Mr Dee

Hamilton at Calgary West best vs the East's best? The West's best QB vs the East's best QB? Are these defences the best? Best Head Coaches? Two top teams in a game which will be the first-ever live mic broadcast on TSN. One thing for sure, Calgary has the league's best 2nd down converter in Marquay McDaniel who has 22. They rely on him heavily to keep the offence moving. And that offence has been going, especially at McMahon stadium, where they average 38.3 points per game in 3 games there. And, the Stamps have broken the 30-point mark in five of their eight games. By the Numbers - CFL.ca 3.5 – Touchdowns for every interception for Bo Levi Mitchell, the best amongst quarterbacks with at least seven starts. 5 – Road games this year for the Tabbies; they won the first three and have lost their last two. 29 – Sacks recorded by the Ticats (second-most in the CFL). 161 – League-low points allowed by Calgary (next closest: Hamilton at 203). ?‍?Fan Poll 71% pick Calgary to win MBB 24 votes to 5 for Calgary.

Need I say that the teams we beat are .500 or less because we beat them? Or that we don't show a victory against Saskatchewan like other teams do? Or that other teams have played the same teams we beat...and lost? Or how come it doesn't matter that the other beat us when we played with one arm tied behind our back? I'm happy where the team is, because this team put themselves where they are. Each team we played had the same chance to beat us as we did them. After all, weren't they playing a team with their back up QB in the game? Smoke and mirrors? Nah, I don't smoke and I walk quickly past mirrors...

I truly miss the magic-hip-pass-for-a-TD play call.

Highlights for me: Justin Cole's bobble-catch interception. Justin Cole's tremendous duck under Perrett's block when he dove and stripped Glenn of the ball. What a great athletic play! How about Montreal's first 3 possessions - a two-and-out, an interception and a punt block on their first three possessions. Derek Jones! Another attention grabber? The between the legs hike to Kohlert, his pass, and a first down. Entertaining and successful. Fun stuff. Montreal grabs the momentum back big time during the game, taking a lead of 15-9 at the start of the 2nd Q. Problem? Nope. Another FG and a smart, attentive play by Maurice Leggett, and a 59 yard interception return for a TD and a 19-15 lead. Glenn never saw it coming. The 3rd Q was all defence by both teams. What was really impressive was the Bombers moving the ball 94 yards at the end of the game, eating up the clock, and scoring that TD. Andrew Harris showing his value...totally. Bass 10 tackles. Matt Nichols - nothing splashy, but solid and quick on his reads and decisions. Just what we need. Bombers 3 sacks, Montreal 1 Johnny Adams had a successful return... 3rd and short by Montreal - stopped. Bomber D reputation is picking up momentum... High like it.

What do you mean act? That shove by Bowman could have broken an egg, it was way worse than a push, it would actually have made Henry Burris proud. Big, bad Travis Bond being man-handled by John Bowman..aka the pusher. Hilarious call by that ref. Tremendous over-reaction by Bowman.

Justin Medlock I remember reading, at the beginning of the season, several Rider fans were heavily mocking us for signing and paying a kicker such a hefty contract. And now I chuckle. What a friggin great signing. Justin Medlock kicked 6 field goals last night...pushing his consecutive streak to 20 on the year. From 39, 47, 13, 20, 40 and 36 Easy-peasy. What that shows is 18 points on the night. What it doesn't show is the importance attached to making each and every one of those FGs at a time when the Bombers had to get points for their fine efforts. Justin Medlock was a big reason why the Bombers won the game last night. More importantly, he was a reason why we didn't lose last night.

I agree with this rule change. It will put the onus on the coaches to have a second thought before tossing that flag. I do disagree with the notion that it's taking too long to render a decision. I found that there's been a conscious effort to get the review out quicker, especially in the last few weeks. Before, you could whistle and make a sandwich while waiting, then the review was done. Now, I bet you it's been within a minute. Too many challenges made it seem longer.

Do you think someone would challenge that? ?

That would bring us back some form of rational thinking and stop the outrageous, blind, looking for anything challenges. From CFL.ca Through nine weeks, CFL games are averaging 2.5 challenges per game. Last season, the league averaged 1.26 challenges per game. Jason Maas and Edmonton have been the most frequent and successful challengers. They have thrown the challenge flag on 14 occasions and have had six overturned rulings. Dave Dickenson and the Calgary Stampeders are the least frequent. They have challenged seven times and have had none overturned.

