Old Bomber Fan

I have always been treated great by those in the Bomber store I will say. The people in the ticket office have been good as well no complaints. I am just curious about season ticket sales. They have been declining since relocating and producing a bad product on the field and then last years "offer" for the Grey Cup turned off a lot of people I know personally. So was just wondering how they were doing.

I am curious to know how the season ticket sales have been going to date. I know of several season ticket holders who did not renew their seats for this season not only because of the lack of improvement of the product on the field but also because of the location of the stadium so am wondering if the decline in season ticket holders is continuing or has there been an improvement. Does anyone know of the trend?

Great selection most deserving, congratulations to them all!

I doubt that Winnipeg will win 50% of their games. I'll go with 7 or 8 wins and will end up in a race with BC and Sask for 3rd. Oh and now it appears that Harris may not start on Friday so the season starts off with blip already

Actually Romby Bryant started his career with the Bombers before being unceremoniously dumbed to Calgary by the infamous Mike Kelly. He was our star at the time and went on to play well with Calgary before heading to Toronto. I understand the Argo thing but he was actually an original Bomber. I will say though that I too am a little tired of MOS bringing in retreads from the Argos.

I don't think that the people are looking for the negative all the time. In fact I think that for the most part people are being analytical in most instances. Let's face it if there are positives to speak to I'm sure you will see it however if there are negatives, then should you not see them as well? I think often as Bomber fans and die hards as well there is a tendency to look through rose coloured glasses and not see the whole picture. One must admit as has already been mentioned that this team and organization has not exactly thrilled its fan over the past several years so it is natural that there is some doubt in peoples minds. And don't forget they have a right to voice their opinions as well as those who voice the negative as it is called. The comments have been made so let's see who is on the right tract and who isn't. In the big picture I think we are all fans, some just aren't afraid to voice their concerns while other will only expound on the good.

I agree, personally I haven't been a fan of LaPo since he was here to replace Worman. I think he rode the coat tails of his offense. Further comments from Nichol regarding having seen this offense in other places makes me think that is merely taking other people's ideas and implementing them in his offense. We will see however whatever the outcome there SHOULD be no excuses for ineptitude this time around. They used the mini camp for the offense only, they have had a full training camp to demonstrate they absorbed it (which they haven't displayed even though they had a reduced play book) and now have an additional what 12 days to "get ready" for the first real game. As has been mentioned time will tell and we will see. Still hoping though it is the Blue and Gold

Not sure if this is the string to make this comment however if not hopefully someone can redirect it. I just wanted to say that over the weekend I watched the remaining televised CFL games as well as highlights from the other games. I will say here that I have concerns about our offense. We constantly here comments like "we are using vanilla offenses" "we are not concerned because people are getting used to the new offense" etc etc. Seem to me watching most of the other teams, their offenses are way ahead of ours. Further their coaches' responses to a lack of productions etc are quite pointed and have stated their displeasure or pleasure of the play in general. What we seem to get is everything is great and we will be ready. I guess we will see on the 24th vanilla or explosive, excuses or accolades, and result or no result. I would be interested in knowing the expectations of others IE what do you think would be an acceptable performance either score (offensive score that is) or simply moving the ball with authority and stats. For me personally I would like to see consistent moving of the ball, minimal 2 and outs. If we have over 300 yards of total offense in the game with limited sacks and 2 and outs I think I would consider that an acceptable start. Any opinions?

With reference to the comment that we want to be like Montreal, no I don't want us to be like Montreal but I do want a HC that recognizes that his starter is not performing or doing well and that perhaps a series or two on the bench for a different perspective might help. Taking a player out doesn't mean taking him out for the entire game. I recall that Bud Grant did this, Wally Buono did this, Chris Jones did this, even Hufnagel did it so there has to be some merit in it. If the QB isn't moving the team give him a break and the opposition a different look. It is surprising what an effect it has not only to your own players but the opposition. I have watched too many games with Oshea as HC where we were being blown out and he continued to stick with Willy. Why not take him out and give him a break while at the same time giving the backups some playing time. Equate it to pulling a goalie when he isn't play well. It isn't shameful it can be beneficial to everyone. Do you think he doesn't pull some other position that isn't playing well? If you do perhaps we should watch the game more closely. Let's just see what year 3 presents us. Hopefully our 'rookie' head coach has now learned about head coaching and we will see the results.

