Still Struggling

[Zach Schnitzer]

I know this article doesn?t speak for everyone but for those who are struggling to manage the sadness, anger, and disbelief, I hope this helps. Zach @zachschnitzer48 on Twitter

https://3downnation.com/2022/11/22/youre-not-alone-the-reality-of-a-grieving-winnipeg-blue-bombers-fan/

[Buck]

I honestly am feeling a letdown this week.  I did not expect us to lose that game, as much as I knew it was possible. 

[Blue In BC]

I'm disappointed but realize not every player / team performs at 100% every game. A number of players didn't have their best game. It's an accumulative thing for every game. A few players having lesser games while a few have outstanding games. As I pointed out in another thread it's winning the +/- of all those things. Player performance, opponent performance, good decisions versus bad decisions etc.

All of us can note lesser performances from several players. Some things just didn't go our way. All that said we were 1 mistake ( missed convert ) or blocked FG from a possible different outcome.

OTOH, Toronto missed 2 FG's and had 1 blocked. Out of a net 9 possible points they ended up with 1 point. While that 1 point won the game, you can imagine what Argo fans would have been saying about missed opportunities had the Bombers kicked that last FG?

The other team also shows up to play. The ball bounces in unpredictable ways.

It was a great season.

[Lincoln Locomotive]

Thanks Zach....I too feel your pain and as I'm approaching my 71st birthday in December, it has taken some time to digest this loss.   The emotions in the last 3 minutes of that game ranged from despair to elation and then back t9 despair.
 
I've been a Bomber fan for over 6 decades now and there are fewer of us around now each and every year.   When the Bombers won the Cup in 2019, I was there....my first ever Grey Cup game.    After winning that game as the underdog, and in such a convincing fashion....and after 29 years of despair, it was in essence cathartic for me as a Bomber fan.   If I had died that day it would have been poetic destiny as a Bomber fan.    That's how much that game meant for me and I thought there was nothing more I needed as a fan....but then we won a miraculous 2nd cup in Hamilton and I thought we were very fortunate to win it and I actually felt sadness for the Hamilton fans.  Had we not won that game, I was actually ok with it and I would have been resigned to feel some empathy for the TiCats and their fans....but hey, we won and I never thought about winning another one the next year.

However, the season we put together despite all the devastating injuries got me aboard the "Three Peat" train.    And despite my having watched the Bombers win 4 Cups in 6 years with Bud Grant, Kenny Ploen and Leo Lewis....I felt this team was on similar path.   The bitter sting of this loss will fuel players like Brady Olivera and others to work even harder in the off season to go back to the GC a fourth year in succession.   Any you're right, many things have to fall into place for that to happen....yet for the players they now know the agony of defeat and the glorious ecstasy of victory and they will want it that much more.
 
We didn't play our best game by any stretch and despite the Argos seemingly giving us several opportunities to win it all....we couldn't find the magic at the end of the game.    Looking back, I really believed we should have run the ball on 2nd and 5 and get a bit closer for our kicker to boot the winning FG on the last play of the game.    Our running game was the best part of our offence on Sunday and we needed 5 yards which I believe we would have made, even if it required a 3rd down gamble.   At that point in the game I would have invested my faith in our running game to accomplish the first down however we didn't and the rest is history, as the cliche goes.

As I am likely twice your age I've lived through a few more disappointing moments as a Bomber fan and this one admittedly, was the toughest besides the one in 2001.    The thing is this year we faced a team who perhaps didn't have as stellar a season or weren't riding on back to back Cups....yet they were hungry and their Defence owned our O-line for much of the game....never allowing Zach to get into a rythym.  

The legendary hockey player Jaromir Jagr once said that to win Olympic Gold, you needed to have luck in a one and done playoff format.    On Sunday, we had our fair share of it what with the face masking call and us blocking their final FG attempt and giving us a chance at coming back.

But sometimes you need more than luck and the Argos in Mike O'Shea's words "went after it".....something he did regularly when wearing the double blue as well as coaching them.   If we had missed the FG I would have felt much worse, but the Argos made two big plays when they most needed them and were the winners because of it.    

That fact alone, has helped me take this bitter loss much more philosophically.   With the core players we have, we will no doubt contend again for the 110 Grey Cup and we will once again need an element of luck to get us to the promised land.   That being said good teams seem to make  their share of luck and we are a good team....and I would daresay in this day and age....a dynasty in the making! 

As Blue in BC said, it was a fantastic season in so many ways and we'll be back next year with some new faces and compete again for la Coupe Grey!

[GOLDMEMBER]

Well it has been 30 years for me as a fan/hardcore fan. Linc and Blue in BC  pretty much have echoed my same sentiments.
The boys will come back even stronger next year. I Trust our scouting department to keep the flow of high quality talent coming!
I very much lol forward to next year! Danny Mac told me face to face last week he was not going anywhere.

