom line."

The veteran quarterback told reporters his playing days were done after the game.

If that turns out to be true, Sunday's game marks a sad end to a CFL career that saw Joseph hoist a Grey Cup in 2007 for the Riders and win the hearts of Saskatchewan fans in the process.