Official Game Day Thread - Winnipeg at Calgary, July 3, 2025

[Tecno]

Other teams are upping their game in 2025.  It may be that every team improved except TOR, and maybe BC.  However, MTL, TOR & BC will be powerhouses when their "real" QBs return.  Same with OTT.

Parity is good for the league.  But this will make it harder for us to "do our thing" like we have for 5 seasons.  The West especially has made huge strides.

Meanwhile we've mostly tried to maintain our normal level, through FA, etc.  Maybe better on D, maybe worse on O, you decide.  But we didn't really try to massively up our game like so many others seem to have done.

2024 WFC level may not be enough to win the West this year.  The team may need to dig deep down into their souls to get our level up to what appears to be the new CFL norm.  This is definitely a "no coasting through the West" year like '24.

[Blue In BC]

And I hope we debriefed them in a similar way, for whatever it was worth.  Though you can't compare either of those players' importance on CGY as you can 10-year Biggie with WPG.

But there is a critical difference: every team is chasing WPG.  No one was chasing CGY.  Another difference, Vaughters actually sees the field.  Biggie never will.

I'm not the one blowing this up, I just keep repeating that the effect is not zero, no matter how much people say it is.  If it was zero, it wouldn't be done.  The true tinfoil is that the effect is zero, not that it is 1 to 100%.

And BinBC, the length of time / practice sessions are irrelevant.  This is about scheme and play calling, which just takes the OC sitting alone drawing up his game plans.

That's why teams have DC's. There isn't anything about the Bombers that they don't know. It's about execution. You think that's why a team signs a player from another team often and it's still just another conspiracy theory of yours.

By that definition we should get crushed by the TiCats. They signed offensive and defensive players.

[Waffler]

2024 WFC level may not be enough to win the West this year.  The team may need to dig deep down into their souls to get our level up to what appears to be the new CFL norm.  This is definitely a "no coasting through the West" year like '24.

Not sure what you mean by coasting. That was our hardest first place and in fact required "an act of God" in the final moments of our last game. We did put together a mid-season streak but I don't ever recall it being easy or a sure thing. Compare it to the year the D shut down everyone in the 4th, that was the closest to coasting we ever had.

[Blue In BC]

Our entire team has a combined 3 TFL and 3 sacks in 4 games. That should tell us something even a blind man can see. Can O'Shea see the problem?

[dd]

Our entire team has a combined 3 TFL and 3 sacks in 4 games. That should tell us something even a blind man can see. Can O'Shea see the problem?

Agree. Our DL, specifically our interior, is the weakness of our defense and teams know they'll have time to complete plays so the game plan accordingly. The stats you point out are a telling tale of what needs to be improved--put more pressure on the opposing Qb, or pay the price on the score board.

[Blue In BC]

The Elks Brinkman and Ceresna have a combined 13 DT's. Now they might be 0 - 4 after playing Ottawa this weekend, but their DL has been pretty good. Their problems are mostly on offence.

Maybe we can trade D. Mitchell back to them for Brinkman?

I don't expect any Bomber roster AR movement after the bye unless due to injury. However, at what point do we play Mitchell or cut bait? Yes, he's depth but we could have kept any number of rookie receivers on our PR for that purpose. I know we didn't do that expect for Case but we have their contact information.

It's possible we might start seeing some movement on the PR depending on how long our 6 game IR players will be unable to play.

[Jesse]

The Elks Brinkman and Ceresna have a combined 13 DT's. Now they might be 0 - 4 after playing Ottawa this weekend, but their DL has been pretty good. Their problems are mostly on offence.

The defence is wracking up tackles because every team has scored 30+ against them. It's not a sign that they're doing well.

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

The Elks Brinkman and Ceresna have a combined 13 DT's. Now they might be 0 - 4 after playing Ottawa this weekend, but their DL has been pretty good. Their problems are mostly on offence.

Maybe we can trade D. Mitchell back to them for Brinkman?

I don't expect any Bomber roster AR movement after the bye unless due to injury. However, at what point do we play Mitchell or cut bait? Yes, he's depth but we could have kept any number of rookie receivers on our PR for that purpose. I know we didn't do that expect for Case but we have their contact information.

It's possible we might start seeing some movement on the PR depending on how long our 6 game IR players will be unable to play.

