Official Game Day Thread - Winnipeg at Calgary - June 29, 2024

TecnoGenius · July 02, 2024, 04:17:47 AM

Quote from: J5V on July 02, 2024, 01:58:36 AMIs that true in a salary cap era? All things being equal regarding money means other considerations come into play in a big way.

Sure it's still true, even with a cap. Because different teams will allocate their SMS differently. SSK wanted to blow the wad on OL, so they could afford to pay Yoshi $100k more than we could. We decided to spend our wad on Rs/RB, so no one could outbid us for Kenny/Schoen. (Not enough to impact the decision and overcome the "culture bonus", anyway.)

Heck, teams will allocate their SMS differently even among the same team across different years! Look at how we went from a very low WR-spend to league-highest WR-spend in a couple of seasons!

theaardvark · July 02, 2024, 04:38:39 AM

SSK blowing the budget on OLine to protect Harris and get a ground game (signing Ouilette) really seems like it missed the mark.

dd · July 02, 2024, 04:46:00 AM

Quote from: J5V on July 02, 2024, 03:14:54 AMI thought both were getting worked into the offense more. Didn't Grant get injured when we tried working him into a non-returner role? Bailey seemed to be getting his share of touches. I dunno, hard to please everyone -- there's just one football. Bailey does seem to relish his role with the Argos and is doing well.

Ya, Bailey is doing well, and good on him.

I never understood why we didn't get him the ball more often. Ya there's only 1 ball but he seemed to only get a handful of passes every game, yet he always made these heroic efforts that pumped everyone up, I thought give it to him more!!

Man do we miss him this Year!!

TecnoGenius · July 02, 2024, 04:48:28 AM

Quote from: theaardvark on July 02, 2024, 04:38:39 AMSSK blowing the budget on OLine to protect Harris and get a ground game (signing Ouilette) really seems like it missed the mark.

Uh, have you seen the standings?? SSK is 3-0 and top of the league. Their line-focus was paying off bigtime... until they just got unlucky with Trevor's injury. Who knows, maybe they can field a decent replacement QB this time around and keep the wins coming. Maybe trade for Masoli when he's due back?

Ya, Oullette's ground game hasn't been great, yet. But I was never very impressed with muscle guy anyhow. Being a RB is a lot more than just having muscle like Hecht. Look at Cornish: one of the weaker/smaller RBs I can remember, and he may have been the best of the last decade (yes, even better than AH).

Pigskin · July 02, 2024, 04:58:10 AM

Quote from: TecnoGenius on July 02, 2024, 04:48:28 AMUh, have you seen the standings?? SSK is 3-0 and top of the league. Their line-focus was paying off bigtime... until they just got unlucky with Trevor's injury. Who knows, maybe they can field a decent replacement QB this time around and keep the wins coming. Maybe trade for Masoli when he's due back?

Ya, Oullette's ground game hasn't been great, yet. But I was never very impressed with muscle guy anyhow. Being a RB is a lot more than just having muscle like Hecht. Look at Cornish: one of the weaker/smaller RBs I can remember, and he may have been the best of the last decade (yes, even better than AH).

Cornish was 6'0" 220, that's not small.

Pigskin · July 02, 2024, 05:03:07 AM

Let's see what happens when the Riders play, Toronto, Montreal, and BC, before we get to excited.

TecnoGenius · July 02, 2024, 06:07:05 AM

2nd watch, with a focus on OL:

Lofton & Ko-man sometimes get pushed around by DTs, like they are low on weight or something. Not a good look.

Tons of jumbo packages, for both run and RPO. Mostly when Zach was in: changed when it was Strevie. Lots of 6 and 6+FB sets. Lots of work for the new FB guy.

Stunts still working on us. Simple stuff like DL switching up on C and LG (left A gap), which should be a simple handoff between Ko-man/Dobson, is botched and D guy slips through the A gap (see 4Q0:43).

