bb.king

I agree it's a shitty loss. I think we're going in the right direction. Ultimately the wins vs losses will decide that though

It amazes me how people will hang on and use every word of a neurologist that is completely unfamiliar with the patient and circumstance, but will so easily dismiss the findings of the neurologist that actually examined him and cleared him to play. Hyprocritism at it's finest. That is some weak sauce.

So did I...they said he wasn't.

Why do their superiors allow it?  I wish I could publicly tweet that I not doing my job and instead sitting outside enjoying the day.  My boss would be calling me minutes later...or clocking me out.
 
Its sort of a laughing stock too isnt it?  Its an embarrassment really.

Also we did hold em to 3 points from middle of the third to the end of the game. A bend don't break defense no? Gotta trust that a DC that has won a cup might know a little bit more of what needs to be fixed rather than posters around here. Let's chill give him a little time say second game then we fire his a$$.

West-Battle-Jones
 
Oh wait,
 
Randle-Hurl-Bass

For once I agree with Mike. Absolutely pathetic to suggest that the club is indecisive and that they should cut guys right off the hop.
Zero benefit in doing this at all.

The thing is, you don't know whether our management is indecisive or not. You're acting as if because the announcement hasn't been made, the cuts have not been decided upon.
 
There are literally a million things that could impact this decision and it's incredibly ignorant of you to be so easily dismissive of pretty much all of them. Maybe they're still trying to get a final call on how many people they need to cut. Things like injuries that could land a player on the suspended list impact how many cuts we need to make, maybe there were players meeting with the medical staff today and they're waiting on doctors. Maybe today was a scheduled evening off for the players and they're not counting on being able to reach every single guy they're cutting by phone. Maybe O'Shea or Walters don't see the point in having to be available to the media on a Sunday evening, so they're waiting until the morning to be nice to sports reporters (I hope this isn't it) who now won't have to piece together an article at last minute for the Monday paper.
 
Instead of considering any of that, you're much more content to just bathe in your ignorance and sing your song of "well they haven't told the whole world yet, they must not know what they're doing"
 
Give me a break.

You just prefer to whine. Pick your battles man, who the **** cares when we announce our cuts?

If they go to Quebec do they bring back the Nordiques name with the awesome blue jerseys?

I'm sure to you it would.
 
To me, it sounds like he's saying they will be evaluated on all aspects of their performance and duties, not just the rush attempts.  I could see how that was missed though.  Using all those fancy terms like blocks, pass protection, assignments.  Enough with the crazy lingo Roger Staubach.

Okay. Just got back from training camp and finally back in the office. Today was the first day that coaches from the Winnipeg High School Football League were invited on the field to take in the practice. We were originally told to stick to the sidelines but MOS came over immediately and invited us on the field and to go ahead and focus on whatever position we were interested in. I tried to walk around a bit but was always drawn to the offensive line, running backs and offense as a whole.
 
I'll say this. we have some big boys on the Oline and Dline that can move very quickly. Watched some one on ones in the first sessions and while this is usually slanted towards defensive aggression, Coach Wiley had his boys fighting up a storm. Picard is an animal and while Chung may not be technically skilled yet, you can see him picking up tips from the coaching staff. Coach Wiley even came over to a couple of us coaches and gave us some tips that he uses to teach fundamentals. Awesome. Jace Daniels and Devin Tyler were getting some long looks with the first team Oline. Greaves is still in there but his relaxed nature definitely opens the door for some of the young guys to jump in a get a look. As Coach Wiley suggested, it don't mean s*** until game situations come into play.
 
As for receivers, Nick Moore looked amazing. If he stays healthy, he will easily be a league leader. Just so much speed after he catches the ball. Kris Bastien made a couple of nice grabs on some long balls and looks very quick as well. I only noticed L.Tunei once today as he fought off 2 defenders for a catch in the second half of practice (no shoulder pads for second half). Tunei does look to be a bigger guy but some of those DBs do as well so tough to tell from my vantage point.
Saw some nice catches from Adamas and Clemons as well. As for Jordan Reaves, man, i think he makes the team this year. He made some nice catches today, often adjusting to the DBs to get to the ball. He is a big strong kid. Maybe he is not running his routes 100% but from my sideline view, they sure were giving him every opportunity to figure it out.
 
