Who is this guy? – Will Fajardo become the CFL’s Warner?

QB Cody Fajardo has impressed as the Roughriders starter.

    Could Cody Fajardo be living out a football story that was famously seen once before?
    The Brea, Calif., product has experienced a meteoric rise since becoming the starting quarterback for the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Fajardo’s chance came after spending about two and a half seasons as a reserve quarterback in the CFL with the Toronto Argonauts and British Columbia Lions.
    Before joining the Argos in October of 2015, Fajardo attended training camp with the NFL’s Oakland Raiders before being cut.
    His attempt to make the Raiders came after wrapping up a star career with the University of Nevada, Reno Wolf Pack Football Team in the top tier of the National Collegiate Athletic Association ranks in 2014.

    Joining the Roughriders this season, Fajardo was pegged to be a reserve quarterback.

    When the Roughriders opened their regular season on June 13 against the Tiger-Cats in Hamilton, Saskatchewan’s starting quarterback Zach Collaros was knocked out of the game with a concussion injury. Collaros made a feet first slide and was hit in the head by Tiger-Cats linebacker Simoni Lawrence on the fourth overall play of the contest.

    Since that moment, Fajardo, who stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 215 pounds, became the Roughriders main man under centre. The 27-year-old has completed 132 of 177 passes for 1,705 yards, seven touchdowns and four interceptions over the team’s first seven games.

Cody Fajardo fires a pass from behind protection.

    He has surpassed 300 yards in passing three times and has the Roughriders riding a three-game winning streak to sit with a 4-3 record heading into a Friday showdown with the Alouettes (3-3) in Montreal (5 p.m. Saskatchewan time, TSN).
    Thanks to Fajardo’s play, the Roughriders traded Collaros to the Toronto Argonauts last Wednesday for a conditional fourth round selection in the 2020 CFL Draft.

    Last Thursday, Fajardo left Rider Nation in adulation running in from five yards out to score the winning touchdown with 24 second remaining in the fourth quarter to deliver the Roughriders to a 24-19 victory over the Tiger-Cats at Mosaic Stadium.

    In that contest, Fajardo completed 25-of-31 passes for 313 yards and ran the ball nine times for 56 yards, which included his winning touchdown run.

    His right ankle was sore after taking a sack early in the third quarter, but he said in post-game interviews that he was able to continue thanks to “a sprinkle of Jesus.”

    He celebrated the win eating a corn dog at the Queen City Ex next to the statue of George Reed outside Mosaic Stadium. Fajardo posted the picture of that moment on Twitter.

    A practicing Catholic who is strong in his Christian faith, the phrase “a sprinkle of Jesus” is starting to become a catch phrase for Fajardo.

My victory carnival corn dog. This is what it’s all about! @sskroughriders great team win! pic.twitter.com/1eQusRdowH

— Cody Fajardo (@CodyFajardo17) August 2, 2019

    The rise of the likable and personable signal caller has parallels to the rise of a legendary NFL pivot.

    Way back on Aug. 28, 1999, the St. Louis Rams were playing a pre-season game at home, when they lost starting quarterback Trent Green to a season ending knee injury on a hit from San Diego Chargers safety Rodney Harrison.

    Green tore the medial collateral and anterior cruciate ligaments and also sustained cartilage damage in his left knee.

The SI cover from when Kurt Warner made his rise.

    Rams head coach Dick Vermeil, who was known for being ultra-optimistic, said his team would rally around backup quarterback Kurt Warner and play good football.

    At that time, the Rams were trying end a streak where they had posted nine straight losing seasons. Pretty much no one knew who Warner was, and there wasn’t much hope outside of the Rams organization that they would have a good season.

    Warner, who stood 6-foot-2 and weighed 214 pounds, became an NFL starter at age 28. All of a sudden, Warner shocked the league.

    He stormed out of the gates in 1999 leading the Rams to a 6-0 start completing 118-of-162 passes for 1,531 yards, 18 touchdowns and three interceptions.

    The sad sack Rams morphed into “The Greatest Show on Turf.”

    Warner kept putting up crazy passing numbers finishing the campaign completing 325-of-499 passes for 4,353 yards, 41 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He led what was arguably the most exciting offence in the history of pro football that seemingly could score a touchdown on any play from any point on the field.