Just listening to the coach's show on cjob. Hearing the same thing as I heard all last year, nothing!. On the note of this tread can someone please explain to me why we defend poor performance from Willy stating it is only pre season, he hasn't played since last fall etc etc yet those other QBs that we play against are in the same boar aren't they? How come they can perform aka Glenn, Burris. Yes they have been in the league longer however they too have not played since last year. I wish we would simply call it like it is - he did not perform well for whatever excuse, not reason, you want to insert. He has to get it together quickly. I have stated what I believe to be his shortcomings back to last year so unless he can correct those, we will be in trouble because Mike Stubborn will not take him out.

if the play calling is done properly then Willy should have enough time to either throw deep or medium routes OR dump off an outlet or screen to Harris. Didn't see a screen called all night or for that matter during either game. Again I realize it is vanilla time however it is strange that both Montreal and Ottawa were in the same boat, actually this was Ottawa's first game, and yet they could move the ball at will. I think we have to take the rose coloured glasses off and look at what we saw, ineptitude, a lack of execution and poor play calling and a not very good defense. In the first game our subs outplayed Montreal's hence the victory. Today not so much we were basically even after they took Burris out of the game. Willy doesn't appear to read defenses well and as a result holds onto the ball far too long. Is this a result of poor play design or poor route running or simply poor recognition. How is it that Nichol move the ball much better than Willy in this game and the other two could do better than either Willy or Nichol on Friday. Finally it was apparent that when Willy was throwing the ball it seemed that the receivers were all standing still to receive the ball. Does this mean he cannot throw a timing pass aka Cavillo or Ray? In most sports the best pass is to the "open area or open ice"; a timing pass. I haven't seen one with the Bombers forever. I take that back Tom Clements could do it to perfection. A lost art? Who know. All I know is this offense, if what Nichol said in the post game comment is true (they were using 60-70% of the new offense and that it wasn't a new offense merely some plays taken from other teams that seemed to work for them), then we are in big trouble. I always thought you developed your offense around the talents of your players, something like putting a round peg in a round hole not trying to put a square peg in a round hole. Oh well I hope I am wrong but the first 5 games will tell the tale.

I realize this is only exhibition however the number ones on both sides of the ball are getting beat badly!!!! No imagination on offense, no consistency and apparently no stopping Ottawa's offense. If it wasn't for the Redblacks penalties this would be worse that it is! And this was supposed to be a turn around year!! Yup let's watch and see. LaPo hasn't learned a thing during his TV time. Glad I didn't renew my season tickets.

I have been reading Doug's columns since he was hired by the Free Press. Many will consider his columns negative, I don't. I consider them to be realistic. Yes some are of the obvious some are insightful. Bottom line is what he has said in this particular piece is quite correct. It is much easier to teach defense than it is to teach offense. That being said if follows that with an influx of new players the defense will gel much quicker than the offense. I too do not like the negative but at the same time do not like the rose coloured glasses positive approach. A much more palatable approach would be one that is more realistic than fiction. To suggest the Bombers are going to be barn burners this year???? Well that just doesn't make sense. Yes they have upgraded their personnel, they have changed coaching staff; however that being said does one think the other teams above us have not done the same? Therefore one can only assume, based on press reports from the Bombers themselves, that we have improved measurably more than those ahead of us. That remains to be seen. Optimistic, yes as always however reality says don't jump the gun. If one was to review the past say three years, it becomes painfully obvious that this team has not improved but regressed. Why is that? Is it because we have not recruited better players? Perhaps. Is it because our starting QB has been injured? Perhaps. Is it because of poor coaching? Perhaps. So if we assume that all three are collective reasons why we have done so poorly, one could expect an improvement this year, correct? Well only partially because we now have better personnel (we assume and have been told) , better coaches (we assume and have been told), and we have yet to find out if our starting QB will remain upright the entire season. What that does is leave the subject of gelling as a team in all three phases of the game. Should that fourth part of the puzzle come to fruition, then we can say we SHOULD improve. BUT that still has not accounted for the upgrades of those above us. Getting back to the topic, this only says that Doug Brown is stating the obvious and provides some insight into the workings of a successful football team. He is neither negative or positive, merely state the obvious at times and raising questions at other times. We will see who is right, remember to come back to this topic at years end to see if in fact what he has said has any merit. For me, Doug being an ex professional football player, and expounding on what he knows from experience, I'm inclined to go with him on this one.

