Official Game Day Thread - Edmonton at Winnipeg - September 27, 2024

[ModAdmin]

Back home against Edmonton.  Orange Shirt game and a sold out crowd.

Can we continue to control our own destiny and solidify first place? 

Game Day Guide can be viewed here!

Ed Tait's 48-Hour Primer gives a good perspective of the 1 and 0 mentality of the Bombers as they approach the count down to the Grey Cup.

...And when (Brady) Oliveira was asked Wednesday if he should be in the MOP conversation, he stiff-armed the idea to the ground like a would-be tackler.

"I want to win a Grey Cup," he said. "I keep reminding myself of the last two seasons, getting there and the way that season ended. Obviously, the season-ending awards at the end of the year, there's still one more important game after the awards show.

Injury-wise Lucky Whitehead, Nick Hallett and Brian Cole are all listed as Questionable but Cole was a full participant at practice today.

A win against the Elks will clinch a post-season playoff spot for the Bombers, so it represents another important game.

Depth chart and further information will be released tomorrow.

Be there! Be loud!

[ModAdmin]

In:

#41 Cole
#94 Adams

Out:

#19 Wilson
#69 Randolph

[towelie]

Like having extra d linemen in against MBT, but only having 6 on the o line roster is a little scary with how many injuries there have been across the league this year.

[GOLDMEMBER]

Wilson can't ever seem to stay healthy!

[gobombersgo]

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

They're cutting it pretty thin at receiver, if one went down they'd be relying on Lucky who's a bit banged up himself.

[gobombersgo]

Versatile defender Brian Cole returns for Winnipeg Blue Bombers vs. Elks
By John Hodge -September 26, 2024

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers will have versatile defender Brian Cole back in the lineup when they host the Edmonton Elks on Friday night.

The six-foot-two, 207-pound native of Saginaw, Mi. has missed the team's last seven games due to a foot injury. He dressed for the first seven matchups of the season and made 13 defensive tackles, four special teams tackles, and one interception as a hybrid linebacker and defensive back.

The Mississippi State product was a seventh-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings in the 2020 NFL Draft and has since been a member of the Miami Dolphins, Carolina Panthers, Saskatchewan Roughriders, and Edmonton Elks. Over 27 career CFL games, he has made 16 defensive tackles, 24 special teams tackles, three forced fumbles, and one interception.

Canadian defensive back Nick Hallett will dress despite not practicing this week due to an ankle injury. The same is true for receiver and return specialist Lucky Whitehead, who also missed practice with an ankle injury this week.

Veteran linebacker Kyrie Wilson, who was injured during warmups of last week's game in Edmonton, has officially been moved to the six-game injured list. Winnipeg has also moved rookie offensive lineman Kendall Randolph, who started in place of Stanley Bryant when he was out of the lineup, to the practice roster while promoting rookie defensive tackle Devin Adams to the active roster.

The Blue Bombers (8-6) will host the Edmonton Elks (5-9) on Friday, Sept. 27 with kickoff slated for 8:00 p.m. EDT. The teams met last week in Edmonton with the Blue Bombers winning by a score of 27-14.

https://3downnation.com/2024/09/26/versatile-defender-brian-cole-returns-for-winnipeg-blue-bombers-vs-elks/

[gobombersgo]

[Blue In BC]

I see # 8 Lewis in for Bratton as an advantage for the Bombers. He hasn't played for 7 weeks.

[Jesse]

Like having extra d linemen in against MBT, but only having 6 on the o line roster is a little scary with how many injuries there have been across the league this year.

Historically, it's always 6 OL on the roster. Carrying 7 is not standard practice at all.

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

Historically, it's always 6 OL on the roster. Carrying 7 is not standard practice at all.

Historically the Bombers did not play Jumbo packages as much as they do now or line up an O-lineman at FB.

[gobombersgo]

Edmonton Elks without DB Darius Bratton vs. Bombers
By 3Down Staff -September 26, 2024

The Edmonton Elks will be missing an important component of their secondary for their rematch with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Boundary halfback Darius Bratton has been ruled out with a knee injury. The 27-year-old has recorded 31 defensive tackles and three interceptions in his second CFL season, including one takeaway last week from Zach Collaros.

Marcus Lewis will step into the starting lineup for Bratton. In seven starts this season, primarily at cornerback, the 28-year-old notched 13 defensive tackles and one pick. He amassed four interceptions in his first season as an Elk in 2023. Rookie Jalen Green will also dress as secondary depth following the release of Leon O'Neal Jr.