Nice camaraderie amongst the DBs... Rheanne Marcoux WBB When We Became FACEBOOK friends (Kevin Fogg), I decided it was going to be his birthday every day and everyone else just ran with it because he's a rookie. “I was messing with him as a rookie prank,” began Leggett, all the while trying to keep a straight face. Oh my goodness…” began Fogg while rolling his eyes, looking to the sky and seemingly knowing what teammate Maurice Leggett was about to say. “Because Moe is Moe and everyone likes to listen to him… Everybody loves to tell me happy birthday EVERY. SINGLE. DAY,” explains Fogg. “Even on our off days! Even during bye week! I got so many happy birthdays; texts, tweets, instagrams…” “I cannot confirm nor deny that I had any part in that…” denied Leggett, rather unconvincingly. “I mean I would have bought streamers, I would have bought a cake…” “What do you mean?!” interjected Fogg, “I had streamers ALL OVER MY LOCKER!” Fogg’s birthday, it should be known, is October 6th http://www.bluebombers.com/2016/08/25/210173/

Montreal Alouettes receiver Nik Lewis had five second down conversions last week alone versus the Ottawa REDBLACKS. Lewis has 18 second down conversion receptions on the season. - CFL.ca Have this sign prominently displayed?

I'd agree that Lawless has emerged as a credible source for information that can be backed up by facts. He was iffy to start, but has inflated his credibility enormously. (did I use too many softball float words in that sentence?) Anyways, Lawlees is not flawless, but I hold what he says now to be solid information.

The REDBLACKS and Lions have met four times over the last two seasons and have split the series. Ottawa swept the Lions last year winning by double-digits in each game and by a score of 58-34 overall. Their two wins were built around an enormous edge in TOP of 38:04 to 21:56 and 6-3 turnovers forced advantage (+3). This game will be Jonathon Jennings’ first-ever start against Ottawa while Henry Burris carries a 15-18-1 record in 34 previous starts against BC.  -The Lions lost at home last week to Calgary by 28 points (37-9), their largest home defeat since November 6, 2009 – and the 3rd largest in the Wally Buono era (Nov 6/09: 13-45 to EDM -32 pts, Jul 24/09: 10-48 to CGY, -38 pts).  -In each of the last four Lions’ losses, they have bounced back right away with a next game victory. QB Jonathon Jennings has one two-game losing streak as a starter in his career (Oct 10-17/15). -The REDBLACKS are 5-3 since the start of 2015 when they have lost their previous game. They will be trying to avoid their second two-game losing streak of the season and are just 1-3 over their last 4 games.  -The Lions have converted just 7 of their last 16 Red Zone opportunities into touchdowns over the last 5 games. Similarly, Ottawa has converted only 6 of their last 15 Red Zone chances into TDs over the last 5 games. -Ottawa was 4-4 after 8 games in 2015 and so are half a game ahead of that pace this season at 4- 3-1. They capitalized on close games however last season with a 5-1 mark in games decided by 4 points or less. This year they are just 2-2 in those close games. Last year from this point, Ottawa went on an 8-2 tear to finish #1 in the East.  -In the first three games, Chris Williams caught 25 passes for 493 yards and 6 TDs. Since then in the last 5 games he has 25 receptions for just 291 yards and 2 TDs. His yardage total has increased every week in the last three going 14, 55, 62 and then 97 yards last time out. Greg Ellingson was held without a catch last week vs Montreal after recording 100- yard games in 3 of the previous 5 contests.  -After a slow start, Jackson is back on 1000-yard pace and has a TD reception in each of his last 3 games.  -Two weeks ago, BC’s Richie Leone had one of the finest punting performances in league history averaging 62.7 yards per kick in the win over Hamilton. His 62.4 yard average on 7 punts now ranks as the 3rd-best single-game average in CFL history behind Nick Setta (2008) and Paul Osbaldiston (2002). For the year, Leone’s 50.0 yard average is #3 all-time at this point. In his last 5 games, Leone’s punting average is 54.1 yards per kick.  -Last week vs Calgary, the Lions had plenty of time on the field for their defence as Calgary controlled the ball for 37:45 and an edge of 68 to 48 for plays from scrimmage. As a result, Solomon Elimimian (11, a CFL best for Week #9) and Adam Bighill (9) piled up the defensive tackles.  -The REDBLACKS had 5 giveaways last week but the total is a little deceiving as 3 of them came late in the game on their final 3 possessions. BC’s only offensive T/O vs Calgary was of the same type, a late game Turnover on Downs. http://d3ham790trbkqy.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/02/2016-CFL-Gm-Notes-46-BC-at-Ott.pdf Week 10 picks BC at Ottawa 3downnation - 5 picks for Ottawa 2 picks for BC MBB - Ottawa 20 to 8 picks for BC

You forget, the Bombers were recently a hot mess. We're currently in the process of extricating ourselves from that situation. IMO, this forum will never get to what the Rider forum is like. They're just....different.?

^^^But that's not what I said. It's not every player, it's the 7 players I mentioned. The difference in what we pay Dressler, Smith, Adams, Neufeld, Keepin, Harris, and Randle, over their replacements, would surely be over 50K. I was underestimating to make a point. As to the 2nd part of your post...Willy is being paid what he is being paid. Willy will now back up Nichols until such time as something else happens. It's time for you to accept that, put in a drawer, and move on. You probably don't have any hair left by constantly pulling at it with the mere suggestion that Willy WILL NOT BE CUT. (pretend that we set aside 600K for the starting QB and his backup...no matter who or whom, does it really matter if who starts or if whom begins the game - salary-wise?)