QBs all looked good today I thought. There was a fairly good breeze going from West to East so that made the "across the field" throw either very easy or very hard. Truthfully, they all looked good. Not sure how Yantz makes this team as the top 4 all made some nice throws today. Running backs all had moments of shine today with Paris Cotton leading the way. Marshall and Scott both broke a couple of long ones too but its sometimes tough to tell if they would have broken free if the defense was given the chance to "light 'em up". Tough call.
 
Sherman filled in for Leggett and didn't look out of place. He is pretty vocal out there. Not as vocal as Coach Miles but close. Dline Coach commands a lot of respect. You can see that he wants them going hard all the time. Loved what Greg Peach does out there. He is fighting hard for his job. Great competition on the line.
 
I'll try to get out there again tomorrow. Let me know if there is anything in particular you want me to look at. Keep in mind, i think the second half of practice tomorrow is all special teams.

Talk of derailing reminds me of one of my favorite old-timey wrestlers, "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan. Man that guy was awesome.
 

 

Friesen wanders into the Sun office with a latte in each hand (not for sharing), 10 am sharp, feeling awful proud of himself for getting up so early.
 
A first day intern wanders by, awestruck at being that close to a local celebrity, struggles to find something to chat about.  "So Mr. Friesen, what's the story today?".
 
"Hmm, well Bobby (not his name), one thing I've learned in this business is that the stories usually write themselves."
 
"You mean with a little investigative journalism, the truth always comes to light sir?"
 
Friesen spits out his latte in laughter "TRUTH?  INVESTIGATING?  JOURNALISM?  BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!  Oh kid, are you ever in the wrong office."
 
Friesen glances out the window to see who's looking.  "Alright Timmy (not his name), I'll give you a quick pointer or two."  Opens his desk drawer, pushes aside a bottle of Potter's Vodka and a Russian mail-order-bride catalogue, pulls out an old spinner wheel from a Twister game with writing scribbled all over it.  "You wanna succeed in this business Kenny (not his name),  I've got one word for you - click-bait headlines!  Come here, give the wheel a spin!"
 
The intern looks at the wheel.  Scribbled over "left hand red" was "Stadium Controversy".  Over right foot green, "Quarterback Controversy".  "Coaching Controversy", "Player Controversy", "Management Controversy".  The intern's head was beginning to spin.  "I don't understand sir, what if that isn't a story that day?"
 
Friesen spits out his other latte in laughter "That's the beauty of it Jerry (somehow actually the interns name because even a blind squirrel occasionally finds a nut, as Friesen's career has proven), that's the beauty of it!!!  IT DOESN'T MATTER!!!  Just by saying there is a controversy, there becomes one!!!  There is nothing that can be said or done by anyone to prove otherwise!!!  If they argue, well that's pretty much a controversy right there!!!  Don't you see!!!  They're like self-fulfilling prophecies!!!"
 
The intern looks down at his feet, saddened at having his ideals crushed on his first day on the job.  "Is that how Mr. Penton does it sir?"
 
"Penton?  @$#& that guy!!!"

Dom Picard looks to be in tough.

The discussion was about how stupid your comment was. If that's what you were going for it worked.

Based on what?  Name recognition?
 
I'll hazard a guess that there wasn't a moment last night where Walters said "Not that guy, his talent level is too high".
 
The problem every year is people form strong opinions on players they know next to nothing about, based almost entirely on a Duane Forde column, and then spend 2 months shaping his thought-farts into fools gold.
 
Did Walters evaluate the players correctly?  We won't know for a while, but I have no problems with his evaluations being different from Forde's.  They'd better be, otherwise anyone could do his job.  Walters did not do what I expected, but I also have enough sense to know my expectations aren't based on much of anything other than being part of a fan site.

