SCRUFFY’S THIS ‘N THAT

1 – AND SO IT BEGINS:  One has to think Craig Dickenson knew as he came out of the tunnel Saturday afternoon that he would be doing so for the last time at home as the head coach of the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Before facing the media for his post-game availability, rumour has it he made sure there were no cameras in the room before telling his players that his time had come to an end as head coach seeing he knew the team had been eliminated.

Craig Dickenson is a good man. He was always upfront and professional with me and the other local media. He did something which you rarely see with head coaches in any sport and referred to reporters by name which was greatly appreciated by everyone. However, it became obvious as this season rolled along that the message just wasn’t getting through and if the truth be told, I wonder if after the way 2022 ended if the message was even getting through from day one this year. This was a team that was on a high after upsetting Winnipeg in the Labour Day Classic.  Six days later, they got their doors blown off at the Banjo Bowl. They never recovered from that for whatever reason. 

It certainly didn’t take the football team long to start planning for 2024 as the axe fell on Dickenson Monday morning with Jeremy O’Day getting an extension. That decision has divided the fanbase and for good reason as many wanted a complete cleansing. What O’Day has done in his time here when it comes time to recruiting players has been well documented.  He has had great success in the Canadian draft and while not all free agents have worked out, he has added some talent. What is needed now is a coaching staff to work with that talent and that will be up to the new hire which is someone O’Day can’t fail on. Scott Milanovich is seen as the early favourite. Milanovich to me is someone who is just waiting for an NFL opportunity to come up and I am not sure if he is the right one.  I’ve already said in this space that Henry Burris should be given a phone call, but can the organization afford to hire a head coach with no head coaching experience? Inquiries have been made!

There are also many who wanted to see Craig Reynolds hit the unemployment line. I understand that thought process but say what you will the job of any organization/business is to make money. Coming out of COVID, Reynolds presided over a team that made over seven million dollars in the last fiscal year and yes, a lot of that is thanks to hosting the Grey Cup but the bottom line is what matters.  Reynolds would be completely tone-deaf if he doesn’t realize this fanbase is eroding and has eroded under his watch and that things need to be done.  Increasing season ticket prices was not a good start. There are many things that need to get accomplished between now and the start of training camp. There has to be a reason for fans to go to Mosaic Stadium. When they go, they can’t be gouged as they are at the Rider Store. Prices need to come down. Work with REAL on concession prices and make a game affordable and not a mortgage payment.

Here is one idea. Tickets on the 600 level are $30 dollars with kids being a little cheaper. It is a way to get people into the building and while some might bitch that isn’t the seats they want, it is getting into the game to cheer on your team. While those who are season ticket holders should get some perks, every fan that buys a ticket should get some kind of perk and I’m not talking a hat when you enter or a scarf or a ring.

A business plan that works for the organization and supporters of the club needs to be created that is win-win for all. Rider fans have had two years of this crap and they have had enough. 10 years ago, this team was the marquee franchise in the CFL and now they are far from that. I guess the next few months will tell us how “cherished” Rider Nation is.

2 – FREE AGENTS: Like all teams, the Riders have many players who will become free agents in February if they don’t re-sign with the club. John Hodge with 3Down Nation has provided the list and it is a lengthy one with 35 players on it.  Some of them include Jake Dolegala, Mason Fine, Jamal Morrow, Pete Robertson, Mario Alford, Shawn Bane Junior, Brayden Lenius, Logan Ferland, Nic Marshall, Larry Dean and Brett Lauther.   O’Day has to determine ASAP who he wants to stay and who goes. One would think guys like Dean, Morrow and Dolegala have to top the list. I asked on X if you could keep six who would they be? You are all armchair GM’s so now is your chance to have your say.

3 – 1000 YARD SEASONS:  It is considered a big deal in football if you have a 1000 yard season whether it be running or catching the football, Congrats to all who get it because it is an accomplishment, but does the bar need to be raised a little? Extrapolate the numbers in an 18-game CFL season and it’s an average of 55.5 yards a game with the number increasing to just under 59 yards a game in the 17-game NFL season. To me, those are average numbers especially for receivers. 

4 – NFL WEEK 8:  Here are some things to take note of as you sit down to watch the NFL this weekend.