Let's just take the 7 players whose salaries are 'premium'. Adams, Keeping, Neufeld, Harris, Randle, Smith and Dressler. Even if you only factor a minimum of $50k difference in salaries paid between these players, and their replacements, for a period of only 6 games, (why if I had a calculator, I'd tell you the savings,) then you have your money+ right there, wouldn't you?

Some same old drums being beaten here about Willy and saving money. But what about the possibility that Walters has already factored in the worst case scenario involving his QB. Of course I don't know that, but going by his past spending record, he does seem to build in a contigency factor, and it isn't used up, he extends a few players. Is it enough? We don't know that either. On one of the recent interviews with O'Shea, he mentioned factoring the budget for every game, or words along those lines. I took that to mean the implications of taking a player off the 6 game IR or not. But maybe he also meant the roster payroll for each game. If they included those figures, then it stands to reason they already know where they stand money-wise going forward for each game. The Bombers have had a lot of players on the 6 game IR for a lot of the year. That's money off the books. Currently they have 11 players biding their time there, with, I would say 7 of them, earning a healthy salary. Even if you factor in their replacement costs, that money saving has built up. When, and if they come off the list, their replacements may be gone gone too. I really don't think, if you include the long range salary management plans of the team, that we couldn't manage the Cap situation going forward without cutting Drew Willy. These are the 11 players currently on the IR Adams, Darvin Castillo, Sergio Dressler, Weston Gauthier, Shayne Harris, Macho Keeping, Jeff Neufeld, Patrick Posey, Julian Randle, Chris Sherman, Teague Smith, Ryan

I believe that since Walters has been here he has been trying to alter the National ratio so that dependence on National O-Linemen didn't hamper the running of a fairly good team. He has clearly tried to beef up other areas so as to easily meet the 7 National player minimum and has steered the scouting towards better import O- line guys. He has kept his eyes open for veteran Nats, such as Keeping and other veteran CFL imports such as Hardrick to bolster the line while drafting judiciously (Goosen, Chungh, Couture) to keep that line going. But, he's not to relying completely on the draft. They found strength another way ie. using a 3 import line. Neufeld? Well he's Canadian and useful to plug and play. Here's hoping that that is his role going forward. I remember at the beginning of the year when a lot of fans were downright distressed with how thin the Nat. depth was on the O-line and I recall the reply from the staff was that they were not concerned. The reasons were Bond and Hardrick and Foketi etc. Apparently, they knew what they were talking about.

Yeah but, look at what they they made him make his own bed with...

OK, now I see you're quoting 17-85 in your post, and not having an argument with the left side of your brain as it appears you have two conflicting views in your post. Its always a question that of which aspect of the game, offence or defence, should feed the other. Keep the defence off the field by having a decent ball-moving offence, or give the ball back to the offence kind of defence that is better than average. I would agree with the right side of your brain, (or the second half). The D was not fully functioning as a unit at the beginning and having the O bog down for 3 quarters of play couldn't have been encouraging. Its being proven now, by both the O and D's play, that they are complementing each other, and, along with ST are packaging a complete team.

?‍?Well, well well. Things have certainly changed on the CFL statistic boards now that each team has played 8 games. For instance, the Bombers are now tied for second in points allowed with Montreal, each with 186. Calgary leads at 161. Then Hamilton 203, BC 210, Ottawa 212, Toronto 220, Edmonton 222. Saskatchewan is last and into 4 figures (jk) Bombers are only 7th with 15 sacks. Hamilton leads with 29, BC 27, Montreal and Calgary with 22 and Ottawa with 20. Toronto 18, Edmonton 14, then the Riders at 11 Bombers lead in interceptions with 14, ahead of Toronto and Edmonton with 8....Sask. is last with 2 Forced fumbles: Bombers and Calgary tied for first with 12 Alouettes 11, Ticats 9, Eskimos, Lions and Riders at 8 Argos 7, and RedBlacks 4 Bombers are 7th in punt average with 44.2. I'd like to see their net punt avg though. Bombers are 2nd in KO average with 67.9 Montreal leads at 69.6 Bombers are 2nd in punt return avg. 13.6 trailing BC at 15.4 Bombers are 6th in KO return avg . 21.6 POINTS SCORED Stampeders 248 - Ticats and Eskimos 239 - BC 235 - Ottawa 220 - Bombers 199 - Argos 188 Alouettes 173 - Riders 145 PASSING YARDS Ottawa 2922 - Edm. 2842 - Ticats 2619 - Stamps 2536 - Lions 2398 - Wpg. 2360 - Mont. 2359 - Riders 2305 - Tor 2053 (for an average of 256 yards per game.) RUSHING YARDS BC 742 - Calg. 741 - Ott. 703 - Argos 654 - Wpg. 634 - Edm 583 - Mont. 568 - Sask. 511 Ham. 459 SACKS ALLOWED STAMPS 10 - Lions 15 - Edm. 15 - Bombers Argos Riders 21 - Ham. 23 - Ott. 25 - Mont. 27 TURNOVERS Stamps 12 - Wpg. 14 - Edm 15 - BC 15 - Mont. 17 - Ott. 19 - Ham. 21 - Tor. 21 - Sask. 22 Andrew Harris - 8 games 112 505 #1 rushing. 4.5 avg. 29 longest. 3 TDs The Bombers don't have any receivers in the top 10. Mainly due to injuries. TOP 5 Receivers Adarius Bowman 875 yds on 59 receptions Derek Walker 837 on 38 rec Chris Williams 784 on 50 rec Naaman Roosevelt 702 on 51 rec Duron Carter 690 on 43 rec DEFENCE Adam Bighill 58 total tackles 57 defence tackles ST 2 sacks 1 Bear Woods 56 TT 56 DT O ST and 3 sacks Ian Wild 61 TT 53 DT 8 ST 1 QB sack FIELD GOALS AND CONVERTS Rene Paredes - 27 of 31 87.1 % Chris Milo - 22 of 29 75.9% Justin Medlock - 21 of 25 84% INTERCEPTIONS Maurice Leggett 4 for 148 yds and 2 TDs JC Sherritt 3 for 122 yds and 1 TD TJ Heath 3 for 79 yds 0 TDs Kevin Fogg 3 for 25 yds 0 TDs ?‍?CFL Stats Charlestown Hughes Calg. and John 'not-good-enough-for-the-Riders' Chick Ham. are tied for the individual sack lead at 7. Almondo Sewell Edm. and Alex Bassie BC are tied with 6 Jamaal Westerman leads the Bombers with 4

