TUESDAY COMMENTARY – UGLY ALL AROUND

(Listen daily for the Rod Pedersen Commentary on Cat Country 98 & Rock 98.5 FM)

It’s already Tuesday and that means it’s time for another edition of the Good, the Great & the Ugly!

First, the good: At long last the curtain rises on another National Hockey League season tonight as the 2022-23 campaign opens with a doubleheader: the Tampa Bay Lightning at the NY Rangers followed by the Vegas Golden Knights at the L.A. Kings.

Six hours of hockey is just what the doctor ordered.

Just for today, everybody’s in first place. But by the end of it all, I’m calling for a Calgary-Florida Stanley Cup Final.

Don’t miss our NHL Preview special on the RP Show at 10 am MT live from The Beach House in Pompano Beach, FL. The Florida Panthers are graciously putting broadcaster Randy Moller and forward Nick Cousins on the show!

Next, the great: It’s quite simply the wonderful and vast sport of football.

I have no idea how in my old job we talked about just one team for hours on end everyday, year-round. But we did our best.

Now, we talk about the NFL, CFL and college football daily for the exact same reason the chicken crossed the road:

Because we can.

With the RP Show airing on TV and radio in several NFL markets, it’s like a buffet everyday but nobody seems to get full!

What got me the most coming out of the NFL’s Week 5 is how some teams, and players, just have other teams’ numbers.

For instance, the Atlanta Falcons have never beaten Tom Brady. Ever. Nor have the Dallas Cowboys!

I’m sure they’ll be glad when he retires.

Meanwhile the Houston Texans have beaten the Jacksonville Jaguars nine straight times. They can’t beat anyone else, but they can beat the Jags. If only they could play them every game!

The new viewers and listeners in all these markets like our show because it’s fresh and it’s honest.

I’d say that’s great.

And finally, the ugly: We’re not going to say it’s the Roughriders because that’s too easy.

No, what’s ugly is how the NFL seemingly has no idea how to deal with its quarterbacks right now.

Two head referees had to explain themselves for Roughing The Passer calls coming out of Week 5 games. Fortunately for Kansas City a controversial RTP call didn’t cost them the game on Monday Night Football, but for the Atlanta Falcons, it did Sunday in Tampa. Teams and fans are enraged that you basically can’t touch a quarterback right now.

ESPN commentator Troy Aikman is in hot water today for saying the NFL needs to “take the dresses off” and now we wait to see how that one turns out.

Meanwhile, Tua has to watch the games in a quiet room with sunglasses on.

Ugly all around.

That’s today’s Rod Pedersen Commentary

(The Rod Pedersen Show airs daily at 12 pm ET on Game+ TV and WQEE Radio. Call your cable provider to subscribe. You can also watch on YouTube Live or listen 24/7 at RodPedersen.com/ListenLive)