Official Game Day Thread - Winnipeg at Calgary, August 9, 2025

[Jesse]

Woods might be out of luck unless they take Ayers of the "DL". Person is showing too well to take him off now and they haven't stacked the DL in a while.

[Pigskin]

Woe, guess he's not replacing Jake anytime soon, not as good as most thought?  Surprising move, maybe someone slapped their fingers about stacking the 1 game with non-injured players. If Lawson is iffy, they might have to dress Schmeck to back him up.

If Lawson is iffy, don't dress him at all. Give him a week or two off. Schmerk is healthy and ready to go.

[Jesse]

Lofton added to the 6 game?!?

[The Zipp]

yaaay the coaches figured out how to prepare a pro athlete to play a similar position.  Mitchell can play SB and doesn't need a position with a stationary start.

good work!!

[RebusRankin]

I like the Mitchell addition. Woods should have come on for Ayers who has played 17 defensive snaps total in 7 games. Not a fan of a Jake+Tanner DT rotation.

[gobombersgo]

[gobombersgo]

[gobombersgo]

markonfootball   @Markonfootball
Roster changes, August 9 vs Winnipeg (1 of 2)

Add to roster:

QB Vernon Adams
Receiver Clarke Barnes
Receiver Jalen Philpot
DB Jackson Sombach
LB Morice Blackwell

Roster changes, August 9 vs Winnipeg (2 of 2)

Remove from roster:

To Practice Roster:
Receiver Daylen Baldwin
Receiver Vyshonne Janusas
DB Dolani Robinson

To 1-game:
QB Josh Love
OL Tomas Jack-Kurdyla

INSTA-ANALYSIS: Stampeders offense receive a huge boost with QB Vernon Adams plus Canadian receivers Clarke Barnes and Jalen Philpot returning to the fold.  Not only is there plenty of experience returning to the field, but the Stamps much more ratio flexibility than in Ottawa.

[Blue In BC]

Hmmmm. The good news is that Parker and Lawson only went to the 1 game IR. That may mean Parker isn't lost for the season and could be back in a shorter time frame. Lawson was " limited " so he should be back much sooner.

The bad news is that Lofton is back on the 6 game IR after only playing 1 game?

I don't get the sticking with weak interior DL when Woods was available. For that matter I'm surprised he was moved to PR. If he's not deemed very good, then find a new player for the PR depth.

That's a lot of roster movement over the past 2 weeks.  Some expected and some not. I have concern about our depth at DT but Person was getting a lot of reps last game and playing well and seemed to be used inside and outside.

We need to be able to get pressure on VAJ.

[Sir Blue and Gold]

Lawson out is bad news for us although the one game list is hopeful. Mitchell better play hungry. Lofton back off is irrelevant as long as Bryant and Randolph stay healthy but we're playing with fire with Eli being the only backup offensive lineman. Like that Jonathan Jones stays on. Not sure what the fascination is with Ayers. He's shaping up to be this year's Navy Seal. I get he's tough and athletic but neither really matter much if he can't chip in somewhere on defense. Being tough and athletic on the sideline isn't helpful.

[Pete]

I think OShea plans at least one roster move every game to screw with us.
Last week it was case, this week its not putting woods in and adding smeckle

[Sir Blue and Gold]

I think OShea plans at least one roster move every game to screw with us.
Last week it was case, this week its not putting woods in and adding smeckle

Schmekel should have been playing behind Lawson for most of year anyway. There's no way that he can't average .4 defensive tackles (yes point-four) a game while providing better upside.

[Pigskin]

Our Canadian DTs haven't been good all season. Tanner will get his chance to make some plays and prove he should be on the AR.

Ayers is probably never coming out of the line-up, unless he's injured. He one of our top STs players and, and MOS loves those type of guy's.

[gobombersgo]

Winnipeg Blue Bombers to start Dillon Mitchell for first time against Stampeders
By 3Down Staff -August 8, 2025

Veteran receiver Dillon Mitchell will make his debut with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers when the team visits the Calgary Stampeders on Saturday night.

The 28-year-old signed with the team in January following his release from the Edmonton Elks. He was healthy scratch for the first six games of the regular season and was demoted to the practice roster last week against the Toronto Argonauts.

The six-foot-one, 190-pound target caught 130 passes for 1,896 yards and 12 touchdowns over 45 regular-season games with the Elks and was also productive on special teams, recording almost 1,000 return yards on punts and kickoffs.

The native of Memphis, Tenn. started his professional career as a seventh-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings in the 2019 NFL Draft. He was a collegiate standout at the University of Oregon where he recorded 1,184 receiving yards in 2018, which remains the second-best single-season total in program history.

As anticipated, Zach Collaros has also returned to the starting lineup after missing last week's game due to a neck injury. The veteran passer has thrown for 1,031 yards, seven touchdowns, and eight interceptions over five regular-season games this season, posting a 2-3 record.

The Blue Bombers made several other changes to their lineup this week as Dexter Lawson Jr. will start at field-side cornerback in place of Jamal Parker, who has been placed on the one-game injured list due to a leg injury. Stanley Bryant will start at left tackle after missing three games due to an ankle injury with Eric Lofton, who started last week's game, being moved to the six-game injured list.

Defensive tackle Cameron Lawson has been placed on the one-game injured list with a hip issue, making room for Tanner Schmekel to make his season debut. Rookie quarterback Chase Artopoeus, rookie running back Quinton Cooley, and Canadian receiver Gavin Cobb have all been moved to the practice roster, while Canadian ball-carrier Matthew Peterson has been promoted back to the active roster.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers (4-3) will visit the Calgary Stampeders (5-3) on Saturday, August 9 with kickoff slated for 7:00 p.m. EDT. The Blue Bombers are coming off a close win over Toronto, while Calgary got crushed by the Redblacks 31-11.

The weather forecast in Calgary calls for a high of 21 degrees and a 60 percent chance of showers. The game will be broadcast on TSN in Canada, CBS Sports Network in the United States, and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune-in on 680 CJOB in Winnipeg and 770 CHQR in Calgary.

https://3downnation.com/2025/08/08/winnipeg-blue-bombers-to-start-dillon-mitchell-for-first-time-against-stampeders/

[Blue In BC]

Woods might be out of luck unless they take Ayers of the "DL". Person is showing too well to take him off now and they haven't stacked the DL in a while.

I was never certain that Woods was better than Adams but being healthy gives us injury insurance. However the larger question is whether he's better than any of our Canadian DT's and should be on the AR instead of Ayers.

It still seems a bit surprising that he ended up on the PR instead of the 1 game IR where we've hidden other players.

Regardless, we've shuffled the PR around a bit over the past couple of weeks. Some new faces and some departures.

I expect that to continue shortly as the NFL starts making some cuts and players become available.