Scruffy’s This N That

1 – GRINDING ONE OUT: Good football teams find a way to win and the Saskatchewan Roughriders did just that against a sad Ottawa team that is still looking for their first win.  The Green & White won 27-22 Friday night at TD Place Stadium. This was one of those games that I looked at once complete and asked if the Riders would’ve won against other teams in the league with that effort? I don’t know.  

Ottawa took advantage of a very sluggish Riders team to get things going, but the game changed in my opinion when Matthew Sexton made the most of his first appearance on the roster by scoring on a punt return as he tip-toed down the sidelines with the Ottawa punter giving it a brutal (and that’s being kind) effort to knock Sexton out of bounds.  That should have him on a flight to wherever. 

Add that to a botched 3^rd down gamble and allowing Tommy Stevens to run down the field in the final few minutes to kill the clock, and Ottawa got what they likely deserved which is another loss.  What a mess the 0-4 REDBLACKS are. 

2 – LIGHT IT UP:  CFL defensive co-ordinators must be having a tough time of it right now as they watch film.  Yes, we have continuity at the quarterback position across the league which helps tremendously, but why are defences so atrocious? There has been some bad secondary play across the league.  The Argos showed that on Thursday when they got torched for 58 by Vernon Adams Junior.  Don’t get me wrong, I like seeing big plays by the offence and I like seeing points, but I also like to see offences work for their first downs and I am not seeing a lot of that right now.  There are some bemoaning the upcoming changes saying why would you want to get rid of this?  This just in: the CFL has played on a wide field with 12 men and 3 downs for years and that is still and will still be happening so those of you 50+ who can’t stand change, growth and a league evolving can’t use that argument. 

3 – KELOWNA:  The CFL and TSN made last weekend’s Stampeders-Lions game look great.  There were subtle little hints in the broadcast about the Kelowna area and what makes it such a desirable location.  There are still a lot of things to do, but the CFL needs to look at making Kelowna the 10^th CFL franchise and perhaps follow that up with a Quebec City announcement as rumours suggest that may happen. 

Are there still hurdles to cross for a potential team in the Okanagan? Of course there are. Are many CFL fans concentrating on the negatives to that happening and not the positives?  Of course they are because that is who they are and 90 percent of them don’t want to give any attempts at growth and getting behind it a second thought. 

There is money in the Okanagan and there is an appetite. The people I have talked to in Kelowna think it could certainly happen if a successful blueprint can be created which is easier said than done.  It is up to the league to do a deep dive as to who might want to invest.  I hear some of those conversations started when the announcement of games in Kelowna were made.  Lions owner Amar Doman has said he doesn’t want a second team in B.C., but I think deep down he would love to start a provincial rivalry much like they have in Alberta and southern Ontario.  Doman has the greater Vancouver and Vancouver Island regions to draw from so I don’t think it would be the problem others think it is. 

The league wanted to get into the Maritimes. I don’t think that file has been thrown into the trash bin, but it’s gaining dust in a file somewhere. If there is interest in Halifax or Moncton, we aren’t hearing about it.  Imagine a CFL with Kelowna, Quebec City and Halifax or Moncton!  What would the naysayers say then? It’s all about growth. Oops—there’s that nasty G word that so many who claim to love the 12 man, 3-down game on a wide field don’t like hearing.

4 – BRENDAN SORSBY: I am late to the party on this, but I had a couple of people ask me this week about the Brendan Sorsby story and what is my take on it.  If you don’t know, the quarterback has basically had his football career snuffed out because of gambling during his time as a college quarterback.  The NCAA doesn’t want him, the NFL doesn’t want him – at least right now as the league has said he can enter the 2027 draft in return for not suing – and the CFL doesn’t want him.  If you feel this guy belongs in the CFL or any level of football, you are pretty dim (sorry not sorry!) 

Like it or not, gambling is a big thing for professional sports now.  Like it or not, it generates fan interest. You might not have cared about last week’s Ottawa-Montreal game, but you were watching and if you were playing pointspread, you either celebrated or rolled your eyes when Kalil Pimpleton took a late kickoff back for a touchdown which turned what likely would have been a Montreal +8.5 into a cover for Ottawa.  Gambling has always been a part of sports, but it was kept under wraps unless you were in Vegas or Atlantic City.  That certainly isn’t the case now as you know.  Leagues are doing their best to establish very tough gambling policies because of integrity in its product.  I bet on games just like many of you.  When betting on games, I am picking a winner whether it be straight up, against the spread or over/under.  There are various prop bets you can make as well when it comes to the various sports. 

You need to trust the game you are placing a bet on and the league as well. If Brendan Sorsby was in the CFL, you would wonder if there was more to that incomplete pass or that interception. How couldn’t you? 

Some will say Shawn Lemon was allowed to keep playing when it came to light that he was gambling on CFL games. That is because there was an appeal process and when that appeal was squashed, he was done! 

