MONDAY COMMENTARY – GOOD NEWS/BAD NEWS NFL SUNDAY FOR CANADA

(Listen daily for the Rod Pedersen Commentary at 9:50 am and 5:20 pm on Cat Country 98 FM)

WHAT A WILD SUNDAY IN THE NFL!

ON THE FIELD AND IN THE BOOTH.

WHERE TO START? THERE WAS PLENTY OF DRAMA AROUND THE NFC EAST – WHERE MY BELOVED DALLAS COWBOYS RESIDE – AND THEY NEEDED A WIN AT NEW YORK PLUS SOME HELP TO GET INTO THE PLAYOFFS.

MY TEXT CHAIN OF COWBOY FAN BUDDIES WERE ON THE EDGE OF THEIR SEATS AT THE NOON KICKOFF, BUT I WAS OFF PLAYING OUTDOOR HOCKEY WITH MY BROTHER AND NEPHEW.

WHEN THE COWBOYS INEVITABLY BLEW IT – AGAIN – THOSE GUYS’ HEADS WERE POPPING OFF. MEANWHILE I WAS OUT HAVING A BLAST GETTING SOME FRESH AIR.

SEE … WHEN YOU HAVE NO EXPECTATIONS, YOU CAN’T BE DISAPPOINTED.

WRITE THAT DOWN.

ANYWAY, SUNDAY TURNED OUT TO BE A GOOD NEWS/BAD NEWS DAY FOR CANADA IN THE NFL.

VANCOUVER’S CHASE CLAYPOOL SCORED HIS NINTH TOUCHDOWN FOR THE PITTSBURGH STEELERS, WHICH TIED A RECORD FOR THE MOST BY A CANADIAN IN AN NFL YEAR. THAT’S THE GOOD NEWS.

THE BAD NEWS CAME IN THE 3:30 GAME, WHICH MANY OF US WERE WATCHING.

IT WAS THE CARDINALS AND RAMS, AND ARIZONA PUT THE BALL IN QUARTERBACK CHRIS STREVELER’S HANDS TO MAKE THE PLAYOFFS WITH A WIN. WE KNOW STREVELER FROM WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS FAME.

AFTER A GOOD START, HE FIZZLED PRETTY BADLY AND WAS PULLED. CBS COLOUR MAN BOOMER ESIASON WAS SCALDING IN HIS ANALYSIS, SAYING “THIS ISN’T THE CFL” WITH REGARDS TO STREVELER’S DECISION-MAKING.

IT CAPPED OFF A NOT-SO-GREAT WEEK FOR THE CFL’S IMAGE, AND THEY DIDN’T DO A DARN THING WRONG.

ALL IN ALL IT WAS A GREAT SUNDAY AND WHAT I LIKED BEST IS IT GAVE US SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT TODAY.

THESE DAYS, THAT’S THE BEST WE CAN ASK FOR.

THAT’S TODAY’S ROD PEDERSEN COMMENTARY ON CAT COUNTRY 98.