Need to get some kind of post game threads started up again.
I think they general feelings are happy that we won but pretty annoyed at how it looked.
Good stuff:
- We need to realize that out of our 4 losses, 3 came against Calgary. I didn't think our offence would look as bad against Ottawa and for the most part, they didn't.
- Zach looked good for 95% of his throws. Got some screens going and some downfield blocking on several catch and runs.
- Nic Demski has been our MOP.
- Props to our oft beleaguered Canadian DL: Thomas and Schmekel having impact plays
- Cam Allen got absolutely hosed on 2 phantom PI calls but man did I love what he brought. I believe he is absolutely our starting safety moving forward.
- Brady TD: finally
Bad/Ugly stuff:
- Situational play calling at the end of every. single. game. Two weeks ago, it's the Streveler INT in the end zone when a FG wins the game, last week it's Zach getting sacked when we just need to kill the clock, this week it's Strev going for a 6 inch dive on a 2nd and three. Hogan does not know who to finish a game.
- The INTs rearing their head again. I didn't mind the toss the Demski at the end, but the ball needs to come out sooner so the DB can't catch up.
- The defence played really well for the most part and absolutely clamped down on Druski all game, but let Crum walk all over them which made this much more close than it rightfully should have been.
All in all, it was a great night out, but the same two issues (turn overs and late game play calling) continue to plague us.
Good: Win. No serious injuries.
Bad: too much to mention, flush them, its a win.
Ugly: Officiating. Cam Allen was repeatedly robbed, holding and facemasks Ott got away with repeatedly, coach's "It was PI declaration" post game, obviously not wanting to get fined...
Walk off win, they don't ask how, just how many... but man.
glad you started up this thread.
The Good
Allen at safety, physical fast and will only get better
The win = huge to keep ahead of bc and knock back ottawa in case of the crossover
Final Drive Zacs run then his pass to Demski
Wheatfall showing Zac hes a legit target
Demski -again having an allstar season
Smeckle - playing better than both Thomas and Lawson plus the blocked punt
Vaval was fine at corner so was Lawson
Hogan having Zac roll out more
Bad
Defensive line exhausted by 4th quarter. Redblks TOP in 3rd was way to high. We need to add another dlineman in to rotate rather than all the lbs
Randolph's penalty it was a cheap play on his part
Hogans play call of Streveler sneaking on 2nd and three (bordered on ugly)
O'Sheas call to have Castillo kick a 57 yd fg - not only cost us a td but undermined the defense showing no confidence they could stop a 3rd string qb)
Ugly
Collaros throwing a pick at the end of the 2nd qtr
As above, Officiating, one of the most onesided games I've seen. Calling borderline calls on one team and not the other
Good call on pointing out that Zach was rolling out more. Noticed that too.
It seems to help move the offence whether it's Zach or Strev in but we often stop using it with Zach.
Good
Thomas(guy still can contribute despite the heavy criticism)
Schmekel (statement game, love the energy)
Zach
Wheatie
Demski
Sterns
OL at times (pass rush)
D
Allen (will need more seasoning but looks to be a great score for us!)
Vaval
Bad
OL at times run game
Ugly
Refs
Play calls / coaches decisions at times
Int
Seen Ayers make a play, I think on D can't remember
Yes, Thomas had his best game of the season, and Schmekel was very good all night. The work Schm. puts in at practice is paying off.
I also thought that ZC8 had a pretty good game. Had ND10 open, just didn't have enough arm.
Allen has good size, quick to the ball, and likes to bring the hammer. Made a couple of mistakes, but has all the tools.
I also agree with the bad decisions at the end of games. Far to many, far to often.
How good has Tony Jones been.
Did not like that deep bomb to Demski that led to the interception, gambling on a low percentage pass and failing at a critical time was like going all in on a roll of the dice. Only luck and a second chance got Zach out of that mess. The consequences are high, the performance he puts up in the next 2 months will determine the future of his career, he needs to play smarter football.
Quote from: Throw Long Bannatyne on August 15, 2025, 06:28:35 PMDid not like that deep bomb to Demski that led to the interception, gambling on a low percentage pass and failing at a critical time was like going all in on a roll of the dice. Only luck and a second chance got Zach out of that mess. The consequences are high, the performance he puts up in the next 2 months will determine the future of his career, he needs to play smarter football.
He said after the game, he put all he had into that throw.
Quote from: Pigskin on August 15, 2025, 06:30:48 PMHe said after the game, he put all he had into that throw.
Needs to throw it 1/2 second earlier.
Quote from: Pigskin on August 15, 2025, 06:18:34 PMYes, Thomas had his best game of the season, and Schmekel was very good all night. The work Schm. puts in at practice is paying off.
I also thought that ZC8 had a pretty good game. Had ND10 open, just didn't have enough arm.
Allen has good size, quick to the ball, and likes to bring the hammer. Made a couple of mistakes, but has all the tools.
I also agree with the bad decisions at the end of games. Far to many, far to often.
How good has Tony Jones been.
Good point on Jones, I think it was 11 tackles. Our starting LBs are exceptional and our depth is likely the strongest in the league.
Agree all, great post.
Quote from: Pete on August 15, 2025, 05:29:00 PMglad you started up this thread.
The Good
Allen at safety, physical fast and will only get better
The win = huge to keep ahead of bc and knock back ottawa in case of the crossover
Final Drive Zacs run then his pass to Demski
Wheatfall showing Zac hes a legit target
Demski -again having an allstar season
Smeckle - playing better than both Thomas and Lawson plus the blocked punt
Vaval was fine at corner so was Lawson
Hogan having Zac roll out more
Bad
Defensive line exhausted by 4th quarter. Redblks TOP in 3rd was way to high. We need to add another dlineman in to rotate rather than all the lbs
Randolph's penalty it was a cheap play on his part
Hogans play call of Streveler sneaking on 2nd and three (bordered on ugly)
O'Sheas call to have Castillo kick a 57 yd fg - not only cost us a td but undermined the defense showing no confidence they could stop a 3rd string qb)
Ugly
Collaros throwing a pick at the end of the 2nd qtr
As above, Officiating, one of the most onesided games I've seen. Calling borderline calls on one team and not the other
I think the DL was fine and disagree that we need less LBs. Who would you take off and put on?
Quote from: Pigskin on August 15, 2025, 06:30:48 PMHe said after the game, he put all he had into that throw.
That was a long throw in anyone's book. Agree, he just needs to throw it earlier and he'd have had him
Just rewatching, and the Holm INT was great, Ayers had a great ST tackle.. and Kola blocking downfield for BO20 and betting run up on and BO20 pushing him along...
Bad: both Collaros INT's being badly underthrown, costing points.
