Bye week discussion

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

Article in the Sun today interviewing Buck about the decision to play Zach in GC despite his hand injury.  Can anyone with access post the interview here as it's hidden behind a fire-wall. Thanks.

[ModAdmin]

Article in the Sun today interviewing Buck about the decision to play Zach in GC despite his hand injury.  Can anyone with access post the interview here as it's hidden behind a fire-wall. Thanks.

Hindsight remains 20-20: Pierce on Bombers' fatal Grey Cup call
Get the latest from Paul Friesen

It was the Grey Cup decision that baffled many and contributed directly to the Blue Bombers third straight loss in the CFL's championship game.

On Tuesday, Buck Pierce finally answered to it.

Pierce was Winnipeg's offensive coordinator when quarterback Zach Collaros split open his finger late in the third quarter against Toronto. The resulting freezing and stitches left him unable to feel the ball well enough to throw it properly.

Yet he was sent back into the game in the fourth, promptly tossing two interceptions that handed the Argonauts 10 points and turned an eight-point game into a 41-24 Bombers loss.

"Zach had been our guy all year," Pierce told the Winnipeg Sun on Tuesday. "I trust when he says he can go do it that he can go do it. I didn't think twice about it, at that time. I had complete belief in what he could do."

Collaros had told his receivers in the huddle he might not be able to get the ball downfield.

Article content

Still, Pierce called for aggressive passing plays instead of leaning on the league's top ground game and running back Brady Oliveira.

After the Bombers returned to Winnipeg, Oliveira and O-lineman Stanley Bryant questioned why they weren't given the chance to carry their team to victory.

Pierce wasn't made available to the media that day, or any day since the game. He took the head-coaching job in B.C. soon after.

On Tuesday, with his Lions preparing to play in Winnipeg on Thursday, he agreed to take a call.

Revisiting the Grey Cup, and why he had an injured Collaros throw downfield, wasn't his favourite topic, though.

"Listen, I can go back and second-guess everything," Pierce said. "I don't know what you want me to say here."

If he could do it all over again?

"In hindsight, I'd do a lot of things different," he said. "Everybody would."

paul.friesen@kleinmedia.ca

[TecnoGenius]

"Zach had been our guy all year," Pierce told the Winnipeg Sun on Tuesday. "I trust when he says he can go do it that he can go do it. I didn't think twice about it, at that time. I had complete belief in what he could do."

This is identical to what MOS said post-game.  Both statements rub me the wrong way as it smacks of throwing Zach under the bus.  Remember, who's the boss(es)?

Of course a CFL player will say they can play.  Duh.  They're like the Black Knight from Monty Python.  It was just a flesh wound.

[dd]

This is identical to what MOS said post-game.  Both statements rub me the wrong way as it smacks of throwing Zach under the bus.  Remember, who's the boss(es)?

Of course a CFL player will say they can play.  Duh.  They're like the Black Knight from Monty Python.  It was just a flesh wound.

It IS throwing Zach under the bus, and is total BS. Whatever the guy says, you examine what's going on--the guy just split his finger open, got stitches and has his finger frozen---do you think it's a good idea to go to an aggressive pass game plan??? Duuuuuh, no it doesn't. Do you think we should have used the leagues top running back and smashed the crap out of them???Duuuuuuh, yup, yup we should have!! It ain't rocket science guys and quit passing the buck so to speak. Coaching staff screwed up big time, own it for pete's sake!!

[Jesse]

This is identical to what MOS said post-game.  Both statements rub me the wrong way as it smacks of throwing Zach under the bus.  Remember, who's the boss(es)?

Of course a CFL player will say they can play.  Duh.  They're like the Black Knight from Monty Python.  It was just a flesh wound.

The biggest flaw our coaching staff has right now, because it's putting players in vulnerable positions, is playing them when they're clearly injured. It's dumb and it's dangerous and it happens repeatedly every season.

[TecnoGenius]

The biggest flaw our coaching staff has right now, because it's putting players in vulnerable positions, is playing them when they're clearly injured. It's dumb and it's dangerous and it happens repeatedly every season.

To play devil's advocate: for most injuries there comes a point where you have to believe the guy when he says he's ready.  The broken bones and torn ligaments only show up on the scans early in the process, not at the end.

Then there's a bloody gashed-open finger and a frozen up hand...

[Jesse]

To play devil's advocate: for most injuries there comes a point where you have to believe the guy when he says he's ready.  The broken bones and torn ligaments only show up on the scans early in the process, not at the end.

Then there's a bloody gashed-open finger and a frozen up hand...

Not the situations I'm talking about though. Schoen and Bighill not being able to practice for weeks but playing half speed in the Grey Cup, Woli going into the game and immediately suffering a season ending injury, Brady missing all of last year's training camp but suiting up for week 1 only to have to sit for week 2.

Over and over again.

[The Zipp]

Not the situations I'm talking about though. Schoen and Bighill not being able to practice for weeks but playing half speed in the Grey Cup, Woli going into the game and immediately suffering a season ending injury, Brady missing all of last year's training camp but suiting up for week 1 only to have to sit for week 2.

Over and over again.

is that unique to the Bombers or is that just a football or sports in general mindset?

[blue_gold_84]

is that unique to the Bombers or is that just a football or sports in general mindset?

It's the latter.