Where do you think this Gallagher Centre parking lot row should have ended and a new one begins?I wish I could say I have a prize for the correct answer....but clearly not many in Yorkton know the answer anyway...so it likely wouldn't matter.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
SKILL TESTING QUESTION
Where do you think this Gallagher Centre parking lot row should have ended and a new one begins?I wish I could say I have a prize for the correct answer....but clearly not many in Yorkton know the answer anyway...so it likely wouldn't matter.
Monday, October 10, 2011
LET'S SEE SOME DIRECTION NOW
Despite the score, I was pretty happy with the first half today.
Ryan Dinwiddie showed us he can't play quarterback in the Canadian Football League. Really, that's all you need to see at this point in the season. Any Roughrider management who felt as though this team still had a shot at the playoffs as recently as last week should be canned. You have to look at reality, not mathematical formulas.
Next week, hopefully Cole Bergquist will give us a good answer as to whether or not he can play quarterback in the CFL.
As long as I see a sense of direction and an effort from the players on the field, consider me a fan. I will not cheer or applaud what I've seen this season. Forget the last three weeks. This club sewered their year from the moment Edmonton scored the first touchdown of the season in week one.
Let's get some rookies in there at offensive line. The old guys are...well...old. Time to change the guard. And, not just one of them. All of them. Remember, you can lose 40-3 with rookies and still be happy provided you see they are giving their all and you have a keeper or two amongst the bunch. These last few weeks need to be an early look at next year.
I stand by previous remarks that aside from Durant, Dressler, Fantuz, Shologan, Butler, and Freeman; there should be no guaranteed roster spots next year.
If running backs are a dime a dozen, spend a nickel. The Roughriders should have, at least, that much cash in the kitty.
Find a defensive end that can wreak havoc.
Jim Hopson: please get down on your hands and knees and beg Joe Womack to return to the organization as General Manager and give him full control over football operations.
As far as a head coach goes, I don't know what the answer is. It can't be Miller. Is Marcus Crandell too raw? I don't know about that. Greg Marshall showed us teams were right to 'not' name him a head coach time and time again. Maybe it's time to jump the gun and grab Crandell and let him learn on the job if you think he has the tools to be successful. Scott Milanovich doesn't want to be a head coach bad enough if you ask me or else he'd already be doing it. Mike Benevides is, possibly, headed to Toronto to clean up Jim Barker's mess.
People are wondering if this year is just a blip. I'm concerned 2007, 2009, and 2010 were blips. With three Grey Cups in 101 years, the only real constant through two of them was that Kent Austin was a quarterback for one and a coach for another. In the 2009 and 2010 Grey Cup finalist years, there were still enough support staff and players left over from the Austin/Tillman regime. As those players and staff members drop off, so too does the excellence to which this organization was held to for a brief time. Hopson has his work cut out for him.
Ryan Dinwiddie showed us he can't play quarterback in the Canadian Football League. Really, that's all you need to see at this point in the season. Any Roughrider management who felt as though this team still had a shot at the playoffs as recently as last week should be canned. You have to look at reality, not mathematical formulas.
Next week, hopefully Cole Bergquist will give us a good answer as to whether or not he can play quarterback in the CFL.
As long as I see a sense of direction and an effort from the players on the field, consider me a fan. I will not cheer or applaud what I've seen this season. Forget the last three weeks. This club sewered their year from the moment Edmonton scored the first touchdown of the season in week one.
Let's get some rookies in there at offensive line. The old guys are...well...old. Time to change the guard. And, not just one of them. All of them. Remember, you can lose 40-3 with rookies and still be happy provided you see they are giving their all and you have a keeper or two amongst the bunch. These last few weeks need to be an early look at next year.
I stand by previous remarks that aside from Durant, Dressler, Fantuz, Shologan, Butler, and Freeman; there should be no guaranteed roster spots next year.
If running backs are a dime a dozen, spend a nickel. The Roughriders should have, at least, that much cash in the kitty.
