Lest We Forget

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.

--The season is over in Riderville.  Head Coach and General Manager Chris Jones faced the media on Monday and Jones said what I expected him to say except for one thing.  To say I was shocked when he said he was giving himself an "F" for the 5-13 season that just transpired.  An "F"?! Wow! Some will obviously agree with that, but whether or you are with Jones or against him, you have to agree the degree of accountability he is taking is immense and frankly, it is refreshing.

Corey Chamblin never took any accountability for what was happening when the Rider fortunes started going south in the 2nd half of 2013 and Greg Marshall's "It's not up to me to motivate the players" quote during his short-lived tenure showed you how much accountability he had.

Jones eats, drinks and breathes football. That is plain to see. He doesn't like the fact he isn't going to the playoffs for the first time in his 15 year CFL career. He doesn't like the fact his team won just 5 games this year, and that he had to bring in over 100 guys to try and get a roster he liked. There is no downtime for this guy. He says there are many free agent camps happening before Christmas. He continues to look for players who he thinks can help the Riders out moving forward. More importantly, the thought of losing like he did this season seemingly eats him up.  He does not like being in the position he does, and I am 110 percent certain he will not have this football team in this predicament 365 years from now.

Yes, Jones did a lot of things wrong in year 1, but he is admitting to that. He did some things right too, and he should get some credit for that. A guy can be his own worst critic, and Jones certainly lives up to that.   Suffice to say, he won't be taking much off-time in the off-season.

--Is Tim Hortons a sponsor of the CFL? The reason I ask is I would like to see the CFL piggyback off a great promotion that Tim's runs every year with the NHL.  The hockey card promotion draws extra people to a place which is already busy enough. You can get physical cards or an on-line set.  Could we not translate this to the CFL? Yes, you won't get a chance to win one of 87 Sidney Crosby autographed cards, but you could offer up some sweet prizes including some trips to the Grey Cup and other things. Kids love collecting cards, and this would be a great way to engage the younger demographic. There were many kids asking Mom and Dad to go to Tims to get coffee so they could get cards and there were many adults (yes I was one of them) making an extra trip for coffee so I could purchase some.

--Richard Sherman would make a great wrestling heel! The Seahawks DB is the best at getting under other players skin as evidenced Monday night. He also knows exactly what he is doing. He's the agitator you hate in the NHL. Yeah, if I wasn't a Seahawks fan, I would probably be right in there with the Sherman hate, but I'm not. Leafs fans loved Darcy Tucker and that was it! Keep doin what you do Richard!! One other thing, that was one of the worst acting jobs ever by Bills kicker Dan Carpenter. That was just embarassing even for a kicker. There are some soccer players who might have even found that display amusing.


--I love what Rock Creek Tap and Grill are doing with the University of Regina Cougars, and I hope more businesses get on board. The restaurant has come up with a "Cougar Burger". It is a burger brushed with sweetened chipotle beer sauce and topped with cheese, maple bacon, lettuce and tomato. One dollar from every burger consumed at their Quance and Normanview locations goes to the Cougars and Rams for costs associated with equipment, uniforms, coaching and travel. The promotion will run until May. It isn't easy for the U of R to get the $$$ needed for these things and any little bit of help like what Rock Creek is doing is tremendous. If more businesses do something like this, it is one less problem for the coaches and it helps make U of R athletics better.  Maybe they need to bring some mobile kitchens to the CKHS and Co-Operators Centre?? Yes, I know that won;t be happening, but one can dream!

--When was the last time the NHL had a better crop of rookies? Patrick Laine leads the league in goals and has Winnipeg fans thinking thGreey are indeed seeing the next Teemu Selanne.  The trio of Auston Matthews, William Nylander and Mitch Marner are giving Leafs fans some serious optimism moving forward. Others like Jimmy Vesey, former Pats prospect Brady Skjei, and Zach Werenski have had great starts to the season and there is a thought Jesse Pulijarvi may be ready to break out soon in Edmonton. Just picking three finalists for the Calder Trophy won't be easy much less select a winner if this continues.

--Why did the NHL schedule the first ever game between Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby on election night? You can't tell me the league didn't know that was the case. What was also bad is the game was shown to just the local markets and wasn't a nationally televised game in either country. How is a McDavid-Crosby matchup not a Hockey Night in Canada game or a game on NBCSN or just NBC, If the league has no interest in showing McDavid play because he is on a Canadian team, will the same be said for Auston Matthews down the road. What about Laine? The NHL isn't helping themselves out.