Quote from: Blueforlife on August 15, 2025, 07:29:52 PMGood point on Jones, I think it was 11 tackles. Our starting LBs are exceptional and our depth is likely the strongest in the league.
Agree all, great post.
I think the DL was fine and disagree that we need less LBs. Who would you take off and put on?
Woods on for Ayers
Our D line was gassed in the fourth quarter
Yeah, Ayers is good on teams. But he takes less than 3 defensive snaps a game. Now that we have Person, he's even less of a factor on D
For teams we've got Kelly, Hallet,Ball Smith, Shay, Cadwallader, Gauthier, J Jones, who only or primarily play teams,plus usually long snapper (except for kickoffs)and kicker when we're kicking. Plus for punts and drops goals we've got the big guys on the line blocking or rushing their kicker.
Seems like a very limited need for a guy like Ayers who's great, but whose role is very limited.
Now if O'Shea rosters Woods, and then gives him less than 5 snaps a game, sure it might not be worth it.
A few things:
Vaval looked good and more comfortable at boundary then he did at field corner. Makes sense and he should stay there. If he stays healthy and looks about as good, I think it's his indefinitely.
Tony Jones had one of his best games as a Bomber and had all three of the goal line stand tackles.
Cam Allen looks right at home at safety and it's a bit silly that we insist on making a guy like that sit and wait. He's a better safety than Parker and it's not particularly close. Poor roster management there through nine games.
You can tell why Dillon Mitchell was looked at primarily as a wide out. He's slow for the slot. I'd consider moving Wheatfall to slot and Mitchell to boundary. When does Wilson come back again?
Playcalling continues to an adventure on offense and Hogan doesn't seem to have any natural talent for the flow of the game. I wonder how much frustration there is between Zach and Hogan and how often Zach does his own thing. Think that's a ticking time bomb and a guy in my section brought a "Hey, Ho, Hogan's got to go" sign. Bad things are brewing there.
Overall Zach looked good. Ball was out faster and he looked more mobile and did it with his legs at the end of the game. Unfortunately, he's gotta keep doing that and when he's playing the better defenses it's probably not going to work but that's the game he needs to play.
Quote from: Sir Blue and Gold on August 15, 2025, 10:42:25 PMA few things:
Vaval looked good and more comfortable at boundary then he did at field corner. Makes sense and he should stay there. If he stays healthy and looks about as good, I think it's his indefinitely.
Tony Jones had one of his best games as a Bomber and had all three of the goal line stand tackles.
Cam Allen looks right at home at safety and it's a bit silly that we insist on making a guy like that sit and wait. He's a better safety than Parker and it's not particularly close. Poor roster management there through nine games.
You can tell why Dillon Mitchell was looked at primarily as a wide out. He's slow for the slot. I'd consider moving Wheatfall to slot and Mitchell to boundary. When does Wilson come back again?
Playcalling continues to an adventure on offense and Hogan doesn't seem to have any natural talent for the flow of the game. I wonder how much frustration there is between Zach and Hogan and how often Zach does his own thing. Think that's a ticking time bomb and a guy in my section brought a "Hey, Ho, Hogan's got to go" sign. Bad things are brewing there.
Overall Zach looked good. Ball was out faster and he looked more mobile and did it with his legs at the end of the game. Unfortunately, he's gotta keep doing that and when he's playing the better defenses it's probably not going to work but that's the game he needs to play.
Listened to the pre-game show, Ed Tait said Zach has been quite upset with the play of the receivers so far this season, mentioned staring at the backs of receivers running assigned routes while rolling out unaware that he needs to get rid of the ball.
It's pretty clear he prefers intelligent receivers that can adapt to the play and he probably can't wait for Dalton to return.
The only bad thing I have to add is the food concession in the upper level... I usually don't complain but wow it is getting worse for service and food quality. Someone had ordered a bucket of chicken and said he waited over 20 minutes and demanded a refund (the poor employee was so flustered she didn't know what to do or say to the angered customer). I waited 10 minutes for 2 orders of fries but was a little disappointed (fries were very greasy) This was 1 hour before kick off (couldn't imagine at halftime)
The fly by during the anthem was awesome but couldn't see them due to the over hang (only heard them)
Quote from: Sir Blue and Gold on August 15, 2025, 10:42:25 PMA few things:
Vaval looked good and more comfortable at boundary then he did at field corner. Makes sense and he should stay there. If he stays healthy and looks about as good, I think it's his indefinitely.
Tony Jones had one of his best games as a Bomber and had all three of the goal line stand tackles.
Cam Allen looks right at home at safety and it's a bit silly that we insist on making a guy like that sit and wait. He's a better safety than Parker and it's not particularly close. Poor roster management there through nine games.
You can tell why Dillon Mitchell was looked at primarily as a wide out. He's slow for the slot. I'd consider moving Wheatfall to slot and Mitchell to boundary. When does Wilson come back again?
Playcalling continues to an adventure on offense and Hogan doesn't seem to have any natural talent for the flow of the game. I wonder how much frustration there is between Zach and Hogan and how often Zach does his own thing. Think that's a ticking time bomb and a guy in my section brought a "Hey, Ho, Hogan's got to go" sign. Bad things are brewing there.
Overall Zach looked good. Ball was out faster and he looked more mobile and did it with his legs at the end of the game. Unfortunately, he's gotta keep doing that and when he's playing the better defenses it's probably not going to work but that's the game he needs to play.
Disagree on roster management. Allen was better off learning for half the year than coming on right away. He would have developed and benefited greatly from his time on the PR imo.
You are seeing result from both his tools as an athlete and the experience gained from half a season waiting imo.
There is no ticking time bomb on Hogan. The guy with the sign is doing the classic panic knee jerk reaction imo. He will come around but it will take time.
Moving Wheatie to the slot hard no. He just starting to cook. Great way to ruin the recipe.
Quote from: barbk on August 15, 2025, 11:42:56 PMThe only bad thing I have to add is the food concession in the upper level... I usually don't complain but wow it is getting worse for service and food quality. Someone had ordered a bucket of chicken and said he waited over 20 minutes and demanded a refund (the poor employee was so flustered she didn't know what to do or say to the angered customer). I waited 10 minutes for 2 orders of fries but was a little disappointed (fries were very greasy) This was 1 hour before kick off (couldn't imagine at halftime)
The fly by during the anthem was awesome but couldn't see them due to the over hang (only heard them)
Agree buddy ordered a chicken Sammie and it was worse than fast food
Bombers can do better
Quote from: Sir Blue and Gold on August 15, 2025, 10:42:25 PMA few things:
Vaval looked good and more comfortable at boundary then he did at field corner. Makes sense and he should stay there. If he stays healthy and looks about as good, I think it's his indefinitely.
Tony Jones had one of his best games as a Bomber and had all three of the goal line stand tackles.