To give credit where credit is due: they have improved the transportation debacle from day one to the current, they have a variety of food concessions that do offer a variety of food. However with that said you still cannot get out of the stadium at half time say if you take the shuttles. There has to be some sort of mechanism to permit this. With that said it is still difficult to get to and from the game and when you are 4kms away and have to drive 9kms to get the shuttle, well that is a mistake. Surely they can still improve on that one. As far as the food is concerned, I too used to enjoy going to the old stadium and have my smokey prior to the game. Now you can't enjoy a smokey at the game unless you eat it outside the stadium and you certainly can't take it in. That too is a mistake. Another point that annoyed me although I do understand that Miller is trying to address the younger crowd is the point to provide a "drinking" section for those who want to spend excessive amounts of money of money to buy excessively expensive beer and play "beer snake". I used to go to the game to watch a football game, not a bunch of drunks playing with plastic cups. And finally the product on the field is less than encouraging. Sorry to be the negative person however you asked for comments and these are mine.

Very surprised to see this. Denmark seldom missed anything thrown his way. Not only that but he is younger that Dressler and the other guy from Sask. Not sure what they are thinking at this point. Salary cap or not, to release a calibre of player like him to get a one year wonder says something to me. For their sake I hope they can fill the hole. Adams won't do it and I'm not sure Smith will either. Veltung (spelling sorry) was not given a chance to show his abilities either so not sure where they are going with this but good luck. Moves like this make me feel more certain that not renewing after many decades of season ticket holder was the right move.

I think that what has happened to this team in the past two years after continual promises and positive comments only to see a decline in performance throughout the entire team from head coach to place kicker explains why many are skeptical about what will happen next. Can you blame them? I doubt it. We all, myself included even though I have not renewed my season tickets, hope they will turn this around. Long gone are the glory days of Tom Clements, James West, Kenny Ploen etc BUT hopefully we can develop a team that is at least entertaining. My biggest complaint over the past several years is they simply are not entertaining and in most instances had already lost by half time. Oh on a few occasions they tried a big comeback in garbage time but the results were similar. Hence I can spend my entertainment dollar on something that is more entertaining and should I want to watch them play (bombers) then I can flip on the TV. Don't think I am a wagon jumper as I have been a loyal fan for over 62 years however even a blind squirrel can find the acorn once in awhile. Good luck, you will need it!

I don't agree with what has happened with Jones etc moving to Sask but I give him some credit with blowing up the team. It sends a huge message to the remiaining players and those who will replace them. I will wait to see how this turns out but I'm guessing that whomever is palying for them will be playing with alot of urgency and determination.

I can make the 1 1/2 hour track back to my cottage at the lake. Sorry I hit the send button before I finished the sentence.

