Mike

I agree. Buying tickets is a personal decision. You can't apply it to an entire fanbase. I won't be buying season tickets if Burke is in charge but that doesn't mean I expect a given percentage of people in my position to do the same.

I don't want to feed the troll... but the bait is irresistable... I know A LOT of season ticket holders; and at least 50% are waiting to hear whether or not Burke will be retained before renewing. Sure, they're bitching about the price increases... but they're football fans that will suck it up and buy season's because they love football and the Bombers. Don't kid yourself. There is NO REASON why a team in the CFL's only new stadium since SkyDome shouldn't sell out every game in its first year; especially given half-decent weather. The fact that we DIDN'T... is a result of an extremely poor product on the field. On-field product is Burke's responsibility. People will pay through the nose to watch winners with whom they have a strong attachment. Ever been to a ball game in Boston or New York? We haven't had a winner in a long while, and attachment is starting to dwindle... HAHAHAHA First: Been here a long time pal, not a troll. Secondly, if you thought my post was trolling you neither understand the definition of trolling nor comprehend the common sense of my post. Thirdly, communities like this forum are the vocal minority. It's true. Listen to any broader forum and you get much more generalized opinions with many people sympathetic to Burke. Fourthly, I made no judgements about Burke. I believe he will be fired. I believe massive changes are needed. But keeping Burke will absolutely not result in there being 20,000 fans at Bombers game. That just won't happen. Product on field means more. And finally, your logic makes zero sense. The Bombers did not sell out their second home game. No one thought the team was horrible. They nearly beat Montreal at home and did beat them on the road. Will *some* fans turn in their season tickets? Yes. Ofcourse. Will *some* fans be angry and resist buying tickets? Yes. Ofcourse. But will the sky fall? Nope. Too many Chicken Little's on here. I wouldn't really call the Winnipeg Sun comments page a broader forum.

and you'd get turned down. a third pick and a maybe-next-year-pick isn't worth as much to the Argos as having Collaros as a shield to our other players in the dispersal draft... ie: the guys we protect because he gets taken would be worth more to us than a 3rd rounder. this is very true and many people keep overlooking that. Before you think we can just go to Toronto and say "hey, either take our lowball or lose him for nothing", remember that he holds his value in that allowing Ottawa to take him will allow them to protect their 7th and 8th best non-import. Then again, is that worth it to let him go to a division rival? So many moving parts.

How long is the re-apply process? And will they wait for him or sign someone else? Well, they just signed Kheeston Randall who was a 7th rounder in 2012 so I'm guessing they're NOT going to wait.

Okay, let me approach this in a different way then. Woodruff was a pending FA last year. He plays the same position as Patrick Neufeld and we already know this management team (Walters included) had Neufeld as their #1 target last year. We now have Neufeld. Why would we target Woodruff? I know you're likely just being stubborn on purpose, but don't you think it's a lot more likely that he'd mention a guy who is a pending free agent and a player at a position of need than a guy who we didn't rank over a player we have already acquired last year?

and yea sure we have solid depth on the dline but dont you think we make room for bilukidi? he is gonna be a solid additionto the front 7, at the very least more effective then one of thomas or arguably more valuable then Anderson or Gilmore.. no? I was referring to the Bengals, not the Bombers. Bengals fan here.

Except Woodruff signed a 3 year deal in December, so it's not him. You gotta remember that these are just casual comments being made by Burke, they don't need to be taken so literally.

Count me in as a guy who is willing to get fleeced for Collaros. Hell if I was Walters, I'd bend over before picking up the phone to call Toronto. Just in preparation.

Pretty sure the guy with a concussion is Tsoumpas. He signed a 3 year extension after the 2010 season so the timing seems right.

Miller is starting to lose me.

considering I told you the source in confidence that's a stunningly dickish thing for you to write. Doubt it of you want but that's pretty low. Class act mike. Just to clear it up, I still don't buy the story and I'd like to point out you volunteered that information without me ever asking for it but I did miss the part of your message where you asked me not to mention it, so I've edited my posts.

Until it happens, at which point you'll be in full support.

What rumors?

Just checked my Twitter feed ... apparently the permit Bilukidi had to work with the Raiders is non-transferable. Has to re-apply and then can sign.

oh my

Unless he makes a huge impact, Bilukidi won't be a Bengal beyond 2013. Atkins is on IR for the year, but we have plenty of depth on the line when he's healthy and there probably wouldn't be a spot for Christo.

