THROWIN’ ELBOWS WITH BRENDAN MCGUIRE

1. GREY CUP A RINGING ENDORSEMENT FOR CHRIS JONES: The big knock on Chris Jones’s time in Saskatchewan, aside from ditching out just days after telling us all how excited he was to stay and the ridiculous amount for money he made to produce one playoff win, was how he never did solve the Riders quarterback situation. Zach Collaros was his solution and as we now know, Zach is still a pretty darn good QB. Another reminder of Jones’s unimpeachable ability to construct a winning roster from scratch. Yet another reason for the Edmonton Elks to consider swallowing their pride to bring Jones back for a dual GM-head coach role. They can justify bringing the man back who ditched out on them eight days after winning Grey Cup 2015 by slightly underpaying the guy and locking him into a long-term contract as a ‘kiss-and-make-up’ moment. 

2. WHY COLLAROS DIDN’T WORK OUT IN SASKATCHEWAN: If anyone were to ask Zach point blank: ‘Why didn’t it work out in Regina?’, he would probably answer quite simply ‘Injuries’. It is true that Zach was battling some serious concussion problems while he was here. But there was also a cloud hanging over his time in Saskatchewan that made you feel like he was never 100% comfy with the fishbowl that is Rider nation. Cody Fajardo, on the other hand, loves the fishbowl and the attention it brings, despite his occasional sad moments. Everything happens for a reason and different people fit in different situations. Zach might be a better CFL quarterback but Cody is a better fit for the Riders and their fans.

3. WINDY TIM HORTONS FIELD REMINDS ME OF: The old Taylor Field pre-2003 Grey Cup. The combination of open end zones and that wind tunnel that cut through the northwest and southeast open spaces was uncomfortable to sit in but made for some fascinating football. The same was true on Sunday (though the open spaces aren’t quite facing the same direction as old Taylor Field) and it made for some great moments with the kicking game, etc. That’s what football is supposed to be all about.  

4. ONE OF THE GREATEST GREY CUPS OF ALL: Reminded me a lot of Grey Cup 2016 in Toronto, the greatest Grey Cup game I’ve ever been to, when Ottawa finally ended their 40-year-drought. This game didn’t have much scoring in the first half but it didn’t have to. These games are all about how they finish, not how they start. Slow moving chess pieces to start create a nervous tension in the air which has set up some of the greatest finishes we’ve ever seen. This game was definitely in my top 10 of all time, probably even top 5. 

5. JAMES DUTHIE AND HIS FOUR DOWNS: You’ll never find a bigger James Duthie fan than me. But his, and I’m paraphrasing here, ‘Canadian fans get so angry when you bring up the idea of four downs but how else are you supposed to make the games more exciting?’ garbage still has my blood boiling. And how will four downs make the games more exciting, James? By creating more passes being thrown away? Maybe the extra time it will take to get the ball back late in the 4^thquarter will take away all of the close finishes we had this year. Is that your solution? The real answer is for the CFLPA and the league to ensure the quarterbacks, the offensive coordinators and the players have the access and time needed in the offseason and during the season to become the most sophisticated and greatest damn offences the world has ever seen. COVID took that away from us and we never were going to get it back overnight. Bo Levi Mitchell said it best Sunday night after the game when he stated, “The CFL is back!” Maybe TSN should consider having an actual football fan host the Grey Cup championship Sunday program next time, instead of the hockey-focused James Duthie. Jay Onrait would be a fabulous choice!  

6. THIS WEEK I’M JEALOUS OF: Richie Hall. The architect of the world’s greatest defence, again. How his name isn’t being thrown around more for a head coaching job blows my mind.  

7. WALLY BUONO PICKING ELKS GM: His head coaching credentials are undeniable. But his track record of hiring head coaches or a GM is spotty at best. Remember, the BC Lions fell into steady decline under Wally’s star hire, Mike Benevides. And then the Leos deteriorated into a joke under Wally’s next hire, Jeff Tedford. I respect Wally and had great interactions with him in my days covering the Roughrider beat but don’t see him as the answer to guide the Edmonton Elks management team into this brave new frontier.  

8. MORE CFL SKY-IS-FALLING HYSTERIA: Another CFL broadcaster, and quite a good one, Dave Campbell of 630 CHED in Edmonton reacted to the 22% drop in TV ratings from the Grey Cup by tweeting “I love our game but doing nothing and not adapting will lead to this league’s demise. Wake up.” Sorry Dave, Grey Cup TV ratings go up and down and anything during this pandemic, that isn’t yet over, is still an outlier. I agree with you that yes, the league needs to adapt its marketing strategy to connect with immigrants and CFL offences need more time to work together and better resources, but moving to four downs isn’t the answer and will probably even make things worse.  

9. DOUBLE VAX POLICY IMPACT ON ATTENDANCE: No-one knows whether it’s helped or hurt attendance but that hasn’t stopped some of the nonsense from a few of the anti-vaxxers from declaring it a failure. Not so fast. Winnipeg’s attendance patterns were very similar to that of the Riders and the Blue Bombers had a mandatory vax policy from day one whereas the Riders did not. Making declarations one way or the other on how they impacted attendance is wrong and just plain nonsense.

10. GREY CUP MVP TRUCK: They seriously need to bring this back. Doug Flutie handing Paul Masotti the keys to the truck Flutie had just won after Grey Cup ’97 is still one of the great memories from the big game to this day. Make it happen, Randy Ambrosie. Make the Grey Cup MVP award great again.