Week 4: Other games.

[TecnoGenius]

Zach is not MBT. That guy is like a tank. Has he EVER been hurt? Zach shouldn't take hits, period. What he should do is get the ball out quick or dirt it. Give up on the improvisation. Live to fight another day, win it in the 5th quarter as the Americans call the last 3 minutes now.

Ya, MBT rarely injured, maybe just that GC finger issue that may have cost us the cup?

BUT, I think the choice, when it comes to superstar QB, is you have to be like VAJ/Dukes/Ford/Rourke/Cody/Strev (i.e. can scramble like a decent RB), or you need to be Ricky Ray.  What other style ever has superstar success?

What you're suggesting is Matt Nichols.  And Matt Nichols was great, but many (not me!) will say he'd never win a GC.

The problem with being in between Ray and VAJ is you lose that last 1-2s to make those last minute passes, because you need to throw it away when your first couple of reads are blown.  It's that extra time that makes those guys great, and I'm seeing that by MBT.  If you take a hit, you take a hit.  You need to be willing to do it... that is what makes Ds pay, and slows down their blitz.

Ray was getting blown up and seeing stars so many times, but he stuck in there.  And he still didn't miss too many games in TOR as an oldster, and still won a GC with them.

[TecnoGenius]

Why we didn't pick up Rice and have him 0lay I front of his home province makes me spit!!

I've been whispering "Rice" to Mafia on this forum for 2+ years now.  I have an inside track to him... I forgot to ask in the off-season if he still wanted to play, because I thought it was the perfect time for him to retire as a GC champ (he's not young).

Clearly he still wanted to play!  And so he got quietly picked up.  A seasoned NAT and GC champ who can play tackle.  I wouldn't play him at tackle unless pressed, but he'd make a darn good OG, and also a 6th for jumbo.

Also would have been a great story... Well, there is a chance he still gets released (again)!

[Pigskin]

Philpot (the MTL version) was probably the best pick of that entire draft.  Playable in 1st year and contributing a lot.  Doing more and winning GC (literally, in 2 different ways) in 2nd year.  Looking like league top-5 (or better) in 3rd year.

CGY must be cringing they took the "bad" Philpot.  (Maybe he should grow a goatee like Bad Spock?)

Now I'm trying to remember which Philpot got picked first?  I'm remembering MTL?  I recall thinking that it sucked for the MTL Philpot to get picked by MTL, because they were the tirefire team at the time.  And I thought CGY Philpot won the lotto by getting picked by a "real" team.  Funny how things work out.

Jalen was picked #5 by Calgary. Tyson was picked at #9  by Montreal, which was our pick that we trade with Montreal for #13. Which ended up to be Ford.

[TecnoGenius]

Very physical game

They are beating the snot out of each other.  This is kind of as important as our week 1 game.  It's the purported heavyweights duking it out to decide who is top dog.

And it's important as it sets the tone for the next many weeks.  You get the cred, then you get the rep, and then teams have to give you an extra wide berth and respect.  We benefited from that for 3 whole years.

The cost of this is tons of bruises taking all week in the tub to heal.  It's worth it, especially if you don't sustain any huge injuries to key players.

[TecnoGenius]

I like our fake turf and all, but I must say I really like how everyone is all covered in grass stains and mud by the end of a game in TOR!

I wonder what the players prefer... I bet the mushy rubbery turf causes way less pain than hard earth.

[TecnoGenius]

Holy smokes, these 2 Ds are miiiiiiiiiiiiles above our D.  Miles.

The only way we could possibly beat either of these guys is if we concentrate on our O and build the league-best O.  When Lawler comes back it's attainable, especially if we get a major vet or a lucky ELC gem to fill Schoen's spot.

It will also require our OL to gel to league top-3.  If they can't, bring in a 3rd IMP, or make a trade for a league-top LG or C.

Forget our D, they get the scraps and do the best they can, maybe a vet DL or something at best.  Maybe they can work their way up to league-middle.

If we even make the playoffs, the only hope at winning is to put up 45.  Let's focus on that.

[ichabod_crane]

Montreal class of the league so far. Nobody even really close. Sask may have QB Harris on IR for a while. Hard to know as they have the bye this week. Adams a bit dinged up in BC too.

So as long as Bombers keep in shouting distance of a playoff spot, they just need some of these injured players back for a second half of season push going hot in to the playoffs. Not going to be the usual end to end first place season this year obviously. WAY TOO MANY injuries to handle. Could even be a cross over playoff spot this year.

Edmonton oh so close first 4 games, but WAY TOO MANY discipline penalties still and brain farts by coaching staff. After what, 3-4 years now?? Coaching errors SHOULD NOT BE HAPPENING! STUPID stuff as time counts and general time management of the clock and other nonsense. Looks like O'Shea in his first 2-3 years in Winnipeg when that happened all too often.  Not all on the head coach as assistants to blame too, but Edmonton just can't get out of their way many times.

