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I’m flying in from sunny Los Angeles to the frigid north tomorrow! It’ll be my first Bomber game live since the 2021 Grey Cup despite still having season tickets so I fully plan on losing my voice!

@DTonOB I AM NOT GOING AWAY DEREK

Hopefully we don't do the dumb thing and dress them if they can't be an effective player all game....if they dress and are limited and or get rehurt...then we effectively just cut our roster depth even further...and will be a.major coaching blunder. If they not 90 percent or better I wanna see Ambles and Fox...and ideally Rose for the soldier...that be a damn solid 46

But if someone is interested down the road, we could certainly chat. I prefer to languish in obscurity...and pretend I know something...

*Finds @JCon way down in the Pick EM standings* He'll fit right in with the rest of the media! 😂

How did 3Down get credentials? I wonder if I could? 🤔 Can I cash in upvotes for access?

“He’s a mobster, bro. He’s a Greek Mobster,” said Drew Wolitarsky. “I think Zach might be the most competitive guy on the team. You may not always think that because of how cordial and relaxed he is off the field, but that boy loves to win. And he does it for the people around him. That’s why I call him the Mobster because he’ll do anything for family. Tait's latest: https://www.bluebombers.com/2023/11/17/48-hour-primer-grey-cup/

Honestly, MBB probably could get credentialed at Grey Cup

I did my part. MBB needs a Grey Cup correspondent!

Just to tie this whole discussion into a bow, I think we can all agree, we’ll at least those who could care less about non Bomber fan fee fees on a site specifically for hardcore lifelong Bomber fans, and regardless of individual player skill sets, the Argos, the Argoblows, whatever name one goes by for them, do indeed suck and will always forever suck, gawd bless their souls. Amen

Dalton and Adam........So youre saying theres a chance......

Was listening to Bob guesting on OB yesterday. If anything, he sounds more energized than before retirement. Clearly, he just needed a break, now -Get that man back on the mic!

Cause Couture didnt have Bryant and Hardrick bookending Gray and Neuf beside him....with heavy doses of Dobson and Eli smacking guys in the yap...our oline is truly insane

So the quick answer is yes it has happened before, but with a caveat. In the earliest years of the MOP award (starting in 1953) the eastern and western teams did not play an interlocking schedule, so the only chance for them to meet was in the Grey Cup. So in 1953 the MOP was Edmonton’s Billy Vessels, but the Tiger-Cats beat Winnipeg in the Grey Cup, so he did not face Hamilton. It happened 3 more times in the 1950’s when the Esks Jackie Parker (in ‘57 and ‘58) and Johnny Bright (in ‘59) won MOP but Hamilton and Winnipeg played in the Cup each year. By the time Montreal’s George Dixon won MOP without playing in the Grey Cup, CFL teams were playing a full interlocking schedule, so he faced the Bombers in the regular season. I haven’t done a deep dive through the rest of the 1960’s and 1970’s, but as far as I can tell, the MOP for each season from 1980 to 2022 either played for or against the eventual Grey Cup champions for that season. There were two close calls though. In 2002 Milt Stegall did play against Edmonton in one game, and started the second before being injured early, and then did not play in the playoff game as the Esks went on to win the Cup. In 2004 BC’s Casey Printers won MOP and did play eventual champion Toronto at home in August as he was replacing an injured Dave Dickenson. He’d play a bit of the re-match in Toronto before being pulled midway through a loss. And then he famously was sat for the Cup in favour of Dickenson three days after winning the MOP, and the Argos won. Now since the whole implication of this question is that Kelly sat out against the Bombers in their lone meeting and the Bombers are destined to win, if you have now angered the football Gods with your presumptive confidence and jinxed us come this Sunday if the Als pull off an upset, and made me do all this work to boot, then

Hook us up! We will ask the real questions with no wiggle room

I have seen Schoen moving about quite well this week too...so ....

No one asks hard questions anymore out of fear they'll lose their press credentials. The days of the media holding the HC & GM's feet to the fire is over. There are no more Jack Matheson's Don Blanchard's or John Robertson's. They were as smart as the team manager as they'd all covered the Bombers for at least 30 years. Matheson back into the early 50's for the old Winnipeg Tribune. If they wanted to, they could make life miserable for any GM & HC duo if they got on their bad side. Then on the radio side was Jack Wells who also was hard to fool. Although, he generally had a good relationship with Lunsford & any of the coaches he hired. Being on radio, he could only really give sound bites & not go into anything in great detail. The same in local TV with Don Wittman, Bob Picken & Stew McPherson. Thyey only had maybe 3 or 4 minutes to tell a story about the Bombers before having to move on to other subjects in an 8-10 minute sprtscast. They all had insider CFL contacts in every city & more importantly were never intimidated by guys like GM Earl Lunsford or any of the many head coaches he hired at the time. And there were a few. If there were tough questions to ask then they all did it. The only head coach that I remember Jack Matheson & the rest of the media holding in high esteem was Bud Grant after he left. I do remember that Grant was pretty close with most of them. I know Bud shared more than a few drinks after hours with those guys & some of them were his good friends. Bud Riley never got along with the local media very much. It was always frosty as he never never trusted them. That changed when Ray Jauch was hired. He knew most of them from his time as a player with the Bombers & he won a GC as a Head Coach in Edmonton. When Matheson smelled a story, he was relentless uncovering it. Guys like Earl Lunsford had to treat the media with respect even if he didn't like them. It made for some great reading in both newspapers. Times are certainly different today. It would be interesting to see the relationship those old media types would have with Mike O'Shea today as he keeps a lot of things close to the vest. I think they'd have a hard time getting info from their sources as the league has closed ranks in a lot of ways to the media. Things aren't as open as they used to be.

