SCRUFFY’S THIS ‘N THAT

1 – AND SO IT BEGINS:  The Corey Mace era in Riderville is officially underway. There has been a lot of talk and conjecture about whether or not he was the first choice and I have heard a lot of stories over the last week, all that have some merit to it but at the end of the day Mace is here and he is saying all the right things.

One of the things he said he will do is make Regina his year-round home and that is great. Is he going to live in that house Bo Levi Mitchell had? We all know the problems with this organization lie deeper than just hiring a new head coach. They have lost a part of their fanbase for a variety of reasons, some that are the team’s fault and others that aren’t, but from now to training camp the organization has to get Mace out there in the community as often as they can and not just in Regina and Saskatoon so that those who are on the fence can get back onside. I think he will certainly do that if his track record means anything.

Mace is saying all the right things, but he has to deliver on those things. Even if he was Plan B, everyone I have spoken to say this guy is going to bring tremendous energy to a team that as we all know needs a big-time jolt.

2 – MARC MUELLER:  I have liked Marc Mueller from the moment I met him so right away, he’s not like his dad!! (Relax Larry, I’m joking!!) This guy knows more about football than many of you and he has the pedigree.  I want him to succeed as offensive coordinator of the Riders, but I wonder if a fanbase that demands instantaneous results will allow it. There are fans out there who will be critical of him as soon as the offence sputters even if it’s on the first drive of the season.  Yes, Marc needs to prove himself as an o-c and yes, he knows he is walking into an environment where the fanbase booed his legendary grandfather.  If he can get things turned around immediately it would be great but show some patience with him which means the entire 24 season.

3 – CODY FAJARDO: You might still not like it, but I love the fact that Cody Fajardo has been rewarded for helping the Alouettes win the Grey Cup by getting a contract extension.  It’s been quite the 365 days for Cody.  From a QB who was no longer wanted here to a QB that now has a Grey Cup on his resume and will be with the Alouettes until the end of the 25 season.  At that time, he can ride off in the sunset if he wants and in a league where quarterbacks move quite a bit maybe he ends up somewhere else, but he has himself some job security for this upcoming year and next. 

 

 

4 – WOULD YOU BE DOWN WITH THIS?  I have said in this space before that I think it’s great that the Leader-Post managed to get Darrell Davis back in the fold after the departure of Rob Vanstone.  Darrell is one of the most respected journalists out there and unlike others, he is more than willing to have a respectful discussion with you if you disagree on something.  In a column last month, Darrell brought up the fact that CFL kickers made 86 percent of their field goals.  He went on to ponder whether or not the CFL should take a page out of the NFL playbook and move the goalposts to the back of the endzone to make teams have to get a little deeper into opposition territory to try a three-pointer.

I would like to see a way to make three pointers a little less automatic as even 50 yd field goals seem to be made with a little more ease these days on both sides of the border.  If the CFL cut the endzone down to 15 yards and moved the posts back would you be in favour of it or not?

It also brings up my other pet peeve about the big endzones we have here and why teams don’t throw the ball at the one or two-yard line when they have so much space to work with instead of bringing in the short-yardage QB to put it over the goal-line.   If you can throw an eight-yard out at the 40 yard line, you can do it from inside the three as well.

5 – ARE WE SURE HE’S ONLY 18?:  Connor Bedard’s family was dragged through the mud thanks to the team he plays for and some knuckledragger who thought he would start a rumour that caught fire. As I stated last week, the Blackhawks should be embarrassed and should fire all of their public relations staff for letting rumours go for as long as they did.  I didn’t know if Bedard would say anything and if he did, I wondered if it would be to someone like an Elliotte Friedman so it could be a one-and-done.  With the Hawks in Winnipeg, a reporter decided to pester Bedard about it until he finally said something. Show some empathy here!  The kid is 18 and he is repeatedly asked about something that is extremely sensitive.  I wouldn’t have blamed him if he said something obnoxious to said reporter.  One could have asked “do you care to comment “and if he said no, let it go but that didn’t happen and it resulted in the soundbite occurring.  This story is now over, but the maturity level he is showing on this is exemplary.

If I were him and his family, I would still remember this episode when his rookie deal expires.