Cam Allen looks right at home at safety and it's a bit silly that we insist on making a guy like that sit and wait. He's a better safety than Parker and it's not particularly close. Poor roster management there through nine games.
You can tell why Dillon Mitchell was looked at primarily as a wide out. He's slow for the slot. I'd consider moving Wheatfall to slot and Mitchell to boundary. When does Wilson come back again?
Playcalling continues to an adventure on offense and Hogan doesn't seem to have any natural talent for the flow of the game. I wonder how much frustration there is between Zach and Hogan and how often Zach does his own thing. Think that's a ticking time bomb and a guy in my section brought a "Hey, Ho, Hogan's got to go" sign. Bad things are brewing there.
Overall Zach looked good. Ball was out faster and he looked more mobile and did it with his legs at the end of the game. Unfortunately, he's gotta keep doing that and when he's playing the better defenses it's probably not going to work but that's the game he needs to play.
on Mitchell - for all the crying we did as fans he really has been invisible and not really adding tremendous value.
if you are too slow for slot - prob too slow for wideout.
i noticed one play where he had his guy beat and may have scored but zach was under pressure and didn't see him.
he will have a game with some value but he isn't the saviour some of us touted.
Quote from: The Zipp on August 16, 2025, 12:05:23 AMon Mitchell - for all the crying we did as fans he really has been invisible and not really adding tremendous value.
if you are too slow for slot - prob too slow for wideout.
i noticed one play where he had his guy beat and may have scored but zach was under pressure and didn't see him.
he will have a game with some value but he isn't the saviour some of us touted.
Too early to know. Give him a handful of games. I don't have a lot of faith but never know.
Quote from: The Zipp on August 16, 2025, 12:05:23 AMon Mitchell - for all the crying we did as fans he really has been invisible and not really adding tremendous value.
Yes, I am wondering now if Sterns and Myron Mitchel looked so good because we just had brought in a poor crop. Demski was himself but Schoen didn't practice. So who did we have to compare to?
Honestly, that game should have gone to OT.
Ottawa got the ball with 37 seconds left. We had 1 timeout. Runs take 5 seconds or more, so run once, and we're at 32 seconds. Bombers take time out. Run again and let the 20-second clock run to zero. Ottawa takes their time out. -25 seconds = 7 seconds left. Punt takes 3 seconds from snap to reception, and we have 4 seconds left on the clock. We get a single play at the most.
As our D was gassed, so I doubt we win the OT.
Quote from: TBURGESS on August 16, 2025, 12:32:15 AMHonestly, that game should have gone to OT.
Ottawa got the ball with 37 seconds left. We had 1 timeout. Runs take 5 seconds or more, so run once, and we're at 32 seconds. Bombers take time out. Run again and let the 20-second clock run to zero. Ottawa takes their time out. -25 seconds = 7 seconds left. Punt takes 3 seconds from snap to reception, and we have 4 seconds left on the clock. We get a single play at the most.
As our D was gassed, so I doubt we win the OT.
We would have won in OT.
WPG>OTT
Zach>>>Crum
Quote from: Waffler on August 16, 2025, 12:11:36 AMYes, I am wondering now if Sterns and Myron Mitchel looked so good because we just had brought in a poor crop. Demski was himself but Schoen didn't practice. So who did we have to compare to?
Sterns is a good receiver
Quote from: Blueforlife on August 16, 2025, 12:01:37 AMDisagree on roster management. Allen was better off learning for half the year than coming on right away. He would have developed and benefited greatly from his time on the PR imo.
You are seeing result from both his tools as an athlete and the experience gained from half a season waiting imo.
There is no ticking time bomb on Hogan. The guy with the sign is doing the classic panic knee jerk reaction imo. He will come around but it will take time.
Moving Wheatie to the slot hard no. He just starting to cook. Great way to ruin the recipe.Agree buddy ordered a chicken Sammie and it was worse than fast food
Bombers can do better
Just obnoxious obliviousness.
The secondary was a mess of self inflected wounds since day one this year.
We started Parker at safety, a spot he proved not to be suited for at all, even though we know him to be a pretty good corner.
In that corner spot we put Marquise Bridges who you were defending until the moment we released him due to being so far from acceptability.
We had Vaval pegged as a field corner but the early indications are he's better on the boundary.
We decided, in what could be a key game come playoff time to start Kelly at safety who was so spectacularly bad be only got one game and is now buried on the depth chart. To make matters worse that game could have probably been won if our safety stopped just one of the early explosion plays Kelly gave up.
We kept Cam Allen on the bench throughout all of this despite the fact he had a great training camp and has the safety body type that almost all football teams use and when he did come in, finally, he looked great. He would have looked great there from week one or at least as good as the undersized, miscast Parker, and certainly 10x better than Kelly.
They blew it big time. They're on the right track now. But it's half way through the season. Even good coaching staffs make mistakes. O'Shea and JY are human and make mistakes too. Obviously.
Quote from: Waffler on August 16, 2025, 12:11:36 AMYes, I am wondering now if Sterns and Myron Mitchel looked so good because we just had brought in a poor crop. Demski was himself but Schoen didn't practice. So who did we have to compare to?
Myron Mitchell did everything he could to win the receiving job in TC and they gave it to Dillon. Wheatfall is not built to take a beating, another game like that and he might not be available for the next one.
Quote from: Sir Blue and Gold on August 16, 2025, 12:46:37 AMJust obnoxious obliviousness.
The secondary was a mess of self inflected wounds since day one this year.
We started Parker at safety, a spot he proved not to be suited for at all, even though we know him to be a pretty good corner.
In that corner spot we put Marquise Bridges who you were defending until the moment we released him due to being so far from acceptability.
We had Vaval pegged as a field corner but the early indications are he's better on the boundary.
We decided, in what could be a key game come playoff time to start Kelly at safety who was so spectacularly bad be only got one game and is now buried on the depth chart. To make matters worse that game could have probably been won if our safety stopped just one of the early explosion plays Kelly gave up.
We kept Cam Allen on the bench throughout all of this despite the fact he had a great training camp and has the safety body type that almost all football teams use and when he did come in, finally, he looked great. He would have looked great there from week one or at least as good as the undersized, mistyped Parker, and certainly 10x better than Kelly.
They blew it big time. They're on the right track now. But it's half way through the season. Even good coaching staffs make mistakes. O'Shea and JY are great choices but they make mistakes too. Obviously.
Yeah too bad O'Shea doesnt listen to us we could have saved him some heartache!
Lets see we had booted Bridges 3 games ago, wanted Allen to start 2 games ago, wanted Mitchell in (ok that hasnt worked out great so far)
Now if he can insert Woods for Ayers/Jones most of his problems would be less!
Quote from: Sir Blue and Gold on August 16, 2025, 12:46:37 AMJust obnoxious obliviousness.
