Rich

Final regular season week of the season. Last chance to accumulate wins in the 4 games this week before the final 5 playoff games. 3 correct picks separate the top 4 contestants, so this one is going to come down to the wire. Calgary and Edmonton have first and second place wrapped up in the East, and they play BC and Saskatchewan respectfully. BC and SK are currently tied in the standings. Do they play to win and get the 3rd place playoff game in the West, or do they play to lose and hope for the crossover to be the 3rd place team in the East? Montreal is the only team in the East to have a playoff spot locked up. The 2nd playoff spot will go to either Toronto or Hamilton. Toronto plays Ottawa and Hamilton plays Montreal. Toronto needs to both win their game against Ottawa and have Montreal beat Hamilton to make it into the playoffs. Looks to be an exciting final week to the 2014 season, even if the Bombers aren’t in it. Lots to think about when you make your picks here: http://morningbigblue.com/community/index.php?app=pickems&do=games&pid=5&wid=67

Does 1290 have an archive? If so where? Should be able to get it here http://www.tsn.ca/radio/winnipeg-1290/walters-bombers-have-to-balance-slow-build-with-winning-now-1.126376

For sure he deserved some of the flak he took in the past, but the team as a whole didn't play well defensively. They take some of the blame as well. Having confidence that your defenders will take away rebounds and be in the right positions is huge for a goalie. Right now, it looks like the whole team has bought in, and it is showing dividends. In his last 5 games, Pavs has a .955 save percentage, 1.15 GAA, and 1 shutout. Certainly those numbers are not sustainable over the long term, and will be a big challenge against Pittsburgh. In only one of those games did he let in more then 1 goal. The team needs to start scoring more goals, so that as Pavelec's numbers come back down to reality, we continue to win games. Hopefully he remains steady back there.

Asking about O'Shea and Goossen seem like pretty reasonable questions to me. Even asking Walters to grade himself. I was curious on his answer for that one. We had a 7 - 11 season and missed the playoffs. I would have been very surprised if O'Shea was fired, but that doesn't make it a dumb question. It just validates the assumption. And why not ask the GM to assess the first first round draft pick he has drafted.

Bringing back Section S is fine. Making any sort of announcement about juvenile bahaviour changes the story to that specific thing and endorses said behaviour. A wiser course of action would have been to simply say they want Section S to be as fun and engaged as it used to be and will not be looking to enforce rules abour harmless behaviour if its just people having a good time. The problem now is, the "beer snake" is now a "thing" and will dominate a lot of coverage at the beginning of next season. If anyone gets hurt or causes a fight as a result, Wade will have to then rescind the policy change. Its just silly. I find it kind of embarrassing. Oh yeah good idea...announce that they are not going to enforce rules for harmless behaviour...great idea....not Missed the point. The point is that saying something that general leaves people wondering "so what is the harmless behaviour that they are not going to enforce?" Theyd find out pretty quick, no? You really think a vague communication is better than being specific? Wouldn’t this just cause more confusion and questions from people now wondering what will be allowed and not be allowed? People are supposed to try and guess what now is allowed and what isn't, risking being punished if they guess wrong? The team got a lot of negative publicity when they banned the beer snake. It was made into a big deal by the media and the people who enjoyed doing it. They made a point of saying that the decision is now reversed. Given the media attention it got at the time, yes it is worthwhile to mention in a press conference. I could really care less if they bring the beer snake back or not. But there are some people who enjoy that sort of thing, even if they are “juvenile”. If that gets more butts in the seats, and increases beer sales without hurting anyone else, then have at it.

