DAYTONA HOMES MONDAY MORNING GOALIE

10 MONDAY ODDS ‘N ENDS

1 – AN EARLY CHRISTMAS PRESENT: It may be way too soon to predict the Saskatchewan Roughriders will announce their offensive and defensive coordinators this week however head coach Corey Chamblin hinted seven days ago that, if things fall into place, he could have the O.C. hired by this week.  Rumours abound that Chamblin’s #1 choice is Paul Lapolice and it appears the feeling is mutual.  Sportsnet’s Arash Madani added fuel to the fire on Friday’s SportsCage on 620 CKRM by reporting the latest of what he knows.

Madani said B.C. Lions GM Wally Buono has declared he’s in no rush to name his new head coach and a Sportsnet report late last week stated the front-runner for the B.C. job is Jeff Tedford.  Madani said Lapolice isn’t prepared to wait around for the Lions’ decision and if the Saskatchewan offer is too his liking, he’s prepared to sign here.  All signs point to the star of TSN’s Coaches Playbook returning to the Wheat Province.  Having said that, there are still several options out there for the Riders to pick from.

2 – AS FOR THE DEFENSE:  Chamblin brought up on multiple occasions in his Tuesday media scrum that he himself is a candidate for the vacant defensive coordinator position.  While I was told over the weekend Chamblin is also strongly considering Mike Benevides for the job, some players have told me Chamblin might as well give himself the position.  They feel Corey’s in control of the defense anyway, and they’re comfortable with that scenario.

3 – THE COMMISSIONER SEARCH:  With Mark Cohon’s early exit from the Commissioner’s office taking place in January, the search for his replacement must have accelerated.  TSN’s Jock Climie has been rumoured to be in position for the job while some have suggested Argonauts executive Mike “Pinball” Clemons could be an ideal candidate.  Who knows if the search committee will suggest either one of these guys but there seems to be an appetite for a “football guy” for the position.  So far I haven’t heard of a timetable for an announcement.

4 – SAME GOES FOR THE RIDER PRESIDENCY:  Has there been a more secretive search than the one for Jim Hopson’s replacement as President & CEO of the Saskatchewan Roughriders?  There have been NO names disclosed publicly but they must be getting close to a decision.  Some of the shortlist candidates have told me they’ve been informed that they won’t be getting the job.  Since we’re halfway through December, you’d have to think an announcement will be made some time in January.

Meanwhile interviews are being conducted this week for the next head coach of the University of Regina Rams.  From what I can gather, Calgary Stampeders assistant coach Marc Mueller is not in the mix.  Mueller has been tight-lipped on the subject but told me Sunday, “I’m very happy with where I am”.

While surfing Twitter on the way back from California on Thursday I saw the ridiculous rumour that Paul McCallum had applied for the Rams coaching job.  Turns out the Vancouver reporter who broke the “scoop” meant former Rams lineman Tom McCallum.

5 – TOP TEN NFL STORIES:  Writer Bob McManaman of the website azcentral.com out of Phoenix listed his Top 10 NFL stories of 2014 on Sunday.  They are:

10 – THE CATCH by N.Y. Giants rookie Odell Beckham Jr.
9 – Johnny Manziel.  Period.
8 – Patriots rookie Jonas Gray rushing for 201 yds in his NFL debut
7 – RG3 going 3-8 as a starter in Washington
6 – Arizona Cardinals equaling a franchise-best 11 wins in 15 weeks
5 – Jim Harbaugh’s tenuous situation in San Francisco
4 – Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers going 7-0 at home
3 – The Adrian Peterson scandal in Minneapolis
2 – Michael Sam
1 – Ray Rice

Since we do things on a smaller scale in the CFL, here are my (*AMENDED* top five stories of 2014 north of the border:

5 – Ottawa RedBlacks win their home-opener over Toronto
4 – Stamps tailback Jon Cornish winning the rushing crown in just nine games
3 – The averted players’ strike
2 – Commissioner Mark Cohon announcing the 2014 season would be his last
1 – Calgary winning the Grey Cup on a controversial play against Hamilton in Vancouver

