MONDAY COMMENTARY – THAT WAS CLOSE
(Listen daily for the Rod Pedersen Commentary on Cat Country 98 & Rock 98.5 FM)
WELL THAT WAS CLOSE.
AND BY THAT I MEAN, THE ROUGHRIDERS COULD HAVE OR SHOULD HAVE WON SUNDAY’S HOME GAME AGAINST TORONTO.
AS IT WAS, THE ARGONAUTS RODE OFF WITH A 31-21 VICTORY TO SWEEP A BACK-TO-BACK SERIES AND LEAVE THE RIDERS LICKING THEIR WOUNDS, NOW WITH A 4-3 RECORD.
NOT SURE IF IT’S GOOD NEWS OR BAD NEWS, BUT HERE’S MY TAKE: IT’S A GOOD SIGN THAT THE RIDERS HAD A CHANCE TO WIN IT GIVEN THEY HAD A ROOKIE QUARTERBACK MAKING HIS FIRST START AND CODY FAJARDO ON THE SIDELINES.
THE TEAM SEEMS SOUL-LESS WITHOUT CODY ON THE FIELD BUT THAT’S A TOPIC FOR ANOTHER DAY.
THE RIDERS WERE ALSO MISSING STAR PLAYERS DUKE WILLIAMS AND GARRETT MARINO WHO WERE SUSPENDED FOR VARIOUS NO-NO’S.
AND SASKATCHEWAN WON THE TURNOVER BATTLE 5-2.
THE RIDERS ALSO PLAYED COMPLIMENTARY FOOTBALL WITH A TOUCHDOWN ON SPECIAL TEAMS AND THE DEFENSE CAUSING THOSE TURNOVERS.
SO HOW DID THEY LOSE AGAIN?
WELL THEY ALLOWED ARGO HALL OF FAME RUNNING BACK ANDREW HARRIS TO RUSH FOR 143 YARDS. SASK LITERALLY HAD NO ANSWER FOR HARRIS WHEN THE ARGOS KEPT GIVING HIM THE BALL IN THE SECOND HALF TO WEAR OFF THE CLOCK.
AND THERE WERE TOO MANY TWO-AND-OUTS WITH THE ROOKIE QUARTERBACK JAKE DOLEGALA WHILE HE FIGURED THINGS OUT, BUT THAT CERTAINLY IS TO BE EXPECTED.
HE THREW FOR 131 YARDS, PLUS 1 AND 1 WITH A GROUP OF RECEIVERS THAT REALLY COULD’VE APTLY BEEN NAMED “FIVE GUYS”.
IF FAJARDO IS FORCED TO MISS MORE TIME, THE RIDERS SHOULD BE FINE WITH DOLEGALA BECAUSE HE SEEMS TO HAVE THE “IT” FACTOR.
NOBODY EVER SAID THIS RIDER REGIME COULDN’T FIND TALENT. THEY’RE A GOOD TEAM GOING THROUGH A TIDAL WAVE OF ADVERSITY RIGHT NOW.
BUT A LOT OF IT WAS SELF-CREATED.
THEY’RE GOING TO BE JUST FINE AS LONG AS THEY CAN GET OUT OF THEIR OWN WAY IN TIME.
THAT’S TODAY’S ROD PEDERSEN COMMENTARY
(The Rod Pedersen Show airs daily at 12 pm ET & 10 pm PT on Game+ TV across Canada and the USA. Call your cable provider for details. You can also watch on YouTube Live or listen 24/7 at RodPedersen.com/ListenLive)
(Photo: CFL)
That was a good Rider perspective and I will give a outside one. As good as the Rider D was getting turnovers. I saw a Argo Rookie coach head trying to give away the game with some bone-head calls. Really challenging and 3rd down scrum that never gets turned over. You are correct in Rider offence being lost without Cody but I have to ask question. The announcers claim Cody was in Covid protocol WHY was he on sideline? My belief is they were really resting his knee which is fine too! As for Harris and running I do believe… Read more »
Good showing by the Riders under the circumstances. CFL is always exciting…. Win or lose!
That was a BS call that took away the Charlston Hughes touchdown.