I don't see any reason to stand pat after the bye, a blow out loss is the perfect excuse to shuffle the deck and take a closer look at some of the options they have hidden in the closet. Don't know if O'Shea will agree as he seems so rigid in his thinking when it comes to player movement.  Can't believe he waited so long to insert Strev into a sure lost game, QB management is looking like a weakness again, Strev can't be happy with that decision and Wilson looks like he could be a forgotten project that fades away to nothing. 

7 of the next 8 games are against top competitors (Stamps, Argos, Als, Riders) leading through to the BB and all should have their #1 QB back.  That stretch should provide a clear reality check whether they are still a top team or not.  If they can't beat specific teams in the regular season, not likely they can do so in the playoffs either.

[Waffler]

Maybe we can trade D. Mitchell back to them for Brinkman?

Didn't Schoen's knee go sideways in Calgary? I would wait until we know more about this.

[Waffler]

Can't believe he waited so long to insert Strev into a sure lost game, QB management is looking like a weakness again, Strev can't be happy with that decision and Wilson looks like he could be a forgotten project that fades away to nothing.

I expected it. His thinking is that he wanted Collaros to have that last drive to feel good about. I don't agree with it either but that's his handling of QB1.  Maybe he thinks our team goes as Collaros goes and after that it doesn't matter.

Good on Strev to come into that situation and play like the game was in the balance.

As far as Wilson, he just seems insurance now. Doesn't ever see the field.

[markf]

I expected it. His thinking is that he wanted Collaros to have that last drive to feel good about. I don't agree with it either but that's his handling of QB1.  Maybe he thinks our team goes as Collaros goes and after that it doesn't matter.

Good on Strev to come into that situation and play like the game was in the balance.

As far as Wilson, he just seems insurance now. Doesn't ever see the field.

This is my only issue with the coaching. But it's a big problem. As we saw last season.

Is Collaros really that fragile? I hope not. But I did notice players really working to pump him up last season during his 15 td 14 int run.

It's a Remarkable blind spot. if I was Streveler I would be thinking about it. And yes he again showed his worth at the end.

[Blue In BC]

The defence is wracking up tackles because every team has scored 30+ against them. It's not a sign that they're doing well.

Yes and no. Their offence is the issue although they racked up 350 yards. They can't finish drives when they have a chance. I didn't look at the TOP but I'd say their defence played well against the Bombers.

Elks have only scored 65 points in 3 games. A comment was made about the Bombers having good yardage stats but not scoring for a multitude of reasons. In that sense it's been similar for the Elks but for all 3 games. Essentially shooting themselves in the foot. Dropped passes, penalties etc. It's not that unusual an issue for many teams every year.

[blue_gold_84]

Didn't Schoen's knee go sideways in Calgary? I would wait until we know more about this.

I think we'd know by now if something serious had happened to him.

[J5V]

Other teams are upping their game in 2025.  It may be that every team improved except TOR, and maybe BC.  However, MTL, TOR & BC will be powerhouses when their "real" QBs return.  Same with OTT.

Parity is good for the league.  But this will make it harder for us to "do our thing" like we have for 5 seasons.  The West especially has made huge strides.

Meanwhile we've mostly tried to maintain our normal level, through FA, etc.  Maybe better on D, maybe worse on O, you decide.  But we didn't really try to massively up our game like so many others seem to have done.

2024 WFC level may not be enough to win the West this year.  The team may need to dig deep down into their souls to get our level up to what appears to be the new CFL norm.  This is definitely a "no coasting through the West" year like '24.

As with anything it is much more difficult to make big strides when you're already walking the walk. Much easier for Calgary et al to make big strides when they were barely crawling along before.

As you say, parity is good for the league and your point about the QBs coming back is important. Our league is QB driven and needs healthy ones like Rourke, Alexander, Brown, Harris, and Kelly. Their return will instantly improve 5 of the 9 teams and lift the quality of the entire league.

They say defense wins championships and I do believe the team with the best D will be crowned at the end. We have as good a chance or better as any other team in this league. Timing will be important too. The team that gets hot at the right time is going to win it just like we did in '19. I'm hopeful for a similar outcome this year. The Grey Cup isn't won in July.

[theaardvark]

Did Hogan intend to run 100% Collaros from day one?

I was under the impression that Streveler would get some packages, and I think CGY really exposed Collaros badly where Streveler might have put them off kilter a bit.

I'm not saying that the last drive with Streveler and Wallace in at G means we should start that alignment, that was a garbage time prevent beating drive. 

But bringing in Streve on short yardage and leaving him in for a few extra downs on tempo so the D can't get thier heavies off the field is something I really expected to see this year.