DAYTONA HOMES MONDAY MORNING GOALIE
9 MONDAY NOTES:
1 – IF THE PLAYOFFS STARTED TODAY: A quick check of the CFL West Division standings shows your Saskatchewan Roughriders, at 4-2, in fourth place in the CFL West. I’m fine with that! Top two would be nice, in order to host a playoff game in 2014, but as it stands now the Riders are in a crossover position and would head East to face Hamilton in the Eastern Semifinal if the playoffs started today. The road through the East will likely be far easier to get to the Grey Cup this year.
One thing was pointed out while we were out East last week; one very good football team is going to miss the playoffs in 2014 in the CFL’s West Division. Every team in the West has a winning record while every team in the East has a below .500 record and that’s why people are screaming for a new playoff alignment. I’m still not in favour of it but the way things work in the CFL, they might vote to change the current format by Labour Day.
And how about those Roughriders? Not many would have predicted a 4-2 start in the opening third of the season, especially after their struggles in Weeks 2 and 3. The bye week certainly seemed to turn things around for some reason. Now in the next six the Riders have Montreal, BC, Winnipeg, Winnipeg, Hamilton and Ottawa. They could realistically come out of that at 8-4. Things are looking up!
2 – MANITOBA HOSPITALITY?: It was a total 180 going from Ottawa to Winnipeg last week in regards to the way we were treated. In the nation’s capital, they rolled out the red carpet for us and there was nothing but positive vibes around our seven day stay there. That changed come Wednesday when we headed to Winnipeg for the Week 7 game against the Bombers. It started with Bomber defensive lineman Zach Anderson (did he play by the way?) telling reporters the Roughriders have the dirtiest offensive line in the league. The Rider hoggies scoffed and snickered at that, but it was just the beginning. Centre Dominic Picard actually winked and thanked me for tweeting this photo.
On game day, which seemed to take forever, I read the Winnipeg Free Press while enjoying a Tim Hortons coffee near the hotel. I couldn’t get over the comments from the Bombers. I even wrote some of them down: “They (the Riders) are a bunch of trash talkers. But my college coach told me a yappy dag rarely bites” and “Both provinces love their football but Manitobans love it more”, “We’ll do our talking on the field!”
Yes, John Chick will likely give Dwight Anderson a run for “CFL’s Best Trash Talker” in 2014. And in the end it was the Riders that did the talking on the field and when it was over, they soundly kicked the Bombers’ tails.
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| Haters Gonna Hate |
But that’s the way it goes. People across the league are taking shots at the Riders left and right and they take it all with a smile on their face and don’t engage. It’s a group to be proud of.
As Regina Red Sox skipper Scottie Douglas said on the SportsCage a few weeks back, “It’s better to be the hunted rather than the hunter”. It sure is.
3 – MORE WEEK 7 NOTES: Coaches Corey Chamblin and Mike O’Shea downplayed their shouting match which occurred prior to kickoff Thursday evening. It happened when the Riders stormed the field at the exact same time the Bombers did and a riot nearly broke out at midfield. Chamblin said there was a mix-up with the timing of their intro (nobody told them when to go out) and that they weren’t trying to be disrespectful of the Bombers or their pregame rituals. O’Shea said they were shouting simply to be heard above the noise. Either way, Weeks 10 and 11 are going to be extremely fun when these teams meet back-to-back. Incidentally the Bombers are 3-10 at Investors Group Field.
4 – WEEK 8 NOTES: So the Montreal Alouettes provide the opposition for the Roughriders this Saturday in a 5:00 kickoff at Mosaic Stadium on TSN and the CKRM Rider Radio Network. The Alouettes are one of three teams in the East at 1-5 and when the Power Rankings are released this week, they’ll likely be at the bottom.
Rider fan and blog reader Trevor Lakness pointed out there will be three people from the Alouettes who have all been on the cover of Sports Illustrated in Regina on Saturday: Troy Smith, Jeff Garcia and Chad Johnson. Trevor feels that’s more impressive than a visit from Peter King. Maybe to you Trevor!
5 – MORE NOTES: The Riders are now 4-0 when winning the coin toss this season and 0-2 when they don’t. It would appear Darian Durant will keep calling “tails” … There have only been three sellouts in the CFL this year and the Roughriders have been in two of them (at Ottawa and at Winnipeg). Y’er Welcome CFL … One CFL executive noted to me that the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ franchise worth is pegged at $100-million. That’s staggering considering the team was $3-million in debt when I began with the team in 1999.
