TUESDAY COMMENTARY – ON ROUGHRIDERS

(Listen daily for the Rod Pedersen Commentary at 9:50 am and 5:20 pm on Cat Country 98 FM)

WHENEVER THE CFL RETURNS, THE SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS WILL BE WELL-POSITIONED.

ON MONDAY THE TEAM ANNOUNCED ITS FOOTBALL STAFF FOR 2021 AND IT INCLUDES 2-YEAR CONTRACT EXTENSIONS FOR G-M JEREMY O’DAY AND HEAD COACH CRAIG DICKENSON.

THIS REALLY WAS A FORMALITY. IN HIS ONLY SEASON ON THE JOB IN 2019, O’DAY’S RIDERS FINISHED 13-5 AND IN FIRST PLACE IN THE CFL WEST. REMEMBER THAT?

HE ALSO HIRED CODY FAJARDO, WHO’S ON TRACK TO BE THE MOST POPULAR ROUGHRIDER EVER. IF ONLY THE TEAM COULD BACK GET ON THE FIELD.

AND HEAD COACH CRAIG DICKENSON WAS NAMED CONFERENCE COACH OF THE YEAR IN HIS ROOKIE SEASON OF 2019, LOSING OUT TO HAMILTON’S ORLONDO STEINAUER WHOM HAD AN EQUALLY GLITTERING ROOKIE CAMPAIGN.

THE RIDERS ALSO ANNOUNCED THE REST OF THEIR COACHING STAFF ON MONDAY AND IT WAS CAUSE TO CELEBRATE FOR THE NINE ASSISTANT COACHES.

THE BAD NEWS IS THE TEAM LET GO ASSISTANT COACH TIM PRINSEN, I’M TOLD AS A CASUALTY OF THE SALARY CAP.

THESE COACHES HAVE HAD TO FACE MORE SALARY CUTS OF THEIR OWN, MAKING COACHING IN THE CFL TRULY “FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME”.

EACH OF THE NINE TEAMS IN THE CFL FELT THEY WERE PRIMED TO TAKE A MASSIVE STEP FORWARD IN 2020. THAT WILL CARRY OVER TO 2021, IF THERE’S A SEASON AT ALL.

YOU’D BE HARD-PRESSED TO FIND A BETTER CHAMPIONSHIP CONTENDER THAN THE SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS.

THAT’S TODAY’S ROD PEDERSEN COMMENTARY ON CAT COUNTRY 98.