The secondary was a mess of self inflected wounds since day one this year.
We started Parker at safety, a spot he proved not to be suited for at all, even though we know him to be a pretty good corner.
In that corner spot we put Marquise Bridges who you were defending until the moment we released him due to being so far from acceptability.
We had Vaval pegged as a field corner but the early indications are he's better on the boundary.
We decided, in what could be a key game come playoff time to start Kelly at safety who was so spectacularly bad be only got one game and is now buried on the depth chart. To make matters worse that game could have probably been won if our safety stopped just one of the early explosion plays Kelly gave up.
We kept Cam Allen on the bench throughout all of this despite the fact he had a great training camp and has the safety body type that almost all football teams use and when he did come in, finally, he looked great. He would have looked great there from week one or at least as good as the undersized, miscast Parker, and certainly 10x better than Kelly.
They blew it big time. They're on the right track now. But it's half way through the season. Even good coaching staffs make mistakes. O'Shea and JY are human and make mistakes too. Obviously.
I don't agree with your take we mismanaged the roster regarding Allen. I like many thought he showed a spark. Some wanted him on right away. I was happy to wait. Don't make the debate into something it's not. No need to get nasty. You sure don't react well one someone challenges your view. No right or wrong answers here, just two people's opposing views.
Kelly was forced into action due to injury. To suggest one player is 10x another not a reasonable analysis. Parker did ok. Allen will be good but will take time. We will never know what Allen at safety would have done for our record and there is no guarantee that he would have looked great from game 1. I think he would have been not as good as Parker was but a little better than Kelly. At this point he looks ready. Allen benefited from us taking it slow with him. I believe we played this ok. Tried Parker and got hurt. Kelly got roasted and now we got Allen. If Parker comes back soon, we will have a lot of flexibility and Kelly can continue to develop or just he a good depth guy.
Bridges didn't work out, that happens. Club was high on him. He was our best option at corner at the time due to experience, who feel out of favour and Vaval stepped up. I wasn't sure about him but was willing to be patient as I seen promise there. The last few games he played I was concerned about his ability to cover the deep ball but we had few other options at the time on the AR to replace him.
I don't believe that Parker is or was the best option at corner. I will be happy when he returns and will be interesting to see how we use him.
Quote from: Pete on August 16, 2025, 12:52:30 AMYeah too bad O'Shea doesnt listen to us we could have saved him some heartache!
Lets see we had booted Bridges 3 games ago, wanted Allen to start 2 games ago, wanted Mitchell in (ok that hasnt worked out great so far)
Now if he can insert Woods for Ayers/Jones most of his problems would be less!
Hard to say how much a difference Allen would have made. Woods might help but Ayers and Jones are good too.
Quote from: Blueforlife on August 16, 2025, 12:39:16 AMSterns is a good receiver
He is currently 30th in the league with 340 yards and projects to a 680 yard season. He's 111 yards better than Clercius. We just need more than that. Demski is our only healthy receiver that other teams would grab in an instant.
Quote from: Waffler on August 16, 2025, 12:57:29 AMHe is currently 30th in the league with 340 yards and projects to a 680 yard season. He's 111 yards better than Clercius. We just need more than that. Demski is our only healthy receiver that other teams would grab in an instant.
My opinion on Sterns remains, guy is starting to come on. Had a good game. Getting Tds. I believe our receivers will come on and will do it by committee. Yes we need more production. Yesterday 1st step in right direction.
Sterns pace would be decent after a few 4 or 500 yard years in Sask. Trending right.
Quote from: TBURGESS on August 16, 2025, 12:32:15 AMAs our D was gassed, so I doubt we win the OT.
Easy solution:
- win toss: go on O first
- lose toss: they force you to go on O first
In either case you can give your D another 5 mins rest. I say we win OT unless wacky poop transpires.
Quote from: barbk on August 15, 2025, 11:42:56 PMThe only bad thing I have to add is the food concession in the upper level... I usually don't complain but wow it is getting worse for service and food quality. Someone had ordered a bucket of chicken and said he waited over 20 minutes and demanded a refund (the poor employee was so flustered she didn't know what to do or say to the angered customer). I waited 10 minutes for 2 orders of fries but was a little disappointed (fries were very greasy) This was 1 hour before kick off (couldn't imagine at halftime)
You're saying food took 10-20 mins ONE HOUR BEFORE KICK OFF? As in "no line yet"?
Maybe they didn't start the deep fryers early enough? Took time to get up to temp? Sometimes they let people in too early and the concessions aren't ready yet.
What I find they have trouble with is if you're waiting for something that isn't ready yet. Then you get forgotten because there is no process. I once waited for a game-promotion burger (a $12 one, not the $50 special ones) for 20 mins: they kept coming up from the kitchen and another staff would grab it and give it to someone who ordered way after me. The people helping me wouldn't bother checking and grabbing mine. I eventually had to tell my people "hey my burger just came up go grab it".
Zero process. And most (not all) staff is undertrained and don't give a single crap at all once they've taken your money.
I now say "what's ready", then I order that. Don't order anything that's not ready.
On the bright side, the West side 200-level food is always pretty good. You definitely need to know what to order, and stick to your standard choices.
Shawarma Khan is always great, and great fast friendly service. The chicken tasted off late last season but is now back to being super great. They fixed that problem. The pizza is always good "enough". Chicken fingers & fries always good. Burger looked funky last night but tasted fine.
Quote from: barbk on August 15, 2025, 11:42:56 PMThe fly by during the anthem was awesome but couldn't see them due to the over hang (only heard them)
Even worse, they turned West after, meaning West upper decks couldn't see them AT ALL, even flying away. Usually they turn East.
I always say, fly the F18 10' above the uprights! :o :o
Quote from: Sir Blue and Gold on August 15, 2025, 10:42:25 PMYou can tell why Dillon Mitchell was looked at primarily as a wide out. He's slow for the slot. I'd consider moving Wheatfall to slot and Mitchell to boundary. When does Wilson come back again?
I watched the REC pre-snap alignment with binocs most of the game. D.Mitchell
was out wide most of the game when he was in. I think they were moving Wheatie and/or Clercius in a lot. Wheatie was almost certainly inside slot when he was taking all of those middle beatings.
Also, when jumbo was in, Michell was almost always the guy coming off.
Quote from: Throw Long Bannatyne on August 15, 2025, 07:16:38 PMNeeds to throw it 1/2 second earlier.
The story of 2025 and 2024.
Quote from: Throw Long Bannatyne on August 15, 2025, 06:28:35 PMDid not like that deep bomb to Demski that led to the interception, gambling on a low percentage pass and failing at a critical time was like going all in on a roll of the dice.
I 100% applaud the deep shot. BE BOLD. We're such wimps. That's why we lost 3 cups. MTL won only because they were bold.
