bb.king

I just don't understand what good it does to piss and moan. It's all good...perfectly within your rights to do it, I'm just saying I don't see the need for it and don't gain anything from it. So many on here  have become completely irrational and just negative for the sake of being negative. It serves no purpose, other than to make this board virtually unreadable...

Rock as we used to know it is dead pretty much

Some people just aren't happy unless they're bitching about something. 

For years, people lost their minds around here because our management team didn't do enough. They screamed about how other teams were proactive, even if it meant bending the rules a little bit. Finally, we have a 3-man (Maybe 4, if you count Wade as 2 people...) crew that works together in lock-step on all issues (as has been reported ad nauseum) and is reportedly so angry about how this season turned out, they're now already working toward fixing things for next year. 
 
And people continue to wail. 
 
 
Let's all just take a step back and relax a bit....

It's actually part of an elaborate and intricate plan concocted by the Bombers. Boyd is really a double agent who will gain the trust of the Al's coaches over the next couple weeks. Then, in their last game when all they have to do is beat the Rider's to get in to the playoff's, Boyd will get the start. He throws the game allowing the Bomber's to get in. After throwing a pick-6 on the last play to allow the Rider's to win, he will take off his Al's jersey to reveal a Bomber jersey, and Miller, Walters and O'Shea will swoop in with a helicopter to airlift him out. It could happen...

It's actually part of an elaborate and intricate plan concocted by the Bombers. Boyd is really a double agent who will gain the trust of the Al's coaches over the next couple weeks. Then, in their last game when all they have to do is beat the Rider's to get in to the playoff's, Boyd will get the start. He throws the game allowing the Bomber's to get in. After throwing a pick-6 on the last play to allow the Rider's to win, he will take off his Al's jersey to reveal a Bomber jersey, and Miller, Walters and O'Shea will swoop in with a helicopter to airlift him out. It could happen...

It's actually part of an elaborate and intricate plan concocted by the Bombers. Boyd is really a double agent who will gain the trust of the Al's coaches over the next couple weeks. Then, in their last game when all they have to do is beat the Rider's to get in to the playoff's, Boyd will get the start. He throws the game allowing the Bomber's to get in. After throwing a pick-6 on the last play to allow the Rider's to win, he will take off his Al's jersey to reveal a Bomber jersey, and Miller, Walters and O'Shea will swoop in with a helicopter to airlift him out. It could happen...

It's actually part of an elaborate and intricate plan concocted by the Bombers. Boyd is really a double agent who will gain the trust of the Al's coaches over the next couple weeks. Then, in their last game when all they have to do is beat the Rider's to get in to the playoff's, Boyd will get the start. He throws the game allowing the Bomber's to get in. After throwing a pick-6 on the last play to allow the Rider's to win, he will take off his Al's jersey to reveal a Bomber jersey, and Miller, Walters and O'Shea will swoop in with a helicopter to airlift him out. It could happen...

Final FREEP column


I’m often asked how Winnipeg has changed since the Jets came back. The truth is, we’re not so different. Our image has improved, but the things that make this city and its people great, they remain a constant.

Winnipeg got a little lost in "the national conversation" during its 15 years outside of the NHL, sadly looking in. But Winnipeggers didn’t forget who they were. They just didn’t have as many opportunities to show the world their spirit of community, their warmth and their drive.

Winnipeg was labelled a second-tier city during those 15 years, and now visitors marvel at how the city has "come back." I find that notion more than a bit hollow. The spotlight was turned off but people here didn’t stop living full and rich lives. Sure, the 40 or so nights of hockey are great. But they’re not all-defining.

Maybe there was a temporary funk after the Jets left, but by the time I arrived here in the summer of 1999 it had begun to lift.

It was August when I drove in from Thunder Bay. The Pan Am Games were in full swing and Winnipeggers were draped in those awful salmon-coloured volunteer jackets. The world had arrived for an international sporting event. Athletes were the stars, but Winnipeg triumphed. The city was vibrant. It had gusto. And a lively rhythm. I fell in love almost instantly.

A run of bad fortune and bad press had outsiders expecting to find the city had rolled up its sidewalks. The departure of the Jets, a national focus on Winnipeg’s crime rate and a tough economy had dinged up the city’s reputation.

But for new arrivals that summer, me included, Winnipeg offered surprises.

The Free Press newsroom was humming. So were the restaurants and sporting venues. To be honest, that first week, I was a little awestruck. To me, Winnipeg had it all.

In the ensuing years, the province unveiled to me its remarkable way of life. Cottage country steeped in Canadiana, a historic but ever-refreshing music scene and multiculturalism that is celebrated rather than stifled. My Winnipeg is so colourful — Jewish and African and Asian and indigenous and Irish and French-Canadian.

