Something To "Mitch" About

Talk about a gut-punch, but it is one you could see coming considering the opponent.

I knew the Ottawa REDBLACKS were going to give the Riders a tough game, and I knew it would come down to the final seconds.  The Riders "D" was called upon to stop Ottawa, but like Toronto's defence did with the game on the line last week (and I guess again this week), they failed as instead of the Riders getting a last second TD to win, it was Ottawa.

Considering Ottawa's history this year, no one should have been shocked to see this game come down to the wire, but I guess considering Ottawa's history this year, we should have been surprised to see them come out on top.  

Here are some thoughts on what transpired

• I'm not pinning this one on Kevin Glenn despite the fact many are.  Yes, he threw one interception in the endzone, and one that went back for a touchdown.  The interception in the endzone was not his fault. The receiver, which I believe was Christion Jones, ran the wrong route and made Glenn look bad.  All interceptions are not on the quarterback! 
• The Trent Richardson experiment may be a positive one.  The former NFL running back is running with some power.  He was ballin on Friday. The one play in the 4th quarter when he picked up a fumble and willed his way to a first down on a 3rd down gamble looked like it might be a huge play. I liked what I saw from Richardson.  As he understands the game more, he will be a force
• In the department of "Thanks Captain Obvious", the Riders simply left too many points on the board. This game shouldn't have been close and wouldn't have been had the team gotten 6 instead of settling for 6 field goals from Tyler Crapigna.  None of the 6 were from over 35 yards, and a couple were from less than 20.  If even one of those 3's ended up as a TD, they would have won. 
• Who told Chris Jones to challenge an illegal contact call on what was the endzone interception?  It was evident to seemingly everyone that Glenn had thrown the ball before Carter was interfered with. You have one challenge now. It has to be used better than that. 
• Christion Jones continues to be the kick returner this team has not had for a while. He can break one at any time. 
• Save me the Duron Carter hate. Yes, he made a stupid play and was a little too fired up, but what you saw was the good Carter and the bad Carter. The good Carter is something you love and as long as he continues to produce, you have to accept it for what it is.  Not everyone can be the cookie-cutter player you want.  You can say all you want about him, but his play certainly didn't suffer any because of his behaviour.

Can someone in the CFL office explain why you would have the Argos in Edmonton on a Saturday night at the same time as the Leafs are playing Montreal on Hockey Night in Canada? That does nothing to increase interest in the Argos.  Why wouldn't you have that game in the afternoon? 

While it wasn't nice to see the Eskimos win, it was nice to see John Chick win a game for the first time this season and make an impact play to decide the game.  He isn't what he used to be, but he still has plays in him.  I have to wonder what his future is in the league after being a healthy scratch in Montreal. I am guessing he won't be back in Edmonton next year. 

South of the border, and oh my goodness, how things can change with one snap.  There won't be many happy Green Bay Packers fans today after hearing Aaron Rodgers may be done for the year with a broken collarbone.  With that, the Packers can be likely removed from any Super Bowl talk.  Would they call Colin Kaepernick? Would they try and make a trade with the Giants for an aging Eli Manning who might be done. How about Phillip Rivers?  Rivers still has some time left, but Manning is running out of it.  What would it cost the Packers? Would the Giants want Brett Hundley? Speaking of the Giants, how about that effort in Denver without any of their main receivers.  It was great to see Michaels and Collinsworth give a lot of love to former Ram product Brett Jones.  They must have been grinning from ear-to-ear in Weyburn. Why wouldn't they? 

Can the NFL simply relegate the Cleveland Browns? My god, they are disgusting!

Pittsburgh's loss to Jacksonville last week removed many from Survivor pools. Did the losses by Atlanta, Green Bay and maybe Denver basically bring those pools to a handful of players left. 

--I don't know how many people would have seen the Regina Rams-Alberta Golden Bears football game Saturday, but those who did saw the best football game of the weekend.  It was Madden-like as both teams marched up and down the field. In the end, Regina won it 58-55.  It was a lot of fun to call with big plays from both teams.  Games like that are so much fun for so many reasons.  The win clinches a playoff spot for the Rams.  Calgary will be here next weekend in a game that will be very tough for Steve Bryce's crew, but if the offence can keep going the way they are, they will have a good shot at pulling off what many would consider to be a upset.  A few in Edmonton said after, the Hardy Cup will be between the Rams and Dinos. I think UBC might have something to say about that and the Huskies might too. 

--For the umpteenth time, the PFC final will feature Regina vs Saskatoon as the Thunder and Hilltops both pulled out semi-final wins with Saskatoon winning at home and Regina going up to Edmonton to take on the Huskies. Safe to say that Gordie Howe Bowl may be the place to be for football next weekend. 

--It's obvious now that trading Jordan Eberle has had a disastrous effect on the Oilers. (sarcasm off)  No doubt that they are the biggest disappointment early on in the NHL season---a season that admittedly is less than two weeks old.  That effort against Ottawa Saturday night was the second Saturday night stinker Edmonton has had this season. That was ugly!

--Are they planning the parade route in Vegas yet? We knew the team would be better than the expansion teams, but were we expecting this? I'm not calling them a playoff team yet. It's far too early for that. 

--The Edmonton Oil Kings have a kid on their team named Connor McDonald. Yeah, that can't be too difficult playing hockey in Edmonton with a name similar to you know who.  While they weren't convincing wins, the Pats have won two games since John Paddock and the coaching staff let them know what they thought of their game against Saskatoon last week. Time will tell if that calm level-headed rant Paddock delivered both after the game and to me the next day will have long-lasting benefits or not. Early on, it seems to have wakened the squad up albeit the two wins have come in overtime.

--Speaking of ugly, the Cubs bullpen let another one get away and it is starting to look as if the Dodgers will not only wrestle away the National League title from Chicago, but perhaps the title of "World Series Champion" as well.  If you can't hit, you don't win.  The Cubs simply can't get hits off the Dodgers much like Washington couldn't get hits off of Chicago in the Divisional Series.  The Dodgers have a deeper bullpen and a better bullpen than Chicago so once the starter leaves, they have the advantage.  The Yankees are also having a problem getting bat on ball as Justin Verlander proved Saturday in Game 2.  Both New York and Chicago go home now, but it is going to be tough to win 4 of 5 to move on for both.

--For yours truly, the WWE couldn't have picked a worse time to come to Regina after many years as they were at the Brandt Centre while I was in Edmonton with the Rams. By all accounts, it was a great night and hopefully they will be back a lot sooner than the last period between visits. Hopefully, I will be able to make that one.

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