Dee Urban Hermit

Artie Johnson passed away on July 3 of this year. I enjoyed watching him on "Rowan and Martins Laugh In". Boy that was a long time ago.

I hope to God duraint comes back to play for the riders. I want a bomber to make him cry again

Streveler is a raw rookie...  I'd like for him to get a few series here and there and maybe some garbage time if we are beating on a team badly.   But any talk of him starting over Matt is ridiculous.

Think we should rent a house.....

He does have the right to ask for his release.  They have the right to say no.  He has the right not to play.  They have the right not to pay him.   Everyone wins!

The simple fact of the matter is that unless you are the cream of the crop as a football player there is always going to be someone younger and cheaper and just as good as you looking to take your job, and they're going to get it by being cheaper than you are. 
 
It's a numbers game, there are a metric assload of players coming out of the NCAA every year all looking for professional work and just not that many professional positions available. 

Their D is crazy solid from top to bottom, tops in the league. We have a more potent offense, tops in the league. They say defense wins championships....But if we can tighten up on D we just might finally be able to slay the dragon.

I havent listened to tsn in a long long time. I mute the stream and listen on cjob. Idc if its out of sync its well worth while. 

i dont disagree with that assessment.  We have been winning, but aside from the EDM and maybe Hamilton wins i never felt that we dominated both sides of the game for the majority of the game.  We are resilient and i know a win is a win but at the same time we should be blowing out teams like the Als and Riders and not relying on late game heroics to win. 

This week I've been travelling and had the opportunity to catch the Ottawa Redblacks vs Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Tim Horton's Field yesterday.  It was my first time watching a game in Hamilton.  Today, I caught my second game ever in Toronto (Alouettes at Argos).  Last year I got to see the Bombers win @ BMO Field.   I wanted to share my experiences at both venues.  
For both venues, I bought tickets on StubHub.  Tickets supplied are printable pdf's, but both stadiums could scan them off my phone.  There were no Apple wallet or scan code options for either ticket.
Tim Horton's Field
Area and Parking: The drive into the stadium went through a heavy industrial area into  a residential neighbourhood of older row homes.  I got to the game very early (2.5hrs before game time).  Parking was easy to find for $15, about 2 blocks from the stadium at a local grocery store parking lot (Freshco).   Other parking in the area was $20, some of which is on the front yards of the residential properties.
First 1/2 hour: The stadium south gates open 1 1/2  hrs before gametime, but you couldn't walk into seats of the stadium until 1 hr before game time.  The announcer reminds everyone every 10 minutes before the game.  The south concourse was open and had a steam whistle which blew throughout the game, beer gardens with picnic tables (ticketed area), and plenty of open air beer vendors.
1 Hour to Game time: I was seated on the east grandstands.  Walking through the concourse on the east side, I went through a lounge area of patio furniture with an eclectic band (bass, washboard, and guitar?), through a craft beer area with standing bar tables, picked up some fresh chicken tacos, walked past the Coor Light Bar (with DJ and it's own music) and found my seat.  
Gametime:  Big Canada flag, 10 yr old anthem singer (she was very good), flyover with a Hercules midway through the anthem, then again before kickoff.   The game looked like it was the two worst teams in the league playing.  Wait, it was the two worst teams in the league playing.  The seats were comfy.  I was near the 10 yard line.  The seats could be turned towards center field, but aren't.
Crowd: The crowd was all dressed in Ti-cat wear, was loud, thirsty, and boisterous.  The crowd does not deserve an 0-7 team.  They were friendly considering I was decked in Bomber Blue.  
Scoreboard: The only Video board is at the north end and was used in full resolution (no stats or ads on the board).  The music and videos were well produced throughout the evening. There were lots of contests, crowd involvement, videos, and entertainment.
Hamilton "Go-To" Sing Along Song - Like a Rhinestone Cowboy 
Pet Peeve - The DJ's music could be heard at my seat the whole game.  I don't know how this isn't considered artificial noise in the stadium.  It was as loud as bass of  the music between the plays (from the PA system)
Traffic leaving - quick and easy to get out of the area.  
 
BMO Field
Area and Parking: I took the Go Train to the stadium from Mississauga as the Exhibition (CNE) was on.   It's Toronto's version of the Red River Ex.  The train worked well ($14 return), and it was a quick walk into the game. The web was showing $25 to $30 for parking.
1 Hour to Game time:  Walked into the stadium, no tailgating in the normal area due to the lot being taken over for the CNE.  The food was good (chicken tenders) and the 28 oz Stellas beer for $16.25 hit the spot.  The cup, with it's unique lid is great (Look ma, no spills).
Gametime:  Small contingent on the field, much smaller flag pulled out across a part of the field.  Rickey Ray was on fire (vintage 2003 Eskie Rickey Ray finding holes in D).  Durant had one good drive but gave up the INT.  Toronto special teams looked good, MTL not so much (gave up kick return fumble for a quick score TD).  2nd half was only about killing time.  Seats are uncomfortable and there are no cup holders.   
Crowd:  West side looked quite empty.  Upper deck on the east side was more filled.  The seats on the east side at field level looked sweet.  Some guy on the west side had an air horn which he pumped.  You could hear the thing through the whole stadium.a
Scoreboard:  I was further away, but the board is much smaller at BMO.  Only one screen at the north end.  T
Toronto "Go-To" Sing Along Song - didn't notice one
Pet Peeve - I had to go to the main concourse for 50/50 tickets.  Apparently the wifi didn't work at the upper levels.  A runner up pet peeve is that the 28 oz beers are not sold after halftime.  
Traffic leaving - Busy lineups at the train, but with the CNE, not sure whether everyone was from the game or the fair.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Ugly ball game tonight. Ugly win.
That said I do believe the standings say 7-2 and they don't distinguish between sexy and ugly.
Get better and onto the next shooting for 8-2.