Here's Eric M again (Bomber Buzz) as he breaks down Kevin Fogg's terrific interception on Toronto's Kilgore and his first int.: The Bombers were in cover-3 on Fogg’s interception at the 11:08 mark of the second quarter. It was 1st-&-10, and defensive coordinator Richie Hall had called a relatively common, conservative zone coverage. Fogg was responsible for a deep-third of the field – Fogg (#23), FS Taylor Loffler (#16) and CB Terrance Frederick (#35) split the field into three deep zones – while weak-side linebacker Ian Wild and SAM linebacker Maurice Leggett dropped underneath to middle-hook zones. Boundary cornerback CJ Roberts (#17) is in a curl-to-flat zone, while field halfback Bruce Johnson (#25) is guarding the flats. Roberts is taking away any corner-route or deep out-route from the no. 3 receiver in the boundary, while cautiously eyeing the flats. Break-out slotback Kenny Shaw is the intended receiver on the play. The second-year Argo ran a post-corner, meaning he stemmed on a 45-degree angle to the corner before redirecting and breaking inside on a post-route. Seeing as Shaw is the primary receiver on the play, Kilgore’s first read is on the WILL, Ian Wild, to see if a window would open up to throw a strike down the seam. The young quarterback probably thought the SAM linebacker, Moe Leggett, would bail to the flats or use trail coverage on Shaw – a rookie mistake of pre-determining. Kilgore’s eyes probably lit up when he watched Wild bail to the left, thinking there’d be a huge window to throw the ball to the post-corner. That would’ve been correct except Leggett hadn’t actually fled for the flats as he anticipated, and would have made the interception if he wasn’t eyeing the hook-route of the no. 2 receiver in the boundary. In the end, Kilgore made a fine decision on the play; he really only needed one linebacker to vacate, and that came into fruition. The interception was simply a great play from Wild and Fogg, who saw Shaw cross his face on the corner-route and immediately crashed downhill to the receiver. Wild, meanwhile, showed off his incredible range on the play. Despite dropping towards the wide-side of the field, the fourth-year veteran redirected when he saw Kilgore ready to release the ball. He flipped his hips and flew over towards Shaw, covering a lot of ground in the process. Wild delivered a bone-crushing hit as the ball arrived, keeping the recipient on the ground for a few minutes. Essentially, Shaw had no chance to catch that pass.

He's lived with iso...that's got to be similar...?

Yeah, this way he's covered as an import to the US and retains his National status by being a Loonie.