Just as a point of comparison ... Burke coached 28 games with a point differential of -310 Jeff Reinebold coached 33 games with a point differential of -283 6 more losses, 1 less win and he still didn't get destroyed as badly as Burke. And Reinebold is the benchmark for futility around these parts.

Tim Burke by the numbers Record as head coach: 7-21 Point differential: -310 Two possession losses: 15 20+ point losses: 7 30+ point losses: 4 40+ point losses: 2 10+ point victories: 3 20+ point victories: 1 Average margin of defeat per loss: 18.28 points

Joey Elliott still played better than Hall did. Higher peaks, lower valleys but even as a major Elliott guy I'd say Hall is more consistent.

I'm the exact same way. If Burke is back, I'll be committing to tickets on a week by week basis in 2014. These words speak volumes, given that they're written by people who care enough about the Bombers to post regularly on a dedicated fan forum. I'm in the same boat. Unwilling to commit my $$ until I know if Burke is retained. To be honest, the fact he hasn't been canned yet floors me. It's just tough for me ... my dad and I have had season tickets for 14 years now and this was the first year I missed a single game. I went 13 years without missing a single home game for any reason at all. I'm used to being the guy that goes out to the lake late on weekends if there's a game, I'd miss birthday parties, family events, my own sports, anything just to make sure I didn't miss a game. And this year, they managed to just completely kill my interest. A brand new stadium and I couldn't be bothered to attend after the Banjo Bowl. I went yesterday just to take pictures on the field for the last time, but I was anything but interested in the game itself. It's not going to take much to bring me back as a full time supporter but keeping Tim Burke just isn't going to cut it.

I'm the exact same way. If Burke is back, I'll be committing to tickets on a week by week basis in 2014.

Until you explain where you've heard that from, I guess there's not really much to discuss. I'm not sure where the idea came from but I heard the same thing from Burke's mouth, so it must be on audio somewhere. He did have the players slotted into which players can be starters on which teams and backups etc. I haven't heard of such a system but then, who am I to argue with Burke. I heard Burke say this on the post-game commentary after the last game on CJOB. Bizarre. I'd like to hear more of an explanation to this.

Until you explain where you've heard that from, I guess there's not really much to discuss. I'm not sure where the idea came from but I heard the same thing from Burke's mouth, so it must be on audio somewhere. He did have the players slotted into which players can be starters on which teams and backups etc. I haven't heard of such a system but then, who am I to argue with Burke. If true, that's the weirdest thing I've ever heard. My guess would be that he simplified the explanation of it, but I suppose it's hard for me to say I'd be surprised if the Bombers chose to do it that way.

Bombers are trying to get their money’s worth out of him. They want to pick his brain on his evaluation of players, in preparation for the expansion draft. Fans might not like it, but that’s actually a smart move to keep him around for a few more weeks. We’re paying him anyways, may as well get our money’s worth. It's not a smart move at all. Why do we care what Tim Burke thinks of our roster if he's not going to be here? It's actually a very smart move. Burke may not be head coach material, but he also isn't an idiot; he was a very well respected defensive coordinaator in the CFL prior to becoming our head coach. As a GM I'd at least want his thoughts on the players, so I could factor that into my decision on who to protect. As part of his evaluation over the next few weeks, he is going to be slotting Bomber players into 3-4 categories: 1) player could start for elite CFL teams, 2) could start/play for middle of the pack CFL teams, 3) could start/play for teams like the Bombers, 4) not starter material/other issues. As a GM I would like to see this information as part of my overall evaluation. Firing Burke right now is the emotional move, but keeping him around for a few more weeks to pick his brain is the smart/strategic move. Except that's not how you evaluate players at all. You can't simply slot players into a "they can start for good teams but not bad teams" type classification. What type of team do you want? What type of players do you want? Can player X fill a role in your defense with their skillset? Do their strengths fit the style of play you're looking for? Are their weaknesses going to be exposed in your schemes? It goes far beyond that, but what you're suggesting is NOT how it works at all. Well that's what Walters/Miller have asked him to do. Guess you know how to run a team better than they do. Until you explain where you've heard that from, I guess there's not really much to discuss.

And just to expand on my last thought, before you go giving any credit to Burke for his ability to assess player weaknesses / strengths, this is the guy that couldn't even identify whether or not his secondary was more suited to play zone or man all year. And defensive backs are supposed to be his specialty.