As we've seen, we can just as easily be INTed on a 8Yer as a 45Yer.
Remember, a 45Y INT with not much YAC is equal to a punt.
I like the call, and it was close to succeeding. Take the kill shot.
Quote from: TecnoGenius on August 16, 2025, 02:28:46 AMYou're saying food took 10-20 mins ONE HOUR BEFORE KICK OFF? As in "no line yet"?
Maybe they didn't start the deep fryers early enough? Took time to get up to temp? Sometimes they let people in too early and the concessions aren't ready yet.
What I find they have trouble with is if you're waiting for something that isn't ready yet. Then you get forgotten because there is no process. I once waited for a game-promotion burger (a $12 one, not the $50 special ones) for 20 mins: they kept coming up from the kitchen and another staff would grab it and give it to someone who ordered way after me. The people helping me wouldn't bother checking and grabbing mine. I eventually had to tell my people "hey my burger just came up go grab it".
Zero process. And most (not all) staff is undertrained and don't give a single crap at all once they've taken your money.
I now say "what's ready", then I order that. Don't order anything that's not ready.
On the bright side, the West side 200-level food is always pretty good. You definitely need to know what to order, and stick to your standard choices.
Shawarma Khan is always great, and great fast friendly service. The chicken tasted off late last season but is now back to being super great. They fixed that problem. The pizza is always good "enough". Chicken fingers & fries always good. Burger looked funky last night but tasted fine.
Even worse, they turned West after, meaning West upper decks couldn't see them AT ALL, even flying away. Usually they turn East.
I always say, fly the F18 10' above the uprights! :o :o
Remember the first game they did the fly-by? It was more of a fly-through! I swear they went right between the upper deck covers. If I recall correctly, that led to numerous people living around the stadium complaining about the noise, and they've never come close like that again.
I am sure this was related to the stadium being early in it's existence and all the people living around it being very sensitive to any inconveniences that could occur.
Don't mean to open up a can of worms. I just don't remember so many complaints by all the people living in the west end and east St. James at the old stadium.
Quote from: Pete on August 15, 2025, 05:29:00 PMBad
Randolph's penalty it was a cheap play on his part
I think Randolph is on the bubble, and he knows it. I think he's feeling the heat.
Vant/Wallace seem to have won the LG spot. I don't think Randolph is in the running anymore.
He's been sucking worse at RT every week. I tell you Lofton is the desired RT.
We may have zero need for Randolph come FA. We'll need his PR/dev spot to trying to find our next "real" OT (or 2!).
That said, Randolph did have a better game this week. The fire showed. He just didn't temper and direct it enough. The 2 penalties he took were really dumb.
Good:
Every player upped their game. Every player made that little extra one play.
It's absolutely amazing the results when your team makes the extra play instead of the other team. Sometimes it's literally the entire difference between winning & losing.
Like Wheatie hanging on to those 2 suicide balls. Last season he drops those.
What a great game from effort, focus & concentration. I hope the players see that this stuff matters and means you win.
Quote from: TecnoGenius on August 16, 2025, 02:37:12 AMI 100% applaud the deep shot. BE BOLD. We're such wimps. That's why we lost 3 cups. MTL won only because they were bold.
As we've seen, we can just as easily be INTed on a 8Yer as a 45Yer.
Remember, a 45Y INT with not much YAC is equal to a punt.
I like the call, and it was close to succeeding. Take the kill shot.
Agreed - taking the long shot certainly wasn't the worst play call. As you said - a long ball like that is akin to a punt, with less risk of a return.
More egregious is having Strev run on 2nd and 2+, and adding to that, he stayed upright and essentially guaranteed he would be pushed back and not make it.
The second most was then NOT going for the 3rd and 1 yard. I'm with Doug Brown on this one, and was before the play happened. And props to the guys behind me - he clearly called not only that we may miss the field goal on 3rd, but that it would then be run back for a TD, which of course it was.
Once you've done the stupid move to run Strev on 2nd and more than 2, at least finish the thought and go for it on 3rd and 1. Why deviate from that?
Quote from: TecnoGenius on August 16, 2025, 02:48:21 AMGood:
Every player upped their game. Every player made that little extra one play.
It's absolutely amazing the results when your team makes the extra play instead of the other team. Sometimes it's literally the entire difference between winning & losing.
Like Wheatie hanging on to those 2 suicide balls. Last season he drops those.
What a great game from effort, focus & concentration. I hope the players see that this stuff matters and means you win.
Well if this isn't the "sunshine and roses" post of the day for this (thankfully resurrected) thread of "Good, Bad and the Ugly".
And I mean that. While it may seem to be all optimistic and devoid of the crap that happened last night, I can't argue against any of it and it's nice to see some serious positive aspects of the game highlighted. I for one was not feeling positive driving home after that game, but Tecno - you are absolutely right on these points.
Quote from: Big Daddy on August 16, 2025, 03:00:03 AMAnd I mean that. While it may seem to be all optimistic and devoid of the crap that happened last night, I can't argue against any of it and it's nice to see some serious positive aspects of the game highlighted. I for one was not feeling positive driving home after that game, but Tecno - you are absolutely right on these points.
Yup, on rewatch I can probably find one great play from everyone. Take Fatboi, having at least 2 huge plays. Shmekel with at least 2 huge plays. Adams a huge play. Kyrie. T.Jones. Holm. Even Ballsy... keep going.
Everyone who has been the punching bag had 1+ moments that made a big difference.
That's how you win games. Even if our talent is worse on paper, we can win like that.
How you win games... play 2-7 Toronto, 3-7 Ottawa teams.
Quote from: TBURGESS on August 16, 2025, 03:11:24 AMHow you win games... play 2-7 Toronto, 3-7 Ottawa teams.
I'll take it!! And teams with no QB (MTL). Maybe SSK won't have "Made Of Glass" T.Harris by the time we face them... he's due for his annual injury stint.
Is it fair we got CGY 3 times this season? (And soon SSK?) We got a crap schedule. If we get help in other places, so be it.
Quote from: TecnoGenius on August 16, 2025, 02:40:39 AMI think Randolph is on the bubble, and he knows it. I think he's feeling the heat.
Vant/Wallace seem to have won the LG spot. I don't think Randolph is in the running anymore.
He's been sucking worse at RT every week. I tell you Lofton is the desired RT.
We may have zero need for Randolph come FA. We'll need his PR/dev spot to trying to find our next "real" OT (or 2!).
That said, Randolph did have a better game this week. The fire showed. He just didn't temper and direct it enough. The 2 penalties he took were really dumb.
No he's not. Week 9 he was the best ranked tackle in the entire league. One of the few bright spots we've had along the offensive line.