Canadian receiver Gavin Cobb (thigh) will be unable to go this week after starting the last game in place of Hergy Mayala. Rookie Zach Mathis, who was acquired in June with a first-round supplemental draft pick, will make his first career CFL start.

Canadian linebacker Josiah Schakel will return to the roster for special teams depth, as will defensive lineman/fullback Jacob Plamondon. Rookie Canadian linebacker Olivier Muembi has been placed on the practice roster.

The Edmonton Elks (5-9) will visit the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (8-6) on Friday, September 27 at 8:00 p.m. EDT.

https://3downnation.com/2024/09/26/edmonton-elks-without-db-darius-bratton-vs-bombers/

[gobombersgo]

[gobombersgo]

[peg_city]

Bombers win by 20 in overtime

[Blue In BC]

Bombers win by 20 in overtime

Lol. It's impossible to win by that amount in OT. It's a 1 TD and 2 point covert on offence and a 2nd TD and 2 point convert if they score on defence.

That's if they are the 1st team to go on offence in OT. Even then I don't think they'd be required to go for any convert.

So maximum score would by a win by 14 in that case.

IMO we win by 17 points in regulation.

[theaardvark]

Historically the Bombers did not play Jumbo packages as much as they do now or line up an O-lineman at FB.

We are dressing a FB this week that will play in the Jumbo packages...

[Sir Blue and Gold]

We are dressing a FB this week that will play in the Jumbo packages...

Chris-Ike is not the bruising fullback of old. We'll use Eli in a lot of those lead blocking situations. To be honest, I still think Buck is figuring out how to best use the guy. He's essentially a running back and I wouldn't be surprised to see him in Augustine's role next year. He was drafted due to his speed and athleticism which is not something you usually say about a full back.

[55StickCar]

This is an important game. We win this or the point differential and we have won the season series with all the western teams. Guaranteed third place minimum.

[Pitbull]

It's great the game is sold out. Isn't there a ticket exchange like the Jets have for those who want to sell their tickets?

[55StickCar]

Double Posted!

[Blueforlife]

It's great the game is sold out. Isn't there a ticket exchange like the Jets have for those who want to sell their tickets?

There is a sticky thread on this forum for that purpose

[ModAdmin]

Game #15: Elks (5-9) at Blue Bombers (8-6)

Kickoff: Friday, September 27th, 7 p.m. CDT; Princess Auto Stadium
TV/Streaming: TSN 1/5, CBS Sports Network; CFL+
Radio: 680 CJOB
Streaks: Wpg: 6W; Edm: 1L
Road/Home: The Blue Bombers are 5-2 at home, having won five straight at Princess Auto Stadium after dropping their first two of the season; the Elks are 3-4 on the road this season.
Game theme: Orange Shirt Game. For more details on the meaning of this game:

Scene Setter

It's one of the toughest asks in the Canadian Football League — turning a double-play against the same opponent with back-to-back wins — and especially so if those victories come during the urgency of the second half of the season.

Well, here are the Winnipeg Blue Bombers prepping to host the Edmonton Elks Friday night at Princess Auto Stadium for the second of a home-and-home series with their division rivals and a chance to sweep the two games.

If they can convert, they would go a perfect 6-0 in back-to-backs this season after turning the double against the B.C. Lions and Saskatchewan Roughriders in August and then September.

Even more impressive in the big picture is this: dating back to 2016 the Blue Bombers are 29-12 in their 21 back-to-backs with opponents and have nine sweeps — this current matchup with the Elks still to be determined — while being swept only once, by the Roughriders back in 2018.

The evidence:

2024: B.C.: WW; Sask.: WW; Edm.: W?

2023: Sask.: LW

2022: Ott.: WW; Mtl.: WL; Sask.: WW; B.C.: LW

2021: Tor.: WL; Sask.: WW; Edm.: WW; Mtl.: WL

2019: Sask.: LW; Cal.: LW

2018: B.C.: WL; Tor.: WW; Sask.: LL

2017: Sask.: LW

2016: Sask.: WW; B.C.: WW; Ott: LW

Clearly those superb numbers are part of why the Blue Bombers are on such an impressive run over the last few years and with a chance to clinch an eighth straight playoff appearance with a win against the Elks.

It's also worth putting that 29-12 record in back-to-backs over the last eight years into perspective — in the eight seasons before that, 2008-15, the Blue Bombers were a grotesque 8-30 in double-headers.

Ouch.

More on the game preview...

[Pigskin]

At 6'1"/225 I don't consider C-Ike a full back. With this kids speed 4.56/40 I am surprised that the Bomber haven't tried to get him a few more touches.

[Pigskin]

Just looking at the weather. 21 at kickoff with little to no wind.