After Week 9 Bye Winnipeg Paul LaPolice "Always better to start a bye week with a win! First time at lake of the woods. Awesome spot" #believeinblue CFL News RT .@rodpedersen Reynolds: Chris Jones is the man we wanted and still is. #CFL #Riders ?‍?How about today Rod? Jeff Hamilton - Winnipeg Free Press ?‍?fill in the blanks How it happened - to get to 1-4 Next man up - a lot of injuries, a lot of able replacements Nichols brings change - Three things to ponder after the bye week: 1)What to do with the lineup when several players return to health for the next game in Montreal Aug 26? 2)The remarkable return of Clarence Denmark 3)Is there a favourable stretch coming up in the schedule for the Bombers? Gord Barnsley @WinnipegGordo Banjo Bowl 2014 the #Riders were at midfield for player intros. #CFL - Drew Edwards - Hamilton Spectator "We have to contest balls when they're in the air, we have to throw and catch when he have opportunities, we have to block better up front," Austin said. "We're taking way too many penalties in special teams, we're putting our offence in terrible position. I'm not tolerating it any more. We'll make changes with personnel if need be." *Justin Dunk make a a very good point when he underlines how J. Jennings shows poise with his ability to elude defensive players running free at him and reacting with natural athleticism and vision to either throw the ball downfield or take off for rushing yards. CFLNews 1)#Bombers dramatic turnaround may have saved some jobs in the long-run. But the big trouble spot upcoming may be the #AlsMTL. #CFL 2)City hires new contractor to bring stadium to completion 900chml.com/2016/08/15/cit… #CFL #Ticats via @AM900CHML.....in Hamilton News1130-Sports 1)Braley says the team won't be sold during the regular season, says he hasn't lost his passion to own the #BCLions because of his illness 2)-Braley on his health : "I'm feeling fine, getting stronger, everything is fixed, I talk with Wally and Dennis weekly." #BCLions Frank Zicarelli - Toronto Sun "You throw five picks and the attention increases, the scrutiny becomes more intense and the second-guessing unrelenting." "There’s no run, no sustained pressure, no plays on special teams, no chance and yet Kilgore is taking the brunt of the blame." Pat Steinberg CFL.ca -McDaniel has been one of the league’s most consistent receivers over the last half decade. Because he runs his routes so well and rarely drops the ball, McDaniel is a consistent target over the middle of the field. While he is a great option on first down, it’s his proficiency in second down scenarios that shines brighter than anything else. Let’s take Saturday’s game against the Riders as an example. Six of McDaniel’s eight catches came on second down and every single one of those moved the chains. ?‍?Moving up the depth chart? With rookie Logan Kilgore throwing interceptions as much as Rod Pedersen is throwing tantrums, and his backup, Cody Fagardo also a rookie, does that leave an opening for Dan LeFevour? Or even Adrian McPherson Montreal Gazette - Frank Zurkowsky DT Michael Klassen of the Alouettes - broken leg.. ?‍?You know what's annoying? - having to maneuver around and about on those stupid pay walls that newspapers are putting out there.. ?‍?Forgot to mention that fabulous catch by Nic Lewis in the Edmonton game. He's still got game! Swayze Waters Big thanks to all the @Panthers fans that supported me. Surprised that I'm headed home but this isn't the end of my story! #Jesus ?‍?I wonder, if we somehow brought Bryant Turner Jr. back to the Bombers, would he get like, 8 tackles, 2 sacks, and a fumble recovery to match what Denmark did? CFL Headlines Burris: ''I stand by what I said'' http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/video/burris-i-stand-by-what-i-said~930940 TSN's Derek Taylor B.L Mitchell’s receivers had 12 drops coming into Week 8, behind only Mike Reilly’s Edmonton Eskimos pass-catchers, who had dropped 13 footballs. ?‍?Methinks he’ll exit the week in first. Matt Nichols moved from #7 to #5 on the QB index developed by CFL.ca staff For complete results...and explanations, see http://www.cfl.ca/2016/08/15/quarterback-index-meteoric-rise-matt-nichols/ BomberBuzz.com Kevin Fogg - Potential candidate for Most Outstanding Rookie? Fogg’s four tackle, two interception and one fumble recovery game – with a 16.3 average on punt returns – last week in Toronto was likely the best game any rookie has played this season, even though he got burned by Diontae Spencer for TD. Competition? Ricky Collins?, Loucheiz Purifoy? No outstanding name thus far. Fogg is accumulating those big, eye-popping numbers; he already has 3 interceptions, 42 tackles, a sack, a fumble-recovery and two return-touchdowns called back. . @sskroughriders grab international DB Fred Bennett, national DB Jeff Hecht in exchange for two #stamps neg list players #cfl ?‍?That's a pretty good acquisition for Sask. ?‍?BLM did not announce this on Twitter. ?‍?So, Calgary is finished in their series with Sask. That allows them to make this trade? CJOB Sports Week 11 of 2013- last time #Bombers had 2 #CFL Weekly Award Selections. Demond Washington (Def) /Will Ford (ST) #forthosewhoneedtoknow CFL History @CFLHistory Before moving out west to beat up horses, Alex Karras hosted a #CFL pre-game show for the Wed night games on CTV (After retiring from #NFL football, Karras went into acting, playing Mongo in Blazing Saddles & George Papadopoulos on Webster. #CFL Jaw-dropping stat: @usainbolt has run 9 of the 30 fastest 100m times, inc top-3. The other 21 were all by athletes who tested positive.