The Saskatchewan Roughriders look to build off of last week's victory in BC place heading into this weekend's showdown with the Edmonton Eskimos. The game will mark the debut of Alex Hall who was acquired this week in a trade with Winnipeg.
How much did the acquisition of Hall potentially improve the pass rush. While it has yet to be seen on the field but the insertion of Hall into the line - up leads to what looks like a seat onthe bench for Jermaine McElveen, who is no slouch himself having recorded seven sacks thus far.
The Riders can't seem to kick the injury bug. Cornerback Rod Williams who was signed last week, started in BC and provided some stability on the edge will be out for four weeks after fracturing his arm in practice today. What I see this doing is marking the return of Prince Miller who sat out last week. That is a move that doesn't hurt us too much given that Miller has started most of the season and has graded out fairly well in my opinion.
It is no secret that the Eskimos aren't the most loved team in this province. In fact, beating the Evil Empire is trumped only be defeating the Stamps. That being said, this season for me it hasn't so much been beating Fred Stamps, Mike Reilly, etc. Rather it has been beating Ed Hervey, the Eskimos GM who has done nothing good for his reputation and public image this season. In my opinion, he has been a first class jerk from the opening of free agency to today, and that is putting it nicely. He exumes cockiness, coming across as he is bigger than the team and league for that matter. He may have been a good reciever; he has a lot of work to do if he hopes to become a staple in Edmonton. That being said, I look for a boisterous atmosphere Saturday afternoon at Mosaic. Here's to hoping for a second consecutive 'up' week.
The talk of the NHL as of late has been two things I would like to address: fighting and Thomas Hertl.
Yes, George Parros fell and smashed his face on the ice. Yes, he was concussed. Does that mean we need to take fighting out of hockey? Absolutely not. Fighting is a part of the game and it always has been. While I don't at all agree with some of these staged fights, I do believe in the role these guys play when necessary. It is these guys who keep others accountable for their actions on the ice. It is these guys who can provide a lift when necessary. They have a meaningful role on their respective teams. If you were to ask them, along with many others directly associated with the NHL if hockey should be removed, most would without hesitation say no. So why then, does the media feel the need to seemingly beat this thought to death over and over everytime someone takes a shot. For the record, Colton Orr had nothing to do with Parros being hurt. George Parros stumbling and falling is why those events transpired.
Let's just calm down. Yes, Thomas Hertl had four goals the other night, and I know he is a teenager. Let's not hand him the Calder Trophy and annoint him the next great in this league. A couple of things need to be considered here. The Sharks clobbered the Rangers that night. In fact, the Rangers looked uninspired. While it is a credit to anybody to score four goals in a game, it has happened before and will happen again. While the kid could turn out to be a stud, he is three games into a career, and all be it a very promising start, I am not giving him anything...yet.
This tendency to place unbelievable expectations on young players in any sport is not good. Look at Jadaveon Clowney, the coveted DE in South Carolina of the NCAA. Clowney is a very good football player. Last season he had a remarkable play in his team's Citrus Bowl victory over Michigan. Well rather than take it for what it's worth, the media, almost onvernight turned him into the number one pick in this year's NFL draft, annointed him one of the greatest to play College football and so on. What has he done this year; not much? And now they (the same media who once loved him) are questioning his work ethic and true abilities. I am sure Clowney loved the attention at the time but inhindsight probably wished they would have shut up.
Sad night in baseball as the Pittsburgh Pirates got smacked around in Game Five of the NLDS against St. Louis. If Oakland is to lose tonight to Detroit, all is lost for those hoping to see a small market team win the World Series. I mean, in all honesty, unless you are a diehard fan of the Dodgers, Cardinals, Red Sox or Tigers, the playoffs will becoming mundane and like a bad re - run for me.
Should be all for today.
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