Official Game Day Thread - Toronto at Winnipeg October 11, 2024

[J5V]

Buck Pierce can prepare a genius-level game plan or one that looks so vanilla and unimaginative. Last night we got the latter. I'm not sure why but I'd expect better in a do-or-die scenario. I remember this with Lapo too. Some games he was a mad scientist, other games even I could correctly predict what was to be called. Is this a result of Lapo's influence on Buck? Is Lapo still influencing Buck? Makes me wonder some times.

[Sir Blue and Gold]

Buck Pierce can prepare a genius-level game plan or one that looks so vanilla and unimaginative. Last night we got the latter. I'm not sure why but I'd expect better in a do-or-die scenario. I remember this with Lapo too. Some games he was a mad scientist, other games even I could correctly predict what was to be called. Is this a result of Lapo's influence on Buck? Is Lapo still influencing Buck? Makes me wonder some times.

Maybe but it's pretty hard to play call or succeed when you lose the line of scrimmage as bad as we did in the first half. Five sacks in two quarters. Those kill drives. I thought, to both the players and Buck's credit, they played a significantly better second half.

Sometimes you need to awknowlege the other guys. They came out and trucked us for half the game.

[J5V]

Here's something to ponder. Argos beat us first game by 2 points. This game by 3 points. Combined over 2 games by 5 points. That's about as razor-thin a two-game spread of wins as you can manage in the CFL. If we meet again in the Grey Cup I don't like the Argos chances of beating us for the third time in a row. In fact, as soon as I learn it's the Argos in the Grey Cup against us, I'll be placing a HUGE wager on the Blue and Gold to pummel the Argos in the Grey Cup. We are definitely due and we won't leave the outcome to be determined by the officials. Our job now is to get there.

[TecnoGenius]

The ball wasn't on the 1 yard line so IMO the Argos were not offside.

Math is hard.  Look again.  Look how far off the 1YL the ball is... it's right where the ref's foot is.  Call it a foot to be generous.

Look where the TOR foot is.  It's just shy of being halfway between markers.

Half of a yard is more than a foot.

I didn't know I had to spell it out.

I've seen o/s called for far less.

[TecnoGenius]

You might want to examine the goal line stand the Argos failed to score on in more detail, on Bonfire Gameday After Dark postgame show one angle looked like Kelly crossed the goal line before Gauthier pushed him back.

Sorry! This message was meant for Techno.

I'll take a look.  I've only watched the 1st half so far.  Often guys are over and the refs don't see it.  It's happened to us this year.

TOR still had a challenge then (I think?), so they could have challenged.

[TecnoGenius]

It's hard to tell but to my untrained eyes Zach was clearly past the first down marker but the refs spotted it 6 inches short. I'd love to see a clear picture of the ball as it hits the OOB line. First down there and Castillo gets a chance to redeem himself.

Zach was totally a half yard ahead of where they marked it.  The forward progress stops the instant any of Zach touches the turf, which would seem to be his hand (the "hand is ok" rule doesn't apply OOB).

Camera angles were pretty bad, though.  Hard to overturn, but I think they could have done it.  All they needed to do was decide he made it past the stick, not decide precisely where the spot was.

I'll do an analysis and pics later.

In the post-game presser Zach insisted he made it.

[dd]

Zach was totally a half yard ahead of where they marked it.  The forward progress stops the instant any of Zach touches the turf, which would seem to be his hand (the "hand is ok" rule doesn't apply OOB).

Camera angles were pretty bad, though.  Hard to overturn, but I think they could have done it.  All they needed to do was decide he made it past the stick, not decide precisely where the spot was.

I'll do an analysis and pics later.

In the post-game presser Zach insisted he made it.

Oh ya, he made it all right, no doubt.

That didn't cost us the game. Lining up and whiffing on 2 field goals did.

[bomb squad]

Zach didn't make the first down. When his knee touched the ground (which was before his hand touched) the ball was at the 48. It needed to get about 5 inches beyond the 48. There is an angle that showed it. They got the spot right.

[TecnoGenius]

So did they show on TSN that his foot was not OOB? At the game they kept showing the same replay and it was very hard to tell.

Yes, refs/command were "saying" his foot was inbounds because if his foot was not inbounds then he was like 2Y short, not 6".  The dive was everything.  If the foot was OOB then there was no dive.

[TecnoGenius]

I'm surprised that we didn't dress Vanderpool or randolph when we saw 9 argo dline. Dobson had a very tough game

Because the teams have to hand the chart in at the same time.  Unless TOR gifts us an early-release chart, we can't be reactive to what they roster.  We can guess based on previous games... and maybe we didn't do a good job guessing.

