THROWIN’ ELBOWS WITH BRENDAN MCGUIRE
1. THE GOOD NEWS: It’s looking more and more realistic for the Saskatchewan Roughriders to stay out of last place in the quarterback rich west division. At the start of the season, that would have assured almost everybody of a playoff berth. Most realistic predictions had the Riders coming up the rear of the west and missing the playoffs for the first time since moving into Taylor Field 2.0.
The BC Lions, under rookie Head Coach Devone Claybrooks, look lost and confused as we round the corner to finish the first third of the season. And although plenty of football coaches will tell you they’ve seen sicker dogs than this one get well, it’s looking more and more with each passing week that this one just isn’t getting any better.
2. THE BAD NEWS: It’s also looking more and more like 4thplace isn’t going to cut it for the playoffs either.
We expected Hamilton to be good and Toronto to be awful and we were right.
What we didn’t know is that both Ottawa and Montreal would be decent under Dominique Davis and Vernon Adams Jr at quarterback. Those 2 have been the wild-card who almost single-handedly stomped on the Riders playoff hopes more than any other west team ever could.
We knew the Riders would struggle against the rest of the west and I still fully expect to happen. But it’s the unexpected surge of the Alouettes and Redblacks that has me worried. Good for the league. Not so good for Saskatchewan.
3. LEAVING MIKE REILLY IN: No big deal. Wally Buono and Don Matthews both used to do it with Doug Flutie and Anthony Calvillo all the time.
4. LET DURON BE DURON: Seems to me like Duron Carter isn’t having a whole lot of fun. Kind of like his miserable, short-lived stint with the Argos last fall. In fact, it wasn’t until Chris Jones made him play defensive back all the time that Duron really started to hurt the Roughriders more than he helped.
Bottom line: Let Duron be Duron.
Sure, he’s quirky. But it’s not like sports was ever meant to be serious anyway.
5. JON RYAN: The guy hammered 2 punts that totaled a net of 45 years and the crowd went nuts. I mean, sure, they got a couple of rouges out of the deal but does anyone really think the crowd would cheer on Josh Bartel or Louie Sakoda or Eddie Johnston or Brent Matich if they did that?
Somehow, I doubt it.
Jon Ryan has Rider fans eating from the palm of his hand.
6. BO LEVI MITCHELL: I’d offer Ed Gainey, Nick Marshall and a Canadian starter too. Those guys are good but none of them are as hard to find as Bo Levi Mitchell. And besides, he’s fun. He’d fit right in, here.
7. ALOUETTES SALE: The Lenkov brothers are about to buy the Montreal Alouettes and apparently Eric LaPointe wants no part of it. Sorry Eric, but you weren’t a superstar in this league and even today, you’re just another guy in a suit and tie using other people’s money.
You’re not THAT important. Know your role!
Somehow, I think the Alouettes and the CFL will survive without Eric LaPointe.
8. WHITE-HOT REGINA RED SOX: Flirting with the league’s best record at 29-12 with the best pitching staff in all the land. The Currie Field crowd gasped as Brandon Redfern carried a no hitter into the 8thinning Sunday. Michael Batten has battened down the hatches with the league’s 2ndbest ERA at 1.64 and Austin Alarid is a perfect 5-0. Jackson Cofer is the closer who recorded back-to-back saves 19 hours apart over the weekend and is the son of a super bowl winning kicker.
Rob Vanstone did a great piece on it in the Leader Post last week but Jackson just has to be sick of getting asked about that. I know I would.
9. COOKIN AT CURRIE: 19-2 at home are the Sox, good enough for the WCBL’s best home record. That could prove critical for the Sox in the postseason, should they nail down the east division pennant, 2 games ahead of the Weyburn Beavers and Swift Current 57’s heading into Tuesday night’s epic showdown at Currie Field with Speedy Creek.
Those pesky 57s are a tough out, handing Regina it’s only 2 losses at home all summer and beating the Sox in 4 out of 5 meetings so far. That could really sting the Red Sox in the playoffs but just remember, Weyburn beat Regina in 7 straight matchups last year, only to fall to the mighty Red Sox Awesome August run to the finals.
10. RATTLERS SCHEDULE EMBARRASSING: Really wanted to try out Saskatchewan’s new pro basketball team until a startling revelation hit me in the face like a shovel: No home games in Saskatoon on a Saturday or Sunday. I can’t make it up for a game and I don’t imagine a lot of other people from Regina could, either. And no games in Regina, period. And it’s not like they don’t play games on the weekend in that league. Of the 20-game Saskatchewan Rattlers schedule, 4 of their 10 road games will have been played on a Saturday by the end of the season. Nice to see the Canadian Elite Basketball League caring about Hamilton and Guelph, but apparently not Saskatchewan. I mean it’s not like Saturday games ever work for a pro sports team in Saskatoon. Just look at the Rush and the dismal failure that’s been (sarcasm).
(Follow Brendan McGuire on Twitter at @brendanhowardmc)
6. Mitchell is a rat. A rat who squealed on Twitter. That’s not the kind of history this team needs to bring to the locker room. Cody is fine and is developing into quite a star, thanks.
Bo would be a good add if available. Problem is who do you dump to get under the CAP? If you can win with all the cheap help in Calgary he won’t be available. If you can win with Cody, you don’t give up assets & dump big contracts to fit Bo & his big contract in Regina. You have the reason why sitting behind you in the 5th place Lions. Duron IS being Duron. Duron said it pre-season – Claybrooks lets the players be themselves. Duron being Duron is all about not living up to his so called talent.… Read more »
Wow why the hate against Eric lapointe? He still played pro ball maybe wasn’t a superstar and has access to look into buying a pro franchise. What have you done in life to bash anyone especially someone who has accomplished what someone like Lapointe has. Enjoy hating and maybe you should learn your role?
For the record, Ryan’s first punt went for 73 yards…where are you getting this total net yards stat from??
Net yards punting takes into account the punt returns. If you kick it 73 yards & it’s returned 40 yards, for example, the net yards gained after the punt is 33 yards. There’s also “true net yards” which takes into account the exact yardage into the end zone of singles, special team penalties marked off etc. but this gets more complicated. In short, if you punt the ball from your own 35 &, after all is said & done, the other team ends up starting on their own 45 the net yards gained after the ball is punted to the… Read more »
Maybe editing needed, “years” not yards.
Cody is the future. BLM is an overpriced never was.
It’s tough to have high priced stars on a team and still have money for the rest of the team that makes them tick. Just ask BC.