THURSDAY COMMENTARY – CHUCKY’S CHEESE
(Listen daily for the Rod Pedersen Commentary at 9:50 am and 5:20 pm on Cat Country 98 FM)
ON TODAY’S COMMENTARY, THE DISCUSSION YOU’RE ALL LONGING FOR — THE SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS.
WE ARE A FEW WEEKS AWAY FROM CFL FREE AGENCY AND THE REAL DIEHARDS ARE GETTING VERY EXCITED ABOUT POTENTIAL MOVEMENT OF PLAYERS ACROSS THE CFL.
BIG PICTURE, I’M MORE CONCERNED WITH THE OVERALL HEALTH OF THE LEAGUE WITH MORE AND MORE RUMBLINGS THAT THERE WON’T EVEN BE A SEASON IN 2021.
TALKING ABOUT FREE AGENCY IS AKIN TO PICKING OUT THE DRAPES WHEN THE ACTUAL HOUSE IS ON FIRE.
BUT … LET’S PLAY ALONG.
CHARLESTON HUGHES HAS REPORTEDLY BEEN PRESENTED WITH A SIZEABLE PAYCUT BY THE ROUGHRIDERS. I’VE SEEN CHARLESTON A FEW TIMES OVER THE PAST WHILE AND ALTHOUGH HE’S MENTIONED THE PINCH HE’S IN, I’VE NEVER ACTUALLY ASKED WHAT THE PROPOSED CUT IS.
FRANKLY, I DON’T THINK HE SHOULD HAVE TO TAKE MUCH OF A CUT AT ALL. I THINK PEOPLE ARE FORGETTING THAT CHARLESTON HUGHES HAS LED THE CFL IN SACKS IN EACH OF THE LAST FOUR SEASONS!
HE SHOULD BE ONE OF THE BIGGEST STARS IN THE CFL, AKIN TO THE NFL’S AARON DONALD OR J.J. WATT.
CHARLESTON KNOWS THIS. I THINK ALL OF US CFL FOLLOWERS KNOW THIS.
AS IT IS, CHUCKY MADE LESS MONEY LAST SEASON THAN THE BOMBERS WILLIE JEFFERSON STANDS TO EARN THIS SEASON EVEN AFTER TAKING A PAYCUT. CHARLESTON HAS BETTER NUMBERS, AND NUMBERS ARE SUPPOSED TO GET YOU PAID.
IT HONESTLY MAKES NO SENSE.
THE ROUGHRIDERS ALSO HAVE A RIGHT TO DESIGNATE THEIR SALARY CAP HOWEVER THEY SO CHOOSE AND THAT INCLUDES GIVING A HUGE RAISE TO STAR QUARTERBACK CODY FAJARDO.
THERE’S NO ARGUMENT HERE ON THAT ONE.
BUT CHARLESTON HUGHES IS IN THE CONVERSATION FOR BEING THE GREATEST DEFENSIVE END IN CFL HISTORY AND IN OUR OPINION, DESERVES BETTER THAN TO BE TREATED LIKE AN ADD-ON.
AT THE VERY LEAST, YOU CAN SEE WHY HE INTENDS TO HIT THE OPEN MARKET IN FEBRUARY.
THAT’S TODAY’S ROD PEDERSEN COMMENTARY ON CAT COUNTRY 98.
I agree with Brendan. At Hughes age he’s a major gamble. There are tons of examples of steep dropoffs once you get to 33, never mind 37 (QB’s & Kickers being the exception). Our own John Chick was let go by Jones after recording 26 sacks the prior 2 years. That year he had 14 in Hamilton before dropping off to 5 the following year at age 34 & that was that. More Rider examples? Durant! Messam, done at age 33 in Regina after 2 consecutive 1,000 yard campaigns in Calgary (hello Powell), Micah Johnson 14 sacks in Calgary to… Read more »
Cut all the old players like Jones rightfully did in his day. Rider gm has to consistently recruit new and younger players to keep up with the CFL brethren. Jeremy Oday sitting back on Chris Jones’s team not good. Cut all the old expensive players and build.