10 THINGS

Taking Shots ..

1 – THE BUTT PUNT: The Game of the Week in Week 3 of the NFL did not disappoint as the upstart Miami Dolphins pulled off a 21-19 upset victory over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium. The game literally went down to the last play when the Bills suffered a brain cramp on offense, and the final minute featured what will now forever be known as the “Butt Punt” (shades of Jets QB Mark Sanchez’s infamous Butt Fumble in 2012). Backed up in his own end zone and leading 21-17, Dolphins punter Thomas Morestead hoofed the ball into the backside of his upback, ricocheting out of bounds. Miami conceded a safety, got a free punt, and the Bills weren’t able to march the ball downfield before time ran out. There’s no way it could’ve been planned, but the Butt Punt certainly worked out miraculously in the Dolphins favour. Now they’re atop the AFC East at 3-0 while the confused Bills tumble to 2-1. Up Week in South Florida!

2 – THE INSIDERS: Most days I can’t believe my good fortune as one open door seems to magically open another. This weekend I got to meet some guys whom are in another dimension of pro football that I didn’t know existed. Well I knew they were there, but had only heard about them and certainly never thought I’d get to meet them. Put it this way; a lot of owners, CEO-types and sports legends like to see their names in the newspaper or mentioned on TV and radio. But not the guys I was lucky enough to pal around with this weekend. Call them the “White Whales” if you will. For instance, when a guy says “I was with Tom Brady on Thursday and he says ….”, you just shut-up and listen. So I did.

3 – NFL & CFL: But these guys enjoy the stories, and I’ve got a million of em. It was a joy to spend time with them. You see the distance between the NFL and CFL isn’t as wide as you think and as famed Super Bowl champion Jon Ryan once told me, “The only difference between the NFL and CFL is money”. These big money guys are simply fans of pro football and they are keenly following the goings-on of the CFL. Their only concern is CFL attendance and when they turn the games on ESPN2 or ESPN+ every weekend, it’s troubling. “It breaks my heart,” one guy offered, regarding the empty seats. If only there was a magical solution.

4 – x-CFL: The Week 16 games in the Canadian Football League weren’t edge-of-your-seat material, but a lot got sorted out. Three teams clinched playoff berths: Toronto, BC and Calgary, by virtue of the results, so now things get very interesting. There are still a lot of teams whom haven’t clinched – Montreal, Hamilton, Ottawa, Saskatchewan and Edmonton – and their most important games have yet to be played. Saskatchewan’s remaining games are against Winnipeg, Hamilton, Calgary and Calgary. Edmonton will face Montreal, Winnipeg, Toronto and BC. It’s not an easy road for either. … By the way the Montreal Alouettes are the CFL’s hottest team since Week 9, going 4-1. Perhaps Danny Maciocia is onto something.

5 – RIDERVILLE: It was a bye week for the 6-8 Saskatchewan Roughriders which means the team spent the week trying to figure out what ails them and, from what I can see, the media and fans debated Craig Dickenson’s “We’re not very good” comment and Kenton Keith’s comments alleging racism in Sask and the team not allowing him to sign a one-day contract to retire as a Roughrider. … Regarding Dickenson, I have no problem with what he said because he was simply speaking the truth and everybody knows “Honesty is the best policy”. Regarding Kenton Keith, if the franchise can put past grudges aside, the New Mexico State product should probably be inducted into the Plaza of Honour. His 3,811 career rushing yards (2003-2006) rank him fifth all-time in Rider history and the top four franchise rushers – George Reed, Wes Cates, Mike Saunders and Bobby Marlow – are all in the Plaza. Put K.K. in. … Regarding Kenton retiring as a Roughrider, I’m not sure why that means so much to players, especially since Keith hasn’t donned Green & White since 2006. But it does. … The good karma attached to a move like this might help out on the field too.

6 – CONGRATULATIONS: Kudos to Rider great Andy Fantuz for being inducted into his hometown Chatham Sports Hall of Fame this week! Andy ended his 12-year CFL career as #18 all-time for receptions and fourth-most by a Canadian. … Congratulations again to former Riders Paul McCallum and Roy Shivers for their induction into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame last week. In the case of Paul, it’s proof that you will be remembered for your greatest moments, rather than the low points.

7 – GO PATS GO: Following their 5-4 opening night loss to the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors when Connor Bedard was held pointless on Friday, I was ready to write the epitaph on the Regina Pats season already. However lo and behold, Bedard notched a hattrick Saturday night in a 6-3 Pats victory at Moose Jaw! But the fact remains the Pats can’t win unless Bedard fills the net and if the argument for keeping him has to do with selling tickets, then the 4,336 which was announced as Friday’s attendance isn’t cutting it. That’s a few thousand short of a sellout, as you know. The Bedard Watch continues …

8 – OTHER HOCKEY NOTES: The NHL preseason opened this weekend and that’s given Sportscentre plenty of highlights and the fans plenty to talk about. I’ll perk up when we get closer to the regular season, but will spend a good deal of time on the games this week on The RP Show. Thursday’s Carolina at Florida game will be fun! … When NHL training camps opened last week, 12 teams had new coaches from a year including Canadian teams Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg and Montreal. Job security? … The annual SJHL Showcase is on now in Warman with Day 2 on Monday. … It was a real treat to attend this weekend’s NCAA Division II hockey series in Coral Springs, FL between the hometown Florida Atlantic Owls versus Embry Riddle Aeronautical School. Many hockey folk have asked what the quality of play was like and I’d compare it somewhere between the SJHL and PJHL. The Owls iced a roster of mostly U.S. kids, and a lot of Florida products. As for Embry Riddle, those boys should stick to flying! Florida Atlantic swept the weekend by 3-2 and 5-1 scores and in the opener, Embry Riddle never forced one offensive zone faceoff in the first period.

9 – BACK IN SASK:  It’s going to be an exciting Fall as we’ve got some exciting events lined up in the Wheat Province! On Saturday, October 15 I’ll be behind the mic for the first-ever hockey game in Assiniboia’s new Southland Coop Centre, describing the action of the Assiniboia Southern Rebels on Cat Country 98. … On Saturday, October 22 Stu Grimson and I will be the guest speakers at Lampman, SK’s After Harvest Party sports banquet. … And of course we’ll be broadcasting the RP Show from Grey Cup Week in Regina in November!

10 – RANDOM THOUGHTS: Exciting times for football in Sask. The PFC’s Regina Thunder went to 6-0 with a 29-23 come-from-behind victory at Winnipeg this weekend. They can lock up first place with a win at Calgary next weekend. … Meanwhile in USports, the Saskatchewan Huskies are 4-0 while the surprising Regina Rams are 3-1. Could these rivals be on a collision course for the Hardy Cup?? … What would you do if the person serving you coffee had dirt under their fingernails? … Some have asked if it’s a tough task to stay on top of ALL these leagues for our daily sports TV talkshow & podcast. Hey, I had a breakdown covering ONE team and nobody cared. N-o-b-o-d-y. Fortunately now I have the tools to know how to unplug and recharge when necessary. I’m getting opportunities now I couldn’t have handled before. God is great. … It’s always funny when hockey refs fall down. … Are you ready for some Blue Jays playoff baseball? … Tiger Woods is caddying for his son Charlie. On Sunday Charlie shot a career low-68 on the final day of the Notah Begay III Junior Golf Championship at Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida. … And how was YOUR week?

Y’er welcome,
RP
@rodpedersen