Dascow

I agree with you that Hurl isn't great in space. He tends to overcommet too early which makes it easy for the RB or WR to get around him. He also isn't that great in a crowd. Hall has done a good job of mitigating that weakness, but only against teams that are not great at running the ball. So they were fine against Calgary, who doesn't have Cornish at the moment and they were fine against Hamilton who also don't really have a great running game. However, when they played a team with a running game, they get run over. Against Toronto, Kackert ran over our D with 12 carries for 74 yards at 6.0 yards per carry. Against BC Harris ran over our D with 117 yards on 24 carries. Against Edmonton Bell ran for 95 yards on 12 carries at 7.9 yards per carry. When we did play Calgary with Cornish he ran over our D for 120 yards on 15 carries at 8 yards per carry. What's going to happen this weekend and next weekend when we face Messam again? I shudder to think. As it stands, I like our defence, but if we can aquire someone like Lemon to add some more pass rushing ability and substitute Hurl with Wild I would really like our D. Those 2 moves could put this defence over the top.

Honestly, Hurl wasn't good for the first game or 2 but he's been better recently, I think peoples expectations for him are too high, he's not the bighill or elomimian type, he's not the henoc type, If you actually watch him on the field, he's generally rushing the QB, It's how Hall is using him, he's not using him as what people would think of as your protypial MLB, he's using him more as a cowboy i suppose, a rover really, he's being used differently than how other MLB's are used, It's more scheme there, I don't think he's been that bad the last couple weeks. I'm honestly finding it hard to criticize the D when the O is last in the league in basically every category. I don't think using tackles is fair here... it's just a stat really. I'm not saying HURL is all world or anything but he's definitely not as bad as some people are making him out to be. He has a role and his role is different than that of your average MLB'r. I have been keeping an eye on Hurl for the last few games now and I can say with confidence that yes he has been that bad. If you’re a MLB and you’re a rover, you should be making a lot more happen than he is. The guy is almost never in the play. He constantly over shoots plays or is just nowhere to be found. Some times the amount of tackles a LB gets in a game can be inflated and that’s why it’s not always the best way to assess a player, but that’s not the case here. In this case he’s not getting any tackles to inflate. Nobody in the front 6 is a rover. Hurl is almost always taking one of the three inside gaps in their base "Cowboy" defense. Google "Gap Control." It's not 1985. MLB's don't chase the ball around the field. It’s not 1985…lol. I wish it was 1985, because then we would be coming off a Grey Cup victory and heading into 2 more in 5 years. I don’t care what defence they are running. The fact is, he is missing plays that are happening right in front of him. He has not been good.

Replace Hurl with Wild and add a pass rusher and the front 7 would be vastly improved.

If I recall correctly, Hurl was signed to be the starter. It was his job to lose. So who do you put that on? Walters, who signed him knowing that it was going to be his job to lose, or O’Shea who ultimately had to make the decision?

Honestly, Hurl wasn't good for the first game or 2 but he's been better recently, I think peoples expectations for him are too high, he's not the bighill or elomimian type, he's not the henoc type, If you actually watch him on the field, he's generally rushing the QB, It's how Hall is using him, he's not using him as what people would think of as your protypial MLB, he's using him more as a cowboy i suppose, a rover really, he's being used differently than how other MLB's are used, It's more scheme there, I don't think he's been that bad the last couple weeks. I'm honestly finding it hard to criticize the D when the O is last in the league in basically every category. I don't think using tackles is fair here... it's just a stat really. I'm not saying HURL is all world or anything but he's definitely not as bad as some people are making him out to be. He has a role and his role is different than that of your average MLB'r. I have been keeping an eye on Hurl for the last few games now and I can say with confidence that yes he has been that bad. If you’re a MLB and you’re a rover, you should be making a lot more happen than he is. The guy is almost never in the play. He constantly over shoots plays or is just nowhere to be found. Some times the amount of tackles a LB gets in a game can be inflated and that’s why it’s not always the best way to assess a player, but that’s not the case here. In this case he’s not getting any tackles to inflate.

Hurl as a starting MLB should not be considered a "hit". He is awfull. Here is a list of all of the players on Defence that have more tackles than him: LB Bass (48) DB Johnson (34) DB/LB Randle (33) DE Westerman (32) DB Washington (32) Hurl is tied with Adams for 6th on the team with 28. That's an average of 3 per game. For a middle linebacer, that's not good. He is constantly over-running the play or he is just lost in space. He should not be starting.

According to O'Shea #24 is Tyler Thomas.

I was wondering about that too, but then I checked the roster and noticed that Veltung is on the injured list.

When people are content, they don't speak up. It's when they are frustrated that they raise their voice. It's just human nature. If I recall correctly, the pass to Richards was not a well thrown ball, which is why Richards was laying on the turf to catch it. It did hit his hands though, so he should have had it. Watching Brohm out there was frustrating. I wanted to see Marve as well and could not understand why they where not putting him in. But, if Marve was hurt then that would explain it.