[TecnoGenius]

They're cutting it pretty thin at receiver, if one went down they'd be relying on Lucky who's a bit banged up himself.

I haven't actually counted, but I do study how we use jumbo, and I'd say when we're playing the game we want (i.e. not down much) we go 6-7 (or jumbo sets quite a lot; i.e. sending 5 receivers out maybe 30% of the time.

If suddenly we were short an R, we'd just do more jumbo, and maybe some interesting stuff with Ike and Johnny.

[TecnoGenius]

I see # 8 Lewis in for Bratton as an advantage for the Bombers. He hasn't played for 7 weeks.

EDM D looks pretty bad on paper this week.  I hope we can capitalize.  MBT will do much better than Ford, and probably rack up some real yards.  If our O needs to get medium-level production to win it.  I don't want to see another struggle-fest, like we've seen so much this season.

[TecnoGenius]

Historically, it's always 6 OL on the roster. Carrying 7 is not standard practice at all.

Historically the Bombers did not play Jumbo packages as much as they do now or line up an O-lineman at FB.

Historically 10 years ago, yes.  Historically 2023 & 2024 we've been loving the jumbos.  6,7 & 8 OL+FB sets much of the time.  And even when we appear to be sending out 5, we often have 1-2 coming across pre-snap as blockers.

Blocking is the name of WPG's game.

[TecnoGenius]

That 6GIR is like a who's who of our desired starters & desired dressers.  It's ugly scary.  Quite amazing we're doing so well!  I've never seen anything like it in Bomberland.

[TecnoGenius]

It's great the game is sold out. Isn't there a ticket exchange like the Jets have for those who want to sell their tickets?

What the other guy mentioned is the blue "sticky" thread area at the top of the thread list index named BUY AND SELL, or use this link:

http://forums.bluebombers.com/index.php?topic=52356.0

The usual aftermarket sites have tickets, like stubhub.ca and that other fan one I can't recall the name of.  And TM itself will have aftermarket tickets, but for some reason on sellouts like this they just go all-grey with no listings, which I find really odd.

CFL football in WPG and SSK is a hot ticket this year, it would seem.  Money must be rolling into these 2 clubs.  Right now there are only 2 tickets left on stubhub, which is crazy talk.  LDC was the same way.

At the rate we're going, I think we may sell out the mid-Oct game, which would be unprecedented.  And people say no one likes or cares about the CFL!!  WRONG

[TecnoGenius]

At 6'1"/225 I don't consider C-Ike a full back. With this kids speed 4.56/40 I am surprised that the Bomber haven't tried to get him a few more touches.

Wait for it!....

[TecnoGenius]

Just looking at the weather. 21 at kickoff with little to no wind.

17/26 wind.  That's probably enough that we defer.  MOS loves deferring.  Very strange we got the ball to start both halves last game... totally not our M.O.

I'm not sure anymore whether I want to win or lose the toss.  Doesn't seem to change anything either way (when there's a wind).

[gobombersgo]

@TecnoGenius ticketmaster doesn't have resale tickets for Bombers games on their website.

They do for Rider games, Jets games, concerts etc but not Bombers.

[ichabod_crane]

Bombers win by 20 in overtime

So you are predicting a tie then as impossible to win by 20 in an overtime game!

[ichabod_crane]

What the other guy mentioned is the blue "sticky" thread area at the top of the thread list index named BUY AND SELL, or use this link:

http://forums.bluebombers.com/index.php?topic=52356.0

The usual aftermarket sites have tickets, like stubhub.ca and that other fan one I can't recall the name of.  And TM itself will have aftermarket tickets, but for some reason on sellouts like this they just go all-grey with no listings, which I find really odd.

CFL football in WPG and SSK is a hot ticket this year, it would seem.  Money must be rolling into these 2 clubs.  Right now there are only 2 tickets left on stubhub, which is crazy talk.  LDC was the same way.

At the rate we're going, I think we may sell out the mid-Oct game, which would be unprecedented.  And people say no one likes or cares about the CFL!!  WRONG

Yeah, whatever happened to the ages ago whiners who said Bombers will hardly sell out or even attend games due to cottage goers on weekends? Guess the younger generation less concerned about that....that was a whine for decades which I never understood. Maybe because I grew up in the countryside outside Winnipeg the ALLURE of the cottage had no sway on me...I got my time at the beach and lake/river fishing and so on anyway if I wanted to. Can't spare one night to go to a game? Sour grapes always to me. 

[blue_or_die]

I'm very excited to head to the stadium after work tonight and be with my people

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

I haven't actually counted, but I do study how we use jumbo, and I'd say when we're playing the game we want (i.e. not down much) we go 6-7 (or jumbo sets quite a lot; i.e. sending 5 receivers out maybe 30% of the time.

