Saskatchewan is Always the Best Choice

With wild anticipation Roughrider fans waited for the announcement by the CFL of which city would be hosting the 2020 Grey Cup.  Three cities had put in bids - Montreal, Hamilton and Regina.  The talk around the water cooler had it narrowed down to Hamilton and Regina with the scuttlebutt waffling between which city deserves it most.  While Hamilton has not hosted in recent years lot's of people feel they deserve to host it the most.  The bidding process is reportedly to be narrowed down by which economy and city can support all the events and which one can put the most successful promotion together.  Does deserving it come into play?  There wasn't even a whisper as to a hint of how the announcement would play out but in my classroom (my student had cancelled for those wondering) I listened to the announcement on my phone on the Rider app.  The city of Regina and the Saskatchewan Roughriders will host the 2020 Grey Cup.  Was there ever any doubt?

Players sign in big cities and markets for a bigger salary but it's not until they make the move to places like Toronto or Vancouver and discover the cost of living there is much higher.  A price tag of $2000 a month for rent on a cardboard box of an apartment is shocking.  To get affordable accommodations players need to live farther away from their host cities.  In Saskatchewan, you may have a little less in your bank account but you will have a spacious place to live and still have money left over to have a life. While this doesn't affect a Grey Cup bid, it does effect the product a team puts on the field and the likelihood of said team in getting to the big game.  In Saskatchewan, we like good hearty players who see the value in playing for the organization but also contributing to the community.  We know your name and lineup in droves at autograph sessions.  The love we all share makes Saskatchewan a warmer place despite the temperatures on the newscast.

If you are a Roughrider fan or a CFL fan coming into the province for a regular season game or a special event there are many options for you.  Back in 1995 the Roughriders Grey Cup slogan was Huddle Up in Saskatchewan and fans were encouraged to open up their homes to visitors.  Is this where the CFL Family was born?  Lot's has changed in Saskatchewan since '95 and there's been great strides to attract and build hotels for all the special events which now come into the province.  If attending CFL festivities the week prior to Grey Cup aren't your thing then it's only a short jaunt down the road from Moose Jaw or Saskatoon.  In 2013, Saskatoon was known as Riderville North and hosted fans and watch parties.  Finding a place to lay your head after a night out with your CFL pals has become exponentially easier.

Green is always the colour in Saskatchewan and is the model for many other CFL franchises.  Fans in 2018 were concerned about these new football leagues sprouting up and while those concerns have been laid to rest after seeing the dismal attendance at AAFL games the CFL needs to show off it's league and there's no better way to do that than have the Grey Cup in Regina.  The 2018 Grey Cup in Edmonton, while a failure for the Eskimos, was an immense success for the city of Edmonton.  The CFL needs to continue the momentum and continue to provide strong showings after Calgary in 2019 which will no doubt be a rousing success as well.  This is one reason I believe Regina was given the 2020 Grey Cup opportunity.

Many fans think that the city of Hamilton got the short end of the stick.  The last time the Grey Cup was in Hamilton the year was 1996.  The Macarena was all the rage...remember that?  Fargo had us all wondering why the movie was based in Minnesota and we were all shouting SHOW ME THE MONEY!  While both Hamilton and Regina have new stadiums, the opening of Mosaic Stadium was next to glitch free while Tim Hortons Field had construction, contractor issues, repairs and lawsuits.  It was just last year that a two year legal battle was finally settled.  It would seem to be reasonable to give Hamilton and the Tiger Cats some extra time to settle in and get everything sorted before hosting a Grey Cup with the entire nation and several other countries watching. If you'd like to know more about Hamilton's bid for the Grey Cup this CBC article is a great read: 5 Things to Know About Hamilton's Bid to Host the 2020 Grey Cup.

From Andy Hamilton Photography. Grey Cup 101 - From My Perspective

Do you remember how Taylor Field sparkled at Grey Cup 2013?  It was breath taking.  She was old and dilapidated but held together with memories and love.  Flash forward to the jewel that Mosaic Stadium is.  It's November something 2020.  It's a record sell out for the Grey Cup.  The aerial shots are spectacular.  The prospect of what that will look like in a TSN shot makes my Rider green heart palpitate.  I'm going to be honest here and yes my Roughrider bias will show...when I started seeing the pictures of the Roughriders watch parties from the Canadian Brewhouse locations and live from Mosaic Stadium, I knew 2020 was ours.  Why wouldn't you want it where football is king even on a random Thursday in February?  There was never another choice.  

5 Things Said in CFL Free Agency

CFL Free Agency opened at 11am Saskatchewan time Tuesday and while we anxiously clicked refresh at the top of the hour all remained quiet until the news of Mike Reilly signing with the BC Lions broke.  Some media types called it a wild day but I'm not so sure.  Players come and players go and it did seem the CFL cards were completely reshuffled with many asking where did that leave our Roughriders?  In the words of GM Jeremy O'Day "you don't win the Grey Cup in February".  I couldn't agree more and still there were many things discussed and speculated on by fans and sports media outlets.  The following is a list of 5 things in random order that were said in Free Agency and how they panned out.

