10 WEEKEND THINGS
Photo: @GreyCupBound
Taking shots …
1 – SPRINGING A LEAK: The two teams competing in Touchdown Atlantic VI in Halifax on Saturday emerged in vastly different moods. The Toronto Argonauts beat the Saskatchewan Roughriders 31-13 (the point spread was 10.5), and now at 6-0, Toronto is off to their best start since 1935. Saskatchewan, meanwhile, is 3-4 and losers of three straight games. Initially I’d predicted 8 wins for Sask this season and when they were 3-1, that looked way off. But now with the season resembling the Titanic, it appears the Riders will be LUCKY to achieve anywhere near 8 victories. Things can change on a dime.
*As for TD Atlantic, TSN did a tremendous job and made it look like there were 70,000 on hand. Hopefully the CFL keeps doing it every summer!
**As for the Argos and their success, it starts at the top. Look no further than Pinball Clemons, however you’ve gotta be happy for Assistant GM John Murphy, who’s done great things after leaving Sask.
***And the Argos are 6-0 with a rookie starter, not Doug Flutie or Damon Allen!
2 – QB CONTROVERSY: This Roughriders losing streak coincides with the potentially season-ending injury to Rider QB1 Trevor Harris in Week 6, and the team hasn’t won since. There will be considerable rumination in the Wheat Province this week over which back-up should start in Week 9 versus Ottawa; Mason Fine or Jake Dolegala. QB2 Fine was average against the Argos on Saturday (and is now 0-4 as a starter) while QB3 Dolegala sparked interest by heaving a late touchdown in garbage time. (Remember how Fine did the same thing against Calgary in Week 6 when he replaced Trevor Harris?) Frankly I agree with Head Coach Craig Dickenson’s reported decision to go with Fine in their next game because consistency is what they’re after. Fine’s got the tools and just needs time.
However with other teams winning with their back-ups (like Dane Evans leading BC to a 27-0 win over Edmonton on Saturday), it has increased the pressure exponentially in the 306 and if it hasn’t happened already, the Coach & GM will be making moves in an attempt to keep their jobs.
U-G-L-Y.
3 – ATLANTIC SCHOONERS: Wading through the doublespeak and gobbledygook of Commissioner Randy Ambrose’s weekend comments about CFL expansion to the Maritimes, I see no concrete evidence that the CFL is anywhere closer to adding a 10th team. In fact, Randy admitted that haven’t even had concrete talks with anyone lately. Can we say they’re ‘talking about talking?’ Get this one: I’m told Quebec City is far closer to getting a new stadium/pro franchise than Halifax is, yet nobody’s talking about it.
4 – FEAR THE DEER: Are the 2023 Edmonton Elks the worst team in CFL history? It would be hard to argue otherwise following their 21st straight home loss on Saturday. At 0-7 – their frustration sky high and confidence at an all-time low – there’s no reason to think they’ll win a game this year. An agent scoffed to me on the phone this weekend that Elks President Victor Cui said all the team needs is luck. “Did you ever hear Hugh Campbell or Norm Kimble say they needed luck?” he scorned. The 2003 Hamilton Tiger-Cats went 1-17 (their lone victory was against Saskatchewan at Ivor Wynne Stadium, and I called it on radio). This bunch from Edmonton appears to be worse. The Edmonton Football Club Board of Directors can take a bow! It’s all started with them.
5 – NO LEAD IS SAFE: The Hamilton Tiger-Cats took that phrase to a whole new level on Friday night. When Ottawa turned the ball over with 30 seconds to go inside the Ticats 5-yard line, trailing 16-12, I turned the TV off thinking it was over. Lo and behold, somehow, Hamilton Tiger-Cat QB Bo Levi Mitchell broke his leg on the final two plays and is going back on the 6-game injured list. WTF? Now, I don’t ever recall a back-up QB being called upon to execute two kneeldowns, but I asked a football consultant how he’d describe what Hamilton did at the end of that game. He texted back, “Ballsy.”