If suddenly we were short an R, we'd just do more jumbo, and maybe some interesting stuff with Ike and Johnny.

Wasn't that many years ago many teams were almost completely ignoring the running game and going all in on the 5 receiver passing attack.  In the last 5 years the Bombers helped change that to where now every team seeks to have to have a strong running game if they want to contend.

[theaardvark]

Wasn't that many years ago many teams were almost completely ignoring the running game and going all in on the 5 receiver passing attack.  In the last 5 years the Bombers helped change that to where now every team seeks to have to have a strong running game if they want to contend.

3 downs makes it a passing league.  If you aren't averaging over 5 yards a rush, you are going to see a lot of 2 and outs.

2nd and manageable seem to be the mantra.  If that second is "and short", the running game becomes the key.  Whether you ran or passed on first down.

[Blue In BC]

Getting back to Bratton being out for the Elks. He was tied for 3rd DT's in our last game and had the 1 pic. Bombers should be testing his replacement early.

[blue_or_die]

Bombers by 30 in OT. Book it.

[gobombersgo]

Wasn't that many years ago many teams were almost completely ignoring the running game and going all in on the 5 receiver passing attack.  In the last 5 years the Bombers helped change that to where now every team seeks to have to have a strong running game if they want to contend.

It also has to do with how defences are focused on stopping the explosion passing plays.

Zach mentioned in his press conference yesterday how it is more of a challenge now to get those long passing gains.

Coach Lapo did a great job explaining how the Bombers defended against the Elks last week.

[Pigskin]

Run D has to be better tonight. No turnover, and keep Brady rolling.

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

Getting back to Bratton being out for the Elks. He was tied for 3rd DT's in our last game and had the 1 pic. Bombers should be testing his replacement early.

Sounds like a continuation of Chris Jones strategy of cycling through DB's endlessly, unbelievable how little stock he placed in continuity and the building the chemistry within a secondary. It got him fired.

[Blue In BC]

Sounds like a continuation of Chris Jones strategy of cycling through DB's endlessly, unbelievable how little stock he placed in continuity and the building the chemistry within a secondary. It got him fired.

He's injured ( knee ) and didn't practice all week.

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

He's injured ( knee ) and didn't practice all week.

Oh sorry, I thought that was the guy they cut.

[Blue In BC]

Oh sorry, I thought that was the guy they cut.

No, that was O'Neal they cut. Bratton had that pic covering Lawler in the last game.

Bomber win combined with a Lion and Rider loss would look pretty good this weekend.

GO BOMBERS

[J5V]

Nervous energy and adrenaline is flowing. Heart rate is up. Here we go, Blue!

[J5V]

17-0. Best start to a game this season, I believe.

[J5V]

Wow! Brady in beast mode. 24-0.

[J5V]

Bombers are on fire. D scores a TD. 31-0.

[J5V]

Rankin rips off a big one and it leads to an Elks field goal. 31-3.

[J5V]

What a great catch by Demski! Leads to a Bomber field goal. 34-3, Bombers.

[markf]

Forum in shock

[J5V]

What a ridiculous catch by Lawler! Wow!!!

[J5V]

41-13! Atta boy, Kenny! Ss-weeet!!

[J5V]

Was it something I said, guys? LOL!

[J5V]

Kenny Lawler is money tonight! Wooooo!

[J5V]

Demski! TOUCHDOWN!! WOOOOO HOOOOO!!!

[J5V]

Lawler is insanely good tonight. Wow, just wow!

[J5V]

Kenny worth every penny. Zach clicking with his entire offence. Brady in beast mode. What a difference Stanley Bryant makes. Just fantastic!

[Blue In BC]

Great game and blowout by the Bombers. An even bigger win than the 17 points I predicted.

As I predicted somewhat we'd targeted their DB # 8 Lewis. However we routinely beat all their other DB's. lol

Offence was on fire. Defence controlled the Elks in the 1st half. 2nd half not quite as good and the Elks scored in garbage time. The problem was that the 2nd half was a go for broke due to the lopsided score.

I didn't see any injuries. KUDOS.

[Pigskin]

wow, it looks like J5V had no one to play with tonight. Board pretty dead.

Dominate game for our O. ZC8 seems to have found his grove. 

D was good, but we gave up another 155 yards rushing. A few missed tackles that need to be made.

Teams gave up a little more yardage then usual.
 

[theaardvark]

wow, it looks like J5V had no one to play with tonight. Board pretty dead.

Dominate game for our O. ZC8 seems to have found his grove. 