--Week 10 NFL Lock Of The Week --  Packers over Titans
  Week 10 NFL Upset Of The Week --  Steelers over Cowboys

--Did the Moose Jaw Warriors send the Regina Pats a message this week? The Warriors obviously feel they can challenge the Queen City Kids by getting the league's 3rd leading scorer last year--Brayden Burke out of Lethbridge. I think its safe to say the Moose Jaw-Regina rivalry could be coming back. I don't think I am alone when I say seeing the Warriors and Pats battle it out in a WHL East final would be an event like we have never seen before. With the likes of Steel, Brooks, Hobbs, Wagner and Leschyshyn on one side and Howden, Gregor, Burke, Sawchenko and Zaitsev on the other, it just might happen this year. I would have loved to have gone to the game at Mosaic Place last night, but rest assured I'll be checking the calendar to see when the two teams go head-to-head this year.  It might be the best hockey you see this winter. All indications are the 5-4 Pats OT win was one to behold.

--R.A Dickey is an Atlanta Brave. It is safe to say the Blue Jays roster got a little better on Thursday. I don't care if the guy ate up innings, he was a disaster in Toronto as far as I'm concerned, and the fact the Jays gave up Noah Syndergaard to get him was an egregious mistake. Where would Toronto have ended up if Syndergaard was in that rotation?

--It is November 11 and that is a day to remember those who fought for our freedom. The veterans are leaving us slowly as they age. We can never give up the opportunity to thank them for their service to this country. Wear a poppy with pride today wherever you may be.

Noah Picton, Nick Dheilly & Steve Bryce Capture Canada West Football Honors

Canada West announced its football major individual award winners on Thursday, with three members of the University of Regina Rams earning unanimous honours for their parts in the team’s first-place finish in the Canada West standings.

Third-year quarterback Noah Picton is the recipient of the Frank Gnup Memorial Award as the conference’s outstanding player, while first-year defensive lineman Nicholas Dheilly was named the Canada West Rookie of the Year and first-year head coach Steve Bryce was an easy choice as the Canada West Coach of the Year.

Picton set a new U Sports single-season record with 3186 passing yards this year and also led the nation in both completion rate (69.3%) and touchdown passes (25). His 224 pass completions this year are second in U Sports history, and he also set a school record for completion percentage while leading Canada West in every passing category.

“Noah is just an outstanding leader. He has a voracious appetite for studying offence and attacking opposing defences. He has a very high football IQ and extremely high expectations for himself and his teammates. I don’t think there’s a player in the country who watches more game film,” Bryce said.

After spending the first three weeks of the season in a backup role, Dheilly got his first start as a Ram in Week 4 and had three sacks in the team’s pivotal 32-27 home win over Calgary. He finished in a tie for second in Canada West with four sacks on the season, just a half sack behind the leader. Dheilly piled up 23½ tackles (17 solo, 13 assisted) including 7½ tackles for loss and also had a pass knockdown and an interception during the eight-game conference schedule.

“Nicholas has an incredibly fast motor and is a very athletic lineman. He’s tenacious on the field and his well-rounded athleticism makes him a great player on special teams as well. At only 18 years old, Nicholas has an incredible future ahead of him,” Bryce said.

Bryce wasn’t hired as the program’s third head coach in its university history until March, but was able to come in and immediately make a positive impact. Taking over a team that was 0-8 last year but with a solid core of returning players, Bryce’s guidance helped the Rams to a first-place finish in the Canada West standings for the first time in program history. The team reached as high as No. 4 in the U Sports rankings and hosted a home playoff game for the first time since the 2012 campaign.

“Coach Bryce has had a tremendous impact in his short time at the University of Regina and I’m elated that he’s received this well-deserved honour,” said Tanya Reynoldson, interim athletic director at the U of R. “While this award recognizes the on-field accomplishments with the Rams this season, he’s also been a fine leader of the program off the field and constantly stresses the importance of academics and community involvement with the players. We are excited to see what the Rams can do in the coming years under the guidance of Coach Bryce.”

2016 Canada West Football Awards
Canada West Outstanding Player – QB Noah Picton, Regina
Canada West Rookie of the Year – DL Nicholas Dheilly, Regina
Canada West Coach of the Year – Steve Bryce, Regina
Canada West Outstanding Down Lineman – OL Geoff Gray, Manitoba
Canada West Outstanding Defensive Player – LB D.J. Lalama, Manitoba
Canada West Student-Athlete Community Service Award – DB Cam Teschuk, Manitoba
Canada West Assistant Coach of the Year – Marcello Rapini, Calgary

Week 10 NFL Capsules

 

CJ Mosley and the Baltimore Ravens look to hand the Cleveland Browns their 9th straight loss in the NFL Thursday nighter as Week 10 begins. For a look at that game, and all the others this weekend, click here

This Week In Cougar Athletics

Away Schedule – Friday
Women’s Basketball – at MacEwan, 6:00 p.m. MST (Edmonton, Alta.)
Men’s Hockey – at Mount Royal, 7:00 p.m. MST (Calgary, Alta.)
Men’s Basketball – at MacEwan, 8:00 p.m. MST (Edmonton, Alta.)