[TecnoGenius]

This is nothing new for the Bombers. They often find a way to lose important games after dominating.
Cases in point:
2022: Set win records; won the West going away; dominated the League; go to the Grey Cup: LOSE
2023: Win West again; definitely considered the League's best team: go to the Grey Cup: LOSE
2024: 0-4 start; injuries; recover, go 8-0; final home game/sell-out; to win the West; play like crap: LOSE. This last game was just painful. On the 3 yard line and Olivera doesn't get the ball, TWICE!!

I'm fine with going to the big game and having the football gods crap all over us, as long as we get there.  Just getting to the GC is a big accomplishment.  Not getting there this year when we basically had it in the bag will the massively more disappointing than getting to the cup and having TOR pull a horseshoe out of their butt.

I actually find the game this weekend far more disappointing, because TOR isn't that great this season and has lost a ton of games, and this is our barn with a late-season sell-out (an impossibility), and have some darn respect defending your barn!

As for the 3Y 2x sneaks, I'm fine with that.  It's the MOS M.O. and he's right: you need to be 99% on getting 1-2Y every sneak.  It's worked for years, why mess with it now.

The fact 2 sneaks failed to get in, using our 3rd SY sneaker, means that the problem isn't the QB: it's the OL.  Dobson isn't Desjar, and Ko-man isn't Couture, and maybe Neuf is having trouble, and even Big Stan isn't getting the push he once did.  (Lofton was whiffing on pass-rush all night, too.)

Zach is (now) a QB that needs a good pocket, and if he doesn't get it, he basically sucks.  If he gets it, he's #1 in the league.  The reason we sucked vs TOR is the OL stunk, Buck didn't go jumbo much to help, and so Zach got creamed and made mistakes.

Back to the drawing board, or we have to face 2 teams (and get beat up) to make the cup... something I don't see us doing this season.  Luckily the braintrust has 2 weeks to figure it out and do now what they couldn't do in week 1.

[TecnoGenius]

Here's something to ponder. Argos beat us first game by 2 points. This game by 3 points. Combined over 2 games by 5 points. That's about as razor-thin a two-game spread of wins as you can manage in the CFL. If we meet again in the Grey Cup I don't like the Argos chances of beating us for the third time in a row.

Normally that's 100% correct.  However, Argos have this strange habit of winning most of the cups they are in (us the opposite).  TOR has a big horseshoe in their butt when it comes to cups.  They often go in as big underdogs and mediocre teams and still win.

Maybe they are just lucky.  Maybe the TOR-friendly league "helps" them along with reffing/command.  Maybe they (tinfoil warning) outright cheat and listen in on helmet play calls, who the heck knows (certainly looked that way on Friday!).

The nice thing is, if we make it, no matter who we face (MTL or TOR), it'll be REVENGE time.  To not blow this shot after the last two will be a huge motivating factor for the guys.  It may be just enough to overcome TOR "luck".

[J5V]

Normally that's 100% correct.  However, Argos have this strange habit of winning most of the cups they are in (us the opposite).  TOR has a big horseshoe in their butt when it comes to cups.  They often go in as big underdogs and mediocre teams and still win.

Maybe they are just lucky.  Maybe the TOR-friendly league "helps" them along with reffing/command.  Maybe they (tinfoil warning) outright cheat and listen in on helmet play calls, who the heck knows (certainly looked that way on Friday!).

The nice thing is, if we make it, no matter who we face (MTL or TOR), it'll be REVENGE time.  To not blow this shot after the last two will be a huge motivating factor for the guys.  It may be just enough to overcome TOR "luck".

We've played in 4 in a row. Has Toronto? Montreal? If we get there for #5 in a row odds are we'll win.

[J5V]

Montreal just lost to these same Argos. Montreal has 3 games left against Ottawa, BC, us. None of them mean anything to the Als even if they pretend to care. I expect them to fold and we win easy. Why would they risk injury? Makes no sense.

[markf]

Ceresna definitely had a really good game. I guess when one guy is at times unblockable, , and they don't fix that somehow, the whole offensive system fails, and maybe there is no play they can run that can remedy that.

Also, it wasn't one play or another that lost the game.... There were several that made the difference.

Missed field goals
Can't score from the one off a fumble recovery
Zach fumble
Ref bad call at the end

And it was good to see Zach going to different receivers.

Brady 12 carries seems like not enough. All season , off and on, they have gotten away from running the ball.

Zach sure was a warrior. No wonder O'Shea likes him so much.

Sour note.... Dinwiddie screaming at a player.... Don't like that at all.