Scruffy’s This N That

1 – THE DEBATE BEGINS AGAIN: Who is the greatest player in the history of the Regina Pats?  That is no easy question! It has been suggested again that honour goes to Connor Bedard.  However in the words of College GameDay analyst Lee Corso, “Not so fast”!

Bedard’s time in Regina was special, make no doubt about it. I can only go back to the early 70’s when a young Mitch started watching the Pats at old Exhibition Stadium and learning about players from my Dad. My answer to the question (and there is no wrong one) is Dale Derkatch. If you want my top 5, it is Derkatch, Doug Wickenheiser, Dennis Sobchuk, Bedard and Clark Gillies. If you go by NHL success, it is Gillies in a heartbeat with Bedard obviously still a work in progress.

Just wondering where you would slot guys like Adam Brooks and Sam Steel?  Are they top 10?

2 – BEDARD AT 100: Connor Bedard has now played 100 NHL games. In those 100 games, he has 29 goals and 87 points. Connor McDavid had 108 points after 100 games, Auston Matthews had 90 and Nathan McKinnon had 79. No one should be complaining about what he has done after 100 games. He is doing just fine!

3 – THE HARRIS CONTRACT: It has been revealed by 3DownNation’s Justin Dunk what the Riders will pay for Trevor Harris in 2025.

According to JD, who did a tremendous job on Rider Radio pre and post-game shows last season, Harris is getting a $160,000 signing bonus to re-up in Regina along with a $200,000 base salary, $20,000 in marketing, $14,700 in housing, and $5,000 in travel, which adds up to $399,700 in hard money. He can earn an additional $54,000 in playtime incentives, boosting his maximum total to $453,700 this coming season.

To me, that is more than a fair deal. You have to pay the quarterback and this deal puts him in the middle of the pack when it comes to starter salaries. I would think a majority of Rider Nation are OK with this.

4 – LOOKING FOR WORK DOWN SOUTH: It is that time of year where CFL players are working out for NFL teams. One of those players is Logan Ferland. The Melfort product, who should have been named the CFL’s top o-lineman this year, worked out for the Denver Broncos this week. I am sure other teams will be checking him out as well. Every football player in the CFL would love to do their thing in the CFL and Ferland is no different. As tough as it would be for the Riders to lose him both because of his play and his work in the community, I would be very happy to see him protecting an NFL quarterback.

5 – CFLPA REPORT CARDS: It would seem as if those that wear the green-and-white for the most part like what they are getting off the field as well if CFL Players Association report cards are any indication. The Riders received top grades in the first-ever report cards. An “A” in football operations, management (take that O’Day and Reynolds haters), a “B” in training and medical staff, equipment and family treatment, team travel and training camp and a “D minus” in nutrition and diet. Coincidentally, that is the grade I would give myself. I digress!

This is something the Riders need to leverage to their advantage with free agency coming. If you have been on a tour of Mosaic Stadium, you know what type of facility it is. The dressing room is probably the best in the league, and it looks like for the most part the players are treated with class, respect and dignity as they go about their day-to-day business during the season.

When I look at the responses, I ask myself what is happening in Calgary? I also ask why the players association isn’t looking for standards that should be uniform across the league when it comes to “team travel”, “family treatment” and “nutrition and diet”?

The PA needs to have these conversations with the league and its teams. How is a team not having a meal after a game? That is a must whether it be a road or home game?  The home team should be supplying something a little bit better than pizza to teams when they come through.  Would it be costly? I’m guessing it would be, but does it need to be done.  Absolutely!

All nine teams should be ashamed of themselves and need to be better starting with the 2025 season.

6 – NFL ON CHRISTMAS DAY: There are some out there that don’t believe the NFL should be playing two games on Christmas Day. Yeah OK! Those feeling that way don’t think we should be sitting in front of a TV on December 25^thwatching games. Yeah OK! This just in, the NBA has played Christmas Day games for years and will again this year. I’m not sure if having games on a Wednesday is the way to go, but the NFL wants it and if the NFL wants it, they get it. I am guessing both stadiums will be sold-out as well which says a lot about the fanbases of the Steelers and Texans. NFL fans don’t care when their team plays or what the weather is like when they play, they are there and they are into it no matter what the record is and it is sold out or close to being sold out. This just in: I will be watching both games and a lot of you likely will be too. The same could be said if the NHL played on Christmas and don’t tell me places like Rogers Place, Canada Life Centre or the Saddledome would be empty either because they wouldn’t be.

7 – NFL WEEK 16:  It’s getting down to crunch time south of the border.  Here are some tidbits of info as you settle in for this weekend’s action.

• Bills quarterback Josh Allen has 25 touchdown passes and 11 rushing touchdowns this season and is the first quarterback in NFL history with at least 25 touchdown passes and five rushing touchdowns in five consecutive seasons and five career seasons. Over the past two weeks, he became the first player in NFL history with at least two touchdown passes and two rushing touchdowns in consecutive games and the first player all-time with three such games in a season. This week against New England, Allen can tie Russell Wilson (75 wins) for the most regular season wins by a quarterback in his first seven seasons in NFL history.
• Chicago quarterback Caleb Williams has an active streak of 286 consecutive pass attempts without an interception, the longest active streak in the NFL and the longest streak of pass attempts without an interception by a rookie in NFL history.
• Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow leads the NFL with 3,977 passing yards and 36 touchdown passes this season and has passed for at least three touchdowns in each of his past six games. This week, Burrow can become the fourth player in NFL history with 4,000 passing yards and 30 touchdown passes in three of his first five seasons, joining Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes and Pro Football Hall of Famer Dan Marino. On Sunday against Cleveland, Burrow can become the fifth player all-time with at least three touchdown passes in seven consecutive games, joining Tom Brady (10 consecutive games in 2007) and Andrew Luck (eight in 2018) as well as Pro Football Hall of Famers Peyton Manning (eight in 2004) and Dan Marino (seven from 1986-87).

8 – RANDOM THOUGHTS:

• I’m not a fan of the new NFL kickoff rule. Has it done what the league wanted? One thing it has accomplished is the surprise short kick. It is just dumb that a team has to say it is attempting one. Not as dumb as the rouge, but close.
• NFL quarterbacks have been seen this week gifting their o-lines with things like swords and trucks. What do CFL QB’s gift their o-lines? Don’t tell me it’s a 200 dollar gift card to Winners either! I am guessing QB’s pay the bill for an o-lineman dinner, but I would like to know.
• Cody Fajardo will be the starter in Edmonton by Week 6.
• I like the overall presentation of Amazon Prime’s Monday Night NHL games, but who authorized the ads? Its Prime Monday Night Hockey bellows the announcer followed by “it’s only on Monday”. Well no shit,  I thought it might be Wednesdays!!??
• If you are hitting the highway for Christmas, be safe!

That’s all I got. Have a great weekend everyone and Merry Christmas.  If that phrase offends you now, too bad!