Scruffy’s This N That

1 – ONE DRIVE: Like a lot of you that watched it, I thought the University of Regina Rams had slayed the dragon at the Mitchell Bowl. Mark McConkey’s gang and the Laval Rouge et Or went toe-to-toe last Saturday much to the surprise of many who thought Laval would roll. When Marshall Erichsen went 37 yards for a touchdown late in the 4^th quarter, I thought Regina might just do it, but they could not.

There were many missed opportunities for both teams in this game, but when the chips were put into the middle of the table, the experienced Laval offence – who has been on this stage before – took over as they surgically moved the ball down the field for the game-winning touchdown. Had a tipped pass stayed in the air for a half-second more, Regina likely makes an interception and ends the game but they didn’t.

As disappointed as the Rams were not to leave the Mosaic Stadium turf with the Mitchell Bowl in hand, they have nothing to hang their head about when it comes to the season. This was a team that many thought wouldn’t do anything. They found a way to get in the playoffs and win the Hardy Cup and they were one defensive stop away from playing for the Vanier Cup this weekend.

2 – GREY CUP SATURDAY NIGHT: The CFL went to Saturday playoff games this year with the Grey Cup staying on Sunday. It seemed as if it was something that CFL fans approved of as TV ratings were up by 18 percent from the year before. It just begs the question — Is it time to play the Grey Cup on a Saturday night?  Why not?

Having the game start at 6 Eastern time would allow those going to the game to whoop it up after the game.  Maybe the CFL has a post-game concert to go along with the half-time show that fans could enjoy at the venue. It would allow those who have gone to the city of choice to return home on Sunday and not miss a day of work.  Instead of going up against the NFL late games and Sunday nighter, you would be going up against Hockey Night in Canada and probably a good couple of US College Football games. I think it is something worth considering.

3 – GREY CUP 111: So much for my prediction! There are some teams that you just can’t beat and for Winnipeg, Toronto is to them what the New York Giants were to the New England Patriots. Winnipeg won nine of their final 12, but all three losses were to Toronto. Even without Chad Kelly, they were more than ready to take on the Bombers with a backup quarterback who probably lengthened his career a little and a defence that made life miserable for the Bombers. That defence turned the game into a one-sided affair and it probably would have been that way even if Zach Collaros doesn’t get hurt. Give Toronto 100 percent credit for what they did and if Chad Kelly does come back, make them the favourite for next year because Toronto started getting better once he returned. By the way, why didn’t Winnipeg use the league’s most outstanding player more? Yes, Toronto stacked the box but you still had to find a way to get Brady Oliveria going even if it was through the passing game.

4 – WHAT IS A DYNASTY? Hate the Bombers all you want, but the bottom line is they have represented the West in the Grey Cup for five straight years. They have found a way to stay atop the West in a world of free agency and one-year contracts and they should be commended for that, but stop calling them a dynasty! A dynasty is the Edmonton Eskimos of the late 70’s-early 80’s that won five in a row, a dynasty is not a team that has gotten to the big game five years in a row. Toronto has won two out of the last three and three of the last six. Are they a dynasty? No! The Alouettes were in the Grey Cup five out of six years from 2005-10 and had a record of 2-3. No one called them a dynasty!

5 – WHAT DO YOU WANT: Word is from a couple of people I know is that the Riders are phoning season-ticket holders asking what improvements can be made moving forward. I hope they are phoning a wide-swath of people because they will get a wide variety of answers. Improvements are needed when it comes to the game-day experience. I’ll be interested to see what the end result is. If I can give some free advice to my friends at Mosaic, I would say to put the questions onto a survey on their website so that ALL who are going to Rider games or thinking of going to Rider games can have their say. The single-game buyer is just as important as a season ticket buyer right?

Maybe this will end as the perfect time to part ways with Worksafe Bob!

6 – THE TANNER HOWE TRADE: Well, it wasn’t exactly what Regina media outlet I am familiar with said it was going to be, but Tanner Howe is now a member of the Calgary Hitmen — but Corbin Vaughan isn’t. The return was fantastic. If you are a WHL fan, you know the Pats got themselves a player in defenceman Reese Hamilton. The Whitewood product is one of the WHL’s best 17-year-olds and is said by many to be perhaps a top 10 pick when he is draft eligible. Reets Fawcett is a guy that Pats fans are going to love as he can be one of those gritty agitators. It doesn’t mean a lot this year, but GM Al Millar is slowly getting this team to a very good spot and good times aren’t far away especially if Hamilton does here what a kid that he brought to Moose Jaw did with the Warriors — that kid was Denton Mateychuk if you didn’t know. By the way, Howe is wearing 9 in Calgary. I don’t like that.