Find a defensive end that can wreak havoc.
Jim Hopson: please get down on your hands and knees and beg Joe Womack to return to the organization as General Manager and give him full control over football operations.
As far as a head coach goes, I don't know what the answer is. It can't be Miller. Is Marcus Crandell too raw? I don't know about that. Greg Marshall showed us teams were right to 'not' name him a head coach time and time again. Maybe it's time to jump the gun and grab Crandell and let him learn on the job if you think he has the tools to be successful. Scott Milanovich doesn't want to be a head coach bad enough if you ask me or else he'd already be doing it. Mike Benevides is, possibly, headed to Toronto to clean up Jim Barker's mess.
People are wondering if this year is just a blip. I'm concerned 2007, 2009, and 2010 were blips. With three Grey Cups in 101 years, the only real constant through two of them was that Kent Austin was a quarterback for one and a coach for another. In the 2009 and 2010 Grey Cup finalist years, there were still enough support staff and players left over from the Austin/Tillman regime. As those players and staff members drop off, so too does the excellence to which this organization was held to for a brief time. Hopson has his work cut out for him.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Monday, October 3, 2011
SOME TRAVEL LIGHT, SOME DON'T
There is a pretty good chance that if my wife ever kicked me out of the house that I would take fewer bags for the rest of my life than what she takes for two days of scrap booking. Furthermore, I'm pretty proud of my bench press as of late. It's nothing compared to what these weigh.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
NO BIG CHANGES PLANNED FOR ROUGHRIDERS
The Saskatchewan Roughriders have lost 42-5 and 40-3 in the last two games.
Head coach Ken Miller said after the BC loss (42-5) that his team did not come out flat. They played hard, but didn't play well as a unit. For some reason, nobody even asked Miller (from what I've read) if he felt as though his team came out flat yesterday against Calgary.
At 4-and-9, this team's season is over. Maybe not mathematically. But, it's over.
It's now time to take a look at what you have at all positions, this includes quarterback. I'm a supporter of Darian Durant, but the reality is that we need to see Ryan Dinwiddie and perhaps Cole Bergquist in a game against the opposing teams' first string defenses. If you have no faith in either back-up, then cut them loose. Otherwise, now is the time to see them. There is no point in risking a serious injury to Durant. Sit him down and see if quarterback is one position whether you have to actively recruit during the offseason or not.
On CKRM yesterday, it was mentioned that six players have been brought in from NFL camps. Get them in the line-up. Doesn't matter at who's expense. Don't waste people's time by adding players and not ever looking at them in a meaningful way. Practice is nice, but with the team being dreadful and showing no heart whatsoever, you have nothing to lose by dressing some raw rookies. At 82-8 over two games, it's not possible to fare worse.
The fact that Miller says he's not planning wholesale changes says a great deal about this organization's accountability level. I said around this time last year that I didn't think there was much accountability starting in the front office and filtering down. Nothing has changed to make me think differently. Miller's constant defending of players, who week after week show no loyalty to the logo whatsoever, is annoying. If Calgary can sit Joffrey Reynolds, the Roughriders can (and should) sit a handful of guys.
There's a reason this franchise has won just three Grey Cups in 101 years. You'd think they'd win six or seven just based on accident. The league isn't that big. I come into contact with fans all the time who suggest you have to cheer through thick and thin. I don't buy it. This team has more support and more money than any other CFL club. Yet, they do nothing with it. If the Riders want to continue their run of sell-out crowds and record selling merchandise, I would suggest they try this: fix this mess. Show the fans you are trying to rectify a disaster. Saying you are not planning wholesale changes tells me you are content to let the rest of the season pass you by without any meaningful on-field evaluation. I'll cheer a 4-and-14 season next year if I see measures of a rebuilding effort. Right now, all I see is a front office in denial of how horribly terrible they are. Yes, the coaching is bad. But, the players are worse. And, they are not going to get better trotting the same guys out there (who, obviously don't care) week after week without recourse.
