SCRUFFY’S THIS ‘N THAT

1 – WHO GOES, WHO STAYS?: With a new head coach in place, the Saskatchewan Roughriders are now busy looking at how to become competitive again and what they will have to do to get there. While all are hoping Corey Mace can make this team better than the last two years, the onus is on him, GM Jeremy O’Day and others to look at what is another deep free-agency pool to see who could fit and what current Rider FA’s will be told to look elsewhere. I always like looking at what Riders are FA’s and who the team absolutely needs to keep.

As is the case every year thanks to the advent of one-year contracts, there are a lot of free agents available. If I had to say there are five that the team absolutely must keep they would be:

• Larry Dean
• Logan Ferland
• Micah Johnson
• Jamal Morrow
• Pete Robertson

Yeah, that leaves guys like Mario Alford, Jake Dolegala, Charbel Dabire, Anthony Lanier, Brett Lauther and Micah Teitz eligible to go elsewhere but you can’t keep everyone and when you win twelve games total over the last two years, an argument could be made that there are many you could say goodbye to because they haven’t been very good but we know you can’t get rid of everybody. The argument could also be made that Dean and Johnson are no spring chickens, but you need veteran leadership and those two certainly fit the bill—especially Dean.

I also didn’t put Dolegala in that five that must stay. I think Dolegala is the next starter here after Trevor Harris’ contract is up and I don’t see Harris being a Rider going into 2025 meaning either someone new is brought into develop, you bring in another FA quarterback or you try to keep at least one of the QB’s in the room. From people I have talked to, there isn’t a great deal of interest in Dolegala unless it is as a backup. He has a chance to start here so I think if he is smart, he stays here but if someone throws him the $$$$$ he will likely bolt.

2 – TSN PLUS: Do you know anyone who has TSN plus? If so, why do they have it? There is nothing on TSN plus that intrigues me to the point that I have to pay for it. I thought maybe they would have some US College Football games that might make it worthwhile but there is enough on my TV Saturday that I don’t need it. I can live without the Manningcast and some of the All Elite Wrestling programming that they have. I wonder what chaos would ensue if TSN moved Thursday or Friday Night Football to TSN plus. Would you pay for it then? I am guessing there will be many in the US that won’t be happy when the NFL playoffs begin with one game being exclusive to Peacock. If you don’t have Peacock, you will be out of luck. Thankfully, Canadians won’t have to worry about that but how angry would you be if you couldn’t see a Riders game because it was on TSN plus.  

3 – WTF HOCKEY NEWFOUNDLAND?: Someone with Hockey Newfoundland and Labrador thinks it would be a good idea to ban the post-game handshake. Citing altercations involving players and coaches, Hockey NL is banning the post-game handshake in the new year. Instead, prior to the opening face-off, the home team will go to the bench and the visiting team will skate by the bench and do a glove/tap handshake wishing the home team a good game. After the game, both teams will be directed to their dressing rooms by the officials.

Here’s hoping this trend does not get followed by other provinces especially here. There are many other things wrong with the game that can be addressed before this.

4 – HAVE D, FIND SUCCESS:  The Edmonton Oilers were chosen by many at the start of the season to win the Stanley Cup. I understand that thought process and I had them playing Carolina in the Final at the start of the year. Yeah, let’s throw that prediction into the blue bin because it isn’t happening.

While listening to NHL Radio this week, the talking heads said that if you are going to win the Cup, you need a marquee defenceman and that simply isn’t the case in Edmonton. Darnell Nurse is not a number one guy and on some teams he might be at best a number four. Hello Colorado (Makar, Toews, Byram)! The same can be said in Toronto as Morgan Rielly can’t be considered one of the top ten blueliners in the league. The decision by St. Louis GM Doug Armstrong to let Alex Pietrangelo go after winning the Stanley Cup has bit him and the Blues in the butt while Pietrangelo has another Stanley Cup ring in Vegas. Go back and look at recent winners and you see Victor Hedman, Duncan Keith, Drew Doughty and Kris Letang. Perhaps the 2018 Capitals are the only team not to have that unless you want to consider John Carlson an elite blueliner.

Does that mean that teams like Vancouver and Winnipeg should be more in play when it comes to playoff success because of Quinn Hughes and Josh Morrissey? At this point, they are the best option when it comes to the Canadian teams, but those guys and their surrounding cast aren’t better than Vegas and Colorado—at least not at this time.

