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

Well we are here.

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.

Please like and subscribe huge guest list today.

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.

I think my MIC's okay, were up and sounds weird?

Andy and Evan, Uh sorry, we had a couple of most as the Bregford ship.

We got Andy and Jason here.

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?

I'm doing good.

Read It's great to be here at great Cup once again and now ready for a great show.

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.

Last night, Andy and I we spent time with the team tech corners.

Dorothy's stand by here and Jason's girlfriend as well, and he you haven't played in Vancouver.

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.

I love this festival. Yeah, it's like I said, so said the stage kind of fluid today.

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 will be here for about two and a half hours.

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 how the rest of the weekend goes.

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.

Did you have fun?

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?

Well, first of all, to Jason's point, where's our zipline. How can we don't have one coming down to the booth.

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.

Again, just the throngs of people that I've seen in the last twenty four.

Hours and all the different jerseys.

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.

I mean just just streams of people.

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.

But I did not expect all the fans that said hello to you last night.

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.

That's the beauty of Great Cup.

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,

We have going on.

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 and the presence of the Lions and the Great Cup Festival this week in Vancouver. It's really a special time.

Yeah, it's beautiful.

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

We'll do a couple of those.

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?

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 set up with all the different kinds of jerseys and

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,

To see him, purchase grills.

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. What is your take on in this, I'll hold you in my court.

I think it's just two really good teams that are playing.

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.

So I think if you have.

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.

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.

Thoughts just with the team.

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.

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 availability of players before the Kelly injury, which at this

Yeah.

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.

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?

Ninety five percent of the guys would have no idea.

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.

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.

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.

Along with along with Winton and on special teams is Jack Desar. He's the guy.

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.

The mentality to be able to do that.

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.

Right criticism and that regard wages for him to be.

Able to kind of manage data. What do you make of that that maybe Jason have fallen.

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.

Here's your assignment. Let's go out and do it.

Let's go out and execute, and if we can do that, we should win because the talent's there.

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.

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.

There's already been one Saint Nick? Why not? Too right?

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.

Our Buckle has a lot of.

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.

Done on summer.

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.

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.

Oh who just won the job?

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.

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.

So he's got he got some very much needed reps and he looked great in the game against Montreal.

So all is good.

Like it's nobody's got any doubt at all that it can get this done.

I got one more and then we'll go back whoever wants Chad Kelly.

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 do you what is your advice to him or what

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.

At the end of the season he was lights out. We know what he gonna do.

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.

He should be ready. I don't know if it's the beginning of the camp.

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.

I'll have a fall prevention.

But I'll toss to Andy here because I got a lot of big What do you got for Mike?

Well?

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 you see Arbuckle having to do something similar where he'll

If you've got five talented receivers and a thousand yard running back, use them.

If you've got a great offensive line, use it.

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?

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?

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

They're just a great team.

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.

Uh.

I guess two quick questions. So the first off, yeah, what what did you make to Winnipeg?

Slow start?

Right? Obviously, it was kind of like, you know, the demon's dead, we don't have to be under me.

Somehow Palpa team returned, you know, Star Wars. What did you make it? That slow start? Really felt like they never faltered.

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.

Got to give whatever reason.

I captured the Fountain of Youth at mid season and just lights out after that.

So they're there for a reason, and they've done all the experience in the world.

They're just you can't say anything badly about the organization.

Is not much to say.

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 does happen like? And I then I literally I had

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 when he got up and then sat down again. I didn't see from my angle what had happened to the lake.

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.

What do you think the biggest key is to winning on Sunday?

Don't shoot yourself in the foot, and that's the both teams.

Let me cliche when the battles on the line of scrimmage and don't turn the ball over.

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 ten twelve minutes a player a person year. We got

To see the day? Jason?

You know, it's always exciting when we get players on the show.

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.

I have to go with them. You know.

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,

You send me emails? Okay?

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.

What's your takeaway today? Here?

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?

Here? Win a bag drade. You have twenty twenty two redecks.

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.

So I thought they were really hot.

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

And I'll ask Cory mass otherwise if you have a question what he got. Yeah.

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.

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

They were front and center afterwards, they met.

Everybody said that they apologized to the media, to their teammates, to the fans, to everybody in the schedule.

And that's what Corey Mace does.

