10 MONDAY THINGS

1 – WHAT HURTS THE MOST: That Rascal Flatts tune is ringing in my ears following Saskatchewan’s 20-13 home loss to Winnipeg in the 2019 CFL West Final on Sunday. Particularly the lyric, “What hurts the most … is being sooo close“. The game didn’t come down to Cody Fajardo’s potentially game-winning pass hitting the upright on the final play. So forget about that. It came down to the Riders losing the turnover battle 3-0, and blowing their opportunities inside the 10-yard line. What hurts the most is losing a big game when you know you didn’t play your best. It takes a long time to recover from that.

2 – FAJARDOVILLE: You wouldn’t know the star Rider QB was playing with two torn muscles in his side/back. His 366 yards passing and 23 yards rushing were extremely Cody-like. Admit it; on that final drive with 25 seconds to go you were thinking “Here we go again … another sprinkle of Jesus“. I know I was, and I had prayed for the kid before the game. However the football gods weren’t having it on this day. Regardless, the Rider marketing team can put their feet up because Cody Fajardo is the face of the franchise and there may not be a better one in pro football. Give that kid whatever he wants.

3 – MCADOO: It’s going to be tough for the Riders to defend play- and personnel-selection in their redzone trips on Sunday. Running back William Powell and his 12 TDs were left in the barn in favour of back-up QB Bryan Bennett and a beat-up Fajardo. Football is the ultimate hindsight sport and had their plans worked, nobody’d be talking about it. But their plans stalled miserably and they didn’t even give themselves a chance inside the 10. Obviously that’s all on coaching. 

4 – LOOKING AHEAD: Lotsa people said going into Sunday’s game, “No matter what happens against Winnipeg, the season is already a success”. I wouldn’t buy it at the time, because that’s not how winners think. However looking back, they were right. And the team is solid at the three key positions coming back in 2020: QB, Head Coach & GM. You’d have to think they are the favourites in 2020.

5 – FOR THE W: It’s quite a story. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are headed to the Grey Cup to conclude an improbable season loaded with more adversity than I’ve ever seen. I’ll remind their fans that I wrote all year that I’d like to see them win the Grey Cup this season and end the Curse of 1990. (Let the Riders win it when they host in 2020). The Bomber franchise is full of great people, their fans deserve it, and it’s time. But they’re rolling into Calgary with the ‘Check Engine’ and ‘Low Fuel’ lights on. Do they have enough to beat Hamilton? What a week this will be.

6 – ZACH ATTACK: It’s the ultimate Elimination Tour. Whether you believe the Riders gave up on Zach Collaros or not, it doesn’t matter because he believes they did, and that was enough motivation to win the West Final. Did you see him jumping around after big plays and talking smack to Rider players on Sunday? THAT’S the Zach I know. And I can guarantee you the Hamilton Tiger-Cats gave up on Zach after the 2017 season and he hasn’t forgotten. They’re next on his Hitlist.

7 – TICATS: In Sunday’s 36-16 blowout win over Edmonton in the East Final, the hometown Hamilton Tiger-Cats looked all the part of a 15-3 team. They’ll be favoured in the 107th Grey Cup, but a great question is by how much? They’ve been looked upon as underdogs for most of the season but here’s a game where they’ll be heavily favoured. It’ll be interesting to see how they react.

8 – DROUGHT BOWL: That’s what the 2019 Grey Cup is already being nicknamed. Winnipeg’s championship drought dates back to 1990 while Hamilton’s stretches back to 1999. It’s a 90’s party! And really, it’s a dream match-up for the CFL even though an appearance by the Roughriders would’ve been a guaranteed cash cow. Storylines abound in the 107th Grey Cup.

9 – SIX SEASONS AND COUNTING: The list of Grey Cup droughts by years, in order, in the CFL – Winnipeg (29), Hamilton (20), Montreal (10), BC (9), Saskatchewan (6), Edmonton (4), Ottawa (3), Toronto (2), Calgary (1).

10 – MERRY-GO-ROUND: The Athletic’s CFL columnist Kirk Penton surmised on Friday’s The Rod Pedersen Show that there could be coaching changes with six teams this off-season. BC and Ottawa are a given while Toronto’s expected to be just a matter of time. The other 3? Possibly Edmonton, Montreal and Winnipeg. That Kirk’s a sharp tack! But having instability with 66% of the coaching staffs in one league is not a good thing.

Enjoy the week,
RP
@rodpedersen