"HE COULD GO...TO THE SIDE LINES...*Voice cracks*ALL THE WAY ...out on the third yard line!" lol. Classic Rod Black. I agree with everything you say about TSN. Their production quality is very limited. I'm really starting to hate the interviews they conduct while the play is going on. Inevitably a big play happens and they just ignore it and keep rambling on with their guest. It's really distracting. I also think that when Willy was hurt in the second game, and we all thought it was a concussion, that it was actually his ribs, or something on his side, that was injured. That would explain why Willy and the team had no qualms about Willy playing in the next game. I also remember Dunigan saying that once he talked to Willy, he understood why it was not going to be a problem for Willy to play the next week. Dunigan, who has had many concussions himself, would never condone putting a player in the next week if it actually was a concussion that was suffered. After that game I have seen Willy grimace on multiple occasions and reach for his side. I disagree about Willy's play and the offence in general. (When Willy is in.) Our offence has been the one bright spot this year. Willy, even with his hurt ribs, (If that indeed is the case.), is playing exceptionally well. The offence is not the problem on this team. It's the defence that is letting us down. Why do you think Julian Feoli-Godino is our go to guy? He's not even our Canadian go to guy. Denmark, Moore, Adams and Kolhurt are all ahead of Feoli-Godino in terms of "go to guy". I think MIke O'Shea has the all of the tools. He is still learning though.

If you're leading with your head it isn't a form tackle. If he wrapped up around his head, I'd hate to see it called, but he led with his helmet and that needs to be penalized (both to discourage idiots from leading with their helmets for their own protection and for the players they are hitting with their helmets) and probably answered on the Bombers end. Just a quick question, and I ask this because when I look at an A&P book the head is normally at the top of the body: If you are aiming to hit your opponent in the midsection/hips area and you are running at full speed, how can you not lead with your head? Your body isn't static heading into a tackle. Google form tackling. A tackle is a stick and a wrap, not launching your helmet into somebody. Upper body should make first contact and the rest follows through with the arms wrapping. Head should be back and turned. Obviously there will be contact with helmets but it shouldn't be the first and/or only point of contact. It's probably more dangerous for the tackler who launches head first, see Shea Emry and the scrambled eggs he has in his cranium. Interesting. Thanks for that info. On a related note, I just watched the replay in stop action and it appears to me that the Hamilton player does not leave his feet until contact. So I think that saying "he launched himself" is a bit inaccurate. It really does appear that this was simply a matter of two players moving in just the right directions and at just the right moment that their heads collided. I get that people are ticked, but I really can't fault the TigerCat. Just plain old bad luck. Lord knows, we should be good at dealing with that. Their heads collided is the part that matters. Nothing else. Heads colliding = penalty in the CFL. I don't fault the TiCat, I fault the refs for blowing the call.

What you are proposing might sound good in theory, but at game speed helmet to helmet is going to happen. If you suspend every player every time, you might as well just say "no hitting the qb" because what defender in his right mind is going to aggressively go after a qb knowing that if there is helmet to helmet, he is automatically gone. The "throwing a punch" analogy is just silly because the last time I checked, people don't tend to accidentally throw punches, so clearly, yea, throw a punch and you can be gone. Apples to Oak Tree comparison there. It sucks to see this happen but it is part of the game and a hazard that every player recognizes. I could see a penalty for H2H infractions, similar to contacting the kicker, intent doesn't matter, just the result. But a suspension/ejection should only happen if there is clear evidence that it could have been avoided or was done with an intent to injure. I could not disagree more. The game has changed. The CFL is making an effort to protect the QB at all costs. Part of that effort is to get rid of the head to head hit, when the QB is in the pocket. The onus is now put on the defensive player to exercise more control. The defender in this case launched himself, as Drew was falling backwards. When you launch yourself like that, you are giving up control for the chance at a big hit. That is a play in the past that would have been called. In fact I have seen much less called. That's just how the game has changed. Intent is irrelevant. Either it is a head to head shot, or it is not. In this case, it clearly was.

I sit close to the field close to the Bombers bench during home games. After half time, when the refs ran on to the field, Kyle Walters made a beeline for them and started chewing them out. He looked absolutely pissed. (Which he should be.) From the time that they ran on the field to the moment when they lined up the kick-off, Walters was giving them ****. You could tell that the refs were trying to ignore him, but every now and then they would turn back and say something back. To be honest, I liked what I saw from Walters in that moment, because it's exactly what I wanted to do. I think because of Walters chewing out, the refs were not going to take any chances and so that's why they finally woke up and called that slap to the head. (Because that slap to the head is a penalty.) I was kind of proud of Walters after seeing him do that. (And embarrassed for the league for not calling the head to head on Willy.)