6 – PAINFUL HOOTERS NEWS: We spent a great deal of time with the Hooters Winnipeg people last Wednesday getting set up for the SportsCage’s live broadcast. They were actually incredibly welcoming and accommodating! However one of them said although there seems to be plans for Hooters to be opening in Saskatchewan, the most likely bet is for it to go to SASKATOON! That’s only speculation, but that was his guess. Meanwhile the manager there, Jason, won a chicken wing eating competition the week before in which he slammed down 43 Hooters wings in five minutes. Or, about 5000 calories! Bomber great Troy Westwood was in the same contest and put down 25. I’d like to at least give it a try sometime.
7 – DRESSLER UPDATE: Our trusty reporter in Kansas City, Curtis Mullen, did an interview with Weston Dressler following the Chiefs’ preseason win over Cincinnati on Thursday night. Weston had one kick return for 19 yards and was in on offense for a dozen or so plays. Here’s the transcript of the chat:
HOW DID THE GAME GO?
WD: It just feels good to be playing football again, get out on the field and run around and take a few hits. It’s nice to be back out there.
GETTING TO KNOW THE U.S. RULES?
WD: Getting there. Still trying to get comfortable with everything. It’s a different game. There’s a lot of different things I haven’t done in a real long time so I’m trying to get used to that and get back in the flow of it.
ON GETTING SEPERATION ON A SMALLER FIELD
WD: Good question! It’s definitely different than the CFL field. There are smaller windows and you have to know when you’ve gotta be open and get timing with the QB and trust he’s going to put it in the right spot.
CHEMISTRY WITH CHIEFS TEAMMATES
WD: During camp it’s hard because there’s four different quarterback and a bunch of different receivers running around. It’s tough but you just hope to run the right routes and hope the quarterbacks are picking up on your body language. These guys are pros. You know if you get open, they’ll get it to you.
ON TIPS TO GET TO THE NFL
WD: If you want it bad enough and you’re ready to work for it, then go for it. For a lot of kids in the U.S. that’s their goal. If you get a chance, run with it and make the most of it.
IS IT A FISHBOWL IN KC?
WD: It definitely helped me being in Saskatchewan. Trying to get used to it all here and take it all in and enjoy it as much as I can.
DO THE CHIEFS KNOW YOU CAN HOLD ON FIELD GOALS?
WD: They’ve got punters that usually do that. If there’s an emergency, I can jump in there. It’s been awhile since I’ve done that.
8 – RED SOX SEASON OVER: The Regina Red Sox season ended Saturday night with a 4-3 loss in Swift Current. The lead switched teams 4 times during the game with Swift Current scoring the winning run in the bottom of the 9th inning. Kevin Hand took the loss going the distance for Regina.Robbie DeVries earned the win in relief.Hans Ask lead the Sox offensively with a 3 hit night. The Red Sox board of directors would like the thank all the players, coaches, volunteers, game officials, sponsors and our fans for a great ball season.
9 – COME ON A TRIP WITH US!: The inaugural Banjo Bowl Fan Cruise is on sale now through Ixtapa Travel in Winnipeg. Join Bomber greats Chris Walby and David Black along with Carm Carteri and me as we sail out of Miami through the Eastern Caribbean. The trip is in early February of 2016. Inside cabins start as low as $809 for the week-long trip while Ocean View rooms start at $1009! We’ll have plenty of fun activities on board including a Q & A session with the fans. For details, email Christine at christine@IxtapaTravel.ca … Meanwhile the SportsCage Marlin Travel Ultimate Sports Trip IV goes December 5-11, 2014 and this year it’s a mega trip! We’ll head to San Diego to catch the Patriots and Chargers before heading up to Orange County to watch the Oilers-Ducks and Flyers-Kings. The trip will obviously be hosted by me but our chaperone this year will be the Riders’ Chris Getzlaf! For info or to book, call Terry at the Southland Mall Marlin Travel at 306-585-0055.
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THAT’S ALL! ENJOY UP WEEK!
RP
@sportscage
As long as the Riders dont look past Montreal should be an easy win on Sat.
I'm glad the CFL has the two division format, even this year with the disparity in records. If we had a one division format, this would be an incredibly boring 2nd half of the season if we knew all the West teams were going through. This year, all division games are going to be HUGE, with playoff implications and the fact that a Western team will be gone before the end of regular season. This assures us that West teams can't coast their way into the post-season. Even the division games between the East teams will be competitive, seeing how… Read more »
Heyyyyy, its another name-dropping, look at how I roll with the bigshots column by Rod Pedersen.
