First of all I have to apologize to Joe Hadesbeck at CKRM for missing his radio show. I watched as the clock counted down to 1:30pm PST and was ready to go for our phone interview and wouldn’t you know death, and destruction aka my two toddlers Ty 2 1/2 yrs old & Addyson 20 months spilled into the house with mom from their morning trip to the pool. Both are hungry, tired, and counting down to snooze time. So sorry Joe, time just flew when the category 4 entered the door.
Please excuse me readers for pulling a Marty York and jumping the gun on the Michael Bishop waiver thing. From here on out its only Adam Schefter type commenting on serious information.
Saturday’s game
The Riders should never play another night game again. Watching it on the tube was epic. I hated as a player playing in the rain, but that was on astroturf and these punk kids today are playing on field turf so there’s no problem. Simply put the game looked great. I move that everyone in Saskatchewan calls their congressman to make game day an official provincial holiday. If you have to go to the cottage then all tv’s, and radios must be tuned to the game if not you can, and will be fined. If you are traveling to the game by car or truck from parts unknown then an official Rider placard will be issued and your speed limit should be raised. Drive safely.
If I were a young football player and was coming to Canada next year and I caught the Rider & Als game on tv the Riders instantly go on the list of teams to talk to. It’s just something about big, face painted, standing, noisy, regular season crowds that speak to a players psyche. Sponsors, viewers, and everyone else just gets caught up in the magnitude of the event. So fans I guess this is the bed you have made, and now you must lie in it, you’ve set the set the table, now its time to eat and continue to live up to the standard you are presently setting, so see you next week. If players are held accountable to play at a winning level week in and week out then fans have to be held accountable to get it up every home game. It’s an easy job for 9 home regular season games, and a playoff game to bring it 100%.
Funny thing happened during the Lions and Winnipeg game. While up in the media area I pass by the Vancouver Province luxury box, which is next to the Maury Dueck box where Commish Marc Cohon is intently watching the game. My ex boss Jonathan McDonald of the Vancouver Province points out these two guys in Kelly green t-shirts that are sitting watching the game. He springs me on the two Rider fans one guy living in Ottawa, the other living in San Francisco. Apparently these two lucky souls are doing their own “endless summer” football style. The next day they were off to see the Riders, Als game.
“The power of Six Degrees of Daved Benefield
As an ex “defensive god”, “I’m laughing right now” who has played against some of the best running backs in the game for over a decade I would have to put Wes Cates in that elite group. If your defense can’t, won’t, and don’t stop “the Cates” then you are going to lose. He has all the ingredients of a great back, the vision, the balance, the speed, and a bunch of other things that a great back must possess. He reminds me of Mike Pringle in the way that he can take a hit, and fall forward 5yards. Oh and please think he’s tired in the fourth quarter so he can run up a C note on you. Mike loved doing that. He has the elusiveness of Blaise Bryant, the receiving ability of Robert Drummond and Archie Amerson. So he’s complete. So Cates you may now move into my locker.(kidding)
The new number 4. Darian Durant is looking more and more like a younger version of Kerry Joseph just without the open field, physical, running back nature. On a side note it looks like KJ is getting comfortable in the offense and his touchdown run was epic.
This is seriously a great time to be watching the CFL with all the great young quarterbacks in the league. Hopefully the propaganda machine of the CFL will catch up to the game, and its players, and make these guys the stars they deserve to be.
Reggie Hunt, 2 ints and a 1 sack wow you can’t tell me he’s lost a step, and this is playing in a new defense, with new people all around you. “Mr. Reaper way to come back home, and put on a great show for your fans.” People must remember this game is a business, a cold one at that, here today gone tomorrow maximize your income is number one.
Let’s face few players are looked after when the game is over. Career doors close faster than, Maurice Lloyd closing on a ball carrier. So like I tell young players the career is everything but sooner or later you have to make a decision what you want to do when you’re done, and where can you go in order to get your start. I think franchises that can cover this base will not only keep players, but will build stronger bonds with players and set themselves apart from other teams in the league. Now of course the trick is getting negotiations to be fair and not using community jobs and budding careers as a reason to not give players raises and fair market values. Looking back why did I leave Vancouver? A wise guy GM who tried to leverage the fact that I was making Vancouver home. His thinking I would play for what I made as a rookie because I wouldn’t want to leave. NOT.
Neil Hughes is not Chris Szarka but he’s a different sort of back. He’s like New England’s Kevin Faulk multi dimensional, versatile and just gets the job done. I wonder if Hughes is part Jamaican because, “he does so many things, and has so many jobs mahn.” Chris Szarka is a Mike Sellars type of fullback/tailback/ hback/ tightend sorta player, especially in this smaller lighter CFL. They both can exist and be productive in a well thought out CFL gameplan.
Marc Trestman has got to be one of the best new coaches I have seen in a long time make the jump to the CFL. You can totally tell Anthony Calvillo has a better connection with coach Trestman then he did with Marcel Bellefeuille. This is a lesson its better to communicate with your veteran qb’s, and players. Find out what they do best, then tweak the playbook to work. Especially for guys like AC.