Unfortunately I am a realist not someone who looks at the world through rose coloured glasses. As a result I doubt much will change. Yes the offense will improve slightly but not significantly enough to improve our record to playoff status. Our defense will remain the same, in otherwords still not good enough for a playoff appearance. Our special teams will be middle of the pack neither an improvement or a regression. Our head coach will continue to be stubborn (some call it loyalty and what is loyalty in professional sports nowadays) and cause a game or two. Our player personnel will improve only slightly. I do not have a lot of confidence in our scouting department even though we have built it up to a personnel standard of most CFL teams. I just don't feel they have the contacts down south to identify quality prospects. And finally I am not optimistic we will field an entertaining product based on past history. As for winning or losing, while I would like them to win, it isn't the number one priority for me. If I am going to the game, win or lose, I would like to be entertained. I do not want to go and watch a listless, predictable, unimaginative team play football and pay outrageous prices for concession food etc. I want to be able to leave if the game is the way it has been for the past number of years so

Mr. Perfect is bang on. Lapolice was given far too much credit for a Worman offense after we fired him because we had a petulant running back at the time. Evidence of his success was in fact in his offense's failure to either maintain or improve on the previous year's results. Just listening to him now on CJOB and he now says he has learned from watching and analyzing on TV etc. While I am not a fan, but do agree that he should have learned something in the past 3 years, we will see if he has learned and if he has can he put it to use on the field. Can he communicate to his players, can he develop an offense that uses the strengths and minimizes the weaknesses of its parts, can he garner the confidence of those in the system, can he adjust as required and in the end can he be successful. You can't put a square peg in a round hole so let's see what happens.

would be very interesting to find out who the contract was awarded to. If it was Miller's bunch then yes sue conflict of interest being one point, if it was someone else how reputable is the email - again if legal and binding without signature then yes sue again. If none of the fore mentioned then there I nothing. On another note to touch on what one person has said season ticket holders don't have to sue because of a poor product, that was expected sort of but as for the grey cup ticket price slash to fill the stadium with no regard for the true blue season ticket holder, well sue then by walking away. They are already hurting as numbers from last year are again down for 2016 so lets see what Mr. Miller has in store to repair yet another mis step by management.

I think you will see an exodus of not only new bomber fans but also us old folk. Where I sit with my season ticket friends of over 15 years or more 1/2 are not renewing next year. And then to rub in the season ticket holders faces to reduce prices, give away tickets etc with no consequences after demanding a 3 year contract for a lousy 100 off over inflated prices, well that I think has broken the camels back in other instances as well. Time will tell however the most telling stat is that season tickets sales and attendance has consistently gone down for the past 4 years, save for the first year at IGF and one can attribute that to the novelty of a new stadium albeit a bungled effort at that. I still wish them luck but will not travel to and from the lake each and every game to be embarrassed game in and game out, wanting to leave at half time but can't, and generally not entertained. I certainly don't mind losing, just look at our record of late, however I would like to be entertained while losing. Can't say that is happening anymore.

MOS is over his head as a HC. He is too stubborn and cannot make decisions. He has no control over the phases of his football team and seems to delegate without any oversight. Yes he is a player coach but does not hold them responsible for their actions. Great special teams coordinator though.

MB has never been a successful HC or OC in the CFL. I believe the best he has ever done with a team is 9-9 with Hamilton in his first year. His offense does not even attempt to stretch the field so the defense simply plays low and allows the 3 yard passes. Very interesting to watch the other teams as they seldom throw below 8 to 10 yards whereas we seldom throw beyond 8-10 yards. He should have been gone long ago but as has been stated here before MOS is too stubborn to make a move. He has demonstrated his stubbornness on many occasions this year so it is to be expected. Really sad because as a season ticket holder who will not be renewing his season tickets next year along with 4 others in our group of 8, I just don't care any more. MOS and MB have taken any enjoyment out of attending for me. Call me a wagon jumper if you will but before you do understand I have been a Bomber fan for over 60 years and this is the last straw. As has been stated in the news media and elsewhere, how is it that Ottawa can turn around an expansion team in a year; how come Edmonton can do the same. One answer; they have better coaches that we were unable to sign. I can't believe it is all the players fault.

I would say Washington could be a better DB however he doesn't seem to have learned what Pass Interference or Contacting the Kicker is! If one was to look at the stats, I would guess he is the most penalized DB in the league for this infraction and it has hurt us a ton! Just sayin