    Warner let the ball fly to talented receivers Isaac Bruce, Tory Holt, Az-Zahir Hakim and Ricky Proehl. For a change up, Warner could hand the ball off or toss it to dynamic running back Marshall Faulk.

    The Rams posted a 13-3 record to finish first overall in the NFC, and Warner was named the NFL’s MVP. From there, the Rams marched on to win Super Bowl XXXIV on Jan. 30, 2000.

The SI cover of the St. Louis Rams’ Super Bowl win.

    In Super Bowl XXXIV, Warner hit Bruce on a 73-yard touchdown bomb with 1:54 to play in the fourth quarter that broke a 16-16 tie and gave the Rams a 23-16 victory over the Tennessee Titans at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia.
    Warner, who was born in Burlington, Iowa, was named MVP of the Super Bowl having completed 24-of-45 passes for 414 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.

    During that fairytale season, Warner’s back story came out. After playing for the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa, Warner was cut by the Green Bay Packers in the summer of 1994.

    He returned to Cedar Falls and worked out at his old college practice field by day and stocked shelves at a local Hy-Vee grocery store at night. Warner played three seasons with the Iowa Barnstormers in the Arena Football League from 1995 to 1997, one season in NFL Europe in early 1998 with the Amsterdam Admirals before joining the Rams for the 1998 NFL season as their third string quarterback.

    The 1999 NFL season wasn’t the only high point in Warner’s career. The Christian gunslinger guided the Rams back to Super Bowl XXXVI following the 2001 season, where they fell 20-17 to quarterback Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.

    Warner played for the New York Giants in 2004 before finishing his NFL career playing for the Arizona Cardinals from 2005 to 2009. He gunned the Cardinals into the Super Bowl XLIII following the 2008 season, where they fell 27-23 to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Kurt Warner had a Pro Football Hall of Fame career.

    Over his career in the NFL, Warner established a reputation as being personable and likeable. During stints where he wasn’t the starting quarterback on the teams he played for, he was eager to be the best and most supportive teammate on the squad he was on.
    In his 12 NFL seasons, Warner completed 2,666-of-4,070 passes for 32,344 yards, 208 touchdowns and 128 interceptions in regular season play. He was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017.

    With that noted, Fajardo has a long way to go if he does have a career even in the CFL that matches what Warner did in the NFL. At the moment, Fajardo is a better scrambler than Warner was but is not at a Pro Football Hall of Fame level when it comes to controlling the game from the pocket.

    Still, the early part of Fajardo’s career as the Roughriders starter does have a lot of similarities to Warner’s beginning as a starter with the Rams.

    This might be a blessed season for Fajardo and the Roughriders.

    The season could still go south for Fajardo and the Roughriders, when they finally play the likes of the Calgary Stampeders, Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Edmonton Eskimos. The Stampeders have been the year in and year out powerhouse since 2008 in the CFL.

    Still, the Roughriders and their Rider Nation fanbase can dream. Fajardo will put in the work.

The Roughriders hope to enjoy more victory scenes like this.

    He might put together a success story that no one saw coming that goes beyond anyone’s imagination.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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Rider Nation soaks in Taylor Field atmosphere one last time

The crowd at Taylor Field soaks in the final Roughriders home game there.

    REGINA – Rider Nation truly lived in the moment when it came to attending the last Saskatchewan Roughriders game at Taylor Field/old Mosaic Stadium.

    On Saturday, Roughriders fans flocked in from all across the province and I dare say even across Canada to be part of the last CFL dance of the historic stadium in Regina. It was a nostalgia trip where one received comfort in reliving the familiar.

    The atmosphere was similar to a Labour Day Classic or even the game days around the 2007 and 2008 campaign. In 2007 and 2008, game days were surrounded with excitement by the fact the Roughriders were one of the league’s elite teams after about 15 years of being bad to mostly a middle of the pack club.

    While there were those similarities, the atmosphere was also different. The finality of what was going to take place was in the back of everyone’s minds. This was a night to say farewell and thanks to a park that contains so many great shared memories.

The Rider Cheer Team performs a routine on the practice field.

