TUESDAY COMMENTARY: GREGORY, PIERSON & JEFFREY

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

It’s Tuesday and that means it’s time for The Good, The Great & The Ugly …

First, the good: John Hufnagel may have said it best, labelling John Gregory as a “good football man”.

The legendary Roughriders coach has passed away at age 84 but left behind a lifetime of great memories in the game.

The Iowa product led the Riders to the 1989 Grey Cup title and made an iconic item out of that gray and white knit Roughriders sweater.

Coach Gregory’s likely best-known for discovering Kurt Warner in the Arena League after his time in Regina, and Warner went on to become NFL MVP and Super Bowl champ with the St. Louis Rams.

I got to know John at the 20-year reunion of the ’89 team and he was a solid as I’d imagined.

Turns out we shared the same lawyer! (Shoutout Bill Howe)

Next, the great: It’s the life of the beautiful Melodye Pierson.

Speaking of icons … Mel was just honoured at the Centennial Cup in Estevan for her decades-long service as a billet with the Bruins.

Talk about one of a kind. When I first met her a few years ago at Estevan Motor Speedway, she shook my hand and almost pulled my arm out of the socket. She looked at me with that piercing stare and said, “You do a helluva job. Your Dad would be so proud.”

I just ran into her a couple months ago in the Energy City and she was so excited to tell me Gerry James’ grandson is playing for the Bruins! She also said, “I saw a picture of your Jeep. It’s KICKASS!”

Mel’s boys Jeff and Brad and their families are hurting now but they can take a lot of pride in the life of their Mom. If our goal is to leave a mark in this world, she certainly did.

And lastly, the ugly: Obviously it’s the search for the Roughriders next Offensive Coordinator, which ended Monday with the hiring of Kelly Jeffrey.

The Insiders told me a month ago Jeffrey was going to get the job and it was reported right here.

Why the club needed to go through the charade of talking to a bunch of other coaches only to get rebuffed is the ugly part. It turned into a P.R. nightmare that could’ve been avoided very easily.

Fans wonder how Jeffrey must feel for not being anywhere near the first choice for the job, but that’s how sports goes. It can be very humbling and you can’t let stuff like that bother you.

The good news is the Riders and Kelly Jeffrey will have the chance to do their talking on the field next season.

Now all they need, is a quarterback.

That’s today’s Rod Pedersen Commentary

(The Rod Pedersen Show airs daily on Game+ TV, YouTube Live and WQEE Radio)