Official Game Day Thread - Ottawa at Winnipeg, August 14, 2025

[Blue In BC]

I watched the D attentively with binocs most of the night.  Kramdi really did play a lot of FS.  Lots of 2 S sets with Allen / Kramdi both at S.  I didn't see Kelly even once.  Clearly demoted.

T.Jones & Kyrie would swap WILL / MLB at times.  Interesting.

Lots of rotation on DL.  Hard to figure out what the rhyme or reason is.  But it was generally effective.  Hard for the OTT OL to get in a rhythm.

Lots of injuries for OTT.  I saw the 2 FBs take injury timeouts 3 times!  Dru down with ankle or knee.  Mauldin down once.  Another couple of guys too.  Some returned.

Dru being out definitely helped us.  They are a 2nd H team.  The squeaker could have gone the other way with a QB who can throw.  Although... that Crum run-in might have been just a FG with Dru in!  Never know.

We really didn't take any injury?  Holm went down but walked off and came back quickly (phew!).

On TV it's very difficult to see what rotations are used and to figure out the premise for a particular defensive set.

I'm not even sure if it was different than the last game aside from Allen on and Kelly off.

We did seem to get some pressure but also often lost contain in trying to accomplish that. Overall maybe a C+.

Schmekel had a very good game with a blocked punt and a sack.

Thomas may have had his best game in a couple of years.

[theaardvark]

Have to give hustle of the game to Jake Thomas, his chase down of Dru was amazing... honourable mention to Schemekel for the punt block, nice route to the punter.

[kkc60]

Really liked how guys I have been complaining about played yesterday: Neufeld, Kolankowski, Thomas. With that being said, coaching is what is going to get us burned this season.

Allen should be the starting S all season, Vaval can play ST and D at a high level, Wheatfall can hold onto the ball when getting hammered.

But Oline needs to run block better (strength issue?), Hogan needs to figure out how to use Mitchell, Wheatfall and Oliveira with more consistency, and MOS has to coach like he has the past 5 seasons and not how he did his first few. He's making bad decisions, and this game was a great example. Never challenging despite obvious facemask and DPI calls being missed, going for that infamous field goal.

[J5V]

That was last season, no?  I think Crum beat the Bombers again since the initial "Crumback".

Yes, correct, and you may also be right about a more recent Crumback that I may have ... repressed. 

[BomberFan73]

I watched the D attentively with binocs most of the night.  Kramdi really did play a lot of FS.  Lots of 2 S sets with Allen / Kramdi both at S.  I didn't see Kelly even once.  Clearly demoted.

T.Jones & Kyrie would swap WILL / MLB at times.  Interesting.

Lots of rotation on DL.  Hard to figure out what the rhyme or reason is.  But it was generally effective.  Hard for the OTT OL to get in a rhythm.

Lots of injuries for OTT.  I saw the 2 FBs take injury timeouts 3 times!  Dru down with ankle or knee.  Mauldin down once.  Another couple of guys too.  Some returned.

Dru being out definitely helped us.  They are a 2nd H team.  The squeaker could have gone the other way with a QB who can throw.  Although... that Crum run-in might have been just a FG with Dru in!  Never know.

We really didn't take any injury?  Holm went down but walked off and came back quickly (phew!).

Seemed in the 2nd half Kramdi & Griffin were often in like a split safety/cover 2 lineup. Griffin was easy to spot with his gold/yellow shoes. Kramdi was often barking orders and trying to get others into correct position.

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

Yes, correct, and you may also be right about a more recent Crumback that I may have ... repressed. 

I was wrong, Dru Brown beat the Bombers in wk #2 last season, they beat Crum later on in the second match.

[Pigskin]

Clercius 26/38  229 yards, 8.8 avg, 74 Yac, longest 44. Yac average 2.9 yards. Replacing Woli I was hoping for a little more out of him. Hasn't figured out yet how to make the first man miss to get those extra Yac yards.

[blue_gold_84]

Clercius 26/38  229 yards, 8.8 avg, 74 Yac, longest 44. Yac average 2.9 yards. Replacing Woli I was hoping for a little more out of him. Hasn't figured out yet how to make the first man miss to get those extra Yac yards.

The state of the offense hasn't helped any player from an individual production standpoint. I think Demski's the only player keeping pace with his "regular" production.

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

Seemed in the 2nd half Kramdi & Griffin were often in like a split safety/cover 2 lineup. Griffin was easy to spot with his gold/yellow shoes. Kramdi was often barking orders and trying to get others into correct position.

Will have to re-watch the game, don't understand how Allen if playing Safety ended up one on one with Addison at least twice along the sidelines, based on penalties alone.

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

Clercius 26/38  229 yards, 8.8 avg, 74 Yac, longest 44. Yac average 2.9 yards. Replacing Woli I was hoping for a little more out of him. Hasn't figured out yet how to make the first man miss to get those extra Yac yards.

Clercius has been adequate but limited, not exactly a playmaker or a great help to Zach, won't be too upset if he wants to leave in FA along with MCI.  I think they can find higher impact nationals.

[kkc60]

Clercius has been adequate but limited, not exactly a playmaker or a great help to Zach, won't be too upset if he wants to leave in FA along with MCI.  I think they can find higher impact nationals.

I disagree, especially with MCI. He could be a great gadget player, but Hogan lacks the creativity for him.

[Jesse]

Will have to re-watch the game, don't understand how Allen if playing Safety ended up one on one with Addison at least twice along the sidelines, based on penalties alone.

Addison leaves one player's zone and enters Allen's.

[peg_city]

I know there has been a lot of complaints about the game, but:

1) there were at least 3-4 significant penalties/non-calls that went against the bombers. The two pass interference calls against Cam Allen, the missed facemask and whatever the fourth one was.

2) the returned missed field goal was a coaching issue and to me, not a reflection of the teams performance. A certain percentage or missed field goals will be returned and pimpleton is one of the best returners. O'shea should have punted.

3) Our secondary played well. Ottawa has a good receiving core and Brown is a great QB and our secondary played well considering. If Parker can take over the Strong side corner spot when he is healthy, and Cam Allen plays well, we will be fine, which isn't something I thought was likely two weeks ago. Vaval looked good.

4) You need to have a game plan for Dustin Crum. He's been inserted into various games over the years and succeeded because of his legs. If Crum started, I don't think the game would have been close.

The last two weeks the bombers have looked better than the previous 4.

[TecnoGenius]

For those tracking whether it's "running QBs" that get hurt more or not, Dru got hurt scrambling/running... just sayin'.  And it's the way a running/scrambling QB always gets hurt: lower body.

[TecnoGenius]

Kelly may be playing himself off the team.  He's the one who was offside on the KO.  I don't recall a single WPG O/S on KO in the last decade?

It's one of the most embarrassing penalties in the game.  Someone took one in a game the other week (not WPG related).

The league sees 1 maybe 2 of these a season.  You really don't want it to be by your team!  MOS was seriously not happy on the sideline after that...