MONDAY COMMENTARY – THE O’PLAN
(Listen daily for the Rod Pedersen Commentary on Cat Country 98 & Rock 98.5 FM)
We’ve never seen the end of a Roughriders season quite like this. At least I haven’t.
Saskatchewan concluded the CFL season Saturday night with a 36-10 loss at the Calgary Stampeders and will miss the playoffs with a 6-12 record.
Please do not adjust your sets. In a season where Saskatchewan was expected to play in the Grey Cup in their own stadium, they now will either have to buy tickets or watch on TV.
So … largely in seasons past someone would have to pay for this. However in this day and age, I’m not so sure anything will happen.
Such is unfortunately the case with covering the CFL – and I’ve done it since 1991 – you never really know what to believe.
At first I heard I heard head coach Craig Dickenson and GM Jeremy O’Day were on expiring contracts but over the weekend I was told no, they’ve each got one year left.
Who knows the employment status of anyone above them, where the responsibility ultimately lies.
What we do know is quarterback Cody Fajardo’s contract is up. While taking off the goathorns on Sunday’s locker room cleanout day, Cody said the franchise gave up on him this year but he wouldn’t close the door on re-signing with the club this winter.
See the conundrum? It’s far easier to see than any plan this franchise might’ve had in 2022 and beyond.
While the quickest fix could be Fajardo out and Bo Levi Mitchell in, the Stampeders legend figures to have interest from possibly three teams out East this winter.
The Riders may have to bring Fajardo back and a good chunk of their coaching staff and management too simply because of the league’s inane coaching salary cap, and I’ve heard this excuse a lot over the past 48 hours as to why there may be no change at all. The Riders simply can’t afford to pay people out.
All this just weeks after the Roughriders announced a whopping profit of $3.9-million in 2021.
Now you see why I have no idea what to believe from a team whose word you used to be able to take to the bank.
That’s today’s Rod Pedersen Commentary
(The Rod Pedersen Show airs daily at 12 pm ET on Game+ TV and WQEE Radio. Call your cable provider to subscribe. You can also watch on YouTube Live or listen 24/7 at RodPedersen.com/ListenLive)
It is despicable of the coaches to put the blame on Cody Fajardo for this disastrous season. I watch a lot of football, professional, college, junior and not one quarterback can be successful if he’s getting harassed and/or sacked on every play. The offensive line were consistent throughout the season, they started lousy and never improved. Where was the coaching? The Riders have enough trouble finding quarterbacks as it is, let alone throw a competent one like Cody under the bus. Cody never had a consistent group of receivers from game to game, plus half the time they couldn’t get… Read more »
Paul, Same to me football is football. I don’t care if it’s Roughriders, Michigan or Raiders. The fundamentals are the same. – 77 sacks and there are people who think a back up, beat up QB from Calgary could do better? Bo Levi will be smart, get a signing bonus and retire. $3.9M profit means Mr. Milquetoast tells his Social Gadfly Board; “I gave them the resources to win.” How do you bring a GM and Head Coach back on 1 year deals? That is an impossible situation. I can see where you have a GM with years left, and… Read more »
Doug, you are 100% correct.
I think it was a huge mistake of Dickie to put the offence under Jason Maas’s control. He likely couldn’t take the criticism he was getting for rotten play calling and scapegoated Cody instead. I think Khari Jones could upgrade his employment by hiring on here as as offensive coordinator and gb coach. He was successful here once and we should give him the chance to do so again.
Cody lost the team because he didn’t trust the o-line ( with great reason). Unfortunately Cody doesn’t have a long game. They got Duke to help him, Duke didn’t deliver. Too many drops. No continuity with the receiving corps due to injury limits what am offence can do. I don’t think Coach Dickenson lost the room as much as Cody did. Did you ever see Bo or Mike Reilly whine as much as Cody? I still think Cody could be a better QB, but he must be mentally tougher and stick to the game plan. Priority 1 is improving the… Read more »
If no changes are made, I will be dropping my season tickets. I can always buy tickets when I feel like going. I feel betrayed for a lack of effort from the head office and coaching staff for not making home Grey cup effort early on…
There has been no accountability from Reynolds. Blame Cody instead, it’s not my fault Craig laments.
2 of the other 7 teams have figured out a way to fire coaches this year (Ottawa & Montreal) so this “CFL making it impossible to fire front office staff” is crazy talk. There may be a discussion to be had about if folks should be fired (I personally think you fire the GM and convince the new GM to leave the coach for next year. Most GM’s want their guy eventually but not always and if he only has 1 year it gives him a shot to prove himself to the riders or someone else for ’24)
How a former offensive lineman ever let our offensive line become so weak is inexcusable. We haven’t drafted a O-Lineman 1st round in this era. Other teams have. Toronto, Montreal. They guys we have drafted are not playing either. Then we let Winnipeg poach two guys who have been starting for 2+ years for them on the o-line. Not saying Cody doesn’t have his flaws, but put him behind Winnipeg’s offensive line and let’s see what he has. Poor kid was so Shell Shocked by game 6 this year, it is a wonder he wasn’t taking a knee every play.… Read more »
We are this year Darrell.
Dakoda Shepley, was a 1st round, I think.
The coaching staff salary cap was brought in during the Chris Jones era at Riderville. It was instituded because Jones hired way more staff than any other team could afford and that practice needed to stop in order to level the playing field. So all you Chris Jones fans out there can thank him for the coaching staff salary cap. .
yea because having football educators in the league is a bad thing.
25% of the teams in the league have already fired their coach this year already. I’m not sure who floated this idea that it’s impossible to fire front office staff but others are doing it and even if the rules were strict you would have almost 1/2 the teams in the league (3 of 8 if the riders burn it down) wanting to make the penalty less severe. This theory that you can’t fire the front office staff may in fact be coming from the same front office staff at this point …
The difference is that they fired a head coach. We just fired two people and decided not to extend for a third coach. Jo knee is saying you cannot fire a coach. You simply cannot fire them all.
I think they gothic right in the ones that were let go, but I am thinkhhg Reynolds is the guy who is causing issues with recruitment and the signing of players. I think ODay and Dickie need another year to work through this
Yes, the salary CAP came in after the President, Craig Reynolds, loaded up the Brinks truck & made Jones both coach & GM. Jones was going to spend as much money as necessary on football OPS to bring a CUP to Regina. Reynolds had the key to the vault & could have reined him in. He was also ultimately the guy who had to OK the cheques for all the high paying guys Jones was given complete control over hiring. We keep blaming guys long gone for things years later. The problems with the Riders this year have nothing to… Read more »
Look up the definition of The Peter Principle. Craig Reynolds is the PERFECT example.
You are allowed one freebie dismissal under the football OPS CAP. So take your pick – Maas? Dickenson? If they find work elsewhere then you don’t need to pay them. The Elks are w/o a STC, have been all year after the guy they hired left for family reasons. If Killam moves on, as reported before, the Stamps need a new STC. Craig has ties to both Jones & his brother, obviously. Maas is rumoured to be joining old pal Danny Mac in Mtl. So if those 2 land employment, you still have a freebie you can use. It shouldn’t… Read more »
Since Maas just got fired, they should see if they can get Mark Kilam to come to Saskatchewan for a promotion to OC.
Danny Mac is in Wpg
Cut the head off the snake and fire Dickenson.