[dizzycamper]

Thanks Zach....I too feel your pain and as I'm approaching my 71st birthday in December, it has taken some time to digest this loss.   The emotions in the last 3 minutes of that game ranged from despair to elation and then back t9 despair.
 
I've been a Bomber fan for over 6 decades now and there are fewer of us around now each and every year.   When the Bombers won the Cup in 2019, I was there....my first ever Grey Cup game.    After winning that game as the underdog, and in such a convincing fashion....and after 29 years of despair, it was in essence cathartic for me as a Bomber fan.   If I had died that day it would have been poetic destiny as a Bomber fan.    That's how much that game meant for me and I thought there was nothing more I needed as a fan....but then we won a miraculous 2nd cup in Hamilton and I thought we were very fortunate to win it and I actually felt sadness for the Hamilton fans.  Had we not won that game, I was actually ok with it and I would have been resigned to feel some empathy for the TiCats and their fans....but hey, we won and I never thought about winning another one the next year.

However, the season we put together despite all the devastating injuries got me aboard the "Three Peat" train.    And despite my having watched the Bombers win 4 Cups in 6 years with Bud Grant, Kenny Ploen and Leo Lewis....I felt this team was on similar path.   The bitter sting of this loss will fuel players like Brady Olivera and others to work even harder in the off season to go back to the GC a fourth year in succession.   Any you're right, many things have to fall into place for that to happen....yet for the players they now know the agony of defeat and the glorious ecstasy of victory and they will want it that much more.
 
We didn't play our best game by any stretch and despite the Argos seemingly giving us several opportunities to win it all....we couldn't find the magic at the end of the game.    Looking back, I really believed we should have run the ball on 2nd and 5 and get a bit closer for our kicker to boot the winning FG on the last play of the game.    Our running game was the best part of our offence on Sunday and we needed 5 yards which I believe we would have made, even if it required a 3rd down gamble.   At that point in the game I would have invested my faith in our running game to accomplish the first down however we didn't and the rest is history, as the cliche goes.

As I am likely twice your age I've lived through a few more disappointing moments as a Bomber fan and this one admittedly, was the toughest besides the one in 2001.    The thing is this year we faced a team who perhaps didn't have as stellar a season or weren't riding on back to back Cups....yet they were hungry and their Defence owned our O-line for much of the game....never allowing Zach to get into a rythym.  

The legendary hockey player Jaromir Jagr once said that to win Olympic Gold, you needed to have luck in a one and done playoff format.    On Sunday, we had our fair share of it what with the face masking call and us blocking their final FG attempt and giving us a chance at coming back.

But sometimes you need more than luck and the Argos in Mike O'Shea's words "went after it".....something he did regularly when wearing the double blue as well as coaching them.   If we had missed the FG I would have felt much worse, but the Argos made two big plays when they most needed them and were the winners because of it.    

That fact alone, has helped me take this bitter loss much more philosophically.   With the core players we have, we will no doubt contend again for the 110 Grey Cup and we will once again need an element of luck to get us to the promised land.   That being said good teams seem to make  their share of luck and we are a good team....and I would daresay in this day and age....a dynasty in the making! 

As Blue in BC said, it was a fantastic season in so many ways and we'll be back next year with some new faces and compete again for la Coupe Grey!

Hey Lincoln, well my friend you have 5 months on me. Agree with all your commentary...

It's been a roller coaster of highs and lows from the 1960's for me, but that 29 years drought was tough.. and then "finally" it broke... I can't help myself, but its been fun enjoying since 2019, starting with 19 game/Strev walking through those airport gates with the fur coat/parade... Look at it as pay back for prior years of games attended, training camps, listening to "Bob" on the radio, "Witt" on CBC, etc. Yep, and having to endure hearing comments from fans who didn't support our blue/gold, drove my crazy... Although, I did enjoy it...

Thanks again, Lincoln.. I don't post much, but enjoy reading your comments. I'm sure this team of ours has the right management/direction in place, is/will be great going forward and will prevail again... Its a vision, that I clearly see. A set back of sorts, but coming back: better and stronger... Go Bombers, Cheers!!

[Blue In BC]

I'm still struggling with losing game 3 in the WDF best of 3 games in 1960 to Edmonton. At least I was living in Ottawa so enjoyed Ottawa winning over the Esks in the Grey Cup.

Grey Cup losses in 1965 ( wind bowl ), 1992, 1993, 2001, 2007 and 2011 for various different sorts of reasons are all still bitter pills. In some years we were the better team and lost. In others we suffered injury issues before or during the game. In other years were just flat out beat by better teams.

Losing by a single point or in a close contest is the way it goes sometimes.

[elder]

I'm still struggling with losing game 3 in the WDF best of 3 games in 1960 to Edmonton. At least I was living in Ottawa so enjoyed Ottawa winning over the Esks in the Grey Cup.