Quote from: TecnoGenius on August 16, 2025, 02:37:12 AMI 100% applaud the deep shot. BE BOLD. We're such wimps. That's why we lost 3 cups. MTL won only because they were bold.
As we've seen, we can just as easily be INTed on a 8Yer as a 45Yer.
Remember, a 45Y INT with not much YAC is equal to a punt.
I like the call, and it was close to succeeding. Take the kill shot.
Zach's bold play flopped, if Ottawa hadn't mismanaged the clock in the last 37 seconds the game goes to OT, fortunately Condell screwed up even worse than Zach.
Quote from: Sir Blue and Gold on August 16, 2025, 04:59:08 AMNo he's not. Week 9 he was the best ranked tackle in the entire league. One of the few bright spots we've had along the offensive line.
Then he single-handedly lost the Week 10 game. And I don't read much into PFF's phantom OL ratings. They always gave Dobson best-in-CFL ratings and Dobson was at best half the LG Desjar was when here.
I guarantee that if Lofton is healthy he gets the RT spot. The one week Lofton was healthy, he got the coveted "harder" LT spot (which Randolph has played in the past), which says to me he's considered "better". (And I don't think we ever started Lofton at LT before(?) so you can't say we did it for consistency.)
If Randolph is our desired RT going forward (including into 2026) then I hope he dev's a heck of a lot more, or I think he'll keep losing us games. The only I thing going for him vs Lofton is he's much younger.
Randolph looks skinny and tiny out there compared to the other hoggies, especially compared to Big Stan or Yoshi (when here). I just don't think he's good enough, and I think all his starting this year is proving it.
Quote from: Throw Long Bannatyne on August 16, 2025, 05:08:40 AMZach's bold play flopped, if Ottawa hadn't mismanaged the clock in the last 37 seconds the game goes to OT, fortunately Condell screwed up worse than Zach.
It wasn't Zach's play, it was Hogan/MOS's play. They called the shot. It was man, so Zach took it. Blame the coaches/callers.
And was it 2nd down? Same as a punt should he not get the 1st anyhow. If it was 1st, then I love the shot even more because everyone and their dog thinks "Brady gut run". That would explain the man-on-man.
As for Condell... par for the course.
Good:
Fatboi running down Dru, including a direction change, may be one of my top-3 regular season Bomber moments of the last decade. I bet Dru thought he'd easily escape. Did you see Fatboi high-stepping, upright, high-knee run?
Watching on the PVR now, I see TSN didn't show the Fatboi tackle on Dru at all. I was watching in-play and post-whistle with binocs and it was this play that Dru busted his knee/ankle. NOT the play a few plays later where Dru takes another scramble tackle and goes down for good.
Quote from: TecnoGenius on August 16, 2025, 03:17:06 AMI'll take it!! And teams with no QB (MTL). Maybe SSK won't have "Made Of Glass" T.Harris by the time we face them... he's due for his annual injury stint.
Is it fair we got CGY 3 times this season? (And soon SSK?) We got a crap schedule. If we get help in other places, so be it.
Luck of the draw. No one knew how much better CGY would be when they made the schedule. Maybe they wouldn't have been gifted draft picks 8 and 17.
Don't jinx QB injuries the week before we play Lemon. The top 3 teams in the west have Adams, Harris, and Collaros and then a big drop off. It could be a matter of attrition or luck.
Quote from: Sir Blue and Gold on August 16, 2025, 12:46:37 AMJust obnoxious obliviousness.
The secondary was a mess of self inflected wounds since day one this year.
We started Parker at safety, a spot he proved not to be suited for at all, even though we know him to be a pretty good corner.
In that corner spot we put Marquise Bridges who you were defending until the moment we released him due to being so far from acceptability.
We had Vaval pegged as a field corner but the early indications are he's better on the boundary.
We decided, in what could be a key game come playoff time to start Kelly at safety who was so spectacularly bad be only got one game and is now buried on the depth chart. To make matters worse that game could have probably been won if our safety stopped just one of the early explosion plays Kelly gave up.
We kept Cam Allen on the bench throughout all of this despite the fact he had a great training camp and has the safety body type that almost all football teams use and when he did come in, finally, he looked great. He would have looked great there from week one or at least as good as the undersized, miscast Parker, and certainly 10x better than Kelly.
They blew it big time. They're on the right track now. But it's half way through the season. Even good coaching staffs make mistakes. O'Shea and JY are human and make mistakes too. Obviously.
Agree 100%. The notion he "needed" development time on the PR is purely coping with a poor roster decision that I believe many posters here called out from day 1. Teams start rookies every year, at pretty much any position minus QB. The rookie of the year right now very well may be a safety (Slywka). The Bombers made their decision as to where Bridges and Parker were going to play before TC even started. There was no competition.
Parker at safety never made sense. He has been a corner his entire career, secondary-wise the only bigger difference between safety and corner would be SAM and corner.
Quote from: kkc60 on August 16, 2025, 03:08:45 PMAgree 100%. The notion he "needed" development time on the PR is purely coping with a poor roster decision that I believe many posters here called out from day 1. Teams start rookies every year, at pretty much any position minus QB. The rookie of the year right now very well may be a safety (Slywka). The Bombers made their decision as to where Bridges and Parker were going to play before TC even started. There was no competition.
Parker at safety never made sense. He has been a corner his entire career, secondary-wise the only bigger difference between safety and corner would be SAM and corner.
Some wanted Allen to come on right away, I called for a more patient approach where he came on mid season. There is no way to know how well he would have done on game 1 but we know he did well by having some extra time to develop. A better outcome imo. Really easy to do a told you so after the fact. I will admit, he did better than I thought as I wasn't sure he would help our troubles at back end that much. We need a handful of games to see how this pans out.
Quote from: TecnoGenius on August 16, 2025, 06:29:25 AMGood:
Fatboi running down Dru, including a direction change, may be one of my top-3 regular season Bomber moments of the last decade. I bet Dru thought he'd easily escape. Did you see Fatboi high-stepping, upright, high-knee run?
Watching on the PVR now, I see TSN didn't show the Fatboi tackle on Dru at all. I was watching in-play and post-whistle with binocs and it was this play that Dru busted his knee/ankle. NOT the play a few plays later where Dru takes another scramble tackle and goes down for good.
Nice man nice. While many roaster Fatboi for a many years and even wanted him gone, he proved while on the decline he still has got the ability.
Quote from: TecnoGenius on August 16, 2025, 03:06:37 AMYup, on rewatch I can probably find one great play from everyone. Take Fatboi, having at least 2 huge plays. Shmekel with at least 2 huge plays. Adams a huge play. Kyrie. T.Jones. Holm. Even Ballsy... keep going.
Everyone who has been the punching bag had 1+ moments that made a big difference.
That's how you win games. Even if our talent is worse on paper, we can win like that.