The Pan Am Games revealed a city that had soul, pulse and relevance. That feeling faded a bit after the athletes and international media left town, but it was my original impression of Winnipeg and it proved lasting. It was also a preview of where this city was headed.

My first job at the Free Press was on the copy desk, working nights, writing headlines and trying not to mess up stories written by reporters I’d admired from afar.

When an opening in the sports department came up, I leapt. Over the next decade and a bit, I moved in and out of the hockey, football and baseball beats. I’ve been a columnist the last few years.

It’s been an education, an endless stream of thrills, early morning flights, laughs and deadlines. I have absolutely loved it. My office walls are covered with framed stories from my time at the Free Press. A Mike Keane tribute, a John Ferguson column and a series of stories from the Olympics.

This will be my last column for this newspaper. I’ve accepted a position with TSN to write and talk about sports. A colleague once said to me, "This is the best job there is. You get to see the world and sporting events all on someone else’s dime." For me, truer words were never spoken.

I’m excited for the next challenge, saddened to be departing the Freep, but comforted knowing I’m not leaving my home.

That’s what Winnipeg is to me: home. It’s where I met my wife and where our daughter was born. It’s where my neighbours, friends and colleagues are, and for me, it’s the only place to live.

It’s funny, we Winnipeggers like to knock ourselves. And God knows the rest of the country likes to take its shots.

But for me, Winnipeg has always been this incredible place. It has never seemed too big or too small and it’s never seemed remote.

In my 16 years here, Winnipeg has opened a new downtown ballpark, built a new rink and a new football stadium. And yes, the Jets came back, too.

The Jets, with their consistently packed houses and caffeinated fans, have become the cover of the sports book in Manitoba. The images of the NHL franchise leaving and then finally returning have been shared worldwide. The story of loss and redemption the Jets represent is the one people outside Manitoba know.

But for me, after living in this province for 16 years, other stories resonate with equal strength.

Cindy Klassen and Clara Hughes, Ace Walker and Rick Forney, Milt Stegall and Charles Roberts, Jonathan Toews and Jocelyne Larocque, Jennifer Jones and Jeff Stoughton.

We’re not just the Jets and the NHL didn’t save Winnipeg. Quite the opposite. Our hockey fans and our corporate community gave the NHL a soft landing when the Thrashers cratered in Atlanta. We took them in. They needed us as much as we needed them. We shouldn’t forget that.

Earlier this summer, watching the Bombers play a game before a less-than-capacity crowd, I was awed by the oomph of the fans. There may have been only 25,000 in the stands and the news all week had been grim. Fans were grumbling about another losing season.

But when the game started, the fans came to life, loud and on cue. Times were tough and many had talked about abandoning the Bombers — but there they were, roaring in full throat. It strikes me that this is what sports in Winnipeg is about, as much as the big lights at the MTS Centre.

The spirit and devotion isn’t just for show, to be trotted out when Hockey Night in Canada comes to town. There’s durability here. Heartache, and the ability to overcome it, is more a part of Winnipeg’s fibre than any new-found attention.

The Free Press indulged me and allowed me to write this piece, with the stipulation that it not be a list of thank yous. That list, of course, would be long and wouldn’t fit into a single column.

It can, however, be wrapped up in three simple words for a city where I found myself, in more ways than one: Thank you, Winnipeg.

True enough, significant outliers can change average values quite a bit. But if you remove Buff then it would only be fair to also remove the lightest player as you could have someone who is far lighter than everyone else. Median is probably a better measure than mean if you have significant outliers.
 
Out of curiosity I looked up the Jets roster to have a quick look. Removing Buff and Ehlers (the lightest player) would move the Jets down a couple spots in average weight, but would still be one of the heaviest teams. And the median of all of the players is almost the same as the mean. In the end it doesn't mean much, just thought it was interesting as the Jets don't seem to be as small a team as some might have thought.

There will be injuries at some point this year and I am sure he will be among the first call ups.   You wonder if both him and Lipon don't get a chance at some point this season.
 
It also gives you options if Petan struggles at the NHL level and they decide he needs some time with the Moose.

Other than constantly complaining about every single facet of the Blue Bombers organization, do you have anything else to contribute here?  I seem to recall that in your first few posts you talked about how people don't often react favourably to what you have to say.  I'm seeing why that is and the issue, I would suggest, does not lie with them.
 

So which was more likely?

I don't know how anyone can honestly believe Marcel Bellefeuille is a good offensive coordinator who deserves to keep his job.
 
