STACKHOUSE’S 10 THOUGHTS

1 – CHRIS STREVELER – It was a tough spot for the former Winnipeg Blue Bomber to make his NFL debut as a passer and I’d like to give him a mulligan. He performed to about the level I had expected. He probably wasn’t even a top six QB in the CFL so how can one think he was going to have any success on Sunday in a must-win game? I think Kliff Kingsbury brought him in because his tools are similar to Kyler Murray therefore they don’t really have to alter much of the playbook aside from some obvious things Streveler can’t do through the air. I also think perhaps they were considering using Streveler in a Taysom Hill-type of role as well although we didn’t see that. My guess is that the Cards are looking for a new back-up quarterback in the offseason.

2 – CFL vs NFL – I always find CFL fans have a bit of ‘Little Man Syndrome’ whenever the conversation comes up about NFL comparisons when really CFL fans should consider themselves the luckiest fans on the planet. You get to enjoy two different brands of football and we are probably the only country in the world who can say that. It’s also okay that the NFL has the better players. It should. Young American football players don’t dream of playing in the CFL any more than Canadian hockey players dream of playing in the KHL. It’s just the way it is but it’s fine. Are you entertained when you watch the CFL? By and large I am. So it doesn’t matter to me if Trevor Harris couldn’t make it in the NFL but is a gunslinger in the CFL. I do think if there is one skill position where NFL players would have some trouble in the CFL game, it’s at running back where you don’t have that extra down to wear out the defense. Unless you have that speedy home run threat, I am not sure the CFL game plan allows for a back to wear down a defense the way the NFL does but that’s just me spitballing without taking a lot of time to think about it. 

3 – EAGLES QUARTERBACKS – I don’t know what that was on Sunday night, but Doug Pederson doesn’t deserve to keep his job. If Jalen Hurts is your man for the future, there is no reason whatsoever to evaluate anybody behind him. If you are unsure about Hurts then Carson Wentz shouldn’t have been a healthy scratch. Some of you have also maybe seen C Jason Kelce’s rant a few weeks ago about wanting to win every game no matter your situation in the standings. This, surely, didn’t sit well with him although he’s already commented publicly in a professional way to protect his coach. The Eagles are in a state of chaos and their Super Bowl victory a few years ago looks more and more like a fluke based on Nick Foles playing the game of his life and Pederson may very well be the coach’s version of a flash in the pan. It happens. Even Tony Dungy won a Super Bowl.

4 – NFL DRAFT – Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence has been the consensus number one pick for April’s NFL draft and the joke for months has been Lawrence not wanting to go to the New York Jets, because they have a reputation of ruining careers before they can even get off the ground. Well the Jets ended up winning a couple of games and no longer have the number one pick. But, the wrinkle here is that former Ohio State coach Urban Meyer is rumoured to be the favorite to become head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, who have the first overall pick, and it wouldn’t be a major surprise to see Meyer select Justin Fields, a young man who quarterbacked the Buckeyes the year after Meyer ‘retired’. In addition, Fields has a number of intangibles that don’t show up on the stat sheet or the analytical computer programs that are used to determine how good athletes are nowadays. It’s called leadership. If it weren’t for Fields, there may not have been an actual NCAA football season. Fields is playing for the national title next week and I wouldn’t bet against him despite the fact his team will be an underdog. If he goes to the Jags, Lawrence is still going to be a Jet.

5 – WORLD JUNIORS – Despite going into the gold medal game having never trailed at all and despite being heralded by TSN as, potentially, the best WJC Team Canada ever, the United States beat Canada for the fourth straight time in gold medal games on Tuesday night. Rather than analyze this to death, I think this comes down to a simple case of in a 1-game winner-take-all scenario, literally anything can happen. Canada hadn’t been faced with any amount of in-game adversity and after falling behind 2-0 they were unable to get it going to the point where they could beat Spencer Knight. I did have a sense that if they just got one goal, they’d probably get a second and perhaps even a third in short order but they just couldn’t break through. It happens. They are still one of the best ever and if this was a best of three series, Canada probably wins the next two games.