[TBURGESS]

Gotta say I was disappointed in the Tor/Mtl game. I was hoping for a close game with two of the best teams showing their best. If that's Toronto's best, then Montreal is the cream of the league and it's not even close. 

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

Montreal class of the league so far. Nobody even really close. Sask may have QB Harris on IR for a while. Hard to know as they have the bye this week. Adams a bit dinged up in BC too.

So as long as Bombers keep in shouting distance of a playoff spot, they just need some of these injured players back for a second half of season push going hot in to the playoffs. Not going to be the usual end to end first place season this year obviously. WAY TOO MANY injuries to handle. Could even be a cross over playoff spot this year.

There will be no fixing this mess up in the second half and stumblin' into the playoffs, they need to turn the Good Ship Lollipop around immediately and start collecting wins in order to keep in the fight.  Another 3-4 losses is about all they can tolerate before they're in Elkland watching the playoffs through an outside window.

[BBRT]

There will be no fixing this mess up in the second half and stumblin' into the playoffs, they need to turn the Good Ship Lollipop around immediately and start collecting wins in order to keep in the fight.  Another 3-4 losses is about all they can tolerate before they're in Elkland watching the playoffs through an outside window.

Great Post! I Agee 100% Bombers have to right the ship now and the heck with all the injury excuses. If management can not find suitable fills-ins for the injuried players then that is on managment.

[ichabod_crane]

There will be no fixing this mess up in the second half and stumblin' into the playoffs, they need to turn the Good Ship Lollipop around immediately and start collecting wins in order to keep in the fight.  Another 3-4 losses is about all they can tolerate before they're in Elkland watching the playoffs through an outside window.

Just one statement. Calgary made the CFL WEST playoffs last year at 6-12! 😎

Read it and weep. Facts don't lie:

://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_CFL_season


A few teams have won it all at 8-10. 1981 Ottawa almost pulled the ultimate upset at 5-11! It's never over in the CFL until you are mathematically out of it. In 1981 a pathetic 3-13 als team even made the payoffs. This was before the cross over rule. CRYDERS were 9-7 and missed the playoffs. Hence the rumblings for the cross over began way back in the dark ages!

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

Just one statement. Calgary made the CFL WEST playoffs last year at 6-12! 😎

Read it and weep. Facts don't lie:

://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_CFL_season


A few teams have won it all at 8-10. 1981 Ottawa almost pulled the ultimate upset at 5-11! It's never over in the CFL until you are mathematically out of it. In 1981 a pathetic 3-13 als team even made the payoffs. This was before the cross over rule. CRYDERS were 9-7 and missed the playoffs. Hence the rumblings for the cross over began way back in the dark ages!

In the second half of last season the West had 2 really bad teams and the East 2 more, so wins and losses were more predictable.  This season I see no really bad teams in the West and 2 teams that have yet to form an identity in the East, meaning they could become reasonably competitive or fall off into oblivion.

[dd]

Ottawa, Hamilton and Winnipeg are the weak teams this year, Edmonton has shown promise but no wins to date. If Harris goes down in Regina, add the riders to the weak team list. Bc, Calgary, Montreal and Toronto are in the thick of things right now, so that means the third playoff spot in both divisions is up for grabs.

Gone are the days of the 14-4 season and we cruise into the playoffs with home field advantage all the way through the playoffs. This year, we re going to have to fight and claw our way into the playoffs and win on the road.

[ichabod_crane]

My point again is rough starts are not the end of the world. Can still recover this mess. Bc was 1-5 to start only 11-12 years ago and went all the way. Ne a student of history and don't cry chicken little when things are looking bleak. 9 team league. Turnarounds happen often. Get nfl cuts invv big the old iceman George brancato way and you roll the dice.

Bombers not in early building mode though so they need to get creative and push the edge. Talent still here, just a bad rash of injuries. This could be walters and company challenge during their reign. They were given slack in the early years as cupboards were empty, by that is not acceptable right now.

I also believe they are already thinking of next year and the GC IN Winnipeg. That is the grand poobah target that will fill the teams coffers. They don't want to do something this year that badly impacts next year. Sure you want to win every year or at least be competitive, but anyone with a brain knows you can't win every year. Even dynasties End.

So walters and company have to reach way down more than ever here to turn the ship around. Take it as a challenge and not throw up your hands like losers and say it's already over. That is weak and not what we've come to expect from the Manitoba mafia!🤣

[TecnoGenius]

Gotta say I was disappointed in the Tor/Mtl game. I was hoping for a close game with two of the best teams showing their best. If that's Toronto's best, then Montreal is the cream of the league and it's not even close.

That was TOR's best with a nobody couple-a-starts might-not-survive-2-years-in-CFL Dukes.  That's a big distinction.  MTL is basically missing no starters of import.

If Kelly was in you'd have seen a different game.  Ambrosie bringing down the hammer on Kelly is manna from heaven to MTL, who almost certainly is guaranteed to win the East this season by a mile and have the last 5 weeks off.

One thing I did like, though, is those two teams beating the snot out of each other.  The more wear & tear on both teams the better for us if we can scratch & claw our way into a xover.