Root

Other unique CFL conversions saw Bob Swift being a solid FB/RB for the BC Lions and then extending his career becoming an all-star o-lineman in Winnipeg. Jerry Keeling was an outstanding stampeder defensive back who also quarter-backed the team and later became a head coach. Bud Grant played a variety of positions including defensive back, defensive end and split end/flanker. Ken Ploen was initially recruited as a bomber QB but played defensive back while Jim Van Pelt led the team to the Grey Cup. Another bomber player who eventually became a quality NFL player was Mike Sellers. As a younger player he worked as a linebacker - and then became a ruthless running back in the backfield with La Petite Charlie, Charles Roberts. Think Jerome Messam with a bit less speed and a lot more power (if that's possible). Sellers was too good for the CFL and finished his career as a decent blocking back and check-off receiver for the Redskins.

Unfortunately the thing that's working in Miller's favour is that a so-called "proven winner" may either be unavailable or unwilling to come to Winnipeg. That keeps Miller in the driver's seat and probably enable Kyle Walters to fail at least one more season. The only moves to be made will involve coaching and player personnel.

Nobody seems to be picking Stafford on any of the predicted lines. While its obvious Chevy is trying to hatch a deal to trade him elsewhere - his contract is big enough to warrant 3rd or 4th line participation; either replacing Copp, Burmi or someone else on a good 2-way 3rd line w/ Lowry at centre or the scoring touch on an otherwise gritty 4th line.

Pretty standard stuff for this group - and a very convenient excuse to boot. I'm concerned about special teams, particularly on returns. Always appears our blockers are a step behind their intended block and the only thing available is a block from behind (penalty) or getting lost in space. This is one area that should be strong - particularly because O'Shea was labelled a special teams guru during his time in Toronto. Either our players are too timid to make contact or the set-up is wrong. O'Shea won't tell us because he enjoys keeping secrets. Any other theories on why our ST is average - or worse?

I like what you're thinking but that 2nd line is scary non-gritty. Little and Perrault try hard but they're no match for bigger stronger opponents. If Ehlers matures physically he might be the most physical of the 3.

Not a fan of Enstrom either but the Jets are burdened with him by virtue of his 5 million+ no-move contract. However, Tiny Toby passes better than any Jet blue-liner and his puck-handling skill set is better than most NHL d-men. His weakness obviously is that he's terribly soft, rarely challenges guys in front of his own net and loses too many puck battles along the boards. Morrissey is obviously bigger than Enstrom but I don't think his skill set is at the same level - and he lacks Toby's experience. He's probably marginally better physically (almost any NHL d-man would be) than Toby. If Toby was tradeable or his contract was up - Morrissey would be an automatic. Or they'd have to get ahold of Kris Russell.

Agree that THorbs, Burmi & Peluso serve little purpose on a high-flying skilled team (except for Peluso being kept as thug insurance). Took the Jets too long to realize Jiri Tlusty was all used up but they made a mistake letting the other vet they had go. Lowry will be given full opportunity to win the 3rd or 4th line centre spot. If he can't snag a job he'll be waived and picked up by a floundering bottom-feeding team for his grit/skill combination. Stuart will be kept around as the 6th or 7th d-man, mostly by virtue of his substantial (for his talent level) contract. If Morrisey gets the call - Stuart will be kept around as a healthy scratch. Would be nice to trade Burmistrov for something, anything. Perhaps Burmi and that KHL Russian the Jets still have rights to.

A win every so often will just postpone the inevitable. Mike O'Shea isn't head coach material. He's got a rather strange philosophy about handling a pro team and its leaning to a country club atmosphere. I don't think Richie Hall would take another shot at head coaching either - he's quite happy relegated to the press box and being labelled a 'defensive genius'. (He's not!) Paul LaPolice would be the natural ascendant to the throne but many have their doubts about Lapolice's ability to handle men and enforce detail. He really sagged after Coach Richard died in his office a few years back. Paul is a very good TV analyst - he might take the team on if O'Shea gets canned but it would be an interim position because Paul is smart enough to ask for a guaranteed standard 3 yr coach's contract. If O'Shea continues to coach losing football with all the double talk that repulses knowledgeable fans Miller might just let him run out the string - while making some serious considerations about who he wants coaching (and even managing) here next season. Walters hasn't distinguished himself - if the measuring stick is Marcel Desjardins - who's now dwarfing Kyle Walters as a CFL GM. One combination to keep in mind for 2017 (gawd I hate writing off the season so early) is a combination of Tom Higgins as GM and Noel Thorpe as head coach. On the face of it they look like geniuses compared to Walters and O'Shea but the core scouting staff appears to be failing so how do you repair that, too? Fortunately, when change is initiated Winnipeg fans tend to return to the stadium and buying bomber merchandise again. Rookie CEO/President Rookie GM Rookie Head coach Rookie Director of Scouting model has never really been proven.

