SCRUFFY’S THIS N’ THAT
Welcome to Saturday. Here are the usual assortment of thoughts running through my muddled mind. As always, they come in no particular order:
–The Rider Nation has done a complete 180. Shocking! After a dazzling performance against the Argos to open the season, there is no doubt the green-and-white laid a big-time egg at TD Place Thursday night. It allowed those who hate Chris Jones to come out swinging. At what point does this stop? Why the hate for Jones? Never mind, I know the answer. He doesn’t fit your mold of what a head coach should be. I guess you don’t want a proven winner. This team has improved each year under Jones’ tutelage, but because he isn’t warm and fuzzy and hasn’t kept your favourite player you want to see him hit the highway. Would I be right with that? Again, never mind because I know the answer. Hey, I don’t agree with everything he does either (look down a couple of lines), but I have confidence in him and have since Day 1 because of his track record. Perhaps try supporting your team and have some confidence in what is happening.
As for what has happened for the first two games of the season and what we have seen, I would say this. This team is not as good as the one that clubbed Toronto and they’re not as bad as the team that got clubbed in Ottawa. They are somewhere in the middle so in the words of Aaron Rodgers….R E L A X!!
There are also some questions that deserve to be asked with the biggest being why are we continuing with the Duron Carter experiment. He is a receiver. He is not a defensive back. He is a game-changer—-when on offence! His role is to catch passes and he does that quite well. This playing defensive back has to stop unless they are in a 6 DB package. You don’t put Jerome Messam at linebacker and you don’t have Zack Evans playing o-line so why have Carter playing defence. He needs to be catching passes from Zach Collaros or Brandon Bridge and not defending them. Defensive co-ordinators have to figure out how to stop Carter. Chris Jones has found a way to stop Carter and that is not play him at his best position. Isn’t that making the job easier for the opposition?
–The Edmonton Eskimos have reportedly added 44 year old Terrell Owens to their neg list. Why? Why are you wasting a spot on this guy? If it is because he ran a 4.4 40 on video, then perhaps you have some serious questions you should be asking your coaching staff. Somewhat surprisingly, the Eskimos are not taking a lot of heat for this move. You know that wouldn’t be the case if it were Chris Jones and the Riders doing this which tells you how both move the CFL needle. If the Riders had done this, the CFL Twitterverse would have exploded. Let’s face it win or lose, the Riders are to the CFL what the Yankees are to MLB, the Leafs are to the NHL and Duke is for college basketball. They are the team that produces the most chatter love em or hate em.
–I had the Alouettes winning 3 games this season. I may have been kind. Is it safe to say they are on the clock for the first pick in the 2019 draft. I am guessing no one took the team up on their 4th quarter cheap admission tickets. YIKES!
–ESPN has hired former NFL ref Jeff Triplette to be in the booth for Monday Night Football. If you thought Mike Carey was bad at CBS, wait for this.
–If you watched Christina Haugan accept the first ever Willie O’Ree award for her late husband Darcy at the NHL awards on Wednesday night with the surviving members of the Humboldt Broncos standing behind her and you didn’t get a lump in your throat, you are better than me. That was tough to watch. Not tough with what she said and the stage she said it on, but tough because what happened that Friday night in April still affects many of us in one manner or another.
–Let’s move to the NHL Draft and to say it was an odd night would be an understatement. Let’s just say I wasn’t the only one whose top 15 didn’t match the top 15 selected. The top 2 weren’t surprising and I did have Jesperi Kotkaniemi going to Montreal, but after that, it was a dog’s breakfast. After watching Noah Dobson (who I had going at 5) at the Memorial Cup, I didn’t think he would go 12th and some of the names taken were guys I had to look up. Hello Ty Dellandrea! The team that maybe did the best in the 1st round were the Islanders. Getting Dobson and Oliver Wahlstrom sets that team up nicely for the future.
–Where were the trades in the NHL? Are they coming today? One would hope so. The expected fireworks fizzled.
–Let me get this straight. Rams linebacker Nick Cross is getting his USports and Canada West rookie of the year awards taken away because he tested positive for marijuana. A drug that will be legal in a few short months and a drug that many are already consuming. Cross obviously is guilty, but when the drug is becoming legal in a short time, the decision is a little short-sighted if you ask me. You can take the awards away, but you can’t take the talent away and Cross is a big-time talent.
–I’m laughing at all the people who are being so critical of soccer—-the world’s most viewed sport. These people would go batcrap crazy if someone from another country or this country said they could not stand Canadian football or hockey. Yes, soccer has wayyyy too much acting, but when it is played at the level it is being played at now at the World Cup, it is fantastic theatre. It’s not NASCAR!!
–That’s all I got. Have a great weekend!