You can't see it it from the inside.

No, we'd have nothing more on the line than the $150k.
 
I have yet to argue for or against giving Willy a big raise, by the way, and agree with about 1/2 the points you've made.  I have simply pointed out that there is no big negative consequence to doing it, something you keep claiming.
 
What, mid season Calgary cuts Mitchell AND Toronto cuts Ray AND a free agent bidding war ensues AND Walters decides we must have both?  But can't win it because of the $150k?  Well, if that happens, I'll buy you a beer, and graciously admit I didn't see it coming.
 
This franchise and fanbase dreams of being in a position where we have a top tier QB.  The ones who get paid the big bucks.  Is Willy among those guys now?  I agree with you, absolutely not.  Does he "deserve" to make the same coin as them based on what he's achieved so far?  I agree with you (if using the standards of social justice), he does not.  Is there a reasonable chance of us not getting the same "money's worth" from Willy as Toronto will get from Ray?  Indeed there is.
 
But there is still no great negative consequence to doing it.  As far as I can tell going thru all reasonable scenarios, the biggest hypothetical negative is that money could have been put towards one of two things - rolling a portion of 2016 payroll onto the 2015 books thru contract extensions, and paying down stadium debt.
 
150k, on the other hand, is approximately the amount of increased revenue thru beer sales alone from increased attendance that Willy could bring into Bomber coffers if he does the only thing that matters to casual fans - winning.  In other words, it's a pretty insignificant amount to spend given what the real stakes are.  I find it endlessly amusing that the people who undoubtedly advocate "spending to the cap", or even "spend over the cap and pay the fine" in pursuit of a winner turn into armchair accountants, wringing their hands at the thought of giving a player a raise that he hasn't "earned".
 
Giving out raises based on potential and projecting forward is just one of many realities of pro sports that all GMs face every year.  If you want to take a run at commissioner and revamp the model to one where salaries are determined only after a season is over and we know what a player was really worth, I might vote for you.
 
The potential negative consequences of not signing him now seem much more impactful to the Bombers than the possibility that Willy might not provide a ROI that you consider proper value.
 
Two related points:
- This isn't 2004, when people were freaking out because MOP Khari Jones is making over $300,000 per season; the pay scale has moved dramatically since then and these are not crazy numbers being thrown around.
- While I used $150k just because that was the number some people want to throw around, I really doubt that the Bombers and Willy have ever been more than 50k apart in spirit.  Sure, both camps will have started out further apart than that, but as always during a negotiation, that's just to allow space to move and let the other party know that they have moved.  And yes, I know the $150k is difference between no extension at all vs giving him everything he wants, but if you are advocating not even trying to extend him, then I'd say you're way way way out to lunch.

Why didnt they build 6 stadiums?  They could have had one in every area of the city so no one complained about location.
 
Im not a fan of Geoff Currier but my favourite call of his was a woman who called to complain about the location.  She said she lived very close to CIS and this new location was just awful because she would have to take the bus to the south end.  He said "and what have the south end residents been doing for years?"  She basically said she didnt care, since it was close to her already then it should stay there.
 
The whiners about traffic, all I can say is drive North on Route 90 to a concert or Football game at CIS, we were used to sitting in unmoving traffic.  Never complained because we grew up on it. 
 
IGF location is perfectly fine.  And guess what, it's down the street from me now.

This is the worst analogy in the history of the internet

5th game - we win in regulation
6th game - we are so far ahead in the second period that we invoke some kind of little-known NHL mercy rule and win without playing the third.
7th game - our 6th game was so dominant that the NHL awards us the Game 7 victory before we even fly to Anaheim.

I remember going to a couple of the early whiteouts against Calgary in the mid-80's - they were insane! It has to be a whiteout.

IIRC Calgary was a bit of a big, nasty team at the time, and the Jets promoted themselves as the good guys with the slogan "good guys wear white". They encouraged everyone to wear white as a response to Flames fans wearing red. Jets fans just did 1000 times better than Flames fans and it became legendary.