SCRUFFY’S THIS N’ THAT
Welcome to Friday! Here are the usual weekly thoughts running through my muddled mind, and as always they come in no particular order.
– The Riders Eastern road swing starts tonight. I think the Riders win this game, and they should with Ryan Lindley at the controls for Ottawa unless he has picked up his game considerably from his poor effort against the Bombers.
Who’s kidding who, it wasn’t a banner night for the former NFL quarterback last Thursday. He obviously needs to be a lot better if the REDBLACKS are to be in this one.
How do the Riders react after a short week? Have they recovered after what was a slobber-knocker against Calgary? Despite Ottawa’s record, they are still an extremely good football club. It won’t be easy but it should be fun. The Riders are favoured by 3 and I think should cover that rather handily especially if Lindley’s game doesn’t improve drastically.
– Has it crossed anyone’s mind that the next two weeks could be a preview of things to come? With Ottawa 2nd in the East and Toronto 1st, the Riders could very well be going through this scenario again as they go in search of the Grey Cup. If they end up finishing 4th in the West, this will be the road they take. I am pretty positive Chris Jones and company know what’s going on.
– After this game is over at TD Place, the Alouettes will be in Calgary. For the sake of the kids, turn this one off because it has the potential to be even nastier than it was when Hamilton went to McMahon this year. Calgary is favoured by 17. They could be favoured by 27! The U of C should come out for the second half just to make the Alouettes feel better. This should be ugly as the descent of the Alouettes continues.
– While those games are going on, I will be in Saskatoon for what I think will be an entertaining tilt between the Rams and Huskies. It’s a battle of 2-2 teams, and I think it is safe to say that whoever wins will have the inside track at hosting a playoff game although I’m sure Blake Nill and the UBC Thunderbirds have something to say about that. It is “Salute The Troops” night at Griffiths Stadium, and they do it right at the U of S. I’ll bring it to you alongside Addison Richards online at sportscage.ca. I’m expecting a ring-a-ding-dong dandy.
– Back to the Riders and the Trent Richardson saga. It’s the Vince Young story all over again with the only difference being Richardson is much younger. At 26, you feel the need to kick the tires to see if there is something there. Like Young, it doesn’t cost the team anything to bring him in for a look. It could be the best move they make or it could be a move that sees him go home. The only question I have is at the age of 26, why aren’t other NFL teams interested in his services? That is the red flag that goes up with me. I just think there are other guys out there who could be an asset who have been playing and not sitting. I guess we’ll watch this one to see how it turns out. If it is a positive for the Riders, it will be a huge one.
– I hope Chris Getzlaf can find CFL employment, but I’m not sure if he will. If this is it for Getz after being released by the Eskimos, he will go down as having had an outstanding career. One in which basically he was a throw-in on a deal that turned out very well for the green and white. He caught 414 passes over an 11 year career and had 41 TD catches. That’s a 10 percent catch to touchdown ratio. That has to be one of the best for a Canadian-born receiver.
–The old girl is coming down. The original home of the Riders will soon be no more. Some are glad to see it go while others are melancholy Make no doubt about it, what we have now is 1000 times greater than what we had at that place, but the memories don’t go away. From my first game as a small child to the last time walking up and down those miserable ramps, this is where my love of the game started. It will be extremely odd in a few months driving down Saskatchewan Drive or driving anywhere in the city where you could see Taylor Field and no longer have it included in the skyline. I hope the city lets us know when the west side facade and the east side stands will come down because I think many will want to see it
– Week 4 NFL Lock Of The Week — Dallas over LA Rams
Week 4 NFL Upset Of The Week — Houston over Tennessee
– Those who went to Saskatoon Wednesday got to see Connor McDavid be Connor McDavid. The two goals he scored against Carolina were the price of admission for many as they got to see #97 up close. Seeing him try to take the Oilers to a higher level than last will be fun. I can’t believe the NHL season starts Wednesday. Didn’t they just give Sid the Cup? Here’s a question for you, If you are in a hockey draft and you are picking 3rd knowing the first two gone are likely McDavid and Crosby, who are you taking. I would have to lean towards Patrick Kane, but with guys like Laine, Matthews, Ovechkin and Malkin out there who would you take?
– I am guessing those in Moose Jaw can’t wait for the puck to drop tonight as the Warriors and Pats play one another for the first time this season. Have the Warriors ever iced a better team? The answer to that will be discovered in a few months. Moose Jaw has the early edge, but the Pats once they are fully stocked will be much better and everyone knows that. That being said, the Warriors will want to send an early message.
That’s all I got. Have a great weekend!