@neilmanthorp Rob Vanstone The CFL informs me that fines for uniform violations are routine. There are five to 10 such fines per week, dating back a decade. Chris Cuthbert The Riders were not fined today for their trade with the Stampeders CFLNews .@dariandurant - "They're (#CFL) after us a little bit" rodpedersen.com/2016/08/durant… #Riders via @rodpedersen #Riders have adopted an 'Us Against The World' mentality of late. - @dariandurant #CFL via @rodpedersen Gary Lawless QB @BoLeviMitchell of @calstampeders tells H and L he has been contacted by @cfl commish Orridge over last week's tweets and has been fined CFL News - salary dump They have a month to pick them, per source. Says a lot about how much Stamps wanted/needed get $ off the books. #CFL Gary Lawless Kyle Walters #bombers GM tells @hustlerlawless firing Mike O'Shea, even at 1-4, was never a consideration #cfl Gord Holder - Ottawa Citizen Something the Redblacks have done too well, particularly on defence, is commit fouls. Forty-three of their league-worst 89 accepted penalties for 903 yards have occurred when other teams are on offence. The Redblacks also top the charts in calls for defensive pass interference and roughing the passer, and they’re second behind the Alouettes for illegal contact on receivers. The predictable byproduct of all those misdeeds is that Redblacks opponents top the list with 28 first downs gained by penalty, or four per game. Kirk Penton - THE INSIDERS SAY CFL coaches and managers give their anonymous thoughts on what they’re talking about behind closed doors: -Matt Dunigan should do more games for TSN. He's their best one ... -The Stampeders are not the most talented, but they're a veteran group that is well coached. They do have the best QB in the game right now. He doesn't get hit. He's super tough, aggressive and an accurate passer ... -There are reasons why Simoni Lawrence numbers have dipped a bit. Teams are running more plays to put him in motion, and others are rallying to the ball. He's played a lot of football the last two years, and their new middle linebacker, (Larry) Dean, is a solid addition ... -I wish (Zach) Collaros wasn't playing until September. With him, they scare the (bleep) out of me ... -If Edmonton beats Toronto this week, I'm going to predict this happens: Calgary and B.C. will finish one-two in the West. Winnipeg and Edmonton will go 9-9 or better, and both make the playoffs. One of them will crossover to the East in the playoffs. Ottawa is the best team over there, but either Hamilton or Toronto won't make the playoffs ... -The Riders lost, but (Darian) Durant started running the ball again. When he runs, he gives them a much better shot at winning ... -The Bombers are good, but they're getting help, too. They're playing better on all three sides of the ball, putting them in position to win, but part of that is thanks to the turnovers they have forced the other teams' quarterbacks into ... -One of the reasons B.C. is winning again is because they push the ball vertically. Big plays win football games ... -Call me a proud Canadian, but you can't win without good Canadians in our league. One of the reasons Montreal is the worst team in our league is what they've done with Canadians. They cut (Jerome) Messam, and they gave (Mike) Edem away. Both of those (bleepers) are good players, and they got nothing for them ... -It may take some time to jell, but (Zach) Collaros should take the Ticats into contention for the division with (Ricky) Ray out and Ottawa with a pending quarterback decision on the horizon ... It's more than (Matt) Nichols playing good. Richie Hall has his guys playing good football on defence. They're creating turnovers and giving their offence field position ... -The most underrated receiver in the league this season? Marquay McDaniel does all the little things right. He blocks, he runs all his routes cleanly and plays as hard as any receiver in the CFL. (Naaman) Roosevelt and (Bryan) Burnham are right in the mix for that title as well ... -I enjoyed coaching Kevin (Glenn), but it's time. (Jim) Popp, or the next coach, if he gets fired or hires someone else, needs to play his young quarterbacks ... -Hamilton has better players than us, but they can't punt worth a (bleep) and they struggle in their secondary. No excuse for them having a losing record, though. That's a talented football team ... -The jury's still out on the Bombers. They were handed two games by Hamilton, but their defence has been lights out with turnovers and in turn given their offence short fields. However, if that trend continues it's championship DNA. Nichols is better than (Drew) Willy, which helps immensely ... -All the attention is going to (Manny) Arceneaux, but quietly Bryan Burnham is putting together a very nice season. Gord Barnsley ?‍?aka WinnipegGordo #Esks have 8 guys that played on Winnipeg teams prior to 2014, #Bombers have 6. CFL History 1936, Dean Griffing was hired as coach of Regina Roughriders, but he was so disgusted with the play of the team he suited up & played #CFL (Griffing was hired by Regina as coach, but due to an injury to the centre, he was forced to play. In 1965 he was inducted into @CFHOF #CFL ?