THROWIN’ ELBOWS WITH BRENDAN MCGUIRE

1. GARRETT MARINO IS RICHIE INCOGNITO: He already had the tattooed-up look of NFL badass Richie Incognito and now he’s got the rap sheet, too. If suspended Saskatchewan Roughrider pass rusher Garrett Marino wasn’t a marked man one week ago, he is now. Like Incognito, he’s an enormous talent who has faced allegations of cheap shots and racism. Will Marino manage to keep it on the rails long enough to win over his teammates and have a long pro football career like Incognito has? Only time will tell. His teammates–at least Duke Williams anyway–sound willing to forgive him over what happened Friday night but Duke doesn’t speak for them all. The 4-game suspension sounds like a slap on the wrist but just remember that Marino will lose 19.4% of his salary over this and the Riders D-line which was already hurting from the loss of Pete Robertson just got even more thin. Would you feel like being docked a month’s pay at your job would be a slap on the wrist? I didn’t think so.       

2. DICKENSON DISCIPLINE OVERSHADOWED: Friday’s win was the least penalized (yardage-wise with only 35) in the entire Craig Dickenson head coaching era in Riderville. I actually spent most of the 4^thquarter looking that up from the press box— I honestly had nothing better to do — and that was going to be my postgame story for 3 Down Nation until all heck broke loose in the final minutes. Will this newfound trend of discipline continue with bad boy Garrett Marino a scratch for the rest of July? Too early to say but I agree with what Jeff Reinebold said on the RP show a couple weeks back when he quipped “We know you’re good enough Saskatchewan” which means if they can keep those patently yards under 100 each week, their chances are pretty good to beat just about anyone, even Winnipeg. That stat right there will probably be the tell-tale of thr Riders 2022 season.  

3. NEW NICKNAME FOR RIDER RUNNING BACKS: Jamal Morrow and Frankie Hickson have been a fantastic duo since training camp. Their contradictory styles complement each other very well. Morrow slips around from side to side while Hickson is more of the sledgehammer type. So how bout this: Slippery & Sledge! No? I got nothin.

4. RIDERS SHOULD TRY THIS: Snap counts with small Saskatchewan towns, cities and phrases mixed in. What would be cooler than hearing Cody Fajardo holler into the cameras “Weyburn Red Wing, Weyburn Red Wing”or “Lumsden Duck-42”or something goofier than that, even? It would be another way for the team to connect with its fanbase and the CFL to gain some badly needed attention.

5. TOUCHDOWN ATLANTIC: So glad the league is trying this even though I am hearing some elements of it are a bit bush-league like the mickey mouse temp stadium nowhere near Halifax’s downtown (St Mary’s University park is under renovation) and the perception of the locals not knowing this is even a thing going in on their city this weekend. Still, CFL fans should celebrate the fact there are people out there willing to put up money, time and effort to make little adventures like this happen. The CFL needs Atlantic Canada and I would argue Atlantic Canada needs the CFL, too. I hope they keep the Touchdown Atlantic event going each year in Halifax and even turn it into a Grey Cup game one year soon. What’s the worst that could happen?    

6. CFL ATTENDANCE WOES: The endless chorus of know-it-alls are poking the Canadian Football League with all kinds of ridicule over the copious amounts of empty seats all over the league, even in Saskatchewan, but especially in Edmonton. Some fans are saying they will never return to Rider games in protest over the vaccination requirements last year and others have vowed to never return to Edmonton games due to the name change to the Elks. My response: If that’s enough to keep you away, you probably weren’t much of a diehard to begin with and both of these teams might actually be better off without you. One online critic was asked what his solution was for increasing crowds in Edmonton and part of his response was for the league to buy more advertising in newspapers, radio and on billboards. Problem is, that all costs money, the CFL doesn’t seem to have much of these days. I agree that playing on one network (TSN) has helped in many ways with the lucrative TV deal but has also cost the league in other ways in having little-to-no-visibility just about everywhere else. It’s still better than what the CFL had for many years which was no major TV deal at all and it’s a lot better than what the Alliance of American Football and XFL managed to pull off by not even finishing their inaugural seasons. The league, by and large, is holding its own, despite the hangover from the pandemic and although all these naysayers love to bitch and complain, I’m just grateful to the leadership of the league to have the CFL back the way it should be. And it will get better, too.    

7. KHARI JONES FIRING: The Alouettes fought like hell in Calgary on opening night, then suffered a fluke missed field goal that cost them in week two, then destroyed a pretty good Saskatchewan team for the east division’s only win over the west in 13 tries this season in week three before blowing a 2^ndhalf lead in Regina during week four. All while juggling two quarterbacks. And yet despite the fact Khari Jones has had his team playing hard every night, the owner and General Manager chose to be glass-half-empty and complain about penalties. Danny Maciocia should remember that someone was patient enough with him to miss the playoffs TWICE in Edmonton during back-to-back seasons and he still kept his job. It’s a shame he and his boss, Alouettes owner Gary Stern, couldn’t see fit enough to give Khari Jones the same courtesy. It’s a dumb move.  

8. CFL CANADIAN QB SYSTEM: Canadian QBs are 4-1. Who’d have thunk it after going 52 years with no indication of any such star on the horizon. Has the new ratio change allowing Canadians to count as quarterbacks too fixed the system? Too early to tell but early returns (only two years in) look pretty good so far.  

9. THOSE SLUGGING SOX: Nate Bach came from Bolder, Colorado with lots of hype for the Regina Red Sox but he spent the month of June doing a lot of underwhelming at the plate. July for the Sox center-fielder, however, has been another story altogether. Since Canada Day Back has socked no less than 5 round-trippers, bringing his total to 6, one off a tie for the league lead. More importantly, the Sox have erased almost an entire 4.5 game deficit from the Moose Jaw Miller Express for the division lead with 4 straight victories over the Millers including Klevert Martina’s 8-inning shutout 4-0 win at Currie Field on Monday night. The Sox are only a half game out with 22 left to play. Suddenly the rivalry with Moose Jaw is red-hot and the Sox prospects of winning a championship for the first time in a decade look a whole lot better.   

10. DID YOU KNOW?: Regina Red Sox right-fielder Michael Zinter is the son of Cincinnati Reds hitting coach Alan Zinter? I asked Mike if his dad ever watches his games to which Michael replied “He can’t. He’s busy.” I promptly realized what a dumb question that was. Us reporters, especially this one, are full of them. 

(Follow Brendan on Twitter at @brendanhowardmc)