Yup. He's an important man. And you're not. Get over it!
There's got to be a reason why the bigshots always invite Rod to their events.
This Trevor character should stick to sports illistrated for kids and let the adults discuss football.
Another jealous RP hater from CJME.
MERV
Combining into a single league would result in (even more) lost interest by fans in the east. Eastern owners are poor marketers already. Product development is part of marketing and when a business does not reinvest in its product it will fail. Even investing in longer pre-season prep would help weaker teams be more competitive. Or a living wage for back-up players. Something!
I've traveled to Winnipeg to watch Riders vs Bombers on several occasions now. This was my first to the new field. A few thoughts: – new facility is fantastic. We had nosebleed seats and they still had great seat view and were easier to get to than the decent seats we'd always gotten at CanadInns. They still have a couple kinks to work out though. Beer lines a way too long and move way too slow. And travel out of the facility is awful. We ended up walking because we ended up not finding out bus until it departed without… Read more »
I would like to know less about HAWGarama and a little more local stuff. What about the REd Sox, Thunder camp,
Any decision made on Taj Smith yet? I am so torn about this. I feel like he is too good of a player not to keep him and if he doesn't play here he will play somewhere else. Edmonton or Calgary would snap him up. Yet, he seemed to not care about himself his own future, his family or his team by ignoring the restrictions placed on him by the court. Hate to lose him but respect whatever decision the team makes, it's a tough one.
And he was swingin!!!!! Cuz that's how he rolls!
I too would love to see the Riders cross-over to the east and then onward to the Grey Cup. Could it get any better than a Riders vs. Stamps Grey Cup game in BC Place?
A Few Things: 1) The people that hate on Rod Pedersen do it for one simple reason. Most of the guys on this site do not feel very good about their lives. They're casting about for someone to blame, some explanation for their anguish, and confusion. They see Rod doing really well, and because he's from small town Saskatchewan and making it they're scared their lives are going to amount to little. This is what I call an aggrieved sense of entitlement. They have either lost something or never had it and I'm betting that it's respect. They feel entitled… Read more »
It's a sad state of affairs when a 4th place finish is more desirable than coming in 3rd. It's a much easier path to the Grey Cup.
Yes obviously the 4th place team in the West will be in the playoffs – if the East has only the top two teams making it… But lets get real about something right now: Saskatchewan will be in first or second in the West. Secondly, Saskatchewan will again go to the Grey Cup. And last, most important, Saskatchewan will repeat as Grey Cup champions! If anyone out there is for some reason thinking how Sask can somehow sneak into 4th in the West, and hopefully get into the East playoffs – give your head a shake (yourself included Rod). This… Read more »
I kind of enjoy Rod's stories about hanging out with the big shots. You turkeys that work in the blue building beside Merchant can only dream about being invited to hang out with them. Funny that Hooters wants to set up shop in Stoon first with the Shark Club already in the breastaurant business. Then again, the place is small and parking at the Sandman is ridiculous. Hooters would be well advised to build a big place with lots of parking. Plus they'd need to get a big fan bus going down to each Rider game and even the Blades… Read more »
Teams won't be able to fool around with trying to lose into 4th place. It's a slippery slope which could lead to them missing the playoffs with a 5th place finish.
That's indicative of what I was just writing. People want to do the least amount of work yet wind up with the best possible result. Then they are aggreived when it doesn't happen, and upset at those who did put in the work. The one example comes to mind is the 2001 Grey Cup. This one stands out for me as much as the classic's of '89, 94, and '05. You have an 8-10 Calgary team upsetting Winnipeg in the final. Troy Westwood misses 3 FGs and Marcus Crandell is an MVP for LIfe, andCalgary are the champs. They have… Read more »
Firstly if for any reason we had to cross over to the east, I'm OK with that just as long as we go to the dance. Secondly who is Zach Anderson. We know he lives in his mom's basement but did she actually buy him a smart phone so he could post? Thirdly this team suffered a lot of big losses, certainly more than any other CFL team could handle. They are finding their way and as soon as the offence meets up with the defence, who can beat them? Lastly we need a few pieces and I think we… Read more »
I can see Hamilton floating through the East while the West teams beat the crap out of one another.
Old Cuss