MONDAY SHOW RECAP: GREY CUP WEEK BEGINS!

Monday was Episode #117 of The Rod Pedersen Show! Here are the highlights:

• With the CFL Division Finals behind us, the boys began Grey Cup Week on the RP Show at 10 am Monday morning with a splashy new backdrop. The CFL on TSN’s Mike Benevides joined Rod and Dupes for the Rollout for Flooring Superstore and they broke down Sunday’s conference championship games (won by Winnipeg and Hamilton). Benny spoke of why the Riders lost the West Final, and why the Ticats won the East.
• Benevides was just as thrilled to be in the bunker as the panel and viewers were to have him. “No wonder this show is the talk of the country!” Benny smiled. “You guys just go on and say whatever you want!”
• RP Show Director of Scouting Craig Smith joined the bunker in Segment 2 and the CFL chat continued. They talked of why Winnipeg-Hamilton is a great match-up for the 107th Grey Cup and also discussed what’s next for the Riders and Eskimos. The guys feel the future is bright for Saskatchewan (Smitty and Rod agreed they’re the favourites coming back in 2020) while Benevides doesn’t think Jason Maas should be fired by the Esks. “They’ve made the playoffs 3 out of the 4 years he’s been there,” Benny observed.
• Toronto Argonauts VP of Player Personnel John Murphy joined the show from BMO Field for a really insightful visit. He discussed why the Argos traded Zach Collaros (he’s going to be a free agent in 2020 anyway), the current state of Toronto quarterbacking, his thoughts on the Grey Cup match-up, and how happy he is for the Riders given the season they had.
• Stampeders great Keon Raymond joined the show from Calgary to talk about Grey Cup Week and the All Star charity basketball event he’s throwing at Crescent Heights High School in Calgary on Saturday evening. He also said he’ll have news to announce Saturday afternoon regarding his future in the CFL.
• Riders/Bombers/Renegades alum Mike Abou-Mechrek joined the bunker in Hour 2 and said he’s full-on pulling for the Bombers in the Grey Cup, and expects them to win. Abou helped with the ceremonial coin flip in the West Final and also “tried” to hand out the CFL West Division championship trophy to the Bombers after the game. Winnipeg didn’t touch the trophy, and went straight to their locker room. Abou will be in Calgary all week and will serve as the RP Show Grey Cup correspondent from all the events.
• NFL/CFL Insider Tori Gurley joined the show to recap Week 11 in the NFL and he offered his take on the 2019 Grey Cup. He’s taking Hamilton to win. Tori also mentioned the offensive struggles in New England, the heat on Cleveland and Dallas coaches Freddie Kitchens and Jason Garrett (“Where there’s smoke, there’s fire,” Tori said), and the turmoil with his alma mater, the South Carolina Gamecocks.
• In the OT segment for Emerald Water, Rod talked about the sports dinner in Paradise Hill, SK he spoke at Saturday night with Darryl and Brian Sutter, Rachel Homan, Buddy Bensmiller and Jamie Ladoucaine. Rod recapped the heated discussion he got into on stage with Darryl Sutter regarding the firing of Don Cherry, and the role of the media.
• The daily Capital Auto Mall/Universal Collision Centre poll question was: What’s the biggest storyline in the 107th Grey Cup: Collaros vs Hamilton, Collaros vs Simoni Lawrence, The Droughts, or Steinauer vs O’Shea? The majority of respondents said it’s the drought carried by the Bombers and Ticats franchises.
• In honour of show #17 the guys recognized sports figures who’ve worn #17 in their career and the group includes Wendel Clark, Dennis Sobchuk, Joey Walters and Zach Collaros.
• Monday’s show is available for viewing now on our Facebook page or you can listen to the podcast by clicking on the PODCAST tab at the top of this page.
• See you at 10 am CT on Tuesday on Facebook Live and RodPedersen.com/ListenLive!