THROWIN’ ELBOWS WITH BRENDAN MCGUIRE

1. WHY THE RIDERS TRADED FOR STAFFORD: Possession receivers are and always have been what win games in both the CFL and NFL, too.

You may have noticed that the Patriots put up all 6 of their Super Bowl wins without any serious deep threats. Sure, Tom Brady put up some great numbers throwing to Randy Moss. But it never did translate to a championship and the Patriots have done just fine with a roll-call of receivers most casual fans have never heard of and likely never well.

The Riders have enough speed guys like Kyran Moore, Shaq Evans and Marcus Thigpen. Those 3 made a running back/kick returner like Christion Jones expendable and not as valuable in this newfound offense.

Jeremy O’Day never really did have a chance to tailor an offense around his new quarterback and this had more to do with finding a new toy for Cody Fajardo, than anything else.    

2. OVER-ACHIEVERS: Never in a million years did I expect the Roughriders to be above .500 through 7 games, but here we are. With Vernon Adams Junior out with a concussion for Friday’s game at Montreal, the stars appear to be aligning the Riders direction.

However, the knock has always been, and still remains, what happens against the cream of the crop like Calgary, Edmonton and Winnipeg? The truth is, we still don’t know. But this early batch of weak sisters on the schedule probably isn’t a bad thing either. Let Fajardo get fat on some easy opponents as a means of batting practice for the big fish to come later. This gives him his time to build some confidence in proving to himself and everyone else that he’s more than the journeyman we knew him to be prior to training camp.

3. ZACH COLLAROS: Never fit in here. Didn’t feel like he had a much fun playing for the Riders and if he was concussed half the time, can anyone blame him? Just seemed like he was a bit overwhelmed here from the get-go. Looked like he had just seen a ghost every time you saw him and the change in scenery should do him some good. Fajardo looks a lot more excited to play the part than Zach ever did.

4. WPG STILL THE FAVORITE: Richie Hall’s defense and Paul LaPolice’s offense still gets my vote to end up as best in the west and better than all the rest. I don’t care about the loss to the Argos. An 18-game season is marathon and not a sprint.

5. HOW LONG DOES BC WAIT ? : I have to think Devone Claybrooks will get the full season to figure this one out. But if it plays out as badly as the first 7 games have, it’s hard to imagine this regime getting a chance to even come back in 2020. That Mike Reilly contract is looking more like a dog with fleas with each passing day.

6. REGINA RED SOX CLINCH THE PENNANT: Never before in the 20 years of the Western Canadian Baseball League, has any team captured 40 wins, but on Monday night, the Sox did just that. So what if it’s in part because of the new expanded schedule? 40 wins is 40 wins. And it’s likely the ace of the staff, Michael Batten, will end up with the league’s triple crown with the most wins, lowest ERA and most strikeouts.

And Griffin Keller is flirting with .400 and might win the league’s batting title, too.

Not a bad haul for one summer.

7. SOX WITH BIGGER FISH TO FRY: A win in Swift Current Tuesday night would seal the league’s top seed and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. A Sox loss means they need help from the Medicine Hat Mavericks to beak Okotoks tonight or tomorrow. Homefield advantage really matters for the Sox who posed a league-best 25-3 record at Currie Field. Either way, it’ll be fascinating to see how the managers organize their pitching staffs with a best-of-3 series for each round starting Thursday night at Currie Field against the Moose Jaw Miller Express.

8. NEW BUILD IN THE PARK: Spent the Saskatchewan Day Monday at the beautiful Wascana Pool. Just love the sights and sounds around that place and on the way home, got a front row seat to the construction happening in that park. Someone is building a new office there and it’s already an eyesore. I’m thinking someone didn’t fully think that one through.

9. MARCUS STROMAN: The more I think about it, the more-sour I get. Most prospects pan out into pretty well nothing. Stro could have been the anchor of that rotation through the re-build and beyond. And he wanted to stay in Canada. His departure had more to do with Dumb and Dumber (Mark Shapiro and Ross Atkins) wanting to bring in their own guys than it did about any re-build or wins/losses. These guys remind me more of J.P. Ricciardi with each passing day.

And that’s not a good thing, either.

10.WEEKLY WISDOM: How bout you make sure your own lawn is mowed before you go criticizing someone else’s backyard?

(Follow Brendan McGuire on Twitter at @brendanhowardmc)