Banjo Bowl ( early talk )

[TecnoGenius]

I'd say we're fine enough with the OL to give him the extra time to get to full strength. Really hoping we can pull out another win this week with this patchwork and go into the bye and then out of it significantly more healthy than when we went in.

I wouldn't.  I'd start Bryant if it's even remotely possible.  I'm positive the SSK D will study and rip apart our patchwork LDC OL now that they have film.  They didn't take as much advantage of our abnormal OL as much as they could have.

And if Neufeld starts, I'd put him on a super short leash!  If the OL starts going back to sucksville, I'd sub Randolph back in.  If it's better, stick with him.  Everything finally worked vs BC when we went 3 IMP OL...

[TecnoGenius]

I predict Lawler is going to have a big game.  I can't say what he's thinking, but this season is probably bothering him a fair bit.

I've been predicting that for a zillion games this season by starting him in fantasy.  Every single time he disappoints.  In fact, all of our Rs have been horrible fantasy picks this season... except Pokey in that 200Y game (when no one picked him anyhow!).

We spread the ball too much, get too few yards, and basically no throwing TDs for any of our Rs to be worthwhile in fantasy.  Brady, OTOH, is usually a great fantasy pick (though not vs SSK it seems) though the dude still doesn't have a TD!

AH33 used to get 1/3 of our TDs in the red zone... I have no idea why we can't get Brady to duplicate that.

[Blueforlife]

I wouldn't.  I'd start Bryant if it's even remotely possible.  I'm positive the SSK D will study and rip apart our patchwork LDC OL now that they have film.  They didn't take as much advantage of our abnormal OL as much as they could have.

And if Neufeld starts, I'd put him on a super short leash!  If the OL starts going back to sucksville, I'd sub Randolph back in.  If it's better, stick with him.  Everything finally worked vs BC when we went 3 IMP OL...

Disagree they will rip us apart.  Disagree on short leash.

[TecnoGenius]

I also think it works both ways: we'll study their patchwork OL and rip them apart this time.  We had almost no pressure on Trevor... I think we might change that up for the BB.  I really don't expect to see the same D game plan this time.  I think we throw them some big curve balls.

[J5V]

Need To Know -- Week 14 -- Banjo Bowl

[J5V]

Corey Mace

[ModAdmin]

Some early discussion about the Banjo Bowl and an update on injured players...

https://www.bluebombers.com/2024/09/04/need-to-know-week-14-banjo-bowl/

[bwiser]

It sounds like the Bombers O line will have Neufeld back this week. Bryant seems less likely although not out yet and could still play. Todays practice is closed so we won't learn anything new. We should have a better idea on Friday what the roster looks like for the Banjo Bowl.

[wpg#1]

Corey Mace

Cory Mace looks sleepy ( long blinks ) on the sidelines. Every time the camera was on him, he looked like he wanted to just close his eyes and go to sleep. 

[bwiser]

Cory Mace looks sleepy ( long blinks ) on the sidelines. Every time the camera was on him, he looked like he wanted to just close his eyes and go to sleep. 

A lot of coaches spend so much time preparing for the big game that they don't get any sleep all week and come game time they are too exhausted to think straight.

[theaardvark]

A lot of coaches spend so much time preparing for the big game that they don't get any sleep all week and come game time they are too exhausted to think straight.

So, is that why Osh does the smelling salts before each game?

[pdirks67]

Perfect timing for this article. Let's rip this scab off one more time. 

I have ZERO problem with him retiring, even if it was a late decision. You have to be committed to play pro sports, and perhaps it takes a while to admit to yourself that you don't have it any more. However, the bonus still rankles me.

https://3downnation.com/2024/09/05/my-family-wasnt-being-put-first-darian-durant-says-conversation-with-unnamed-coach-led-him-renege-on-blue-bombers/


'My family wasn't being put first': Darian Durant says conversation with unnamed coach led him renege on Blue Bombers

Darian Durant recently shed new light on his decision to retire from the CFL in May 2018, only four months after signing with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

"I definitely was interested and had every intention to go to Winnipeg and play (that year). I can remember a conversation I had with a coach — I won't say his name because I don't want to throw anyone under the bus — but I just had my first child and I was contemplating retiring because I just had a baby and I wanted to be there and going to Winnipeg would have took away from that," he told 620 CKRM.

