DAYTONA HOMES FRIDAY RODSERVATIONS
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| Vancouver Province photo |
INTERESTING FRIDAY FACTS
– If anyone in downtown Vancouver didn’t know the Saskatchewan Roughriders are coming to town on Sunday, they will after seeing this billboard situated between B.C. Place and Rogers Arena. The Roughriders purchased the space and it’s got people talking all over the Lower Mainland, not to mention across the CFL. The fact a Vancouver newspaper ran a photo of it is exactly what the Rider marketers were hoping for. Genius!
– It certainly is a brash, in-your-face, type of move which the Riders aren’t historically known for but it’s also a tongue-in-cheek, fun, rivalry type of thing. The Lions poked a lot of stuff at the Riders this winter on Twitter, but no one remembers. We do.
– The billboard seemed to work Lions President and CEO Dennis Skulsky into a frenzy, prompting him to proclaim Sunday’s game “Guaranteed Win Night” for the Lions. Did he pass this by GM Wally Buono and Head Coach Mike Benevides? It doesn’t seem so, but who knows?
– As one CFL observer noted on Thursday, “The negatives far outweigh the positives with something like this.” Regardless, Sportsnet’s Arash Madani said on Thursday’s SportsCage on 620 CKRM, “This is going to make a fun three days ahead!”
– Guaranteed Win Night, as near as I can tell, originated in Regina by former Regina Pats voice and marketing director Kevin Gallant in the 1980s. It wasn’t popular with Pats coach Doug Sauter at the time. Kevin went on to become the voice of the Calgary Stampeders and ran the same promotion at McMahon Stadium which, as Kevin told me Thursday, “Was the first of its kind in pro sports and it was my idea”. I believe that to be the case. As for Skulsky’s proclamation, Gallant wrote to me, “I am sure Wally is behind this.”
– The other big news in the CFL this week was Commissioner Mark Cohon announcing this will be his final season in the role and he won’t seek a third term. It’s not a shock since he left his last contract open-ended, with the option to renew being his. All in all the Cohon Era has to be viewed as a success even though I wasn’t a big fan of the new TV deal. I would’ve liked to have seen the games be spread across Sportsnet and CBC as well (since those networks virtually ignore the CFL now) but I don’t think Cohon would do anything different given the money on the table at the time. A tip of the cap to Mark. He’s a cool guy and he’ll be missed.
– The forecast for Sunday’s Roughrider-Lions game in Vancouver (5:00 pm, TSN, CKRM Rider Radio Network) calls for sunshine and 23 degrees Celsius.
– The (5-3) B.C. Lions are favoured by 2.5-points over the (5-2) Saskatchewan Roughriders and the over/under has been set at 50 points. The Lions beat the Riders 26-13 in Week 3 in Regina in their only other meeting. The Riders haven’t lost since.
– Roughrider DE John Chick is off to the single-greatest start in CFL history by a rush end. His 12 sacks through seven games have him on pace for 31 this season which would shatter James “Quick” Parker’s single-season record of 26.5 set in 1984. The torrid start by John actually has him at 1.71 Sacks Per Game which is ahead James Curry’s record set in 1984 of 1.69 SPG. Keep in mind that both Parker’s and Curry’s records were set during a 16-game regular season.
– Chick is off to such an amazing start that even the Winnipeg Blue Bombers defensive front was shown film on him by their coordinator Gary Etcheverry this week. Chick played in Etch’s system in 2009 and thrived, winning CFL Defensive Player of the Year.
– A defensive player has not won CFL MVP since Hal Patterson of the Montreal Alouettes in 1956 so don’t hold your breath for Chick to win it this year, however he’s the early favourite to collect Most Outstanding Defensive Player.
– Roughrider QB Darian Durant goes into the weekend needing 30 passing yards to move past Roy Dewalt into the CFL’s Top 20 all-time passers. He’s also 476 behind the great Russ Jackson for #18 all-time.
– B.C. Lions kicker Paul McCallum has currently connected on 16 consecutive field goals and his 95.5% percentage has him on pace to set a CFL single season record in that area. McCallum has moved into third-place in all-time CFL scoring and is now only 55 points back of Mark McLoughlin for #2. Paul is headed to the Hall of Fame for sure.
– Calgary quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell is in some esteemed company. He is 9-1 as a starter to begin his career and the only others to do that in CFL history are Jackie Parker, Joe Theismann and Jim Van Pelt!
