CFL Round up

My thoughts on the stuff going on around the league...

Thoughts on the suspension of Khalif Mitchell:

I understand that football is a violent sport. I get it. I lived through the year of the broken leg in Riderville. But what happened last week in the game involving the B.C. Lions and Edmonton Eskimos is beyond disgusting. Khalif Mitchell, a defensive lineman for the Lions pulled the Eskimos Simeon Rottier out of a dog pile in the first half. Unfortunately, he did so in such a way that made every TV viewer nearly lose their lunch.

It's called an arm bar, apparently. I don't watch fights so I wouldn't know. Basically Mitchell grabbed Rottier's arm and bent it back until it hyper-extended. Elbows are not supposed to bend that way! Mitchell even managed to throw his hips into his action to him more leverage.

There is nothing whatsoever in his actions that is related to football. It's a thug move. And there's no place for it in professional football.

TSN's Matt Dunigan had the best summary.
@MattDuniganTSN
Khalif Mitchell's snapping of Simeon Rottier's Arm! UNCALLED 4, UNNECESSARY, UNFATHOMABLE, UNFAIR, UNBELIEVABLE & UNQUESTIONABLY DELIBERATE

Although there was no flag on the play during the game, the CFL agreed with me and slapped Mitchell with a two-game suspension. I had hoped for more, but two games is more than the CFL has given out for other infractions so at least they acknowledged the seriousness of the situation.

It would have been great if Mitchell could have been a grownup and taken his punishment like man, but instead he's whining like a spoiled two year old about it being just a "football play" and he has no problem looking at himself in the mirror.

Well, that's nice. Not only does he have the ability to hurt someone, he can do so and feel good about it. All that tells me is that Mitchell is likely to do this again. Here's hoping his appeal upholds the decision. Unfortunately, he'll be allowed to play the next two games pending the results of his hearing during the week of August 6.

For the record, Rottier's arm will be okay and X-rays revealed no fractures. In the meantime, he has spoken out to convey his forgiveness of Mitchell. He says he's moved on. It's more class than Mitchell will ever have. 

Thoughts on the state of the Boo Bummers:

I have family in Manitoba. I married a Manitoban, I keep tabs on the Bummers. I don't like it, but it's part of my life. I never would have guessed they'd start the season 0-4. Not only are they winless, there doesn't appear to be any light at the end of the tunnel. Their starting quarterback Buck Pierce is out with an injury and their back up quarterback Alex Brink was a disaster last week.

The biggest problem they face is that... well... there's no nice way to put this... Their starting quarterback Buck Pierce. Even if he comes back from injury, he's still Buck Pierce. There's a very good chance he'll be back on the sidelines with a concussion, foot injury, broken arm, collarbone or an infected hang nail. This guy can't stay healthy. He needs to call it a career before he ends up with a life-altering injury.

The Blue and Gold meanwhile need to spend some serious time rebuilding. They were decimated in the off-season by free-agency. They need to recruit some serious depth on O-line. And a quarterback might not be a bad idea. Brink might not be their savior and Elliot is going to need some solid experience before we even know what he's capable of. 

Thoughts on Rob Bagg:

I heart Rob Bagg. I love his persistence, his faith, his tenacity, not to mention his ball skills. He's a proud Rider and I know his heart is still on the field with his mates. This morning he announced he's opting for surgery on his torn ACL on his left knee, effectively ending his comeback season. It's heartbreaking for all of Rider Nation. From this lowly blogger to Rob: Get better. We'll see you next year!

Thoughts on the Regina Stadium:

This comes with a big boo-yah! Regina City Council passed unanimously the MOU for the building the new stadium. Yet another hurdle has been cleared. And the boo-yah goes to Regina city councilors who voted to the boos and jeers of the public watching the hotly-debated issue from the gallery.  

Thoughts on the Riders:

We acquired receiver Brooks Foster this week. He's got some NFL experience, but nothing spectacular. It's hard to get a good history on him, because his resume is hampered by some injuries. Let's hope he can stay healthy enough to have an impact. There will be more roster shuffling this week. Another receiver we signed last week, Terrence Jeffers-Harris, may even see action. There will be more on this in the preview of Game 5. 

Thoughts on the Cereal Bowl:

That's what they've dubbed the game between Saskatchewan and Hamilton this Saturday. I'll do an indepth post on this later in the week, for now let me say this is the one game on the schedule I've been dreading since Andy Fantuz announced he'd signed with the Ti-Cats. I'm still dreading it. If we were 4-0 I might be dreading it slightly less. And for the love of goodness can we at least acknowledge that it's a homecoming of sorts for Luca Congi, as well? His departure in the off season was sad for many Rider fans. It doesn't always have to be about Andy!

Last this blogger heard there was still 450 tickets left for the Cereal Bowl. Could this be the first official sell out of the 2012 season. Stand up, Rider Nation!

Cheer long. Cheer loud! Go GREEN!