LIVE From CFL Grey Cup 2024 in Vancouver! Grey Cup 111 Pre-Show!!!

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
Well we are here.

Speaker 2 (00:31):
Welcome everyone live here from the Gray Cup. We're here
in Vancouver. I got Jason and Andy here, Evan, we'll
touch with all that. Let me set the stage here
live today Media Row, Gray Cup one eleven in Vancouver Downtown.

Speaker 1 (00:46):
Please like and subscribe huge guest list today.

Speaker 2 (00:49):
You guys know we do this every year. I got
my Cogan already standing by with the argos. Dave Nailers
coming by. We've got Greg Sarah Tello. We've got Ron Peterson.
A lot of activity here.

Speaker 1 (00:58):
I think my MIC's okay, were up and sounds weird?

Speaker 2 (01:01):
Andy and Evan, Uh sorry, we had a couple of
most as the Bregford ship.

Speaker 1 (01:06):
We got Andy and Jason here.

Speaker 2 (01:08):
Evan was supposed to be here in the route. He
will be flying here. We'll see him tonight. Jason, Andy,
how are you guys doing?

Speaker 1 (01:14):
I'm doing good.

Speaker 3 (01:15):
Read It's great to be here at great Cup once
again and now ready for a great show.

Speaker 2 (01:20):
Yeah, I'll do already ask you how many times have
you guys been on the slide behind you yet? But
you see Family Fund activities here. We'll set the stage
non activities here before we bring our first guess in
Andy it.

Speaker 1 (01:31):
Last night, Andy and I we spent time with the
team tech corners.

Speaker 2 (01:33):
Dorothy's stand by here and Jason's girlfriend as well, and
he you haven't played in Vancouver.

Speaker 4 (01:38):
I have to say I never thought I'd be broadcasting
in front of a obstacle course, but you know, there's
the first time for everything, right. I absolutely love being here.
Been wanting to come to Vancouver all my life. I'm
not excited to be here, and to be here for
such a fantastic event.

Speaker 1 (01:51):
I love this festival. Yeah, it's like I said, so
said the stage kind of fluid today.

Speaker 2 (01:55):
Everyone knows I posted the guest list already a lot
of activity here. Yeah, we got Evan excuse me, Jason,
Andy here, My Coogan's coming by, Jared Davis, Dan Ralph
pull this Fluid, we'll see what we do. Jim Mullen
stopping by. We finally got nail or schedule to just
all if you're watching this oppit. In fact, I'll put
time codes on so you can jump around that Baker's
standing vibe and it should be fun today. Little Fluid

(02:17):
will be here for about two and a half hours.
So hope you guys enjoy. Jason, you guys were walking
around today, a lot of activities. Rainy today, was sunny yesterday,
but we got ziplines, we got the Bailey Funds in here.
What do you pretty spectacular? I know we were in
your hometown last year for Hamilton.

Speaker 3 (02:31):
Yeah, it's definitely a step up from Hamilton last year.
One thing that stands out, and me and Andy were
talking before the show is the amount of zip lines.
I got a couple of zip lines down here inside
and then outside in the rain. You got a couple
down there across the harbor. And it's a really cool
experience just seeing everybody out. It's been a great turnout
so far, and yeah, I'm really looking forward to seeing

(02:52):
how the rest of the weekend goes.

Speaker 2 (02:53):
Andy, we went through the team headquarters last night. We
were at the Atlantic Schooners. We were at the VC
Lions Dead, We went over to a lot of alcohol
is consumed.

Speaker 1 (03:01):
Did you have fun?

Speaker 2 (03:02):
Why did you make Team Edwar as your first time?
We were Rick Campbell walking around. I think we'll talk
about that today. Rick Campbell's feature be SIGNEDO McAvoy. Thoughts
on what you've seen so far?

Speaker 4 (03:12):
Well, first of all, to Jason's point, where's our zipline.
How can we don't have one coming down to the booth.

Speaker 2 (03:16):
We couldn't get that away and bring the guests and
bring Mike Coagan in with the zipline. That would be
I would like to see that. Yeah, But no, really
lovely city. Just a lot of activity.

Speaker 4 (03:26):
Again, just the throngs of people that I've seen in
the last twenty four.

Speaker 1 (03:30):
Hours and all the different jerseys.

Speaker 4 (03:32):
Like I said, I don't think I've really been quite
to an event like this. I've been to a lot
of conventions where a lot of different other niches sports related.
I don't think I've quite seen the camaraderie like I've
seen here with all the different fans, the different jerseys,
the different kinds of people. I cannot count on my
hand the number of times that someone said hello to
you and Dorothy last night.

Speaker 1 (03:52):
I mean just just streams of people.

Speaker 4 (03:55):
I mean random people that I think I tried to
keep up with, you know, your whole media exposures and
everybody you talked to in the kit and media sphere.

Speaker 1 (04:03):
But I did not expect all the fans that said
hello to you last night.

Speaker 4 (04:07):
I was really taking it back by that, and that's
really just a really warm feeling to have in an
otherwise cold and rainy city.

Speaker 1 (04:13):
That's the beauty of Great Cup.

Speaker 2 (04:14):
Man, No, it's really been nice and like just even
to the center stage here, there's two halves of this
convention center. This is totally unique this year to be
C were at the McLaren Gills auto row here, a
media row. I'll give the plug sponsor here when we
bring in Mike Hogan. But they've put all this on.
There's field goal kicking and there's been plenty of bounty houses.
There's an indoors zip line, there's outdoors zip line, you know,

(04:35):
compared to even the last year in Hamilton. And I'll
tell you the team parties last year in Hamilton were often,
I mean really spectacular, but just a lot more this year,
I think Amar Doman and the rest of BC, right,
I mean, Jason, can you speak to that just and
you've been obviously more Great Cups than Andy and I
have just the breadth of activities.

Speaker 1 (04:51):
We have going on.

Speaker 3 (04:52):
Yeah, I think just like the way I would describe
it is they spared no expense for this Great Cup.
I mean, you know, look at the halftime show, what
they go out for Sunday. I'm sure Jonas Brothers weren't cheap.
You know, there's just so much to do and it
really feels like when you walk around. We took the
train here from our airbnb, like just seeing the advertising

(05:12):
and the presence of the Lions and the Great Cup
Festival this week in Vancouver. It's really a special time.
And this is actually my first time going to Vancouver,
and I'm very impressed.

Speaker 1 (05:21):
Yeah, it's beautiful.

Speaker 2 (05:21):
I see Jamie and I sure already he's not off
for a love that Jamie and I sand I should
be fun here. Maybe Dorothy can started getting Mike Cogan
over here. She's payned attention. We'll bring him on in
a minute, Like I said, like and subscribe, get us
over four thousand subscribers, trying to give away. I saw
Dustin with Royal Retros last night. He was at the
CFLPA party. We went by Andrew Pearson was there, a
lot of CFL players, friends of the show. But Dustin

(05:43):
is going to be given away a custom CFL and
UFL jersey to any of our listeners when we get
four thousand subscribers.

Speaker 1 (05:49):
We'll do a couple of those.

Speaker 2 (05:50):
But it was nice to catch up with him last
night as well, just because I mean the last time
we saw Dustin and everyone knows oryld Retros if you're
in the any of this alternative lea, that was Birmingham,
what three years ago?

Speaker 4 (05:59):
Yeah it was no two years ago, but almost three
years still. Yeah, the last time we saw him, we
were trying to film our set up through a potato
essentially without how many people were in the area. I
remember the the stream. The stream was really fun. It
was great though, and I love meeting Dustin h I
love I mean, Rural Retros is obviously a fantastic just

(06:19):
set up with all the different kinds of jerseys and
outfits that they have on that site. And he was very,
very charming last time we got to talk to him,
so I'm excited to see him again.

Speaker 2 (06:27):
Yeah, so we're gonna bring it. Let's bring in by
Coging here, Let's bring in our first guest. We'll get
him in talking to Argos. I think we're gonna have
some overlap today, so let's bring in the heavy hitters
while we can. Mike Cogan here ready early, let's get
him situated. We're live for the McLaren Custom Grills Radio row,
we're broadcasting the only officially licensed CFL barbecue grill.

Speaker 1 (06:46):
To see him, purchase grills.

Speaker 2 (06:47):
Go to McLaren Customgrills dot com and this week only
using promo code CFL get ten percent off your McLaren
The custom grills really appreciate that. Mike Cogan, first guy
I had scheduled for the stream, and then number one
on here. We had to have the voice of the
art goes on here, Mike. I don't know if the
is the matchup. Maybe we wanted right on paper. We
got the Argos here, circumstances Shaq Kelly and everything aside.

(07:09):
What is your take on in this, I'll hold you
in my court.

Speaker 1 (07:12):
I think it's just two really good teams that are playing.

Speaker 5 (07:15):
If you look over the last five years or at
least post COVID, the Bombers have been the tom on
the team in the West. The Argoles have been to
five or four straight Eastern Conference finals or Eastern Division finals.

Speaker 1 (07:24):
So I think if you have.

Speaker 5 (07:25):
The two best franchises at this stage, Montreal Saskatchewan trying
to get a little bit closer, but you know, I
think these are the two teams that maybe didn't deserve
it from start to finish this year, but finish strong
at the perfect time.

Speaker 2 (07:39):
What do you make of it? Maybe Andy, you have
a question of this, What do you make of this? Yeah,
there was so much going in with Chad going obviously
into the offseason, going in, sat out, came in, took
a while, really was playing excellent even in the in
the playoff game. Obviously gets hurt, right, and then we
see Nick Arbuckle come in.

Speaker 1 (07:57):
Thoughts just with the team.

Speaker 2 (07:58):
I mean, I have to imagine it's been a roller
coade here and I just can't imagine like what the
locker room is feeling at this point.

Speaker 5 (08:02):
Yeah, and then you know the true leader of this
team is went McManus and went and went down. He
was on the sixth geam as well, So you lose
out on the defense. Chad's not in, Frankman went down
for six games. Like there's been so many injuries during
the season. Yet now everybody's healthy aside from Chad Kelly
and Quincy moj you know of the guys who would play.
So it's like, I think there was ninety seven percent

(08:23):
availability of players before the Kelly injury, which at this
time of the season is stupid. So they've been they've
been good at the right time, they've been healthy at
the right time, and all the momentum's going in the
right direction for someday.

Speaker 1 (08:37):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (08:37):
That actually perfectly leads into my question, which was, what
is it that really holds this team together? They've gone
through so much stripe as you alluded to, injuries, players
leaving in free agency, quarterbacks. It's McManus and then any
other particular players or coaches that have really held this
team together.

Speaker 5 (08:53):
Yeah, the coaches really are business like, like, very professional,
and the goal is always one to know. They don't
like if you went in in the middle of August
and aside from Labor Day, he said, who are we
playing in three weeks?

Speaker 1 (09:07):
Ninety five percent of the guys would have no idea.

Speaker 5 (09:09):
They know who they're playing that week. And that's been
the approach. So it's okay, this week Winton's not here.
If you don't think he's not going to be there
for six more, he said, Okay.

Speaker 1 (09:18):
He's not there. What are we gonna do to make
up for that? And here's our game plan, here's how
we're going to do this.

Speaker 5 (09:23):
So it comes from Dinwiddie down and if you want
to throw another couple of guys in there at Deavars
Daniels will be the top of the list. He's a
guy who really assumes the leadership role.

Speaker 1 (09:33):
Along with along with Winton and on special teams is
Jack Desar. He's the guy.

Speaker 2 (09:39):
I got a question that maybe Jason have one for
you just to follow up with that, Let's talk coach
Dinwiddy just being able to manage all of this, right.
I know they gave out the co coach in the
year awards and all of that, and obviously spotlight of
Corey Bason and everyone else that way Jason Muss, but just.

Speaker 1 (09:53):
The mentality to be able to do that.

Speaker 2 (09:55):
We've talked a lot, you know, fans critical of Dinwitty
in the past with the argos right really see nothing
but you know, like unjustified the.

Speaker 1 (10:01):
Right criticism and that regard wages for him to be.

Speaker 2 (10:04):
Able to kind of manage data. What do you make
of that that maybe Jason have fallen.

Speaker 5 (10:07):
He's earned the respective his players, right. So I talked
to Nick Arbuckle about leadership role and he said it
starts with DINWIDDI he said, we all kind of a
team takes on the personality of its of its boss,
in this case the head coach, and Ryan Dinwoody is
hardcore football, one week at a time.

Speaker 1 (10:25):
Here's your assignment. Let's go out and do it.

Speaker 5 (10:26):
Let's go out and execute, and if we can do that,
we should win because the talent's there.

Speaker 1 (10:31):
Now, it's all about the execution. So it trickles down
from Ryan, is the way you got? Yeah, so you
mentioned the adversity that this team.

Speaker 3 (10:39):
Yeah, yeah, we had representation here this week, I mean obviously.
So my question is, so you mentioned the adversity that
this team's went through this year, and they're gonna be
facing the ultimate test of adversity after losing their quarterback
last week. So my question is, can Nick Buckle, I guess,
have his Nick Boles kind of moment in the Great Cup.

Speaker 1 (11:00):
There's already been one Saint Nick? Why not? Too right?

Speaker 5 (11:02):
And it's not like a lot of people have compared
this to Dinwidi situation when he came in in two
thousand and seven, right when he came in started his
first game in a break up as a backup.

Speaker 1 (11:13):
Our Buckle has a lot of.

Speaker 5 (11:14):
Experience compared to where it didn't when he was in
his career. So this isn't the same thing. This is
an experienced backup who became a starter, who became a backup,
who became a starter, and is now a starter again.
So I don't think there's a In fact, I know
there's not a guy in the locker room that doesn't
have one thousand percent confidence that Nick Arbucklem can get it.

Speaker 1 (11:33):
Done on summer.

Speaker 2 (11:34):
I guess I have a fall up to back because
I was talking and obviously I'm you know, I do
more of this than you guys are the smart football
people obviously, but like you know, the camera Dukes wasn't
any of it that that we went immediately to our Buckle,
that that was kind of the decision that we're I mean,
I'm just curious your thoughts on.

Speaker 5 (11:48):
That he initially went to Dukes. In the last game
of the season, they gave Kelly the night off, Duke's
got hurt. Our Buckle came in and in three quarters
through for I think three hundred and seventy eight yards
and a couple of touchdowns.

Speaker 1 (11:59):
Oh who just won the job?

Speaker 5 (12:01):
And Campbell was in the next game, Kelly had to
come out of the game because he got a helmet
to helmet on a slide and.

Speaker 1 (12:09):
Then our buckle had to go on again. So he's
he's been in three straight games due to injury. I
can't ever remember that happening.

Speaker 5 (12:15):
So he's got he got some very much needed reps
and he looked great in the game against Montreal.

Speaker 1 (12:19):
So all is good.

Speaker 5 (12:20):
Like it's nobody's got any doubt at all that it
can get this done.

Speaker 1 (12:24):
I got one more and then we'll go back whoever
wants Chad Kelly.

Speaker 2 (12:28):
Obviously it's been a story kind of off and on
through all of this, right and even going into the
league and then obviously getting hurt. You know, maybe the
interceptions right last year and all that and then all
this stuff. I guess do you rinse and repeat going
into the next season. I mean, whatever happens this in
the game and all that. But I just, you know,
for Chad here, like it's just been so much over
the last three or I I don't know, like how

(12:49):
do you what is your advice to him or what
are you looking for? Because I have to imagine you
would really have to do a hard stop and kind
of like, okay, we're going forward to getting now with
him as the team in regards what happens.

Speaker 5 (12:59):
Without sounding try. He's QB one, right, I mean, he
signed a long term deal for a reason. He was
playing as well, if not better than any quarterback, no
disrespect Bowl.

Speaker 1 (13:08):
At the end of the season he was lights out.
We know what he gonna do.

Speaker 5 (13:12):
He's gonna be if he's able to go, and the
prognosis is good from what I'm told, they'll reassess it
at twelve weeks.

Speaker 1 (13:18):
He should be ready. I don't know if it's the
beginning of the camp.

Speaker 5 (13:21):
I don't know if it's early in the season, midseason,
but when he's healthy, I assume unless something ronically changes unexpectedly,
he's gonna be QB one.

Speaker 1 (13:29):
I'll have a fall prevention.

Speaker 2 (13:30):
But I'll toss to Andy here because I got a
lot of big What do you got for Mike?

Speaker 1 (13:33):
Well?

Speaker 4 (13:34):
Yeah, Back on the quarterback conversation, one of the things
that was really remarkable to me last year with Montreal
beating Winnipeg was Cody Figaro really kind of transcending past
what people had always kind of thought of him, and
he really took that last drive and pushed past all
the narratives that he ever had and overcame. I think
some demons in that process in winning that game. Do

(13:54):
you see Arbuckle having to do something similar where he'll
have to transcend as a player tomorrow. Do you think
there's gonna be a lot more help and more of
a committee by approach in terms of tacking Onnipeg.

Speaker 5 (14:03):
If you've got five talented receivers and a thousand yard
running back, use them.

Speaker 1 (14:06):
If you've got a great offensive line, use it.

Speaker 5 (14:09):
If you're the coaching staff, you can't do some of
the things that Chad Kelly does because nobody else in
the league has that arm. So I don't think there's
any doubt they can get it done offensively. You'll just
have to be a different way through some great Paul
deep balls in practice this week, so you know that's
still there. But you know, is he going to throw
that roll out cross body dime from the sixty five yards?

(14:33):
I don't know if has that in them, but him
throwing deep is not a surprise to anybody.

Speaker 3 (14:38):
I got something, you got some first, Yeah, absolutely, so
Winnipeg obviously a hell of a team, five straight Gray Cups.
What kind of challenges do you think they present to
Toronto tomorrow for great football team?

Speaker 5 (14:50):
They have a pedigree quarterback. They've got the out standing
player in the league at running back. They've got a
really good offensive line, fantastic receivers, the defense is always
in position. They're both hungry. They have spectacular coaches. Other
than that, they don't offer anything. You know, there's a
solid football team. So they're there for a reason. They've
been five in a row for a reason. Nobody takes

(15:12):
Winnipeg lightly. Ever, even when they were zero and three
or whatever, the record was two and six, nobody took
them lightly. And they're playing their basketball right now, so nobody.

Speaker 1 (15:23):
They're just a great team.

Speaker 2 (15:24):
I was making an eyeball fay, we've got Paul Off
the least walking by this is. These are the things
you get on the radio where I just think it's
funny all the back and side.

Speaker 6 (15:31):
Uh.

Speaker 2 (15:32):
I guess two quick questions. So the first off, yeah,
what what did you make to Winnipeg?

Speaker 7 (15:35):
Slow start?

Speaker 2 (15:36):
Right? Obviously, it was kind of like, you know, the
demon's dead, we don't have to be under me.

Speaker 1 (15:40):
Somehow Palpa team returned, you know, Star Wars. What did
you make it? That slow start? Really felt like they
never faltered.

Speaker 5 (15:48):
I thought there was a chance that maybe this was
father times year and he is undefeated because Claros is
in his mid thirties, Stanley Bryant's his late thirties, Big Hill,
all these guys who are closer to forty than twenty, right,
so at some point it's.

Speaker 1 (16:04):
Got to give whatever reason.

Speaker 5 (16:06):
I captured the Fountain of Youth at mid season and
just lights out after that.

Speaker 1 (16:10):
So they're there for a reason, and they've done all
the experience in the world.

Speaker 5 (16:13):
They're just you can't say anything badly about the organization.

Speaker 1 (16:16):
Is not much to say.

Speaker 2 (16:18):
One quick one for me and then we'll toss. We
got a Darrel Davis standing by. What was your reaction
to the injury with chat Kelly? Now, candidly, we were
getting ready for a party. Our sink had clogged, Dorothy King.
I was running downstairs watching the game. Dorothy goes here,
So I got the cfl plus laptop on the island.
I've got my head under the stake and I look out,
I mean the group chat. I'm like, what the hell

(16:38):
does happen like? And I then I literally I had
to rewind everyone. What was your reaction of real time
to that? I know, I think it was Hodge. She
spoiled the news to far Han and we've been kind
of hurtling this. Where were you at and just curious
your reaction because it had to be traumatic.

Speaker 5 (16:50):
Broadcast booth of Montreal's at about the twenty yard line
where he was not. He went down head first, go
for the first now, and he got up, okay, fine,
and then he started lifting. I went, okay, something happened
and then he went down. I went, did he get that?
Looked like it was an achilles the way he went
down right, just put no weight on it. And then

(17:11):
when he got up and then sat down again. I
didn't see from my angle what had happened to the lake.
My color boys did and he said, that's not good.
And so I never saw the replay of the of
the angle of the injury until I got home, and
I want, that's not good. So I knew it was serious,

(17:33):
but I didn't know it was like that other than
what Ben Grant had said, because he the monitor was
closer to him and I was still trying to survey
the field to see what was happening.