Love it man, yup the depth guys make an impact
Bird bird bird bird is word
Quote from: Blueforlife on August 16, 2025, 03:30:19 PMSome wanted Allen to come on right away, I called for a more patient approach where he came on mid season. There is no way to know how well he would have done on game 1 but we know he did well by having some extra time to develop. A better outcome imo. Really easy to do a told you so after the fact. I will admit, he did better than I thought as I wasn't sure he would help our troubles at back end that much. We need a handful of games to see how this pans out.
Actually, we do not know if he did well by having time to develop. He looked like the same player Thursday as he did in the preseason games. Sure, you can factor in talent level of who he was playing against (2nd,3rd and 4th stringers) but he always looked like a natural at safety, something Parker did not. And I do not believe anyone is "I told you so"-ing you. When you tell people they are wrong consistently, and early returns show they are right, then they simply may have been....right the whole time. You said he was too raw, but at no point either in the preseason or Thursday night did he look raw. He looked like a safety and it's a shame favouritism kept him off the field so long.
I agree we need a handful of games to truly know, but I just really do not see what could change for him to suddenly not be good. He can make plays on the ball and lay the lumber, two things we have not had at safety since prime Alexander.
Quote from: TecnoGenius on August 16, 2025, 05:13:01 AMIt wasn't Zach's play, it was Hogan/MOS's play. They called the shot. It was man, so Zach took it. Blame the coaches/callers.
And was it 2nd down? Same as a punt should he not get the 1st anyhow. If it was 1st, then I love the shot even more because everyone and their dog thinks "Brady gut run". That would explain the man-on-man.
As for Condell... par for the course.
The deep route is only one branch of the route tree, Zach decides in the moment which one to take, he gambled and lost based on poor execution of the throw, so can't see how it was Logan's fault.
This isn't a theoretical discussion, consider the context, it was 1st down on the Bomber 30 with 47 secs. left and the score was tied, they had time enough to run a few high percentage plays to move the ball into FG range for the win, why on earth would an interception or a punt be ok in that situation? The fact they got the ball back with 18 seconds remaining was a miracle, notice Zach didn't throw a long bomb the second time around.
Quote from: Blueforlife on August 16, 2025, 03:30:19 PMSome wanted Allen to come on right away, I called for a more patient approach where he came on mid season. There is no way to know how well he would have done on game 1 but we know he did well by having some extra time to develop. A better outcome imo. Really easy to do a told you so after the fact. I will admit, he did better than I thought as I wasn't sure he would help our troubles at back end that much. We need a handful of games to see how this pans out.Nice man nice. While many roaster Fatboi for a many years and even wanted him gone, he proved while on the decline he still has got the ability.Love it man, yup the depth guys make an impact
Bird bird bird bird is word
Allen played in the pre season games. GAME SPEED, even though many rookies against rookies. It's possible being on the PR took away game readiness and reaction time.
His 2 PI penalties ( which were doubtful at best ) may have been the difference of sitting on the PR for the 1st 8 games.
There is no way to be certain, he developed more by sitting on the PR than if he had been playing from day 1.
Arguments could be made on either position. Many rookies start the season early and progress as the season develops. Others play like veteran players from the 1st snap.
For the most part I'm not a fan of the slow development concept. Even O'Shea says everybody is a starter. CFL seasons are short. Come out of training camp ready to play or get out of town.
Canadian players get more leeway time due to supply / demand issues. Import players don't get as much time to be ready.
There are more rookie imports in TC than Canadians and those that win spots somewhere on the roster need to be ready immediately. Those that end up as PR players is a ranking behind veterans or higher ranked rookies in TC that make the AR.
As far as Allen goes, I think he will be more ready for the next game after playing at game speed and conditions. Whether he develops as a legit CFL starter is always a TBD, but IMO he started off well.
Quote from: Blue In BC on August 16, 2025, 05:18:54 PMAllen played in the pre season games. GAME SPEED, even though many rookies against rookies. It's possible being on the PR took away game readiness and reaction time.
His 2 PI penalties ( which were doubtful at best ) may have been the difference of sitting on the PR for the 1st 8 games.
There is no way to be certain, he developed more by sitting on the PR than if he had been playing from day 1.
Arguments could be made on either position. Many rookies start the season early and progress as the season develops. Others play like veteran players from the 1st snap.
For the most part I'm not a fan of the slow development concept. Even O'Shea says everybody is a starter. CFL seasons are short. Come out of training camp ready to play or get out of town.
Canadian players get more leeway time due to supply / demand issues. Import players don't get as much time to be ready.
There are more rookie imports in TC than Canadians and those that win spots somewhere on the roster need to be ready immediately. Those that end up as PR players is a ranking behind veterans or higher ranked rookies in TC that make the AR.
As far as Allen goes, I think he will be more ready for the next game after playing at game speed and conditions. Whether he develops as a legit CFL starter is always a TBD, but IMO he started off well.
Allen showed he's a good physical player but I doubt they'll play him as the single Safety anytime soon and he'll continue in a transitional part-time role, which is the perfect way to integrate IMO. The secondary showed improvement in the last 2 games and I think much of it has to do with Kramdi's communication ability. I don't know if he can do that from SAM or not.
When Parker comes back, does Dexter Lawson get shuffled to the PR or will Vaval stick with kick returns?
Quote from: Throw Long Bannatyne on August 16, 2025, 05:45:29 PMAllen showed he's a good physical player but I doubt they'll play him as the single Safety anytime soon and he'll continue in a transitional part-time role, which is the perfect way to integrate IMO. The secondary showed improvement in the last 2 games and I think much of it has to do with Kramdi's communication ability. I don't know if he can do that from SAM or not.
When Parker comes back, does Dexter Lawson get shuffled to the PR or will Vaval stick with kick returns?
Exactly the way I would do it. Developing Canadian talent is the key to long term success. I prefer the slow cooker method. Better seasoning.
Quote from: kkc60 on August 16, 2025, 04:03:22 PMQuote from: Blueforlife on August 16, 2025, 03:30:19 PMSome wanted Allen to come on right away, I called for a more patient approach where he came on mid season. There is no way to know how well he would have done on game 1 but we know he did well by having some extra time to develop. A better outcome imo. Really easy to do a told you so after the fact. I will admit, he did better than I thought as I wasn't sure he would help our troubles at back end that much. We need a handful of games to see how this pans out.
Actually, we do not know if he did well by having time to develop. He looked like the same player Thursday as he did in the preseason games. Sure, you can factor in talent level of who he was playing against (2nd,3rd and 4th stringers) but he always looked like a natural at safety, something Parker did not. And I do not believe anyone is "I told you so"-ing you. When you tell people they are wrong consistently, and early returns show they are right, then they simply may have been....right the whole time. You said he was too raw, but at no point either in the preseason or Thursday night did he look raw. He looked like a safety and it's a shame favouritism kept him off the field so long.