His gameplanning and ability to utilize players properly is absolutely atrocious. We sign Chevon Walker this week and dress him ... never believed it was a smart move to begin with ... but at least give the guy a chance to make an impact. His assets are best used when you get him into space and what does MB do? Call plays to run him up the gut the entire day. What a joke.
 
Don't even get me started on Nick Moore and Clarence Denmark, who are stud receivers who have basically been brought down to the level of short yardage possession receivers. Two touchdowns between them all year. Find a way to get these guys open.
 
Last time we threw a touchdown to a receiver? August 9th. On a sweep. It's a joke. This offense is honestly embarrassing, it's getting worse and I find it insulting that anyone within the club expects any of us to believe it's not Marcel. Is it just a coincidence that he's done the exact same things anywhere he has ever been? Is it just the players every time? Biggest coincidence in the world that no matter where he goes, stud players end up looking like garbage?
 
For as good as Drew Willy can make this offense look periodically, I want to flip it around and pose a question to everyone - can you guys imagine how good Willy could look in a REAL offense?

Lol, I think this thread is turning into a trash talk thread between Bomber and Rider fans for who sucks more .
 
Not the way you'd expect.

We played a good game. In it until the very end even without Willy, Cotton, and Adams and with Marve getting his first CFL start. Some great plays. Some really bad plays eventually ended up costing us the game. Good entertainment value. There's still hope for the season with Marve!

Night Moves, Diamond Club, The Zoo (Osborne Village, not Assiniboine Park)....a lot of good times. Think I'll dig out my Queen City Kids, Harlequin, and Streetheart records for old times sake...

You gotta like this kid...
 
http://www.bluebombers.com/video/index/id/114425

Yeah I did quick math to calculate the passer ratings by averaging them out over the years rather then recalculating on the raw numbers.  Looking closer at it, Durant's first season he was 1 for 1 pass, so that skews the numbers when you average that out as counting for 1 whole season.
 
Here is a more accurate breakdown, ending at a season where their pass attempts were closest to Willy:
 
Willy - 91.3 rating - 513 Completions on 781 Attempts (66%) 6385 yards 31 TDs 24 Ints
Burris - 79 rating - 360 Completions on 671 attempts (54%) 5389 yards 35 TDs 30 Ints
Ray - 105.3 rating - 575 completions on 874 attempts (66%) 7631 yards 59 TDs 22 Ints
Durant - 84 rating - 416 completions on 690 attempts (60%) 5470 yards 31 TDs 27 Ints

Actually he is a career 91.3 passer raring with 31 TDs and 24 ints
 
http://cfl.ca/roster/show/id/4795
 
After a similar amount of pass attempts to start their careers, Burris was:
 
68.2 pass rating with 35 TDs and 30 Ints
 
Ray was:
 
104.7 pass rating with 59 TDs and 22 ints (If you expect any QB to have the start of his career equal to Ray, you will be swapping QBs every couple of years, because very few measure up)
 
Durant was:
 
104.7 pass rating with 31 TDs and 27 Int

He makes our team better when he's on the field, so whatever you want to call him, he's a pivotal part of this team. 
 
 
Please also quote your stats properly. Nothing irks me more.   http://www.cfl.ca/roster/show/id/4795
 
2012 SSK 69 95 72.6 709 43 5 5.3 4 4.2 93.7
2013 SSK 32 52 61.5 473 45 4 7.7 1 1.92 108.9 
2014 WPG 305 478 63.8 3,769 58 14 2.9 16 3.35 83.9
2015 WPG 107 156 68.6 1,434 79 8 5.1 3 1.92 106.6
 
Career Total 513 781 65.7 6,385 79 31 4 24 3.1 91.3

Brock to Goodlow was a dynamite combo.  I still remember the game where Goodlow broke the record for most receptions in a season.  Everyone in the building knew Brock was going to throw to Goodlow so he could get the record but the defense still couldn't stop them. Too bad Eugene jumped to the NFL after 1982, they could have been one of those legendary combos like Calvillo - Cahoon or Flutie-Pitts.

Another interesting article on Brock's one year NFL career.
 
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/dieter-brock-mythbusting-nfls-last-142415363--nfl.html

Dieter Brock interviewed on Hustler and Lawless today. He said that playing in the CFL was more fun than the NFL, and of course discusses his time in Winnipeg.
http://www.tsn.ca/radio/winnipeg-1290/brock-playing-canadian-football-more-fun-than-nfl-1.341918
 

Cheers to the folks with some sense of the big picture. Keep treading water at .500 or better till the fall and I like where we're at. Just keep getting incrementally better...