After carefully reviewing Wally's 266-145 record as coach......have decided to give him a temporary pass, until next week.....

Gary Lawless has always had this habit of treating his own opinions like they were facts. 
Maybe MOS is getting more involved in the D, or maybe it's just a case of the new faces on the DL getting used to each other and Mo Leggett coming back and Carmichael and Walker both switching positions and getting more comfortable with the CFL game. 
But yeah it's probably MOS just sticking his fingers into things..... Not gonna put a lot of stock into what Lawless says without a better source than Gary thought it so it must be true. 

People complain about bout only getting FGs but Medlock was able to kick 4 FGs after the Bomber offence first had drives of 45 yards, 59 yards, 43, and 43 again.  That's an offence moving the ball.  Besides the fact Hamilton didn't have the ball during these drives, those points were enough for a tie right there.
 
 
 

I love watching the d because it's fun to cheer and be loud the whole time.
MLB is one of my favorite positions to watch, along with the DEs. It can make tackles off the run, off the pass, etc. It can move forward on blitzes and drop back for interceptions. I want a stud LB core because it's fun as a fan to watch.
But what's more fun? Winning.
If Hurl is the guy because it means $$ is freed up elsewhere, then so be it.
Just win, baby, and I'll have fun.

Different elements can produce a certain balance. 
 

Yeah, it's an interesting read. We're seeing a lot more of this stuff.. Quotes he:
 
"My first impression of being here is a simple, but important one: this is a very welcoming team."
"I was in touch with a few guys before I signed here in the winter. Guys from the past and current guys."
"Alex Suber really, really sold Winnipeg on me. He kept talking about how much love the fans have for their players and how much of a factor they were playing in this stadium for the defence."
"I also talked to my former coach at Fresno State, Coach Plemons, who loved it up here when he was an assistant. He still has very close friends from here that visit him from time to time."
"Another guy I was in contact with was Jamaal Westerman. As soon as he found out I had signed, he gave me a big welcome. You don’t realize how big that is because a lot of guys don’t do that, especially a guy at his level. That helped. It made me excited to get back up here and get to work."
 
This is the result of treating your players like the men they are..

Has there ever been a guy who was successful at being a GM, head coach, and coordinator all at the same time? That to me is the single biggest mistake that Jones is making, trying to do too much at once and it's showing in recruiting and on D especially.

is there no rookie diary this year? I just remembered, was really hoping faith would do one this year. 

There were a lot of other problems in 2012.  Lapo lost control of the offence to Crowton.  Both our starting tackles got injured and the "depth" behind them was terrible.  We had multiple injuries in the secondary which in addition to cutting Clint Kent really brought us down.  Joe Lobendahn was released after being a key part of the 7-1 run in 2011.  Buck got injured and our backups couldn't cut it.  Just a disaster all around.  I don't see the same lack of player depth and turmoil in the coaching staff this year.

I get where you're coming from but I thought that our dline and LBs were the weakness. 
 
I'm hoping for a 1990 sort of season and not a 2012. 

I expect really good things from the D-line this season. Westerman and Okpalaugo on the ends has me all kinds of giddy.

I think TBurg's predictions are pretty solid, based on what we know now.  My guess, based on nothing more than what I saw last year, aging everyone a year and accounting for offseason moves is:
Disclaimer:  I always consider coach + QB first and foremost, then Canadian content second. 
East:
Hamilton - If QB stays healthy for any extended period during season, they should be the class of a weak division.
Ottawa - Solid team with a promising young QB.  NI's under-rated.
Toronto - finish out of playoffs with some promising moments.
Montreal - DD is not enough.  Something is still wrong with this organization.
West:
Calgary - likely slip a bit in total wins, but they come through in the 4th quarter and will pile up enough wins to take top spot in a tough, tough division
BC - Love their young QB, along with an exceptional receiver group.  Oh and they have Wally.
Winnipeg - Solid team.  Not enough starter level Canadians.  Need to improve secondary, so they don't have to play that style of defense and can dictate to offenses. 
Edmonton - Love their QB.  The rest of their team is so-so.  But MR will pull enough games out to keep this interesting.
Saskatchewan - I really try hard not to ever actively root against anyone and remain as objective as possible, but Jones is making that increasingly difficult.  Still, he will have them ready and they will surprise people throughout the season. 
Don't get me wrong, I think the race in the west is going to be tighter than we have seen it many years.  It might be like the year that all three teams in the western playoffs finished 10-6 and the Bombers had to travel to BC - Grady Caveness tipped the Brock pass just out of reach of Mike Holmes to seal the win.  Maybe this time it will be TJ Heath getting a pick 6 off Jennings in the final moments in IGF.
I know this looks too much like last year's final standings, which means that it definitely won't happen.  There will be surprises on both ends of the spectrum.  But that is my best guess right now.   
 

Hate to defend him but Jones looking pretty smart right now...  yup Durant's a strong thick-legged man whose knee might just be 'done'.
Nice to see the annual 'Kevin Glenn sucks' convo...  must be football season!

Riders haven't lost yet so their fans feel emboldened to venture out of their own little bubble. Won't have to wait long for them to scurry back into their holes.