JuranBoldenRules

The cost difference between our stadium and Hamilton's are two steel trusses and a couple jumbotrons that aren't used for much more than advertising. Personally, I'd give up the steel trusses for more seats between the goal-lines and a proper concourse. Ours is visually pretty (as long as you don't look at the concrete and the sloppy cuts for egress to the field), theirs will be functional. The Bisons game last night was very well produced. Actually got to see some replays, and the camera work was actually better than the Bomber game, where they can't seem to figure out how to get a wide shot of the field rather than extreme close-ups. Looks like Ottawa will be tight to get finished, don't look at all close to getting a field down and the shell (supports) of the stadium isn't complete. Wonder when they'll have to decide whether or not they'll play in 2014.

Also have to start questioning Ray's durability. Their backup (if they keep Ray) next season likely won't be of high quality unless they make a move, so can you operate with an aging QB who has missed 4+ starts in back to back seasons? Is it a trend or a blip?

Goltz at least gives us a chance to win. If nothing else they'll have to respect our run game.

Yeah, that's a bit of a stretch dude. Can't due the guilt by association thing. I'm just saying there seems to be more proof to back it up...with the bouncing around from org to org......maybe he's an ******* personality, as with Kelly, and nobody likes him?? I'm not saying "for sure!!"....just "maybe?" .... Greg Marshall was part of the "Eskimo Way" wave in the off-season. Being on 1 or at most 2 year deals, assistant coaches are easy scapegoats and somewhat interchangeable.

Perhaps they've both been useless for 2 seasons? We're trying to get better.

I'm not going to disagree with your overall sentiments, but is this because they didn't have faith in the kicker or because they (in Lapos case moreso, it's pretty clear Burke didn't like Palardy) had so much faith in the defense that they preferred to try and pin teams deep? The bigger concern is that the miss becomes a TD the other way. One of the worst decisions Lapo made was sending Palardy out for a 48 yarder into the wind at Canad Inns at the end of a half vs the Argos in 2010. Owens fielded the attempt at the 5 yard line and ran it back. Punting from inside your own 45 is not a good situation for pinning anybody (unless there is a significant wind). Punters don't practice shanking punts, they can't use their proper technique to hit that kick, and it has just as good of a chance of going into the endzone. When you watch kickers in warmup or practice, most of them go out to 55-60 yards and hit kicks. They probably couldn't do it in a game against the rush, but you can see them do it off a stand. Palardy could barely get it to the posts from 45-50. Wasn't that Serna? No it was the end of October 2010. Here's an Owens quote from CP: Receiver Chad Owens scored his fourth kick-return touchdown of the season with four seconds left in the first half after Bomber kicker Justin Palardy was short on a field-goal attempt into the wind. "Licking my chops," said Owens. "I kind of anticipated it being short. "So as soon as he hit it, I knew it was going to be short so when I caught it, I just wanted to hesitate a sec (to let the blockers) get around and do their job and I just ran. It was pretty simple." Three of Owens' kick-return scores have been against the Bombers, including another off a missed Alexis Serna field-goal attempt and one from a punt return. His other was on a punt return against Calgary.

Why is that guaranteed? Hinds couldn't even stick as a special teamer and depth in Hamilton and lost his job to an Ontario junior player.

I'm not going to disagree with your overall sentiments, but is this because they didn't have faith in the kicker or because they (in Lapos case moreso, it's pretty clear Burke didn't like Palardy) had so much faith in the defense that they preferred to try and pin teams deep? The bigger concern is that the miss becomes a TD the other way. One of the worst decisions Lapo made was sending Palardy out for a 48 yarder into the wind at Canad Inns at the end of a half vs the Argos in 2010. Owens fielded the attempt at the 5 yard line and ran it back. Punting from inside your own 45 is not a good situation for pinning anybody (unless there is a significant wind). Punters don't practice shanking punts, they can't use their proper technique to hit that kick, and it has just as good of a chance of going into the endzone. When you watch kickers in warmup or practice, most of them go out to 55-60 yards and hit kicks. They probably couldn't do it in a game against the rush, but you can see them do it off a stand. Palardy could barely get it to the posts from 45-50.

Craig Dickenson is a kicking coach. Palardy has not improved his leg strength or kickoff placement in 4 seasons. Two head coaches have not had confidence in his ability to hit kicks over 40 yards. He's a below average kicker. There are enough below average and NI prospects around for everyone to attempt to develop. Palardy will be available, Schiavone (accurate, not big leg), Alix (big leg, accuracy bad), Austin Anderson (good leg), Cameron (punter), Pavlopolous, Lirim Hajrullahu, Johnny Mark (good leg, accurate) is in the next draft, Tyler Crapigna (accurate, not big leg) in 2015 Hamilton has Brett Lauther (big leg) in the pipeline, Deangelis might last a few more years.

Haven't we been pining for free agents and guys who have been in the CFL? Too true. Sorry, but Boltus is not my idea of a great free agent signing, c'mon. Now, Graham Harrell if he's available... THAT'S a free agent worth pursuing. Or one of the CFL young buck back up qbs. THOSE are free agents. What has Graham Harrell ever done? He just lost his job to Vince Young, who is basically the off the couch Michael Bishop of the NFL. Harrell is at about the same level as Boltus as a pro. Boltus never made the NFL so debatable. Alex Brink was drafted by the NFL. Don't know why we cut him.

