THURSDAY COMMENTARY – THE FIRING LINE
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These are curious times at Mosaic Stadium. Not a lot makes sense.
At least we’re getting to the end.
Sports has always made the best real-life drama. Or soap opera. However this Cody Fajardo situation is nothing short of a horror movie.
One day after Riders head coach Craig Dickenson said Cody Fajardo was given the day off as a “vet day”, Dickenson confirmed he won’t start in Saturday’s must-win home game against Calgary. A benching.
I knew I could trust my source who said Mason Fine was going to start in Week 20.
My Rider info is always right.
This would all smack of a quarterback controversy in normal times, but it’s dwarfed by all the other controversies surrounding this team at this time.
Cody’s admitted he’s started his last game as a Rider and hopes someone will sign him next year.
He’s the first one to be scapegoated for a Rider season that’s gone in the gutter, in what was to be one of the biggest seasons in franchise history. Instead they’ll set a single season record for sacks allowed, yet somehow the finger’s being pointed at Cody. See the blame-bucking that’s going on here? I wonder if the Rider Board of Directors is perceptive enough to see it.
I have my doubts. They’ve allowed all this to happen so far.
As far as this Saturday goes, the adage hasn’t changed; the Riders are going with Mason Fine against the Stamps because they feel he gives them the best chance to win. It’s not audition time yet.
Should, and when, the Riders lose out and miss the playoffs, Craig Dickenson will assuredly walk the plank as this team so woefully didn’t come close to expectations.
That’s not to say he deserves to. That’s just the football firing line: quarterback – coach – GM – President.
Was it Dickenson’s call to bench Cody; the guy who was West Division MVP the same season Craig was Coach of the Year? Was it Dickenson’s call to change offensive coordinators way back when? Who exactly is calling the shots over there?
Oh the rumour mill is churning and I’d love to tell you what I know.
Eventually I will.
But for now, we wait to see if the Riders will be Fine.
That’s today’s Rod Pedersen Commentary
(The Rod Pedersen Show airs daily at 12 pm ET on Game+ TV and WQEE Radio. Call your cable provider to subscribe. You can also watch on YouTube Live and listen 24/7 at RodPedersen.com/ListenLive)
Why didn’t you name the OC? That’s who needed firing, long ago. But for some reason Jason Maas seems to have immunity.
That’s a given.
What a tragic mess!!! Fajardo is a good QB, just needs a way better OLine and a way, way better coordinator. Maas is a bust!! He may have been good elsewhere but him and Fajardo just dont see eye to eye. There is an old saying in sports…..if you fire someone you had better have someone better in mind to replace him!!! Riders dont with their QB!!! I say a good OCoordinator is way easier to find than a QB. Fire Maas, maybe fire the OLine coach but get a better Oline, no QB has a chance behind that mess.… Read more »
The old saying in sports “if you fire someone you had better have someone better in mind to replace him”……… – pretty much somes up why you and many people have not clue 1 as to sports, business or life. Bottom line as Ric Flair used to say, “unless you’re holdin’ the 10 lbs of gold your second best no matter what ya tell yourself.” and/or “y’all playin catch up ball to the Nature Boy” My guess is that statement comes form a lifetime of employment in the Government Public Service, Crown Corporation or Sask Gaming/Casino…….job ghettos that are not… Read more »
Wrestling references and political commentary all in the same spot…seems about right.
and you have no clue how the CFL works MOE!!! Players just cycle around from team to team, same core group. SO DONT MAKE A FOOL OF YOURSELF BY CHIRPING IN ON SOMETHING YOU HAVE NO CLUE ABOUT. SIT BACK AND ENJOY A COUPLE PEROGIES.
I still think the Riders should look at Fajardo for next season and resign him potentially. But if not, who is available? I thought about this and here is my thoughts……firstly who we have no, Fine and Dolegala are not ready to be starters and the franchise QB. Maybe in a year or 2 or 3 but not now. Us as fans will not put up with a developmental QB that may pan out in a couple years, nor should we. So who else? BC has VA Jr, who wont be of value likely to them next year if their… Read more »
I’ll break it down: Who made this decision: Go ALL in on a journeyman Defensive Coordinator who under a very tight leash coached a Grey Cup team in 2015. 15 years as a D.C – couple years as a Head Coach with Ed Hervey running the day to day – parlay that into a Bill Parcells-esque total control of a CFL organization. Fines after fines, revolving player door – gone after a couple of season. Who made this decision: Replace the departing G/MHead Coach with a Coordinator-esque, Assistant GM-esque, wasn’t hired by other organizations-esque, “smells” of an “Al Ford-esque who… Read more »
Craig Reynolds. Name the name. I was furious the day they hired him. And have been saying ever since, here and elsewhere: accountants should not be allowed to be in charge of ANYTHING!! Especially not a “professional ” football organization……
WOW! All that deep thinking made me dizzy. Can you please tell how a team that went to the western final, won its first 4 games of the 2022 season then proceeded to implode the rest of way? Too many cooks? Should have been 1 chief cook & bottle washer all in on and no discipline.
You are so out to lunch! No cap space to hire coaches other than ones already in place after Jones left, and no time to do it.
Ample receivers, but injuries caused issues. I could go on but your uninformed ramble used up all the space!
Sad day in Riderville, run another quarterback out of town. Maybe he’ll duplicate what Austin, Burgess, Burris and Collaros have done: win a Grey Cup with another team, behind an offensive line that CAN block!
Would love to see Marshall Hamilton be involved with the Riders either GM or assistant. EX Rider, Regina product, Excellent Administration skills, no nonsense PR skills. similar to Jim Hopson. HE KNOWS RIDER PRIDE.
Hamilton’s #1 fan is himself, he keeps bringing up he was a high school quarterback, what 40 years ago when they wore those leather helmets.
WRONG. You need a CEO that has a background running his/her own shop AND the requisite football acumen. Past practice came down to Steve Mazurak and Jim Hopson. Jim’s role in education means every single department, risk management, budget, community engagement all that fell on his plate. He also had to transform an organization by merging school divisions. When it was all said and done; Jim went to the Riders and the Riders were a mom & pop outfit selling merchandise out of a tent and they had 2 or 3 accounting systems. Now Steve had his attributes and was… Read more »
Again, CFL is known for just recycling the same coaches and same players around. But, in this case, get the ph # of Marc Trestman and hire him as our head coach. He did great things in Montreal. Other than him, its the same old same ole recycling bin. I still think Cody can be a starter with the right team around him. Either him or the only other choice out there that has experience is VAJ…..Vernon Adams Junior. He may be serviceable. Other than that, go home, serve up a nice bowl of perogies with mushroom gravy and sour… Read more »
Will GM O’day be held accountable for the mess that is the 2022 Riders ? He has brought us back to 2015 levels of incompetence and futility .
What a clown show organization from the top down , Reynolds, O’Day , Dickenson, Maas . You think Bo who just went through a similar situation in Calgary is gonna look at this bleep show and say yeah I wanna play for those guys , and garbage o-line to boot. LOL.
I think Mass should be gone also