I agree we need a handful of games to truly know, but I just really do not see what could change for him to suddenly not be good. He can make plays on the ball and lay the lumber, two things we have not had at safety since prime Alexander.
He is a rookie and a raw talent imo that is best developed slowly to ensure he is developed in a way that can attempt to make him a long term option for the club. Yup showed well in his 1st game and I was and still am super excited for him to continue his development.
Quote from: Blue In BC on August 16, 2025, 05:18:54 PMAllen played in the pre season games. GAME SPEED, even though many rookies against rookies. It's possible being on the PR took away game readiness and reaction time.
His 2 PI penalties ( which were doubtful at best ) may have been the difference of sitting on the PR for the 1st 8 games.
There is no way to be certain, he developed more by sitting on the PR than if he had been playing from day 1.
Arguments could be made on either position. Many rookies start the season early and progress as the season develops. Others play like veteran players from the 1st snap.
For the most part I'm not a fan of the slow development concept. Even O'Shea says everybody is a starter. CFL seasons are short. Come out of training camp ready to play or get out of town.
Canadian players get more leeway time due to supply / demand issues. Import players don't get as much time to be ready.
There are more rookie imports in TC than Canadians and those that win spots somewhere on the roster need to be ready immediately. Those that end up as PR players is a ranking behind veterans or higher ranked rookies in TC that make the AR.
As far as Allen goes, I think he will be more ready for the next game after playing at game speed and conditions. Whether he develops as a legit CFL starter is always a TBD, but IMO he started off well.
I think being on the PR suits a rookie well to learn the play book and get ready for the regular season. I agree with everything else you said but don't think the get out of town comment reflects the nature of a sport which has many depth and PR players which are developed over years not games.
Quote from: Blueforlife on August 16, 2025, 06:14:50 PMExactly the way I would do it. Developing Canadian talent is the key to long term success. I prefer the slow cooker method. Better seasoning.He is a rookie and a raw talent imo that is best developed slowly to ensure he is developed in a way that can attempt to make him a long term option for the club. Yup showed well in his 1st game and I was and still am super excited for him to continue his development.I think being on the PR suits a rookie well to learn the play book and get ready for the regular season. I agree with everything else you said but don't think the get out of town comment reflects the nature of a sport which has many depth and PR players which are developed over years not games.
Tell that to the 30 or 40 players each cuts when final rosters are declared. Either not good enough, not ready enough, or beat out by others that were perceived to be closer to those goals.
Many players, particularly imports don't survive to the next TC if they didn't get onto the AR for at least some games.
A Canadian player has a better chance to stick a 2nd season on a PR but few may want to. It's move up or move out.
Look at our current PR. Woods and Weitz are all that were here in 2024. Kornelson was drafted in 2023 but went back to school after both TC's. Weitz is only here because of the global mandate. With all the LB's we have, it's doubtful he makes the AR again this season. I would suggest he probably isn't back in 2026 after we draft 2 new global players.
PR players are not generally developed over multiple seasons.
Quote from: Throw Long Bannatyne on August 16, 2025, 04:45:23 PMThe deep route is only one branch of the route tree, Zach decides in the moment which one to take, he gambled and lost based on poor execution of the throw, so can't see how it was Logan's fault.
If Hogan want conservative in that situation then he'll call a play where the only go routes are clearing routes. Zach will know not to throw there. He won't just suddenly do it unless someone is miles open, which is always hard on a post route 50Y away because any DB on the field can close that gap.
It seems clear to me
Hogan either called a deep shot as first read, or he at least permitted Zach to have that as an option. Otherwise he could have dialed up short/mid plays and made it clear those were the only reads.
Think MTL 3rd & 3 in the '23 GC. MTL had exactly one read dialed up, the wide pass for like 15Y. Every other guy was either doing max-pro or clearing route.
Quote from: Throw Long Bannatyne on August 16, 2025, 04:45:23 PMThis isn't a theoretical discussion, consider the context, it was 1st down on the Bomber 30 with 47 secs.
Ok, it was 1st down. I just rewatched. I totally agree you need to dink & dunk mid/short pass there as 2 deep shots won't bleed enough clock. As such, again, it's totally on Hogan to not even give Zach a deep read.
However, look at it again, OTT was playing waaaay off, smothering the mid range. They were trying to stop the 20-30Y pass, as most teams do in this keep-out-of-fg-range situation. As such, the only thing available was going to be short pass or extreme deep. And the fact Demski was "open" for a sec, and then 1-on-1, means they were right.
I guess if they connect to Demski instead of INT they could bleed the remaining 40s with run-run-FG.
Maybe Hogan/MOS were scared that the "free" 12Y out OTT would have given up wouldn't have gotten them in FG range in time.
In sum, maybe they weren't so crazy after all. It could have worked, and the 10Y outs may have run out of time (though we are supposed to be masters at the 45s drill, remember '17-'22?).
Zach was a touch too late (0.5-1.0s), and Demski didn't fight enough for the ball as some super-skill RECs may have.
P.S. The fact Hogan saw OTT playing 20Y off on the INTed series is why he dialed up the Zach 20Y run in the 2nd series!
Quote from: TecnoGenius on August 16, 2025, 05:10:07 AMThen he single-handedly lost the Week 10 game. And I don't read much into PFF's phantom OL ratings. They always gave Dobson best-in-CFL ratings and Dobson was at best half the LG Desjar was when here.
I guarantee that if Lofton is healthy he gets the RT spot. The one week Lofton was healthy, he got the coveted "harder" LT spot (which Randolph has played in the past), which says to me he's considered "better". (And I don't think we ever started Lofton at LT before(?) so you can't say we did it for consistency.)
If Randolph is our desired RT going forward (including into 2026) then I hope he dev's a heck of a lot more, or I think he'll keep losing us games. The only I thing going for him vs Lofton is he's much younger.
Randolph looks skinny and tiny out there compared to the other hoggies, especially compared to Big Stan or Yoshi (when here). I just don't think he's good enough, and I think all his starting this year is proving it.
I know you've previously stated you "don't care" about PFF but many others might find this interesting on Randolph from last week:
OFFENSIVE LINE OF THE WEEK: WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS
This was a tough call, as no offensive line stood out with a dominant performance last week. But the Winnipeg Blue Bombers earn the nod after a quietly solid showing despite not placing a single player on the Team of the Week. While the unit didn't make much of a mark in the run game, it excelled in pass protection. On 37 dropbacks, the Bombers allowed zero sacks, two hits and just four hurries. Their 97.3% pass-block win rate and 74.1 pass-blocking grade both led the league for the week. R
ight tackle Kendall Randolph stood out, surrendering no pressures and recording just one pass-block loss.