6 – NO TO THE NOLES:  Florida State’s football team got jobbed.  Despite going 13-0 on the season and winning their conference championship, 13 people and maybe a network decided that a one-loss Alabama team was more worthy of competing for a national championship saying things like injuries made the Seminoles less competitive.  Sorry that is a weak excuse!  The fact of the matter is the SEC brings more dollars to college football and a marquee program like Alabama means more to them than the ACC champion Seminoles so Alabama gets in and Florida State doesn’t. You can bet your last dollar that if the roles were reversed, a one-loss Florida State team wouldn’t be taking the spot a perfect Alabama team.

This is why it will be better next year when the top 12 have a chance to compete for a nattie with the 13th -15th ranked teams being choked even though their shot at winning it all would be very miniscule.


7 – NFL WEEK 13:
  Here are a few tidbits for you as you sit down to watch the NFL this weekend.

  • More games are within one possession in the final period than any other time in league history. Since the beginning of 2022, 73.3 percent of all games (340 of 464) have been within one score in the fourth quarter. That means three of approximately every four games could go either way when the scoreboard shifts to the final 15 minutes.
  • Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson, playing his 82nd career game in Week 12, became the fastest quarterback ever to reach 5,000 rushing yards, 22 games earlier than Michael Vick Jackson enters Sunday with 5,011 career rushing yards, fourth most by a quarterback all-time.
  • Don’t expect a lot of laundry on the field when the Minnesota Vikings visit the Las Vegas Raiders. That’s because the Raiders (4.67) and Vikings (4.83), respectively, have committed the fewest penalties per game in the NFL.

8 – ETHAN BEAR:  With teams in the NHL looking for defencemen, why hasn’t anyone called Ethan Bear? The pride of the Ochapowace First Nation is looking for a team and several like Toronto are in need of blueliners. The 2017 WHL defenceman of the year won’t cost you a lot and he doesn’t need to be a top three guy. He will also come cheap as he is coming off injury and he will have something to prove.  If he is ready to go, someone can get a good player at the right price.

9 – COUGARS BASKETBALL: If I had told Steve Burrows before the Canada West men’s basketball season started that his U of R men’s basketball team would hit the Christmas break with a record of 8-0, he might have laughed at me and others may have done so too, Look at the Canada West standings and you will see the Cougars are in first place at the Christmas break with a record of 8-0.  A team that has had a lot of injuries will get healthier in January and while the second half schedule is tougher than the first, this is a team led by Matt and Nick Barnard that is ready to make some noise.  Go check them and the women’s team out in the 2nd half of the season, It would be nice to see that gym full on Friday and Saturday night and both teams are showing they are more than worthy of your support.

That’s all I got. Have a great weekend!

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Ron
Ron
10 months ago

That big time jolt you speak of is coming Mr. Blair. It’s coming in the form of Bo Levi Mitchell resuming his residency in Regina and reuniting with Riders Offensive Coordinator Marc Mueller as the Saskatchewan Roughriders newly annoited starting quarterback. Old Trevor Harris, so long, good riddance, too expensive, done nothing, bye bye!

🤠 Howdy
🤠 Howdy
10 months ago

CFL cut the play field endzones to 15 yards and put the goalposts on the back end a must have. Git it done!

BoltBoy
BoltBoy
10 months ago
Reply to  🤠 Howdy

Agreed, but nothing wrong with putting the goal posts at the back of the endzone 20 yards deep! Remember our endzones USED to be 25 yards deep! I like our deep end zones, do not shrink them!

Metalshingelguy
Metalshingelguy
10 months ago

Well Mitchell you’re correct in that the Mueller hiring has put him under the microscope. The 2 year deal he signed should give him lots of time to sink or swim. I’m sure tired of the riders trying to tug on the heartstrings of rider nation though, we all know about all his family ties to the organization, give it a rest already.! They can stop all the crap about the best fans in the CFL while they’re at it , Winnipeg has the best fans, our stadium is empty while theirs is overflowing. That’s what winning does simple as… Read more »

Patrolman Pete
Patrolman Pete
10 months ago

Pushing the goalposts to the back of the endzone feels like change for change’s sake. There’s nothing wrong with the current setup.