"I was speaking with one of the coaches and he said, 'You know what? I didn't spend much time with my kids when they were young either, so you're not gonna miss much' and that kinda rubbed me the wrong way. I didn't really like that, so at that point, I said, 'You know what? I don't want to be a part of a situation where a coach doesn't put family first.' I've always been in that environment starting with Kent Austin and then moving on to Ken Miller and even [Corey] Chamblin, they all preached family and when I felt like my family wasn't being put first, I got a little bitter about that and decided to just hang it up."

Durant made it clear that family was his primary reason for retiring back in 2018 when he originally made his announcement. At that time, he claimed his wife wouldn't be able to join him in Winnipeg as much as they were originally anticipating and that being away for an out-of-town off-season training session was harder than he'd expected, illustrating how difficult it would be to leave for an entire season.

The new piece of information from this latest interview was the phone call he shared with an unnamed coach in Winnipeg. The club's coaching staff has remained mostly intact since Durant retired, including Mike O'Shea, Buck Pierce, Kevin Bourgoin, Marty Costello, Richie Hall, and Jordan Younger, though some of those individuals now hold different roles than they did back in 2018. Coaches who were with Winnipeg that season but have since departed include Paul LaPolice, Glen Young, and Paul Boudreau.

The Blue Bombers have made a point of allowing players to miss games for the birth of children in recent years, including Canadian starters Nic Demski and Patrick Neufeld as recently as 2023. The team also allowed then-backup quarterback Dru Brown to miss a game that year following the death of his father.

Durant's retirement was considered controversial at the time because he'd received a $70,000 signing bonus from the Blue Bombers, who felt they weren't properly informed of his decision to retire. Reports at the time indicated that the team asked for the money back and Durant declined. The veteran passer only addressed the signing bonus in one interview and said he believed he deserved the money despite rendering no services to the team.

The native of Florence, S.C. received calls about returning to the field after his retirement announcement but ultimately decided not to play again.

"(Then-starting quarterback) Matt Nichols was injured during training camp (with the Blue Bombers) when I initially retired and so I fielded a few phone calls from my agent asking if I wanted to double back and go back and play but at that point, I had made up my mind that I'm pretty much done," said Durant.

"It's never easy to hang up the cleats. This is a sport and something that I've been doing pretty much my entire life, so it's very hard to hang it up. But playing in one place like Saskatchewan for so long and then having a bad experience in Montreal, I didn't want to repeat that in Winnipeg, so I realized that it was time for me to hang it up."

Durant remained mostly out of the spotlight following his retirement until last year when he returned to Regina to be inducted into the Plaza of Honour as part of Saskatchewan's 2013 Grey Cup team.

The 42-year-old is now a regular on 620 CKRM and recently hosted 'Dinner with Doubles,' an inaugural charity event that was held the night before the Labour Day Classic. A fan from North Battleford, Sask. paid $5,600 for four tickets to sit at Durant's table, a testament to how beloved he remains in Rider Nation. He will return to the city later this year to be inducted into the team's Plaza of Honour as an individual.

[wpg#1]

Durrant better get up to the CKRM booth early, and not walk around the concourse. he might get a hotdog thrown at him.

[GOLDMEMBER]

Perfect timing for this article. Let's rip this scab off one more time. 