He's accountable to himself, to everybody in the organization, everybody in the province, everybody who.

Follows the football team.

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.

You got something, Jase, Yeah, absolutely so.

Darryl, first of all, great to have you back on the show after last year.

I want to talk about Trevor Harrison.

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.

But he's thirty eight years old.

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?

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.

You're right. The way he played at the end of the year was great. The way he played at.

The start of the year was great, but he's missed nineteen games with two different knee injuries over the last two years.

So is he worth it? He's making almost five hundred thousand a year.

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?

Can they go after tray Ford? Can they do?

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?

No?

Maybe maybe he does, maybe he doesn't, But it positions them.

Better moving forward in the future.

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.

Know what, he's doing a great job. Let's just live with them.

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.

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.

That's true with wake up in the morning ready and playing touch football, contact football, tackle football.

So it's amazing what he does.

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 he didn't, he has to be able to as part

They're only going to have one quarterback then, and I think.

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

No, he's not.

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.

So I have more general questions about the lead.

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.

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.

It never seemed like they really gave him a fair shot.

Do you see Saskatchewan maybe going that way or do you think they'll do something more traditional.

I guess someone like David Alexander a great great point to look at.

I thought Edmonton had surrounded him with pretty good running back.

Lewis a pretty good receiver.

I think that that top end talent is better in Edmonton than it is in Saskatchewan.

Is a j o Let done? I think he is. You know, that's a tough thing to say.

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?

Game?

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.

At Logan Furland, Peter Godber at center, the.

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

Mitch Pickton can fill in anywhere. Their Americans aren't quite.

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.

I guess that's a quick fall up and I want to rotate.

But like, yeah, because why they you would have to say, way exceeded expectations this year, right, first.

Year the Rogers didn't. Yes, well yeah, but.

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?

Like is this the honeymoon period.

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.

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.

An All Star again C. J.

Reeves, a great outside linebacker, coverage linebacker, Roland Milligan and junior the best defensive player in the league.

How is Roland Milligan junior not for MLP discussion? Like he should have been on the ballot?

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.

Nobody.

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

But I don't see a drop off.

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.

Let's do a couple more here. Dan Ralph was supposed to come. I haven't seen it yet.

Again.

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.

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.

I see smiling, all right. Well, they want.

What they want is somebody who does everything that all nine owners, all nine representatives want, and you can't do that.

The teams that are success are the leagues that are successful.

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.

And they're not all owners, some of them.

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

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.

I'll have a fobby.

Do you have anything you want to talk to Daryl here about Randy andything else they got to fall about that?

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.

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. Can they find somebody to deal with all those guys.

I don't know if it's gonna work. It's an interesting fot. He shouldn't have pinted his hopes on it.

And I keep saying it doesn't take a genius to figure out why he's out the door.

It's all about genius sports.

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.

Any And we'll get Dan here to say, I'll let you got that even filling it here.

I appreciate the game and up be I mean, is that indefinite the revenue share in that way?

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.

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.

But if it ever does.

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.

All right, let's bring Dan in here, Darryl. Thank you so much.

As just check out my note scene. He's coming out here, Darryl. I appreciate it.

We are.

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.

Thanks having Darrel. Appreciate it, Dorothy. Maybe we can bring Dan in and then we'll get the.

Ricks on next year we got I were kicking him out.

We got Dan Ralph Canadian press here went to the wrong convention set it.

That's okay, it's confusing.

I said a lot of things, Dan, How the heck

So all good.

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.

Well, I think, I mean he was.

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 be the nicest guy in the world, but you know,

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.

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 are in the middle, you really got to try and

I mean that's a you know, I mean, that's it's not a bad thing for him to be.

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.

Andy, you can continue without or switch to the game kind of wherever you're looking.

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.

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.

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 be reopened.

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.

I gotta follow up and then we'll go to Jason.

Yeah, can you let anybody in the world know that the CFL Plus in America.

Is just a disaster.

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.

That's how connect regards.

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.

No, I don't.

I don't use Plus. I was at the CFL Awards banquet and they were they were streaming it on Plus.

Jason, what do you got Maybe we can transition to the game. This is painful.

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.

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.

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. 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.

They've done a really magnificent job. And you know, Winnipeg's got a.

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 be a brand spanking new stadium, I got swamp playing in Florida.