    People were arriving on Saturday three hours before the 5 p.m. kickoff against the B.C. Lions to tailgate in the parking lots near the facility.

    The tailgate party on the practice field was also packed. The air was filled with the sounds from the Regina-based rock band Big Bad Storm. The Rider Cheer team also came to put on a special performance to the sounds of the Rider Drum Line.

    As usual, the Rider Pep Band played outside the stadium’s front gates about 40 minutes before kickoff.

    At halftime, Canadian country music star and Langenburg, Sask., product Jess Moskaluke got the sellout crowd of 33,427 going with a short but energetic set.
    The post-game ceremony provided a great light and fireworks show that walked people back through time reliving the history of the place.

Jess Moskaluke starred at halftime.

    There were also huge cheers as mascot Gainer the Gopher took a last lap in his old car with the gopher hole roof.

    There were also appearances by Roughriders legends George Reed, Roger Aldag and Gene Makowsky, who each emerged from Rider cap jackets like Jedi Knights. Franchise quarterback Darian Durant completed the quartet to give representation for each of the club’s four Grey Cup championship teams, and he also gave a heartfelt address to the fans.

    Of course, Rider Nation was in top form. A number of Rider fans arrived wearing various trademark costumes. While Halloween was only a couple of days away, game days provide enough reason to dress up.

    The fans are the reason Taylor Field had the amazing atmosphere it did. Those that went to games became part of a community in a community. The regulars that came to each game got to know the neighbours that sat around them and those that sat at various other spots around the building.

    In a lot of cases, the regulars only get to see each other on game days. One of the best known regulars is Connie Dobson, who is also known as #TheTravelingRiderFan. She has made the jaunt from Edmonton to Regina for every Roughriders home game for over a decade. She has also followed the team on a regular basis on the road.

    While cheering hard for the Riders, Dobson also gives credit when the other teams do something well. Over the years, she has befriended and earned the respect of Roughriders players and a number of players from other CFL clubs too. Dobson is the textbook picture of the model fan.

Terrell Sinkfield Jr. makes an acrobatic TD catch for the Lions.

    Speaking of fans, you also saw small representations of fans wearing gear of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Edmonton Eskimos and the Lions to ensure their clubs had representation at this monumental game. It has become common place for fans of other CFL teams to make the trek to Taylor Field to see at least one game in the legendary park and feel the passion of Rider Nation up close.

    The only thing that didn’t go to plan was the action on the field during game time. As engaged as the crowd was, the Roughriders fell to the Lions 24-6 and dropped to 5-12 in the standings. B.C. improved to 11-6.

    All season, the Roughriders have been plagued by struggles on the offensive and defensive line due to injury and personnel turnover. Against the Lions, the Roughriders offensive line missed way too many blocks, and the defensive line didn’t apply much pressure on Lions quarterback Jonathon Jennings.

    The green and white will need to address both of those areas in the off-season.

Roughriders mascot Gainer the Gopher makes one last pass in his old car.

    In the end, the loss on the field didn’t dampen the night’s festivities. The members of Rider Nation have seen their share of downs, but they always persevere and look forward to next year.

    Next year provides the chance to back the Roughriders in a new Mosaic Stadium that looks like a palace. It is also specially constructed to trap noise. It won’t take long to indulge in the comforts of the new home park.

    Even with that in mind, the memories of the old park will never fade away.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

Roughriders "Reign of Error" look needs to go

The circle "S" logo on retro uniforms brings bad luck.

    On August 31, 2014, the Saskatchewan Roughriders made an error that brought back the ghosts of the “Reign of Error.”

    The Roughriders took the field for the Labour Day Classic that day sporting their classic green uniforms with the two white arm stripes on each shoulder and green helmets showing off their traditional circle logo with the “S.” Unfortunately, there was one noticeable difference a superstitious fan would notice about the retro look in this game that was unsettling.

    When the Roughriders first brought back these classic retro uniforms in the 2007, they were looking to mirror a look the team had from the late 1960s through the 1970s during the glory days of when Ron Lancaster quarterbacked the club and George Reed powered the team on the ground at fullback. 

