THROWIN’ ELBOWS WITH BRENDAN MCGUIRE

1. SUITOR SNUBS FAJARDO: Glen Suitor’s mere suggestion the Roughriders should consider Trevor Harris over Cody Fajardo at quarterback for 2022 has a lot of folks talking. I respect the TSN analyst’s opinion on anything CFL over just about anyone. However, I must respectfully disagree with him on this one. Risking a relationship that seems tailor-made for the prairies for a different QB who in the last 36 months has had not one, not two, but three teams have him in their mitts only to decide they could live just fine without him would be a risky bet not worth taking. The criticism heaped upon Cody is reminiscent of the heat Kent Austin, Henry Burris, Kerry Joseph and Darian Durant used to take. Rider fans don’t know what they’ve got until it’s gone and if they’re not careful, they just might find that out with Cody Fajardo.  

2. IMPROVING THE CFL RATIO: I’ve researched ad nauseam the impact of the Canadian player quota in the CFL including what it did to the Canadian franchises ability to compete with American franchises who were not subject to any such rules in the mid-90’s. My past suggestion of giving teams incentive to groom Canadian quarterbacks has been met with ridicule and scorn from some readers and even former Winnipeg head coach/CFL free spirit Jeff Reinebold. So how about this: Teams are required to start 7 Canadians at all times today. If said team has a Canadian quarterback in the game, how about letting him count as 3 Canadians? This would give the BC Lions much incentive to focus on the development of Nathan Rourke to make him an elite quarterback in this league, rather than continuing to grossly overspend on Michael Reilly’s contract which in three years has produced very little dividend for the Leos. The extra Americans at other positions would give the Lions a competitive advantage and fair reward for taking up the cause. Other teams could follow suit, too. Canadian starters are over-represented at non-skill positions like the O-line and under-represented at the skilled positions. This isn’t good for anybody.   

3. RETURNING THE CFL’S SIZZLE: Seeing Doug Flutie play and meeting him in-person after a 1996 Argo-at-Saskatchewan game was my childhood Michael Jordan moment. I don’t see a Michael Jordan anywhere in the CFL these days, although Winnipeg’s Willie Jefferson is awfully close. The league and its players association need to put their heads together and agree on a system that encourages some zoom and in-person meetings during the offseason to enable offences to master a plan going into the next season. This will give the league and its broadcast partners better bang for its buck in generating entertainment value. COVID-19 showed us the disastrous results of limited meetings in the 2021 season. This would be a way for the league to recapture the magic we had become accustomed to and create that superstar quarterback rather than overpaying for it. The CFLPA also wins when entertainment and fan interest is up and this would be a good way to go about it.    

4. PATS ARE TIMING IT RIGHT: John Paddock was in seller’s mode at the WHL trade deadline getting younger in a deal with Kamloops. Part of me wants to scoff at this now four-year-old rebuild project. However, if you were a WHL team right now, would you want to be risking the waste of a playoff run that could be mired in attendance restrictions? It would be hard to blame any sports and entertainment organization for trying to build for the future in the hope this pandemic will all be behind us at some point.   

5. SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT AN ESSENTIAL SERVICE: Our sanity needs as much distraction from reality as we can get these days. You won’t convince me that these young and healthy athletes are at any serious risk from playing their schedule as per usual. Spectators are free to stay home if they feel at risk. There’s a lot of things our provincial government does and has done during this pandemic that are ridiculous. But I applaud our premier for refusing to buckle under the pressure of “Well the rest of Canada is putting in restrictions, why aren’t you?”It doesn’t mean the rest of Canada is right.   

6. GYMS AN ESSENTIAL SERVICE: People need the gym today more than ever before. I don’t even like the fact we ask people on treadmills or exercise bikes to wear masks. It’s hard enough to get people motivated to go to the gym as it is and this only makes it worse. Personal fitness is one of the defenses we have against the coronavirus in building up our immune systems and it doesn’t feel like we put enough value in that these days. I’m just saying. 

7. THIS WEEK I’M JEALOUS OF: Tanner Marsh. The former Montreal Alouette quarterback was an extra in the newly released movie American Underdog: The Kurt Warner story. Sounds like Henry Burris 2.0 from Hank threw a lot of the passes in Oliver Stone’s 1999 thriller Any Given Sunday. That film grossed $100 million dollars. Tanner Marsh’s movie is already at $19.5 million and it’s only been out for three weeks in the middle of a pandemic! 

8. BURRIS WANTS TO BE NFL HEAD COACH: Murray McCormick did a great piece for the Regina Leader Post about Henry Burris just before his Chicago Bears season ended. Hank has been on the Bears staff for two seasons now, this year as an offensive quality control coach, and revealed to Murray that he dreams of becoming an NFL head coach. About to turn 47 this year, it looks like Henry has an uphill climb to get there. However, would it not make more sense to have someone like Henry Burris, who’s actually played the game at the CFL and NFL level, in a head coaching role than someone who hasn’t, like most NFL and U.S. college head coaches? I would much rather see Burris get there than some of these snot-nosed punks who are only coaching in the NFL because of some connection through their dad or other means of nepotism. And if NFL owners truly are serious about hiring black head coaches, then Henry should be on their radar to run an offence and maybe eventually be their head coach. Will be fascinating to see where he ends up.    

9. BRENT LOUCKS:The legendary CKOM morning man is stepping away from morning radio for the first time in nearly 40 years. I dealt with Brent frequently for a short time in the late-2000’s and have to honestly say I cannot remember encountering a more passionate talk radio person than Brent Loucks. He was a big help in putting together a radio documentary of Bill Hunter’s pursuit of the St. Louis Blues for Saskatoon (Brent flew to long island for NHL meetings about it) and even read an open letter of mine on air trying to convince Henry Burris to return to the Riders late in the 2014 season after Darian Durant had suffered his first season-ending injury. Predictably, the letter fell on deaf ears but that’s not the point. For so many years, Brent Loucks has been one of those rare radio personalities who wanted his listeners to hear your voice as much as his own. 

10. MUST SEE MOVIE OF THE WEEK: American Underdog: The Kurt Warner story. It looks too good to be anything but spectacular. Can’t wait to see and hear everyone’s reviews.