Speaker 1 (17:40):
So I knew it was bad. I didn't know what
was happening any as are you guys And then we'll
bring in Darryl.

Speaker 4 (17:46):
What do you think the biggest key is to winning
on Sunday?

Speaker 1 (17:49):
Don't shoot yourself in the foot, and that's the both teams.

Speaker 5 (17:52):
Let me cliche when the battles on the line of
scrimmage and don't turn the ball over.

Speaker 2 (17:56):
There you went on, Yeah, we appreciated Mike Kuggin. Here boys,
the argos, thanks for coming by first one on. We
got Darryl Davis coming in here. We got Daryl Davis
coming in here. You guys want to do together? No, okay,
we're bringing Darryl here. We got Jamie I said, my
nanke you Mike. You appreciate it. Guys again, like to
subscribe here in we got Darryl shaking hands with Mike Cogan.
Like I said, stacked line up today we're rolling through

(18:18):
ten twelve minutes a player a person year. We got
Brian Scott coming on. Later, we got Dave Taylor. Who
were you excited.

Speaker 1 (18:24):
To see the day? Jason?

Speaker 4 (18:26):
You know, it's always exciting when we get players on
the show.

Speaker 3 (18:28):
So I gotta say Brian Scott, especially the unique season
that he's had, really looking forward to asking him some
questions being a part of both of these teams at
different points of this season, so.

Speaker 1 (18:38):
I have to go with them. You know.

Speaker 2 (18:39):
We have Anthony Miller chiming in the chat that slide
and the background is the perfect other four of the
Reids Washington commanders after losing Street two straight games and
how his VC Lion Seeds would end up all downhill.
Thanks Anthony. Maybe one of these years we'll get Anthony
in the Great Eifel. We have Daryld Davis here. Darryl,
I send a lot of messages, think that a lot
of emails back, but you're here. It worked out time, Darren?

(19:01):
How hell are you?

Speaker 1 (19:01):
You send me emails? Okay?

Speaker 8 (19:05):
Oh sorry man, I'm doing great. I'm a little saggy.
Did you know what rains on the West Coast? I'm
from the Prairies, man, it doesn't rain much. So this
is fun to walk around. I keep hoping I'll grow.

Speaker 1 (19:16):
What's your takeaway today? Here?

Speaker 2 (19:17):
We thoughts as was gonna be here? I wanted ask
to be here, obviously following shortt Atasa Jason and he
under that. But what is kind of your thoughts today?

Speaker 1 (19:23):
Here? Win a bag drade. You have twenty twenty two redecks.

Speaker 8 (19:26):
Well, Winnipeg knows how to get here, don't they. They've
the Bombers have played exceptionally well when that's mattered. They
started very slowly. The Riders started hot, had a huge
skid in the middle when they went seven games without
a win and then one four the last five.

Speaker 1 (19:39):
So I thought they were really hot.

Speaker 8 (19:40):
The way they beat the BC Lions, they looked to
be the team that was gonna make it. But Winnipeg
in that situation just is so relaxed, does all the
right things. And the rough Riders just under first year
head coach Corey Mace and everything that went with them,
they weren't quite at that level. I think they'll be better.
Nobody almost nobody wins in their first year coaching a
new team. So the rough Riders next year have a
second head coach who's gotten better, a guy they believe in,

(20:02):
and a lot better better roster than they had this year.

Speaker 1 (20:06):
And I'll ask Cory mass otherwise if you have a
question what he got. Yeah.

Speaker 4 (20:10):
Actually, in regards to Saskatchewan, what's been some of the
biggest differences between this team and the team the last
year is where they've really faltered down the stretch. But
this year obviously kind of holding it together in the
late parts of the season.

Speaker 8 (20:20):
It's a great question because they are a different team
this year. Craig Dickinson last year was a we like
Craig Dickinson from Afar, who cares if media likes him, right,
But the players had fallen out of respect for him.
He just didn't seem to have the command for the
team and you could see it on the field that
they they weren't responding to him anymore. Not that he
totally lost the locker room, but there was just so
much disbelief. The first thing Corey Mace did and he

(20:42):
did not bad enough Craig Dickinson or the preceding regiment
before him at all, but he came in and demanded accountability.
Remember Miles Brown got suspended, Deontay Williams got suspended.

Speaker 1 (20:53):
They were front and center afterwards, they met.

Speaker 8 (20:56):
Everybody said that they apologized to the media, to their teammates,
to the fans, to everybody in the schedule.

Speaker 1 (21:01):
And that's what Corey Mace does.

Speaker 8 (21:04):
He's accountable to himself, to everybody in the organization, everybody
in the province, everybody who.

Speaker 1 (21:09):
Follows the football team.

Speaker 8 (21:10):
And I think that maturity is what made this team
way better than it was under Craig Dickinson and under
a lot of coaches before that. So so that's what
he's brought and that's why I think they can handle
the situation and I think why they're even going to
get better going forward.

Speaker 1 (21:23):
You got something, Jase, Yeah, absolutely so.

Speaker 3 (21:25):
Darryl, first of all, great to have you back on
the show after last year.

Speaker 1 (21:28):
I want to talk about Trevor Harrison.

Speaker 3 (21:29):
The season he had so obviously missed some games again,
you know that's kind of been a theme of him
the last couple of years, but if you pro rate
his stats over the course of a season. I was
saying on our show a couple of weeks ago, he
might have been the mop of this league.

Speaker 1 (21:44):
But he's thirty eight years old.

Speaker 3 (21:46):
Does he have what it takes to get this team
over the hump and into a great Cup? And if
he's not the quarterback of that team next year, do
you see anybody else landing?

Speaker 8 (21:55):
So oh, that's a huge question. What a packets at is.
Let's go with thirty eight. He'll be thirty nine next year.

Speaker 1 (22:00):
You're right. The way he played at the end of
the year was great. The way he played at.

Speaker 8 (22:03):
The start of the year was great, but he's missed
nineteen games with two different knee injuries over the last
two years.

Speaker 1 (22:08):
So is he worth it? He's making almost five hundred
thousand a year.

Speaker 8 (22:11):
The players love him, these teammates love him, the community
likes and the coaches like him. Is there somebody better?
Well at the moment, maybe not. He fit the role
so perfectly for a long time. But you have to
get younger, you have to get better. You probably have
to get cheaper a little bit too, so that all
the familiar names come out, right?

Speaker 1 (22:28):
Can they go after tray Ford? Can they do?

Speaker 8 (22:30):
They go after Vernon Adams Junior? Do they go after
David Alexander? Those are three names you just throw it
right away. And does that make them better?

Speaker 9 (22:37):
No?

Speaker 8 (22:37):
Maybe maybe he does, maybe he doesn't, But it positions them.

Speaker 1 (22:41):
Better moving forward in the future.

Speaker 8 (22:43):
Right, So I think that they might like to make
a change, or then again, maybe Jeremo Day the general manager,
and Corey Mays the head coach, and Mark Muller the
offensive coordinators, say, you.

Speaker 1 (22:53):
Know what, he's doing a great job. Let's just live
with them.

Speaker 8 (22:56):
But that doesn't set up anything for the future because
we saw Shape Patterson back up step in. He was okay,
But I don't think he's really a bona fide CFL
starting quarterback looking for me, And.

Speaker 2 (23:06):
That's Shape Harrison. What draft pick was he in the USFL?
He was number one overall, one number one draft pick
in the USFL. Shape Patison, Yeah, famously. I say it
every week on our show. Trevor Harris is my age.
He is one month older than I am. And the
fact that he is playing professional football in any sense
of the word is pretty in Sandy me. But like
you said, it's it's not setting up. There's no future there.

Speaker 8 (23:27):
That's true with wake up in the morning ready and
playing touch football, contact football, tackle football.

Speaker 1 (23:33):
So it's amazing what he does.

Speaker 8 (23:34):
He's in good shape, he looks after himself, and he
works out tremendously hard. But that one season, you know,
last year is only a spring me, but two years
ago was major surgery for it. So the fact that
he got came back and played at a pretty good pace.
But he also can't run the football, and other teams
know that, and we all know in the CFL you
have to be able to run the football as a quarterback,
right even if he don't run it very often, which

(23:57):
he didn't, he has to be able to as part
of the threat. So and rid As we were just
talking about going forward, I don't know what they do.

Speaker 1 (24:04):
They're only going to have one quarterback then, and I think.

Speaker 8 (24:07):
They have to deepen that resource a little bit and
find somebody who's able. Maybe maybe Jack Cole and the
Notre Dame quarterback who's third string on their on their
depth chart look pretty good when he played just a
little bit, and he seems to have caught on. But
how do you know, but it might have the clear
space for him and get somebody else on top. Not
that we wished the worst of Triper Harris when he
came to Regina. I've been watching him for years thinking, boy,

(24:27):
there's a guy who doesn't seem bony all the time.

Speaker 1 (24:30):
No, he's not.

Speaker 8 (24:31):
He's like that constantly and I really gained a lot
of respect for him over the over the last couple
of years. But is he still good enough? He's never
won a Great Cup as a starting quarterback. To me,
that still might be the number one knock against him.

Speaker 1 (24:43):
So I have more general questions about the lead.

Speaker 2 (24:45):
You guys have any other things to ask specific we
want to talk about, because then I want to rotate
I want to get a little bit more about Randio
that do you have anything else that's ask well.

Speaker 4 (24:52):
Actually, as we're talking about potential quarterback options, if you
do bring in someone like tray Ford, do you think
the staff at this moment it is going to have
the resources to put a round tray for it. Because
I think that's what have been one of the biggest
complaints that I think, at least from our end and
from other people, that it's time in Edmonton.

Speaker 1 (25:08):
It never seemed like they really gave him a fair shot.

Speaker 4 (25:11):
Do you see Saskatchewan maybe going that way or do
you think they'll do something more traditional.

Speaker 1 (25:15):
I guess someone like David Alexander a great great point
to look at.

Speaker 8 (25:18):
I thought Edmonton had surrounded him with pretty good running back.

Speaker 1 (25:22):
Lewis a pretty good receiver.

Speaker 8 (25:24):
I think that that top end talent is better in
Edmonton than it is in Saskatchewan.

Speaker 1 (25:28):
Is a j o Let done? I think he is.
You know, that's a tough thing to say.

Speaker 8 (25:32):
He's their high price free agent and I don't know
if he had one or two good games, but can
he do it?

Speaker 1 (25:36):
Game?

Speaker 8 (25:36):
After games, so they probably need a new running back.
Their offensive line. People have criticized it, but they had
sixteen different players on that offensive line, and I think
they've solidified a lot of those spots when you look.

Speaker 1 (25:47):
At Logan Furland, Peter Godber at center, the.

Speaker 8 (25:50):
Trevion Tate, the guys they put and Trevor Reed who
played eighteen games at left tackle as a rookie. I
think they put in place a very good offensive line
to protect whoever is there a quarterback great point in
having to upgrade, I think and running back right, I
Raquel Armster the ain't coming back. They had scraps at
the end of the year. He's not a good person
to have him a lot, so he's not coming back.
I don't know if they bring back ajo Let they

(26:11):
probably will, but they probably need another running back. They've
got great Canadian receivers, can't Shaefer Baker right, Sam Emmilin
is good, Candian Dale Duncan Buzzby the draft pick they
took good Canadian receivers.

Speaker 1 (26:23):
Mitch Pickton can fill in anywhere. Their Americans aren't quite.

Speaker 8 (26:26):
As good, right, uh Keishawn Jacks Johnson got pretty good
at the end, so they're going to have to find
whoever they bring in some high end talent, which would
make it more appealing for Davis Alexander or at least
more appealing for a trade for to come to Saskatchewan.

Speaker 1 (26:40):
I guess that's a quick fall up and I want
to rotate.

Speaker 2 (26:42):
But like, yeah, because why they you would have to say,
way exceeded expectations this year, right, first.

Speaker 1 (26:48):
Year the Rogers didn't. Yes, well yeah, but.

Speaker 2 (26:49):
Then like you're saying, Okay, we got the Trevor Harris,
we got the Ahl, we got all these issues now,
so like is there a falloff next year?

Speaker 1 (26:55):
Like is this the honeymoon period.

Speaker 2 (26:57):
Where you kind of have a lot of good pieces
there already Corey Mays can come and like, I just
curious how you navigate that.

Speaker 8 (27:01):
And I have a bub they brought in some good
ones around that. Let didn't have a good year because
he was hurt and I think he's worn out. Harris
has missed games, so they're still he can play quarterback
in the league if they have to go with them.
The offensive line is great, but they also got like
jamiir Thurman, right, Mikah Johnson who looks like he could
play another six to seven years, hasn't even great this
in the last couple of years.

Speaker 1 (27:21):
An All Star again C. J.

Speaker 8 (27:23):
Reeves, a great outside linebacker, coverage linebacker, Roland Milligan and
junior the best defensive player in the league.

Speaker 4 (27:29):
How is Roland Milligan junior not for MLP discussion? Like
he should have been on the ballot?

Speaker 8 (27:33):
Yeah, he could have been both right, Like you know,
he won Special Teams Player, Outstanding Defensive Player and outstanding
player for the rough Riders.

Speaker 1 (27:42):
Nobody.

Speaker 8 (27:42):
I don't think anybody's every time that usually guys don't
want to play special teams. He wants to play everything.
So I think reed, and answer you the question they
have that will they have a drop off? No, I
think they're going to find out that maybe some of
those high priced guys they didn't need them, and they've
developed a few. But you can always find Ryce. Shiver's
the old Hall of Fame general manager who knew personnel here,
and half the guys in the Hall of Fame are

(28:03):
probably recruited by Roy Shiffer says, you can find a
running back anywhere. So I think that there are some
around who will really help that football team if they
go that way.

Speaker 1 (28:11):
But I don't see a drop off.

Speaker 8 (28:13):
I see with Corey Mace Mark Mueller their second year
in the organization, I see it a bit of an
upswing as opposed to a drop off.

Speaker 1 (28:20):
Let's do a couple more here. Dan Ralph was supposed
to come. I haven't seen it yet.

Speaker 9 (28:23):
Again.

Speaker 1 (28:23):
He just call me. He doesn't know what building he
was in the wrong. He's coming. That's fine. We can
bring in Rick Early. He's a Toronto guy. He's lost.

Speaker 2 (28:35):
More general thoughts here, obviously, Randy and BROSI uh, stepping down,
getting at whatever. Curious your thoughts on that, and kind
of you know, we were talking on the way back
last night to the hotel, like, I don't know what
you want from another commissioner coming in, but I'm just
curious your thoughts.

Speaker 1 (28:49):
I see smiling, all right. Well, they want.

Speaker 8 (28:50):
What they want is somebody who does everything that all
nine owners, all nine representatives want, and you can't do that.

Speaker 1 (28:57):
The teams that are success are the leagues that are successful.

Speaker 8 (28:59):
And even the NHL, Gary Bettman is making money right
because one guy is in charge Major League Baseball NBA.
They put one man in charge in the CFL. The
problem is, and I've been to thirty seven great Cups.
There have been twelve different guys I've seen stand up
there and give the state of the league address, and
every one of them gets ripped apart in the end
by these nine owners.

Speaker 1 (29:20):
And they're not all owners, some of them.

Speaker 8 (29:21):
Are community own teams, but nine governors who just want
everything their way. They should let somebody be in charge
and make those decisions like it's his project. And I
know they say the commission doesn't have any skin in
the game, it's not. He's not a part owner of
any of the teams. So let but put him in
charge of it like it is his team. Give him
a seven and eight year contract. They're so scared, they

(29:43):
they're so gunshot because they've hired so many people who
don't do the right thing that if they do find
somebody and maybe Mark Kohen was the right guy, put
him in charge and give him a twelve a fifteen
year contract and let him run it. And if you
really do have to fire him, they still could. But
give him that much authority. They didn't give Randy ever
you that much authority. They never will in this league.
And that's why they keep shoving guys out the door.

Speaker 2 (30:05):
I see Dan Ralph coming in here. We'll get him
on here just a minute, and I know a couple
of different convention sets where to go ahead.

Speaker 1 (30:11):
I'll have a fobby.

Speaker 2 (30:12):
Do you have anything you want to talk to Daryl
here about Randy andything else they got to fall about that?

Speaker 4 (30:16):
Is there something that you believe that Ambrosi did well
during his tenure? For example, as you mentioned the ownership thing,
there's a lot of stability now in some of the
ownership groups that there wasn't there when he first came
in to mar Doman. Obviously pure Carl Pelado, Obviously Edmonton's
stabilizing their ownership. Those are things that I think of,
but I'm not sure if you see it the same way.

Speaker 8 (30:36):
Exactly the same This ownership group that's probably never been stronger.
You still wonder a little bit about Toronto with MLC,
what's gonna happen with the Argonauts? But there's they're there
and they've got the finances to do it. So that's
the irony, the twisted irony of this and Randy Ambrosi
brings together maybe the strongest group of owners this league
has ever had, and then they push them off the door.

(30:56):
Can they find somebody to deal with all those guys.
I don't know, but that that's the one thing he did.
But I keep pointing at so many bad things like
the globalization.

Speaker 1 (31:05):
I don't know if it's gonna work. It's an interesting fot.
He shouldn't have pinted his hopes on it.

Speaker 8 (31:09):
And I keep saying it doesn't take a genius to
figure out why he's out the door.

Speaker 1 (31:12):
It's all about genius sports.

Speaker 8 (31:14):
He gave away ten percent of revenues for CFL ventures
to let them come in as beat and be partners.
And how bad was was Genia Sports to we didn't
have stats for an entire year. You don't know anybody
who puts in place something like that. And this totally
falls and explodes in this in his face. I think
that's why, as much as why Randy Ambrosio's gonna work as.

Speaker 1 (31:35):
Any And we'll get Dan here to say, I'll let
you got that even filling it here.

Speaker 2 (31:39):
I appreciate the game and up be I mean, is
that indefinite the revenue share in that way?

Speaker 1 (31:44):
Like I mean, now it's whoever comes in. They're stuck
with that, right sort of. Yeah, they've got a contract,
and I don't. I haven't seen if it's a lifetime
contract with Genius Sports. I hope it isn't. But he did.

Speaker 8 (31:53):
I remember when he came in and said, how much
did they pay for this? Oh, we gave them an
ownership stake in it, so that could be perpetual. And
you know, if they finally do get the CEEFL making money,
I know it's flat. And that's another one of the
reasons that franchise value hasn't improved, and that's why Randy
and Rosie is out too.

Speaker 1 (32:09):
But if it ever does.

Speaker 8 (32:10):
Improve, which owner wants to give up ten percent of
its profits to somebody who actually ended up hurting the
league for two or three years.

Speaker 1 (32:17):
All right, let's bring Dan in here, Darryl. Thank you
so much.

Speaker 2 (32:20):
As just check out my note scene. He's coming out here, Darryl.
I appreciate it.

Speaker 6 (32:22):
We are.

Speaker 1 (32:23):
We gonna see it the suite you hanging out. I
don't know, maybe I'll see what I do. It's gonna
see you guys.

Speaker 2 (32:26):
Thanks having Darrel. Appreciate it, Dorothy. Maybe we can bring
Dan in and then we'll get the.

Speaker 1 (32:30):
Ricks on next year we got I were kicking him out.

Speaker 2 (32:33):
We got Dan Ralph Canadian press here went to the
wrong convention set it.

Speaker 1 (32:36):
That's okay, it's confusing.

Speaker 10 (32:37):
I said a lot of things, Dan, How the heck
are you this four years in a row? What's going
on in I couldn't be better? Great week and the
only thing bad is the weather. But we have no
control over that.

Speaker 1 (32:48):
So all good.

Speaker 2 (32:49):
Uh, just to continue and then we'll get back to
the game here. Maybe Andy has a question about that,
but curious your thoughts. We were to Sago with Daryl
about Randy Leavin, the legacy that we're straddled now with
the Genius Sports Gble adventure and all that didn't work out. Like,
here's your thoughts here, as we're weak and he's stepping down.

Speaker 11 (33:04):
Well, I think, I mean he was.

Speaker 10 (33:06):
He was in a no win situation because he promised
to double league revenues and and that was going to
be a really, really tough sell and uh, ultimately I
think that's what cost him, right. I mean, the governors
need money, and they want money. They expect money, they
expect certain revenues and when you don't deliver, you can

(33:27):
be the nicest guy in the world, but you know,
these guys need money, they want money. They expect money
and they were promised, and unfortunately the reality is that
there was a shortfall there.

Speaker 2 (33:39):
I'll tells to Andy after this, given the how hamstrung
the commissioner of the CFL is compared to other leagues,
is that unfair expectations where hey, we want this, but
you're not necessarily in the position. Yeah, it is.