D was good, but we gave up another 155 yards rushing. A few missed tackles that need to be made.

Teams gave up a little more yardage then usual.
 

Gave up some yards, but a lot of YABs...

Complete domination in all aspects.

Can we go up in the power rankings?

[Sir Blue and Gold]

What a magical night at the stadium!

[Pigskin]

Nice to see KL89 go 8/9 130 2 TDs. He needed a big game.

[Ducky]

The orange shirt day / truth and reconciliation event is one of the best event nights in sports. Huge kudos to the Bombers and affiliated businesses that make this happen.

[Bluehawk]

It's great the game is sold out. Isn't there a ticket exchange like the Jets have for those who want to sell their tickets?

Best place to find after market tickets for both Bombers and Jets is fansfirst.ca
Bought and sold there often over the years.

[Bluehawk]

What the other guy mentioned is the blue "sticky" thread area at the top of the thread list index named BUY AND SELL, or use this link:

http://forums.bluebombers.com/index.php?topic=52356.0

The usual aftermarket sites have tickets, like stubhub.ca and that other fan one I can't recall the name of.  And TM itself will have aftermarket tickets, but for some reason on sellouts like this they just go all-grey with no listings, which I find really odd.

CFL football in WPG and SSK is a hot ticket this year, it would seem.  Money must be rolling into these 2 clubs.  Right now there are only 2 tickets left on stubhub, which is crazy talk.  LDC was the same way.

At the rate we're going, I think we may sell out the mid-Oct game, which would be unprecedented.  And people say no one likes or cares about the CFL!!  WRONG

Stubhub is a ripoff!  They charge both buyer and seller!!!!
Use fansfirst.ca
A very legit Canadian company!!!

[Blueforlife]

The Bombers are just as good as we have been in the recent past

All three phases excellent

Team culture world class

should have signed Brown they cried, Zach is done they chirped, Lawyer not same they claimed lol

Zach 6 TDs nuff said

Can't touch us

All the D does is eat

Did someone claim that Zach wasn't consistent? Asking for a friend lol

[TecnoGenius]

@TecnoGenius ticketmaster doesn't have resale tickets for Bombers games on their website.

They do for Rider games, Jets games, concerts etc but not Bombers.

Ah, that would explain why I never see the "red seats" on the TM PAS map... weird, I guess the clubs get to decide if they want resale or not?  TM resale is usually pretty lame anyhow, as I don't think they allow selling for less than face.

Stubhub may have hella fees (mostly hidden for buyers), but I've used them a whack ton over the years and they are reliable.  I've gotten into 4 GC's with stubhub...

[TecnoGenius]

What a magical night at the stadium!

Perfect sentiment.

Perfect weather, perfect scenery, perfect fan comradery, perfect munchies, perfect beverages, perfect Bombers, perfect time with both my kids.  Life is good, man.  Soak it up.

[ModAdmin]

A good read on Ed Tait's Game Recap.

[TecnoGenius]

DT said in post-game (I think) this was Zach's most passing TDs in a game ever.  That would include his Ticat years.

My son took Zach in fantasy and he got something like 41 points.  Completely unheard of for any QB, except maybe BLM in his 5TD game earlier this season.  If you captained Zach, you just got 80+ points from 1 player.  Crazy.  (But most of us gave up on Zach in fantasy as he would always get 0 or 1 passing TD a game...)

And many WPG players really paid off in fantasy too... which is also counter to what they've been doing all season (ex-Brady).

[TecnoGenius]

Zach threw that 1st TD to Demski about 55-60Y total in-air length.  That may be the longest ball Zach has thrown all season.  Sometimes he seemed to struggle to throw 45-50Y.

Zach getting his arm & zip back to end the season is the perfect early Christmas gift.  If he has 60Y of air in that arm then Ds all have to rethink how they defend him!

P.S. beaut spiral too

[TecnoGenius]

Pelley on EDM is one big beast.  My daughter said at the game "why is their a hoggie going against our hoggies?".  I looked down and there's this OL looking guy on EDM's DL.  I get the number... 96.  Pelley.

So at home I'm looking him up and he's 6'5 330.  That's completely nuts.  How did this guy end up on the D side of the ball?  Is he any good?  He's a NAT from U CGY.  One would think he'd be too slow & lumbering to be effective at many DT tasks.

I can guess who EDM will pick if they ever need an emergency OL...

[TecnoGenius]

2Q13:59 on Brady's 1st TD: after Zach throws it he gets taken down by HC.  Very visible on replay after the TD when they show Zach getting hit.  Nice miss, refs & command.  Right between the numbers and nameplate.

Fine incoming?  Someone memo the league.

