THROWIN’ ELBOWS WITH BRENDAN MCGUIRE
1.FAJARDO AND MAAS BOUND TO CLASH: The Rider quarterback and his offensive coordinator are so alike, it’s hard to imagine another such pairing. Cody Fajardo is an emotional guy and Jason Maas is an emotional guy. That’s twice now in back-to-back games at McMahon Stadium where we’ve seen one of them venting to the other on the sideline at the end. That openness and passion they both have for the sport which will probably this marriage a successful one.
2.ROUGHRIDERS LUCKED OUT ON THE SCHEDULE: For all the whining and complaining we’ve been hearing from Rider fans about the three straight games against Calgary, it actually worked out for Saskatchewan. Following two straight losses, the Riders would’ve normally had to live with this King Kong on their backs of not knowing how to beat the Stamps. Instead, the league gave them a bye week to reset and then another shot right back at them a week later. It worked out brilliantly. The Riders should lobby the league for more back-to-back-to-back matchups. In fact, it’s good for the fans, too. Just treat it like a three game baseball series.
3.BIGGEST TAKEAWAY FROM SATURDAY’S WIN: The Riders picked off Bo Levi Mitchell three times. Once by Damon Webb, another by Jacob Dearborn and then another by Jeremy Clark. Ever hear of any of these guys before Saturday night? Webb, probably a little. The others, probably not at all. Unlikely and unsung heroes stepped up and won that game for Saskatchewan. That’s a great sign for a team battling injuries on the defensive side of the ball right now.
4.DUKE, SHAQ MADE A DIFFERENCE: Didn’t out up big numbers or do much of anything flashy but their mere presence made an impact. Too many weapons for Calgary’s defence to focus on allowed Saskatchewan to not put up big points but roll up big drives with seven different pass-catchers and grind out a playoff-like win. That blueprint is how they’ll need to do it come late November and December.
5.DID YOU KNOW?: Marcel Desjardins’ record as GM with the Ottawa REDBLACKS was 46-71-2. That’s not a very good win percentage for someone who got to collect a nice salary doing what he loves for nearly a decade. Rather than telling the organization they were ‘making a mistake’ as he told TSN 1200 in Ottawa, Marcel should be grateful for his experience and he should be thanking club management for their patience with him. I remember him being fired by the Hamilton Ticats from the same role a few years earlier after dreadful stint there and it didn’t sound like he took that firing all that well, either. He should be so honored to have been given so many opportunities most of us would kill for, despite his lackluster win-loss record.
6.THIS WEEK I’M JEALOUS OF: Duke Williams and Shaq Evans. These two could single-handedly be the difference in Cody Fajardo going on to bigger and better things instead becoming just another QB who passes through town.
7.HARRIS, REILLY STRUGGLES ADD CREDIBILITY TO MAAS: Harris had some of his best success under Jason Maas in Edmonton. Without Jason Maas, he has mostly underwhelmed the rest of his career. Another sign that Jason Maas is emerging as one of the best, if not the TOP, quarterback guru in the CFL.
8.ELKS RADIO ANALYST FIRED: I’m a dollar short and a day late to the party on this but wanted to point something out about Edmonton radio station 630 CHED firing radio analyst, and former Rider player, Eddie Steele for criticizing Edmonton Elks GM Brock Sunderland. Rider radio 620 CKRM analyst Luc Mullinder was particular vocal about this, which is great. However, if Luc or anyone else tells you that censorship isn’t part of the environment with the Rider broadcast crew, think again. Luc wouldn’t be working on the Rider broadcasts if he said the same things about Jeremy O’Day that Eddie Steele said about Brock Sunderland. And that’s a fact.
9.PATS GAMES ON CBC: Love it. Just because they’re not involved in doing big league sports anymore, doesn’t mean the public broadcaster doesn’t have a role to play. They should be filling more gaps in the system like the CHL, Vanier Cup and Canadian Elite Basketball League. Thankfully, they appear to be doing just that.
10.TV PICK THIS WEEK: Go to YouTube and search How Free Redskins Tickets Led to the Most Amazing Surprise in NFL History. It’s a quick 12-minute video and you’ll be glad you did.
(Follow Brendan on Twitter at @brendanhowardmc)
