Official Game Day Thread - Winnipeg at Hamilton - September 12, 2025

[Pete]

What if we schemed, all season (and earlier) on purpose to not have a pass rush?  If that's what our players have been taught all season, can you just turn on the pass-rush switch with a couple of DT replacements?

Surely you can't just change your "book" and entire D philosophy overnight?

And now do O: O is what needs an entirely new and fresh book; way more than D.

when teams have figured out what your doing you need options. We did run more of a traditional dline at beginning of year. Im not saying doing away with the 3 man rush, but change it up. Woods/Adams may help. Also with the current depth chart we provide 0 rush. Just need to look at our turnover production to see what its not good enough.

[TecnoGenius]

He's being out-coached on a regular basis and I always believed that as the years went by he'd get wiser. For some reason that hasn't happened and it isn't just stubbornness. He may just not be a very good coach. Great cheerleader though.

Keep in mind MOS is an extremely hands-off captain.  He wants to get the right/skilled managers (coords) in place then stand back and let them be the experts at their field.  I doubt he has much input in the O play calls and schemes.  At most he sets the tone & direction.

It could be Hogan is incompetent.  It's not a done deal, yet.  But it's starting to trend in that direction.  If so, then MOS is in deep doodoo because even though he's hands-off, the buck stops with him, and the losing makes him look bad.  Most people don't know these problems are all OC, they just blame MOS.

Now, will MOS step in and be more hands-on until it's fixed?  Nothing I know about MOS leads me to believe that.  He can change tone & direction, but he won't be micromanaging the O or coming up with schemes.

The only solution would seem to be outside help.  Not sure how you do that within the coach cap.  And I think Jarious is already giving max input, so he may not be an answer either.

[TecnoGenius]

when teams have figured out what your doing you need options. We did run more of a traditional dline at beginning of year. Im not saying doing away with the 3 man rush, but change it up. Woods/Adams may help. Also with the current depth chart we provide 0 rush. Just need to look at our turnover production to see what its not good enough.

That is true.  However, even with trad 4 man DL they still weren't getting many sacks/pressure.

Does that mean we "tried" to have a trad pass rush, but when we saw we didn't have the horses we reverted back to '24 3-man "we won't even try" mode?  That could be.

That also would totally explain why we don't roster Woods/Adams: we've given up on rush and will rely only on cover.

[TecnoGenius]

Me too! Not even enjoy responsibly? I'll save that Playnow logo on our jersey for another time though.

Ya, and even though I skip the Drunk song as soon as it comes up, did I catch a little bit of the next line which has something about puking?!?  What the actual...

As for Play Now, at least the name/logo is 100% innocuous to children, they'll just think it means play football now.  It's not like they're singing "I wanna go broke gambling right now now now now now".

[TecnoGenius]

Next game against the Redblacks may be an issue with a QB that can run and make plays on the run. Brown is less elusive but more dangerous as a passer. I'm not sure who will start but can we pressure either?

Well this should cheer everyone up, because our D has been superb against "mobile" QBs this season.  Namely Ford and Rourke.  We even did quite well containing VAJ, limiting his scrambles (even though we lost all the games).

BUT, looks like Dru will be back, so we'll rely on normal pocket-passer D.  Which also has been pretty good now that our DB corps is rounding out and coming up to speed.

[Blue72]

This is all on MOS, he always says next man up but the assist coaches we have are both not capable of getting us out of this mess. he says to bring up from within and its not working.
OC is way over his head especially with the play calling and not making changes at half time.
Our DC keeps going with a three man rush which gives the opposition QB all day. And with the extra LB or DB we are not coming up with any interceptions.
Time to play less non imports and put in a couple guys on the D line which needs help. Why do we need so many non import LBers. What was it last game 9 non imports starting, is it because our IMP players are not good enough than bring in new guys.

[Pete]

We could easily start Woods/Adams but that means sitting Ayers, eho again only had 1 st tackle, hasnt been any better than Ball

[TecnoGenius]

4Q2:28 in the EDM@TOR game, 3rd & 1, EDM ball at midfield.  They go with a quick hitter short pass.  Look what they schemed up, and contrast with our short crap.  The REC stems outside but then cuts inside.  The DB was cheating up for a possible INT (just like every team does on us) on the stem fake.  And he can't recover in time to cover the real route, which was inside.

Simple 2-moves ahead chess.  Gets you a critical 1st down.