Away Schedule – Saturday
Cross Country – at U Sports Championships, 1:00 p.m. EST (Quebec City, Que.)
Women’s Basketball – at MacEwan, 5:00 p.m. MST (Edmonton, Alta.)
Men’s Basketball – at MacEwan, 7:00 p.m. MST (Edmonton, Alta.)
Men’s Hockey – at Mount Royal, 7:00 p.m. MST (Calgary, Alta.)
 
Cross Country – The Cougars conclude their season on Saturday afternoon at the U Sports Championships in Quebec City. The men’s team will be represented by Adam Strueby, Marc Turmel, and Matthew Johnson, while Kaytlyn Criddle will compete in the women’s race. The six-kilometre women’s race starts at 1 p.m. (EST) with the 10K men’s race scheduled to start at 1:40.

Women’s Basketball (U Sports Ranking: No. 1) – The Cougars (2-0) started out the Canada West schedule with a pair of home wins over No. 10 Victoria, winning 61-47 on Friday and following that up with a 69-53 victory on Saturday. The Cougars will continue conference play in Edmonton this weekend with games against MacEwan on Friday night (6:00 MST) and Saturday night (5:00 MST). Both games will be webcast live at canadawest.tv.

Men’s Basketball – The Cougars (1-1) registered a season-opening home split with Victoria last weekend – perhaps not surprising, considering they allowed almost 40 fewer points in Saturday’s game than on Friday. After the Vikes rolled to a 95-77 win in the first game, the Cougars were full value for a 77-57 win the following night to earn a big league victory. They’ll play MacEwan (0-2) this weekend in Edmonton, with the Griffins coming off a pair of road losses at Lethbridge.

Men’s Hockey – The Cougars dropped two games to the Alberta Golden Bears on home ice last weekend, falling to 1-7-0 on the season. Alberta earned a 5-2 win on Friday before completing the sweep with a 4-0 result on Saturday at The Co-operators Centre. This weekend brings another tough test, as Regina travels to Calgary to take on No. 7 Mount Royal for a pair of games.

Women’s Hockey – The Cougars (5-4-1-0) played the hometown Alberta Pandas to a split last weekend, taking a 3-0 win on Friday before falling 4-2 the following afternoon. Kylee Kupper, Alexis Larson and Jaycee Magwood scored on Friday, moving Magwood into fourth place in the conference scoring race with 10 points in as many games. The Cougars have their bye week this week before returning to action at home against first-place UBC on Nov. 18 and 19.

Women’s Volleyball – The Cougars (0-4) were defeated twice on the road by Manitoba last weekend, losing in three sets on Friday and pushing the Bisons to four sets on Saturday. The U of R was close to extending Saturday’s match to a fifth and deciding set, but Manitoba closed out the set – and the match – with a thrilling 30-28 win. The team will have this weekend off before returning to the Canada West schedule with two consecutive home weekends. The Cougars host Saskatchewan on Nov. 18/19 and UBC Okanagan on Nov. 25/26.

Men’s Volleyball – The Cougars (0-4) were swept on both Friday and Saturday at Manitoba. The team has a weekend off from the conference schedule before closing out the first half with three consecutive weekends – first at home against Saskatchewan (Nov. 18/19) and UBC Okanagan (Nov. 25/26), then on the road at Alberta (Dec. 2/3).

Swimming – The Cougars travelled to the West Coast for their first major meet of the season at the Odlum Brown Colleges Cup hosted by UBC. Noah Choboter, Georgia Kaluznick, Lexy King, Jong Hoon Lee, and Brian Palaschuk became the first five U of R swimmers to qualify for nationals, while six school records were shattered at the event – most notably by Lee, who took out records in the 400-metre and 1500-metre freestyles that had stood since 2004. The Cougars will compete next at the Canada West Championships later this month in Edmonton.