I think we need to look at this situation from both perspectives. Let’s start with Yantz. I can completely understand why Yantz feels sour about the situation. If I was in his shoes I would have felt the same. The reality is he did not really get a fair shot. It may true that he may not have been up to par in other areas, like the class room, but none of us can claim that because we were not there. We just don’t know. That being said, even if that was the case I have seen many people who are not that great in the class room, excel on the football field. So for me, it’s perfectly understandable that he would be upset, because he never got that chance to show what he could do in live action. It sucks. Now let’s look at it from the Winnipeg Football Clubs perspective. The Club needs a fifth arm in camp as to not wear out the other QB’s arms. They identify Yantz as a good Canadian prospect that can come in and not count against the roster. That’s a perfect scenario for them. However, now they have 5 arms in camp and there are not enough reps to go around. The fifth man, no matter where he is from, is always the odd man out. (A lot of the time the 4th QB is also the odd man out.) Couple that with the fact that the other 4 QB’s on the roster have very little experience themselves which means they need as much playing time as they can get come game day. I watched one of the Calgary pre-season games and they were able to sit both Bo Levi Mitchell and Drew Tate. (I am not sure if there were some injuries involved in those decisions.) Because of that they were able to give their Canadian QB some reps in a game. Calgary can afford to do that because they know what they have in both of those QB’s. I don’t think the same can be said about Willy and co. There are only 2 pre-season games, which means only 8 quarters for 5 QB’s. This year it just so happened that Willy needed 4 of those quarters. That leaves 4 quarters for 4 QB’s, all of whom are lacking in experience. It’s more important that Willy gets comfortable within the system than if the 5th string QB gets a few reps in game. Quite frankly the Bombers knew who their top 3 QB’s were going into camp. Willy, Brohm and Marve. They needed to make sure that the top 2 guys had enough time under center because they are the ones that will be seeing the field in the regular season. Getting Willy ready for the season is priority #1 and then getting the back-up, who ever that might be, ready is priority #2. The rest have to fight for scraps and when you’re fighting with 2 other QB's who have much more of a pedigree than you do, for scraps you’re probably not going to get much. In the end, I sympathies with Yantz, because it kind of sucks that the circumstances did not allow him to show what he can do, but I completely understand why the Bombers could not give him the time under center that he desired. I wish him well in his future endeavors.

Daniels stayed healthy. Dile didn't You can't make the club from the tub.

Marc Dile released? That's interesting. If others can do the job just as good, might as well save some money.

I went to the rookie camp yesterday and as most people have already stated, not a lot happened. (I had to sign a waiver form to get in.) They spent most of the time that I was there running individual drills. It was hard to see what was going on in the other corners of the field but luckily the WRs were doing their drills right in front of me. Here are some minor observations that I could make: #15 Toney Clemons might not make it past rookie camp. He was falling all over the place in his footwork drills and I honestly don’t think I saw him catch one ball. That’s not good when all you’re doing is route running drills. Addison Richards and Jordan Reeves are some big men. Unlike when Jade entered rookie camp, these guys look like they fit in nicely. (Physically speaking.) I can’t wait to see both of them in main camp. Buck Peirce looked good tossing balls to the RB’s.

What's funny is that Watson wanted to be traded to get closer to his family in the east and yet he keeps getting traded further west. So now Edmonton can trade their #7 & #16 picks plus Cory Watson to the Bombers for the #2 pick. Then the Bombers can turn around and trade him to Hamilton for their 17th pick.

I would disagree with you in regards to Unamba. He was pretty great on special teams last year and when he got a chance to play LB near the end of the year, he made some plays. He looked like a player whose stock was rising at the end of the year. Based on that I would be a little surprised if he were cut. It would be a one eyebrow raising level of surprise.

Kevin Glenn had 150 more passing yards than Willy, (2nd most passing yards in the CFL last year.), 3 more touchdowns than Willy did last year, only one more interception than Willy did, a passing percentage that was 0.8 less than Willy’s @ 63% and a QB rating that was 2 points higher than Willy’s, and yet there are still people here who don’t even want him as a back up? That’s ridiculous. If it meant giving up Brohm for Glenn I would have no problem with it because Glenn is a better QB than Brohm.

I'd like him back too. At times he looks like a boy against men, but if the ball was even near him, he would make the catch. It seems like there is so much potential there, but he does need to bulk up a little.

I am surprised in the lack of interest around the league for Sam Giguere. I wonder why that is?

He re-signed with the Bombers twice - he had 2 opportunities to leave between the time we drafted him and now and did not. Throttle back on the conspiracy theories. I guess you missed the little word IF reports are true. I'm not the one writing the bloody reports. Conspiracy...give me a break.?? It's there for you to read and you take it the way you want. Watson re-upped twice sure, but people change and so do circumstances. His latest comment about 'finally being with a 'winning' organization' (we'll see about that) says a lot. Couldn't make us a winner from the tub so things are going to be dif. We'll see. That's not what he said. Here is the interview: www.620ckrm.com/images/mp3/SC_Jan2915.mp3 Skip ahead to 0:43:00. His comment had nothing to do with any team other than the Riders.

Korey Banks is irrelevant. Who cares what he thinks.

What's the debate here? (Not here specifically, but between O'Shea and who ever he is having a power struggle with.) The Bombers defence was 2nd last in yards given up. Dead last in points per game. A bloody expansion team was better than us! They were 2nd last in sacks and tied for last in interceptions. O'Shea needs to wake up and make the change that is needed. Or Walters needs to step up and make the right decision.