Grey Cup losses in 1965 ( wind bowl ), 1992, 1993, 2001, 2007 and 2011 for various different sorts of reasons are all still bitter pills. In some years we were the better team and lost. In others we suffered injury issues before or during the game. In other years were just flat out beat by better teams.

Losing by a single point or in a close contest is the way it goes sometimes.

I agree with this.  The 1960 game 3 WDF loss was especially depressing, given how good the team was that year (not unlike this year).

[DCM]

One thing I can take solace from the last couple Grey Cups is knowing my father, who always wondered if he'd ever see another Grey Cup win prior to 2019, before he dies got to see two, of course three would be great but at least I know whenever the time comes (hopefully not for another decade minimum!!!), it wasn't 30+ ongoing years.. so there's that.

[Big Daddy]

I'm still struggling with losing game 3 in the WDF best of 3 games in 1960 to Edmonton. At least I was living in Ottawa so enjoyed Ottawa winning over the Esks in the Grey Cup.

Grey Cup losses in 1965 ( wind bowl ), 1992, 1993, 2001, 2007 and 2011 for various different sorts of reasons are all still bitter pills. In some years we were the better team and lost. In others we suffered injury issues before or during the game. In other years were just flat out beat by better teams.

Losing by a single point or in a close contest is the way it goes sometimes.

I'm still struggling with losing game 3 in the WDF best of 3 games in 1960 to Edmonton. At least I was living in Ottawa so enjoyed Ottawa winning over the Esks in the Grey Cup.

Grey Cup losses in 1965 ( wind bowl ), 1992, 1993, 2001, 2007 and 2011 for various different sorts of reasons are all still bitter pills. In some years we were the better team and lost. In others we suffered injury issues before or during the game. In other years were just flat out beat by better teams.

Losing by a single point or in a close contest is the way it goes sometimes.

At least I was living in Ottawa so enjoyed Ottawa winning over the Esks in the Grey Cup.

Grey Cup losses in 1965 ( wind bowl ), 1992, 1993, 2001, 2007 and 2011 for various different sorts of reasons are all still bitter pills. In some years we were the better team and lost. In others we suffered injury issues before or during the game. In other years were just flat out beat by better teams.

Losing by a single point or in a close contest is the way it goes sometimes.

No offense, just wondering with you remembering the loss in 1960 and living away in Ottawa at the time - are you the methuselah of bomber fans?!

[dd]

I m ok with this. In 2019, we were the under dogs and won it. Last year we pulled a rabbit out of the hat to win it, this year we lost a close one. Don t dwell on it, look forward not backwards and move on.

[Blue In BC]

At least I was living in Ottawa so enjoyed Ottawa winning over the Esks in the Grey Cup.

Grey Cup losses in 1965 ( wind bowl ), 1992, 1993, 2001, 2007 and 2011 for various different sorts of reasons are all still bitter pills. In some years we were the better team and lost. In others we suffered injury issues before or during the game. In other years were just flat out beat by better teams.

Losing by a single point or in a close contest is the way it goes sometimes.




No offense, just wondering with you remembering the loss in 1960 and living away in Ottawa at the time - are you the methuselah of bomber fans?!

I'm certainly one of the older Bomber fans. Moved from Winnipeg as a kid in 1957 to London then Ottawa in 1959 more or less. First live game I went to was in Ottawa. It was a game against the Esks with Jackie Parker. The Ottawa QB's were Russ Jackson and Ron Lancaster. How's that for dating myself.

Actually the 1st Bomber game I went to in Winnipeg was in 1963. Kenny Ploen, Leo Lewis and the gang.

[blue_gold_84]

I m ok with this. In 2019, we were the under dogs and won it. Last year we pulled a rabbit out of the hat to win it, this year we lost a close one. Don t dwell on it, look forward not backwards and move on.

We've been pretty spoiled since that 2019 drought-ending playoff run. Sunday's loss still stings, though. What irks me most about it was it was probably the Bombers' worst executed game in a very long time.

The play-calling, the execution, and the lack of killer instinct: a trifecta of sadness at the end of that game.

[wpg#1]

I just keep thinking, I can't wait until 2023 !!

[BBRT]

I'm certainly one of the older Bomber fans. Moved from Winnipeg as a kid in 1957 to London then Ottawa in 1959 more or less. First live game I went to was in Ottawa. It was a game against the Esks with Jackie Parker. The Ottawa QB's were Russ Jackson and Ron Lancaster. How's that for dating myself.

Actually the 1st Bomber game I went to in Winnipeg was in 1963. Kenny Ploen, Leo Lewis and the gang.

Wow! you have me by just a few years. The first live game I went to was 1971 (where I met my future father-in-law and eventually my wife). I did see a Grey Cup with Leo Lewis on Wide World of Sport when I was a kid and went to a number of Iowa Hawkeye games where I saw Kenny Ploen, Ray Rauch, Bobby Jeter and a host of future CFL hall of famers.

Like you will always be a Bomber fan no matter where I am (which is Calgary now).