STACKHOUSE’S 10 CFL THINGS

1 – THE SUSPENSION: Everyone else has, so I may as well weigh in on the high hit delivered to Zac Collaros last week.  I feel the 25 yard penalty and 2 game suspension was sufficient but the focus of the incident was based around the fact it was Collaros who was the victim.  If Simoni Lawrence did that to Dominique Davis and Davis got right back up and continued to play, we wouldn’t be talking about this nor would Lawrence have received two games.

2 – THE HIT: That isn’t to say the hit delivered by Lawrence isn’t dangerous, it is.  But, it isn’t unlike a lot of other hits I see in this league on a regular basis that don’t result in 2 game suspensions.  If that hit is a 2-game suspension, there is a chance we will have one player every week get suspended. I’m not saying it shouldn’t be, I’m saying let’s be consistent.

3 – COLLAROS: I’m not a doctor, but I’m also not surprised the first big hit on Collaros resulted in him being placed on the 6 game injured list.  For me, I just feel this is too dangerous of a game for someone with a significant history of head injuries to continue playing at this level.  I remember towards the end of Buck Pierce’s career, I’d cringe whenever he’d get hit. I wasn’t a Winnipeg fan per se but there was something unsettling about seeing Pierce get punished when I knew he was on the brink of being knocked out forever.  I’d also add it was very evident defensive players were out to end his career.

4 – THE SIGNING: Some will say it’s Collaros’s decision and Collaros’s decision alone to decide if he will continue his playing career, but I can’t help but feel a sense of irresponsibility on behalf of the Saskatchewan Roughriders for signing him.  If I, as a novice fan, can see that Collaros is a very poor bet to stay healthy, then surely the Roughriders know this as well. For me, I would never want to be in the position the Roughriders GM was in when they signed Collaros.

5 – ARMCHAIR GM: I wonder what the thought process is for a team that thinks it’s a good idea to sign Collaros, knowing he’s likely to miss a number of games to injury, and yet they think it’s a bad idea to sign Weston Dressler to help the receiving corps.  Obviously, nobody else has signed Dressler either but I could make the argument that he would have value on the field and off it that would exceed whatever salary you pay him. Dressler is just one example of a number of instances where teams will deem a player to be ‘too old’ yet it’s okay to turn over the most important position on the team to a guy who you know can’t stay healthy and wasn’t exactly upper echelon when he was.

6 – FURTHERMORE: I will put the question out to CFL followers who know a lot more than I do: Why couldn’t the Saskatchewan Roughriders sign Trevor Harris?  It’s an honest question. I am told by one loyal Rider fan that it’s because Harris has a personal relationship with the Edmonton coaching/management staff.  Okay, so be it. Those Edmonton coaches could be fired 8 weeks from now and then what? I see a Rider team that should have an unlimited amount of money (I don’t care about the cap, there are other ways to get things done, just ask the Maple Leafs as the rumour du jour is that John Tavares’ wife may be on the payroll) as far as CFL teams are concerned and a Rider team that needs a quarterback.  To me, get it done. Get a top notch QB in here. Yet, almost every single Rider regime has failed at this for the 100+ years the franchise has been around.

7 – SLIM PICKINS: When a prominent Rider reporter ranks Reggie Slack as one of the ten best pivots in franchise history, you know the pickings are slim.  That’s no disrespect to Slack, but the Calgary Stampeders have had 10 quarterbacks better than Slack since 1985, let alone encompassing all of eternity.

8 – HARKJARDO: Both Isaac Harker and Cody Fajardo appeared to have some positive moments in last week’s game.  I’d like to see the coaching staff pick one and ride him into Labour Day and see what they have. I think most quarterbacks play better if they know the team is theirs for the immediate future.

9 – BREAK UP THE REDBLACKS: I’m not sure if anyone else wrote off the Ottawa RedBlacks or not, but I did once I saw their quarterback position was in a state of flux.  I shouldn’t have bet against Rick Campbell. He always does a good job no matter what and it appears as though he will keep his team relevant this year despite a lot of shortcomings on that roster.

10 – CFL IN GOOD SHAPE: All of the games last week were entertaining and that bodes well for the CFL going forward.  The two on Saturday were especially fun to watch. Calgary was, clearly, cocky and it cost them.  BC and Winnipeg should both have success this season.

(Mike Stackhouse is a freelance reporter/broadcaster. Follow him on Twitter at @Stack1975)