I'm not a huge O'Shea fan (especially as a head coach) but I think he's grasping for positives and trying to maintain some semblance of positive vision for his team and the community at large. Even if the bombers were mangled 53-0 he'd manage to speak about his team's best drive and when they stopped the opposition two and out. The Power of Positive Thinking - to be sure - - - - but it doesn't go down well with rabid sports fans who known when their team gets whupped!

Burmi should be trade bait or waived down to the Moose. Don't like his game - most of it side-to-side between the blue-lines. Peluso should be a keeper who spends a ton of time in the press box or down with the Moose but is on stand-by whenever the Jets play a team with fighters who could potentially torment Laine, Schiefele or Ehlers.

My picks for not starting with the Jets (barring extensive injuries): Nic Petan that Jiminy Cricket d-man - from Prince Albert Chris Thorburn Don't know if Petan's size will hold him back from a lengthy NHL career but its not looking in his favour. Morrissey is probably another year or two away - so long as he puts the work in and doesn't lose hope he should be ready to go by the time he's 24/25 - around when Toby Enstrom's contract expires.

Actually this might be our most winnable game in our first 6 Masoli is no Zach Collaros - so if Richie Hall can design a game plan which combines a bit more risk-taking, bull-rushing and closer coverage the bomber d might be able to hold Hamilton down. On the other side of the coin I'm still astounded Bob Wylie (world's greatest o-line coach) can't get Willy a tiny bit more time. Simoni might have a field day against our sluggish OTs, not to mention Goosen in the middle.

Chamblin may never get another CFL head coach opportunity - such was the toxic combination of arrogance and desecration in Sask. - but he's obviously not as bad as guff like Reinbold, Daley, John Huard, Tim Burke, Tedford, etc. Moot point - Miller would never hire him for one obvious reason anyways. Walters, now under the microscope and we're quickly finding out his big draft pick from a couple years back (Goosen) hasn't developed properly, the Waggoner thing looks like an epic fail for giving up a #2 overall pick. His American scouting group appears paralyzed, not much quality.

All you say are factual. 9 team league - only 3 community run franchises. Riders seem to have the massive war chest and frenzied fans who actually will pay good money for weak product. With a new stadium (riders are actually putting money into the deal w/ government funding the balance) they should be set for decades to come. Edmonton has a combination of a storied franchise that wins consistently over the decades and doesn't have prolonged slumps - - - also a stadium that can hold 45,000+. I think the privately run Als put in some of their own money to upgrade their Molson stadium, no? Bombers are running off a long and iffy mortage combined with a mostly non-football board. The team is clearly funded by government and run by a small inside circle led by Miller. David Asper made a play to buy the team and stadium combined but in essence he wanted everything paid by taxpayers, too. The model is similar to Edmonton and Regina - but the application is vastly different.

I really think the entire bomber operation is organizationally sick. The one thing they lack at almost all levels is accountability. Without proper ownership and oversight they operate inside a bubble. That's why folks like Miller, O'Shea and Walters don't have to fear for their jobs - at least while their multi-year contracts are in play. They have a board but its mostly a country club appointment. The owner is the mortage holder - Govt. of Manitoba - and the guy who slipped them all the money (construction, operational funding, overruns, repairs, Grey Cup subsidy, etc.) was defeated badly in the last provincial election. The current management group is happy to just "get by" - so long as crowds remain in the 24,000 to 27,000 range w/ 19,000 season ticket holders they can continue operating while escaping oversight, assuming corporate advertising sales and TSN money continue to hold. Even if crowds diminish to the 21,000 to 23,000 area and merch and promotion falter - I suspect the club has enough money in the tank to operate another 2+ years before having to go cap in hand to the province for more subsidies. And that's when the **** hits the fan, especially if the club can't meet its annual 4.5 million dollar mortage obligations.