Speaker 10 (33:51):
I mean I I equate it to the owners want
somebody to save them from from themselves, right, They want
somebody to fix their problems. And the problem Randy has
is that he's got nine different entities pulling him nine
different ways. And you know, you keep your supporters at bay,
you keep your detractors even closer, and the guys that

(34:14):
are in the middle, you really got to try and
a pease them. So I think if Randy could be faulted,
I think he tried to He tried to gain consensus
from all nine owners when basically all he needed was five.

Speaker 11 (34:28):
I mean that's a you know, I mean, that's it's
not a bad thing for him to be.

Speaker 10 (34:33):
But I think in the at the end of it,
he just tried to please too many people instead of
trying to please a majority that.

Speaker 1 (34:40):
Andy, you can continue without or switch to the game
kind of wherever you're looking.

Speaker 4 (34:44):
Well, yeah, to continue with that, I just wanted to
know what do you expect or maybe hope for the
next commissioner line to do in terms of handling the
dynamic with the ownership and the board of governors.

Speaker 10 (34:55):
Well, the next commissioner in two years has a new
television agreement to negotiate, so there's an opportunity there. The
problem with that is as soon as you get a
new television agreement, the collective.

Speaker 12 (35:08):
Bargaining agreement can be opened between the players in the
league because there's a revenue sharing modeling that so if
all of a sudden, the new commissioner hits the bullseye
and really you know, brings in some more TV money,
and the players are going to say, okay, we want
to share of that too. So the good news is
there's labor piece for the next four years, it can

(35:30):
be reopened.

Speaker 10 (35:31):
But I think the TV deal is probably the biggest
opportunity that the new commissioner will come because the deal
south of the border and in Canada both expire at
the same time, so then you you have the opportunity
to renegotiate both both deals.

Speaker 1 (35:48):
I gotta follow up and then we'll go to Jason.

Speaker 2 (35:50):
Yeah, can you let anybody in the world know that
the CFL Plus in America.

Speaker 1 (35:53):
Is just a disaster.

Speaker 2 (35:54):
I mean, if I got people on the stream, is
it on Plus? Is it on Sports Network? Like, no
one knows what the hell is going on? And then
you get in there and I, you know, I know,
I just I saw Rash's tweet. I know everyone has
thoughts about him otherwise, but you know he's talking. Oh,
Randy says, it's working. I go, you have all these
Canadians sitting there. No one in this room is actually
using that service, so you're talking and neither of mine neither.

(36:17):
So it's been it's like we might as well be
talking about the Mars landing at this point.

Speaker 1 (36:20):
That's how connect regards.

Speaker 2 (36:21):
So just if you could let me, you know, let
anyone in the world know then that I sat through
the whole Genius Sports Statistics snaff foo.

Speaker 1 (36:32):
No, I don't.

Speaker 10 (36:33):
I don't use Plus. I was at the CFL Awards
banquet and they were they were streaming it on Plus.

Speaker 1 (36:43):
Jason, what do you got Maybe we can transition to
the game. This is painful.

Speaker 3 (36:49):
Yeah, I wanted to talk about the twenty twenty sixth
Great Cup, which was recently awarded to Calgary, and uh
and Rosie said a few years ago, when Calgary last
hosted the Gray Cup, this will be the last Great
Cup'll ever host at McMahon.

Speaker 1 (37:01):
But here we are in twenty twenty six, we're gonna
be hosting again here. Yeah, what do you think the
future holds for football in Calgary.

Speaker 10 (37:08):
I think there'll be some refurbishments to McMahon, won't be
a brand spanking new facility. I was also told that
Calgary's proposal for twenty twenty six was very solid, So
there might be stadium shortfalls, but maybe there are other
avenues that they can make the experience a positive one.

(37:29):
This one here, they've gone all out and it is
it's a little I mean, this is the first time
I've been in this area of the Convention Center, but
it's it's impressible they've done.

Speaker 11 (37:42):
They've done a really magnificent job. And you know, Winnipeg's
got a.

Speaker 10 (37:46):
Big act, tall tall act to follow next year, and
I suspect in two years time Calgary will too. So
I mean, let's let's keep an open mind that the
stadium is what it is. Hopefully they can fix it
up to make the presentation. If anybody's thinking there's gonna

(38:07):
be a brand spanking new stadium, I got swamp playing
in Florida.

Speaker 1 (38:11):
That's going cheap.

Speaker 2 (38:13):
Let's side the game real quick, and then Dorothy, maybe
Dorothy can get Rick here if she's paying attention, they
always have her standing by, and then that she gets
busy talking to Dave Taylor over here with it.

Speaker 1 (38:22):
Let's talk game real quick.

Speaker 2 (38:23):
Obviously not necessarily the matchup we want, with Jack Kelly
being out and everything else.

Speaker 1 (38:28):
What do you make of the game, and then maybe
you guys have a followupable road take us.

Speaker 10 (38:32):
I've had a chance to think it over. Initially I
thought this is Winnipeg's game to lose. Now I'm starting
to sway a bit and think that Toronto has more
than a puncher's chance against this team. You know, the Argos,
as we all know, started the year without Jack Kelly.

Speaker 11 (38:49):
They were five and four. Included in that was a
win over Winnipeg.

Speaker 10 (38:54):
And then when Winnipeg was on a roll and had
one eighth straight, Toronto went into Manitoba and one. Both
games were tight, Both games were not aesthetically pleasing. I mean,
the margin of victory was five combined points, but the
Argo defense got twelve sacks and force nine turnovers. And
if as good as Winnipeg is, if they can't protect

(39:16):
the football, then I think Toronto hangs around.

Speaker 11 (39:20):
And the longer Toronto hangs around, the more they believe.

Speaker 1 (39:24):
Jase last things for Dan here. Yeah. Absolutely.

Speaker 3 (39:26):
So you know Winnipeg if you look back at the
track record, Yes, they've been in the last four at
Great Cups, but Zach Clearis hasn't played too well in
those games. So do you think a third loss really
damages the legacy of this Bluebombers team?

Speaker 2 (39:43):
I do.

Speaker 10 (39:43):
I think so the same way I think if they
win it, we can sort of put the monikor on
them that they maybe are the most dominant team over
that stretch.

Speaker 11 (39:53):
But to get theirs, I mean, it's a huge accomplish.

Speaker 10 (39:56):
I get it, But you're in it to win it,
and if you don't win it, then everything you did
to get there I think. I don't want to say
is a waste or but I mean I think the
players will tell you it's it's unfulfilling, right. So I
do think if they win it the two things. One
they avenge a two thousand and two loss to Toronto.

(40:20):
Two it's their third and five and three. I didn't
realize this until I got here this week, but Toronto's
eight to zero against Winnipeg and the Gray County so,
and Toronto's won the last seven trips of the Great Cup.

Speaker 1 (40:32):
So to me, there's a lot there.

Speaker 10 (40:34):
And I think with a win, Winnipeg erases all that
stuff that I just said about Toronto, but they think
put a stamp on that.

Speaker 11 (40:42):
We are still the most dominant team in the league.

Speaker 1 (40:44):
Well, Dan, thank you, will bring Rex, Sarah Tell and next.
Appreciate it.

Speaker 2 (40:47):
Dan, It's always good to see it. Well, let's bring
Rick in here. Rix Aarrah Tell, a long time present
of the program. Let's say we're again, We're alive from
the McLaren custom Girls. As I'm breaking my life up
top here opening things I should be opening.

Speaker 1 (41:02):
We're at the McLaren Grills media row here.

Speaker 2 (41:05):
I appreciate them. And the Lions had this stuff. Rick,
we were so we were just talking at breakfast. Okay,
first off, how are you?

Speaker 1 (41:11):
What's happening?

Speaker 2 (41:13):
So Jason and I were just talking to brunch about
like you see people on zoom and then you see
them in real life, and what do we expect?

Speaker 1 (41:21):
Or like, any you look awesome, you look trim, you
look fly. Not that I didn't think you were a
cool guy, but like, holy cow, you look great.

Speaker 13 (41:29):
Thanks brother, I'm trying to keep up with you. Man,
you don't go for yourself, y'all pick your coverage. I
see over here and uh yeah, we're we're we're soaking
it in man. By the way, what a great city.

Speaker 9 (41:41):
Uh.

Speaker 1 (41:41):
I think the NFL. I was just talking to Rob Peterson.

Speaker 13 (41:44):
I think the NFL is dropping the ball with all
these international games and you're not coming to play a
game here?

Speaker 1 (41:51):
Are you kidding me? I mean, this is fantastic. I've
been oroughly impressed. So people know you.

Speaker 2 (41:57):
You've been on before, you know, All Access Football and
everything is GOATI now you were with the Elks and like,
could you just way, what do we got going on now?
Busy guys with if I can't even keep track all
the time, what the heck's going on now?

Speaker 13 (42:07):
Well, you know, All Access Football dot Com is probably
the best way to keep up with everything that's going
on right now. But uh, you know, listen a lot
of there's a lot of whispers out there in regards
to what's gonna happen with the Edmonton Elkso I here,
so you know, listen, I'll tell you this. That team
is built to contend. This is not a tear down situation.

(42:29):
I mean you saw it. You saw when we were
rattling off that. In fact, I put the Leak podcast on.
I don't even listen. I listened to the Marquest. Sometimes
I want to throw my shoes at the monitor, but
only because I respect you guys.

Speaker 1 (42:42):
But you know I was. I was tuned into the
CFL podcast.

Speaker 13 (42:45):
They were talking about Kenny Elks making run to the
Great Cup, and that's how good we were playing. So
I don't think this is a teardown job. I think
this team is on the brink of contention. I think
when you look at the games that we were in,
we lost it due to a bad play here or there,
and I think, you know we're ready to ruck.

Speaker 1 (43:03):
So we'll see and y'all I know where you want
to go.

Speaker 4 (43:06):
So here. So it's unfortunately we didn't cross pass early
this year. I went to Edmonton more Unfortunately we lost
to this gentleman's team.

Speaker 1 (43:15):
Believe I had an incredible game.

Speaker 4 (43:17):
But more and more importantly what happened during that game
was Trey came in and I felt this just rush
of momentum from those crowd. The energy level just changed.
And how do you feel when you watch Trey in
person and on tape? What do you see from him?

Speaker 1 (43:32):
What kind of assets do you think he brings to Edmonton.
He's a playmaker.

Speaker 13 (43:37):
I would just liken him to a point guard because
of his ability to improvise. I think a lot of
stuff is off structure, and some of it's by design,
some of it's not. But I think, you know, those
are traits you can't teach, and so I think what
you saw and what you felt is basically what we
saw and felt was that he needed to be the
starter because he jumped started.

Speaker 1 (43:57):
You know, even though McCloud played well.

Speaker 13 (44:01):
I don't know if that was the issue, but you
could see even the players I thought there was there
was an extra pep and those stuff. That's just and
I'm watching from afar because I'm not there in season
on the field in person, but I'm watching the footage
and I'm watching on TV, and you can sense that
and you can feel that and I think, you know,
Trey's got a right future ahead of him, he really does.

(44:23):
But you know he's got to stay healthy, I think
first and foremost, and you know, whether it's in Edmonton
or or somewhere else.

Speaker 1 (44:31):
I mean, he's going to be the face of this
league for a long time, isn't it wild?

Speaker 2 (44:36):
Just and all the time with all the alt leagues
and stuff, and here McLeod and the plays argos and
goes to place in the UFFL comes back. It just
the journey kind of all these guys go on now
with just how interconnected all these leagues are and all
the different affiliations you've had over the years.

Speaker 1 (44:50):
I mean, it really is a different.

Speaker 2 (44:52):
Time, at least I'm not as old as experience as
a lot of people, but it feels like it's a
different time kind of in the football atmosphere right now.

Speaker 1 (44:59):
You know.

Speaker 13 (44:59):
I was thinking about during the COVID when McLoud was
trying to make a NFL comeback because he actually only
needs three games for his NFL pension, And that's how
I got introduced to McLeod Bethel Thompson. I was so
impressed and there was no doubt in my mind after
that workout that this man can be.

Speaker 1 (45:16):
A backup in the National Football League without a doubt.

Speaker 13 (45:19):
And I think I think the NFL is sleeping on
some of the talents in Canada. And I won't go
too far into that because I don't want.

Speaker 7 (45:25):
To let them in on that right now.

Speaker 1 (45:27):
But you know, it's funny how everything, like you said,
comes back around.

Speaker 13 (45:32):
And when he said he wanted to come back to Canada,
you know, I said, you know, maybe we should entertain that.
And I was thinking about how how you know, working
in the CFL is just really a relationship thing and
a connection thing. And what a great speech by Nick
Anderson the other night, and I was just telling the story, like,

(45:52):
you know, we were sitting in the bleachers at the
Senior Bowl and Coach Jones was telling me about this
linebacker he's trying to recruit from from Elaye Nick Anderson
and I can't get a hold of this agent. I said,
agents right there, and we called him over and like
basically the dal was done on the spot. And you know,
just the team building of the CFL experience and having

(46:14):
a year under the belt. Man, I think like with
our leadership, we're we're in position with great.

Speaker 4 (46:20):
Yeah, you have to be tremendously proud of Nick Anderson.
Did you believe that he really had the capability to
get this award this year?

Speaker 1 (46:29):
I mean, he really was outstanding.

Speaker 13 (46:31):
So so so we're sitting We're sitting Coach Jones office
and training camp with g Roy and myself, and you know,
I'm sitting there, I'm like, listen, Nick Anderson might f
around and find out and lead the league in tackles, and.

Speaker 1 (46:44):
They just kind of start laughing at me. I'm just
telling you what to see, guys.

Speaker 13 (46:49):
And sure enough, I think he did right him and
Niles and that's the best linebacker unit in the CFL
as far as I'm concerned. But you know, he is
the CFL Sam Mills and I know he has NFL aspirations,
and I think, like that's what we want our program
to be. And any free agent player that wants to
come out and play for Edmonton, we are never going

(47:10):
to hold you back from an NFL opportunity. If you
want to go out and you get that opportunity, We're
gonna let you go there because we understand that's gonna
help us to prove the next player and that's what
we want to do.

Speaker 1 (47:19):
We want to be a springboard.

Speaker 13 (47:20):
We obviously want to retain talent, but we also want
to have the elite talent, the talent that we deam
is capable of playing in the National Football League.

Speaker 1 (47:29):
I think we got quite a few of those guys.

Speaker 2 (47:30):
As a matter of fact, I'll ask a fall but
then maybe Jason, we talk Everton anything else. Just curious,
you know, going in now being a part of the CFL,
experiencing all of that jumping. I just thoughts and kind
of because it's been really kind of a unique, crazy
year for you and being able to come into this
new position. Just curious your thoughts here of obviously all
your experience out.

Speaker 1 (47:49):
Of the year. Well, Canada never disappoints.

Speaker 13 (47:52):
I mean I've loved every city I've been too, I
would say, you know, having gone through the process now
because I started talking to the these guys, I mean
I was officially brought on board in January, but we
started talking about this.

Speaker 1 (48:05):
Right around this time.

Speaker 13 (48:06):
Because now I see when, uh, the urgency was there
last year at this time. Now I understand it because
between now and May, when we report to training camp,
that's basically.

Speaker 1 (48:19):
Where my role, where my value lies.

Speaker 13 (48:22):
You know, because once we go to training camp, there's
only so much tinkering we can do. And I thought
Giroy made some magical moves bringing in Tevin Jones. Sean
Oakman ranked the tank eliminating some of the bad apples. Okay,
I thought that was really the difference of our culture.
But between now and May is basically where my value is.

(48:45):
And we're gonna start recruiting, and you know, have these
announcements made and and and get I mean, the work
hasn't stopped, right, but you know, you need.

Speaker 1 (48:56):
Clarity to move forward, and I think that's where we're headed.
Thing you got anything about Emond, Yeah, for sure.

Speaker 3 (49:02):
Just to build off of what we've talked about about
the Elks roster, where do you think the areas of
improvement are for this team going into next year?

Speaker 13 (49:11):
Well, you know, I thought the offensive line stepped up
their game this year, you know, and that is something
I want to see continue to improve because the game
is won in the trenches.

Speaker 1 (49:21):
And so I think that.

Speaker 13 (49:24):
Noah Taylor has an opportunity to step his game up.
And Elliott Brown I think is as good of a
pass rusher as there is. But when you talk about
the CFL. You need to create pressure, you need to
win in the trenches. And I'll tell you what our
secondary We need to look at ourselves in the mirror
and stop making nucklehead, which plays earlier last.

Speaker 1 (49:45):
Question for you will bring on Jamie and I here
I thought on the game. You know, who do you have?

Speaker 2 (49:50):
It's an interesting matchup here, So let's talk about actual
break up here before we get out.

Speaker 13 (49:54):
I think it's going to be a competitive game. I
think it can come down to whoever has the ball last.
And you talk about Nick Arbuckle is mister adversity. He's
built for this moment.

Speaker 1 (50:04):
I do believe.

Speaker 13 (50:07):
All the adversity that this man has dealt with throughout
his career has prepared him. You know, you talk about
preparation meets opportunity. I think he might bring some of
that big Nick energy. And I'll tell you what, man,
this this game is gonna.

Speaker 7 (50:22):
Go down to the wire.

Speaker 1 (50:23):
It's gonna be a very competitive BOK.

Speaker 13 (50:25):
All the pressure is on Winnipeg, right, so I think
Winnipeg is feeling the pressure. I think Toronto comes in
here a little bit more loosey goosey, and uh man,
I'll tell you it's gonna be fun, but I'll be there.

Speaker 1 (50:38):
I'm looking forward to it.

Speaker 4 (50:39):
So you're saying that Toronto is basically gonna have a
statue of Nick Arbuckle outside of Demo fielding about two
month time.

Speaker 1 (50:44):
Is that what you're telling me? It is gonna be Oh,
I appreciate it. We'll bring in Jamie and I here.
Thank you so much. Rick, appreciate it. Rick there, tell
everything else. Appreciate this a selfie real quick before I
get out of here. So don't mind me on the line.
It's all doing here. This is a fluid situation. Outstanding
does workout.

Speaker 2 (51:05):
We do a good job. We tried this for every
year four. It's a little different than we were in
the back of the the bar here in Hamilton the
first year. There we go, Hey, you got it, there
we go. Thanks Rick, Let's bring in Jamie and I.
We got Jamie and I with the green zone again.
Reminder here from the McLaren Custom Grills Radio row, we're
broadcasting the only officially licensed CFL barbecue grills.

Speaker 1 (51:28):
See and purchasing grills.

Speaker 2 (51:29):
Go to Mclarencustomgrills dot com. This week is a problem,
but CFL to get ten percent off, Jamie and I
here with the Green Zone.

Speaker 1 (51:36):
We've been talking to the sweet A lost a couple
of weeks. We have a question here from Ken.

Speaker 2 (51:39):
I think you can hop in two years ago Mosaic
basically stole out. I would disagree with that. There was
a lot of empty seats. Hamilton last year added seats
and neutral sites. Why are there so many tickets available tomorrow?

Speaker 14 (51:51):
Well, Vancouver has always been a softer market for the
for the Canadian Football League. All the major cities happen
when it comes to Great Cup ticket sales. The smaller
markets they have a bigger season ticket holder base, so
those are eating up all the time by season tickets,
buying their Gray Cup tickets beforehand.

Speaker 1 (52:09):
So there's a smaller supply out there.

Speaker 14 (52:11):
In BC, it's a bigger supply and it would have
been sold out if the Rough Riders or BC Lions
would have been in the Gray Cup.

Speaker 1 (52:19):
But it's the Winnipeg Blue Bombers again, and I think
there's a little bit.

Speaker 14 (52:22):
Of Even Winnipeg fans who have traveled to four consecutive
Gray Cups are going okay, do I have to travel
to a fifth? So that that is a lot of
the reason on why now I don't know how much.
It's a lot of seat I've went on the map.
There are open seats, but I think it's still gonna
look pretty full for game day on Sunday.

Speaker 2 (52:44):
We'll go to Andy here this second than Jason. They
just candid thoughts on the game. They know, little little lackluss.
You're here with the Nick Arbuckle ble right or are
you feeling I think we've did that some heavy lifting
this week, trying to make this maybe feel a little
bit bigger.

Speaker 14 (52:57):
I've talked to Nick Arbuckle on a few occasions on
the show when he was going in as the Outawa
Red Blacks quarterback.

Speaker 1 (53:05):
This week I talked to him again. Nick Garbuckle is
a great story.

Speaker 14 (53:09):
Nick Garbuckle had like, if you listen to his interviews,
if you listen to who this guy is and how
he is built, you're cheering for Nick Arbuckle to have
that trophy in his hand. It's hasn't been an easy
path for Nick Carbuckle in his life. Hasn't been an
easy path in the Canadian Football League. So as much
as it is kind of disappointing, it's dot Chad Kelly

(53:29):
in the argos against the but Nick Arbuckle is a
story to root for for this year's Great Cup, at.