6 – TEAM USA – Because we are focused on Canada, not many people are aware of the fact that the US won six straight after dropping the tournament opener, winning three of those games by shutout. They are also a damned good team. And, before you start talking about the ‘what ifs’ had Alexis Lafreniere and Kirby Dach been on the roster, don’t forget the US played without Nick Robertson, John Beecher, and Thomas Bordeleau as Robertson wasn’t cleared by the Maple Leafs while the other two were released for Covid reasons. This was also an extremely talented team. I also believe New Jersey’s Jack Hughes was eligible (much the same as Dach) but wasn’t cleared. 

7 – AMERICAN PLAYERS – It must be nice to be in the front office of the Florida Panthers and knowing you have Devon Levi and Spencer Knight on the way as future netminders. I know Knight has higher pedigree but Levi looks like the real deal and he’s who I’d want going forward although goaltending can be a fickle position to figure out so it’s perhaps best to keep them both. It’s also worth mentioning Sergei Bobrovsky is under contract for six more years at a cap hit of $10m per year. Ouch.

8 – LAINE STOKES THE FLAMES – Patrik Laine did nothing to quell trade rumours earlier this week when he zoomed with the media. In fact, I’d say he looked a little pouty even. If the Jets were wise, they’d trade him immediately and change the complexion of their team by getting some players that maybe lower their skill but make them harder to play against. The Jets used to play a heavy game back in the days of Byfuglien, Ladd, Frolik, Thorburn, etc. They weren’t as talented but they were far from a picnic to go up against. Now, they’ve become soft and very predictable. Their powerplay is 90-100 seconds of trying to set Laine up in the Ovechkin spot on the wing and is rather unimaginative. Philadelphia has long been rumoured as having interest and Travis Konecny would make for a perfect replacement on the right side. He’s also a pain in the rear end to go up against. Add in a defenseman (the Flyers have plenty) and a prospect like Cam York or Bobby Brink and I think you have a deal. Then get Jack Roslovic either signed or moved (Chicago has interest but nothing to offer) and you are off to the races with a much different looking team but one that isn’t necessarily worse despite giving up the electric goal scorer.

9 – STEPH CURRY – The two time MVP still has a lot left in the tank. He’s a bit of a forgotten man in the NBA because the Golden State Warriors aren’t a top team and he also missed most of last year with an injury, but Curry lit up the defenseless (this can apply in more ways than one) Portland Trailblazers to the tune of a career high 62 points on Sunday night in a Warriors win. Golden State is clearly in a rebuild but you have to wonder how much of a factor they’d be if Klay Thompson wasn’t out for the season. Andrew Wiggins isn’t a bad support player, Draymond Green is back from injury and their top draft pick, center James Wiseman has a lot of potential. I’ve been a big Curry fan ever since he took March Madness by storm with Davidson in 2009.

10 – SOCIAL RANDOMS – Quebec is headed for 8pm curfew in an effort to help stop the spread of the virus and Ontario is also considering a similar order. Does this mean NHL games in Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal will be played in the afternoon or does the science work differently for that? … Prosecutors in Kenosha, WI have decided not to charge police officers who shot Jacob Blake last summer. It was that incident that caused NBA players to threaten to walk off the job. So do the Milwaukee Bucks stop their season or what happens? … I saw a media social justice warrior get outraged over some swearing during the Canada-Russia semi-final game. Why do these people have such a hard time finding their safe spaces?  If you don’t like it, don’t watch. It’s sports and 99% of those who play and watch have no desire to change what goes on between combatants on the ice/field/court. … Proud to say I never turned my television on even one time to witness what went on in DC on Wednesday. We live in very strange times and this was inevitable no matter who won the election in November. There’s going to be a major battle down there, calling it a civil war may be strong, however there are people who are very passionate about their freedom and the threat of it being taken away (real or perceived) is something they will fight to preserve.  Socialism will not come to the United States easily. 

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