5 – PATS AT THE BREAK:  The WHL Xmas break is here and the Regina Pats are on the outside looking in when it comes to a playoff spot, Regina is 13-16-2-2 and last in the East Division in year one AB (after Bedard), but they are only two points out of that eighth and final spot. The question now for GM Alan Millar is what do you do with 18-year-old Tanner Howe who is their best player and 20-year-old Parker Berge. If you read this column a couple of weeks ago, the Raiders would love to bring Howe back to his hometown of Prince Albert as they try to chase down Saskatoon and Moose Jaw. Howe could likely get a lot, but what could Millar get a year from now when he is 19. He could very well be on the Canadian junior team next year and he will probably a mid-to-late first round pick at this year’s NHL draft. The return is higher next year than this but Millar will have to think about inquiries that come his way. As for Berge, if there is a team out there needing to upgrade their 20’s that have championship aspirations, he is the guy to look at.

Being just two points out of a playoff spot at Christmas is better than what I thought they would be and they may be able to squeak into the second season, but I would think Millar is more concerned with the future than the present.

6 – ARE WE READY?:  Thanks to TSN, the World Juniors has become bigger than what it is. That doesn’t matter though as many of us will be drinking our coffees while watching the Canadian kids try to win gold. It will be tough to beat the Americans, but tough is just the way Canada needs to have it right? Let me know when the playoffs start because I have very little interest in the preliminary round.

7 – BUILD IT!:  Considering Regina City Council can’t get their you-know-what together when it comes to forming a budget this will likely never happen, but I hope it can.

The Okotoks Dawgs of the WMBL put out a tweet this week showing some renovations being made to their stadium It just makes me think how antiquated Currie Field is and how Regina’s baseball community needs a new facility.  The park that the Red Sox would like to see isn’t off the table as far as I know, but it would seem as if that facility is at least 5-10 years away. In the meantime, the talking heads will try and tell you why the downtown core is the place to be when the reality is it isn’t.  Downtown Regina and the Warehouse District would benefit from a ballpark that could be used for other things in the summer when the Red Sox aren’t around.  Build it and they will come.  

PS: The same could be said for a new rink to replace the Brandt Centre but again look at the first paragraph and realize it probably isn’t happening anytime soon which is such a disservice to many.

8 – NFL WEEK 16:  While visiting with the in-laws and chowing down on some turkey, here are some things to watch for in the NFL this weekend:

• Entering Week 16, the Baltimore Ravens(11-3) hold the top seed in the AFC playoff race, while the San Francisco 49ers (11-3) hold the top spot in the NFC. Last week, San Francisco clinched its second-consecutive NFC West division title and Baltimore secured a postseason appearance for the fifth time in the past six seasons. When the two clubs meet on Monday Night Football,, it will mark the third regular-season matchup between teams with the best outright record in each conference in December or later since the 1970 merger.
• The Lions with a win over Minnesota can clinch their first division title since 1993. Since the 1970 merger, only the Browns’ current streak of 30 seasons without a division championship (1990-95, 1999-2022) is longer than Detroit (29).
• The 8-6 Indianapolis Colts have a takeaway in 19 consecutive games, the NFL’s longest active streak. The Colts, who look to extend that stretch at Atlanta) on Sunday, are the only team in the league with a takeaway in every game this season. The Colts also have 46 sacks, tied for third in the NFL.

9 – WHO IS THE NEXT CHARGERS COACH?: I just about choked on morning cup of Tim’s when I heard chatter that Bill Belichick should be considered for the head coaching position in LA with the Chargers now that Brandon Staley is out. One, I think Belichick will hang up the clipboard and end up with one of the networks when this season is over and two, the Chargers don’t need him to revive their organization.

The Chargers job will be the most attractive one in the off-season. You have a quarterback in Justin Herbert, who I think is somewhat over-rated, one of the game’s best multi-purpose running backs in Austin Ekeler and a receiving group that includes Keenan Allen, Mike Williams and Quentin Johnston. When Allen and Williams are healthy, they are one of the top duos in the NFL.

Call it a longshot, but I am putting my money on Jim Harbaugh to take over. The Michigan coach is done once the Wolverines season ends for a variety of reasons.  He is going to be courted by NFL teams looking to fill head coaching vacancies and if the Chargers are interested which they should be, he would be stupid not to take it.

10 – UMMMMM!!: The Philadelphia Eagles and their “Tush Push” play are the talk of the NFL. The Eagles use it and use it with a success of about 95 percent to get a yard or two if they need it with a majority of those times seeing Jalen Hurts go in for a touchdown. There is talk of banning the play because other players get in behind the ball carrier and push him forward.  However, no one talks about banning the play when the running back is stopped and the linemen move in to push the pile forward a few yards. In Sunday’s game between Dallas and Buffalo, Bills RB James Cook had a 5-yard gain turn into an 11-yard gain because the linemen kept pushing the pile forward.  Why is this play OK, but the Tush Push isn’t. If the NFL bans the Tush Push, they have to put a stop to the runner getting pushed forward in the field of play. By the way if you are wondering, the CFL does not allow a Tush Push type of play.

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