Speaker 1 (53:36):
Least it is for me.

Speaker 7 (53:37):
What do you got to have it?

Speaker 4 (53:38):
Someone we haven't really mentioned today on our podcast is
Brady OLIVERA. Obviously tremendous season last year, didn't win the
MLP this year he does.

Speaker 1 (53:48):
Do you think he has something to prove?

Speaker 4 (53:50):
And how much do you think this really matters to
him as somebody who kind of was in the shadow
of Andrew Harris previously in the previous Great Cup wins,
but since Olvera took overstarted.

Speaker 1 (53:57):
They haven't really had that moment yet. Do you think
this means a lot to him? Yeah?

Speaker 14 (54:01):
This is similar to like a Darien Durant, you know,
and who was the quarterback and he wanted to win
his own Gray Cup. I know he's not the quarterback,
but for Brady Oliver EA, it matters to him that
he's going to be the lead back on Sunday and
try to finally get.

Speaker 1 (54:16):
Something that's near and dear to him. He's a Winnipegger
right like he's from there.

Speaker 14 (54:21):
Now he's the double winner of the Canadian and Most
Outstanding Player and what better would it be to cap
that off as maybe Great Cup MVP and winning the
Gray Cup for his hometown as the lead back for
the Winnipeg Blu Bahmer. So absolutely, Brady OLIVERA is one
of another guy. Man, did you know what this guy
does in the offseason?

Speaker 1 (54:41):
He goes and save dogs around the planet. Like, this
guy is one of the nicest dudes you'll ever meet.

Speaker 14 (54:48):
So another person that I love in the canad I
loved some of the a lot of the people in
the Canadian Football League and Brady Oliver is one of
those guys who I can root for ease them.

Speaker 1 (54:57):
Well, I hate him because BC can't cat him and
can't man it him. And I just heat this run?

Speaker 2 (55:02):
Was it last year in the finals. He's just running
down the field. There's like five lions just clean on
him trying to So I do not share your set
of it, Jamian.

Speaker 1 (55:10):
Do you not like dogs? I like dogs. We got people.

Speaker 2 (55:13):
We got full of babers here at the sciiting we're
living life here. But no I I yes, Ray over,
I talk about the awards he got, how impressive that is,
And then.

Speaker 1 (55:20):
We can go to Jason, Well he shouldn't have won
one of them.

Speaker 14 (55:23):
It should have been Roland Milligan Junior most Outstanding Player
of the Year in the Canadian Football League in my
probably bias opinion being from Saskatchewan, but when I look
at what Roland Milligan did that this year, it was
an outstanding season. First guy since Hall of Famer Willie
Plus to get twenty special teams tackles and lead a
defensive category which he did in interceptions like that is outstanding.

(55:46):
That is rarely seen in the Canadian Football League. So
I think that storyline got kind of downplayed. And yes,
eighteen hundred old like yards from scrimmage, yes, four touchdowns,
like he's the most outstanding Canadian. Absolutely my goal would
have went somewhere else for the most Outstanding Player award,
but Roland Milligan junior didn't come out of the West.

Speaker 1 (56:08):
So I didn't have that option. We just had a
comment here.

Speaker 2 (56:11):
They're talking about, you know, going to Winnipeg next year
and I go and I'll watch Winnipeg falls off next
year and that it will be to continue that Jason,
what do you have for Jami?

Speaker 1 (56:19):
And they will stargeting Dorothy's attention. We'll get Rod over
here soon. Yeah, just to build off what we were
talking about with the awards.

Speaker 3 (56:24):
Do you think the way that the CFL does the
nominees for the awards, doing this East West nominations, it's
a little bit outdated. And then maybe we should do
what I was hearing about on the Three Down Nation podcast.

Speaker 1 (56:36):
To pick o hell.

Speaker 3 (56:38):
I don't know, just pick the three best candidates of
the whole league, regardless of division.

Speaker 1 (56:44):
There's so much idea.

Speaker 14 (56:45):
I've been talking about this for ten years or more,
but of going the NHL Awards, right, NHL Awards, you
vote won, two, three, four, five, your first year, second
or third, fifth, they tally you all those are different points.
The top three point getters are the nominees. The voting's done,
they already know who won. They just announced the top

(57:07):
three vote getters, and then you're highlighting an extra player
a great Cup week every single year. Now, that's a
financial burden on the league because they'd have to fly
another person in. So that's probably a little less appealing
to the league to go to three and have more
people you're paying hotel rooms and flights for.

Speaker 1 (57:28):
But I like it. I like the top three.

Speaker 14 (57:30):
I think it makes sense and highlights more players, and
then there would be an opportunity for maybe vote splitting
for offensive players where.

Speaker 1 (57:39):
We'd have a little bit more.

Speaker 14 (57:40):
There's only been one defensive player to be the MLP,
and that was Solomon L.

Speaker 1 (57:44):
Mimian, So I don't think that's right.

Speaker 2 (57:47):
Well, it feels like the NFL too, or the MVP,
and it's always a quarterback. I mean, it's hard to
especially again, defensive player, even though.

Speaker 14 (57:56):
I look at the defensive players in this league and
they get I don't want to say disrespected, but it's
it's always a bias towards offense because some people say
they have their own award, they have the most Outstanding
Defensive Player awards, So it's not the most outstanding offensive
player of the league. It's the most outstanding player of
the league. But I do like the verbiage of these awards.

(58:18):
I like the outstanding instead of valuable, because if you
went to valuable, ninety nine percent of the time you're
getting a quarterback. Outstanding opens for running backs, receivers. Solomon
el mimi in a decade ago for a most Outstanding player.

Speaker 1 (58:32):
Award, Andy, what do you got? And we'll start moving
that rotation here.

Speaker 4 (58:36):
Something that really stood out to me last year watching
the stream in Hamilton. As you sat on the set
and you said about Saskatchewan, how much culture do you
really have if you won four Great Cups in one
hundred years?

Speaker 1 (58:47):
And that really stuck out to me.

Speaker 4 (58:48):
Can you talk about what is the best aspect of
Corey Mason as a leader and as a coach this
year really kind of bringing in and sort of transforming Saskatchewan.

Speaker 14 (58:57):
Accountability is the one word I think Corey Mase has
brought to this organization is accountability because he holds himself accountable.
He's the first guy to say he did it after
the West Final. He said it was a bad game plan.
He didn't use those words, but he said it was

(59:18):
a bad game planner.

Speaker 1 (59:19):
That's on him. He's got to be better. He'll take
some bullets.

Speaker 14 (59:22):
But when a guy in training camp right away, in
training camp, Bruno LaBelle didn't run a he goes late
for a meeting and he was dragging the bag back
and forth a couple of times as a discipline. Accountability
and you've seen it. They're all accountable, even to the media.
They're a lot more open when they make a mistake

(59:44):
to talk to media and be open to the fans
about it.

Speaker 1 (59:47):
And when you have an account accountability. The accountability issue
was an issue in Saskatchewan.

Speaker 14 (59:53):
Now that's no longer the case, and I think they
all hold themselves accountable, which is beginning to grow a
winning culture.

Speaker 1 (01:00:00):
Like they have in Winnipeg and like they have in Toronto.
You guys have anything else will bring Rod in thoughts
on the game? Then who do you think comes out?

Speaker 14 (01:00:08):
I'm going with the upset. I'm going with the upset.
I'm going with Toronto. You got Wyn McManus, you got
Laura Melane. I like Ralph Holly in the middle. You
have playmakers on special teams and Jenering Grant. You have
playmakers all over the offense. I like Kadeen Carry. Match
up against Brady olivera quarterback and receivers is where I

(01:00:29):
give the edge to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. A lot
of the other stuff I'm given to Toronto. Argonau's it's
just up to Nick Arbuckle to be okay. If Nick
Arbuckle's okay, the Argos win.

Speaker 2 (01:00:43):
Jamie, appreciate Rod's destroying our sat. We're bringing Rod beers
in there. Appreciate it, Jamie. We'll see you later at
the Sweet I appreciate it. We have Dave Naiel are
standing by here, a lot of good guys coming. Like
I said, like and subscribe, give us up over four
thousand subscribers. Give away a couple of custom jerseys here
from Gustin with row Retch when we get four thousands,
So please like and subscribe, join the channel.

Speaker 1 (01:01:03):
Do all that, Rod, I was on your show yesterday.

Speaker 2 (01:01:06):
I might have been feeling the effects of the FRC
suite and everything Thursday night. I was a little I
was a little tired there, but we got through it.

Speaker 1 (01:01:14):
I did your show. You're hearing that, Rod, how are
you doing?

Speaker 15 (01:01:18):
That's why you had alcohol on your breath? I wondered
if I was thinking. I didn't want to say anything.
But since you brought it up, your wife, your wrangler,
fell asleep on the job.

Speaker 1 (01:01:27):
She's visiting too much. I know she's too chatty. No
such thing.

Speaker 15 (01:01:31):
So yeah, you brought garing bearing gifts. There's no way
that I could repay you, so I'm not even gonna
try it.

Speaker 1 (01:01:38):
Well, I appreciate it.

Speaker 2 (01:01:39):
Rod's here a long time before, one of the first
Canadians we ever had on the show, Big Merger and
all that.

Speaker 1 (01:01:45):
What do you make of all this, we're here you
Great Cup week, and what do you think? I'm pretty
blown away, to be honest.

Speaker 15 (01:01:51):
I've been too multiple Great Cups in Vancouver, twenty eleven,
about twenty five, twenty eleven, twenty fourteen. I think this
is the seventeenth Great Cup in Vancouver. Do you read
the game notes free.

Speaker 1 (01:02:00):
At the game?

Speaker 2 (01:02:00):
I haven't yet.

Speaker 15 (01:02:01):
I don't rely on me to do that. I don't
know about you guys, if you've been to a Super
Bowl before. But last year in Vegas, the Lions people
were there. I saw them and they were writing down notes.
This is a carbon copy of the Fan Fast out
of Kevin Embert. The NFL called it, but this is
very similar Radio Row a little smaller, but the fan

(01:02:21):
fest all the same stuff.

Speaker 1 (01:02:23):
So that's pretty cool. Excited about you think? I don't know.
How do you feel about the league right now? Randy Stepan?
Now what do you think? A general welfare thoughts? And
they're gonna end it well? As you know, I don't
work in the league anymore. So not that I don't care.
I'll always care, but I'm not worried about it anymore.

Speaker 15 (01:02:41):
How could you look around at this this week and
think that this league's in any way trouble, but people
do want to talk about it, and they say, what's next,
you know, with the next commissioner. I fully believe they
don't know who it's going to be. But what I
hear is that expansion is on the horizon. They want
to get to twelve teams. The expansion revenue, you look
at your crack and you're wearing their lid. The money

(01:03:02):
that comes with an expansion franchise will infuse a lot
of money into this league, and I think it's going
great places.

Speaker 6 (01:03:08):
I do.

Speaker 15 (01:03:10):
You wouldn't love the league if you didn't believe in it.
The league's right, and the product has always been unbelievable.

Speaker 1 (01:03:16):
That's fine.

Speaker 15 (01:03:17):
It's the business end, and from what I understand, things
are looking up there, so the product will always be
good anyway.

Speaker 4 (01:03:24):
You got ron from our perspective, just as overall football
fans and following all the leagues, the word expansion is
maybe the hottest corporate but buzzword that there could be.

Speaker 1 (01:03:33):
Everybody just loves to smash that button.

Speaker 4 (01:03:36):
But as far as the realistic options go in Canada,
and I thought it was interested that Randy and BROSI
kind of broke down how it wouldn't really be much
of an option to go in America at the moment.
Where do you see the realistic possibilities in Canada. I've
got some intel Quebec City for sure.

Speaker 15 (01:03:52):
I mean, they're ready to go and they love not
just football but Canadian football in Quebec, so I think
you can put that down as one of them. I
hear winsor. I don't know if you guys know, I've
never been there. I've never been to the Troit school there.
Oh yeah, So they tell me that's a huge NFL hotbed,
but I think the potential owner has a lot of
money windsor would be another. And then there is talk

(01:04:15):
of Europe, but I don't really want to go down
that road. But as you say, people love to talk
about it, and for the last few years, I'm like,
let's not even talk about it because the league doesn't
want to expand, because that was the last thing i'd
heard that they don't. But things change and now they
do want to expand, and it's being led by Larry Tannebaum,
the president of MLSC and the Argonaut's owner.

Speaker 1 (01:04:36):
He's the god that's leading this. It's a man that
he's the most powerful man in Canadian sports. So I
kind of feel if he wants to get this done,
it'll get done. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (01:04:46):
So I wanted to talk about Randy and Rosie's legacy
as CFL commissioner. You just talk about the things that
you felt like he did well and some of the
things that were kind of this shortcoming.

Speaker 15 (01:04:56):
Well, I'll tell you I've seen him speak a couple
of times here this week. This morning at the Athletes
in Action breakfast, which I didn't see you at RED.
It's a God centered event. Nothing you hate God or anything.

Speaker 2 (01:05:08):
But.

Speaker 15 (01:05:10):
Obviously from the Mrs So I was on there. I
saw him at the Legends luncheon yesterday, the alumni event.
Let's remember he's alumni. I mean, he's I like Randy
read and I got into this yesterday on my show
A rash can we say hates him for his own reasons,
those aren't my reasons. And when I hear Randy speak, I'm.

Speaker 1 (01:05:31):
Like, he's a good guy, he's a player, he's a lot.

Speaker 15 (01:05:34):
I like Randy, and I think that that job was
impossible to be successful at. You know, there hasn't been
a good commissioner since Mark Cohen, which was the last
time they expanded was on Mark's watch. So anyways, Randy's legacy,
I things can end up being he transferred got the
stable ownership into that VC Edmonton.

Speaker 1 (01:05:55):
That will be his legacy. But that's not a lot
to hang your hat on. He tried.

Speaker 15 (01:05:58):
I'll give him credit for having the balls to try
Global two point zero.

Speaker 1 (01:06:02):
I didn't like it at the time. It flopped, but
at least he tried.

Speaker 15 (01:06:05):
I'm not gonna, you know, throw a guy under the
bus or trying something and it didn't work.

Speaker 1 (01:06:09):
He thought we need to expand outside the Frenchy's borders.
It didn't work. They didn't expand on his watch. That's
his legacy.

Speaker 15 (01:06:18):
I'd like to say that there was more, but he
is in a tough job because the owners run this league.

Speaker 1 (01:06:25):
Shit, that's what it is. That's the commissioner.

Speaker 15 (01:06:27):
From what I understand, Roger Goodell runs the NFL. That's
the sense that I've been told. Probably gets his direction
a lot from the owners.

Speaker 2 (01:06:34):
But it's more so this year in terms of and
I think it was an article that came out, you know,
with Brandy stepping down or getting you know, all the
Allison a lot of it started back in twenty twenty
with the failed COVID season. Sorry to begin is that
you're understanding of just okay, we didn't do that. I
think we really set the league back years right those
next two years after COVID play was down and attendance

(01:06:56):
was down, riding his dig until now to really kind
of get back to I think where it was. Thoughts
on that, and I mean, I know it's the agent
history now, but really set the stage for where we're
at now.

Speaker 15 (01:07:03):
I should actually mention I sat at the Legends luncheon
with Randy who was at my table.

Speaker 1 (01:07:07):
I tweeted a photo of it so I could.

Speaker 15 (01:07:11):
It's probably where it started, and this Randy needs to
wear this. He went to Parliament Hill and met with
that Standing Committee basically asking for COVID funding, which in
Canada read you wouldn't get it.

Speaker 1 (01:07:23):
Well mind, you probably got Biden checks too, like everybody
in America.

Speaker 15 (01:07:26):
But Trudeau is handing out money to everybody, and they go, Randy, there,
what do you want?

Speaker 1 (01:07:31):
Randy? As I say, how about one hundred and fifty
million dollars? They laughed at him.

Speaker 15 (01:07:36):
He didn't have a business plan. That's on Randy and
then he said, well, we'll take thirty. I don't I
don't even know if they got that, So that that's
where it started. And then the fact that they didn't
play at all was probably the owner's decision. You think
Randy didn't want to play. Of course he'd want to play,
but they couldn't find a way to play. And we

(01:07:56):
all know the CFL is not a major CANDI nor
and pro league, but it's a pretty big pro league
and they're the only one that didn't play out of
all of those, so that is but that's not it
maybe started there, but the fact is that they're not
making money to the degree that the owners want is
why they're looking for a new commissioner.

Speaker 1 (01:08:17):
Fall up here, we'll do a couple.

Speaker 2 (01:08:18):
We'll get Dave dave on because he's stand bys on
his phone now, so that's good expectations.

Speaker 1 (01:08:24):
So yeah, the owners want more money.

Speaker 2 (01:08:25):
Want Whenever I'm talking with Dorothy last night, we're walking
back and we're kind of prepping for the show, and
I go, you know, you look at like the Cowboys
eleven billion dollar franchise, Commanders sold right, seven billion dollar franchise.
Obviously the CFL is not. But like you know, it's
it's it's you know, it's not even closed, it's not
even in the same world.

Speaker 1 (01:08:42):
And I just like, what are the expectations.

Speaker 2 (01:08:44):
I just feel so far offensive, you know, the Board
of Governors wants whatever.

Speaker 1 (01:08:48):
I don't know even if that's possible for the next commissioner.

Speaker 15 (01:08:50):
I think it is possible. They need to change the
way they do things. I mean, I was in before
you and I even met. I was very deeply involved
in this league. Read I was sitting in league meetings
that the commissioner was in and he was saying, we
need we need to go dark for six months in
the offseason. I'm like, did he just say that? And

(01:09:11):
I saw it and it wasn't Randy. It was a
predecessor to him. And so they need to be everywhere.
The NFL is everywhere, and like I'm everywhere, and I
was at Super Bowl and I picked up stories there
that Jerry Jones didn't want to play. That's why the
Dallas Cowboys aren't playing any global games. You don't want
to But nobody knows that because that's not reported. But
Jerry's like, I want to make as much money in

(01:09:31):
America as possible. They're like, thanks, Jerry, but we're gonna
go play in London, in Germany and Brazil and you
can stay home if you want. All that extra money
went into the caut It's not because Jerry's not a genius,
my god, he's not. But expansion, it's getting bigger being everywhere.
They need to be a lot of help in the
marketing end, and.

Speaker 1 (01:09:50):
I think it could happen. I don't think it's too late.
You're seeing it here with BC.

Speaker 15 (01:09:54):
You know, a huge increase in Antennan is I'm major
kicking the nuts that they're not in the game.

Speaker 1 (01:09:58):
But it can be done.

Speaker 15 (01:10:00):
But they need to change the way that they think.
And I good luck to the next commissioner if he's able.

Speaker 2 (01:10:03):
To do that. My favorite tweet from last night, and
he was talking about the Mike Tyson fight. They're like,
as most people to go to Dallas, you know, they
went and saw an event. Eighty thousand people left disappointed,
just like they do the Cowboys. That was great and
he thought, anything you want to go will be two more.

Speaker 1 (01:10:18):
We'll bring on day fair Well.

Speaker 4 (01:10:19):
Little Ben diagram there because one of the Jonas brothers
was actually shown at the game or at the boxing
match last night and now he's coming over here for
media today, So kind of funny with that. But yeah,
in terms of the ownership commitment, Lamar Doman was really
very adamant yesterday about being really committed to this whole thing.
I think he really sees this as not just his time,
but generational time beyond him, of being able to have

(01:10:42):
his family involved in this for many years to come.
Do you get the sense overall that more owners in
the CFL are feeling that much more committed? Is this
the strongest CFL ownership has ever been?

Speaker 1 (01:10:52):
Wow, that's the narrative they would like put forth.

Speaker 15 (01:10:55):
And I see no reason to dispute that local ownership
is important.

Speaker 1 (01:11:00):
Montreal's Alouettes are owned by Quebec lore. You know where
they're from.

Speaker 15 (01:11:04):
Quebec Edmonton was bought by a major heavy construction operator.
I live in Miami where the Dolphins are owned by
a guy from New York and it doesn't go over well,
you know, and the Dolphins are not a great organization, so.

Speaker 1 (01:11:17):
Local ownership was key. They oversaw that. I think I
do think they are in a stable squad, and to
be honest, it's the.

Speaker 15 (01:11:23):
Elephant in the room that you guys probably won't talk
about and I haven't heard a lot of talk about
it here, but the Saskatchewan rough Riders are like a
weak link in the whole thing, which nobody's ever set.

Speaker 1 (01:11:33):
But they're not making money.