6 – RIDER FREE AGENTS:  Friday’s signing of pending free agent Tearrius George didn’t exactly set off a domino effect but it was a clear sign that the Riders have targeted the FA’s on their list of 29 that are a priority.  The others will likely include Tyron Brackenridge, Ben Heenan and Weston Dressler.  Weston has reportedly told friends he’s not searching for an NFL opportunity but also would look at any offers if they come available.  Will he re-sign here?  Since he came back once, I’m confident he will again.  As for other teams’ free agents, I was told in the summer time that Eskimos slotback Fred Stamps would gladly trade in Green & Gold for Green & White but that may have changed since the Western Semifinal.  That’s when the Evil Empire vanquished Canada’s Team 18-10.

As for CFL Lineman of the Year Brett Jones of the Calgary Stampeders, you can forget about him coming home to Saskatchewan.  He’s already been in discussions with several NFL teams and I’m told a likely destination for Brett is the New England Patriots.

7 – GO PATS GO:  The Regina Pats got a boost on Sunday when they learned star forward Morgan Klimchuk was among the first cut by Canada’s World Junior team.  He’s likely wondering what more he had to do after scoring in their exhibition games and frankly it’s a shame there won’t be a Pat on Canada’s roster for another year.  The drought’s getting long!

The Pats slipped by the Blades 5-4 in Saskatoon Saturday night and enter the week in second place in the WHL’s East Division, but still 12 points behind the front-running Brandon Wheat Kings.  The Pats’ recent hot streak has many Regina hockey fans hoping they the club is a “buyer” at the trade deadline however that wouldn’t be smart.  They’re in great shape to unload some hot commodities and build this franchise for the years to come.  They can’t afford another gaffe like keeping Jordan Eberle in 2010 when the club wound up missing the playoffs all together.  It set the franchise back years.

The Pats return home Wednesday to host the Lethbridge Hurricanes and the MMG will be in attendance.

Meanwhile has anyone noticed the Vancouver Giants are 6-0 since turfing first-year coach Troy Ward?  Claude Noel seems to have the club headed in the right direction.

8 – LEAFS NATION:  Leafs greats Johnny Bower and Gary Leeman signed autographs for fans prior to Saturday night’s 4-1 win over Detroit in Toronto.  That’s the type of tradition I was hoping would be resurrected here with the Pats but there haven’t been many alumni at games since the home-opener when Regina was trounced 6-1 by Brandon … Meanwhile the one thing I took away from the weekend in the NHL is that Sidney Crosby is the latest to come down with the mumps.  It’s got many in hockey wondering what – or who – these superstars have come into contact with … And having watched the Edmonton Oilers live on Wednesday in Anaheim and then on television on Friday against the Ducks, it’s clear this team is sinking fast.  They’re playing scared and are at least two steps behind the play in all three zones.  Granted they were playing the top team in the NHL but they have a long way to go to even be respectable.

9 – THANK YOU GEORGE!:  I’d like to give a shoutout to George Yannitsos at the 4Seasons Sports Palace who invited the SportsCage crew down for an NFL Watch Party presented by Bud Light on Sunday.  George debuted the new Pulled Pork Panini and distributed tons of NFL swag.  Our crew included Scott Schultz, Carm Carteri, Kelly Remple, Mike Abou-Mechrek and the Muellers.  The place was packed to watch nine NFL games AT ONCE.  Thank you George – you’re the best!

10 – VACATION TIME:  Monday marks the first of three weeks off for the MMG but this blog will continue to be active.  We’ll sneak in quite a few movies like we did on Friday when we endured Horrible Bosses 2 at Southland Cinemas.  I have no hesitation in giving the flick two thumbs down, and it was particularly disappointing because I watched the first one several times!  The only redeeming quality of the sequel was Jennifer Aniston.  Other than that it’s time to rest up for the New Year.

—

THANKS FOR READING!
RP
@sportscage