That's going cheap.

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.

Let's talk game real quick.

Obviously not necessarily the matchup we want, with Jack Kelly being out and everything else.

What do you make of the game, and then maybe you guys have a followupable road take us.

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.

They were five and four. Included in that was a win over Winnipeg.

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 the football, then I think Toronto hangs around.

And the longer Toronto hangs around, the more they believe.

Jase last things for Dan here. Yeah. Absolutely.

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?

I do.

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.

But to get theirs, I mean, it's a huge accomplish.

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.

So to me, there's a lot there.

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.

We are still the most dominant team in the league.

Well, Dan, thank you, will bring Rex, Sarah Tell and next. Appreciate it.

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.

We're at the McLaren Grills media row here.

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?

What's happening?

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?

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.

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.

Uh.

I think the NFL. I was just talking to Rob Peterson.

I think the NFL is dropping the ball with all these international games and you're not coming to play a game here?

Are you kidding me? I mean, this is fantastic. I've been oroughly impressed. So people know you.

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?

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. I mean you saw it. You saw when we were rattling off that. In fact, I put the Leak podcast on.

But you know I was. I was tuned into the CFL podcast.

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.

So we'll see and y'all I know where you want to go.

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.

Believe I had an incredible game.

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?

What kind of assets do you think he brings to Edmonton. He's a playmaker.

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.

You know, even though McCloud played well.

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.

I mean, he's going to be the face of this league for a long time, isn't it wild?

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.

I mean, it really is a different.

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.

You know.

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.

A backup in the National Football League without a doubt.

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.

To let them in on that right now.

But you know, it's funny how everything, like you said, comes back around.

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, 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

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?

I mean, he really was outstanding.

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.

They just kind of start laughing at me. I'm just telling you what to see, guys.

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

We want to be a springboard.

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.

I think we got quite a few of those guys.

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.

Of the year. Well, Canada never disappoints.

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.

Right around this time.

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.

Where my role, where my value lies.

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. 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.

Clarity to move forward, and I think that's where we're headed. Thing you got anything about Emond, Yeah, for sure.

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?

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.

And so I think that.

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.

Question for you will bring on Jamie and I here I thought on the game. You know, who do you have?

It's an interesting matchup here, So let's talk about actual break up here before we get out.

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.

I do believe.

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.

Go down to the wire.

It's gonna be a very competitive BOK.

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.

I'm looking forward to it.

So you're saying that Toronto is basically gonna have a statue of Nick Arbuckle outside of Demo fielding about two month time.

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.

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.

See and purchasing grills.

Go to Mclarencustomgrills dot com. This week is a problem,

We've been talking to the sweet A lost a couple of weeks. We have a question here from Ken.

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?

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.

So there's a smaller supply out there.

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.

But it's the Winnipeg Blue Bombers again, and I think there's a little bit.

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.

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.

I've talked to Nick Arbuckle on a few occasions on the show when he was going in as the Outawa Red Blacks quarterback.

This week I talked to him again. Nick Garbuckle is a great story.

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

Least it is for me.

What do you got to have it?

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.

Do you think he has something to prove?

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.

They haven't really had that moment yet. Do you think this means a lot to him? Yeah?

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.

Something that's near and dear to him. He's a Winnipegger right like he's from there.

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?

He goes and save dogs around the planet. Like, this guy is one of the nicest dudes you'll ever meet.

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.

Well, I hate him because BC can't cat him and can't man it him. And I just heat this run?

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.

Do you not like dogs? I like dogs. We got people.

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.

We can go to Jason, Well he shouldn't have won one of them.

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. That is rarely seen in the Canadian Football League. So

So I didn't have that option. We just had a comment here.

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?

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.

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.

To pick o hell.

I don't know, just pick the three best candidates of the whole league, regardless of division.

There's so much idea.

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 three vote getters, and then you're highlighting an extra player

But I like it. I like the top three.

I think it makes sense and highlights more players, and then there would be an opportunity for maybe vote splitting for offensive players where.

We'd have a little bit more.

There's only been one defensive player to be the MLP, and that was Solomon L.

Mimian, So I don't think that's right.

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.

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.

Award, Andy, what do you got? And we'll start moving that rotation here.

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?

And that really stuck out to me.

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.

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 a bad game planner.

That's on him. He's got to be better. He'll take some bullets.