Speaker 15 (01:11:35):
They're not in the Gray Cup, but haven't been for
over a decade, so who would have Well, what a
PEG's the only other community on team now, but they're
in the Gray Cup. But I guess it doesn't take
much to get Saskatchewan back if they need to start.

Speaker 3 (01:11:47):
Yeah, so I want to build off of that with Saskatchewan, Like,
I just want your thoughts on their season this year.
Would you classify it to success? Obviously it was a
bit up and down. You had that skid in the
middle of the season, but they were able to finish
strong and obviously they didn't get what they wanted they
lost last week.

Speaker 15 (01:12:03):
But your thoughts on Saskatchewan season, it's all perspective, that's it.
However you want to look at it. I would say
it's pretty successful. And Corey Mace to take a team
from where it was as a rookie head coach to
where they finished up hosting a home playoff game.

Speaker 1 (01:12:17):
And losing probably is a better job than Jason was.
But I can see why Jason won.

Speaker 15 (01:12:22):
But there's a case to be made why Corey Mays
should be coaching here for what he did in his
rookie season. Forget about the seven game win. The skid
shouldn't matter, So that that kind of answers your question.
But the other thing is they haven't been in a
great Cup in over a decade. The stadium is nowhere
near full at all. They do have their problems as well,
and their quarterbacks contract is up, so it's not like

(01:12:44):
they're going into next year on a huge wave of momentum, you.

Speaker 1 (01:12:49):
Know, And that's not idea.

Speaker 4 (01:12:52):
Yeah, it's kind of almost just a bit surprising to
me as an outsider to see so many Saskatchewan fans
and yet when I watched the games, like you said,
you'll just see like rows of empty seats, even during
like major games. I find that a bit surprising. Is
there any reason for that or particular reasons?

Speaker 1 (01:13:07):
Oh? Yeah, they consciously have broken the tie with the community.
I've seen it. It's not like they used to do.
They don't have the community involvement and it's a different place, guys.

Speaker 15 (01:13:18):
I mean, I was the voice of the team for
twenty years, and I'd never really left saskatchewand like most
of the people there, and all I'd heard from the
football people was this is just like Alabama, this is
just like Mississippi.

Speaker 1 (01:13:27):
I didn't really get it until I went to Alabama Mississippi.
I'm like, Oh, I get it.

Speaker 15 (01:13:33):
It's all there is here, That's all they care about, right,
But they fractured that relationship with the fans.

Speaker 1 (01:13:39):
Consciously. They've tried to be the Dallas Cowboys, I e.
Make money. You don't need to win to make money.
They just forgot half of that. They're not winning championships
and they're not making money either.

Speaker 15 (01:13:51):
And now once you get behind that eight ball, I
would think it's pretty hard to come back.

Speaker 2 (01:13:56):
Well, Rod, thank you so much. Appreciate you coming on.
I got Dave standing by, busy I running around.

Speaker 1 (01:14:00):
Appreciate it.

Speaker 2 (01:14:01):
Rob heres and thank you so much. Safe travels back
to Miami. Dave Naylor TSN Insider coming on. We've kept
Dave standing by, who's been back and forth, but we
got him on. Dave said he'll make time, happy to do.
We don't have far Han this year. Normally far hanted
Naylor come as a co pair, but far haunts the
child who's playing football today.

Speaker 1 (01:14:18):
Loser.

Speaker 2 (01:14:19):
Ah, we're gonna talk CFO expansion in the States here,
but first off, thank you so much for coming.

Speaker 1 (01:14:24):
Next for standing by. First off, how are you doing.

Speaker 7 (01:14:26):
I'm good. You know, it's a it's a week that
sometimes feels like it last forever and goes by quickly
at the same time. I don't know how to describe
Great Cup week. But we'll wake up tomorrow, we'll do
the game, my twenty seventh Great Cup. And I think
this has been really positive when the weather hasn't helped
a little bit. Obviously some of the turnout in the
rain and touch and the Lion's not beating the game,
But I mean, I still think you feel really positive

(01:14:47):
vibe just throughout the entire week.

Speaker 1 (01:14:50):
Yes, that's my question.

Speaker 2 (01:14:51):
Obviously, Google League and Ugly in here right, huge family Zone,
Zip Liones, everything going on tomorrow really came out and
a lot of money and time and energy spent by
the BAC lines.

Speaker 1 (01:15:01):
How big of a failure was this season for them
on the football field.

Speaker 7 (01:15:04):
Well, I think if you looked at where they were,
you know, first five weeks in the season where they
were even after ten or eleven weeks, and the additions
they made, you know, past the middle of August to
try to make sure they were here. And I'm talking
about Matthew Betts and Nathan Rorke, and they admittedly went
over the salary cap, which is not illegal in the
league if you're willing to do it and pay the
fines and that you can do that. But unquestionably that

(01:15:27):
was the expectation. And you know, I think really where
it got away from him was when they had that
game in October at Saskatchewan and it basically winner gets
home field playoff. They didn't win the game. You know
that that to me was where the Lions season really came.
And look, I think with and I say this with
all due respect to Nathan Rourke, but I think it
would have served him better, the Lions and Vernon Adams

(01:15:50):
better if he just played it out in the National
Football League, you know. And I would think that if
Nathan knew how this was all going on hold with
the game back, I don't want to speak for him,
but I think, you know, I might have done things
different and just said, hey, I'm gonna come back in
the offseason. I thought when you saw Nathan down the
stretch of the season, he just seemed kind of mentally fatigue.
And I think that comes from being on five teams
in twelve months, you know, in two different lakes.

Speaker 4 (01:16:11):
Yeah, in regards to that, I agree with you. It
seemed like it seemed like it was VA's team from
the get go, and then the chemistry kind of got
messed with. But the other thing about the VC that
I point out a couple of weeks ago that kind
of surprised me is just sort of the lack of
physicality that the team had. And this was especially so
considering they brought in Matthew Betts, they brought in Christian Connington.

(01:16:32):
Were you surprised by kind of how soft they were,
especially with like run defeated defense or just in general.

Speaker 1 (01:16:37):
An offensive line too.

Speaker 7 (01:16:39):
I wasn't because I've been listening to my colleague Baronology,
you know, screaming my ear about it, you know, the
whole second half of the season, as everybody was talking
about quarterbacks and who should play, and you know, as
a VA or is it Nathan and that he was
talking about defense, you know, and and that ultimately doesn't
draw as much attention as a sexy quarterback controversy does.

Speaker 1 (01:16:58):
But yeah, I was kind of surprised to see that.
And you know, it's funny, was it was.

Speaker 7 (01:17:01):
A weird year for guys coming back from the National
Football League, right Like Nathan Roar came back, didn't go
so well, Matthew Betts came back, didn't go so well,
Austin Matt came back, didn't go so well, and you know,
and those are all guys that I don't think have
you know, like we've seen some times wore young guys,
they're really hungry in the CFL, they go to the
National Football League, they come back, that dream is dead
and they're not the same player. I don't think those

(01:17:22):
any of those guys fit that profile.

Speaker 1 (01:17:24):
You know, at all. So it's it's even more surprised.
I think they're all more likely.

Speaker 7 (01:17:28):
To be Adam big Hills, you know, came back to
the National Football League and there's a better player than
they ever were, and they were good before they left.
That's how they got there. So it was a weird
year in that regard, you know that and that having
that presence especially, you know, there was just a way
where they won that touchdown Pacific game, and it felt like,
are they gonna lose again this year?

Speaker 1 (01:17:46):
Evidently yes, go for yeah, for sure.

Speaker 3 (01:17:50):
So obviously we're here in BC and there's a lot
of rumors about what's gonna happen with this team's you know,
Rick Campbell's situation, the GM situation. Then we have what's
happening in Edmonton and they're vacant GM and head coach positions.
What can you tell us about those two situations.

Speaker 7 (01:18:06):
Well, the Lion's line and messaging, and this comes from
the very top of the organization you're talking about president
ownership level. Is that they will begin the discussion about
Rick Campbell's future next week. And then they gathered the
information and you know that my Mar's been out of
the country. They're running a great cup. I think that's true,
but I think it also means that they could still

(01:18:26):
know where this is trending, even if the decision hasn't
been made, and if they do go a different direction.

Speaker 1 (01:18:31):
Now people are playing this is how we do it right,
You look for clues.

Speaker 7 (01:18:36):
I mean, I think ed Hervey's going to be the
GM in Edmonton's my fault, you know, the ty Cats.
He doesn't seem to be not conducting business on that
behalf of the tay Cats until this is a resulting.
And so you know, ed Hervey already hired Rick Campbell
once NBC, right, and there seems to be a repatriation
of Edmonton people with Edmonton history in Edmonton. So you know,

(01:18:58):
I think a lot of this is speculation, but I
think it's intelligence speculation. And I sometimes say, we get
into this time of year, there's a very thin line
between reporting and predicting, you know, like you'd like to
see people that reporter prediction, I can tell you, right,
So I think that line, you know, trying to be
clear about that line. A lot of this is I
don't think any of this is done. But if the
dominoes fell that way, I don't think it surprised anybody.

(01:19:19):
You know that's that, you know, two weeks from now,
Rick Campbell's the head coach at Edmonton and Ed Hervey's GM,
and I don't I don't think that would surprise a
lot of people.

Speaker 2 (01:19:29):
Just curious your thoughts on Rick in general. I mean,
obviously VC is my team. I support, I appreciate everyone
that's done. You know, I can separate down out of
work for the team and and and you know the
criticisms Rick and even the McAboy, right, And like you said,
we've known these issues. It's been very similar issues the
last couple of years going into Winnipeg, being unable to
stop the run, being on physical, all those things. So

(01:19:51):
I guess just like overall thoughts and to help what
Rick and Neal have done here and they just it's
just so frustrated to me as a fan to kind
of like, no, we can see these issues and it
feels like they're not being addressed. They brought in Nathan,
they had nothing to do with the eighty percent of
the issues that the team was having outside of that.
So to me, I'm just curious kind of your thoughts
overall of kind of how this has gone. Well, I mean,

(01:20:12):
it's I'm just on the quarterback thing.

Speaker 7 (01:20:16):
I think it was logical that when when a guy
like Bernon Adams, who has as much commitment to that
team from the off season on, loses his opportunity, you know,
your best case scenario is that not all the locker
room is going to be on board for that.

Speaker 1 (01:20:28):
And that's not a knock on date.

Speaker 7 (01:20:30):
It's just like they rode with me a you know,
from the off season on, and we know what a
team first guy he is. It's very, very difficult to
make that kind of switch midseason and not have it
flow overflow into other aspects of your team, you know.
But I guess I don't really have an answer for
you why that, Because it seemed like the Lions teams
are trending the right direction. They're trying the right direction.

(01:20:51):
Last year, you know, you had some holes and things
to address, and earlier in the year, I mean, look
at some of the things that have happened with this
team positively. I mean, justin kin with a backup in Saskatchewan.

Speaker 1 (01:21:01):
Let the league of receiving.

Speaker 7 (01:21:03):
You know, I thought Williams stand in particularly the first
two thirds of the season.

Speaker 1 (01:21:08):
It was a real nice presence that they hadn't had, right.

Speaker 7 (01:21:10):
That was one of those things, you know, who can
we give it to that can get us three yards
when we need it, but could also get us thirty
every once in a while. And they brought him in.
So it was then And you say, you mentioned me
coming to bats every once in a while. Football, you
look at the organization, you go, they aren't a lot
of good players, but somehow they're not a great team,
and that that was kind of the line like I
had of trouble going personnel wise and saying, well, that's

(01:21:32):
allows the player that's allowed. Of the player, Barron could
do it maybe better than I did, would be watching
them up close and plays closer attention to them. But
it doesn't strike me as a team that on an
individual individual basis on either side of the ball had
like extring weaknesses and personnel. It reminds me a few
years ago in Winnipeg when they had like individually the
guys in the secondary were great. I remember talking to
the GM Kyle Walton's like, we love all our guys.
Second your individually, they just don't play out well together.

(01:21:54):
And that's that's kind of frustrating.

Speaker 2 (01:21:56):
Well, it's it's kind of like the Jets this season,
and obviously Rogers isn't very different, you know, but all that,
but just they here, We've assembled every great player in
the world and everything, but none.

Speaker 7 (01:22:05):
Of us play who he mean, there's just no Remember
twenty years ago the Philadelphia Eagles dream Team. Remember what
happened to that tho was when they had Michael Vick
and the dreamy and uh, you know, like awesome one,
be awesome one. They signed all these guys and don't
look how they did. You know, it's not it's not
that kind of game.

Speaker 5 (01:22:22):
You know.

Speaker 4 (01:22:23):
Yeah, Vince Young did not foretell a prophecy there he
thought he did, but to stay on the quarterback for
a moment. Obviously, Bernond Adams was very open about the
very real possibility he will not be here in BC
next year. I know this is always a compliment his
team was, so it certainly it certainly was. How do
you see the quarterback market shaking out of? This is
a conversation every year, but it really seems like there

(01:22:45):
gonna be a lot of movement.

Speaker 7 (01:22:46):
I think it's really interesting because a lot of years
it's been like, are there gonna be enough quarterbacks and
backup quarter quality backups to.

Speaker 1 (01:22:52):
Go around the league? And this year we kind of
have a glut and I haven't.

Speaker 7 (01:22:57):
Seen that before. And I should say we have a
glut of a players with a really high floor. We
don't necessarily have a lot of players with a high
seal in the league this year, but in terms of
guys that you look at and say, yeah, that guy
could be a starter in the league.

Speaker 1 (01:23:10):
That guy could be a solid number two.

Speaker 7 (01:23:12):
I think one through eighteen next year we could have
better one to two combinations across the league than we've
ever seen. And somebody is the product of younger players
getting to play. Not not proved for everybody to be
a starter, But you look at it. Everybody said three
months ago, well, when they trade BA, they got to
trade in the East Division, they got they can't trade
within the division.

Speaker 1 (01:23:29):
Where would that be?

Speaker 7 (01:23:30):
Ain't going to the ain't going to Toronto, Ain't going
to Ottawa, like going to Montreal, and you're not going
to hand like.

Speaker 1 (01:23:35):
The only one of those situations we're not pretty certain.

Speaker 7 (01:23:37):
About is Montreal, where they may have to make a
choice and they is there a way for them to
keep both guys. I talked to Dannyvijoch at the end
of the day, it's like, yeah, there might be, but
we're very cognizant of not wanting to get into one
of these situations where there's a weekly conversation about who.

Speaker 1 (01:23:51):
Are starting quarterbacks.

Speaker 7 (01:23:52):
They you know, they kind of see what went on
on the West Coast and maybe we don't want to have,
you know, two guys with similar contracts that have them
been beating against each other after the week of practice. Now,
so I think they're going to go one or the other.
But then you go, okay, so Ba's moving somewhere. It's
going to be in the West, probably gonna be Calgary.

Speaker 1 (01:24:11):
I mean, the PJ.

Speaker 7 (01:24:12):
Walker contract that they signed is friendly enough that you
could have him and somebody else. It's basically a playtime
deal with you know, two hundred thousand base leave some room.
I think Saskatchewan. I think they're satisfied with Trevor. But
life is about options, you know, and if that's that's
an option, they can certainly go there. And and Edmonton,
I mean, how do we predict until we really know

(01:24:33):
who that coaches. But maybe if it's or Campbell, you know,
that makes a Vernon Adams move. Does he pull at
Jordan mccimick like there's you know, there's possibilities there, right,
So I mean, I think Bernond Adams is gonna be playing.
I would probably handicap him Calgary, Edminston's Saskatchewan. You know,
it's a likelihood. But it was a little awkward where
you know, Lion's management is not acknowledging what's going to happen.

Speaker 1 (01:24:54):
This offseason and Nathan mark Is, you know, like he said,
I know where I'm gonna be next, you know, so
that means spurted out of taking a beat it. Yeah,
it's interesting for sure.

Speaker 3 (01:25:04):
So my question is just overall, you look at the
season as a whole, what is the biggest storyline up
this whole season?

Speaker 7 (01:25:13):
Is the big I mean, it's hard to get away
from the Bombers, you know, the zero to four start
and the finish right that to me, and I think
it was just almost and then this was maybe just
a sense of the parody of the league was just
how many teams went on either good runs or bad runs,
Like you know, Saskatchewan went seven winless. You know, Ottawa
nearly lost like what their last seven, you know, and

(01:25:33):
they were eight three and one in one point.

Speaker 1 (01:25:35):
You have reliances who were five and oh you have
Saskatchewan it was five and oh.

Speaker 7 (01:25:39):
So it was a weird year of streaks and again
and Edmonton, you know, and again the streaks of not
getting beat by thirty but getting beat by less of
a touchdown. You know, it just kind of made it
hard to sort of separate the teams, even though the
records in the standings were very distinctive. You look at
it and said, but there's three walk off.

Speaker 1 (01:25:54):
Losses there, right, that's not necessarily defining for your team.

Speaker 7 (01:25:57):
But I think it's hard to get past the Bomber
thing when you think of what they've accomplished and to
get off to an Owen court start with those home
losses and looking nothing like they did. And you know,
Michael Shay the other day, you don't need a need
jerk solution if you know why the things are happening
are happening. And one of the things that I talked
to when I did the coaching interview this week, you
mentioned one thing more. You know, he talked about the injuries,

(01:26:19):
he talked about guys not participating preseason, and he also
talked about that there were also some mistakes. They were
making the same mistakes more than once. Right, they say that, hey,
you make mistakes at football, but you got to correct
them and you can start making the same mistakes becomes
a little bit different. Turnovers, those kinds of things. But
to me, the Winni Big Blue Bombers are the story
of this season.

Speaker 2 (01:26:38):
I want to tell we'll do this Saint Lewis thing
before you get out of here, I promise, but you know,
I want to get your thoughts. We talked a lot
obviously Randy today and everything. Your thoughts on you, Lany's,
Randy's legacy.

Speaker 1 (01:26:48):
And all of that. Kind of your thoughts is, Hey,
you know, where do we move next to this league? Well?

Speaker 7 (01:26:52):
I think unfortunately, two things that will remember is is
he had two really hard, two really big initiatives, neither
of which came to really the fruition that people hope.
One was expansion, which is a tough nut. You know,
I know he said on the.

Speaker 1 (01:27:07):
Stage the other day he thinks the tenth team is
in Canada.

Speaker 7 (01:27:11):
Boy, I'll tell you, trying to finance a CFL suitable
stadium in a market that does not have a team,
I mean, I won't use the word impossible, but I
hope nobody gives me that challenge. I mean, I just
I think it's really really hard. Outdoor stadium construction in
Canada is really difficult, and when you're talking about the
standard what's needed for a CFL team and the economics

(01:27:35):
of the league, I just don't know if it's doable.
I don't know if you'd ever get there. And I
say this would respector Randy's efforts. I don't think we're
any closer today than we were the day and office.
The other one was CFL two point zero. You know,
the theory was that if you got players from around
the world playing in our league, you can create audiences
in their countries. To why it didn't, I didn't really.

(01:27:56):
I was willing to suspend disbelief out of the gate.

Speaker 1 (01:27:58):
On that one.

Speaker 7 (01:27:58):
I was like, Okay, it's outside of the box. I
don't really see it. And you know, now I was
thinking about the other day. I was like, there were
ten Canadians playing in a second tier German soccer league.
When people watch that on streaming, you know, like, and
I'm when I say second tier, I'm not trying to
be disreging Cee a Bellot to a global audience as
a second tier league, right if they know the national

(01:28:19):
football so you're gonna show them something else. I think,
you know, it's kind of unfortunate that those two major initiatives,
neither of them really helped the bottom line of the league.
But I think he look, three owners came in on
the right that was important, and two of them were
the exits of Bob Wetnall and David Brailey, who were
like absolutely for better or words, there was a bit

(01:28:39):
of ball, but we're absolute pillars of this league, you know,
for a quarter of a century, and you replaced them
with Pierre Carl Palado and a Mark Gong check Mark.

Speaker 1 (01:28:49):
I think where the game is right now.

Speaker 7 (01:28:51):
You know that the tweaking that they did, I think
it's produced a very very compelling product. You know, that's
not an issue that anybody's going to have. And you know,
and I the genius sports thing, we don't really understand it.
It's digitization of our How.

Speaker 2 (01:29:07):
Frustrating is that, like we're three years in now, we
don't understand what's going on.

Speaker 7 (01:29:11):
Well, it's basically to you know, give the league data
that it can use for broadcast and gambling and look
at it hasn't brought the returns that people hoped, but
it's also.

Speaker 1 (01:29:24):
Was promised to be more of a long term thing.