WHY ARE WE INCAPABLE OF THIS?  Nope, just a simple curl for us & DBs easily pick us off.  Why are the other teams not brainless?

[dd]

Our offensive coordinator is WEAK, so our play calling is weak. and it doesn't help that we turn the ball over a ton, but due to our simplistic offense, teams know what we're going to do before we do and jump routes they have no business jumping, but if that's all we run, we get what we deserve. We need a new OC, won't happen this year, and maybe not next as MOS loves 'his guys', but Hogan is clueless compared to Maas and Dinwiddie and they're both OC and HC. Not only are our plays mickey mouse, our protection schemes are useless. If our O line can't pass pro, bring in a heavy package to get the job done, roll our Qb out, but do something for pete's sake vs the same thing over and over again watching our Qb's get killed!!

[TecnoGenius]

Our offensive coordinator is WEAK, so our play calling is weak. and it doesn't help that we turn the ball over a ton, but due to our simplistic offense, teams know what we're going to do before we do and jump routes they have no business jumping,

Hogan/MOS have said the O is being run by committee, with input from everyone, bottom-up.  Ok, great.  Whatever.

But if this is the case, and knowing we have some really good football minds in guys like Zach, Demski, Schoen; why aren't those guys saying to Hogan "let's do the stem-fake like EDM did", or let's do X or Y to avoid these dumb INTs.  Or "Let's make them pay when they bite on a short route."

Is everyone just content to be mentally challenged and keep losing?

[dd]

The O being run by committee means your offensive coordinator doesn't know what he's doing, and if you need a committee you shouldn't have hired him. Do you think dinwiddie would let his team be run by committee?? How about Maas?? Lapo?? Connell?? Etc etc Not a chance, those guys know what's going on. We promoted a ball boy and paying big time for it now

[TecnoGenius]

Yes, it's very unorthodox.  However, MOS tried to deflect once by saying something like "we've always been open to bottom-up ideas".  Could just be covering for Hogan, who knows.

One thing is for certain, nothing much is working on O right now, and the "committee" ain't solving the problems.

[J5V]

Ya, and even though I skip the Drunk song as soon as it comes up, did I catch a little bit of the next line which has something about puking?!?  What the actual...

As for Play Now, at least the name/logo is 100% innocuous to children, they'll just think it means play football now.  It's not like they're singing "I wanna go broke gambling right now now now now now".

It's as if Suitor picked out the CFL theme song. 

My gawd that man is hard to listen to for a full 60. The amount of useless tripe that spills from his mouth is agonising for a fan to sit through.

[J5V]

Keep in mind MOS is an extremely hands-off captain.  He wants to get the right/skilled managers (coords) in place then stand back and let them be the experts at their field.  I doubt he has much input in the O play calls and schemes.  At most he sets the tone & direction.

It could be Hogan is incompetent.  It's not a done deal, yet.  But it's starting to trend in that direction.  If so, then MOS is in deep doodoo because even though he's hands-off, the buck stops with him, and the losing makes him look bad.  Most people don't know these problems are all OC, they just blame MOS.

Now, will MOS step in and be more hands-on until it's fixed?  Nothing I know about MOS leads me to believe that.  He can change tone & direction, but he won't be micromanaging the O or coming up with schemes.

The only solution would seem to be outside help.  Not sure how you do that within the coach cap.  And I think Jarious is already giving max input, so he may not be an answer either.

I'd be careful not to confuse delegation of duties with a hands-off approach with actually being incompetent yourself. True leadership isn't delegating your role and responsibilities to others. It's doing your job and setting the example of what excellence looks like so that others can follow your lead. Nothing MOS is doing of late looks like "excellence". Quite the contrary.

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

Our offensive coordinator is WEAK, so our play calling is weak. and it doesn't help that we turn the ball over a ton, but due to our simplistic offense, teams know what we're going to do before we do and jump routes they have no business jumping, but if that's all we run, we get what we deserve. We need a new OC, won't happen this year, and maybe not next as MOS loves 'his guys', but Hogan is clueless compared to Maas and Dinwiddie and they're both OC and HC. Not only are our plays mickey mouse, our protection schemes are useless. If our O line can't pass pro, bring in a heavy package to get the job done, roll our Qb out, but do something for pete's sake vs the same thing over and over again watching our Qb's get killed!!

Strev's execution of the plays is "Mickey Mouse", it's not the OC fault if he doesn't have the ability to get beyond page one of the playbook, it's painfully obvious he's not getting any better at reading the field.