[Pete]

A quiet forum on such a big performance, but I gotta say I was enjoying the game so much I couldnt tear my attention away!
  So great to see the offence go pff like we hoped at beginning of year! And the number of highlight plays   
.just WOW

[bluengold204]

A quiet forum on such a big performance, but I gotta say I was enjoying the game so much I couldnt tear my attention away!
  So great to see the offence go pff like we hoped at beginning of year! And the number of highlight plays   
.just WOW

Everybody was at the game not on their computers lol

[bwiser]

Zach threw that 1st TD to Demski about 55-60Y total in-air length.  That may be the longest ball Zach has thrown all season.  Sometimes he seemed to struggle to throw 45-50Y.

Zach getting his arm & zip back to end the season is the perfect early Christmas gift.  If he has 60Y of air in that arm then Ds all have to rethink how they defend him!

P.S. beaut spiral too

Colleros had lots of time to throw and you give him time he will pick apart a defense. I was almost shocked at the success the Bombers were having with the long ball. It seemed like they connected every time they went deep.

[Pigskin]

Younger has done an amazing job with our D. So many new faces due to injuries, and yet he has found a away to build a very good D. Also, Miller has turned our so, so, coverage teams from last season into one of the best units in the league.

[Pigskin]

Colleros had lots of time to throw and you give him time and he will pick apart a defense. I was almost shocked at the success the Bombers were having with the long ball. It seemed like they connected every time they went deep.

I only saw one bad whiff by our OL. That was SB66, when AC beat him clean and got a good hit on ZC8.

[Sir Blue and Gold]

Edmonton has already said McLeod Bethal-Thompson will start next week against the Riders. I wonder how Tre Ford is feeling about that? Maybe there is pathway to resign Tyrell Ford and bring Tre here as the short yardage QB next year? I'm not super impressed with Tre as a QB but if you get him here with the right attitude he might develop and is at least as good as Streveler is/was. It would be tempting to be here in a Grey Cup year as a QB and in a system where we know Collaros probably won't be around for too much longer.

Collaros, Ford and either Dolegala or Wilson or Scott would be a pretty good QB room.

[Blue In BC]

Wheatfall. I know it's early but he's looking like the real deal. Also notice our offence is looking better now that we have another receiver we can actually throw the ball to.

[Sir Blue and Gold]

Wheatfall. I know it's early but he's looking like the real deal. Also notice our offence is looking better now that we have another receiver we can actually throw the ball to.

If you throw out the game he got hurt in, in three games he has: 9 catches for 234 yards (78 a game) and a TD.

Pretty good. He's getting 1 on 1s every snap with Lawler, Demski and Wilson out there but he's proven dangerous for sure.

Let's also remember that Rasheed Bailey had 508 yards in 18 full games last year in this offense.

[Pigskin]

Wheatfall. I know it's early but he's looking like the real deal. Also notice our offence is looking better now that we have another receiver we can actually throw the ball to.

Upgrade from Johnson. Bigger receiver, finds the open spots on the field, can go get the deep ball.

[The Zipp]

Upgrade from Johnson. Bigger receiver, finds the open spots on the field, can go get the deep ball.

Explains why they didn't pursue Rasheed only to release him when Wheatfall was healthy.

[Blueforlife]

Younger has done an amazing job with our D. So many new faces due to injuries, and yet he has found a away to build a very good D. Also, Miller has turned our so, so, coverage teams from last season into one of the best units in the league.

All three phases cream of the crop, players and coaches are exceptional

[dd]

2Q13:59 on Brady's 1st TD: after Zach throws it he gets taken down by HC.  Very visible on replay after the TD when they show Zach getting hit.  Nice miss, refs & command.  Right between the numbers and nameplate.

Fine incoming?  Someone memo the league.

You got to wonder in this day and age of technology, why does the league make the decision that they aren't going to step in and call the missed major fouls, why?? They have the ways and means to correct this and interject with command centre and call the missed major fouls, but they choose not to. I just don't get it in this day and age of player safety, we are choosing to turn the blind eye.

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

Colleros had lots of time to throw and you give him time and he will pick apart a defense. I was almost shocked at the success the Bombers were having with the long ball. It seemed like they connected every time they went deep.

Question is, can they repeat this success or did the Elks help the offence look extremely good? Guess we'll see.

[GOLDMEMBER]

A quiet forum on such a big performance, but I gotta say I was enjoying the game so much I couldnt tear my attention away!
  So great to see the offence go pff like we hoped at beginning of year! And the number of highlight plays   
.just WOW

I was their and a little slow on the up tick today.

Tremendous football night. Demski Brady Zach were awesome. OL big kudos.

