17to85

And yet, Dave -- of ALL PEOPLE -- has been able to come around on the idea of it. He was one of the most vocal about not wanting Etch here in the first place, but was able to see that the defense really wasn't the problem this year. If Dave can change his mind about something, anyone can.....even curmudgeonly old Iso Al.... That's because I am an open minded individual who bases his opinions on evidence and logic. It's why the people who disagree with me are wrong.

No this isn't what it is at all, this is Mike and I and some others trying to explain that the defense wasn't as bad as some of you want to pretend it was. Stay or go with Etch I don't care, I'll trust O'Shea to make the choice he wants. If Etch is back though (which he probably will be) it's not the disaster that some of you want to pretend it is because the defense for all it's unconventionality was not really a problem this season.

We win 2 of 3 vs the Riders with another competent DC. A few other games that I can't remember now where we couldn't close the win because we couldn't stop the run. Now you're just flat out lying. The defense kept the Riders from scoring much at all in the first game we played them, it was the turnovers by the offense that sunk the Bombers in that game. Labour is one I will grant. The D needed a stop on that last drive and failed to get one, but the banjo bowl again wasn't the Ds fault. They gave the offense the ball back multiple times in the final few minutes and again the offence failed to capitalize. So I will ask again, how many games did the D not give the team a chance to win? Labour I put on the, loss to Ottawa and in Edmonton I would also say they didn't give the team a chance to win... but 3 games out of 18 that's not nearly so bad as some of you like to say.

So which games do you feel the defense didn't give the team a chance to win this year?

So let's see... qb that played poorly, receivers that had a bad case of the dropsies, using chevon walker most of the year at rb and they fire the coach cause the offense wasn't good enough? Can't fire the GM first I guess, so the OC makes a good sacrificial lamb.

The problem with calling it a tax break is that every tax break is a tax break for the rich because poor people don't pay much in taxes! Any time you lessen the tax load it always benefits people with more money more than people with no money. The problem the left has it that they love to spend other people money. "Oh just tax the wealthy or businesses" they say. The important part is that someone other than they themselves pay for it.

I want to win Noeller. We won't ever with him as DC. I think that's more important than keeping him around for anyone's amusement. and yet we could have easily had a winning season with him as DC if not for bad turnovers on offense, some break downs on special teams... That's why people keep arguing with you about this, the defense was actually pretty solid for the most part this season. The offense doesn't go MIA late in the year and a winning season and playoffs quite likely happen.

damned shame the season is over for them and they can't give a giant **** you in the post season. Damned shame.

If Lulay's not ready to play at full speed & is completely healthy then what's the point? Might as well dress the nobody third stringer. Even if he's completely healthy he's barely played all season and would be rusty as all hell, so that's why you wouldn't start him, but if he's healed why wouldn't you put him as a backup in case you need him? That shoulder.... No way it stands up to any kind of hits. What a way to treat your franchise qb. Benevides worrying about the short term & not the long one. You're a doctor now? You've seen the healing and recovery and know these things? Not trying to be an ass here, but there's just no way any of us can say what the status of the guys shoulder is with regards to taking hits. Maybe he crumbles again maybe he doesn't, we just don't know. If he's getting in the lineup though you have to believe that actual doctors have said he's good to go.

Bottom line is that if Edmonton was going to do anything in the playoffs it was going to be on the shoulders of their defense so this doesn't change a lot. Just minimize mistakes on O and hope the D can carry the day.

It's like a dog with a bone for some people, just keep gnawing away at it and won't let it go for anything.

If Lulay's not ready to play at full speed & is completely healthy then what's the point? Might as well dress the nobody third stringer. Even if he's completely healthy he's barely played all season and would be rusty as all hell, so that's why you wouldn't start him, but if he's healed why wouldn't you put him as a backup in case you need him?

Just because he's activated doesn't mean he's going to play. Who would you rather have on your roster? Lulay or whatever nobody third stringer they are dressing now?

Spending during a recession is good policy any complaining about it by the opposition is simply politics hoping people are too stupid to understand what was going on.

Even if he is healthy I don't think you can go to Lulay in the playoffs when he hasn't played more than a couple games this season. That's just setting the team up to fail. Glenn got them there, he's the man to lead them in the game for good or bad.

Every party believes in balanced budgets... of course to get theirs the NDP would simply tax more. The Liberals quite likely would have taken many of the same courses to guide the country through the recession. They and the Conservatives are similar in their economic policies, they really only quibble over how much they reduce taxes. In fact a big boon to the Conservatives throughout the recession were things the Liberals put in place (and likewise the Liberals balancing the budget when they were in power were helped by existing policies left over from the PCs. That's the thing about politics, often times you don't fully see what a governments legacy is until they've been out of office because changing government doesn't change the things they've done. The Liberals were good economic stewards much like the Conservatives have been. I can't bring myself to vote Liberal though, they are still too eastern focussed and love nothing more than keeping the west under their eastern thumb.

You can't handicap the existing teams just to cater to an expansion team though. You have to accept that it won't be easy for an expansion team in their first few seasons. It takes time to build a team up. Should the league have given Winnipeg an expansion draft after Kelly torpedoed the teams roster just to keep things competitive?

Only if Braley buys the team between now and then.

People are free to take their shots while they can, but mark my words I have a long memory and when the Bombers turn things around I've got a lot of "**** You"s ready to hand out.

He is not trying to run down Crompton, he is simply explaining that your over the top mancrush on the guy is a bit unfounded given the actual stats.

There's even less wrong with being positive for a change.

If the Riders had lost tonight, they would be 9-9. They split the season series with B.C. and they won the point differential by 9 points. Am I missing something? Would they not have finished third even if they lost today? They lost to BC by 13 and won by four. They lost the point differential not won it. I really must stop crunching stats while drinking scotch... that sounds like the best time to be crunching stats.

Getting stronger & bigger makes it easier to absorb some of the hellacious hits Drew took this year. It should help preventing soft tissue injuries better. Of course it won't help when whacking a thumb off a helmet or tearing a knee ligament. If he comes in about 20 lbs stronger we'll see a different player I think for the better. but again, what does that have to do with being tough? Being able to absorb the hits better, pretty self explanatory. Except what you're explaining has nothing to do with toughness. Toughness isn't the ability to withstand injury, though it's part of it, toughness is getting your ass kicked and popping up again to go another round. So how does your point matter?

Help me out here, why is Joseph playing this game for the Riders? I thought Durant was going to be good to go?

Getting stronger & bigger makes it easier to absorb some of the hellacious hits Drew took this year. It should help preventing soft tissue injuries better. Of course it won't help when whacking a thumb off a helmet or tearing a knee ligament. If he comes in about 20 lbs stronger we'll see a different player I think for the better. but again, what does that have to do with being tough?