‍?Chris Jones anyone? CFL Headlines Argos QB Ray removed from IR fw.to/MqIul8e Rick Ballou@Ballou1010xl Good to talk w former Nole QB Danny McManus at Jags/Bucs practice. He's the Asst GM for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the CFL. #FSU ?‍?bombers next game - will running be featured? ?‍?does Justin Capioccotti regret going to Sask and playing part time? CFL News Vaughn Martin doesn’t figure to remain unemployed long and could resurface in Hamilton. - @HerbZurkowsky1 #CFL Frank Zicarelli Toronto Sun Argos quarterback Ricky Ray, recovering from a sprained knee, was throwing Wednesday following practice with his patented accuracy. If all goes well, there’s no reason why the veteran can’t be back by as early as Aug. 31 when the Argos play host to B.C. TSN Bombers are #1 for punt return coverage. ?‍?replay - replay - you can easily convince me that Bomber centre, Matthias Goosen indeed did snap the ball on purpose when the Argo across from him jumped offside...thus assuring Tor. Would be called offside. CFLNews .@GM_Brillo: "Penalties & turnovers have hurt us" ?‍?Ah Wally, I'm pretty sure every Coach, GM, player, water boy and fan can say this. Mike Beamish - the province.com Quicker than you can say Swoosh, B.C. Lions cornerback Ronnie Yell is on the hook for $3,000 in fines levied by the league for wearing cleats manufactured by Nike. Yell, a bright young man who is nobody’s fool, was docked $1,000 for his initial transgression for playing in Nike shoes with the logo blacked out... ?‍?Yell is appealing the fine. Ed Tait - bluebombers.com “I’ve been to O’Hare (airport, in Chicago) six times,” said Smith this week after a day scouting the Carolina Panthers training camp in Spartanburg, S.C. “I’ve been to Kansas City twice. I drove to Cincinnati. I drove to Green Bay. I flew to Cleveland, flew to Minnesota… there have been a few stops. - Craig Smith Smith, hired in June to replace Drew Morris after he landed a gig with the New York Jets, has been on the road for the Bombers since July 26th and will return after this weekend. He’ll see nine NFL teams – other camps are being scouted by other Bombers staff – including the Panthers, Bears, Packers, Chiefs, Vikings, Bengals, Atlanta Falcons as well as the Denver Broncos and San Francisco 49ers. -In the here and now, the Bombers would like to beef up their defensive end spot, unearth a speed merchant-type for the receiving corps, and are always on the look for defensive backs and import offensive tackles. -What is absolutely critical for every team – and it’s why the Bombers were adamant they had a scout take in some portion of all 32 NFL training camps – is to constantly grow their network of contacts. Andrew Bucholtz - yahoo sports 12 Audibles The Riders are going full renegade A solid distraction The media war Zach Collaros Brandon Banks Jason Arakgi Jonathan Jennings Mike Reilly Matt Nichols The Argos The Alouettes Henry Burris https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/cfl-55-yard-line/12-audibles--are-the-riders-channelling-the-raiders-072223933.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter ?‍? ? Bombers are no longer last in sacks allowed! CFL Communications Three current #CFL officials to take part in NFL Preseason games for the first-time ever. on.cfl.ca/CQDS303mS4b Of Logan Kilgore’s five Week 8 interceptions, only one came from a poor decision according to Scott Milanovich (Frank Zicarelli, Toronto Sun). Blue Bomber Talk Kevin Fogg's punt return average of 17.4 yards is currently the best single-season figure in #CFL history. #Bombers P Friesen - Wpg. Sun Make the suggestion he left the Tiger-Cats for money, though, and Medlock gives it a swift boot. What caused the California product to choose Winnipeg was the environment created by head coach Mike O'Shea and Chad Rempel, the long snapper he's known for years. “I wanted to be in a situation where it was a little bit more of a calmer environment,” Medlock said. “I really like playing for O'Shea and being around Rempel -- I thought he'd give me a great shot at being successful punting the ball.” Medlock didn't mention his former coaches in Hamilton, but he sure heaped the praise on O'Shea, who runs the special-teams. “I thought he was going to be good for me,” Medlock said. “I see it now with everybody else, how guys really love playing for him and really buy in. He's a little different. He's fiery, but he's also a player. So he knows how to talk to players, what's going to get us going in the right direction, but also what's going to fire us up and what's not. - Blue Bomber kicker Justin Medlock is known for an almost fanatical approach to his craft. Depending on wind conditions, he wants the ball held at just the right angle for field goals. So Medlock has to train his holders, even making sure he trains a backup -I'm getting (Bryan) Bennett ready now,” he said, referring to Winnipeg's fourth-string quarterback. “That's my next one. But as long as Nichols is doing fine and he's healthy he'll be the holder.” Blue Bomber Talk #Bombers had to overpay for Nick Moore heading into 2014 season. Approached a ton of other free agents, couldn't snag 'em. #CFL -Illustrates why teams fall into cycles of poor play. Bad teams have tough time attracting good players. #Riders #CFL ......David Naylor Apparently Sask was interested in trading for Bulcke but his desire to play for a team that's competing for a Grey Cup killed that. #CFL Gary Lawless Popp will likely move back upstairs and retain his GM role and appoint a new head coach. Will he keep it internal and elevate Noel Thorpe or Kavis Reed? Will he look south of the border for candidates? Will he be the man to finally give Orlondo Steinauer his chance? Will Paul LaPolice do enough in his first year back as an offensive coordinator to garner attention for a head coaching gig? This is a story which will only gain steam as the season continues. - Coach of the Year If they were handing the award out today, the finalists would be Dave Dickenson, Wally Buono and Mike O'Shea. Dickenson would win with Buono a close second and O’Shea taking the bronze. Let's see where they go from here. ?