I know he can do both, but he'd probably be better off focusing on punting at this point. Not sure what the plans are for him here.

Or he's broke.

Why? You like dressing a kicker who makes a 40 yard FG a tough decision for the coach?

Haven't we been pining for free agents and guys who have been in the CFL? Too true. Sorry, but Boltus is not my idea of a great free agent signing, c'mon. Now, Graham Harrell if he's available... THAT'S a free agent worth pursuing. Or one of the CFL young buck back up qbs. THOSE are free agents. What has Graham Harrell ever done? He just lost his job to Vince Young, who is basically the off the couch Michael Bishop of the NFL. Harrell is at about the same level as Boltus as a pro.

Based on what we've seen so far this year, I don't think there's anything this group would respond to. Other than a few vets who act like pros (Edwards, Simpson, January, A.Hall...) every single one of them has played as uninspiring as I've ever seen. Not sure I saw Lewis' comments mentioned on here, but he's absolutely right. This team mailed it in weeks ago. We're damned if we do, damned if we don't. But, as next year is priority #1, I wouldn't can Burke and bring in someone who's just going to be replaced at years end anyway. Unless Marcel wants the gig in the interim, all the power to him. How does Hall make the list? He's got more offsides than sacks in his two years here, and he refuses the substitution when the coach tries to hold him accountable. Burke should have called a timeout right there and reamed him out. Everyone wants to win, but when you construct a team around selfish talent you get 1-7.

He's a journeyman. Most journeymen don't amount to much, I'm afraid. Haven't we been pining for free agents and guys who have been in the CFL?

Every offence in pro football involves receivers and QB's making reads...most high school offences do too. If the corner takes a 10 yard drop into his zone, why would the #1 receiver run a 10 yard hook, even if that's the call? The whole game is about reading and adjusting.

Where should the receivers come back to? The defence is sitting is short zones and daring our QB's to hit a window, which they've done few times. If we had a QB who could make a read and a throw, you could put the receivers down. There is nowhere for receivers to come back to. We don't throw deep, our veteran QB can't handle a blitz and teams are just sitting in the middle of the field and short zones daring someone to beat them, which makes it almost impossible to run the ball without tossing in everyone to block. We're probably the easiest team to defend in recent CFL history. Word on the street (ok, heard it from Rick Ralph) is none of our receivers are running the correct routes, and TE is the only one actually performing on game day like he does in practice. Haven't watched many of the games (only listened) so can't judge. Is it really the vet QB can't handle a blitz or our OL is just that awful? The point of the blitz is that they are sending more guys than we can block. In that game on the weekend, Hamilton was routinely bringing 7 vs 5 or 6. It makes the OL look really bad because guys are coming through free, but that is by design. Any functional offence is going to beat this enough times to make it pointless for a defence to send a blitz (particularly a rush of more than 5) on a passing down more than about 1/3 of the time. The QB needs to read the blitz pre-snap (especially when it is not being disguised) and designate a receiver to replace the space where a blitzer(s) is coming from, a hot route. This is football 101, one of the first things young passers learn on either side of the border. Pierce is not reading anything until the ball is snapped, and by then it is too late. He needs to know where the ball is going before it is even snapped. If any other QB in the league faced that blitz he'd throw for 400 yards.

Where should the receivers come back to? The defence is sitting is short zones and daring our QB's to hit a window, which they've done few times. If we had a QB who could make a read and a throw, you could put the receivers down. There is nowhere for receivers to come back to. We don't throw deep, our veteran QB can't handle a blitz and teams are just sitting in the middle of the field and short zones daring someone to beat them, which makes it almost impossible to run the ball without tossing in everyone to block. We're probably the easiest team to defend in recent CFL history.

The only reason he should be happy is that the game ended.

You act like these are positive things. I'm not saying if they were positive or negative, I'm saying it is very clear that Burke was uncomfortable with Palardy as his kicker, back to the Banjo Bowl last season, and Goltz at QB. Pretty clear that he wasn't making those roster decisions and Mack was. Mack standing on the sideline isn't interfering with the coaching staff. Mack setting the game roster is.

I don't care if a GM is on the sidelines during a game. All you need to know about Mack interfering with Burke and the coaching staff's responsibilities is that the minute he was fired Sandro Deangelis was on his way to Winnipeg and Max Hall was the starting QB. Clearly Mack was doing more than procuring players and managing from the front office. The coach (and coaching staff) should decide who is on the game roster.

Based on what? How many passes has he thrown as a pro? Still a prospect, a weak-armed immobile one at that. If you bring a guy like that in you have to teach him how to be a passer at this level like he was in the spread in college, you won't get anything immediate.

If Buck was under the amount of pressure you're suggesting, nobody would be able to tell what his reads are because he'd be on his ass before his eyes are even downfield. Buck can't handle a blitz, it is why he gets blitzed and why our offence is useless when he's out there. He makes brutal decisions like stepping into the rush rather than getting rid of the ball or stepping up but not keeping his eyes downfield. Rookie mistakes from an 8 year vet.

When teams are blitzing 8 guys, someone is not going to be blocked. That's not going to change until we put in a QB who can make a throw.