Hunger?

[TecnoGenius]

So which team has the edge in hunger, fire and motivation for the WDF?

You'd think SSK since they've been bad for so long... But I didn't see much fire and hunger in SSK in the WSF.  I was actually a bit surprised how low-key they seemed to be.  Not much excitement on the sidelines, players moping around a bit.  Even when they were clearly clobbering BC they were like "meh".

So that's a bit weird.  That said, I didn't see much WPG fire vs TOR or MTL either.  But those are reg season games... a playoff will be a whole different beast.

I think we need to match SSK's hunger and fire in the WDF (no matter the level) to allow our fundamental advantages to guarantee the game.  I don't want to see non-hunger we showed in the '23 GC, that's for sure!

We need a way to channel the hunger levels from the '19 and '21 runs!

[DM83]

Sask

[BBRT]

So which team has the edge in hunger, fire and motivation for the WDF?

You'd think SSK since they've been bad for so long... But I didn't see much fire and hunger in SSK in the WSF.  I was actually a bit surprised how low-key they seemed to be.  Not much excitement on the sidelines, players moping around a bit.  Even when they were clearly clobbering BC they were like "meh".

So that's a bit weird.  That said, I didn't see much WPG fire vs TOR or MTL either.  But those are reg season games... a playoff will be a whole different beast.

I think we need to match SSK's hunger and fire in the WDF (no matter the level) to allow our fundamental advantages to guarantee the game.  I don't want to see non-hunger we showed in the '23 GC, that's for sure!

We need a way to channel the hunger levels from the '19 and '21 runs!

Don't kid yourself - the Riders will be hungry and all fired up when they get here. When you take the time to look at both teams without any green or blue glasses on and compare talent by talent - line by line the Riders stack up very well and might even be considered a favorite. I firmly believe it will come down to which teams makes the fewest mistakes and unfortuntely I am not sure our QB will play error free while I think theirs is capable of playing error free.

[Pete]

Buck needs to actually call plays to take advantage of Sask aggression. Their corners can be overly aggressive ..fake the short throws and take them deep. Block one direction and have Brady cut across grain.Also have Zac go to some hard counts.
 Hopefully we use more misdirection and motion. A play the  riders use that i like is having 2 Recievers start in one side and prior to snap switching over to the other.then either running or quick throw while d is adjusting.

[blue_gold_84]

Home field gives the Bombers an advantage, IMO. Crowd noise will be a factor.

Beyond that, it'll boil down to the obvious: discipline and execution.

[Mick]

The bombers have unfinished business. Back to back GC losses, that's enough hunger there to overcome anything SSK has.

[jayrock]

Riders will come in Hungry and Fired up. One upside to playing in the semi's is you can feed and grow off of a win. Knowing you can win in the playoffs is a big thing. A few injury's, but they have proven the last few weeks that they have the depth to cover, and next man up.

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

Don't kid yourself - the Riders will be hungry and all fired up when they get here. When you take the time to look at both teams without any green or blue glasses on and compare talent by talent - line by line the Riders stack up very well and might even be considered a favorite. I firmly believe it will come down to which teams makes the fewest mistakes and unfortuntely I am not sure our QB will play error free while I think theirs is capable of playing error free.

I'm going to rewatch the LDC and the BB to see what happened in those games because  the Bombers were obviously the superior team at mid-season.  It's possible the Riders have improved since then and the Bombers have stayed even, but I believe overall the Riders have inferior talent.

This maybe Trevor Harris's last chance to prove himself a winner, so he should be highly motivated to show his worth this game.  He really only has 2-3 receivers that do a lot of damage, it should be possible for the Bomber secondary to key on those players and limit their YAC yards.

[The Zipp]

bombers looked flat and kids meh vs the Als...they played to match the Als intensity and almost lost. 

i think their playoff and Grey Cup experience will help along with home field advantage. 

of the 4 teams left i do think Sask is the weakest. 

montreal
toronto
winnipeg
sask

is how i would rank them

we are going to miss Bighill's energy and Willie needs to shake off the invisibility cloak he has been wearing.

[Pigskin]

There better be hunger.

2018 Bombers beat the Riders in the WSF in Regina.
2019 Bombers beat the Riders in the WF in Regina.
2021 Bombers beat the Riders in the WF in Winnipeg.
2022 Rider didn't make the playoffs.
2023 Rider didn't make the playoffs again.

Turnovers will be the key to this game. 

[blue_gold_84]

...Willie needs to shake off the invisibility cloak he has been wearing.

Invisibility cloak...? Jefferson's 2024 stat line may not be as impressive as previous campaigns but his impact goes well beyond a stat line.

[The Zipp]

Invisibility cloak...? Jefferson's 2024 stat line may not be as impressive as previous campaigns but his impact goes well beyond a stat line.

playmakers make big plays in big games...Willie hasn't made as many big plays as he has in the past.  The next two games are big games and he needs to be visible making plays if we want to win.

He has suffered with having weaker players around him than past years (we never replaced Jeffcoat's talent) so that explains some of the drop off.

[dd]

I think both teams will be hunger, but for different reasons. The riders haven't made the playoffs in a while so they'll be hungry to get to the GC. The bombers on the other hand lost last year and that stings so they ll be out for redemption.

Will be a great game and come down to who turns the ball over the least and that worries me given the number of picks Collaros has thrown this year

[blue_gold_84]

playmakers make big plays in big games...Willie hasn't made as many big plays as he has in the past.  The next two games are big games and he needs to be visible making plays if we want to win.

He has suffered with having weaker players around him than past years (we never replaced Jeffcoat's talent) so that explains some of the drop off.

These are valid points. Losing Jeffcoat this season was a significant factor, IMO.

I just don't agree with the invisibility cloak comment.

[Sir Blue and Gold]

Jefferson hasn't really been in attack mode this season and I'm going to assume it's because the defense is different, there's no one on the other side to help draw attention and the three man rush doesn't exactly help him. That said, he needs to win some battles all on his own and that's something he used to do frequently but has done very infrequently this year.