That’s the exact same roster as last week aside from Schoen listed GTD instead of McCrae. All those backers are dressed because that’s the core of the special teams units. No bread crumbs there on Bighill. I think they should go rush end for Bighill but will probably go Rose since he’s a vet. They got picked on pretty bad by BC when Jeffcoat was on sideline and Hansen on the field. If Jeffcoat tweaked his hip 3 plays into the game we’d be absolutely ******.

Just out of curiosity, has anyone in the press asked MOS why he consistently rosters Jackson or is that a no fly zone type question?

I think Biggie is for sure out… based on the way guys have been talking about him this week…. Schoen seems extremely unlikely too, unfortunately

The lack of Kolankowski love is an outrage - John Hodge (probably).

I have.

I sent this clip to some German friends and now they are going to be tuning in to watch the game on Sunday from Germany. They didn't know we had a German Panzer in our line up! LOL

Rasheed caught that TD late in the 4th

That first TD where Bailey pancaked Howsare and Harris galloped to the end zone ... we were on a mission that night.

Nye is jelly of my record.

Man it irks me to hear the panel and other experts beak about the Al's 7 game winning streak. Has no one noticed that both teams are undefeated since week 16? Both teams last lost in week 15. Yet Montreal is the team of destiny on the hot streak? Bollocks

And hecht at safety. Oshea is a flat out awesome coach, but he's always had some game day roster flaws. I think schoen will play, there's no benefit to this song and dance if he isn't going to play. Bighill I am less sure about.

Lol. During today's press conference Hodge asked Jefferson how he felt about Kolankowski's play. I guess John was looking for validation for picking him as an all-star.

I just watched that whole thing. I’m insane. Lots of busted coverage and missed tackles.

This is a personal thing as everyone's ears are different, but for me personally, I love Ed on the CJOB pre-game. When it was Irving, Tait and Doug Brown, there was nothing on the planet I enjoyed listening to more. I would pay money to sit and listen to those 3 guys talk CFL football. But again, that's just me... everyone has different things they enjoy hearing.

I can see that too...as can he...his life...family..business ventures are all solidly here...he has no reason to leave

I'm not...and still annoyed by it...what a waste for biggest game of yr...he offers diddly

TO would have lost if MBT played the whole game.

Between Irving and Tait it’s wild that the Bombers had the 2 best CFL media guys of my lifetime working for the club.

You guys know that MBT has been available and actively shopping himself on both sides of the border since July, right? Nobody picked him up. Not Ottawa, not Hamilton, both down to raw rookies who were playing NCAA in 2022. Not Sask, not Calgary. I'm not sure much will change in the off-season. Nobody wants to sign him to much more than the kind of deal Dane Evans got in BC, 100k ish base and bonuses for starting, winning.

And yet Kolankowski looked a lot better than Couture in the West Final. Not that I know what I'm talking about.

Yup...keep talking....notice we have never talked or boasted??...hmmmm

The Bombers will go into Sunday’s game with wide receiver Dalton Schoen (ankle) and linebacker Adam Bighill (calf) listed as doubtful to play. Receivers Rasheed Bailey (knee) and Nic Demski (ankle) are questionable, as are linebacker Kyrie Wilson (hip) and defensive lineman Jackson Jeffcoat (hip). The Alouettes will be without defensive back Zach Lindley (head), while wide receiver Kaion Julien-Grant (shoulder) is doubtful and offensive lineman Pier-Olivier Lestage (knee) is questionable. Receiver/returner Chandler Worthy (ankle) is available to play. https://www.cfl.ca/2023/11/15/als-bombers-injury-reports-schoen-demski-sit-out-on-wednesday/

The obvious choice would be Paul LaPolice. Great offensive mind, history with and ties to the city, Grey Cup winning pedigree, works well with O’Shea, and he……..wait a minute……..sorry,, thought I heard screams and a table being overturned somewhere. Got distracted. Now where was I? Oh yeah, LaPo. He…….huh. swear I heard it again. Weird.

Would love it for #97 to call him out on it during Sunday's pre-game.