In my opinion, the following players can come back next year (everyone else should be fighting for a job):
Craig Butler, Weston Dressler, Darian Durant, Andy Fantuz, Jerrell Freeman, and Keith Shologan.
Dressler, Durant, Fantuz, and Shologan are players I would tell to take the rest of the year off. Freeman and Butler should continue to play in order to improve as I still see even greater upside.
Of those keepers, only Dressler has shown me a willingness to compete week in and week out regardless of the score.
Which brings me to another area that should be of great concern: leadership. I don't think this team has it. Every team should have a strong leadership group amongst its players.
Good luck next week in Edmonton. They are going to need it.
Head coach Ken Miller said after the BC loss (42-5) that his team did not come out flat. They played hard, but didn't play well as a unit. For some reason, nobody even asked Miller (from what I've read) if he felt as though his team came out flat yesterday against Calgary.
At 4-and-9, this team's season is over. Maybe not mathematically. But, it's over.
It's now time to take a look at what you have at all positions, this includes quarterback. I'm a supporter of Darian Durant, but the reality is that we need to see Ryan Dinwiddie and perhaps Cole Bergquist in a game against the opposing teams' first string defenses. If you have no faith in either back-up, then cut them loose. Otherwise, now is the time to see them. There is no point in risking a serious injury to Durant. Sit him down and see if quarterback is one position whether you have to actively recruit during the offseason or not.
On CKRM yesterday, it was mentioned that six players have been brought in from NFL camps. Get them in the line-up. Doesn't matter at who's expense. Don't waste people's time by adding players and not ever looking at them in a meaningful way. Practice is nice, but with the team being dreadful and showing no heart whatsoever, you have nothing to lose by dressing some raw rookies. At 82-8 over two games, it's not possible to fare worse.
The fact that Miller says he's not planning wholesale changes says a great deal about this organization's accountability level. I said around this time last year that I didn't think there was much accountability starting in the front office and filtering down. Nothing has changed to make me think differently. Miller's constant defending of players, who week after week show no loyalty to the logo whatsoever, is annoying. If Calgary can sit Joffrey Reynolds, the Roughriders can (and should) sit a handful of guys.
There's a reason this franchise has won just three Grey Cups in 101 years. You'd think they'd win six or seven just based on accident. The league isn't that big. I come into contact with fans all the time who suggest you have to cheer through thick and thin. I don't buy it. This team has more support and more money than any other CFL club. Yet, they do nothing with it. If the Riders want to continue their run of sell-out crowds and record selling merchandise, I would suggest they try this: fix this mess. Show the fans you are trying to rectify a disaster. Saying you are not planning wholesale changes tells me you are content to let the rest of the season pass you by without any meaningful on-field evaluation. I'll cheer a 4-and-14 season next year if I see measures of a rebuilding effort. Right now, all I see is a front office in denial of how horribly terrible they are. Yes, the coaching is bad. But, the players are worse. And, they are not going to get better trotting the same guys out there (who, obviously don't care) week after week without recourse.
In my opinion, the following players can come back next year (everyone else should be fighting for a job):
Craig Butler, Weston Dressler, Darian Durant, Andy Fantuz, Jerrell Freeman, and Keith Shologan.
Dressler, Durant, Fantuz, and Shologan are players I would tell to take the rest of the year off. Freeman and Butler should continue to play in order to improve as I still see even greater upside.
Of those keepers, only Dressler has shown me a willingness to compete week in and week out regardless of the score.
Which brings me to another area that should be of great concern: leadership. I don't think this team has it. Every team should have a strong leadership group amongst its players.
Good luck next week in Edmonton. They are going to need it.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
RED SOX, ROUGHRIDERS, REYES SHOULD BE ASHAMED TODAY
The Boston Red Sox, Saskatchewan Roughriders, and Jose Reyes are good examples as to what is wrong with professional sports.
