This and That

Welcome to Friday! Here are the usual weekly thoughts running through my muddled mind, and as always they come in no particular order.


  --Kevin Glenn is back! Does he make the Riders a better team in the absence of Darian Durant. Yes!  Are the Riders a playoff team right now with Kevin Glenn?  No!  Were they a playoff team with Darian Durant?  No!  I don't think Chris Jones is done when it comes to getting an experienced CFL quarterback here, but he has gotten a guy who can work with the young kids and will do what he can to chalk up some "W"'s.  Glenn might not be the "sexy" name Rider Nation was looking for, but he is the guy for the moment. Whether he is the starter or backup remains to be seen.. 

  --Henry Burris is going out on top.  His last game sees him as the MVP of the Grey Cup and his last pass was the touchdown throw that gave his Ottawa REDBLACKS the Grey Cup in overtime as he connected with Earnest Jackson. Burris certainly put up the numbers in his CFL career, but where does he go down all-time when it comes to quarterbacks. 

--Remember when Danny Barrett and Roy Shivers had Nealon Greene, Kevin Glenn and Henry Burris in the stable and they went with Nealon. Good times! 

--Duron Carter told reporters Thursday afternoon from his home in Florida that Rider fans should buy his "89" jersey and that one of the reasons why he is coming to Saskatchewan is because of the fans.

 He also discounted the notion that he's a bad boy while admitting he is a very intense individual.  I'm torn on this one. Carter comes off like his dad, and I am NOT a Cris Carter fan. I wasn't a Cris Carter fan on the field or on ESPN and that was long before Duron even came to the CFL. Like father, like son, the kid can play the game though and play it well. If he comes here and keeps things on the straight and narrow, the acquisition is huge. If he becomes a distraction, ship his tail out of here a-s-a-p. That being said, I can't see Carter being a distraction to a hard-nosed coach like Chris Jones. He isn't going to put up with any of that. At least I hope he isn't.  BTW: Carter needs to read up on his Rider history. I think a lot of people already have that 89 jersey in their closet.  Maybe "The Rider Store" can sell namebars! Yeah. that isn't happening! 

--Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson doesn't want to play in the Senior Bowl to risk injury. I don't have a problem with that. He could go #1 overall. If teams don't know what he's about and haven't got film on him, tough on them.  Then again, one of the coaching staffs at the Senior Bowl is the Cleveland Browns and welllllll....you know. 

--I can't even imagine what it would be like in these parts if the Riders had the last decade that the Browns have had, Has there been any optimism with that club? Offensive lineman Joe Thomas was on the "Rich Eisen Show" Thursday and estimated he has played with 20 or more quarterbacks. The all-pro Thomas has played nine years for the Browns. Do the math!

--The play of the Calgary Flames this week has been great says this fan of the Edmonton Oilers

--Are the Leafs and Oilers actually going to make the playoffs?

--The play of the Winnipeg Jets must just drive fans of that club up the wall. I can't figure them out. 

 -- I can't be the only one thinking a Ben Bishop for Kevin Shattenkirk deal is a natural. The Blues need a goalie and another d-man in Tampa makes them better. 

 --Regina Rams head coach Steve Bryce has signed 29 recruits. 29?! Of the 29, many of them are guys that are going to be players who will have a solid shot at moving to the next level in their football career. This just in Regina, that 6-2 campaign Bryce put together was no fluke and may be the norm. That's great to see!  Leading the way is Leboldus' Nick Cross. If you don't know what this kid is about, do some homework. He is one of the top Grade 12 football players in Canada. 

--Quote of the week- Houston Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni was asked about his team going 3-5 over its last 8. He replied with "Actually we won all those games. I'm going with that alternative fact thing." 

--All day breakfast at McDonalds? Is Trump to blame for this? Can one get a quarter-pounder with hashbrowns?  

--I've had many ask me since I went to Rogers Place what it was like for food and beer at the new jewel of downtown Edmonton. After telling them, they ask if I know what the cost will be for food and booze at the new Mosaic Stadium. I don't know the answer to that, but I am guessing it will be more than what you're used to much like Oilers fans had to deal with after getting concessions at Rexall Place. This just in, Rogers Place is comparable to other stadiums around the NHL and there was no shortage of people at the concessions as they shelled out over 20 bucks for two beers. I'm not saying it will be that way here, but you can bitch and moan all you want. You know you will be buying much like the people in Edmonton are doing. 

--Regina is getting not only the Tim Hortons Brier, but a Pinty's Grand Slam of Curling event. Both will go over extremely well because Regina and Saskatchewan love their curling. The GSOC Tour Challenge will see 60 established and up and coming rinks participating. It might be the best event to ever grace our fine city.  Seeing everything happen at the Co-Operators Centre will be interesting seeing the venue is smaller and cozier than the Brandt Centre. To quote John Lynch "It's just going to be fantastic"! 

--If you need something to do tonight, may I suggest checking out the Cougars 1000 point career players Katie Polischuk and Brandon Tull as the Cougar basketball teams play Calgary. Everything starts at the CKHS (Dick White Centre----c'mon U of R make that happen) at 6. 

--That's all I got. Have a great weekend!