Speaker 7 (01:29:25):
And you know, Randy certainly, when he's challenged about it, says,
you know, I believe the things that I've made foundations
for will bring returns to the leagues in the future.
So you know, all those things again, I think there's
a bit of an assumption that the league was always
going to survive the pandemic, I mean, not necessarily. There
was a reason they got into bed with the exbl
and for you know, as much as I reported about
how far that was down the path, you know, in

(01:29:47):
conversations I've had subsequently, including this week, it was a
lot further down the path, and even we were reporting
and we were getting criticism for.

Speaker 1 (01:29:53):
Reporting that it was further down the path that it was.

Speaker 6 (01:29:55):
And I.

Speaker 7 (01:29:56):
Think got with Duane Johnson, they got into com like
with him as a participant.

Speaker 1 (01:30:02):
They got into how do we change the field, how
do we do this?

Speaker 7 (01:30:05):
Like they were they were creating a hybrid game between
the Canadian and American football, and they were deep into
those conversations about what the game would look like. So
you know that was not fantasy, and I know they
never it was. You know, we're talking about talking. They
weren't talking about talking. They were talking about where the
outbig the field should be, and that's what they were
talking about. So you know, that was real and I

(01:30:25):
and I you know, I've taken a lot of criticism
for this, but I'll double down on it and clarify
a little bit. I never said they should merge with
the XFL. I said they should explore this bullet, that
they should walk down this path and see where it
leads them, and ultimately they decided it didn't lead them
where they wanted to be.

Speaker 1 (01:30:42):
Okay, it probably made the right decision to give it.

Speaker 7 (01:30:44):
What happened to the XFL, But you know, I think
that that you know that, and Brandy's made the point
that the conversation with the XFL did allow him to
give him some leverage to get some things done on
the internal business of the league that he might not
have been able to get without having that. So it was,
you know, it was a bit of a it did
turn into a productive element for it. So again, give

(01:31:06):
them a check mark. The leap got through the pandemic,
you know, So that's that's another one. So most commissioners
got some excess, we got some check marks. But I
mean I've covered like seven full time commissioners and two
or three interim guys as well, and they've all basically
been shown the door for the same bottom line reason,
didn't generate enough revenue for the teams.

Speaker 1 (01:31:25):
And I think, you know, there's an interesting point for
the league.

Speaker 7 (01:31:29):
Do you want to bring in another commissioner in five
years be showing him the door because he couldn't tell
your bicycle faster than the last guy, or do you
want a new bicycle and my new bicycle. That's when
we get into the conversation about, you know, fundamentally changing
the league and what that might mean and how that
might happen.

Speaker 2 (01:31:45):
Right, so let's see this, and then we got Timmy
Clippe excuse me standing by Utah Saint Louis.

Speaker 1 (01:31:49):
Right, we've seen the XFL.

Speaker 2 (01:31:51):
The only one of the really only I would say
success is you know, it's funny that we talked now
about the XFL CFL talks and my thoughts on the
league and other ship versus now and but I was
an attire on things thin and I'm pretty disappointed right now.
But you know, we've we've seen that, you know, captivated
the audience in Saint Louis and Europe. Proponent of the lease,
exploring that, figuring out maybe do we move to Ceabo

(01:32:13):
tea the thoughts on that here.

Speaker 1 (01:32:14):
I don't think that they will immediately.

Speaker 2 (01:32:16):
Adopt a three down game and you can't just play,
you know, plug and play like they did back in
the day.

Speaker 1 (01:32:20):
But thoughts on that.

Speaker 7 (01:32:22):
I'm one of the few journalists here who lived through
the US expansion era. In fact, my kids exist because
of the US expansion era. I met their mom in
an airport on my way to a Memphis Mad Dogs
for Maha Barrakudiski. I always tell my kids, so he
would be really grateful for the US expansion era. Without it,
you wouldn't let you wouldn't be, it wouldn't exist. And
there were a lot of interesting lessons about that, and

(01:32:43):
I think I got to put some context on the
US expansion era of the early nine mid nineties.

Speaker 1 (01:32:47):
It was driven completely by crisis.

Speaker 7 (01:32:50):
They never would have done it the way they did
it if they weren't like running for their lives. And
you can talk to people like Larry Smith and John
Torrey who can walk you through some of the risks
they took and some of the things they ignore because
you know, the check cleared man, you know, like that
was that was where the league was living. So first
thing I think if you were going to expand to

(01:33:10):
the US, the time to do it is when you're
not in a crisis, when you don't have owners around
the board of governor saying you know, I'm out of
this league in a year. If we can't think and
you're not so, I think, you know, you can do
it more by design and strategically than with you know,
the trying to outrun the grim Reaper, which is what
they were doing in the early nineties.

Speaker 1 (01:33:27):
And Baltimore was unique. You know, Baltimore had a huge
anger of the National Football League, and I think it's
reflective of what is in Saint Louis now.

Speaker 7 (01:33:36):
And you know, when Baltimore had an opportunity, I mean
they were selling season tickets and.

Speaker 1 (01:33:40):
Enter the gate.

Speaker 7 (01:33:41):
They had a thing at one time called the Indie
Challenge where they were trying to get their season ticket
number over the Indianapolis Colts, the team that had left.
I don't think they did it, but they probably generated
some interesting some more season tickets just by people trying
to get there.

Speaker 1 (01:33:53):
And you had people leaned in on it and they
basically said, that league left us.

Speaker 7 (01:33:57):
This league's serving us, and we don't care for three
down football, we don't care for playing in Saskatchewan.

Speaker 1 (01:34:03):
We're in.

Speaker 7 (01:34:04):
And again I haven't been to Saint Louis, I haven't
talked to anybody, but I think if I was to
answer the question why is Saint Louis so much more
successful than all the other alternative football markets. It's because
that spirit that existed in Baltimore in the early nineties
exists in Saint Louis.

Speaker 1 (01:34:19):
And Reeve and I disagree on this.

Speaker 7 (01:34:21):
I think if you if they were part of the
Canadian Football League, I think people are going to do
what they did in Baltimore, want to show up and
cheer for their football team, and cheer professional football and
don't care if you punt on third down or if
you know there's a rouge or a or a no
yards penalty. I think the league needs to do a
better job of educating this American fans if it ever
goes down that road. But you know, I just came
out on a radio in any one day someone said,

(01:34:42):
you know, the UFL might not play out in twenty
twenty five, and I just said, if I was a CFL,
I would try and pick off Saint Louis.

Speaker 1 (01:34:49):
It's a ten team and the.

Speaker 7 (01:34:50):
Other issues can come up as competitive If you can't,
you can't mandate Canadian players look thirty years ago, yet
have ten Canadian starters and the teams for the most
part held row now it's seven, and I think we
all know the quality of those seven compared to the
quality of those ten, you know, compared to the generation.

Speaker 1 (01:35:09):
I don't think you necessarily have a competitive issue with that. Well, Dave,
I appreciate it. Thanks for my thanks for the patient
and annual read. This is an annual right good, It's good.

Speaker 2 (01:35:18):
Yeah, Dave's that by here, we're texting, we got anything on.
I appreciate it, Dave. Thanks for spending the time. We'll
see you later on.

Speaker 7 (01:35:24):
Hey, thanks very much, and it's see your next breakup
and winn bag.

Speaker 1 (01:35:27):
But we'll be DM well, I'm sure, yeah, we'll be there.
We'll talk to Saint Louis. What the UFL kind of
collapses in June. I'm sure we'll talk there.

Speaker 2 (01:35:34):
All right, let's get timid Cliffe in here, who wants
to hop off for this one?

Speaker 1 (01:35:37):
Real quick? Okay, we'll get Jason out. Andy's on.

Speaker 2 (01:35:39):
We're doing the line change here, Tim and Cliffe here
dabbing date Naylor like I said, guys like and subscribe.
We got the alright, excuse me, We've got Tim Clippe
coming on, Brian Scott's coming on. I think we got
Matt Baker and then Dorothy will close down. I see
Jim walking by too. Let's get ah, Well, let's get Jim.

Speaker 1 (01:35:54):
In the minute.

Speaker 2 (01:35:54):
He's coming there for like he's coming on. Well, we'll
Jim's got to wait a minute. But let's get them
on here. Let's get the moment we're tracking with Dave
the other bayway like and subscribe, join the channel.

Speaker 1 (01:36:03):
Let's do all the good things here. Come on in, Fellas.
We got Cliffey. Here, we got Tim Capper. You can
use that. I'll hold Tim's for him.

Speaker 2 (01:36:12):
Come on here, get on there, yeah, Tim, Now, welcome, gentlemen,
the Outlet's Fight Day Podcast.

Speaker 1 (01:36:18):
We're here. We were really give my hand shake you.

Speaker 4 (01:36:21):
Let's as the joke we always say is shake my hand,
right the guy on the airplane, I want to I
want to shake your hand.

Speaker 2 (01:36:30):
You know, we really were hoping for a Montreal BC
great Cup. Really would have just combined all of our forces.
We are both so well here, what are your thoughts
on this? And then in Toronto kind of the you know,
the big upset in the game and that crazy place.

Speaker 1 (01:36:45):
I don't know, Yes, we can call it an upset.

Speaker 9 (01:36:48):
I guess I am kind of biased, but I mean
It's just that I look at the result of the
game based off what happened, is that it's more than
gave them the game than Toronto winning the game in
my opinion.

Speaker 1 (01:37:02):
But I mean, it's it is what it is.

Speaker 9 (01:37:04):
Toronto's here at the Great Cup, and whin it. They's
here at the Great Cup. So I mean, not much,
really much what I can say about it. It's disappointing,
it really is.

Speaker 16 (01:37:12):
That's real, absolutely really just the mistakes aren't made in
the first quarter, the fumbles not just from Frajaro but
also Walter.

Speaker 1 (01:37:20):
Fletcher as well, the giveaways.

Speaker 16 (01:37:22):
I mean, there's just Montreal just dug themselves a hole
that they simply couldn't climb out of. They certainly tried
like hell to do so, but they just weren't able
to get past those mistakes.

Speaker 1 (01:37:30):
And hey, credit to Toronto.

Speaker 16 (01:37:31):
Despite Chad Kelly getting injured in a horrific way, Toronto
still did what they had to do and they got
the w.

Speaker 1 (01:37:37):
So that's why they're here and that's why the elements
are watching the game on TV.

Speaker 2 (01:37:40):
I want to get your thoughts the Cody Davis, Alexander
Ry and and obviously you guys tracked the team way
more than I do, especially this year. I've just been
out to launch immediately a lot, doing my best to
kind of keep track of everything. But what's going on there,
you know, it feels like it's too much of a
good thing. I'm just curious your thoughts on that and
what's gonna happen.

Speaker 9 (01:37:57):
I've already said it multiple times and would have been
here at break up around the pod this past week.
I've never expected to have a quarterback controversy on my
fingo card for the Alouetz in the offseason.

Speaker 1 (01:38:09):
It's gonna be very interesting and and you know, especially
for those whoppen.

Speaker 9 (01:38:12):
To watch the Alouetz post game, you know, state of
the Press conference at the end of the year, just
the answers alone coming from Danny Mack and from Jason
mossa seen, in my opinion to be very telling. Javis
Alider to me, whether he was brought you know, whether
even though he's not a Canadian kid, he's still a
homegrown talent in my opinion, because of how he was

(01:38:33):
brought in by Danny Mack and he's waited his time
and he has you've seen in the four plus games
that he started this year, even though you have four
wins and then won in relief, the guy really deserves
a shot.

Speaker 1 (01:38:45):
How is this gonna play out this offseason?

Speaker 9 (01:38:48):
It's gonna be very interesting if you'd be curious to
see what type of decisions that they make, whether they
Ouski won or they get rid of one and then
we signed another.

Speaker 1 (01:38:57):
But that that's that will be one of the for
the season. Curious your thoughts.

Speaker 16 (01:39:02):
Yeah, it's gonna be a very interesting situation, even if
you go by the body language and the answers to
the questions from both Cody Fichardo and from Davis Alexander.
They both want to be the man, and David Alexander
has proven that he can be a starter in this
league and win games in this league. Codif Fiardo obviously
brought a great Cup to the Alouettes, so I mean
he definitely deserves that consideration as well. So just based

(01:39:24):
on that alone, I don't know if you could really
do like a one A one B situation and have
them live harmoniously together.

Speaker 1 (01:39:30):
It really does sound like both of them.

Speaker 16 (01:39:31):
Want to be the man in Montreal, and it's gonna
come down to a simple matter of Okay, who are
the alowettes like the organization like Danny Moss Jason or sorry,
Danny machoja Jason Moss.

Speaker 1 (01:39:43):
Who are they gonna go with?

Speaker 16 (01:39:44):
Are they gonna go with the guy that brought them
the Great Cup or the guy that they've basically nurtured
from day one to eventually be the future in Montreal
and Daves Alexander.

Speaker 1 (01:39:52):
It's gonna be a very very interesting offseason. There's no
doubt about that.

Speaker 2 (01:39:56):
I'm gonna let you ask a question. I'm gonna tuck
out here real quick before we our home. Stretcher running out,
So why don't you give a question?

Speaker 1 (01:40:02):
I'll let you. Guys just want to right back in.

Speaker 4 (01:40:04):
Yeah, as you guys alluded to, Davis Alexander was obviously
the best kept secret in montreal Land. You guys were
on him before anybody else was. But as you also mentioned,
Richardo has clearly proven himself. He's won a Great Cup.
He's almost kind of in a way that, it seems
to me, at least from my perspective, he's the spiritual
leader in a lot of ways because of his attitude,

(01:40:26):
his his camaraderie, the way he presents himself. Do you
think that gives him more currency in staying around or
do you think at the end of the day that
Montreal might be okay with cutting their ties in that
way because you said Davis Alexander is the product of
the team.

Speaker 1 (01:40:39):
That's it.

Speaker 16 (01:40:40):
We were talking about the future of the Alouettes. That's
the direction you're happy be looking at it. Again, I
don't want to take anything away from what Cordy from
Journal's done.

Speaker 1 (01:40:46):
I mean, he's proven himself.

Speaker 16 (01:40:48):
I mean he's he's shown the love to Montreal and
Montreal has showed him love back to him. Getting that
great Cup win definitely has cemented him among those.

Speaker 1 (01:40:56):
Quarterbacks as far as I'm concerned.

Speaker 16 (01:40:58):
I mean, it was just the one year, but still
for what he was able to do, and that that
warrior mentality that he has definitely speaks volumes and people
do love Cody Frijardow with Montreal, There's no two ways
about it. But what David Alexander was able to do
this year stepping into a relief when Cody got hurt
and performed admirably, I mean argue, but you can say
five to zero as a starter and the team rallied

(01:41:19):
behind Davis Alexander two.

Speaker 1 (01:41:21):
But when Cablin Nevis came in and relief for Cody
Vijardo the first time.

Speaker 16 (01:41:24):
He didn't exactly have that same oopft Dave Alexander did
when he stepped in it against Saskatchewan, won the game
there and just kept on going. And also to the
body language too for Daves Alexander when he was watching
that Eastern Final, like you could tell it in his mind,
He's like, I should be out there.

Speaker 1 (01:41:41):
That's gotta be me doing that.

Speaker 16 (01:41:42):
And that too, I think maybe has played a lot
into how he feels and how he how he sees
things going forward, like he's he basically said, I gotta
see how the rest of this league shapes out, like
once free agency gets underway and what's out there for me?

Speaker 1 (01:41:57):
And I don't blame one hundred percent. You got to
take care of you. I mean, as much as all we'd.

Speaker 16 (01:42:01):
Love to have Davis year and I think keep down
Yellows organization wants to do whatever they can.

Speaker 1 (01:42:06):
To keep you as Alexander in Red and Blue.

Speaker 16 (01:42:08):
But ultimately it's gonna come down to, uh, you know
what happens in free agency, Like a lot of Donald's
gonna be falling once the very Cup gets handed out,
but it's definite gonna.

Speaker 1 (01:42:16):
Make for a very very interesting offseason.

Speaker 2 (01:42:20):
I've got some of the game here. We'll speak in
Jim before I got bro. I think Brian Scott's coming
here in the middle of plot here at the end
of the thoughts on the game of who do you got?

Speaker 9 (01:42:28):
I even though you know we did, you know from
the East, it's like, you know, I want to to
the r is to win and stuff like that. I mean,
it's like I'm kind of going into the game as
a go team CFL type of thing because I just
hope both teams have fun exact that he and nobody
gets hurt. I'm curious to see what what type of
game this is going to be? Uh what which Toronto

(01:42:51):
teamber are we going to get? I mean, as I
said earlier, is that I don't think Toronto won the
game as much as they were given the game. Uh Toronto,
you know, even though the Alves had six turnovers, they
only lost my two.

Speaker 1 (01:43:05):
So I think it really goes to show, you know,
was it the Olves that that gave the rs the game?
But you know they did.

Speaker 9 (01:43:14):
But in my opinion, I could be totally wrong, but
just my looking at the line itself, and I know
the line can be very misleading. I honestly think Winnipeg
is not I don't think it's gonna be even close.
I think Winnipeg is just gonna win this win this
game going away.

Speaker 16 (01:43:29):
Again, You're talking about both teams that basically came in hot,
like really hot, at the right time. I mean, you
can make the argument that both Winnipeg and Toronto they
did what they had to do to get to this game,
so both have a sa an equal chance. But not
having Chad Kelly in the lineup is definitely gonna make
a big factor. There's no question about that. I mean, Zach,
they always say go with the most experienced quarterback, and
Zach Clarro's easily has a lot more experience than what

(01:43:51):
Nick Carbuckle does.

Speaker 1 (01:43:53):
I definitely think it'll be a good game no matter what.

Speaker 16 (01:43:55):
But I mean, I I've said before and I said again,
I don't see how Winnipeg lose this game. But we
also maybe said that a little bit last year and
year before. Anytime Winnipeg's in the game, they absolutely have
a fighting chance. But I think a lot of pressure
is on them too, because I'll just talk about dynasty
with Winnipeg Goo Bombers. They won their first two Great
Cup games, you know, in the in this time period.

(01:44:17):
Then they lost the last two Great Cup Games. So
now the pressure's on. If you really want to be
conservative Dynasty, you gotta win on Sunday.

Speaker 2 (01:44:24):
I go one more here, I'm detection Bryant Sky here directions,
give one more question for that.

Speaker 4 (01:44:28):
We'll bring in Jimullen Well to that too, because at
least again from my effective last year, I think you
guys were probably definitely not favored in that game, and
I think it was wonderful to see so and like
Gerardo really transcend and step up in such a crucial moment.
Who does that player have to be for Toronto if
they want to have a chance of winning this game.

Speaker 16 (01:44:48):
I'm gonna say Kadeen Kerry. I think he's proven himself
to be a true leader on this Argos team. I mean,
Chad Kelly would obviously be the guy, but I mean
Kadeen Kerry went to mcmannus. Those are two guys that
I look at as their leaders, like those are the
guys that are gonna pick the guys up by their
their pads.

Speaker 1 (01:45:03):
And say hey, let's go. This is a championship game.
It's winner go home.

Speaker 16 (01:45:07):
I fully expect those guys to be the ones that
are gonna rally the troops like that fire under East everybody.
So if you were asked me, I'd say either Carry
or McManus as far as the go to guys that
really fire everybody up.

Speaker 9 (01:45:19):
No, I was gonna say the exact same thing here.
We'll come down a couple of things. I think in
Toronto's able to uh really control the running game.

Speaker 1 (01:45:27):
I mean they're great on the Winnipeg's side obviously too.

Speaker 9 (01:45:30):
But as we've seen, especially last week with thee alo lets, Uh,
these special teams can make a huge difference. And I
would not be surprised if if if Toronto's special teams
make it, it's a huge statement and keeps him in
this game.

Speaker 1 (01:45:42):
That's true.

Speaker 16 (01:45:42):
They got Lamla who kicking field goals, Jener and Grant
returning kicks as well. I mean, yes, special teams could
play a very big factor for Toronto.

Speaker 4 (01:45:50):
Jeneerian Grant's like Devin Hester of the CFL.

Speaker 1 (01:45:52):
I mean, he why do teams even bother kicking it
to him? Like anybody? It really blows my mind. He's incredible,
It really is. He absolutely is, and it's kind of
funny too.

Speaker 16 (01:46:00):
He's also got a little bit of motivation as well,
considering he's a former Winnipeg Blue Bomber and now he's
facing his former team for the championship. I mean, he's
already going to break up ring with the Blue Bombers,
but now he has a chance to add one as
an argonaut, just as a reminder, like, Hey, I used
to be with you guys.

Speaker 1 (01:46:14):
Now now I'm here to beat you, so go.

Speaker 16 (01:46:18):
If that doesn't motivate you, if you're a player that
doesn't motivate you as well, then I don't have to
tell you. All right, let's see the swap here. Let's
bring in Jim.