So you really believe Miller is not committed to putting a better team on the field? It would appear not quite as much as bringing in the beer snake since that was his first public item of business. Don't you agree if they don't take this rebuilding seriously it will take a lot more than beer snakes to sell tickets? I don't care about beer snakes, I just don't want to keep hearing it will take another two years when we have heard that for years. Hamilton got it done in one year even after suspending Chris Williams and Edmonton who were with us last year could end up 13-5. I don't think the two are mutually exclusive. Yes, I think winning is job #1 and I think they understand that. They also realize that creating a fun environment and listening to what their fan base wants is another avenue towards success. It really does take both. You can argue whether or not bringing the beer snake back is creating a "fun environment". But I think it represents more the gesture then whether or not it will actually sell more tickets. It is trying to say we value you us customers to our product and we will try to give you and entertain you in the way you want to be entertained (as long as they can do it safely), rather then a take it or leave it proposition. They are trying to put the "fun" back into going to the game. Trying to make it an event, an atmosphere. You can see the beginnings of that this year with the party tent outside the stadium before the game. The DJ "traffic busters" after the game. Getting fans to raise the flag before each game. Getting people to stand and cheer on all kick-offs. It is all part of a bigger picture to create a culture and atmosphere that people enjoy and want to be a part of. (Even though a lot of it is copied from Seattle) Some of it will work, some of it won't. But at least they are trying different things. Of course they want to win and build a winner. But nothing is guaranteed. Sure they believe the right people are in place to do the job or they wouldn't be there. But we really don't know if they CAN do the job for another year or two (whether you want to hear that or not). Nothing, especially in professional sports, is certain. So yes, they are trying to build a winner. But that doesn't mean they can't try and build a fun atmosphere outside of that. It is only smart business to hedge your bets like that. And in a perfect world, when the team starts winning, and all of these things they are trying combine together, IGF will be an amazing, fun rocking place to be. And when the younger fans go and experience that first hand .... that is how you build long term support of the club.

To increase beer sales of course. What could go wrong?

This is a message board. When has that ever stopped anyone?

So, hypothetically, if there's a rash "down there", might that be related? Asking for a friend. I think Mike takes care of those types of problems....

I've upgraded the site to the latest version of the forum software tonight. This is typically a larger update then the incremental security patches that regularly get applied. Everything seems to be working, but these updates can sometimes break some of the 3rd party hooks and add ons that are on the site. Let me know if you see any issues or problems. From the release notes of the patch, there is really only one item of note that some of you may notice: Internet Explorer 11 Copy/Paste Issue has been fixed ​There have also been some fixes for people who login through their Facebook account, but I don't think we have many people who do that.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_CFL_Draft It really depends on what the conditions were on what the Brohm and Portis trades were. Can't see Portis being a 2nd round pick given playing time. It was reported that the Brohm trade was at least a 4th rounder. Don't know what the high end was, or what the conditions were. We do get an extra 4th rounder from the Alex Hall deal from SK.

Based on what Ottawa was asking to move out of the first spot last year, I find it unlikely we would find common ground on a trade with them. Curious to see the scouting reports for next year's draft and how big of a drop there will be between first and third.

At the very least, Bucknor is the type of guy where even if his spot is upgraded and isn’t a starter next year, he has proven he is capable of stepping in. His presence on the roster allows for an injury replacement in game from a Canadian if a DB goes down. He isn’t a must sign, but it is guys like this that build the depth for a championship team. And this team really needs to keep all the NI depth it can. Special Teams wise, he only has 1 tackle on record. Have to admit though, I never really watched for him on special teams to assess his play.

Mike Kelly's 7 win season seemed worse then this last one for many reasons, some of which you state. But to me, the biggest reason is the team had had much more success in prior years and our expectation of the team was much higher. Prior to that season, our records was 8 -10, 10 - 7, 9 - 9, and had made the playoffs all 3 of those years. (Going to the Grey Cup in 2007). So 7 wins seemed bad in comparison to our expectations of previous years, where as this year, well everyone knows what our record has been the last couple of years. Mike Kelly's reign really marked the beginning of the current slide that we've been on for the last 6 years (2011 being an abnormally when we made it back to the Grey Cup and our only winning season since 2007) So just as the Mike Kelly 7 - 11 record marked the beginning of the trend of a bunch of bad years, hopefully this year's 7 -11 record marks the beginning of a trend of better and good years.

I believe it is a combination of scheme and players. Yes, we could get better play from our front 4. But a lot of Etch's schemes involve putting a large number of players on the LOS for confusion. Sometimes it is an all out blitz, sometimes they drop back in coverage. When we are blitzing, we need to get more pressure on the QB consistently. This wasn't always the case in the later half of the year. When we are dropping back into coverage, this is when we are more susceptible to the run, because if the RB makes it past the initial line of attack, we don't have linebackers in a more "classic" formation to cover the running back (because they were on the LOS and are retreating to get back into position), so the running gains tend to be bigger. Personally, I prefer a much more in your face, smash mouth, simple defense. We do what we do and we do it well. Something you can deliver like BC when you have players like Elimimian and Bighill to bring the hurt. I do realize those players don't come along every day, but I prefer that style to the disguise and confuse of Etch.

