TUESDAY COMMENTARY – BLACK MONDAY

(Listen daily for the Rod Pedersen Commentary on Cat Country 98 FM & Rock 98.5 FM)

IT WAS AN ELK SLAUGHTER.

OR IN EDMONTON FOOTBALL TERMS, IT WAS BLACK MONDAY.

SHORTLY BEFORE WE WENT OFF AIR ON MONDAY’S ROD PEDERSEN SHOW, THE EDMONTON ELKS ANNOUNCED THEY ARE COMPLETELY CLEANING HOUSE, FIRING PRESIDENT CHRIS PRESSON, GM BROCK SUNDERLAND AND HEAD COACH JAIME ELIZONDO.

MONTHS AGO, AT THE MERE SUGGESTION OF A MOVE LIKE THIS, I QUESTIONED IF ANY CFL TEAM HAD EVER TORCHED THEIR ENTIRE EXECUTIVE AND MANAGEMENT TEAM AND, LO AND BEHOLD, A BLUE BOMBERS REP TOLD ME THEY DID IT IN WINNIPEG IN 2013, ALTHOUGH THEY SPACED IT OUT OVER SEVERAL MONTHS.

SO IN EDMONTON TERMS, I’M AGAIN REMINDED OF THE IMMORTAL WORDS OF TALKSHOW HOST JOHN FRENZY WHEN HE REGULARLY QUIZZED, “WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?”

THE TIMING OF MONDAY’S ANNOUNCEMENT GAVE US SOME TIME TO GIVE LIVE ANALYSIS ON THE SHOW – THE COUNTRY’S FIRST – AND A DAY LATER, MY THOUGHTS HAVEN’T CHANGED.

CLEANING HOUSE ISN’T NECESSARILY A BAD THING BUT TWO THINGS COME TO MIND: 1) HOW MUCH DAMAGE HAS BEEN DONE, AND 2) HOW CONFIDENT SHOULD EDMONTON FANS BE IN THE DIRECTION OF THE TEAM CONSIDERING IT’S THE TEAM’S BOARD OF DIRECTORS WHICH PUT THOSE TOP GUYS IN THOSE ROLES IN THE FIRST PLACE?

ON THE FIRST POINT, IT WAS THIS ADMINISTRATION WHICH OVERSAW THE FRANCHISE NAME CHANGE FROM ESKIMOS TO ELKS. IN THEIR ONLY SEASON NAMED AFTER THE LARGEST SPECIES OF THE DEER FAMILY, THEY UNDERPERFORMED WOEFULLY AND PRETTY MUCH DESTROYED THE TEAM’S BRAND IN THE CITY (FROM WHAT I’M TOLD).

THIS IS A CRITICAL TIME IN THE ILLUSTRIOUS HISTORY OF THE EDMONTON PRO FOOTBALL FRANCHISE. WITH THE NEXT HIRE, THE BOARD NEEDS TO GET IT RIGHT AND THEY’VE REPORTEDLY ENLISTED THE HELP OF CFL ICON WALLY BUONO.

IF ONLY WALLY HIMSELF WAS AVAILABLE.

THAT’S TODAY’S ROD PEDERSEN COMMENTARY

(The Rod Pedersen Show airs daily on Game+ TV across Canada and the USA. Contact your cable provider for details. You can also watch on YouTube Live or listen 24 hours a day here)