10 THINGS I THINK I THINK

1 – BYE, BYE LOVE: This catchy tune by the Everly Brothers keeps ringing in my ears as I think about this mid-summer week off for the Saskatchewan Roughriders (YouTube it). Traditionally I loathe bye weeks but with the weather being the way it has, I’ve taken full advantage by golfing, sea-doo’ing and tubing. And some say there’s nothing to do here! Hogwash.

2 – 2-2: The Riders’ 18-13 home win over Hamilton last week truly was a Godsend. Going into the bye week at 1-3 would’ve set off the panic button, although that doesn’t sound so bad when you say it out loud. Canada’s Team is in a 3-way tie for 2nd in the CFL West with Edmonton and Winnipeg, and has a game-in-hand on 1st place Calgary. Things could be worse.

3 – QB CAROUSEL: I didn’t mind the QB rotation in the Hamilton game. It seemed to keep the Ticats off balance and OC Stephen McAdoo used all the weapons at his disposal liberally (2 QBs, 3 RBs, Duron Carter, etc). In that game, it seemed like everything went the Riders’ way while just 5 days before in the Montreal game, everything went right wrong. Sometimes you’re the windshield, sometimes you’re the bug.

4 – AIR CANADA: It’s easy to see why Chris Jones doesn’t want to give up on Brandon Bridge. The Canadian QB regularly displays flashes of brilliance and freakish athleticism, but unfortunately mixes in a healthy dose of rookie mistakes. Jekyll & Hyde if you will. Good Hank/Bad Hank. But he’ll undoubtedly get another chance to start next Thursday in Hamilton and, again, we’ll cross our fingers and hope he continues to mature. However Bridge is impossible to dislike. He’s very charismatic.

5 – ZACH ATTACK: Brandon Bridge’s play isn’t making Zach Collaros worry about his starting job anytime soon. The concussed veteran QB watched Thursday’s game in a tracksuit and ballcap in a private booth at Mosaic Stadium. He looked fine, but of course that’s the problem with brain injuries. Everyone wants to know what Zach’s injury status is but that’s a closely-guarded secret, and is the Riders’ news to deliver. We won’t know until they’re on the field next, and even then …

6 – WELCOME BACK CARTER: If they ever run a contest for Most Entertaining CFL Twitter Account, the Riders’ Duron Carter will win hands-down. While the team is taking a break, Saskatchewan’s flamboyant superstar is not. A great question is whether Duron will start a 4th straight game at CB when the Riders visit the Ticats next Thursday. There’s no reason to expect he won’t. In fact Chris Jones has already said Carter will stay there until rookie Nick Marshall returns from a broken hand. Asked about the criticism over playing Carter on defense, Jones quoted Shooter McGavin by saying, “I didn’t notice. I was too busy WINNING!” J/K.

7 – THE WAY I SEE IT: If all had gone well and Zach Collaros and Nick Marshall hadn’t gotten hurt, there’s a case to be made that the Riders would be 4-0 right now. Of course things rarely go as planned but Calgary, Edmonton and BC haven’t had to deal with these issues (yet). Frankly I believe Jones and his staff should be commended for keeping the Riders competitive without Collaros, and scratching and clawing to win games. It appears that will need to continue.

8 – MASOLI OIL: Ticats QB Jeremiah Masoli tied a CFL record for consecutive 300+ yard passing games with nine against Saskatchewan but no one cared because his team lost. Next Thursday at Tim Hortons Field should be a circus though, as the Ole Miss product will have a chance to set a remarkable record, at home, in a game his team could win. By the way it’s taken 7 seasons for Masoli to emerge as a star so Brandon Bridge could be right on schedule.

9 – #ALLCAPS: Saw Washington Capitals Ass’t GM Ross Mahoney smiling and happily riding his bike down Montague St. the other day. Why wouldn’t he be smiling? After a lifetime in hockey, Mahoney finally got his hands on the elusive Stanley Cup last month … Meanwhile somebody actually scoffed to me recently that Alexander Ovechkin’s euphoria over winning the Cup is way too over-the-top. I just rolled my eyes. You go Alex! He’s earned every bit of the fun and crammed it down us naysayers’ throats.

10 – JUST NOTES: The Humboldt Broncos are doing their best to move on whatwith last week’s hiring of Nathan Oystrick as HC & GM. It’s tough though, with the semi driver appearing in court and news of lawsuits now being thrown around. But for the team, hockey business is being restored. In SJHL news this week, former Broncos Assistant Coach Chris Beaudry has joined the staff of the Melville Millionaires … Will you only support a winner? The Regina Red Sox are 20-9 in the WMBL and host the Medicine Hat Mavericks tonight at 6:00 pm at Currie Field. We’ll be taking the SportsCage out there soon … Summer is movie season and the theatre is rife with excellent films. At Duron Carter’s suggestion, we took in Sicario: Day of the Soldado at Southland Cinemas. TWO THUMBS UP from the MMG. Benecio del Toro can only play one character but dang, he plays it perfectly.

Y’er welcome,
RP
@rodpedersen