5.  The Roughriders need Willie Jefferson back.  I was a huge fan of Willie Jefferson and no doubt at least a couple of the games won in 2018 could be attributed to his play.  I thought for sure he'd be off to the NFL with his Cameron Wake reach and know how.  He didn't try out for any NFL teams and said the tape stood for itself.  Then last weekend on his Instagram Story there was a post about his first time testing Free Agency.  On Tuesday Willie signed with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and I won't pretend it sucks every time a fan favourite signs with our arch rivals but we also cannot fault someone for going after their best opportunity.  It's been speculated that the Riders never put forth an offer, but as fans we never really know those details nor should we.  As fans came down in a wrath which would make Smilin' Hank shake his head news descended that the Riders signed Micah Johnson.  All might have been forgiven.  A word about the social media rampage that fans go on... don't tag players in your emotional ranting.  It's completely embarrassing to your fan base and it likely only serves as fuel when the players see it.  I'm glad we had Mr Jefferson for 3 seasons and while I wish him luck with his new team...I won't ever wish it in September or the playoffs!

4. Jeremy O'Day wasn't prepared for Free Agency.  Part of this argument is the continuous blame which people lay at the feet of Chris Jones who departed in January for an NFL position.  It goes that because of his departure O'Day wasn't able to effectively formulate a plan to go after free agency players who the fans decided should be brought into Riderville at all costs.  I think the idea that O'Day was caught off guard is wrong.  We have to remember that no matter the player personality that running a football team effectively is a business first and foremost.  Even if you go after the biggest player in the league and offer top dollar you are doing that at the cost to the rest of the team.  It wasn't that long ago that the Riders signed Darian Durant for $500,000 and then couldn't lure offensive lineman to protect him.  The stakes were much higher in 2019.  You need an entire team to play to win and I guarantee that one person can lead but it takes the team to follow.  The high priced Quarterbacks were signed elsewhere but meanwhile O'Day and company made other valuable signings for the betterment of the Roughriders.  No team wins the Grey Cup in February and a lot will happen before the season opens.  Let's see how that plays out before condemning a man.

3.  Mosaic Stadium and Regina can no longer attract talent.  This attempt to dishonour the jewel of the league was immediately debunked when Micah Johnson took to the podium in his media introduction.  Cody Fajardo said something similar in that he couldn't wait to be on the right side of the stadium in green and white.  There is no other facility in the league that comes close to having what the Roughriders call home.  If a player doesn't sign with the Roughriders it's not because of the facilities they play in.  Reilly chose to be 2 hours from his home and family.  Brett Lauther was willing to go unsigned if his contract wasn't extended by the Riders.  To me that speaks volumes.  Sure Regina is a small town and there isn't a whole lot to do but at the same time during the CFL season I expect a player to be living and breathing football.  They shouldn't be out on the town living it up.  We know that when they are bad situations happen.  Craig Dickenson said that we expect players to contribute to the community and to me that means charity work and appearances not hanging out on Dewdney.

2.  The Roughriders failed to sign a quarterback.  High expectations lead to huge disappointment and irrational emotions.  Did you really really think the Riders had a chance of signing any of the available "elite" quarterbacks?  For weeks we were told Mike Reilly would sign close to home.  We were told Bo Levi Mitchell, who let's face it, Rider Nation didn't want anyway, would re-sign with the Stampeders.  Who was left?  Pardon my expression but everyone else was moderately successful.  Wasn't it the best move to sign a quarterback who already knew the system and schemes?  I think so.  Yes, there are some health questions with Zach Collaros but with him being backed up by someone solid not named Bridge the Riders might be better off than okay.  Let's all remember there are at least 5 quarterbacks brought in to Rider Training Camp in Saskatoon.  While the Roughriders have stated Zach Collaros is our number one pivot, they will all compete and competition is a good thing in a world that tends to hand out participation ribbons.    

1.  The sky is falling.  Well Henny Penny you need to take a good look at the Roughriders roster to see that the sky is still intact.  Step away from the ledge and social media while you're at it.  It seems to me that there are two basic types of fans. A: The Riders are the only team you follow and players are their identity.  You completely over react at any type of different news other than what you were expecting.  You post all over facebook and twitter that people should be fired and often tweet regrettable statements.  B:  The Roughriders are your main team but you follow the CFL as a whole.  You know that football is a lucrative business and hard choices not only need to be made but have to be made.  You wish ex-players luck with their new teams and rejoice when good players are brought in.  Look at A and B closely.  Which one are you?  Which one do you want to be?  Rider Nation is known for being passionate but other fan bases often look over the Saskatchewan borders and laugh at us.  Players want to be on our team because of the passion but it's also one of the most critical fish bowls in the league.  As Roughrider fans we can be better and we should be better.