Montreal @ Winnipeg. Pre-game

[Blue In BC]

Agree 100% rest Zach. Playing him would be idiotic if meaningless.

The game won't be meaningless with the standing still in the mix. We can still finish 3rd if we win and the Lions lose.

[blue_or_die]

The game won't be meaningless with the standing still in the mix. We can still finish 3rd if we win and the Lions lose.

And Calgary has to win for that scenario, too.

What are we playing for this week? The chance to go to Calgary or the chance to go to Montreal? It's a wash at best and putting ourselves in an even more difficult position at worst.

Man did we ever shoot ourselves in the foot a lot this season. Good lord.

[Horseman]

The game won't be meaningless with the standing still in the mix. We can still finish 3rd if we win and the Lions lose.

I like our chances of getting to the GC through the east as opposed to playing Cal and then Sask at their fields.

[theaardvark]

Do we even want to win?  We are guaranteed the crossover if we lose, and isn't that the easier way to the cup?  We'll be playing on the road, and we will have current scouting on MTL, and destroyed HAM recently.

Rest Zach, 3rd on the DC just in case.  Start Wilson (we know what Strev can do, lets see if Wilson has anything) and if he drops the ball, finish with Strev.

Put Zach in bubblewrap until the playoff game, no shower injuries, no fingers hitting helmets.  There is zero need for him to play.  Especially against a future playoff opponent, who will not hesitate to bring it hard and potentially injure the fragile QB.

Zero upside, Mr O'Shea.  If he can't figure it out in practice, he's not going to get it done in a live game.

[Blue In BC]

Do we even want to win?  We are guaranteed the crossover if we lose, and isn't that the easier way to the cup?  We'll be playing on the road, and we will have current scouting on MTL, and destroyed HAM recently.

Rest Zach, 3rd on the DC just in case.  Start Wilson (we know what Strev can do, lets see if Wilson has anything) and if he drops the ball, finish with Strev.

Put Zach in bubblewrap until the playoff game, no shower injuries, no fingers hitting helmets.  There is zero need for him to play.  Especially against a future playoff opponent, who will not hesitate to bring it hard and potentially injure the fragile QB.

Zero upside, Mr O'Shea.  If he can't figure it out in practice, he's not going to get it done in a live game.

Yes we want to win. Quit coming up this BS please.

[Jesse]

Why do people think playing Montreal is easier than the West?

[Blue In BC]

Why do people think playing Montreal is easier than the West?

It doesn't really matter if they are or they aren't. Trying to take a perceived easy way out is not what I want from my team. Play to win and as an old time traditionalist I want to finish in 3rd in the west.

It's one thing to rest veterans when the standings are locked up to prevent new injuries but even that draws a fine line for me as a fan.

[Jesse]

It doesn't really matter if they are or they aren't. Trying to take a perceived easy way out is not what I want from my team. Play to win and as an old time traditionalist I want to finish in 3rd in the west.

It's one thing to rest veterans when the standings are locked up to prevent new injuries but even that draws a fine line for me as a fan.

I mostly agree.

[Freebird]

Why do people think playing Montreal is easier than the West?

Montreal is 3 - 5 against the West this year.  Granted that they were without their #1 QB for some of that.

[Jesse]

Montreal is 3 - 5 against the West this year.  Granted that they were without their #1 QB for some of that.

All 5 loses anyway. Davis Alexander is 10-0 as a starter.

[TBURGESS]

If Hamilton wins, then Montreal is playing for 1st.
If Hamilton loses, then Montreal is playing to destroy our confidence as we play them again the next week.

[theaardvark]

Of course we want to win, but at what cost?

Is it a win if Zach gets nicked?  And I don't mean a broken arm, but an actual nick, a bruised shoulder or rib.  A strained hammy or ankle.  Not enough to sideline him, but enough to make him 95% instead of a rested 100%?

The Ham game is well over by the time we play, not sure who holds the tiebreaker, if Ham wins does MTL have anything to play for?  Vice versa if they lose?

If we win against MTL's backups with our backups, isn't that a better win?

And if we lose against MTL's backups with our backups, does it matter?

But if we lose against MTL's backups with our starters, is that season over?

There is literally zero upside to playing Zach.  And huge downside.  If we do cross over, giving MTL the opportunity to gameplan off the film is a negative. 

Resting him makes sense, and MOS *HAS* to reign in Zach and get him to sit. He saw Harris do it last week... and he will rpobably do it again this week, and then have a bye.  Harris will be in top form by the WSF.

[Freebird]

All 5 loses anyway. Davis Alexander is 10-0 as a starter.

Alexander played 7 games this year so far, only 2 against the west (Edm - week 3 with Ford as QB, and Cal - week 21 with VAJ as QB on a 2 game losing streak).

His other 5 games were all against Tor (x2) and Ott (x3).

I don't doubt his abilities, but I wouldn't classify him as a barn burner this year.

[Jesse]

Alexander played 7 games this year so far, only 2 against the west (Edm - week 3 with Ford as QB, and Cal - week 21 with VAJ as QB on a 2 game losing streak).

His other 5 games were all against Tor (x2) and Ott (x3).

I don't doubt his abilities, but I wouldn't classify him as a barn burner this year.

I didn't realize that!

I still don't think it's an "easier" path though.

[theaardvark]

Is the path through the east easier than the west? 

Well, instead of playing SSK in SSK with them on a weeks rest, if we played SSK it would be at home, both having played the week before.

If nothing else, that is a huge difference.

HUGE.

So, yes, easier path to the Grey Cup through the east.