17to85

If they were set on including northern alberta I would have gone with Grande Prairie ahead of fort. mac. Much more accessible.

but to single people out even if you attribute it to players is wrong as well. It was a collective pants shitting by the team, I'm not going to be too hard on the qb for that just because he's the qb when everyone involved in that messed their drawers.

Reilly can't even supplant Nichols in Edmonton why do you think he'd have any more success here? Seriously Iso, I know you wanted Reilly in Winnipeg badly but at what point to you stop and admit that yeah, maybe the guy isn't the next great qb... What's the difference between hoping Reilly can be the next guy and hoping Hall can do it? Hall started game in the NFL, that's a damned sight more impressive than anything Reilly has done...

well 2 games most likely. Calgary and Toronto he had issues with the turnovers... and of course he was the qb of note on labour day but I don't put too much stock in that one simply based on how bad the entire team looked. That was a team completely unprepared to play that game, that one goes on the coaches shoulders IMO.

I am afraid he's guilty by association simply for writing for the sun.

At this point it's better than sticking with a declining qb who can't stay healthy.

can he really? He had as many ints as td passes last season, the season before he had more ints than td passes... I'll say it again, the Buck Pierce we got back in 2010 is long gone, the guy who's there now is a much different player.

But Pierce is a WINNER!!!!!! that guy left the team in so many holes last year when he got hurt it's not even funny and yet people still go on like he does only good things when he's out there and it's just the injuries that hold him back. Maybe in the past, but the pick 6 down the sideline has been a Pierce specialty for a while now.

I refuse to believe that he was THAT uncoachable. If that were the case I don't see how he would have lasted 3 years before those issues came up. I think this was a case of Burke not being a fan and not even trying to coach him.

Well that'll certainly leave an impression on Americans coming to Canada for the first time..... Hookers and cocaine for everyone!

Either throw it where only the receiver can catch it or take a knee and we'll kick a field goal! It's not like it was some huge insurmountable flaw going on there, it was a young guy getting too hot and horny to put the ball in the endzone. Exactly the kind of thing that good coaching can remedy without too much difficulty. Like I said, if the guy can move the ball effectively for the length of the field but an issue only comes up when you get close to the goal line then that's so much easier to fix than guys who can't move the ball at all.

Yeah but everyone was talking last year about the offseason work Pierce did to get in better shape as well. See it's not a case of him not playing much last year... it's a case of seeing that even when he was healthy last year Pierce hasn't been the same since partway through 2011. The guy we got initially is not there anymore. His body is too broken down to play the way he needs to be effective. It's sad as hell when it happens but people are remembering a player that doesn't exist anymore. Look I get why people choose to believe that guy can come back, I really do. We need to believe he can be that guy if we really want to have a chance this year, but I just don't think it's going to happen. Right now my hope is that one of the backups can take the job and never give it back because I think that is far more likely at this point that Pierce both staying healthy AND getting back to the level he was at 2 years ago.

I'd take a guy who can drive the field before getting useless than failing to be able to drive the field at all. Turnovers in the red zone are a lot easier to fix than not being able to string a couple first downs together.

never mind that the whole idea behind giving extra protection and relying on getting the ball out quicker probably is more suited to Elliott than Pierce to start with!

what more of a red flag do you need? His team got absolutely demolished the week after he took over, usually that's the easiest game to get a team ready to play. They bounced back a bit the following week, but Burke makes one of the all time dumbest decisions in football and they lose anyway... then they get absolutely hammered again the following week.... Really concerning way to start. They he swears up and down that Pierce has to be the qb and runs out the guy who showed the most at the position last year.... He can be maybe too honest in the media when he should keep things in house a bit more... Just a lot of things that make you wonder if he's got the right stuff. I'll give him a chance because I do like the attitude overall, but he's gotta get the most out of this team or it'll be another new coach and another new GM.

yeah well if that was the only quote to be concerned about throughout his time here then maybe it'd be easy to blow it off, but it isn't.

but they're asking him to be a pocket passer! Which is stupid in and of itself cause the guy has gotten hurt in the pocket more than outside of it in his time here anyway... but besides that, when was the last time you saw Pierce actually able to run that effectively? Here's your answer, august 2011 against the esks. That's the last time I can remember Pierce actually being really elusive and quick with his legs. Physically that guys gme has fallen a long long way.

if you think having to leave an hour + early to get to a big event is unreasonable then I think you are simply out of touch with reality....If you don't live near the stadium then yeah it's going to take some time. Hell Winnipeg ain't that big a city, should be grateful that it doesn't take longer like it does in some cities.

That remains to be seen.... How often do you see a guy take over from a fired head coach and have his team get shut out the following week? There's plenty of reasons to wonder if Burke is any kind of head coach, he's got a lot to prove this season about whether he can wear the big hat or if he's just a good coordinator. Hitching your wagon to Pierce at this point is not what anyone calls a smart move. He is no where near the qb he used to be and if he can't stay healthy anyway you might as well find your next guy.

you talking about a 2 qb system or just when PIerce inevitably gets injured? Let's be absolutely honest here, we're not going through the season using only 1 qb, and quite likely it'll be more than 2 qbs anyway so why not keep the backups involved in the game since they'll have to play at some point?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OptA-zxtM5M That game is just a real good example of Buck Pierce at his best... you notice how many highlights were of Pierce running? I just don't believe that this grand plan of trying to turn him into Calvillo who has huge protection and throws the ball quickly is going to be effective. Pierce was a good qb because he could absolutely make a defense pay with his legs, without that I just don't think he's dangerous enough.

I want to like Burke a lot because I love the upfront attitude... but there's some red flags popped up last year and we shall have to see if he's got that sorted out this year or not.

The problem is that we are a the point where simply blitzing renders our starting qb completely useless. You can't play in the CFL if you make defending your offense that easy. Pierce is done as a player and veteran or not the bombers needed to move on and they're not doing it.

Oh please, Burke was lobbying HARD to get Buck back as a starter. I got the impression that Mack would have been ready to move on if not for Burkes insistence that he wanted PIerce to start.

No I don't think that's what people are saying, I think what people are saying that once people figure out something that works there will be less issues because people will be trying new things to get there and will eventually stumble on something that works for them. I mean people had 50+ years to figure out how to get to Winnipeg Stadium at a time that worked for them.... They've had one week to find out what works getting to IGF and everyone is starting from square one.