Goosen has been nothing if not weak at guard. Westerman is rounding into form - lots of great players kind of glide the first 3 to 4 games of the season before asserting themselves. I remember guys like Bill Frank, Frank Rigney, Bob Molle who were OK early but near all-stars when the season was well underway. Willy is more a mystery meat. A classic dropback passer with limited escapability. Troy Westwood thinks he's developed a nervousness he didn't have when he came here from Saskn. Who wouldn't after taking such a vicious beating game in and game out. Whether he can regain his mojo or continues slumping is the question. A smart head coach would make better use of his resources if Willy continues to fail. Continuing to play him past the half-time vs. the Ticats would basically doom O'Shea as head coaching material. It goes without saying that Willy's career is in jeopardy if he continues to wash out. I'd say the acid test for putting Nichols in Thursday is how many drives over 5 plays the bombers have in the first half. If they get 10 possessions and solid drives over 5 plays (2 or more first downs) in 6 of those possessions that should be enough to keep Willy going into the 3rd quarter - even if the other 4 possessions result in 2 and outs.

Big Dan Goodspeed was the last really good import OT we had - since then a ton of overweight, jolly and unexceptional hires! Its a mystery wrapped in an enigma. Hiring someone like Tom Higgins to evaluate the entire on-field operation wouldn't hurt (other than some coach's egos)

Walters convinced Miller the bombers needed an upgraded scouting system - so they hired Dan McManus and a couple other guys. The fruit is not coming home to roost on this move as the americans brought in have been mediocre defensive backs, non-dominant offensive linemen (large but not in charge) and promising but not proven running backs. Other than Cummings they haven't been able to rope any quality/dominant defensive linemen. A couple of promising receivers brought in in the shadow of Dressler and Smith but certainly NO SJ Greens, Nik Lewises, Geroy Simons, etc. What are they paying McManus and the scouts for?

My primary concern with Connor is the same as with Mark Schiefele - - - - does he have enough beef and strength on him at such an early age to avoid being a virtual bambi against NHL wolves. Jets got lucky with Mark, as he learned a lot from taking abuse and built himself into a solid #1 line centre (#2 with a lot of other competitive teams) centre. Will the Jets have the same fortune with Connor? Training camp will give us a bit of an indication but keep in mind NHL exhibition games don't have the same level of ferocity as most regular season games, let alone playoffs.

There are some really good coaches in our league - Chris Jones, Rick Campbell, John Hufnagel, Wally Buono, Kent Austin and perhaps Scott Milanovich. At one point all of them (perhaps not Buono) were available to the bombers. Bit of an exercise in futility but how would any of these fellas fare with the current bomber roster - and with virtual rookies Miller and Walters above them? Personally - with Jones there'd be fireworks every day, Campbell might have been a better hire but as he was always known as a slightly above average assistant, Hufnagel might have struggled without smart quarter-backing like Dickenson, Mitchell, Glenn, etc. but he would have made a definitive decision on Willy within a year and a bit - not 3 years; Austin would have been like Jones - either giving Miller a heart attack with his unique demeanour or having one himself; Milanovich might have been a decent choice but he had no head coaching experience prior to his appointment in Toronto. I think the most recent (and critical) turning point for the organization was during the time Old Paul Robson told the board to hire a guy he remembered from way back (ie. the Cal Murphy era) a bird-dog named Joe Mack vs. a guy who showed up for his interview 100+ lbs. overweight and wearing sandals (Jim Barker)..... in hindsight Barker would have easily surpassed Mack as a recruiter of players and an assembler of coaching staffs. In a pinch Barker can even coach. BUT THAT WAS THE DAY BUDDY HOLLY DIED - in this town!

What is Osh good at? I'll give you two things: 1. Intimidating media members 2. Dancing around questions of team efficiency with vague generalities at least he's dropped the "gotta look at the film" thing - - - - that made him look terrible!

Higgins may not be the reincarnation of Bud Grant or Hugh Campbell but he's a whole lot better than recycled sludge like Marshall, Daley, Burke, etc. or a hothead like Chamblin. He's certainly well versed in all aspects of the game (including officiating) and might provide a stern interim presence if Miller is backed into a convoluted corner and forced to dispatch O'Shea..... If O'Shea gets his neck severed I'd have no problem with Tom Higgins packing his go-bag and coming to Winnipeg.

I think the man you're referring to is TOM HIGGINS

None of the current crop of availables are particularly enticing - ie Chamblin, Marshall, Etcheverry, Daley, etc. If Walters and O'Shea could bury their pride they might want to consider bringing in Dave Ritchie as a defensive consultant - but I really don't know if Ritchie is mobile enough to work anymore!

The one name I missed out for replacing the venerable Mr. Hall is Corie Chamblin the former Grey Cup winning Rider head coach, who's got a defensive pedigree. If memory serves didn't he already do time in Winnipeg? I think the top dogs like Miller and Walters might not want a guy with a soiled and arrogant reputation coming into town and ruining the current love fest between players and coaches. But the bow has to break somehow!