Another New Week...

We start off the week with Rider talk, Rory McIlroy and already NHL off season discussions.

The story of the weekend has to be Rory McIlroy. At the age of 22, the young man from Northern Ireland not only won the US Open at Congressional; he set six new records in the process, including the scoring record. Never before had anyone reached - 13 in the history of this tournament. Not only did McIlroy get there, he finished at - 16.

Several players would have walked away thinking they could do nothing more to win the Open. Generally speaking anywhere close to even par will win you this tournament. Numerous guys were not only on that number, but well ahead of it. On any given year, the likes of Jason Day, Y.E. Yang, and Fredrick Jacobson to name a few would have run away with this thing. That just shows how well McIlroy played from start to finish in winning his first, and presumablu far from last Major Championship.

What I don't want to continue is the comparison of McIlroy to Tiger. I like Rory McIlroy and if the media and others make this comparison and it gets to the point that all we see is McIlroy, despite where he may be in that tournament, my fondness, as well as that of countless other golf fans will quickly dissipate.

A little Canadiana for ya...the only birdie on the eighteenth hole yesterday came courtesy of our own Adam Hadwin. Is it just me or is Northern Ireland the new hotbed of golf? McDowell last year, McIlroy this year....will Darren Clarke continue the run next year?


Off to the Riders, and while I wasn't in the crowd at Mosaic on Friday, I did watch at home and here are my observations and thoughts as we enter the second week od pre - season, and are now only 13 days from the season opener.

First off, my controversial thought....we have all thought it and I am going to say it. The Riders should cut ties with Wes Cates. Hugh Charles and Brandon West are faster, smoother, and generally speaking, a lot more dangerous than Cates. Yes, Wes had sixteen touchdowns last year but a no less than a dozen of these were from two yards or less. Sure, he has done a lot for this organization but every player's time comes to an end. Keeping Cates at the risk of losing one of these two would be, in my opinion, ridiculous.

All I heard for the last two weeks was Terrence Nunn, Terrence Nunn. A whopping total of one ball was thrown his way on Friday. While I am certain the weather conditions took away his ability to go deep, you would think they would look his way a little more often. I would expect to see a more involved Terrence Nunn on Wednesday in Vancouver. The reciever who did impress me was Ernie Wheelwright; good hands, good speed, a lot to like there.

Chris Graham made an impression; two sacks and a fumble recovery will certainly earn him a serious look this week, and possibly a spot on the season opening roster. This will be more likely if Brent Hawkins continues to be plagued by his shoulder injury. That to me, is the one area where a whole lot of questions remain, the D Line. Too many guys, nobody jumping out....a long hard look will need to take place along that front on Wednesday.

And last but not least, barring a miracle it most certainly appears that Chris Leak will be the odd man out at the QB position. Durant is clearly the guy, and Dinwiddie and Bergquist were just flat out better than Leak. I really liked what I saw from Bergquist; strong arm, good presence in the pocket, stays calm as he checks down until he finds a guy. I could honestly see him as the backup over Dinwiddie. Again though, Wednesday will go a long way in finalizing this roster.

And less than a week after the Stanley Cup was awarded, already a lot of talk regarding off season moves, and plenty of it involving the Oilers. First off, apparently GM Steve Tambellini is entertaining offers for the Oilers second first round pick, along with other picks and/or players to earn two picks in the Top Five in the Entry Draft on Friday in Minnesota. In the event that the right picks and players are involved, I like the fact that they remain committed to the re - build. However, that being said, if picks are going the other way, lets make sure that we improve as I would hate to see early picks slip through our grasp if that is the case.

And one more rumour regarding the Oilers is the potential return of Captain Canada, Ryan Smyth. According to TSN, Smyth has told the Kings (his current employer) that if they decide to move him, Edmonton is his preference. While I like the theory of bringing in his leadership, his best days are behind him, he still brings a cap hit of around $4 million, and given the way it ended the first time, I think the Oilers need to avoid this. I realize that veteran leadership is something we lack, but let's explore other avenues. Yes, he was great and he bled blue and orange but if he wanted to come back so badly, he could have come as a free agent rather than signing on with Colorado a few years ago. In summation, bringing him back is just not the right thing to do...not like he can bring more fans to a rink that is already full?

More tomorrow....