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 to talk to media and be open to the fans about it.

And when you have an account accountability. The accountability issue was an issue in Saskatchewan.

Now that's no longer the case, and I think they all hold themselves accountable, which is beginning to grow a winning culture.

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?

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 give the edge to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. A lot of the other stuff I'm given to Toronto. Argonau's it's

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.

Do all that, Rod, I was on your show yesterday.

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.

I did your show. You're hearing that, Rod, how are you doing?

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.

She's visiting too much. I know she's too chatty. No such thing.

So yeah, you brought garing bearing gifts. There's no way that I could repay you, so I'm not even gonna try it.

Well, I appreciate it.

Rod's here a long time before, one of the first Canadians we ever had on the show, Big Merger and all that.

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.

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.

At the game?

I haven't yet.

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 fest all the same stuff.

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.

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

I do.

You wouldn't love the league if you didn't believe in it. The league's right, and the product has always been unbelievable.

That's fine.

It's the business end, and from what I understand, things are looking up there, so the product will always be good anyway.

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.

Everybody just loves to smash that button.

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.

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 of Europe, but I don't really want to go down

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.

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.

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.

But.

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.

Like, he's a good guy, he's a player, he's a lot.

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.

That will be his legacy. But that's not a lot to hang your hat on. He tried.

I'll give him credit for having the balls to try Global two point zero.

I didn't like it at the time. It flopped, but at least he tried.

I'm not gonna, you know, throw a guy under the bus or trying something and it didn't work.

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.

I'd like to say that there was more, but he is in a tough job because the owners run this league.

Shit, that's what it is. That's the commissioner.

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.

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 was down, riding his dig until now to really kind

I should actually mention I sat at the Legends luncheon with Randy who was at my table.

I tweeted a photo of it so I could.

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.

Well mind, you probably got Biden checks too, like everybody in America.

But Trudeau is handing out money to everybody, and they go, Randy, there, what do you want?

Randy? As I say, how about one hundred and fifty million dollars? They laughed at him.

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,

Fall up here, we'll do a couple.

We'll get Dave dave on because he's stand bys on his phone now, so that's good expectations.

So yeah, the owners want more money.

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.

And I just like, what are the expectations.

I just feel so far offensive, you know, the Board of Governors wants whatever.

I don't know even if that's possible for the next commissioner.

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 I saw it and it wasn't Randy. It was a predecessor to him. And so they need to be everywhere.

I think it could happen. I don't think it's too late. You're seeing it here with BC.

You know, a huge increase in Antennan is I'm major kicking the nuts that they're not in the game.

But it can be done.

But they need to change the way that they think. And I good luck to the next commissioner if he's able.

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.

We'll bring on day fair Well.

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 his family involved in this for many years to come.

Wow, that's the narrative they would like put forth.

And I see no reason to dispute that local ownership is important.

Montreal's Alouettes are owned by Quebec lore. You know where they're from.

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.

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.

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.

But they're not making money.

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.

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.

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.

And losing probably is a better job than Jason was. But I can see why Jason won.

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 they're going into next year on a huge wave of momentum, you.

Know, And that's not idea.

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?

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.

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.

I didn't really get it until I went to Alabama Mississippi. I'm like, Oh, I get it.

It's all there is here, That's all they care about, right, But they fractured that relationship with the fans.

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.

And now once you get behind that eight ball, I would think it's pretty hard to come back.

Well, Rod, thank you so much. Appreciate you coming on. I got Dave standing by, busy I running around.

Appreciate it.

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

Loser.

Ah, we're gonna talk CFO expansion in the States here, but first off, thank you so much for coming.

Next for standing by. First off, how are you doing.

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

Yes, that's my question.

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.

How big of a failure was this season for them on the football field.

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

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.

An offensive line too.

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.

But yeah, I was kind of surprised to see that. And you know, it's funny, was it was.

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

You know, at all. So it's it's even more surprised. I think they're all more likely.

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?

Evidently yes, go for yeah, for sure.

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.

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

Now people are playing this is how we do it right, You look for clues.

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, I think a lot of this is speculation, but I

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

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.

And that's not a knock on date.

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.

Let the league of receiving.

You know, I thought Williams stand in particularly the first two thirds of the season.

It was a real nice presence that they hadn't had, right.