The CFL, like the NFL and NCAA, shouldn’t want any part of this guy. He is not what football needs.

5 – WHL CHANGES: The WHL is making changes. I’m not crazy about the first-round of the playoffs being reduced to a best-of-five, but I understand why it’s being done so fine.  What I do love is the league’s decision to enter a 3-on-3 pilot project that will see teams unable to leave the offensive zone once they gain possession to stop the process of leaving the zone to do a reset.  That is the one thing I hate about 3-on-3 and while I would be OK with a team not being allowed to go back into their own zone and not cross center like over and back in basketball, this is something that needs to be done.  All exhibition games will see this regardless of the result after 60 minutes so they can get used to it and then a decision will be made as to whether or not they continue it in the regular season. I hope GM’s do allow it to continue and that the NHL looks at doing similar.

6 – DARNELL NURSE: To this Oilers fan, the player that has held them down is finally off their books. Darnell Nurse’s contract was an albatross for the team. Good on him for getting a contract worth over nine million a season, but when a team makes that investment in you, you need to reward them and I would argue Nurse did not get any better and may have actually been worse.

While he was gracious of his time in Edmonton in speaking with media after his trade to San Jose was announced, Nurse felt compelled to take a shot at a fanbase that let it be known they weren’t appreciative of his on-ice play.  Nurse said he understood the contract led to that frustration and that resulted in a target being put on his back. Perhaps, if you would have reworked that deal to give the team more cap space or if you hadn’t played like a 5 or 6 defenceman when you were getting paid as a 1, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. Safe to say I won’t be missing this guy. 

7 – LEO CARLSSON: Thank you Daniel Briere! That’s what Leo Carlsson has to be saying. It was thought the restricted free agent might get a contract in the 12 million dollar neighbourhood from the Anaheim Ducks, but now Carlsson is the highest-paid player in the NHL thanks to the Flyers and the 5-year, $90-million dollar offer sheet he has been signed to. 

I love the fact the Flyers are being aggressive in an attempt to become more competitive in the Metropolitan Division.  Tell me Carlsson wouldn’t look alongside Trevor Zegras, Travis Konecny and Porter Martone. 

Philly obviously feels Carlsson is worth four first-round picks, but I can’t see Anaheim letting Carlsson go especially when they have 35 million dollars in cap space, but it will hurt them down the road as they look to keep their young talent. Why do I think before all is said and done that some team might try to sign Connor Bedard to an offer sheet?  What does Vancouver have for cap space? 

8 – BOBROVSKY: I sometimes equate Rider fans to Leafs fans. They think that no matter what happened the year before that this will be the year when they get a championship.  Rider fans at least know what it’s like to experience some championships while Leafs fans — well you know. That being said, there are a lot of people who are starting to stake their plot for the parade route again, especially after the team went out and grabbed Sergei Bobrovsky in free agency. This just in: he’s not the answer. Yes, it may stabilize the position somewhat, but lets not forget that he is closer to 40 than 30, he is coming off what was his worst season and he isn’t going to a team with a better defence than what he had.  Let’s also remember the Leafs are in a division with the Panthers, Lightning, Canadiens and Sabres and those teams don’t seem as if they have a taken step back.  Leafs fans are guilty of falling in love with the resume.  They aren’t the first fanbase to do that and they won’t be the last. 

9 – THE RETURN OF KAWHI: Speaking of falling in love with the resume, Raptors fans are ecstatic that the man who helped bring them to an NBA title a decade ago is coming back saying he can do it again. Pump the brakes a little people.  There are some out there who believe Kawhi Leonard is a top 10-15 player in the association. What? Yes, getting rid of Brandon Ingram who disappeared in the playoffs and Gradey Dick, who certainly didn’t pan out is good, but giving up four draft picks. Will Leonard make them better. I should hope so, but Toronto isn’t even close to being in the stratosphere that the Knicks are.  They can be lumped in with teams like Detroit, Cleveland and Philadelphia. If you want to place some dollars down on Toronto to win the East or the NBA, go for it but I’m not because I’m not convinced at this time that they are that much better.

10 – RANDOM THOUGHTS:

• When will Marc Mueller becomes a CFL head coach? I don’t think the current Riders OC and Regina football legend will be waiting much longer.  I hope the Riders have a succession plan. 
• The US and Belgium meet Monday in Seattle in a round of 16 game at the World Cup makes me wonder why FOX isn’t calling the game “Monday Night Futbol”. Guessing the NFL and ESPN would have an issue with that, but still.
• A great question from CFL on TSN p x p guy and overall good schmuck Dustin Nielson. He asked if a keeper in penalty kicks isn’t the most helpless position in all of sports than what is? I can’t think of anything. 
• If the CFL is having attendance problems, they should not be showing drone shots of stadiums that aren’t exactly full.  The shots of McMahon Stadium on Thursday were nice, but not flattering

That’s all I got.  Have a great week!