GDT Ssk at Ham, Sat June 14, 6:00PM

[TecnoGenius]

did i slip into a parallel universe??  we have Bomber fans actually hoping the riders win?? 

you understand how standings and points work?  you know that a home playoff game is huge for the Bombers?

I'm with you.  No matter how much we hate the E team, you always root for the E vs the W (except maybe the GC).  2 points is 2 points.

the ticats fans have been pretty faithful through some tough seasons..

I'm not so sure about the riders fans.

When Bombers aren't involved, I tend to hope for the team with the best fans, so ticats today.

I'm with you too.  Ticats fans are hurtin' like we were up to 2018.  And I met many nice ones when I was there.  There's no E team I'd rather see win a GC more than HAM (OTT a close 2nd).  Just not against us...

Ya, it'll suck if they do that with everyone-hates-BLM, but if they start winning it'll be in spite of BLM, not because of him.

That said, their fan base (seats in butts) started dropping precipitously last season.  Too much losing is hurting STH, and they have a really old (i.e. dying) fan base (a common refrain in the CFL).  It'd be nice if they could reverse that (get in new blood) like SSK and BC seem to be doing.

[TecnoGenius]

I can't believe they let Sask challenge that call so late.

Ya, we've seen this before.  They go to all-24 and confirm the challenge flag hit the turf before the snap.  If it did, they "undo" a play.  (I'm not sure if the NFL gives this consideration though.)

I'm ok with it, as it's not really the HC's job to make sure the ref sees.  Maybe a league spotter should be up in a booth and instantly radio down to refs when a flag hits, rather than relying on a ref 50Y away to notice.

If it was the other way, a ref(s) could potentially rig a game by just ignoring the challenge flag.

Perhaps more importantly, is why does Mace not understand the completion rules?  The fact Kenny drops it after falling is irrelevant, for the simple fact that he was not in the air / jumping / falling when he caught it.  And he clearly had possession, then started falling, then dropped it OOB.  I knew instantly Mace was full of it, and I think he actually believed he'd be right (even though it was kind of a "two-fer" challenge).

[TecnoGenius]

Blind man could even see that it was a TD

The issue was the bobble.  He caught it awkwardly and appeared to bobble it while still in the EZ.

It's very similar to the 2019 Bailey GC TD where they took the TD back.  In the case of Bailey his awkward aspect was he caught it on the back of one of his hands, though it barely moved.

In this SSK one the REC bottom hand does move its position on the ball slightly during a "double clutch" type motion.  The top hand stays solid.  Command decided that tiny bobble didn't matter... and it "produces more O", which is always a big goal of the CFL.  I can live with it, though I have seen these called non-TDs, and it is somewhat interesting they overturned the call on the field (somewhat of a rarity since the 2024 review memo).

But it reignites my PTSD about the '19 GC, LOL.

[TecnoGenius]

4Q4:39 HAM would have won a challenge on RTP, BLM was right, head hit and his head snapped like a rag doll.  Surprised refs didn't see it, and command could have called it down automatically...

I think they blew their challenge a few plays earlier.  Pays to get your challenges right, or leave them in your pocket.

[TecnoGenius]

Wow.  4Q1:44 is super clear and obvious IP (as well as offside when the DL reacts).  OL is falling forward well in advance of the snap.  Not sure I've ever seen the refs miss such an obvious IP before.  What the heck is going on... the game was still on the line here.

[TecnoGenius]

Why is HAM OC and BLM going for the Hail Mary on 1st down with 50s on the clock?  50s is more than enough time for WPG (or now BC) to run their tempo drill.  Ya, you probably go pass-mostly (because you need to get OOB), but you can mix short/mid/long.

And to long bomb it into double coverage... dumb.  And not to Kenny!  Double dumb!

On the bright side, we know BLM's range: 65Y on that pass attempt.  Not bad for a geriatric.  Beats Zach's!

[TecnoGenius]

Anyone else notice that SSK OC/Trevor has a little strategy/tendency?

For first 2.75Q's or so Trevor threw almost exclusively to the strong side.  Every snap he starts reading weak side then chucks it strong side.  He looked weak side maybe 3 times during all of that.

Then late 3rd and 4th Q he starts chucking to weak side non-stop: mostly Johnson but also Meyers.  And he then ignored strong side.

My hunch is this is all OC trickery, to lull the D into ignoring the weak slot at the end.  Which HAM did.  Johnson was wide open for the entire 4th and HAM never recovered.

Need to keep an eye on this when we play them.

P.S. SSK RECs still weakest in the league maybe, they only look good because of good OCing and mostly-short/quick pass game.  And they seem to be balancing the run better: those explosions force the D to loosen up on the pass.

[jayrock]

We don't need charity loses from the eastern teams. Our club will take care of business and beat the western teams and get first place and home field advantage. And you can quote me on that one!!

I am so saving this for later in the season. You can quote me on this one! LOL

[The Zipp]

I am so saving this for later in the season. You can quote me on this one! LOL

If needed at the end of the season that post will long be moved to the archives...LOL