‍?Sounds like Montreal will have to go on the "watch" list as a viable CFL franchise? Frank Zurkowsky - Montreal Gazette Add Mitchell White’s name to the seemingly growing list of former Alouettes players content to have escaped the mess that continues to engulf the organization. "They don’t take care of you in terms of nutrition. They don’t have certain things I feel like, as a professional, should be given to you. Maybe you say it’s entitled, but I feel like, if you want a competitive organization, those are necessary in today’s game." -White was told he could remain with the Als in a backup capacity – but would have to agree to $25,000 less in salary. Signed as a free agent last winter, predictably, he balked and was released. Drew Edwards - 3downnation Ticat defensive end John Chick had some choice – if soft spoken – words for the Saskatchewan Roughriders regime that released him last winter. "It didn’t go down the way I would have written it and it definitely wasn’t cordially done. I don’t agree with the way things were handled,” Chick said Friday, one day before playing his old club for the first time. “One of these days, somebody is going to say I’ve had enough. I may not agree with them but there’s a right way and a wrong way to handle things.” "It’s not just the one case. There were a lot of things. You can tell the circus that’s been going on in Riderville this year,” Chick said. “I don’t think that most people would agree with most of the things that are going on. The Rider fans are going to defend their team, absolutely. But we’ve seen several things over the last several weeks that I think given… yeah, maybe I should bite my tongue a little bit more.” ?‍?So, Duron Carter wasn't suspended for the Ottawa game eh? To Ottawa's chagrin. ?‍?That's the Kevin Glenn, in the Ottawa game, that torched the Bombers in the 1st meeting..25-30 - 382 yards ?‍?Still wondering why, on second Calgary 2nd downs, opposing teams don't spy Marquay McDaniel. Tim Baines - Ottawa Sun Trevor Harris will start for #Redblacks Thursday. Blue Bomber Talk In a season of unprecedented parity, 5 of the #CFL's 9 teams (!) will have 4 wins after week 9 action. Rob Vanstone All this game needs now is Chuck Barris. GONG! -Riders have gone an even 90 minutes without a touchdown. Droughts of 80 and 78 minutes earlier in the season. CFL I think it is safe to say ZACH IS BACK! A Career Night for @ZCollaros7 How could we not ? you... 5 TD's CJFL News @WinnipegRifles running back Michael Ritchott had a game tonight, 33 carries for 358 yards and 2 touchdowns. 358 is 6th in #CJFL history No typo. @WinnipegRifles tailback Michael Richott runs roughshod over Edmonton tonight — 33 carries for 358 yards (10.85 avg) and 2 TD. Darrin Bauming #Bombers GM Kyle Walters invited Richott to training camp this past year where he didn't look out of place. @WinnipegRifles Blue Bombers For bringing Canadians together and for decades of great music, thank you. ?? #thetragicallyhip Darrell Davis Durant sets #CFL record for pass attempts without an interception, then throws 4 in one game. (Career high) Strange streaks. #Riders Farhan Lalji There have been a lot of wildly entertaining #CFL games this season decided in the final moments. None of them happened this weekend Eric M All I can say is that #RiderNation should've lowered their expectations immensely for this season. Darrell Davis @DarrellDavisSK #Riders made 10 roster moves for #Ticats game. May have to make 20 moves b4 #Esks game. #CFL Blue Bomber Alumni Today in #BlueBombers history: Aug 21, 2009, RB Fred Reid rushes for a single-game record 260 yards. ?‍?Old school Wally falls to 2-12 on challenges ?‍?As Tait pointed out, the Bombers main issues coming into view within the next week and in the near future, will be what to do with all the healthy bodies returning from the injured list, and where do they go? Who goes in? Who stays? Who replaces? Nice problem for a change. Also, the SMS cap question might come into play, what with Willy's salary and Nichol's contract coming into play... Walter's has being really well up to this point with the SMS, but this could be a challenge. Bombers are a sparkling +12 in the turnover ratio. ?‍?The thought has been brought up, are the Riders making it up as they go along? TSN - Eskimos throws on 1st down 80% of the time. ?‍?Who's the best in the CFL? No doubt now....Calgary ?‍?Mike Reilly - Reilly 26 of 31 attempts (83.9%) for 362 yards, posting a 126.1 quarterback rating. - Con Griwkowsky Frank Zicarelli - Toronto Sun The Argos averaged 3.3 passing yards...QB effiency, 28.32%...Vidal Hazelton and Andre Durie caught 0 passes ?‍?I'm so glad I decided to catch the Tragically Hip concert at a local venue rather than watch the tragically inept a la Argos and Riders doubleheader on Saturday. ?‍?Bombers next game at Montreal Friday, August 26 7pm ET Week 10 bye - Toronto