QBs need to take a couple more steps back on passing downs like Cody/BLM often do. Just sitting there or dropping back 1-2 leaves less of a buffer when the hoggies are getting pushed back.

Dobson seems to do a lot of jamming when he needs to be engaging. The stunts often roll in front of him. If he engages and grabs on his guy a lot more plays will work out.

When we had only 5 OL (and no TE/FB) CGY sent 6 most of the first 3 quarters. Caused harassment pressure most times.

1Q7:49 The offside-on-OL guy I mentioned earlier was Lofton. Here it comes... U.N.A.C.C.E.P.T.A.B.L.E. Never seen a RT line up offside pre-snap. I don't even think it's humanly possible. You naturally make a wedge/wing! You don't stick out the OT!

2Q3:58 The Zach-pancake that knocked him out of the game: Dobson + Brady's fault. Dobson does this one-off jam on his DT then goes to help Stan, who needs no help with his guy. The DT runs straight through the vacated Dobson gap and steamrolls Zach. Either Dobson went temporarily insane, or he thought Brady was going to take up the block. Brady instead took a guy on the right, who also would have hosed Zach. So tough to say who blew it, or if it's miscommunication and both are to blame. But in the end, Dobson can't let his QB get creamed like that. Someone asked earlier in the thread if this was a spear on Zach: on rewatch you could have a case for that. Leading with a helmet-to-chest hit with no attempt to use arms or shoulder. The league might put a fine on that play. Then again, command/EITS had buckets of time to call it on-field, and they didn't. And the injury to Zach might be worse than we are hoping: he didn't spear dead center, he was on the edge of the pads closer to the underarm, and that may be less- or un-protected.

3Q5:46 IP No-End was on Wallace in as the 6th off the right end. He was aligned perfectly fine, but I guess didn't "check in". The camera wasn't on him soon enough to see if he did or not. Then again... who remembers the infamous "check in" screwup by the biased CGY ref about 5 years ago? Cost us the game then. MOS needs to check the all-24 on this play to see if we got ripped off again. It was the difference between a 1st down and punt.

Here's my grading of the OL through the whole game:

Botches on pass-pro:
Ko-man 4
Lofton 4
Dobson 3
Neufeld 1
Stan 0

Clear botches on runs:
Lofton 1

So it looks like my hunches were right and the worst are Lofton, and surprising to some, Ko-man. Dobson is close behind, but he looked better in earlier games. Since some of the Dobson issues are the shared A-gap, and Gray also had A-gap trouble, the problem might really be Ko-man.

I would start looking at getting a top of the line C (maybe IMP) and RT. LG needs to be monitored. Stan/Neuf looking 100% as good as ever.

And I don't think Eli is the C solution at the moment, as he always seems undersized out there and sometimes gets pushed around on jumbo.

J5V · July 02, 2024, 10:21:28 PM

Quote from: TecnoGenius on July 02, 2024, 06:07:05 AM2nd watch, with a focus on OL:
... and the injury to Zach might be worse than we are hoping: he didn't spear dead center, he was on the edge of the pads closer to the underarm, and that may be less- or un-protected.

Thanks for sharing your analysis. This is an even greater concern than the receiver issue and I don't know which one is going to be harder/easier to fix.

bluebeard · July 02, 2024, 10:42:11 PM

Quote from: Pigskin on July 02, 2024, 05:03:07 AMLet's see what happens when the Riders play, Toronto, Montreal, and BC, before we get to excited.

Don't sell the RR defence or ST short. They are very good... but they will miss Harris.

dd · July 02, 2024, 10:44:47 PM

Quote from: TecnoGenius on July 02, 2024, 04:48:28 AMUh, have you seen the standings?? SSK is 3-0 and top of the league. Their line-focus was paying off bigtime... until they just got unlucky with Trevor's injury. Who knows, maybe they can field a decent replacement QB this time around and keep the wins coming. Maybe trade for Masoli when he's due back?