– Week 9 in the CFL opens Friday with Montreal at Winnipeg at 6:00 pm on TSN. Alouettes quarterback Alex Brink is 3-5 as a starter but 0-3 on the road including last week’s 16-11 loss at Saskatchewan. The Bombers have won five of their last six with Montreal.
– Heard a wild rumour Thursday evening that Alouettes receiver S.J. Green may be a Roughrider within the next week. I have not confirmed that with the Riders however. It seems to just be crazy gossip born out of the fact the Alouettes spent the week here after the game.
– Bomber CB Matt Bucknor is the leading tackler among Canadians in the CFL with 35 … The Bombers are the only team in the CFL to commit at least two turnovers in every game this year … The Riders haven’t committed one the past two games.
– Montreal may suck right now but they’re still the strongest franchise in the CFL since their relocation from Baltimore in 1996. They top the league at 206-124-1 in that span. B.C. is #2 in the league since ’96.
– Around the league, Henry Burris will start his 194th career game Sunday when his Ottawa RedBlacks host Calgary. That moves him past Danny McManus into #4 all-time … Toronto quarterback Ricky Ray is just 367 yards away from 50,000 career and he fittingly goes after it in Edmonton on Saturday, the city where he enjoyed his finest years. He’s still quite good now.
– There have been 42 Coach’s Challenges this season and of those, 14 plays have been overturned.
– Penalties are up 26% this year but last week’s Week 8 was the least-penalized of this season. Perhaps the refs are getting the message that we’re sick of the flags.
– There have been 10 two-point convert attempts this season but NONE have been successful. Perhaps Als coach Tom Higgins was onto something when he didn’t go for two last weekend.
– And NO CFL season has ever had all five West Division teams finish above .500.
– Rider Hall of Famer Vic Stevenson said we should get used to the imbalance in the CFL amongst the West and East Divisions. “This could go on for years,” Vic said on In The Huddle this week on Access. “It did in the 80’s!” Incidentally both Vic and former teammate Marshall Hamilton said they’d vote “no” for division realignment for the playoffs. I would vote “no” as well.
– Vic, a three-time Grey Cup champion, had the Quote of the Week when referring to the BC-Toronto game in which both teams wore their Reebok Signature third jerseys on Sunday. “It looked like Toronto’s Pride Week against the Hell’s Angels,” Vic quipped, referring to the powder blue Argo uniforms and the tar-black Lions outfits. The more these new uniforms get rolled out, the more they get the thumbs-down.
– The smoke had barely cleared after Frank McCrystal’s announcement this week that the 2014 CIS season will be his last as coach of the U of R Rams before people started talking about his replacement. A Rams alum noted to me Thursday in Gold’s Gym that Paul LaPolice is already lined up to coach in 2015. I can assure you that’s not the case. However many people feel the next coach of the Rams will come with a CFL resume.
Let’s just celebrate the 2014 Rams season and relish in the fact Frank boasts seven national titles during his time at the helm of “The Horns”.
– University football pundits are also wondering how long it will be before Scott Flory assumes control of the U of S Huskies program. Rumours are rampant.
– Friday marks Day 2 of Regina Pats 2014 training camp at the Cooperators Centre. Many hockey people have wondered why new Pats coach John Paddock would opt to ride the buses of the WHL at the age of 60 and with virtually nothing left to prove. After all he’s won five Calder Cup titles in the AHL and been the head coach of two NHL teams. When I posed the question to Paddock this week he said he was “intrigued” by the proposition of turning this franchise around and accepting the challenge. Many felt he gave the perfect answer.
– Washington Capitals scout Darrell Baumgartner of Regina was the winner of a trip for two on our SportsCage/Marlin Travel Ultimate Sports Trip IV to LA, Anaheim and San Diego at the Press Box Sports Bar Golf Tournament Thursday evening. We’d be happy to welcome him aboard!
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THAT’S ALL FOR THIS WEEK! ENJOY SUNDAY’S GAME
RP
@sportscage
So someone explain to me how do the riders benefit from advertising in BC?
Sounds like another case of the smallest dog barking the loudest trying to show everyone how important he is.
Man are you clueless when it comes to marketing and building a brand. That billboard is priceless. The Riders did the same thing in Edmonton a few years ago with "we walk among you" billboard.