Curious on your reasoning for not wanting Brohm back. Wouldn't it make sense to have your QBs play a similar style in terms of developing plays / game plans / and prep for how you are going to attack an opponent? So that when the backup has to come in, they can essentially execute the same game plan that was planned for? Or do you look at having the different style as a change of pace QB. A 1a/b type situation where you can throw a guy in for a different look and have a few designed plays for him to execute. And this isn't meant as a shot against Marve or anything like that. I really like what I've seen from the guy and do want to see more. Just curious about your reasoning for dumping Brohm.

There is still a large difference between what organizations do internally and say externally to the media. Words are cheap, and in this day and age organizations keep things closer to their vest. I'd be willing to bet that O'Shea, Walters, and Miller aren't at all happy with the way this season has turned out, and are already planning on how to start addressing these things going forward. There are multiple reasons not to to divulge these things in the media, some of them including tipping your hate to the 8 other teams in the league as well as leaving your options open as your plan changes and evolves as you evaluate going forward. Actions will always speak louder then words. And we really won't know what the leaders of this organization think or where they see problems until training camp next year when we see who they kept, who they released, and where they brought in talent. Whatever is said now is really just lip service, whatever is said.

Happy to be of service.

What would be the point of them sticking around or even practicing?

Pick 'Ems need to be in by Friday @ 6:30 http://morningbigblue.com/community/index.php?app=pickems&do=games&pid=5&wid=66 Only a few weeks for regular season left before playoffs. Still quite a few bunched up top of the leaderboard who have a chance at winning!

part of putting your opinion out there is subjecting it to the judgement of the masses. Not every opinion is valid or good and if you can't handle people judging your opinions then lurking is the best place for someone to be. As for homers. gloomers or whatever else, it's not about being negative, it's just that some people do fall into these categories. I can think of some people who always say positive things about the team, and I can think of people who do massively under rate things about this team. This isn't about disagreeing with opinions, it's about some people always acting in the same way. I like to think that I am a positive person in general with regards to the Bombers, but I can point out when something isn't good enough without resorting to the hyperbole that some people seem to need to do. Flaws can be pointed out without the doom and gloom. Positives can be pointed out without being a kool aid drinker. A lot of people here don't seem to get that though. Then judge people's opinions, I have no issues with that. Calling someone stupid, dumb, or any personal insult is what I have issue with. That includes calling someone's opinion stupid. If you feel that passionately about what someone typed to actually respond to it, then tell them why you disagree with it, not simply that it is a dumb opinion. I've seen message boards were new people posting are jumped on by multiple different people when they post. Haven't really seen it happen here, but that pack mentality is bad for message boards. I am sorry but some opinions are stupid and deserve to be called so. To not do it is to do a disservice to people. They will go on continuing to think just because it's their opinion that it's valid and right because everyone is entitled to their opinions. That is not true at all. If you give someone constructive criticism, then you have given them the exact reason why what they said is wrong. Words like stupid, other than the fact that they are insulting, are too vague. They don't explain why they're wrong. Also, if you bash someone's opinion more (insulting more than constructive), then the other person may be even more defiant and get defensive and continue to back up their incorrect opinion. My $.02. That is what separates the people who just want to hear themselves ***** and moan and vent and the people who actually have some solid reasoning behind their opinions. If you can't defend your opinion it's probably invalid. If you can defend it though then you're ahead of the game. It's kind of amazing that a 14 year old kid gets it better than a grown adult. In any intelligent discussion .. if you have to resort to base name calling .. regardless of the opinion, subject matter or how you feel about a given topic. You've lost. Lack of civility almost always derails any rational exchange; it resuls in polarization and limits the ability to find a middle ground. If anything, people who resort to name calling are the ones, ".. who just want to hear themselves ***** and moan .." because they show themselves unwilling to participate in thoughtful conversation. /shrug. At any rate, I hope we can return to discussing football .. the end of this season and what's on the horizon for next year .. I hate having to lock topics. No that's flawed because middle ground doesn't exist in a lot of cases and there's no need to meet there. This isn't a negotiation. And given some of the people around here it's not intelligent discussion either. All that 14 year old kid gets is his feelings hurt when people don't like him. Some opinions are crap and deserve to be treated like it. I'll participate in thoughtful discussion, but a lot of times there's no thought put in by people and I'm not going to pretend that there is. Too many overly sensitive types around here. And if you don't like the discussion, don't partake in it, walk away, don't post, don't reply. You only shed light on, amplify, and acknowledge what you deem as thoughtless opinions. Hate to break it to you, but you aren't the "intelligent police".

