Mike O'Shea / Walters has let this team/fans down

[boscoe]

Remember O'Shea prior to Collaros? How stubborn he was and all the mistakes fans called him out for. Collaros made everything better and suddenly O'Shea was the next legendary CFL coach.

2 Grey Cup losses that should be put on the coaching staff once again failed to prepare this team for the season opener on national television and a rematch game.

Not playing players in preseason was epic failure.

Walters and his staff did not bring in 1 quality new player. NOT a 1.

Walters free agency was a disaster. Losing Grant is unacceptable. You do not find talent like that on the street and now after game 1 you can say the game turned on his replacements mistake.

Back to the coaches..... They had zero answer to the Alouettes combo defense. They stormed the run and dropped guys into space deep which forced Collaros to throw short all game long. The coaches not a one time properly adjusted their game plan, and once again just showed up with an attitude that they are good enough to overcome in-game issues. They just think magically it will turn around. Why? cause the hope is what saved the personnel 4 yrs ago.

This has 8-10 record all over the season and could get really ugly fast.

[TecnoGenius]

Harsh, but I agree with basically everything, except your first sentence.  (MOS was on the way to winning cups even before Zach.  I still maintain Nichols would have done it in 2019.)

It's clear we don't do nearly enough prep or per-team gaming, and it's clear the other top teams who come here do.  MTL came with a specific plan to beat just us.  Funnily enough, it looked nearly identical to the GC plan... hitch screens, giving Cody wide open flats to scramble, and being a ballhawk D.

We mozy in and just try to do normal Bomber ball.  Ya ok, I saw 2 plays I'd consider "new" on O, though one might have just been a mistake.  We have this whole off-season and this is all we come up with?

Does no one read the forum?  I've been screaming since the GC you can't underthrow or feather them in on this MTL D.  You just can't.  They hawk in front of all deep routes.  You need to go over their heads.  That Zach EZ INT is near identical to the GC one, and it's inexusable.  That should be thrown behind every one and let our guys make a circus grab.

Ya, Kenny tried in Q1, but just because he whiffed doesn't mean you abandon the idea.  Did you notice how even with the Kenny whiff, there was no one behind him to INT it?

As you said, the PS was completely wasted.  We try out a zillion "bad scouting" non-finds for nothing.  Our huge need: OL, found no one.  KR Mitchell should have been fired after PS2 like I said when he showed precisely what would happen in week 1.

I'm looking at the roster and it's basically Bonds who is the only PS IMP try-out who stuck?  Good for him, and he might be a keeper, though he did get burned tonight.  But we have such need at so many positions, and this is all we get on our AR after the wasted PS?  Are we Chris Jones?

We start so many NATs and DPs we should have just signed those guys right away and used PS to gel the expected starters, like CGY did in both PS games.

So Walters & scouts let us down.  We drank the hopium going into week 1, but the nagging fears are being realized.

Maybe spending your whole wad on QB/RB/WR is not the key to success?  Are we now EDM 2022?  Best receivers all on one team that can't win a single game?  How we laughed at them... Did we not see how having no OL means your WRs can't get the ball?

As to coaches, like you said: just like the GC, our O rarely could get going, and when they did get a good drive they fell into the MTL trap, which we all saw coming, of shutting the door on scoring.  You can't run the same bloody sequence of plays at the same exact place on the field and not expect the D to see it coming!  We don't take any shots until we get to our "take shots" area and then we are surprised when they pass-rush us to oblivion and ball-hawk with extra defenders playing the mid-game!

Don't get me started on execution.  For everyone's sake we need to hope it's just rust.  Our QB/RB/WRs are unchanged from '23 save for 1 WR.  Every single one took a turn sucking.  Especially Zach.  That much money on those guys cannot have this result.  You can't even blame the revamped OL as they did OK-ish!  Zach was underthrowing most of the night, against the don't-underthrow-on-us team.  (Except for the 2 overthrows in Q1.)

Holy moses, we couldn't even complete a hitch screen!  Talk about insult to injury: the 100% success go-to play that MTL/Cody uses to get cheap yards (and used a lot this game), we couldn't even get a completion?  Oh the irony.

The D was horrifically bad, so that should put to rest the idea that starting 832 NATs is a good idea.  Ok, we did stop the Cody hitch screen twice I think.  I'm proud of them for that.  But then they whiffed on 3 or 5 more of them.

Did Jefferson get a stat?!  Oh wow, look, a game where Jeffcoat is out Jefferson gets nothing.  Shocked-pikachu-face.jpg.  Oh look, Jeffcoat will be out all year because we told him to pound sand!  Anyone liking our pressure package??  Cody had all. night. long. nearly every passing play.  Just sitting back taking his pick of long routes.  Probably singing showtunes to himself to pass the time, when he's not laughing at the joke that is our DL.

Now compare that to the pressure MTL got on Zach...

And don't get me started on Castillo...

Everyone's heads were in the clouds, players and coaches.  The only ones I noticed doing anything were Cole, Haba, and, ironically, the least-paid WR on the AR: Wilson.

If I'm KW I'm cutting some duds and taking that and the Grant savings and hiring some real players at key positions.  But I'm not, and he won't.  So the best we can hope for is that MOS chewed these guys a new one post-game, and continue to do so on cycle day 1.  Cutesy time is over.

I predicted that whoever loses this game will have a real bad 1st 6 games... well, that's us.  Besides OTT, not sure who we will beat early on.  Heck, OTT likely lights us up too, as they won't be nearly as bad as last year.