• The Jacksonville Jaguars go into their game against Pittsburgh with a league-leading number of 16 takeaways. The Jaguars are on pace for 39 over a full season. The last two teams with 39-or-more takeaways in a season – Carolina with 39 in 2015 and Seattle with 39 in 2013 – each reached the Super Bowl.
• Since Thanksgiving last season (Week 12), the Jaguars are 11-3 (.786), tied with Philadelphia (also 11-3, .786) for the third-best winning percentage in the league over that time. Only Kansas City and San Francisco (both 12-2, .857) have better records in that span.
• Since becoming Seattle’s starting quarterback prior to the 2022 season, GENO SMITH owns the league’s highest completion percentage, 69.5.
• Philadelphia wide receiver A.J. Brown has reached 125 receiving yards in each of the past five games, tied with Pro Football Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson(2012) and Pat Studstill (1966) for the longest such streak in NFL history. Brown, who ranks second with 809 receiving yards and fourth with 52 receptions this season, also has three touchdown receptions. He can become the fifth player in NFL history with 50 receptions, 850 receiving yards and five touchdown receptions in each of his first five career seasons, joining Gary Clark,, A.J. Green, T.Y. Hilton and Pro Football Hall of Famer Randy Moss

5 – ROB THOMSON:  The Philadelphia Phillies had a golden chance to go to the World Series for a second straight year, but they let that chance slip through their glove as they lost Game 6 and 7 at home to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Before Game 6, Thomson told reporters says he doesn’t believe in the concept of scripting out a plan before games like many teams, instead relying on his eyes and feel. In other words, he doesn’t let analytics tell him what to do. He makes his decisions the way they are supposed to be made. Baseball and sports need more managers/coaches like Rob Thomson. Meanwhile, congratulations to Ross Atkins for helping the Diamondbacks be a World Series team. As Sportsnet Stats put on X this week, the entire Blue Jays roster had 15 hits in the ALDS loss to Minnesota while Lourdes Gurriel and Gabriel Moreno had 15 hits in the ALCS alone.

6 – O’CANADA: The battle for the Larry O-B is underway as the NBA season has tipped off. I am a big NCAA hoops guy, but you won’t find me watching NBA games very often. However, one has to recognize that Canada is becoming a bigger and bigger factor when it comes to the sport much like baseball has with more Canucks dotting team rosters. As the season begins, there are a record 26 Canadians on them including Jamal Murray who helped Denver win the league title last year and Shae Gilgeous-Alexander of Oklahoma City who some believe has what it takes to possibly be the MVP this season. Canadian basketball turned heads when they qualified for the Olympics a few months ago and that will keep happening now with many more ready to make the leap as there are a lot of Canadians playing in the NCAA.

7 – THE STATE OF THE OILERS:  Many who talk about the NHL may be asking for a do-over before the 10-game mark. Yes, it is still early but the Edmonton Oilers have to be the biggest disappointment in the NHL to this point. As I type this, they are battling the New York Rangers hoping to improve their record to a paltry 2-5-1. There is something internally wrong with that club. Connor McDavid is not at 100 percent and may not play in Sunday’s game at Commonwealth against the Flames, but it’s more than that. The defence has been abysmal and yes, I am looking at you Evan Bouchard. Evander Kane and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins seemingly are unaware the season has started and that is just the tip of the iceberg and the Campbell/Skinner duo in net continue to struggle. I would be shocked if that team didn’t make the playoffs because of the talent they have, but they are already 10 points behind Vegas in a stacked Pacific. YIKES!

8 – STATE OF THE FLAMES:  While one team in Alberta has not gotten off to a good start, either has the other. The Calgary Flames are a frustrated bunch if comments by Nikita Zadorov mean anything. There is no doubt his statement accusing some teammates of not being good ones (ie: Jonathan Huberdeau) shows that the removal of Darryl Sutter has not cleaned out the problems that existed in that dressing room. We are less than a month into the season right?

9 – LEAVE THE DRAFT ALONE: Why is there a desire to kill the NHL draft the way we know it? It looks like the days of a team coming up to the podium with jersey in hand calling a kids name and then seeing that kid stand up hug his family and walk down the stairs to begin what he and the team hopes is a successful NHL career is going bye-bye. The various clubs will stay home and leave the kids into what I am guessing is a room.  There is no reason to hold this event at a rink anymore.  You can just put it in some convention centre now. This will make the NHL draft just look like the NFL and NBA draft now.  The reasoning is that free agency comes right behind the draft.  Hey here’s an idea: let’s move free agency to mid-July or figure out a way to get the NHL season to end before June 1.

10 – SHANE PINTO:  I just want to get this straight.  Shane Pinto of the Ottawa Senators has been suspended 41 games for “gambling”, but he isn’t betting on NHL games. You watch a game no matter what league and see betting commercials for the various books.  Unless there is something I don’t know about here, why can’t Shane Pinto bet on the World Series or an NFL game? The same for NFL players betting on a game that isn’t the NFL.  The suspension is a little too hefty in my mind as it stands at this time because of the lack of context, but I don’t see the problem here.  Pinto isn’t fighting the suspension so there has to be something legit here, but if sports gambling is legalized and you are gambling on a sport that you aren’t involved in, I don’t see the problem.

That’s all I got.  Have a great weekend!