Many people would be correct. Such richness coming from these clowns. They trip over each other to distance themselves from the PST hike now but where were they a year ago? More to the point why did they continue to support these NDP budgets that put the province in the position of "needing" a tax hike. And why didnt they come out sooner and accuse Selinger of lying? And he absolutely lied. He campaigned on no tax increase. He deserves what he gets. These things can go either way. A party in peril changes leaders and just keeps going under. One can hope. Here's an article from Gordon Sinclair about how there was internal NDP dissent & anger over the PST 16 months ago. I'm curious as to why he hadn't mentioned anything about this prior to now. http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/columnists/oswalds-stabbing-words-280887752.html?cx_navSource=d-tiles-4 I'm certainly no fan of the NDP or the PST hike, but after reading Sinclair articles in which I am familiar with the story and background and seeing how he twists it to suit whatever agenda or story telling he wants to present, I put zero faith and credibility into anything he writes.

This is probably the largest thing I do in terms of moderating on the board. Edit portions of posts that do this or delete them entirely. I know stuff slips through that we miss, but hey these aren't paid positions where we are on the lookout 24 / 7 If we do miss them and others see it, then click the Report link that is on the bottom of every post. It flags it so that a moderator can take a look at it. As a reminder, from the code of conduct:

part of putting your opinion out there is subjecting it to the judgement of the masses. Not every opinion is valid or good and if you can't handle people judging your opinions then lurking is the best place for someone to be. As for homers. gloomers or whatever else, it's not about being negative, it's just that some people do fall into these categories. I can think of some people who always say positive things about the team, and I can think of people who do massively under rate things about this team. This isn't about disagreeing with opinions, it's about some people always acting in the same way. I like to think that I am a positive person in general with regards to the Bombers, but I can point out when something isn't good enough without resorting to the hyperbole that some people seem to need to do. Flaws can be pointed out without the doom and gloom. Positives can be pointed out without being a kool aid drinker. A lot of people here don't seem to get that though. Then judge people's opinions, I have no issues with that. Calling someone stupid, dumb, or any personal insult is what I have issue with. That includes calling someone's opinion stupid. If you feel that passionately about what someone typed to actually respond to it, then tell them why you disagree with it, not simply that it is a dumb opinion. I've seen message boards were new people posting are jumped on by multiple different people when they post. Haven't really seen it happen here, but that pack mentality is bad for message boards.

I certainly agree that calling out other posters, calling them names, and labels, etc is one of the things I hate the most. Why? Because there is a large contingent of people / lurkers who see and feel that if they post their opinion and are going to get personally attacked for it, they won’t do it. And when that happens we get the same people posting the same things and things start to become stale. New people, points of view, opinions, and personalities are very much welcomed and wanted. Now having said that, to respond to your post, it is human nature to “group up” with the people who think the same way as you, and “not like” people who post opposing opinions. Why? Because we all like to feel validated in the way that we feel and think, and we get that validation when people post or agree and the opposite when they don’t. You are correct, that we should have a greater appreciation for opposing viewpoints, and keep the discussion on topic, not insults on each other. Personally, I would probably label myself as falling more into the homer category, though try to keep an open and objective point of view. Why am I like that? Because I am an eternal optimistic fan. If I didn’t feel that way, if I felt the way some of the “negatron” and “gloomers” appear to feel, I would cease investing my time and money in this board and following the team. Not saying everyone has to be that way to be a fan of the team, just the reason I am the way I am. Heck, I actually “liked” one of TBURGESS’ posts today, maybe I’m going to the other side…