If the Pats can find a way to get fans back into the building, (ie: lower ticket prices and stop gouging fans) the Brandt Centre will be full again and playoff hockey will be back.

7 – WHO MAKES IT AND WHO DOESN’T: We will soon find out what players will be on Canada’s team for the Four Nations Cup. No matter who is chosen, the lineup will be dissected and scrutinized so does it really matter who goes? For what it’s worth, here are my selections.

• Jordan Binnington, Marc-Andre Fleury, Adin Hill (G)
• Evan Bouchard, Noah Dobson, Dougie Hamilton, Cale Makar, Josh Morrissey, Shea Theodore, Devon Toews (D)
• Connor Bedard, Sam Bennett, Sidney Crosby, Adam Lowry, Brad Marchant, Mason Marchment, Connor McDavid, Nathan McKinnon, Sam Reinhart, Mark Scheifele, Mark Stone, Carter Verhaeghe (F)

Feel free to pick away at that roster or any roster that you see.

8 – NFL WEEK 12: Here are a few pieces of information as you get ready for another Sunday of NFL play.

• Detroit quarterback Jared Goff completed 24 of 29 pass attempts (82.8 percent) for 412 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions for a 158.3 passer rating – the highest attainable mark – in the team’s Week 11 win against Jacksonville and became the first player in NFL history with multiple career games with at least 400 passing yards, four touchdown passes and a 158.3 rating. Goff has 39 career games with at least 300 passing yards and with another such performance on Sunday at Indianapolis, he can become the fifth player all-time with at least 300 passing yards in 40 games within his first nine seasons, joining Patrick Mahomes (46 games in first eight seasons), Matt Ryan (41), Pro Football Hall of Famers Dan Marino (41) and Peyton Manning (40).
• The Philadelphia Eagles have won six consecutive games since their Week 5 bye and have rushed for at least 150 yards and multiple touchdowns in each of their past five games.On Sunday Night Football at the Los Angeles Rams (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC), the Eagles can become the second team in NFL history with at least 150 rushing yards and multiple rushing touchdowns in six consecutive games, joining the 1949 Philadelphia Eagles.
• For the second time since 1970 (2017), six teams enter Week 12 on a winning streak of four-or-more games: Detroit (eight consecutive wins), Buffalo (six), Philadelphia (six), Pittsburgh (five), Arizona (four) and the Los Angeles Chargers (four). Arizona (6-4) and the Los Angeles Chargers (7-3) are two of the six teams that are above .500 in 2024 after missing the postseason last year, along with Atlanta (6-5), Denver (6-5), Minnesota (8-2) and Washington (7-4).

Additionally, six teams have eight-or-more wins through Week 11: Detroit (9-1), Kansas City (9-1), Buffalo (9-2), Minnesota (8-2), Philadelphia (8-2) and Pittsburgh (8-2). It marks only the third time in the past 35 seasons (1990-2024) that six-or-more teams had at least eight wins at this point of a season, along with 2019 (seven teams) and 1999 (six).

9 – RANDOM THOUGHTS:

• If Aaron Rodgers is contemplating retirement as some are suggesting, do you think he could end up as a studio host or an analyst? I do!
• Whoever made the decision to have fans at the Mitchell Bowl sit on the far side of Mosaic Stadium should be commended. It has baffled me since the Taylor Field days why you wouldn’t have fans on the far side so that TV cameras could show that there were people enjoying themselves at the game.  I was told the City wanted it the way it was. Why? It looked terrible when the Thunder and Rams were at Mosaic and all you saw was one empty section after another. Please keep it the way it was Saturday moving forward.
• When will the CFL invite Chris Berman to the Grey Cup? The ESPN personality promotes the league and the game every Monday during his halftime segment and he loves the CFL.
• If you are reading this from Saskatchewan, you know the weather we have gotten this week. I’ve had enough snow for the winter and I don’t think we are even getting started.

Have a great weekend everyone!