Wrestling (Women’s U Sports Ranking: No. 5 / Men’s U Sports Ranking: No. 10) – The women's team was in action on the weekend, defeating Midland University 21-18 in a dual on Friday before wrestling at the Can Am Open in Jamestown, N.D. on Saturday. Five Cougars earned medals on Friday, as Inga Hammer won gold while Sena Debia and Amber Wiebe captured silvers. Maeghan Wild and Alexis Sigda won bronze medals. Both Cougar teams will be in action on Nov. 18 and 19, as the Cougars host the University of Calgary for a dual on Friday and the annual Cougar Invitational falls on the Saturday.

(Braden Konschuh/U of R Athletics)

No Riders On CFL West All-Star Team

The Canadian Football League announced its divisional all-stars on Wednesday with the Ottawa Redblacks leading the way with 11 representatives.

The Calgary Stampeders had the most representatives in the West with nine.

All-stars are selected by CFL coaches and the Football Reporters of Canada.

On Thursday, the ballots for the final round of CFL all-stars will be sent out with the CFL all-stars to be announced early next month.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Offence

QB: Trevor Harris (Redblacks)

RB: C.J. Gable (Tiger-Cats) and Brandon Whitaker (Argonauts)

REC: Greg Ellingson (Redblacks), Ernest Jackson (Redblacks), Nik Lewis (Alouettes) and Chris Williams (Redblacks)

OT: SirVincent Rogers (Redblacks) and Chris Van Zeyl (Argonauts)

OG: Ryan Bomben (Tiger-Cats) and Tyler Holmes (Argonauts)

C: Jon Gott (Redblacks)

Defence

DT: Zack Evans (Redblacks) and Ted Laurent (Tiger-Cats)

DE: John Chick (Tiger-Cats) and Shawn Lemon (Argonauts)

LB: Simoni Lawrence (Tiger-Cats), Damaso Munoz (Redblacks) and Bear Woods (Alouettes)

CB: Jonathan Rose (Redblacks) and Mitchell White (Redblacks)

DB: Emanuel Davis (Tiger-Cats) and Abdul Kanneh (Redblacks)

S: Marc-Olivier Brouillette (Alouettes)

Special Teams

K: Lirim Hajrullahu (Argonauts)

P: Brett Maher (Tiger-Cats)

ST: Brandon Banks (Tiger-Cats)

--

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Offence

QB: Bo Levi Mitchell (Stampeders)

RB: Andrew Harris (Blue Bombers) and Jerome Messam (Stampeders)

REC: Emmanuel Arceneaux (Lions), Adarius Bowman (Eskimos), Bryan Burnham (Lions) and Derel Walker (Eskimos)

OT: Derek Dennis (Stampeders) and Jovan Olafioye (Lions)

OG: Travis Bond (Blue Bombers) and Spencer Wilson (Stampeders)

C: Justin Sorensen (Eskimos)

Defence

DT: Micah Johnson (Stampeders) and Almondo Sewell (Eskimos)

DE: Alex Bazzie (Lions) and Charleston Hughes (Stampeders)

LB: Adam Bighill (Lions), Solomon Elimimian (Lions) and Maurice Leggett (Blue Bombers)

CB: Tommie Campbell (Stampeders) and Ciante Evans (Stampeders)

DB: T.J. Heath (Blue Bombers) and Jamar Wall (Stampeders)

S: Taylor Loffler (Blue Bombers)

Special Teams

K: Justin Medlock (Blue Bombers)

P: Richie Leone (Lions)

ST: Chris Rainey (Lions)

Chris Jones Discusses a 5-13 Season

The Saskatchewan Roughriders officially closed the books on the 2016 season Monday afternoon as head coach and general manager Chris Jones addressed the media.

The main topic of discussion was the future of Darian Durant. The 34 year old quarterback said Sunday talks aimed at keeping him a Rider have come to a standstill and that his agent has presented the club with an offer they think is reasonable for both sides.

Jones says he does want this to evolve into a Chris Jones vs Darian Durant situation and re-iterated it is the club's desire to have Durant continue his career with the organization he has spent his entire 11 year career with.

Other items of note from Jones

--When asked to grade his team, he gave them an "F" saying when you win 5 games, you aren't very good.

--Several free agent camps will be held before Christmas as the team looks for players who can help them moving forward

--The wording of contracts will be restructured in the wake of the Bruce Campbell and Maurice Price "retirements"

--The entire coaching staff is expected to return

--The team needs to find a couple of defensive backs, some defensive linemen who will give them a push up the middle, a younger quarterback should Darian not return and a couple of offensive linemen.

The entire Jones news conference will be on Monday's Sportscage starting at 4 on 620 CKRM. If you miss it, go to the podcast at www,sportscage.ca