I have ZERO problem with him retiring, even if it was a late decision. You have to be committed to play pro sports, and perhaps it takes a while to admit to yourself that you don't have it any more. However, the bonus still rankles me.

https://3downnation.com/2024/09/05/my-family-wasnt-being-put-first-darian-durant-says-conversation-with-unnamed-coach-led-him-renege-on-blue-bombers/


'My family wasn't being put first': Darian Durant says conversation with unnamed coach led him renege on Blue Bombers

Darian Durant recently shed new light on his decision to retire from the CFL in May 2018, only four months after signing with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

"I definitely was interested and had every intention to go to Winnipeg and play (that year). I can remember a conversation I had with a coach — I won't say his name because I don't want to throw anyone under the bus — but I just had my first child and I was contemplating retiring because I just had a baby and I wanted to be there and going to Winnipeg would have took away from that," he told 620 CKRM.

"I was speaking with one of the coaches and he said, 'You know what? I didn't spend much time with my kids when they were young either, so you're not gonna miss much' and that kinda rubbed me the wrong way. I didn't really like that, so at that point, I said, 'You know what? I don't want to be a part of a situation where a coach doesn't put family first.' I've always been in that environment starting with Kent Austin and then moving on to Ken Miller and even [Corey] Chamblin, they all preached family and when I felt like my family wasn't being put first, I got a little bitter about that and decided to just hang it up."

Durant made it clear that family was his primary reason for retiring back in 2018 when he originally made his announcement. At that time, he claimed his wife wouldn't be able to join him in Winnipeg as much as they were originally anticipating and that being away for an out-of-town off-season training session was harder than he'd expected, illustrating how difficult it would be to leave for an entire season.

The new piece of information from this latest interview was the phone call he shared with an unnamed coach in Winnipeg. The club's coaching staff has remained mostly intact since Durant retired, including Mike O'Shea, Buck Pierce, Kevin Bourgoin, Marty Costello, Richie Hall, and Jordan Younger, though some of those individuals now hold different roles than they did back in 2018. Coaches who were with Winnipeg that season but have since departed include Paul LaPolice, Glen Young, and Paul Boudreau.

The Blue Bombers have made a point of allowing players to miss games for the birth of children in recent years, including Canadian starters Nic Demski and Patrick Neufeld as recently as 2023. The team also allowed then-backup quarterback Dru Brown to miss a game that year following the death of his father.

Durant's retirement was considered controversial at the time because he'd received a $70,000 signing bonus from the Blue Bombers, who felt they weren't properly informed of his decision to retire. Reports at the time indicated that the team asked for the money back and Durant declined. The veteran passer only addressed the signing bonus in one interview and said he believed he deserved the money despite rendering no services to the team.

The native of Florence, S.C. received calls about returning to the field after his retirement announcement but ultimately decided not to play again.

"(Then-starting quarterback) Matt Nichols was injured during training camp (with the Blue Bombers) when I initially retired and so I fielded a few phone calls from my agent asking if I wanted to double back and go back and play but at that point, I had made up my mind that I'm pretty much done," said Durant.

"It's never easy to hang up the cleats. This is a sport and something that I've been doing pretty much my entire life, so it's very hard to hang it up. But playing in one place like Saskatchewan for so long and then having a bad experience in Montreal, I didn't want to repeat that in Winnipeg, so I realized that it was time for me to hang it up."

Durant remained mostly out of the spotlight following his retirement until last year when he returned to Regina to be inducted into the Plaza of Honour as part of Saskatchewan's 2013 Grey Cup team.

The 42-year-old is now a regular on 620 CKRM and recently hosted 'Dinner with Doubles,' an inaugural charity event that was held the night before the Labour Day Classic. A fan from North Battleford, Sask. paid $5,600 for four tickets to sit at Durant's table, a testament to how beloved he remains in Rider Nation. He will return to the city later this year to be inducted into the team's Plaza of Honour as an individual.

I smell BS. He collected his $70,000 bonus and f'ed off. He is a terrible at lying.

[blue_gold_84]

Of course Durant blames some unnamed coach; it's always someone else's fault. And just one more instance of him taking absolutely no responsibility for his own questionable decisions, like taking money he didn't earn.

What an irredeemable loser.