[TecnoGenius]

You know what?  I left PAS feeling just like I used to after most every game in 2013-2014.  You know that feeling, when your guys didn't really have a chance, but you still hoped they might win.  When you'd have a FG and a safety at halftime.  When the other team would move the ball at will and we'd struggle just to get a first down?  When the QB was throwing into the turf and the WRs were Helen Keller?  When going into the 4th the math said you had a slim chance, and then the opponent would drive the stake into your heart with a dumb flea-flicker while your DBs had no clue what was going on?

Ya, that feeling.  We haven't had to face that in a loooong time.  Even when BC came in and beat us up in 2023 I didn't get that feeling.

Ten years ago it was BLM and Lulay and Reilly doing that to us.  Now we have to relive it thanks to never-HoFer Cody??  Ugh, in some ways this is waaay worse.  Very sad.

[ichabod_crane]

I will disagree on one point. Nichols would have NEVER won a cup for the Bombers. Nickel and diming goes nowhere in the end. See Sask for many years. Make playoffs, but not the kill shot to win the big one.

2018 western final in Calgary a case  in point. I was at that game and could sense bombers were going to lose as Nichols could not hit a deep shot for the life of him to Darvin Adams. Collaros comes in and Darvin gets the back breaker deep shots two years in a row.

[TecnoGenius]

I won't turn this into a Matt Nichols thread (but would love to expound on it in a fresh thread!) but our team could have used a lot more nickel & diming tonight.  Most every mid/deep shot tonight was a wasted shot.  It's just the way MTL plays, and we could have found ways to capitalize if our coordinators wanted to actually stay late and do some thinking/planning.  Only had 7 months to do it...

If we dinked & dunked more in this game we likely win.  (Same with the GC.)

[ichabod_crane]

We will agree to disagree on this point. Not saying having a mixed offence is wrong, but you need some back breaker shots in some games. A lot of emotion involved and momentum swings. Having a full slate of weapons is better than relying on nickel and diming mainly. Ask any Sask fan how that turned out for them for many years.

One caveat to this. If you have a very very very good defence you can win with a mediocre offence. Bombers in 1988 were like this. Chicago bears in 1985. Baltimore ravens in their first Super Bowl. Probably close to the worst offence in nfl that year! Trent Dilfer never scared anyone as a qb! Low turnovers and decent running attack and a good kicker.  Baltimore Defence was lights out that year like a buzz saw that could not be overcome.

[TecnoGenius]

I'll give full credit to MOS for saying in his post-game:

"I don't know that I had them prepared well enough for this one"

"coulda done a better job gettin them ready"

https://www.bluebombers.com/2024/06/06/coach-oshea-june-6-2/

Bingo MOS.  I'm sure he silently means all the other coaches/coords too.

But he is digging in on saying it's ok if the starters don't play the PS.

Hey, where is MOS's dinged-up cap?  He was wearing a camo cap in this presser, and so I'll assume during the game.  There's our problem!  He ditched the lucky cap that "came with the rip"!            

[ichabod_crane]

In the Manitoba mafia we trust! 😂 they better show up by next game though or things will get wild in the Peg! Jets limping out of the playoffs like a wounded animal was bad enough, but bombers sucking two games in a row would get even me thinking there is trouble in Mudville! Even the mighty Casey might not lift them out of their funk if that happens! 🤪

[LXTSN]

This is a MAJOR overreaction, and I really hope you're trolling lol

Most of the players on the offensive side of the ball didn't play in the preseason. I think they fix that for future seasons.
We are going to have to win some these first 4-5 weeks ugly and that's okay! If we start the season 3-2, I would be happy with that. It just takes a little while to get the ball rolling.

My worry-level is at a 1/10 right now.

[Sir Blue and Gold]

Let the fans down?

We're 36-5 in our last 41 home games. There's not a team in any professional sport who wouldn't sign up for that.

[Blue In BC]

I didn't realize that the balls are chipped in 2024 and all the kickers hate them. It's impacting accuracy according to Castillo.

[Waffler]

Over reaction, yeah, but only a bit. Also you forgot Sheahan, I've never thought he was good enough.

Soft training camp for the vets, an annual Grey Cup trip equals this team mailing it in, coaches included. Just seems like the team needs a big shake up but that would be the anti-MOS thing to do.

[Sir Blue and Gold]

Over reaction, yeah, but only a bit. Also you forgot Sheahan, I've never thought he was good enough.

Soft training camp for the vets, an annual Grey Cup trip equals this team mailing it in, coaches included. Just seems like the team needs a big shake up but that would be the anti-MOS thing to do.

A big shake up?

We've got a new special teams coach.
We've got a new defensive coordinator.
We've got 12 players on the roster who played their first games yesterday which is the most "shake-up" since 2019 (and is 26% of the roster).

You would like more change? Or you want O'Shea to make the players run the stadium steps before each practice?

[Waffler]

A big shake up?

We've got a new special teams coach.
We've got a new defensive coordinator.
We've got 12 players on the roster who played their first games yesterday which is the most "shake-up" since 2019 (and is 26% of the roster).

You would like more change? Or you want O'Shea to make the players run the stadium steps before each practice?

I agree with you 100%. Lots new.  But you could argue that the coaching changes are all in house promotions and just more of the same. Does it bring new energy or view points? In hockey for example, you'd fire the coach and the team would go on a tear on be in the Stanley Cup. NOT suggesting that here.

The new players we had forced on us but no one took a job from a vet.

So yes, we have changed but as far as a big shake up here the last one was the trade for Zach.

In contrast, Montreal. Fired Khari 2 years ago, signed Lemon and Sankey last year. They take big swings to use a baseball analogy.

[blue_gold_84]

It's one game. Granted it was a lousy performance but it's still one game.

What a silly, pointless thread.