D was great again despite a couple break downs in the run D.

Got me the trifecta Lawler Biggie and Willie bobble heads!

Coupled with the BC loss 1st place here we come!

[Blueforlife]

Brady had this to say after the game...

"Going 0-4... there was probably lots of outside noise and outsiders thinking, This team ain't going to make the postseason. I'll tell you this, though - the guys in this locker room had faith and we believed. We have a vet-heavy locker room that's able to spread that around thats able to say, 'Hey, we've got the guys to get this done. Just believe. Continue to trust it, continue to embrace these hard times, these trials and tribulations. Just come in every day and continue to work. That's the only way I know
how to get over adversity - work - and a lot of guys echoed that message. We had belief. We knew that we could get into the postseason and now looking at it, obviously securing a playoff spot is great and all but we're not done yet. There's a lot more work to be done and we're excited about that."

Stay the course, no panic and be patient.  Love it!

[J5V]

Great catch by Kenny Lawler!

[J5V]

Brady Oliveira refuses to go down!

[TecnoGenius]

Also, Miller has turned our so, so, coverage teams from last season into one of the best units in the league.

Miller was ripping everybody's favorite ref a new one on the sidelines on the ultra-late way-OOB hit on Lucky on a return (unflagged).  I've never seen such a late hit like that, driving Lucky's head into the turf, go unflagged.  EITS should have stepped in (and they can on UR).

I guess if you late-hit so late that the returner is in a sea of sideline sitters you'll get away with it because the line refs can't see anything?

[markf]

Watching these other games this weekend,

No jinx, but championship wise, things are looking pretty darn good for the Bombers.

Zach, Buck, Lawler, the o line, the young guys....... what a massive relief this game was for them.

I could not post cause I was assisting my wife at a dog show, listened on the radio. 🤬

What this team has gone through this season.... Amazing stuff.

[DCM]

Miller was ripping everybody's favorite ref a new one on the sidelines on the ultra-late way-OOB hit on Lucky on a return (unflagged).  I've never seen such a late hit like that, driving Lucky's head into the turf, go unflagged.  EITS should have stepped in (and they can on UR).

I guess if you late-hit so late that the returner is in a sea of sideline sitters you'll get away with it because the line refs can't see anything?

I mean, how do you miss that? It was sooooo late. Smh.

[J5V]

Miller was ripping everybody's favorite ref a new one on the sidelines on the ultra-late way-OOB hit on Lucky on a return (unflagged).  I've never seen such a late hit like that, driving Lucky's head into the turf, go unflagged.  EITS should have stepped in (and they can on UR).

I guess if you late-hit so late that the returner is in a sea of sideline sitters you'll get away with it because the line refs can't see anything?

I hate to say I told you so but how many times does it have to happen before we realize that we will never get those calls. Never. This league and it's officials do not care what liberties are taken by other teams against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. They will continue to ignore them. It's us against the CFL world.

[Sir Blue and Gold]

I hate to say I told you so but how many times does it have to happen before we realize that we will never get those calls. Never. This league and it's officials do not care what liberties are taken by other teams against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. They will continue to ignore them. It's us against the CFL world.

Literally every teams fans feel that way. Refs miss calls in every game. We got our fair share of calls in that game too.

[TecnoGenius]

I hate to say I told you so but how many times does it have to happen before we realize that we will never get those calls. Never. This league and it's officials do not care what liberties are taken by other teams against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. They will continue to ignore them. It's us against the CFL world.

I don't think the league is biased against us, but I do believe certain refs can be.

However, in this case I just think the 2 refs who were running in after the play didn't see the hit because there were 40 Bombers standing all around it.

More questionable is why didn't EITS step in to flag and unflagged UR.  They have the authority to do that with UR.  I guess you could argue EITS ref is biased... and it could be!  Who knows.

I agree with SB&G in the sense that if you read the Riderfans forum (hold your nose!) you'll see they literally say the exact same thing but substitute their team for ours!

So in the many WPG vs SSK games this year you have both fan bases claiming the league is biased against them and supporting the other team.  Both propositions literally cannot hold true at the same time.

Thankfully refs/command have been pretty much non-factors in most of our last few games.

[TecnoGenius]

On rewatch, how come we had our weakest DB (rookie Bonds) covering E.Lewis most of the time?  Why aren't we rejigging our DB positions to get strong on strong?  Put Ford or Nichols or Holm on Gino.

Bonds got burned on most of the big Gino completions, including the challenged Gino DPI.

[TecnoGenius]

Was Fatboi on the field at all?  On my rewatch I didn't notice him once in his patented FM-holding stance.