The Riders didn't like head coach Greg Marshall, so they quit. Some of them have the audacity to lash back at fans who have been disgusted with this play for the last four months or so. I wonder if those same players would understand the situation a little better if they went to a fast food outlet and were told by the worker taking their order that he or she simply, "...isn't prepared to work right now. So I can't process your request." Every time a Roughrider player has said that they 'were not ready to play', I think of some other person making a lot less money in the service industry answering a customer's request with, "I'm not ready to work today."
I'm not sure what happened to the Red Sox to collapse the way they did, but I also know that when you are paying players eight digits a year to play baseball, the last thing I want to hear about as a fan is 'my shoulder hurts', or 'I'm going through a divorce'. Suck it up buttercup. Part of being paid that kind of money is being able to excel despite personal adversity. That could mean personal issues away from the game or it could mean a minor injury. Focus on the task at hand and do your job. If there was ever a clear example as to why professional sports contracts should NOT be guaranteed, the Boston Red Sox are it. What are the chances John Lackey and Carl Crawford get brought back if the Red Sox didn't have to pay them for the next gazillion years? Lackey had one of the worst seasons a Major League pitcher has ever had in the last 100 years. That's no exaggeration. And, for Crawford...well, karma's a bitch (thanks Ryan Duthie for that quote). I'm not suggesting the Red Sox (who are my favorite team) should be let off the hook for signing these turkeys, but organizations have no recourse if the employee doesn't perform to the standard expected. I work in sales. If my sales took a 75% nosedive, there's a pretty good chance I'd be let go. And, justifiably so. I wonder if Theo Epstein regrets hanging on to Ryan Westmoreland, since that was his hang up on acquiring Roy Halladay a year and a half ago...
Finally, on the Reyes front, I was watching one of the highlight shows last night and, apparently, the guy asked to be pulled from the game after going 1-for-1 because he wanted to make sure he won the batting title. That should tell you all you need to know about this man's character. Yet, he's a free agent and some stupid team will give him 20-million dollars a season (maybe Boston).
The Riders didn't like head coach Greg Marshall, so they quit. Some of them have the audacity to lash back at fans who have been disgusted with this play for the last four months or so. I wonder if those same players would understand the situation a little better if they went to a fast food outlet and were told by the worker taking their order that he or she simply, "...isn't prepared to work right now. So I can't process your request." Every time a Roughrider player has said that they 'were not ready to play', I think of some other person making a lot less money in the service industry answering a customer's request with, "I'm not ready to work today."
I'm not sure what happened to the Red Sox to collapse the way they did, but I also know that when you are paying players eight digits a year to play baseball, the last thing I want to hear about as a fan is 'my shoulder hurts', or 'I'm going through a divorce'. Suck it up buttercup. Part of being paid that kind of money is being able to excel despite personal adversity. That could mean personal issues away from the game or it could mean a minor injury. Focus on the task at hand and do your job. If there was ever a clear example as to why professional sports contracts should NOT be guaranteed, the Boston Red Sox are it. What are the chances John Lackey and Carl Crawford get brought back if the Red Sox didn't have to pay them for the next gazillion years? Lackey had one of the worst seasons a Major League pitcher has ever had in the last 100 years. That's no exaggeration. And, for Crawford...well, karma's a bitch (thanks Ryan Duthie for that quote). I'm not suggesting the Red Sox (who are my favorite team) should be let off the hook for signing these turkeys, but organizations have no recourse if the employee doesn't perform to the standard expected. I work in sales. If my sales took a 75% nosedive, there's a pretty good chance I'd be let go. And, justifiably so. I wonder if Theo Epstein regrets hanging on to Ryan Westmoreland, since that was his hang up on acquiring Roy Halladay a year and a half ago...
Finally, on the Reyes front, I was watching one of the highlight shows last night and, apparently, the guy asked to be pulled from the game after going 1-for-1 because he wanted to make sure he won the batting title. That should tell you all you need to know about this man's character. Yet, he's a free agent and some stupid team will give him 20-million dollars a season (maybe Boston).
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