Speaker 1 (01:46:25):
Jason can come back on Brian's Texan he summer. We'll
get it going. Next guys.

Speaker 2 (01:46:28):
I appreciate it. There we go, There we go, next, guys,
Jim Tech. We're texting guys here like and subscribe me
and bar the the adventure. We'll see you guys. I
appreciate it. Let's get Jason. Let's get Jim in.

Speaker 1 (01:46:42):
We got a longtime friend he's been sitting around here.

Speaker 2 (01:46:45):
And then we'll we'll get brian On, We'll get Matt,
We'll get we'll get Dorothy and then we'll get out
of here.

Speaker 1 (01:46:49):
Should we get Jason's back to Mullens here, Jim, how
are you? I'm good, I'm good.

Speaker 14 (01:46:55):
Hey, we're doing video. Look, Hey to advertised. That's where
I'm going. You're vice president of That's good.

Speaker 1 (01:47:00):
Talk about how busy you are?

Speaker 14 (01:47:01):
I now, I am very busy, not only with the IPAF,
but of course we have Great Iron Nation on TSN.
It's on every Thursday and Friday in the afternoons. It's
all about college football and how it relates to Canadians
in college football, whether we are talking about U sports

(01:47:22):
or whether we are talking about Canadians in the NCAA.
And Nathan's little brother has given us some great stuff
to talk about this year.

Speaker 2 (01:47:30):
I'm curious your thoughts, obviously Vancouver here and everything else.
Thoughts on the Lions season and not being here.

Speaker 14 (01:47:36):
A tremendous disappointment, especially after the start. I'm glad to
hear through the rumor mill that there are changes coming
to the Lions front office. If we are to believe
those rumors, and why not, there's a good escape plan
for coach Campbell, if he chooses it to Edmonton, looks

(01:47:57):
like you're trying to put the band back together in
Edmonton from the nineteen seventies and nineteen eighties, and he's
the scion of that. Of course, you Campbell winning five
breakups with the Eskimos back in the day. So Ryan
rig Maiden is if he steps up as a general manager,
I believe that is a healthy upgrade in this organization.

(01:48:21):
And they're talking about reconfiguration, then who steps up as
the head coach? If you look at CFL teams these days,
guys with guys that are coaches and general managers.

Speaker 1 (01:48:33):
It's too much for one guy.

Speaker 14 (01:48:35):
And it's not just the amount of work that's involved
for one guy, but it's the relationships that you have
in the dressing room. You cannot be a player's coach
and then as soon as that season ends, turn around
and then start to negotiate with these guys, we're starting
to cut them before their bonus is got in. You
can't balance the two. Either you've got to be a

(01:48:57):
black hat.

Speaker 1 (01:48:58):
Through and through.

Speaker 14 (01:49:00):
That's hard to do with the modern athlete, or you
got to separate the jobs. So if the Lions are
separating the jobs. I think they're doing the right move here.

Speaker 4 (01:49:10):
Go for I was gonna say on that note, I
know the season didn't go the way that the DC
Lions expected, but how have you felt about the overall
presentation here in Vancouver.

Speaker 1 (01:49:19):
Oh, it's fantastic.

Speaker 14 (01:49:21):
It's a giant upgrade from the last days of the
David Brayley era. You know, there was management that needed
to go on with the estate. They were working on
a fairly small budget. We understand all of those things.
But Amar understands sizzle, but he also understands state. He

(01:49:41):
understands that you need to beyond the presentation. You need
to do the things in the community to build the
football community. We're about five hundred and seventy days after
SFU have quoted their program up on Burnaby Mountain. He's
still there making proclamations if we're bringing this thing back.

(01:50:02):
He's still there with half a million dollars to put
into the program, right, He's still there supporting all those
things in the grassroots community. And the one thing that
I saw in the last Lions game that I was
at was a lot of kids in the stands and
a lot of kids in the stands wearing minor football jerseys.

(01:50:23):
And that's part of the evolution that needs to go
on with a team in a league that is completely
driven outside of your salary cap being covered by.

Speaker 1 (01:50:34):
Your TV unit.

Speaker 3 (01:50:36):
Yeah, so I wanted to talk about the Canadian content
in the CFL. Now, I believe I saw that this
is the first time we've ever had the leading rusher
and receiver be Canadian. Can you speak about the importance
of Canadian content in the CFL right now?

Speaker 14 (01:50:51):
Well, you know what, It's not just Canadian content in
the CFL. It's Canadian content and football. When you take
a look at some of the leading performers in the NFL,
whether you're looking at uh at a guy like Chase
Brown with Cincinnati, whether you're looking at John Metchi and
in Houston. I mean I could start going down the list.
There is a long, long CHEWBA Hubbard is having a

(01:51:14):
great season this year.

Speaker 4 (01:51:15):
Oh, I dropped him off my fantasy team. It's the
biggest regret I made so far.

Speaker 14 (01:51:19):
Well, look, you know what I mentioned, Nathan's little not
so little brother, Curtis Roord.

Speaker 1 (01:51:26):
I first met Curtis when we were.

Speaker 14 (01:51:28):
Handing out the Cornish Trophy to Nathan and somebody taps
me on the shoulder and I turned around and it's
this larger version at Nathan as a teenager with this big,
geeky smile. Hi, my name is Curtis, and he's shaking
my head like like you could tell that that that
he had the frame that Nathan didn't have right and

(01:51:48):
that he had to grow into it, you know, watching
his development at Ohio and then watching him turn into
what he has turned into with this ten and zero
Indiana team. That's another testament to Canadian talent. And even
more so than Nathan. You spent a senior year in
Canada playing high school football in Canada at a Catholic

(01:52:12):
school in Toronto, So unlike going through through an academy
process that a lot of Canadians do these days, leaving
home in grade ten and grade eleven. This is a
kid that, even though he did spend some time in
the States, came back to Canada, was the MAC player
of the year and now has probably upgraded enough through

(01:52:34):
that system in Indiana where he is going to be
a late round draft pick. Right That's where we are
in skilled positions with Canadians. One of the conundrums for
the CFL though, is all the best Canadians are played
in the NFL that.

Speaker 1 (01:52:52):
Never used to happen before.

Speaker 14 (01:52:54):
We have about four or five or a dual passport
holder or something like that there.

Speaker 1 (01:53:00):
I think the number is up to twenty three.

Speaker 14 (01:53:02):
It might be around twenty four that are on NFL
rosters right now, and so that then has an impact
on the rosters of the Canadian Football League. But as
you guys point out, look at the top performers in
the CFL, I still think that the ratio needs to
exist though, because there are guys that didn't get exposure

(01:53:23):
to coaching, that didn't get exposure to training, that need
to get in those first two years. Brady Oliver is
a good example of that. Even though he played at
North Dakota. I went down and saw him play in
North Dakota as a sophomore. A guy that was quick,
a guy that had trained hard, a guy that hit holes.

Speaker 11 (01:53:44):
With purpose, but he.

Speaker 1 (01:53:46):
Didn't have that patience.

Speaker 14 (01:53:47):
He didn't have that step, he didn't have those moves
get he didn't give those half hits up to defenders.
That's something that he needed to learn in his first
couple of years in the CFL and that comes with
that pro level of coting. So I think that's what
you're seeing with this group of Canadians in the CFL.

Speaker 2 (01:54:05):
I got one more question. We'll bringing Brian Scott. We
got them standing by, Just curious your thoughts. Going back
to Nathan and the Lions here. Obviously not the ideal
situation coming in and we've talked a lot today about
and everything. Is it enough for him to reset in
the off season, you know, coming in here halfway through
and all that. What do you make of his feature
because the Lions made a huge, huge investment.

Speaker 1 (01:54:23):
That commitment down.

Speaker 14 (01:54:24):
Well, you and I had a side conversation about this,
sending messages back and forth when he was available, right
and you know what my perception was at the time,
he should still try to find another NFL camp, run
that thing out, and then come in fresh to a
CFL camp. The opportunity was there for the Lions to

(01:54:46):
grab Nathan, sign him to a contract and a great
Cup year. I don't blame them for trying, but I
think in terms of the football process, he'd been with
too many teams and too many situations, and the kid's
brain was frying quite Frank he had actually shown something
better than what the record indicated to. He was pulled

(01:55:07):
out of a game at halftime after putting together a
convincing drive. A total head scratcher. In my opinion, I
think he was great between the twenties. Right as soon
as he got into the red zoner at his back
to the goal post, he was prone to mistakes of
that offense and plus that pass protection was just awful

(01:55:29):
this year with the Lions Steam and they didn't take
advantage of William standback. But in terms of having him here,
why would you not want to have him here? Nothing
against Va?

Speaker 1 (01:55:40):
You know, I love Va.

Speaker 14 (01:55:41):
You know I love Va and what he brings, and
I love what his evolution has been as a person
and as a quarterback and as he approaches the game.
But when it comes when it comes to Nathan, you
got star power there. You got twenty twenty two. He's
going to put twenty twenty two back on the field again,
and he's going to have a brother in the NFL,

(01:56:04):
and that's going to bring star power into the stands.

Speaker 1 (01:56:07):
Why would you not have that?

Speaker 14 (01:56:08):
And that's where that marketing money that they're paying him
on top of the salary kicks in right. When Curtis
Rourke is third or fourth in Heisman voting, when he
gets drafted into the NFL, when he shows up with
the family, when he brings teammates with him, that just
amplifies what Nathan Burke is doing on the field, and

(01:56:31):
that's what people go for. You gotta have this guy
in this and you gotta have a guy in this
town that says I want to be here, and that's
what he's saying.

Speaker 2 (01:56:41):
Well, Jim, I appreciate that. I thanks for hanging around
here waiting and making the time. Things you guys will
bring in. Brian Sky here coming up next and that, Yeah,
I mean, I hope miss a personality. I hope he
does more interviews next year. Nathan Wurk, we'll see. It
wasn't the best home coming here.

Speaker 14 (01:56:55):
A little snappy. By the way, when you get into
arguments with Dorothy. She's wearing the Huskies uniform. Do you
have to bow down to watch it?

Speaker 2 (01:57:02):
That's good, right, break and Bryan's guy here at Toronto.
Argo's quarterback. Our lifters will know him from the spring
lead the US and Feil everything else.

Speaker 1 (01:57:11):
Ryan Scott, what's brother? It's only been three years, we
got the grip back. We got here. Guys, Ryan, it
has been a crazy year for you. How are you doing.
Are we live?

Speaker 7 (01:57:27):
Yeah, we're live.

Speaker 3 (01:57:29):
Everything's good man. Nice finally meet you. Yeah, props to
you man. Uh known you for a long time. It's
fortunate to be here, which is so Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:57:38):
What's the bit you you're here, you got brought back,
you know, you with the argos, go with blombers, come
back here.

Speaker 1 (01:57:43):
What's going on here? How are you feeling and what's
going on in your life?

Speaker 4 (01:57:46):
Everything's good. I'm extremely happy and fortunate to be here.

Speaker 1 (01:57:49):
My parents are here.

Speaker 4 (01:57:50):
So just just taking in every day, all the little
moments that I get to, you.

Speaker 3 (01:57:55):
Know, spend on my teammates and uh yeah, just happy
to represent her on on the city.

Speaker 1 (01:57:59):
Uh yeah, just super grateful to be here. Just Hererus
thoughts here today.

Speaker 2 (01:58:03):
I mean we've tracked you all the way through everything
and been a part of the show since SPAGINNI. I
mean being here now you'll on the roster of a
great Cup team and it being in the CFL now
and kind of.

Speaker 1 (01:58:13):
Experience all that. What's it been like.

Speaker 3 (01:58:14):
It's been good man, you know, as as you know
just playing in the Spring League since twenty eighteen in
the USFL, which Spring Leak kind of turned into the USFL.

Speaker 1 (01:58:24):
You know, it's been good, man, It's been an adjustment.

Speaker 3 (01:58:25):
I've never known anything but being a starting quarterback like
my entire life, and then coming up to the CFL,
like adjusting to that role. But I think everybody does that,
you know, like Vernon does that, McCloud did that. Pretty
much every starting quarterback up here kind of goes through.

Speaker 1 (01:58:41):
That period of their career.

Speaker 3 (01:58:43):
So I'm just taking it in and embracing every step
and just doing whatever I can to help the team win.
And you know, it's been good for me to like
take a step back and like look at it from
a different perspective, a different role, and yeah, I'm loving it.

Speaker 4 (01:58:54):
I love Brian. I had the pleasure of watching you
two years ago in person in Birmingham the opening game
that you guys played Stars versus the Breakers, and I
just remember just seeing you swing it around. Yeah, despite
the fact that a guy like Davin Bellamy was like
breathing down your neck every other Oh my goodness.

Speaker 1 (01:59:13):
That man is a monster.

Speaker 4 (01:59:14):
But can you talk about what was it like getting
that development that professional football development a guy like Bart
Andrews and being in the USFL before coming here.

Speaker 3 (01:59:23):
Yeah, I mean, honestly, I think, yeah, first of all,
the thanks for coming the game, watching me, and supporting me.
I appreciate that.

Speaker 4 (01:59:29):
But yeah, for me, it's been a journey. Man, it's
been a blessing.

Speaker 3 (01:59:32):
Just coming from a Division III school and then playing
in the twenty eighteen Spring League against Johnny Mantel, who
used to be my screen saver at one point.

Speaker 4 (01:59:41):
You know, I was in college as a true freshman.
Johnny's my screen saver.

Speaker 3 (01:59:45):
Fast forward four and a half years, I'm playing him
and we won the game, you know, And so it's
just been it's been an incredible journey. I'm super grateful
and blessed and yeah, but I think the Spring League
and the USFL really gave me that confidence that like,
I could do it, man, and I could do it.
I've professional level, it doesn't really matter who I'm going against,
and just uh just kind of gave me somewhat of

(02:00:05):
a name just because I come from such a small school.
You know, I have little trouts and NFL camps and stuff,
but just being able to go out there play games
lead a professional team.

Speaker 1 (02:00:14):
Uh was awesome. Thanks for watching.

Speaker 3 (02:00:17):
Yeah, and yeah I did get my you know, helmet
knocked off versus. But I mean USFL was a was
an unbelievable experience for me. Just getting drafted the first round.
Fox Sports took, you know, really good care at me.
Having the jersey and the Hall of Fame and the
football like that was something you know, brought my family
to tears. So it's one of those things that I'm
just always gonna be grateful for. Yeah, thanks for coming

(02:00:38):
on the show, Brian.

Speaker 4 (02:00:40):
Yeah, absolute, oh yeah, yeah, Yeah, it's a great.

Speaker 1 (02:00:44):
Player for us.

Speaker 3 (02:00:45):
My question is, what are your overall thoughts on, you know,
coming up to here in the CFL, What did you
know about the CFL prior to coming up here, and
what are your impressions of Canada as a whole. Yeah,
so I signed up here in two twenty nineteen, but
to play for Edmonton. That Rox Sunderland, who's now kind
of a good friend of mine, like trying to get

(02:01:07):
me to come up and introduce me to CFL, and
then COVID happened, so I had to opt out of
my contract and then played in Spring League. But dude,
I can't say enough good things about the league, and
it's been really nice for me to read as you know,
like you know, we're the Philadelphia Stars, but we were
at Birmingham where.

Speaker 1 (02:01:21):
I was on the Generals and we didn't have a city.

Speaker 3 (02:01:24):
So for me to just be a part of a
city like Toronto and get to like meet people at
the games and to go to restaurants and go to
certain places and make relationships with real people within that city,
it's been really cool for me.

Speaker 1 (02:01:34):
So it's been a it's been an amazing ride for
me year as well.

Speaker 2 (02:01:38):
I got two here, So we talked a lot. We
had Dave Naylor on earlier and he's been on the
show back you know, years ago, talking USFL and all this,
and it's almost like the CFL they wanted to make
it hard for Americans to come up, right, especially quarterbacks,
and it's really this learning process and you know, it's
it's their game and they protect all that and we
have all of our you know, I have many thoughts
all that, but just curiously that coming down and especially

(02:01:59):
as a quarter back and trying to learn all that, Like, uh,
did you feel bad? I mean it's okay to say
or and I mean, I want to get like it
almost feels like you got to kind of go through.

Speaker 1 (02:02:06):
That right to pass it.

Speaker 3 (02:02:08):
Yeah, you're not lying, you got you kind of got
to earn your stripes, right, and that's how they kind
of protect the game up here, and I respect that,
you know, I think, uh, you know.

Speaker 4 (02:02:17):
Everything happens for a reason. I truly believe that.

Speaker 3 (02:02:20):
And you know, like I said before, it's just been
a it's been a great process for me to kind of.

Speaker 1 (02:02:25):
Have that role of not having to be the guy,
not having all that.

Speaker 3 (02:02:28):
Pressure all the time, and and uh, kind of see
how I want to do things when I do get
that opportunity again and kind of take it by the
you know, take the bull by his horns and go
for it.

Speaker 2 (02:02:37):
But yeah, Dave Miller is a good dude too, So
I gotta follow up what you got, Ivy, I got
one more.

Speaker 4 (02:02:42):
What I find so fascinating. Last week obviously a bit
tumultuous for Toronto obviously with Chad being in the game
getting hurt unfortunately, and then Nick coming in. But I
was wondering, was there anything that you were able to
kind of like tell them or in parts of them
because you played Montreal over the season and you absolute
ripped against them for a few minutes. In fact, probably

(02:03:02):
played some of the best quarterback against them in the
entire year. Is there something that you were able to
kind of impart to them or let them know about
what to look for when you were out there as
far as against that defense, because Montreal defense.

Speaker 1 (02:03:14):
Is obviously very legit. Yeah, not really, man.

Speaker 3 (02:03:17):
I think I think most importantly, we just go through
our rules at quarterback and whatever the defense gives us,
we're gonna take it and appreciate you saying that.

Speaker 1 (02:03:23):
I mean, like you said, read the CFL game is so.

Speaker 3 (02:03:27):
Much different, right, and I think the biggest thing from
a quarterback perspective is only having three downs instead of four.

Speaker 1 (02:03:33):
It totally changes your dealing and with coach part Andrews.

Speaker 3 (02:03:36):
As you mentioned before, he just kind of let me
go out there and spin it now, you know, like
God bless him.

Speaker 1 (02:03:42):
I was throwing at.

Speaker 3 (02:03:42):
Thirty five or forty times a game and you just say, hey,
here's the plane, you fly it, and you know, we
had a lot of success doing that, so he trusted
me with that. So but yeah, it's been good. We're
just going out there prepared and doing what will we
do and you know, hope for a good result.

Speaker 2 (02:03:57):
I got a couple of quick USFL spreing week except
for you go and then we'll bring out we're on
the show out here pretty quick were they were doing
the USFL, we have the United by Football right behind
the scenes and all that.

Speaker 1 (02:04:08):
And it was one of the episodes and I I
kind of equated it to.

Speaker 2 (02:04:12):
Like you're on Survivor or Big Brother and you kind
of get in trouble and you gotta call a house
meetian almost and kind of and you had the house
right the players and people because they were all living
and you can kind of get your own and you know,
you're bringing in the wide receivers and all that. Just
it was a really just entertaining episode of like reality
TV to watch, right, and obviously they spin it whatever way.
Curious what was it like like just being a part

(02:04:32):
of that and then like living it and then I
don't know if you watch should just because that's another
side you don't normally get, right, especially like even in
the CFL.

Speaker 3 (02:04:39):
Right now, Yeah, I think that was kind of cool,
right because we were all in one hotel, But yeah,
I mean it was called United by Football, right, yeah, right, yeah,
it was.

Speaker 1 (02:04:49):
It's like a fever trade now.

Speaker 3 (02:04:51):
Yeah, but yeah, I think that was really cool for me,
read because we had that Generals championship team in twenty
twenty and I didn't play in the Spring League twenty
twenty one. I was doing a couple of NFL workouts.
I just I didn't I didn't want to play in it.
But here comes twenty twenty two, and I told those guys,
you know what, like, if I'm gonna come back and
play like, I want all you guys as many as

(02:05:12):
you guys as possible to kind of get back on
that team. And when we were playing, you guys call
us the Spring League All Stars. I don't know if
you remember that, but we had a bunch of the
guys in the Spring leagu who had success. So for me,
I think the greatest, one of the greatest joys in
that entire process was being able to grab some of
those guys from the General's team.

Speaker 4 (02:05:28):
And Martin just trusted me to say, hey, like, this
guy's good, this guy's good.

Speaker 3 (02:05:31):
And you know, let's uh, you know, let's bring these
you know, guys who might be done with football that
want to get another shot. I didn't play it on
a big stage, so I take it like Jordan Sewell
and coleburn was done playing and Jordan Moore and a
lot of those guys that are my good buddies to
this day.

Speaker 1 (02:05:44):
But yeah, that episode was it was it was cool.