The billboard should help increase BC's attendance at the game and increases CFL coverage by the media. Doesn't really help the Rider's bottom line. It is time the Riders gave the fans in Saskatchewan something for the long time support. The Jays hand out promotions to their fans. Why not the Riders? Can't afford it?
S.J. Green would be an outstanding addition to the Riders receiving core. Plus he has the perfect name for a player in a Rider uniform. Having players on the roster with both the last names of Green and White is a good thing. Imagine if Dressler returns – a receiving core made up of S.J. Green, Dressler, Getzlaf, Bagg and Swain – Grey Cup, here we come!
Hey fool – the Riders have given us something for our long-term support – it is called the Grey Cup!!
Why would the Roughriders shell out good money for a billboard in Vancouver? I don't see the logic.
Too bad the Riders didn't do the same in TO before we played the Argos. If any city could use the CFL hype it's them. Especially since their pie in the sky NFL dream is pretty well kaput. Agree fully on having CFL games on other networks. If the CFL is going to take that next step they need games on at least two more platforms. Have two games on TSN (as well as post season) but have one game each on Sportsnet and CBC. Yeah sure the mother corp is held in bad regard these days, but they have… Read more »
I would be willing to bet the the Riders aren't far behind online sales in BC from what the Lions total merchandise sales in BC.
There is a reason why the Riders are one of the biggest brands in Canada. What do they gain by putting a billboard up in Regina???
Our "knowledgeable" fans don't know marketing either I guess!!
There is what, 16 NFL games each week? Many which are played simultaneously. The CFL has four. Hardly enough content to spread across muliple channels. However, it is enough to entice TSN to invest in its coverage of the league, as a strategic partner and exclusive broadcaster.
Dubya – can't compare the NFL to CFL. Weekly as many as 16 games south of the border, here only 4 with a very rare week of five games. I like it on one station because TSN is committed to the coverage. CBC is no longer an option and Sportsnet is a significant step behind TSN.
The only people on here "dissing" the Rider billboard in BC are fans of other CFL – it's called envy. Heck, i'll bet Skulsky from the Lions sends the Riders a cheque to cover the cost of the Billboard. Skulsky appreciates what the Riders do for EVERY Team and City they play in!!!
A few things: 1) That billboard idea was as good as Reg Dunlop parking an ambulance outside the War Memorial Arena before they played Syracuse. "People gotta know they're gonna see blood in there" If you live in Vancouver why would you not be at this game now? The love football there, it's just that they have so much to do there for options. I hope the Riders do this when they play Ottawa, Hamilton, and Toronto. Let them know you're coming and people will go. 2) I recall Kevin Gallant guaranteeing a win, but we did not have the… Read more »
Rod, once again it would appear as if Obama is the most intelligent poster on the board today. Some of the "yokels" just don't understand when it comes to the sign. Its sort of funny when you think about it. Oh well!
Why doesn't he get his own blog for cripes sake? If there was ever a codependant relationship it was Obama and Rod.
Hal Patterson was a not defensive player…..he was a receiver as afar as I know.
Record Book says DB/OE for Hal Patterson.
I understand the argument that there are 16 or so NFL games a weekend compared to only four CFL. However, the networks that don't have any CFL games are not going to go out of their way to provide additional coverage to a league that can only be seen on their major competitor. If Sportsnet and CBC had at least one game, it would be an incentive to get more in depth and provide more coverage because you can actually see CFL action on that station. Why would Wendy's provide advertising for the whopper when it's only available at Burger… Read more »
@Dubya, I don't want to generalize, but most people and I include you in this group don't read. By not reading it means you fall into a trap of getting your news/history from infotainment or believing the last thing you were told. I recommend you read the book , Those Guys Have All the Fun: Inside the World of ESPN, which outlines how a 24 hour channel had to stress about content to now having 2 or 3 different feeds as every entity wants to be on it. The CBC had CFL football forever, but only broadcast games after labour… Read more »
Whenever I read anything from Obama I can't stop thinking of Brad Paisley's song – "Online"
'I get home, I kiss my mom. And
she fixes me a snack. I head down to my basement bedroom. And fire up my …"
hahahaha
To Sam and Nevan…. What up?
Out of town Rider Nation wants to know what is going on with the Riders… Please help with the Podcast… Thanks…