How about ‘stupid’? Are the Ticats jinxed?? As my Mom would say, “Bad luck or bad management?”
6 – STAMPS/ALOUETTES: We’re making the most of our time in Calgary, broadcasting the RP Show from Century Downs Racetrack & Casino all summer. Hope to see you at Shark Club North Sunday at 5:00 pm for the official Stampeders Watch Party. Cody Fajardo’s Montreal club is favoured by 2.5-points at home in this one and, sorry Stampeders, but I’ve gotta be rooting for my Cody!
This week be watching the RP Show for the *Key Word* to win tickets to the Argos & Stampeders next Friday night courtesy Century Downs. Again, thank you Calgary! The welcome here has been tremendous once again.
7 – NFL TRAINING CAMPS: We’ll have significantly more coverage of the NFL and NCAA on this website and RP Show this fall because our betting sponsors love it and that’s where the big betting money is. However so far, less than a week into training camps, all the news has been bad. The Bengals’ Joe Burrow and the Dolphins’ Jalen Ramsey are hurt, the Colts’ Johnathan Taylor wants a trade and owner Jim Irsay refuses to give it, and on and on and on. At least the NY Giants and RB Saquon Barkely could agree on a 1-year deal for $11M. Can we get to the games please?!
8 – 80 FOR BRADY: It took awhile but I was finally able to catch this 2023 flick starring Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, Sally Field and of course TB12 while on a Delta flight to Calgary. HILARIOUS! Imagine four senior citizen ladies from Boston who win a contest to watch their beloved Patriots in the Super Bowl (Super Bowl LI in Houston), and the drama that ensues including losing their tickets, getting duped, sneaking into the stadium and getting caught, then celebrating with the Patriots in their locker room??!! And who knew Lily Tomlin’s halftime speech was responsible for the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history! Catch it if you can.
9 – QUARTERBACK: Since we’re still on football, do yourself a favour and catch the new Netflix series Quarterback from Manning Productions. The eight episode series follows quarterbacks Kirk Cousins, Marcus Mariota and Patrick Mahomes at home, literally, and on the road during the 2022 season. I was hooked 30 seconds into Episode #1. You get to know the players and their families, what life is like in their world, and just about everything there is to see behind-the-scenes in the NFL. Apparently they approached Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott about starring in Season 1 but he and the team felt they already get enough media exposure, and declined. Fine with me! I don’t care for him and I’m a Cowboys fan. It would be great to see the CFL do this with their players but I don’t think that’s anywhere near their radar these days.
10 – RANDOM THOUGHTS: This is my third summer in Alberta and the conversation’s changed. The past two summers were dominated by discussion of – “Who’s better; the Flames or Oilers?” Now, it’s not even close. The Oilers are exponentially closer to winning the Stanley Cup and until Calgary gets their act together, there will be no further debate. Haven’t heard it once. … I think I saw McLeod Bethel-Thompson waiting in a Dodge Charger in my hotel parking lot this week. If it wasn’t him, it was someone who sure looked like him. … Also, last weekend in Weyburn, I’m certain I saw a band member of ZZ Top driving a minivan down Highway 39. … I had a lifelong goal of getting my name in The Hockey News. This month it happened, when they picked up our interview with Columbus Blue Jackets coach Mike Babcock. CHECK! … It’s not just Canadian NHL fans whom are crazy over their players. Messi Mania is out of control in South Florida, as a photo of the Inter-Miami soccer star from a Publix grocery store went viral and locals are also trying to find out where his kids go to school so that they can enroll theirs at the same place. Tom Brady went through the same thing in the area. It’s a people thing, not a Canadian thing. … In their inaugural season in the CEBL, the Calgary Surge finished in first place in the West Division. Team President Jason Ribeiro very clearly won’t accept mediocrity. … That’s how the winning franchises do it folks! … AT THE MOVIES – I walked out of Oppenheimer after two hours and the realization there was still an hour to go. Maybe I’ll go back one day and catch the second half. … AND HOW WAS YOUR WEEK?
Y’er welcome,
RP
@rodpedersen
