COMMENTARY – ODE TO THE CFL
Photo: With Matt Dunigan At Toronto Pearson Airport
(Listen daily for the RP Commentary on Cat Country 98, Rock 98.5 FM & LTD Radio)
Today’s commentary is brought to you by the Canadian Football League.
Or at least, it’s about the CFL.
And this summer it’s been a case of good news/bad news for Canada’s second-most popular pro league.
The good news is the games have largely been good, there are some tantalizing storylines, and from what I can gather, TV ratings have held steady or even improved.
We’re coming off the second-highest scoring week of the season and that Edmonton/Winnipeg game was a cliffhanger. The Elks built up a 22-0 lead and appeared to be on the verge of snapping their 21-game home losing streak. But they blew it, and back-up Dru Brown threw four touchdowns to lead Winnipeg to a victory.
It was the second-biggest comeback in Bomber history. Matt Dunigan completed a 27-point comeback for the Bombers in a 1994 win over Hamilton, a game in which the Blue trailed 41-14 with eight minutes to go in the third quarter.
Kids … let me tell you something about Matt Dunigan. He’s one of the greatest CFL quarterbacks to ever put on the cleats but doesn’t ever get mentioned with the greats like Moon, Flutie & Allen.
But to me he’s on the Mount Rushmore of CFL quarterbacks.
The bad news for the CFL is that it’s the Season Of The Back-up. Almost every starting QB has missed time and that’s catastrophic for the league. They’re cute stories but people aren’t buying tickets to watch Dustin Crum, Caleb Evans, Tre Ford, Dru Brown, Mason Fine or Jake Dolegala.
Clearly.
And speaking of, almost daily I hear talk about the empty seats in CFL stadiums and get asked for an opinion. But at this point in time, it’s not a concern of mine. The NHL’s Arizona Coyotes can’t fill a 5,000-seat arena yet they keep coming back for more and we hear no talk of them being in financial jeopardy. A good chunk of MLB stadiums have good sections available too.
I assume the CFL is in the same boat.
Otherwise, I don’t see anything being done about it.
That’s today’s Rod Pedersen Commentary
(The Rod Pedersen Show airs daily at 12 pm ET on Game+TV, WQEE Radio, Podcast & YouTube Live)
Matt Dunigan has aged to perfection. – this is an example of why diet/fitness/outlook are so important. I see a guy living his best life, and having fun on that panel. He brings great insights and kept up with the modern era. It’s also a shame his cooking show didn’t last. If the kids do not know who this guy is or what he’s about I can school them. In Toronto there is a phenom named Chad Kelly. His Uncle was Jim Kelly – Jim Kelly was a Linebacker playing QB. Matt Dunigan was the CFL version of Jim Kelly.… Read more »