    In a match that was a tribute of that era, the Roughriders wore those throwbacks in the 2007 Labour Day Classic, where quarterback Kerry Joseph ran in the game-winning touchdown from 27 yards out in the final seconds to give the Green and White a thrilling 31-26 victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

    The retro uniforms the Roughriders wore in 2007 did not contain a team logo and sported each players’ number on the sleeve of the upper arm. This look was widely recognized as the club’s 1970s look, and the Roughriders often wore these throwbacks for special occasions in the regular season and key games in the post-season. That included crushing the Blue Bombers in the 2012 Labour Day Classic 52-0.

    When those uniforms were brought back as alternates 2007, the Roughriders went on to make four Grey Cup appearances, which included wins in 2007 and at home in 2013.

    Unfortunately, there was a change in the look of these retro uniforms in the 2014 Labour Day Classic. The numbers on the sleeve on the upper arm were replaced with the classic circle logo with the “S.” The numbers were moved to the shoulder area.

The retro uniforms with no logo and numbers on sleeve bring good luck.

    With those subtle moves, the retro uniforms went from bringing back memories of the glory era of Lancaster and Reed to bringing back memories of the “Reign of Error,” when the Roughriders missed the playoffs for 11 straight years from 1977 to 1987. The Roughriders wore their classic green uniforms complete with the circle “S” logo on the sleeve on the upper arm through most of that unsuccessful span.

    That look is viewed as the look of the unsuccessful era of the early to mid-1980s. While wearing that look, the Roughriders once got bombed 56-0 by the Blue Bombers in Winnipeg on July 5, 1986. For all intents and purposes, that look is a cursed look.

    The cursed look didn’t bite the Roughriders right away, when they wore the retros with the circle “S” logo for the 2014 Labour Day Classic. In a thriller, Roughriders running back Anthony Allen delivered the hosts to a 35-30 victory over the Blue Bombers with a major in the last seconds. Saskatchewan improved to 7-2 with that victory.

    While the Roughriders don’t wear those uniforms all the time, the superstitious fan saw the door open to allow a string of bad things to fall the Roughriders way.

The Roughriders retro jerseys with circle "S" logo on sleeve are cursed.

    The curse struck in the team’s very next game on September 7, 2014. The Roughriders downed the Blue Bombers in Winnipeg that day 30-24 to improve to 8-2, but Saskatchewan lost franchise quarterback and Grey Cup hero Darian Durant to injury. He tore a tendon in his right elbow.

    That injury occurred when the officials didn’t blow a play dead with certainty in a loud Investors Group Field, which saw half of the players stop and half continue on the play. Bombers defensive end Bryant Turner continued with the play and nailed Durant to cause the injury.

    Since that game, the Roughriders have posted an unspectacular 5-25 record including regular season and playoffs. Durant returned for the regular season opener in 2015, but he was lost before halftime after rupturing his left Achilles tendon shortly before halftime on a non-contact play. He missed the rest of the 2015 campaign, which saw the Roughriders sit in the basement of the CFL with an awful 3-15 mark.

    In the Roughriders 0-3 start in 2016, Durant played the full first two games before leaving Saturday’s 40-27 loss to the B.C. Lions at Mosaic Stadium in the second quarter due to a severe left ankle sprain on a low hit. The Roughriders were ahead 10-7 when Durant left and were even up 23-10 at halftime before the wheels fell off.

These Roughriders classic retros with no logo should always be worn.

    During most of the 25 losses the Roughriders have suffered in their last 30 games, they have usually fallen in some sort of heartbreaking fashion. It seems the team can’t get a break.

    When they decide to wear throwbacks, they usually turn to their classic green uniforms with the circle “S” logo. The purpose of having the team logo on a uniform helps cement brand recognition. Unfortunately in the case of the Roughriders retro uniforms, it brings back the stench of a bad era, when the team almost folded.

    To make things clear, the Roughriders classic retro throwbacks with the circle “S” logo on the upper sleeve of the jersey are cursed, and they cause the team to be cursed when in use.

    The Roughriders classic retro throwbacks with no logo and the players’ numbers on the sleeve of the upper arm are good and lucky. Saskatchewan needs wear this retro look from here on out to no longer be cursed.

    That is my thought process, and I am sticking to it.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this kind of irrational fan-type post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.