Ryder
Ryder
10 months ago

Throw this around. A trade, Mitchell for Harris, reuniting QB,s with their old OC.s.

Roberto Spallone
Roberto Spallone
10 months ago

Great stuff: 6) Florida State is this year’s version of TCU and before that Cincinnati. Absolutely no business in the CFP because it’s down to 2 Super Conferences the Big 10 and SEC. Next year it’s not even a discussion with Texas/Okla moving to the SEC and USC/UCLA heading to the Big 10. It’s pro-football and the NCAA will not be around to manage that in 5 years. Florida State I can tell you will drop out of the Orange Bowl. They want no piece of Georgia. 8) Ethan Bear is not picked up because if anyone watches him he… Read more »

BoltBoy
BoltBoy
10 months ago

WOW!! And whom, pray tell, would have quarterbacked the Riders? Bubba Wyche? Gary Lane? Ya, he threw a lot of interceptions, BUT for decades he had the most passing yards EVER in the league!! You’re cherry picking.

Randy West
Randy West
10 months ago
Reply to  BoltBoy

You know who tossed a lot of yards? Kevin Glenn and R.L has 1 more Grey Cup.

Socialmisfit
Socialmisfit
10 months ago

Journalists gave the Beddard story legs so don’t go after the Blackhawks and blame any of this on them. The fact you keep talking about it is just as bad! The story will die off once people quit talking about it and I am pretty sure everyone else has. Who cares if Mace was the first choice or not he is the Riders head coach he has a good resume, has earned the opportunity to be a cfl head coach, wants to be here and is embracing the province that’s the story and what fans should rally behind not the… Read more »

Chris Jones fan club member
Chris Jones fan club member
10 months ago
Reply to  Socialmisfit

Sorry but you are mistaken Mace was plan C not plan B! Don’t drink the green kool aid Oday tries to feed people.
Mace has a good resume? I didn’t realize that he was a head coach before! Last time I looked he was a defensive coordinator whos defense got beaten by an average Alouettes offense when the chips were down on the table in a big game! Good luck being a rookie head coach working under Oday is all I can say!

Socialmisfit
Socialmisfit
10 months ago

Last time I looked he also won a grey cup as a defensive coordinator just over a year ago so thanks for coming out. He has earned the opportunity to be a head coach just as much as any recycled head coach who has bounced around the league with mediocre results. If his hiring bothers you just don’t tune into the games problem solved!

Hunter Bibb
Hunter Bibb
10 months ago

Florida didn’t get robbed , the committee put the best 4 in , if anything Michigan should be ineligible, give FSU that spot. This so called snub will only hasten FSU’s inevitable departure to the Big 10 along with Clemson, and rest assured it’s in the works.

Bobby Rinaldi
Bobby Rinaldi
10 months ago
Reply to  Hunter Bibb

Add in Miami to the big 10 because Florida and Georgia want no part of them in the SEC. Miami is the team the big 10 actually wants so will take maybe take FSU and probably North Carolina.

I have followed college for 35 yrs. We had the Detroit cable system so michigan has a following. Never were they at the level they have ever been since Harbaugh took over.

Clemson will go to the SEC and their coach basically got left behind.

“College” ain’t college.

These bowl games mean absolutely nothing to the point eventually they will be canceled.

Guess
Guess
10 months ago

It doesn’t matter who is writing Rider news, the rest of that newspaper is nothing but a NDP Newsletter and it’s not allowed in my house.

Randy West
Randy West
10 months ago
Reply to  Guess

So true. Did you ever think the ndp would be openly the slime they actually are? Mandryk has tried for decades to pull a patrick davitt and land there
.the historian went to the riders. Davis doesn’t need the money as life insurance had him covered. That leaves one guy needing a job before it caves in. Which it should have 20 years ago.

Ross
Ross
10 months ago

This blogs contributor “Chris Jones fan club member”_ he’s good very good, great actually. He pulls no punches when he speaks. Too many brown nosed Green Koolaid drinkers wearing green sunglasses on this site at times. Thanx “Chris Jones fan club” member for telling the truths on the Saskatchewan Roughriders BS shenanigans.