Speaker 3 (02:05:47):
I mean, it was like and of course they kind
of spun it a certain way, but yeah, you know,
the USFL, like it was a great experience for me.
I can't say enough good things about the league and
Fox Sports and stuff, so.

Speaker 2 (02:05:57):
A lot of time for me and maybe you guys
have anything, well, bring got Matt. I you know love
Brian Woods, right, and we all love riding and everything.
And I've joked a lot on the podcast like he
basically put together the Spring League that like with cardboard
in the scarage, right, we were at a football goba,
just like thoughts now looking back and obviously everything now
with the USFL and how they've expanded all the different things,
but were really all started from that brain trust and

(02:06:18):
just kind of him figuring it out. And I think
you could have you know, we talked a lot out here.
You could have elevated the Spring League and kind of
done that in a way versus everything they did with USFL,
and that's a whole different story, but just thoughts on
guy coming from that and just the experience.

Speaker 1 (02:06:32):
And kind of what that was.

Speaker 3 (02:06:33):
Like, Well, you're not gonna hear me say anthing bad
about that, you know, because without that, I don't know
where I'd be at.

Speaker 1 (02:06:38):
But I think it's it's kind of cool.

Speaker 3 (02:06:39):
I tell guys this, like if you look at the
UFL now or the USFL XFL, I feel.

Speaker 4 (02:06:44):
Like I was there like old Testament, you know, it's
like now it's the New Testament.

Speaker 3 (02:06:48):
I was there, like, you know, when they were trying
to put together a spring football league, right, and there
was a lot of talent. I remember in twenty eighteen
read when I was there with Johnny, we had ESPN
there every day and we had thirty scouts NFL scouts
on the field every day.

Speaker 4 (02:07:01):
So it went from that to turning into like more
of a TV.

Speaker 3 (02:07:04):
Promotion deal instead of guys just getting scouted and going
straight to PAMs.

Speaker 1 (02:07:07):
Right.

Speaker 3 (02:07:08):
So I saw it kind of transformed. And then in
twenty twenty it was on Fox right where we met.

Speaker 1 (02:07:13):
But it's been cool.

Speaker 3 (02:07:14):
And then you know, I did the USFL and I
jumped to the XFL. And the only reason I did
that was strictly, you know, financially for my family, you know,
And it was one of those things where I really
didn't want to, but it was just like I had
reached the age where I needed to start kind of
putting that into perspective, like, hey, like I got to
do this for a living, right.

Speaker 4 (02:07:34):
I played in the Spring League twice for no money,
trying to just put myself out there.

Speaker 3 (02:07:40):
But so I made that jump and then now I'm
here in Toronto and it's been It's been a great
learning thing for me here in the CFL.

Speaker 1 (02:07:47):
So definitely loving my experience. And we'll see what happens.

Speaker 4 (02:07:51):
Anything else, Andy will let Brian get out of here.
What's been your favorite part of the Great Cup festivities
so far?

Speaker 3 (02:07:57):
Gosh, dude, I haven't even had very much time, so
busy with meetings, probably sitting here.

Speaker 1 (02:08:02):
With you guys. What's a little bit, you know, going
through the journey.

Speaker 3 (02:08:08):
And I've never met this guy, you know, I was
there when he was doing like a little woman in
his house and just seeing him kind of flourish and
being at the Great Up. You know, it's been cool
to be a part of your journey too. Man, I
appreciate you following you and uh, you know, just I
feel like I'm a part of the spring football you are,
you know, for the rest of my time and career.
And I owe a lot of my success and just
getting my name out there to guys like you. You

(02:08:29):
guys and just people that kind of stuck with me,
supported me and saw me on a smaller stage and
said hey, this guy can play, you know. And John
Murphy I owe him a lot, you know, he kind
of paid attention to those leagues, and he paid attention
to guys like you. He said, hey, Brian Scott can
playing out here. I am, you know, so making a
living and supporting my family and stuff like that. So
just appreciate you and appreciate all the people that supported

(02:08:51):
me along the way.

Speaker 1 (02:08:52):
Really means a lot.

Speaker 2 (02:08:53):
Last one, what's the locker room mentality like right now?
I mean a lot of practices and walkers everything. What's
the team feeling like?

Speaker 1 (02:08:59):
We're locked in? Man, guys are excited.

Speaker 3 (02:09:01):
I think why I like Toronto so much is I've
built such amazing relationships with these guys on and off
the field. Like I said, I wasn't the starting quarterback, right,
So I kind of got to do some things with
the guys that I don't have to be like that
force of Hey, guys, we gotta run this route with
this depth.

Speaker 1 (02:09:16):
I'm like, hey, let's go. You knowing, you're like, let's go.
Let's go do something fun together.

Speaker 3 (02:09:21):
So part of that's been really cool for my growth
as a football player. And I wanted to, you know,
forget this time period.

Speaker 2 (02:09:27):
Yeah awesome, Well, Brian, I appreciate it, man, God, blast
appreciate it.

Speaker 4 (02:09:30):
That's good.

Speaker 1 (02:09:31):
Let's bring him mad here.

Speaker 2 (02:09:33):
Then we got Dorothy's longtime friendship, Brian Scott, you know
you have a fan in us forever.

Speaker 1 (02:09:40):
Here we go, and then we got Dorothy's oh yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah yeah.

Speaker 2 (02:09:44):
All right, let's bring him Matt last one here, round
and out. Then we'll bring in Dorothy close the show
as always.

Speaker 1 (02:09:50):
Man, could be a busy week here.

Speaker 2 (02:09:52):
Every time I see your kind of hang that's good.

Speaker 1 (02:09:55):
Let's the week been like for you, Matt?

Speaker 17 (02:09:56):
With the line been that, it's been a nice balance
site say read and good to see you guys as well. Yeah,
as you know, here at Radio Row for pretty much
the last three days, taking care of Moje and Giulio
and our Punjabi broadcast team helping the festival. Kind of
kind of an all hands on deck week, so just

(02:10:17):
kind of being around and being seen and interacting with
fans and hitting the Lions den.

Speaker 1 (02:10:23):
Yeah, it's been been a good balance of working fun.

Speaker 2 (02:10:26):
So I think there was a lot of expectations when
you know, VC got awarded the Great Cup, obviously with
Tamar and everything.

Speaker 1 (02:10:34):
Everyone. We talked to Dorothy that's been to bour Gray.

Speaker 2 (02:10:36):
Cus walked yesterday, which is an awe, especially even up here,
and she was talking about the outreach and the you know,
the marketplaces and the digitous sales and kind of all
this other stuff. How do you feel they kind of
living up because I think it was high expectations going in.

Speaker 17 (02:10:49):
Yeah, definitely. And it's funny the cycle of this whole
thing has kind of been awarded this game in November
twenty twenty two, the week the Lions beat Cal in
the Western Semi go fall short in Winnipeg the next week,
but I said, okay, we're coming, We're on the rise.
Same script last year, so I say, okay, this year

(02:11:11):
we're gonna get the Western Final at home and stay
here for the Grape Cup. But uh yeah, we can
do a whole other two hour stream on what went
wrong this season. But but I will say once you
kind of come out of that, once you sort of
get over the hump and see firsthand how this festival is.
All the concerts I saw fifty four forty last night,

(02:11:33):
Canadian Rock and Roll Royalty for me anyway reads just like, yeah,
we should have I should have invited you to the
Gallop dinner.

Speaker 2 (02:11:41):
Next time I realized we could have gone, I was
looking at my thing. I'm like, I actually could have
gone to that.

Speaker 1 (02:11:46):
I was not dressed. I don't think my crack and dress.
I think I specifically approve your credential to include it.

Speaker 17 (02:11:52):
So anyway you're you're hanging up with You're hanging out
with all the big shots at the f r C suite.

Speaker 1 (02:11:57):
So but before we this gets too off the you
really have to learn to separate it. Yeah. I can't
sugarcoat it.

Speaker 17 (02:12:04):
It sucks that I'm not more busy this week, but
the special aspect of the Great Cup Festival, it's still
great for me and.

Speaker 1 (02:12:13):
He can't top it.

Speaker 4 (02:12:15):
What's been the most exciting part of this festival so far?
And also setting up for it.

Speaker 1 (02:12:19):
Just uh yeah, it's it's hard to pick just one.

Speaker 17 (02:12:23):
Like I said, concert series, just just seeing the fans,
just seeing everyone come together. For me and seeing a
lot of the great Lions fans that we know only
know by their X and Instagram handles, it's nice to
see that the real people are still here. And seeing
all the alumni that's big for me, Like seeing the

(02:12:44):
likes of Paul McCallum, g Roy Simon hanging around the
Lions Den.

Speaker 1 (02:12:49):
That's a very good part.

Speaker 4 (02:12:50):
Well, I was telling him, I mean we should. I
was trying to twist his arm to get us a
zipline to come down to our studio. I mean, this
is impressive having the ziplines yeah, on the whole place.

Speaker 17 (02:13:00):
Haven't done it yet, but the lineup for that's been
packed the whole week. So and when this we were
in this same well, we were in the other convention
center building back in late February. I want to say,
when they announced the kickoff of the festival what it
was gonna be, and the zip line was the big hook.

Speaker 1 (02:13:20):
People have been talking about the zip line the whole time.
That's all.

Speaker 17 (02:13:22):
That's how it's all dort but for nine months since
this was first sort of brought together and it's paid off.

Speaker 1 (02:13:29):
Because like I was saying, it's it's lined up around
the corner, Jason, you got it. Yeah for sure.

Speaker 3 (02:13:35):
So you're a colleague. Carolyn Cody won an award the
Fall Awards. Can you speak about her contributions to.

Speaker 1 (02:13:42):
All this and which he's meant to the organization. Yeah,
Carolyn's brilliance.

Speaker 17 (02:13:47):
She's got to be like an eleven year employee now
and a neat story. Kind of started at an entry
level position and it's worked her way up all this
talk about, you know, the Lion's break and being bolstered
under Amar Dolman and of course Dwayne Venora President. Her
fingerprints are all over that. When it comes to the

(02:14:08):
digital marketing, the game day presentation, which read is seen firsthand,
she's all over that, and she bleeds the colors as well.
That's not always the case with people in these type
of positions, But the Jane Mobby Award, that was a
real highlight of the week for me seeing that, and
of course a marketting the Commissioner's Awards, so seeing everybody

(02:14:32):
recognized for the work that's been done here.

Speaker 1 (02:14:35):
And yeah, that Carolyn's well deserving of that. Absolutely.

Speaker 2 (02:14:38):
Well, what I liked about that was and I caught
part of than the speech that got shared. It was
either from the CFL account of the DC Lions. I
can't remember talking about the empowering women to be in
there and you know, to kind of grow that more
in that way, which I think.

Speaker 1 (02:14:49):
Is super important as well.

Speaker 17 (02:14:50):
Yeah, we have several women in key positions of course,
history with Tanya Henderson, the first full time a female
coaching staff member, just completed her third season and she's
sort of risen up now assisting with she has her
own position group basically that she works with. And yeah,
we've talked about Carolyn. I think of someone like an

(02:15:12):
Arlene Stuart Irvine, very high up in the ticketing department.
She's a twenty plus year employee. Carol Longmere was the
She also won the Mobby Award in Hamilton in twenty
twenty one or Director of Finance, So broken a lot
of barriers in that regard and that's something we can
be proud of.

Speaker 1 (02:15:32):
I got one last one. You got any? Yeah, for sure?
Who do you like in the game tomorrow? Well, I
can't I can't make predictions right here.

Speaker 17 (02:15:41):
I won't do it for for various reasons, but I
would not count out the Toronto arghahuts.

Speaker 1 (02:15:47):
I just just watching them, seeing them, it seems a
little loose.

Speaker 2 (02:15:53):
Well, they're playing because they don't have any of them.
I mean not they don't have any play but they are.
They have the ability to play for the winn to
pay Blue Bombers.

Speaker 17 (02:15:59):
Hey there he for a fifth straight year, and they
seem like they're on a mission the last half of
this season. But I think it's gonna be a close one,
like it like it was two years ago in Regina.
Are we gonna see two block field goals in a
span of ninety seconds?

Speaker 1 (02:16:14):
Again? I don't think so, But I expect this to
be a good one. That's that's my prediction. Last one
for me.

Speaker 2 (02:16:23):
Obviously, we've seen the work done here with the Lions.
You know we're going to Winnipeg next year, then the Calgary.
Do you think that the extra work done here is
that gonna raise the bar now for a lot of
these other teams to go, Hey, okay, we gotta kind
of keep this momentum going.

Speaker 17 (02:16:36):
Absolutely, that's always kind of a goal when you host
this event. And I'm sure Winnipeg is a really good,
great Cup city. I've not been to a great Cup
in Winnipeg, but I've heard you'll see how much of
a presence it is there. Smaller city, a little more
tight in the downtown core, You're gonna see great Cup
stuff everywhere. But absolutely, I guarantee you the oaks there

(02:17:00):
and when the Stampeders are taking notes this week, because
this will be hard.

Speaker 1 (02:17:05):
To talk, well, Matt, I appreciate it.

Speaker 2 (02:17:07):
Thanks for you and Mike setting us up here at
the McLaren Grills the radio row if.

Speaker 1 (02:17:11):
You take the mic here.

Speaker 17 (02:17:12):
I just want to say I'm proud of the fact
that you're still doing it. I know I always reference it.
Twenty twenty one in Hamilton, remember the the the Winston
Church Hill pup.

Speaker 1 (02:17:22):
What was the pup called? George George Hamilton. Yeah, it's close.

Speaker 17 (02:17:26):
Uh, we're Dorothy was there and I was there and
we're figuring out internet and all that stuff. But it's uh,
it's good to be on it, good to be a
part of it always. Uh my door's always open.

Speaker 2 (02:17:38):
Yeah, a lot smoother this time around. And the hotspot
Li Fi in the corner of the bar and all that,
so I appreciate it. Matt, We'll see you, thanks always, Yeah,
thank you.

Speaker 1 (02:17:46):
He and the Lions and Laire.

Speaker 2 (02:17:47):
Let's bring Dorothy and last right there and then the
final starry or we're gonna be out of here about
two hours twenty minutes.

Speaker 1 (02:17:54):
That will be good. I think we did. I think
Darren Bobbing was messaging me. I did not see it.
So that was the love. Got everyone else in. Look
at that.

Speaker 2 (02:18:01):
We got everyone else in. Hope everyone enjoyed the stream,
like and subscribe. Dorothy, are you got great?

Speaker 6 (02:18:07):
It's been busy, it's been really good, beautiful day. Yesterday
we were walking around and yeah, it's been good. Bussy yesterday, you.

Speaker 2 (02:18:15):
Remarked to me, you know, I'm provoked kind of as
we were walking around, how excited it amaze you were
kind of the outreach and community building and everything else
going on here.

Speaker 1 (02:18:24):
What's your thoughts at the festival? Yeah, I think it's
been awesome.

Speaker 6 (02:18:26):
I mean they're really involving lots of families, like probably
everyone said, zip wines and climbing wall and everything, so
I think it's really trying to get the younger set,
you know, track and tracking the CFL so yeah, I
think it's been good.

Speaker 1 (02:18:42):
I'll do this. Matt was like eating the microphone alltern
back at that level there.

Speaker 2 (02:18:46):
And you got anything right after there were just right
anything else here where. We're getting out of here soon,
but then it's always good to get door on the omosphere.

Speaker 4 (02:18:52):
Dorothy, are you gonna be getting on the slides anytime soon?

Speaker 1 (02:18:54):
Or what's going on?

Speaker 6 (02:18:56):
I mean, it's looking pretty fun back there, so we'll see.

Speaker 1 (02:18:58):
Yeah, Maybee point we kneel overs on.

Speaker 2 (02:19:01):
Some kid pulled one of those balls and it pulled
and it looked to me like that structure was going down,
and I, oh, so it was fine and reinflated there.

Speaker 6 (02:19:09):
But that Jamie, sorry, Jamie, And I said that yesterday
someone was kicking football and it almost came right over here.

Speaker 4 (02:19:15):
Like it hit the edge of the net.

Speaker 1 (02:19:17):
That's what I thought when we first started the show out. Yeah,
and there's a there's probably a bit. The camera's pointed
this way.

Speaker 2 (02:19:23):
The bounty houses all the other's field goal kicking, there's
the indoor football field, there's basketball shooting and all sorts
of stuff. Anything else. Any other thoughts here we round out.
We'll get out of here soon. I would like to
give a formal prediction, but we should probably do that.
This was the casual time of deal. Let's give our predictions.

Speaker 4 (02:19:40):
We've we talked enough, haven't we. You know, as it goes,
my initial reactions and thoughts usually changed during the course
of the week. I initially when the Chad Kelly injuries happened,
I thought, oh boy, there goes their chances if even
if Toronto makes the game. Listen, I mean, this Toronto
team has gone through lot of adversity. They fought their

(02:20:02):
butts off to really get here, and I cannot underestimate
that coaching staff. I can't underestimate the talent in the
locker room. I can't underestimate the fact that they did
this despite losing all the players that they did last year.
I give them a real chance in this game that
I know this. If you're talking about metting spreads nine
to nine and a half, I think they absolutely cover that.

(02:20:23):
Having said that, well, I do think there are going
to be some mistakes made by Winnipeg. I don't think
there's gonna be as many as Montreal made. I think
Toronto can take a halftime lead. I think Brady Olivera
is not only going to help Winnipeg win and complete
their dynasty. I think he's going to become the eighth
CFL player all time to win MOP and then win

(02:20:44):
Most Outstanding Player MVP of the CFL breakup.

Speaker 1 (02:20:47):
I really believe that.

Speaker 4 (02:20:48):
I think he's gonna help drive the nail and the
coffin in the fourth quarter. I think it's gonna come
down to Nick Carbuckles trying to save them at the
end of the day. And I don't think it's gonna
have enough for this team because I think WINNI bak
they've had enough. They've lost two years in a row.
They want to complete this dynasty. They want everybody to
run off to the sunset and you know, click their heels.
But I think this is their time. I think it's

(02:21:10):
finally going to happen. I gotta take Winnipeg in this game.
I'm gonna say by score of twenty seven to twenty three.

Speaker 1 (02:21:19):
Jason, what you got?

Speaker 4 (02:21:20):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (02:21:20):
So, I think that Toronto is a bad matchup for Winnipeg.

Speaker 3 (02:21:23):
We saw them win the season series against Winnipeg this
year to nothing, and I think that they just always
find a way to muck up the game, kind of
similar to the Pittsburgh Steelers. You know, maybe they don't
get the best quarterback play every week, but they always
find a way to stay within the game. And I
think that's exactly what they're gonna do in this game.
They're gonna run the ball, They're gonna play very good defense.
I think it really comes down to the fact, can

(02:21:46):
Jake Cresna and the boys up front really get pressure
on Zach Klaris and really rattle them early in this game.
I talked earlier in the show about how Claris has
generally struggled in great cups. If they can really rattle
him early, it could be a completely different ball game.

Speaker 1 (02:22:00):
But if Winnipeg can.

Speaker 3 (02:22:01):
Protect up front, I think there's a big plays to
be had against that Toronto secondary.

Speaker 2 (02:22:06):
Dorothy, you're playing out early, missing the game, Dorothy, thankfully
helping wrangle all the guests and everything to that.

Speaker 1 (02:22:11):
Here obviously your room for Winny Peg here, your team. Yeah,
that's right. And didn't Kelly break his ankle? So that
was really bad. That was very scary.

Speaker 4 (02:22:19):
I'm not lacking at that, but yes, that's just I
don't know.

Speaker 1 (02:22:22):
So they got their backup in right, So we'll see,
we'll see, we'll see.

Speaker 13 (02:22:26):
Well.

Speaker 2 (02:22:26):
I appreciate everyone and anything else from you guys. We'll
get out of here. We've talked two and a half hours.

Speaker 4 (02:22:30):
I guess my prediction is that I'll go twenty three
to nineteen Winnipeg.

Speaker 2 (02:22:37):
Yeah, I think it's gonna be low scoring. I think
Toronto's gonna be I liked it when Brian was talking
to where they have a lot less stress to play, right,
I think I feel like the expectations. I do think
teams are able to go out and play spoiler there
a little bit. I see that a lot with hockey,
where you have a team that comes in and you
know they it feels like you're able to play a
lot more bulleyball and free just because they don't have to.
There's a lot more pressure on win effect. Yeah, well,

(02:22:59):
I appreciate it. Thanks, everyone like and subscribe. Hopefully we'll
share this again tomorrow before the game. But I appreciate
it as always. I think we did a good job.
All right, We'll see everyone next time, and safe travels back.
Dorothy's flying out tomorrow. We hope everyone gets some safe
and we'll see you guys next time.

Speaker 1 (02:23:15):
Thanks,

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