So. Here's hoping R. Hall sticks to more of his last 4 games then the rest of the previous record.
It sounds a bit crazy, but Hall laying the groundwork of the iffy D mid-season helped to catch our opponents off-guard (as booch said) in the playoffs. Hall's book is called Smoke & Mirrors. I think not only does Hall plan smoke & mirrors per game, he plans them between games, and between months. I guarantee it. (So does Lapo, BTW.)
I'm not saying Hall wanted his D to suck or wanted to lose; but there's an aspect of perhaps not tipping your hand too soon. You have to keep something in reserve. Between those losing mid-season games and the playoffs, he certainly showed he had dry powder in reserve!!
The fact that you were wrong in the past and remain wrong today at least makes you consistent, but it doesn't change the fact that you are wrong. It's not like we won the Grey Cup in spite of the defence, the defence was a big part of our victory. And it's not just one win, we had to get there first, and the journey included playoff games in which the defence had multiple goal line stands that definitely carried us. We had 39 total points scored against us in 3 playoff games.
I agree more with booch and jeremy. It's not like you're wrong, BinBC, it's just that I'm not sure you focus on the D as much as booch (or I) do. When you see SSK blow their zillion red-zone opportunities, you see it as their O failing. We see it as the WPG D stepping up and stopping them. In this particular instance, if you watch our D over and over, intently, in the WDF, you should start to see how our D was lights out on those last 2 critical SSK possessions in the red zone (and more). Pressure, coverage(!!), hip-pockets, SY stands. Hall had them coached up to perfection (especially the way we stopped SY in the entire post-season, often with only 6-7 defenders), and the players executed even better.
IMO that means he will want Nichols back as his 1st choice. Whether that works out falls into the wait and see aspect of free agency. As some have suggested Nichols may get a bigger offer in Ottawa and follow Lapo.
I'm not sure Nichols will get superstar offers from anywhere. The glut of new apparent-starter talent from '19 will depress QB raises and offers. The whole league knows Nichols as the "game manager" and he's not flashy and isn't the huge fan draw. Just look how few fan #15 jerseys there are at IGF! He's like the least loved winning QB in WPG history. Now pretend you're OTT. Your fans are pissed off, and they abandoned the home games for the last 4-5 games -- something that's never happened since Redblack inception. If you want to fire up your fans and get those ST renewals and walk-ups, you need a flashy QB with buzz. That's not Nichols! If they hire Nichols, some people will think "oh no, it could be another Davis-esque year!". They'll be wrong, but they might think it.
If I'm OTT, I'm going after whatever buzz-causing QBs I can get my hands on. Masoli, Arbuckle, Strev, Evans. Or you know who else would fill that job perfectly? How about the dude who just won the GC? Collaros to OTT would be huge buzz and an instant fan favorite. So I think the odds Nichols goes to OTT is less than anyone thinks, as literally the only thing going for it is Lapo likes/knows Nichols.
Whereas WPG keeping Nichols costs us nothing. Some fans will continue to mumble under their breaths, but no one is dropping their ST because it's another year of Nichols! Even better: I don't see how Nichols asks for a big raise for 2020.
Mike O'Shea[/b] said he feels QB Zach Collaros would like to return to the #Bombers. The team would lose their 1st round pick to the Argos if they sign Collaros and GM Kyle Walters said they're in a position where they could afford to lose the pick to get him signed. #wfp
That's what some of us said weeks ago. This year's FRDP is gravy and no one will miss it if we lose it. Still not convinced Collaros in WPG is going to happen, but all the public chatter about it is certainly making it look more likely than it did 2 weeks ago. I'd welcome Collaros at a reasonable price in a heartbeat! ... with a solid #2 backup!
