10 Weekend Things

Truth & Rumours

1 – Henry Burris was the first one on the field, and the last one off of it. At age 49, Burris is the Co-Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach for the Florida A&M Rattlers and Saturday night at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, FL, it was another chance for Smilin’ Hank to soak up the game he loves during pregame warmups on a sweltering South Florida evening. Weeks in advance, Henry sent me a note saying that he expected me to be there. And I was. It was a great chance to catch up on a friendship that began in 2000 when we were both with the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders. As the CFL’s third all-time leading passer, three-time Grey Cup champion and Hall of Famer – plus stints with the NFL’s Packers and Bears – Burris still displayed a better arm during warm-up drills than the youngsters he coaches.

2 – After spells as a TV analyst at TSN and CTV Ottawa plus terms as assistant coach with the NFL’s Jaguars, Bears and Rams, the Spiro, OK product accepted this position in Tallahassee in the spring time. Rattlers head coach James Colzie III thought Hank could provide mentorship to his young quarterbacks and Henry’s doing just that. However on this night, Florida A&M was overmatched by the Miami Hurricanes who romped to a 56-9 victory. However as I’m quickly learning in the college football universe, the Canes were expected to win by 70 points, so to keep the margin under 50 was a small victory for the visitors. Plus, there was a series where Rattlers QB Daniel Richardson was sacked on three successive plays by a ferocious Miami defense. Not sure I’d ever seen that before! And there’s not much Burris can do about that.

3 – But it was great to catch up with Hank, even it was just a brief sideline encounter. His departure from Saskatchewan in 2005 was unjust but as I’ve learned, everything happens for a reason. Our friendship over the next few years was strained – I wanted to win/he wanted to win – but it’s a bond that can never be broken. He went on to great things, and the Roughriders did too. At least Hank got into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame (2020) before Roy Shivers did!

4 – If you’re a fan of the CFL but no other football leagues, you’re truly selling yourself short and missing out on a lot. But that’s also your choice! The game of football is beautiful, with its relationships, variances from league-to-league, intricacies and pageantry. It’s a joy to get involved with the game in football-mad Florida, from the NFL all the way down to Flag Football and every level in between. I don’t take a second of it for granted!

5 – Not sure what more can be said here about the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ seven-game winless skid, other than we told you months ago it was coming. Our writers Mitchell Blair & Mike Stackhouse have done a marvellous job of capturing the mood of Rider Nation.

As a football insider texted following Saturday’s 26-21 Rider loss to the Blue Bombers in the Banjo Bowl, “Corey Mace walked into a burning house.” Even RP Show football analyst Jim Barker said Friday that it’s going to be awfully difficult for the Riders to turn this thing around this late in the season. The team hasn’t missed the playoffs for three straight seasons since the 1980’s but even the diehards have resigned themselves to that outcome.

6 – On June 3, the rookie Roughriders head coach said he planned to change the culture of the organization. I remember reading the quote at the time and thinking, “Good luck.” Cody Fajardo tried. Jason Maas tried. Craig Dickenson tried. They’re all long gone now, but the results are the same. Write it down: when the coaches and players change but the results don’t, it’s a culture problem. What I’m watching for now is how the Roughriders Board of Directors handles things, however I don’t expect anything to change there at all.

7 – On the first Sunday of the NFL regular season, here are some thoughts: The fractured relationship between Eagles coach Nick Sirianni and QB Jalen Hurts appears to be overblown. … Taylor Swift is not a distraction for the Kansas City Chiefs. … Don’t get excited Vikings fans — it’s just the Giants. … Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott is the NFL’s first $60-million per season player. He looked the part in a Week 1 romp over Cleveland. … The Houston Texans’ magical 2023 season appears to be no fluke. … The Jaguars continue to do Jaguars things, like blowing a 17-7 third quarter lead in Miami, and losing 20-17 to the Dolphins. … Kirk Cousins continues to do Kirk Cousins things too, only this time in Atlanta.

8 – Tom Brady’s maiden voyage in the broadcast booth as colour commentator on Fox has been labelled as “awkward” by pundits. Hey! Do you want to be judged by your first day on the job? I sure as hell don’t. There was dead-air, Brady and play-by-play man Kevin Burkhardt walked all over each other, but if you listened to what Tom had to say, it was gold. “If you’re going to throw it up,” TB12 observed about a Deshaun Watson pass. “Don’t throw it up in the direction of Trevon Diggs. Maybe throw towards a rookie!” Brady will very soon be the best TV analyst in the biz.

9 – I’m watching with much interest the fledgling careers of these female betting influencers. RP Show viewers are clamouring for us to get the newest sensation, Taylor Mathis, on our program pronto. Mathis has become infamous for her wildly popular “Walking Bets” segment on Twitter & Instagram where she flaunts her ample assets while walking and spilling out bets. Shoot, on Sunday she announced an endorsement deal with DraftKings and her followers have skyrocketed by over 100,000 in the past week. However she stepped in it by declining to make college football bets (opting for MLB and NFL instead), and by not getting her early-game picks in in time on Sunday. I don’t think her betting record has been stellar either. Is it her 15 minutes of fame, or the next big thing? That Tennessee gal who was all the rage in June seems to be gone faster than spit in the wind.

I much prefer Jo Madden of SportsGrid TV – a regular on the RP Show – who’s had much more success with her prognostications from a wide range of leagues like NFL, MLB, College Football and even CFL. She utilizes a classy approach, and it didn’t hurt that she joined the RP Show live last summer at Century Downs Casino in Calgary! I’m watching with interest because I want everyone to have success, and am fascinated with their roads to get there.

10 – RANDOM THOUGHTS: Am I the only one who misses Larry King? … Joey Chestnut was a sensation on Sunday at halftime of the Bengals game, scarfing five bratwursts to win a contest. What a thing to be famous for! I much prefer Mark Chesnutt. … There’s no such thing as a good problem. Any problem is a problem. … If you can’t feel it, you can’t heal it. … Is Elon Musk trying to turn Twitter into a hook-up app? … A cashless society is a nightmare for lemonade stands and beggars. … An ultra swimmer’s attempt to cross Lake Michigan appears to be over. Jim Dreyer was back on shore Wednesday, according to his online tracker. Dreyer, who is nicknamed The Shark, began swimming Monday night in Grand Haven, Michigan. His goal was to get to Milwaukee in Wisconsin, more than 80 miles away. The 61-year-old Dreyer has now tried four times since 2023 to cross Lake Michigan. He did it more than 20 years ago, back in 1998. … AND HOW WAS YOUR WEEK?

Y’er welcome,
RP
@rodpedersen