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

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.

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.

You know.

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 gonna be a lot of movement.

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.

Go around the league? And this year we kind of have a glut and I haven't.

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.

That guy could be a solid number two.

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.

Where would that be?

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.

The only one of those situations we're not pretty certain.

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.

Are starting quarterbacks.

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.

I mean, the PJ.

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 who that coaches. But maybe if it's or Campbell, you know,

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.

So my question is just overall, you look at the season as a whole, what is the biggest storyline up this whole season?

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 they were eight three and one in one point.

You have reliances who were five and oh you have Saskatchewan it was five and oh.

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.

Losses there, right, that's not necessarily defining for your team.

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

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.

And all of that. Kind of your thoughts is, Hey, you know, where do we move next to this league? Well?

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.

Stage the other day he thinks the tenth team is in Canada.

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 of the league, I just don't know if it's doable. I don't know if you'd ever get there. And I

On that one.

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

I think where the game is right now.

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.

Frustrating is that, like we're three years in now, we don't understand what's going on.

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.

Was promised to be more of a long term thing.

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

Reporting that it was further down the path that it was.

And I.

Think got with Duane Johnson, they got into com like with him as a participant.

They got into how do we change the field, how do we do this?

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

Okay, it probably made the right decision to give it.

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 them a check mark. The leap got through the pandemic,

And I think, you know, there's an interesting point for the league.

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.

Right, so let's see this, and then we got Timmy Clippe excuse me standing by Utah Saint Louis.

Right, we've seen the XFL.

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 tea the thoughts on that here.

I don't think that they will immediately.

Adopt a three down game and you can't just play, you know, plug and play like they did back in the day.

But thoughts on that.

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,

It was driven completely by crisis.

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

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.

And you know, when Baltimore had an opportunity, I mean they were selling season tickets and.

Enter the gate.

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.

And you had people leaned in on it and they basically said, that league left us.

This league's serving us, and we don't care for three down football, we don't care for playing in Saskatchewan.

We're in.

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.

And Reeve and I disagree on this.

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

It's a ten team and the.

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.

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.

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.

Hey, thanks very much, and it's see your next breakup and winn bag.

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.

All right, let's get timid Cliffe in here, who wants to hop off for this one?

Real quick? Okay, we'll get Jason out. Andy's on.

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.

In the minute.

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.

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.

Come on here, get on there, yeah, Tim, Now, welcome, gentlemen,

We're here. We were really give my hand shake you.

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.

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.

I don't know, Yes, we can call it an upset.

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.

But I mean, it's it is what it is.

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.

That's real, absolutely really just the mistakes aren't made in the first quarter, the fumbles not just from Frajaro but also Walter.

Fletcher as well, the giveaways.

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.

And hey, credit to Toronto.

Despite Chad Kelly getting injured in a horrific way, Toronto still did what they had to do and they got the w.

So that's why they're here and that's why the elements are watching the game on TV.

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.

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.

It's gonna be very interesting and and you know, especially for those whoppen.

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

How is this gonna play out this offseason?

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.

But that that's that will be one of the for the season. Curious your thoughts.

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

It really does sound like both of them.

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.

Who are they gonna go with?

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.

It's gonna be a very very interesting offseason. There's no doubt about that.

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?

I'll let you. Guys just want to right back in.

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,

That's it.

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.

I mean, he's proven himself.

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.

Quarterbacks as far as I'm concerned.

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 behind Davis Alexander two.

But when Cablin Nevis came in and relief for Cody Vijardo the first time.

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.

That's gotta be me doing that.

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?

And I don't blame one hundred percent. You got to take care of you. I mean, as much as all we'd.

Love to have Davis year and I think keep down Yellows organization wants to do whatever they can.

To keep you as Alexander in Red and Blue.

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.

Make for a very very interesting offseason.

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?

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 teamber are we going to get? I mean, as I said earlier, is that I don't think Toronto won the

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.

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.

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

I definitely think it'll be a good game no matter what.

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. Then they lost the last two Great Cup Games. So

I go one more here, I'm detection Bryant Sky here directions, give one more question for that.

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.

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.

And say hey, let's go. This is a championship game. It's winner go home.

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.

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.

I mean they're great on the Winnipeg's side obviously too.

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.

That's true.

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.