Lots of Schmekel and the other guys.

Did Fatboi get injured, or is he dinged, or did the other guys beat him out?  Something seems amiss.  I think with our advantageous ratio we can afford to play our IMPs most snaps, but it still just feels... wrong.

[TecnoGenius]

Final TD (Mitchell#17 for EDM) of the game: pretty sure that was trapped and was rubbing on the turf with no hand under it (can see what looks like the ball with stripe on the turf).  But impossible to overturn based on the one replay shown.

I wonder if command had better shots but no one really bothered because... mercy, pity, feefees, ...

[J5V]

Final TD (Mitchell#17 for EDM) of the game: pretty sure that was trapped and was rubbing on the turf with no hand under it (can see what looks like the ball with stripe on the turf).  But impossible to overturn based on the one replay shown.

I wonder if command had better shots but no one really bothered because... mercy, pity, feefees, ...

I also thought he was down with contact at the one yard line. Can you confirm?

[ModAdmin]

What I wouldn't mind seeing is a weekly video segment on TSN from officials in the league, explaining reasons for some penalty calls and some penalty non-calls. Understanding the logic would help assure fans they know what they look at/for in these determinations.

[bunker]

Was Fatboi on the field at all?  On my rewatch I didn't notice him once in his patented FM-holding stance.

Lots of Schmekel and the other guys.

Did Fatboi get injured, or is he dinged, or did the other guys beat him out?  Something seems amiss.  I think with our advantageous ratio we can afford to play our IMPs most snaps, but it still just feels... wrong.

On rewatch I thought he got his share of plays, although I was not  specifically tracking him. On the play where Prukop got stuffed on 3rd and one, it was Schmekel and Jake submarining and Gauthier over the top that caused the stop.

[bunker]

I also thought he was down with contact at the one yard line. Can you confirm?

On rewatch, I definitely thought he was down on the one. He touched down before the goal line and I'm pretty sure Ford was contacting him at that time. I think everyone just decided to let it go, but its kind of odd if you care about the integrity of the game.

[TecnoGenius]

I also thought he was down with contact at the one yard line. Can you confirm?

Ya good eye, the live shot has his elbow clearly down when the ball is just inside the 1.  And he's basically tied up with Ford, so DBC.

The replay you can only really see the knee, and the knee is harder to tell if DBC, so forget the knee, even though it's probably down too.

I guess you could argue he didn't have control and only got control after he crossed the line.  He certainly didn't have control initially when falling down.  But then I'd counter-argue that if he didn't have control, and it looks like the ball hit the turf, that it's incomplete.

I think command really didn't want to get pedantic and steal one of EDM's only bright spots.  If this was game-deciding, they may have ruled otherwise.  Yes, this is not great for "integrity of the game".

[TecnoGenius]

On rewatch I thought he got his share of plays, although I was not  specifically tracking him. On the play where Prukop got stuffed on 3rd and one, it was Schmekel and Jake submarining and Gauthier over the top that caused the stop.

I'll check again.  I'm so used to him being the most-downs DT.  He definitely wasn't the most-downs guy tonight.  This is a radical departure from past games this season.

[TecnoGenius]

What I wouldn't mind seeing is a weekly video segment on TSN from officials in the league, explaining reasons for some penalty calls and some penalty non-calls. Understanding the logic would help assure fans they know what they look at/for in these determinations.

Definitely.  And we don't even need a video, just release the decision notes publicly every week.  Sometimes we get snippets or leaks from coaches, or even outright press releases, but most of the time we get nothing.

There should be an explanation for every review or EITS/command override.

I have no idea why they want to be so secretive... unless they are very incompetent and buffoonish and just throwing darts and want to hide that fact!

[Jesse]

I'll check again.  I'm so used to him being the most-downs DT.  He definitely wasn't the most-downs guy tonight.  This is a radical departure from past games this season.

He's been spending more and more reps off the field. Especially on the 3 DL sets.

Nothing unusual about it. This is how an older DL should be used.

[TecnoGenius]

He's been spending more and more reps off the field. Especially on the 3 DL sets.

Nothing unusual about it. This is how an older DL should be used.

Ya, on another rewatch Fatboi was in the game a lot in the 1st H.  When we were getting up huge he started resting a heck of a lot more.  But it wasn't just the 3DL or cheetah sets: we were playing a lot of Schmekel in the 2nd H.

I don't think Fatboi was injured, as he was standing on the sidelines looking fine: maybe it was just part of slowly pulling starters off as the game got more out of reach.  Good to get the younger guys and backups some reps.

[blue_gold_84]

The best highlight package I've seen in a while.

What. A. Game.