Ya, Oullette's ground game hasn't been great, yet. But I was never very impressed with muscle guy anyhow. Being a RB is a lot more than just having muscle like Hecht. Look at Cornish: one of the weaker/smaller RBs I can remember, and he may have been the best of the last decade (yes, even better than AH).

the riders have played Ottawa and Hamiltonx2, the bottom dwellers of the league (along with us).

They are hardly a powerhouse and now that Harris is hurt, will struggle to be competitive until he returns

ichabod_crane · July 03, 2024, 12:51:09 AM

Quote from: theaardvark on July 02, 2024, 04:38:39 AMSSK blowing the budget on OLine to protect Harris and get a ground game (signing Ouilette) really seems like it missed the mark.

Harris bends down to tie his shoelaces lately he is probably out for 6 games!!

Not a good track record for YEARS ALREADY! Sask going to tank I think as who do they have to replace Harris? A bunch of nobodies. Maybe have potential, but that is usually for a rebuilding team. They are TRULY kicking themselves now letting go of Fajardo. He took them to TWO western finals and both were VERY tight games. Had a bad year (more the goofball coach and GM) and toss him out. Or he just wanted out of the nuthouse of Regina.

That GM in Sask should have been canned long ago! How is he holding on? Reminds of some useless managers of the past and almost everyone wondering how they were able to grift on always!

Could truly be CRYDERS in Mudville and the Bombers have them coming up soon!

Pigskin · July 03, 2024, 03:22:45 AM

Quote from: dd on July 02, 2024, 10:44:47 PMthe riders have played Ottawa and Hamiltonx2, the bottom dwellers of the league (along with us).

They are hardly a powerhouse and now that Harris is hurt, will struggle to be competitive until he returns

Let's try Edmonton, and Hamiltonx2.

Jesse · July 03, 2024, 03:49:22 AM

Quote from: bluebeard on July 02, 2024, 10:42:11 PMDon't sell the RR defence or ST short. They are very good... but they will miss Harris.

Ehhh... That's a bit premature.

dd · July 03, 2024, 03:57:25 AM

Just watched the Calgary game, the number of very basic penalties that showed no focus—-procedure calls on our O line, no end/not reporting our tight end on our jumbo package, receivers lining up onside—-this is inexcusable, this isnt JV football, these were drive killers. Cmon we gotta be sharper than that.

And if Collaros is out, streveller ain't going to get it done. His passing hasn't improved at all, one hoppers, behind receivers and the pick in overtime. Auuugh.

TecnoGenius · July 03, 2024, 07:37:48 AM

Quote from: dd on July 03, 2024, 03:57:25 AMJust watched the Calgary game, the number of very basic penalties that showed no focus—-procedure calls on our O line, no end/not reporting our tight end on our jumbo package, receivers lining up onside—-this is inexcusable, this isnt JV football, these were drive killers. Cmon we gotta be sharper than that.

Pretty sure the CGY game was our worst game for IP/OS since the very dark days circa 2014.

Ya, that nonsense is U.N.A.C.C.E.P.T.A.B.L.E! And I bet MOS let that be known on day 1 this week...

Quote from: dd on July 03, 2024, 03:57:25 AMAnd if Collaros is out, streveller ain't going to get it done. His passing hasn't improved at all, one hoppers, behind receivers and the pick in overtime. Auuugh.

I hope that if Zach is out they determine that very, very quickly, like before day 1, and give Strev all the #1 unit practice. Strevie, and the IP/OS problems, will all get better if he's made "the guy" all week.

I will mention that on that last Strevie drive where we tied it CGY was going really easy on us with a soft zone thinking that Strev would keep Brohm-chucking and/or getting pressured and throw picks. They bet heavily that Strevie was no good (except running) and lost the bet. Most of us would say it was a smart bet... just didn't work out. Maybe Strevie is better?

My point is, Strevie looking world-beating on the TD drive may not be indicative of how good he'll do when a D throws "real" schemes at him and mixes things up and tries to fool him.