10 THINGS I THINK I THINK
1 – THE HEAD COACH: Chris Jones leaving Saskatchewan for the NFL’s Cleveland Browns has seemingly flipped the entire CFL on its head. Indeed, no one saw it coming but we should be used to that by now in Riderville. As was noted here Sunday, the logical choice as the next head coach of the Saskatchewan Roughriders remains their current Special Teams coordinator, Craig Dickenson. No one has shown me an adequate reason yet why not.
2 – PERMISSION DENIED: It’s odd that Ottawa and Winnipeg would deny the Riders permission to speak with offensive coordinators Jaime Elizondo and Paul LaPolice, respectively, but that is their right. Perhaps the RedBlacks and Bombers felt those interviews would merely be window dressing so why waste the time? To use “timing” as an excuse is simply that; an excuse. Marc Trestman was hired by Toronto in March of 2017 and filled out his staff within days. They went on to win a Grey Cup. As for LaPolice reportedly being upset about the denial, the Bombers are likely gambling he’ll get over it.
3 – RIDERS DUPED?: The notion that Saskatchewan was duped by Chris Jones is a silly one. Hiring him in December of 2015 produced the desired results — consistent growth and the franchise is in a FAR better spot now than it was then. It was the right move at the time. The best course of action right now is to accept the situation as it is, and keep moving forward.
4 – HE SAID IT: Regarding Sunday’s wild NFL Conference Championship games, famed Broadcast News commentator Chris Mayberry put it best on Twitter saying: “So, a Super Bowl between a team that shouldn’t be playing against a team everyone is tired of seeing. Swell.” It was a rather red-faced day for The Shield.
5 – OFFICIATING: The reason I celebrated the end of Sunday’s NFC title game with a blown call deciding LA’s 26-23 victory over New Orleans is simple: I once saw NHL referee Kerry Fraser say in an interview that he’s never decided a game with his whistle. I threw a shoe at the TV when I saw that, knowing otherwise, but referees continue to stick to that mantra. But now WE HAVE PROOF that it happens. I generally take the refs’ side knowing full well that they’re all great guys, they’re human, and mistakes occur. But don’t try to tell me that referee calls don’t *sometimes* dictate the outcomes of games.
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6 – SUPER BOWL PREDICTION: So it’s the New England Patriots against the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII on February 3 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The Pats have opened as 2-point favourites. Over the next two weeks everyone will be making their predictions so here’s mine: New England will romp to a double digit victory over the upstart Rams. It’s like the legendary fable about the Old Bull and the Young Bull. Tom and Bill aren’t dead yet but the story of the Rams – and where they were before the emergence of Sean McVay and Jared Goff – should give every struggling franchise some hope if they only hire and draft well.
7 – BOMBERS #1: Winnipeg broadcasters Troy Westwood and Jim Toth finally got me to concede last week on TSN 1290 Radio that the Blue Bombers are the CFL West Division frontrunners at the moment. With every other team in the conference in a state of flux at the QB position, Winnipeg currently has a leg up. But I’ll remind you that IT’S JANUARY!
8 – B.T.: Of the many messages I received last week regarding my announcement of stepping away from Rider Radio after 20 seasons in the booth, one meant more than all the rest. It was a very nice note from former Rider GM Brendan Taman. I thought he hated me! It was real nice to share a laugh with B.T. and reconnect. I never thought he deserved to be fired in the first place! However he loyally tied himself to head coach Corey Chamblin which should tell you all you need to know about one Brendan Taman.
9 – ESPN: This is why I have The World Wide Leader In Sports piped into my house. It’s mind-boggling that in 2019 I would turn on my TV on a Monday morning hoping to get a coffee table discussion about the blown call in the Rams-Saints game, the GOAT-ness of Tom Brady and even the high stick on Connor McDavid, but find it NOWHERE on Canadian television. Just reruns from the night before of SportsCentre and Sportsnet Connected. We’ve already watched the games and seen the highlights! We want analysis. There’s room on TSN, Sportsnet or Sportsnet 360 for a live morning show, sort of like a guy’s version of The View. Y’er welcome.
10 – WHAT’S NEXT: In this transition time for me, there will still be plenty of coverage of the local sports scene on this blog and on my social media feeds. There’s an exciting new opportunity on the horizon but it will be weeks, maybe months, before an announcement is made. Until then, THANK YOU for all of the support and keep it right here for all the latest news and analysis!
RP
@rodpedersen
