10 MIDWEEK THINGS FOR REALTY ONE

1 – WEEK 7: The middle third of the CFL season begins with a doubleheader on Thursday Night Football; Calgary at Ottawa followed by Toronto at Edmonton. I don’t recall a season where the games meant so much, so early. That’s a lot of what we’ll delve into today in this column, and on our show. If you’re reading this column in CFL markets Ottawa and Edmonton, go to the games tonight! If you’re not, watch ’em on TV. Thursday Night Football is a necessary thing in the CFL, particularly if NFL Sundays are going to be avoided.

2 – GAME OF THE WEEK: Our viewers/listeners/viewers voted Friday’s Winnipeg-at-Hamilton clash as Canada’s Game of the Week. It’s a battle of division leaders as the Bombers sit at 5-0 and the Ticats are 4-1. It’s also a battle of the CFL’s two highest-scoring teams, but also the two franchises with the longest Grey Cup droughts! (1990 for The Peg and 1999 for The Hammer). Will one of those droughts end in 2019?

3 – RIDERS AT LIONS: Saturday’s contest in Vancouver is not a trap game, as some have mentioned. The Riders are below .500 so they can’t be looking down on anybody. But this is the second-straight must win game for both these clubs, with the Riders coming out on top 38-25 over BC at Mosaic Stadium last week. This game is actually lose/lose for the Green & White. If they win, they’re supposed to. If they lose, well, you figure it out. But that doesn’t make it a trap. The Riders are 2.5-point favourites.

4 – DOUBLE BAGGED: Riders legend Rob Bagg has let it be known, multiple times, that he’s waiting for a call. Weston Dressler probably wouldn’t turn down an offer either. Unfortunately, they’re not offensive linemen and that’s what the BC Lions need. (Although don’t look now, but the Lions lead the CFL in first downs). Don’t forget that last season when the Riders cut Duron Carter and added Rob Bagg, they proceeded to win 7 straight games. Leadership isn’t limited to the field. I’m surprised neither the languishing Argos nor Lions have called one of these guys up.

5 – ARGO-NOTS: There’s no use running from it. Toronto’s Corey Chamblin has lost 14 consecutive games as a head coach, as pointed out again, this time by famed Edmonton sportswriter Terry Jones in today’s Sun. As much as I wince at that footnote, it’s fact. Jonesie goes on to point out the CFL record for consecutive losses is held by Forrest Gregg at 17. It will be interesting to see how the Argos respond Thursday night in the Alberta capital. They gave Calgary a fight last week, but ultimately gave the game away. Have they learned their lesson yet?

6 – GURLEY BOY: Former NFL/CFL receiver-turned-analyst Tori Gurley ruffled quite a few feathers on The Rod Pedersen Show last week when he said regarding the Argos, “The fans don’t show up and the players don’t show up. I hope in the locker room they can get it together or they might not win a game”. Tori and I’ve spent hours on the phone discussing the media business as he attempts to get his broadcasting career off the ground. And he doesn’t care what anyone thinks of his opinions, which will serve him greatly! Tori’s already appeared on the NFL Network, Fox Sports and ESPN’s Paul Finebaum Show. What’s his connection to me? His bride-to-be is a small town Saskatchewan girl who told Tori that we should get in touch. We’ve become fast friends!

7 – ESKS/REDBLACKS: Edmonton is 3-2 while Ottawa is 2-3, and on a 3-game losing streak. The ties running through the organizations are obvious, with former Ottawa figures Brock Sunderland, Jason Maas, Trevor Harris and Greg Ellingson now wearing Green & Gold. Through 1/3 of the season, neither franchise seems to know what they have for a team. Although, to me, one thing is clear: the men running the Ottawa franchise are proven (HC Rick Campbell and GM Marcel Desjardins). Those running the Eskimos are not. Yet.

8 – RIDERS: The tandem running the Saskatchewan Roughriders isn’t proven either, but that’s what makes it fun. GM Jeremy O’Day and HC Craig Dickenson are in their first year in these roles, but can you really find any flaws, five games in? Last week’s win over BC brought up the predictable “the Riders are going to the Grey Cup” talk around here – including from John Gormley and Derek Meyers – but that seems a little far-fetched. The road to the Grey Cup will run through Winnipeg and Calgary and although the Riders have proven to be good, they’re just not in that class yet. Prove me wrong.

9 – BLM: We continue to follow the story of injured Calgary Stampeders QB Bo Levi Mitchell very closely. The reports say he received a cortisone shot in Los Angeles this week for a pec muscle problem. “He’s in considerable pain,” I was told. I don’t doubt it but if that’s the case, why was he running wind sprints on the sidelines at Mosaic Stadium prior to the Stamps’ Week 5 game against the Riders? This continues to not add up.

10 – NFL CHATTER: NFL training camps are opening and the coverage on ESPN and NFL Network is an absolute bonanza. It’s like walking through the doors of Golden Corral (America’s Finest Buffet), and not knowing where to start. According to USA Today, here are the projected win totals for the teams I’ll be following the most: Dallas Cowboys (8), Arizona Cardinals (3), Cleveland Browns (9).

Y’er welcome,
RP
@rodpedersen