Jeneerian Grant's like Devin Hester of the CFL.

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.

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.

Now now I'm here to beat you, so go.

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.

Jason can come back on Brian's Texan he summer. We'll get it going. Next guys.

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.

We got a longtime friend he's been sitting around here.

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.

Should we get Jason's back to Mullens here, Jim, how

Hey, we're doing video. Look, Hey to advertised. That's where I'm going. You're vice president of That's good.

Talk about how busy you are?

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 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.

I'm curious your thoughts, obviously Vancouver here and everything else. Thoughts on the Lions season and not being here.

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 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

It's too much for one guy.

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 black hat.

Through and through.

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.

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.

Oh, it's fantastic.

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 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

Your TV unit.

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?

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 great season this year.

Oh, I dropped him off my fantasy team. It's the biggest regret I made so far.

Well, look, you know what I mentioned, Nathan's little not so little brother, Curtis Roord.

I first met Curtis when we were.

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 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

Never used to happen before.

We have about four or five or a dual passport holder or something like that there.

I think the number is up to twenty three.

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 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

With purpose, but he.

Didn't have that patience.

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.

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.

That commitment down.

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 grab Nathan, sign him to a contract and a great

You know, I love Va.

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, and that's going to bring star power into the stands.

Why would you not have that?

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 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.

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.

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?

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.

Ryan Scott, what's brother? It's only been three years, we

Yeah, we're live.

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.

What's the bit you you're here, you got brought back, you know, you with the argos, go with blombers, come back here.

What's going on here? How are you feeling and what's going on in your life?

Everything's good. I'm extremely happy and fortunate to be here.

My parents are here.

So just just taking in every day, all the little moments that I get to, you.

Know, spend on my teammates and uh yeah, just happy to represent her on on the city.

Uh yeah, just super grateful to be here. Just Hererus thoughts here today.

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.

Experience all that. What's it been like.

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.

You know, it's been good, man, It's been an adjustment.

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.

That period of their career.

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.

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.

That man is a monster.

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.

Yeah, I mean, honestly, I think, yeah, first of all, the thanks for coming the game, watching me, and supporting me. I appreciate that.

But yeah, for me, it's been a journey. Man, it's been a blessing.

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.

You know, I was in college as a true freshman. Johnny's my screen saver.

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 a name just because I come from such a small school.

Uh was awesome. Thanks for watching.

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 on the show, Brian.

Yeah, absolute, oh yeah, yeah, Yeah, it's a great.

Player for us.

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 me to come up and introduce me to CFL, and then COVID happened, so I had to opt out of

I was on the Generals and we didn't have a city.

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.

So it's been a it's been an amazing ride for me year as well.

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

That right to pass it.

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.

Everything happens for a reason. I truly believe that.

And you know, like I said before, it's just been a it's been a great process for me to kind of.

Have that role of not having to be the guy, not having all that.

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.

But yeah, Dave Miller is a good dude too, So I gotta follow up what you got, Ivy, I got one more.

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 played some of the best quarterback against them in the

Is obviously very legit. Yeah, not really, man.

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.

I mean, like you said, read the CFL game is so.

Much different, right, and I think the biggest thing from a quarterback perspective is only having three downs instead of four.

It totally changes your dealing and with coach part Andrews.

As you mentioned before, he just kind of let me go out there and spin it now, you know, like God bless him.

I was throwing at.

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.

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.

And it was one of the episodes and I I kind of equated it to.

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.

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.

It's like a fever trade now.

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 you guys as possible to kind of get back on

And Martin just trusted me to say, hey, like, this guy's good, this guy's good.

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.

But yeah, that episode was it was it was cool.

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.

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

And kind of what that was.

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.

But I think it's it's kind of cool.

I tell guys this, like if you look at the UFL now or the USFL XFL, I feel.

Like I was there like old Testament, you know, it's like now it's the New Testament.

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.

So it went from that to turning into like more of a TV.

Promotion deal instead of guys just getting scouted and going straight to PAMs.

Right.

So I saw it kind of transformed. And then in twenty twenty it was on Fox right where we met.

But it's been cool.

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.

I played in the Spring League twice for no money, trying to just put myself out there.

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.

So definitely loving my experience. And we'll see what happens.

Anything else, Andy will let Brian get out of here. What's been your favorite part of the Great Cup festivities so far?

