THROWIN’ ELBOWS WITH BRENDAN MCGUIRE
1. RIDERS TRENDING BACKWARDS: The last undefeated team in the CFL back in August looks like anything-but in the wake of these losses the last two weeks against Calgary. Not only have the Saskatchewan Roughriders prospects of finishing first been dashed but getting a home playoff game is looking shakier by the week. The green and white are 2-and-4 since opening the season with those three straight wins. Winnipeg is dominant and Calgary is getting better by the week. It all spells bad news for Saskatchewan who needed this bye week in the worst way. The Riders need to salvage a win in their final meeting with the Stamps when they do get back in order to not only gain control of that home playoff game, but prove something to themselves. Without it, the once-promising 2021 season just might be doomed.
2. DUKE WILLIAMS ADDITION CRANKS UP PRESSURE ON FAJARDO: No more blaming receivers if quarterback Cody can’t get it done with this guy. Duke Williams coming back from the Buffalo Bills needs to have the same impact Matt Dominquez coming back from the New York Jets did in 2004. Dominguez saved Henry Burris’s career from sagging back then and Duke could save Cody Fajardo’s career from tanking this year, too.
3. RIDERS HAVEN’T SOLVED KA’DEEM CAREY: The interior of the Rider D has done a nice job on him. But the Stampeder running back resembling a bowling ball frame is giving the Roughriders fits each time he dares to sweep outside or Bo Levi Mitchell throws him a pass. Especially on 2nd-and-long. I asked the Rdier defenders about this after their week 9 loss in Calgary and they insisted it was no big deal. After the week 10 loss in the rematch back at Mosaic Stadium, head coach Craig Dickenson fessed up by telling the media “Our perimeter defence isn’t very good right now.” Some have suggested the Stamps have the Riders number right now. I’m going to suggest it’s more specifically Ka’Deem Carey who has the Riders number right now.
4. CHRIS JONES FOR COACH OF-THE-YEAR: I challenge anyone who watched the Thanksgiving day Argo-Ticat game to tell me that Chris Jones’s defence didn’t win the Argos that game. Despite an atrocious offensive performance from the McLeod Bethel-Thompson led Toronto offence, Jones’s defence kept the boatmen hanging around and hangin around and hangin around til the bitter end. It’s a an intriguing suggestion to bestow such an honour on a ‘consultant’ who’s only been around for a few weeks but Chris Jones has single-handedly turned the Toronto Argonauts into a favorite to get into the Grey Cup game this December.
5. DID YOU KNOW?: Carlton Lance, the dad of new San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance, was a starting defensive back on the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the early 90’s? I remember it like yesterday. Don Matthews used him in his LIVIN ON THE EDGE defence in 1993, usually to handle slotback inside receivers. He was an important part of that defence which was good, too. They went 11-7 that year.
6. THIS WEEK I’M JEALOUS OF: Chris Jones. Guy is becoming a CFL rockstar again and he’s only been back in Canada for a few weeks. As big of a Paul LaPolice fan as I am, the thought of the Ottawa Redblacks cleaning house and handing Jones the keys to the franchise intrigues me. Especially if he keeps LaPo to run his offence.
7. JON GRUDEN: He’s so repulsive he’s turned Roger Goodell into a sympathetic figure. The problem with the Jon Gruden’s and Bruce Allen’s of the world (the guy he exchanged all the emails with) is how they are so out of touch with the real world. Gruden had his coaching career laid out for him by his dad, who had coached at Notre Dame. Allen had his coaching career laid out for him by his dad who coached in the NFL. There’s far too much of that buddy-buddy nepotism in the National Football League and always has been. Think of how many great minds we football fans are deprived of due to this old-boys-club culture. I can see why Jon Gruden doesn’t care about player safety. He was getting paid for others to take hits while never having to worry about taking any hits, himself. Ironic that he would ridicule the NFL for trying to promote player safety and stave off litigation so it could continue to pay him. There’s so much we love about the sport of football but so many rotten apples like Jon Gruden eroding its core.
8. THE ROUGHRIDERS CAN BE THANKFUL FOR THE THE FACT THAT: Their head coach, Craig Dickenson, is nothing like Jon Gruden. Wins, loss and penalties aside, being around this guy for any length of time gives you full confidence that respect for the athletes, the league and its fans is never an issue.
9. CFL’s BIGGEST PROBLEM: Crowds in Toronto. Team president Bill Manning has sucked at his job to engage the Toronto audience and should be embarrassed. Time to hire an Argo-specific team president to focus on this. Not some hack from the soccer side of the business.
10. TV PICKS THIS WEEK: It’s a bit conspiratorial, and conspiracy theories have me and many of you rolling our eyes these days but 9/11: UNFINISHED BUSINESS WITH PETER MANSBRIDGE examines the role of the Saudi Arabian government in the happenings of September 11th, 2001. There’s some pretty fascinating ‘co-incidences’ connecting the Saudi royal family with the hijackers. Take a look and decide for yourself. You can find it on the CBC GEM app.
(Follow Brendan on Twitter at @brendanhowardmc)
7) #istandwithjongruden What exactly did he do aside from go against the social justice warrior mob mentality of this decade? These emails were private correspondence. Crude? – yes. Politically incorrect? – yes. I am looking at it from a human resources aspect. He wasnt employed in the NFL and was expressing an opinion. Here is the breakdown. 1) he said the nfl union boss was dumb. I ask, have you ever met a labour leader that was smart? Did not think so. 2) He has no use for female referees. Good luck hollering at one when they blow a call… Read more »
Re #10. There was no conspiracy. The USA through the CIA black ops caused 9/11. This is no different than the clandestine wars in central and south america. That was a similar choice. Use Narco Traffickers to fund anti Communist guerellas to avoid the entire continent going the way of Cuba. With 9/11 the CIA backed Osama Bin Laden a Saudi national to win the war in Afghanistan against the Soviet Union. He and his guerella army destroyed the Soviets. Back in Saudi Arabia he did not like the USA setting up shop and occupying so well the rest is… Read more »
Last point about Jon Gruden. His comment about Michael Sam now that was wrong. What he was going for should have been this. Michael Sam is simply a con man and useless football player. He played for Missouri which is in the Rams backyard. He declares his orientation to first get attention then use that as a leverage to dare a team to draft him and cry if he does not. In the end that guy didnt last in the nfl or cfl and never should have had an opportunity due to just not being a good player. The world… Read more »
Can you please put a name to the certain demographics you refer to from North central?
On your topic number 6 – I’d love Chris Jones to come back to Edmonton as president , GM ,HC and DC and throw a boatload of money his way