Gosh, dude, I haven't even had very much time, so busy with meetings, probably sitting here.

With you guys. What's a little bit, you know, going through the journey.

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

Really means a lot.

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?

We're locked in? Man, guys are excited.

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.

I'm like, hey, let's go. You knowing, you're like, let's go. Let's go do something fun together.

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.

Yeah awesome, Well, Brian, I appreciate it, man, God, blast appreciate it.

That's good.

Let's bring him mad here.

Then we got Dorothy's longtime friendship, Brian Scott, you know you have a fan in us forever.

Here we go, and then we got Dorothy's oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah yeah.

All right, let's bring him Matt last one here, round and out. Then we'll bring in Dorothy close the show as always.

Man, could be a busy week here.

Every time I see your kind of hang that's good.

Let's the week been like for you, Matt?

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 kind of being around and being seen and interacting with fans and hitting the Lions den.

Yeah, it's been been a good balance of working fun.

So I think there was a lot of expectations when you know, VC got awarded the Great Cup, obviously with Tamar and everything.

Everyone. We talked to Dorothy that's been to bour Gray.

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.

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 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

Next time I realized we could have gone, I was looking at my thing. I'm like, I actually could have gone to that.

I was not dressed. I don't think my crack and dress. I think I specifically approve your credential to include it.

So anyway you're you're hanging up with You're hanging out with all the big shots at the f r C suite.

So but before we this gets too off the you really have to learn to separate it. Yeah. I can't sugarcoat it.

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.

He can't top it.

What's been the most exciting part of this festival so far? And also setting up for it.

Just uh yeah, it's it's hard to pick just one.

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 likes of Paul McCallum, g Roy Simon hanging around the Lions Den.

That's a very good part.

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.

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.

People have been talking about the zip line the whole time. That's all.

That's how it's all dort but for nine months since this was first sort of brought together and it's paid off.

Because like I was saying, it's it's lined up around the corner, Jason, you got it. Yeah for sure.

So you're a colleague. Carolyn Cody won an award the Fall Awards. Can you speak about her contributions to.

All this and which he's meant to the organization. Yeah, Carolyn's brilliance.

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 digital marketing, the game day presentation, which read is seen firsthand, she's all over that, and she bleeds the colors as well.

And yeah, that Carolyn's well deserving of that. Absolutely.

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.

Is super important as well.

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 Arlene Stuart Irvine, very high up in the ticketing department.

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.

I won't do it for for various reasons, but I would not count out the Toronto arghahuts.

I just just watching them, seeing them, it seems a little loose.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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 and when the Stampeders are taking notes this week, because this will be hard.

To talk, well, Matt, I appreciate it.

Thanks for you and Mike setting us up here at the McLaren Grills the radio row if.

You take the mic here.

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.

What was the pup called? George George Hamilton. Yeah, it's close.

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.

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.

He and the Lions and Laire.

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.

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

We got everyone else in. Hope everyone enjoyed the stream, like and subscribe. Dorothy, are you got great?

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.

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.

What's your thoughts at the festival? Yeah, I think it's been awesome.

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.

I'll do this. Matt was like eating the microphone alltern back at that level there.

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.

Dorothy, are you gonna be getting on the slides anytime soon?

Or what's going on?

I mean, it's looking pretty fun back there, so we'll see.

Yeah, Maybee point we kneel overs on.

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.

But that Jamie, sorry, Jamie, And I said that yesterday someone was kicking football and it almost came right over here.

Like it hit the edge of the net.

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.

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.

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 butts off to really get here, and I cannot underestimate that coaching staff. I can't underestimate the talent in the

I really believe that.

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

Jason, what you got?

Yeah.

So, I think that Toronto is a bad matchup for Winnipeg.

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.

But if Winnipeg can.

Protect up front, I think there's a big plays to be had against that Toronto secondary.

Dorothy, you're playing out early, missing the game, Dorothy, thankfully helping wrangle all the guests and everything to that.

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.

I'm not lacking at that, but yes, that's just I don't know.

So they got their backup in right, So we'll see, we'll see, we'll see.

Well.

I appreciate everyone and anything else from you guys. We'll get out of here. We've talked two and a half hours.

I guess my prediction is that I'll go twenty three to nineteen Winnipeg.

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.

Thanks,