Doublezero

Why do I find this exquisitely apropos: Darrin Bauming ‏@DarrinBauming 34s34 seconds ago Entire #Bombers team rushes off the field following a monstrous lightning-thunder strike clearly very near IGF.

In a related question, why do we need a running backs coach and what has Buck Pierce accomplished in that role? Makes me wonder if Miller, Walters, O'Shea (whose collective experience is defence and special teams) have any clue at all about what is going on with this offence.

Amen. Regardless of who starts at QB I want the team to succeed and to know they've got support from the fans.

Defence and ST need to step it up now. Let's have some focus on the running game for a change. Smash-mouth run blocking is simpler than pass blocking, after all. Let's try some different launch points and sprint-outs instead of 3-step drop. All the QB has to do is manage the game and make securing the football a priority. Don't anyone dare turn it over. We can still win a few games this way. It's a whole new ballgame.

I feel badly for Drew Willy. Hope he rehabs 100%.

I'm not making excuses for the guy, not too much of a Marve fan ... but I hope they haven't ruined Marve. You saw in the last game he stayed in the pocket and forced the throw when he should have been running - his instinct was to run but something in his head told him to say put and throw. He was adjusting to warnings from the coaches that he needs to play within the system. Hopefully this week, if Willy is unable to go, they adjust he launch point for the QBs to more of an option/sprint package.

Except for the first pass of the game which was a designed sprint-out, Drew Willy always seem to be locked into a 3 step drop. If he rolled a bit and moved the launch point, he'd give himself more options - including the option to run. Also, I agree our Oline gets manhandled and pushed back way to often. But on at least 3 of the 6 sacks the defender got into our backfield untouched. That is what happens when you don't properly identify the scheme you're facing. So it's mental, too, not just physical shortcomings. I think we also just got out-coached by a team with superior talent.

I think it was after TiCats 3rd TD the TSN camera caught Collaros & Company on their bench, joking and making fun of Mo Leggett, who got burned on the prior TD. That really pi**ed me off, watching those arrogant pr**ks mocking a moment of indecision by our Safety who bit when he shouldn't have. But then, you know, it's clear the TiCats play a high tempo game with enthusiasm and that they expect to win with Collaros. Doesn't seem like the Bombers really go in to any of their games with that same kind of confidence - fully expecting to win. And that includes games where Drew Willy is the starting QB.

I hope he's OK.

Ya, his comments at half time. Need more of that. We don't have a player who can lead, it seems.

Great breakdown. Thanks. Bombers definite underdogs vs TiCats. Would love to see us stomp their TimBits but .... it's going to take an error-free effort and big pressure on Collaros. Anything is possible.

Small sample size, but Brett Smith looked very good for the Roughriders. Riders will be a handful for us down the road.

Problem with booze?

Bakari Grant

He's a Sean Salisbury clone, even looks like him.

Full marks to Drew Willy for his outstanding play last night.

Bombers are due for a big win. Need one, really. Not so sure about the blowout prediction but we can hope!

It's the same feeling as sitting on a warm toilet seat. It provokes mixed emotions ... still ahead of Sask but, you know, below Redblacks. http://www.cbc.ca/sports/football/cfl/cfl-power-rankings-week-5-1.3171411

Austin Collie

Same for BLM and Reilly. The Eskimos move the pocket a lot and have a lot of designed QB run plays, but Reilly isn't doing a lot of improvising. Really I think this is backwards. With the amount of stuff that QB's have to run through pre-snap now, if you can't throw from the pocket you just won't last. People complain about guys locking into their first read, but 95% of the reading of the defense is done by the time the QB has the ball. There are guys who scramble, but they can throw from the pocket too, although a guy like Collaros really struggles when teams keep him in there all night, the Montreal game is a good example. His arm isn't in the same league as Willy, Reilly, Harris, BLM. I also think that all QB's can run now. There isn't a QB in the CFL that is a pure pocket passer, even Glenn and Ray will take off and run for a first down a couple times a game to keep a defense honest. 20 years ago QB's were more scrambler or pocket passer. Of course you can move the launch point. That's one of the things I noticed Gene Dahlquist assessing and correcting all through training camp: how do the Bombers QBs set up, do they have the correct angles and footwork before winding up and spinning the ball while on the run? Lulay, Reilly, Collaros, Bo-Levi are especially adept at throwing accurately from a roll-out on the run. Based on seeing very limited reps Cato and Marve seems to have that ability too. Or you can tuck it in and run. You're a dual threat. And its fun to watch. But we have designed our offence specifically for our #1 and #2 QBs who are cut from the same cloth. Doug Brown described the kind of QB the Bombers have designed their offence around. In his Free Press column yesterday he said, referring to the pass blocking being afforded to Drew Willy: "When you have a relatively immobile passer at the helm of the ship, who only plays at an elite level when given sufficient time in the pocket, you can’t afford to roll the dice on your protection."

I guess if wanting to see the Bombers finally start to win is an agenda, then I have an agenda. It's pretty obvious you have an agenda. You're not quite at the point of making stuff up, but whenever Brohm is brought up, you make excuses for his lackluster play and whenever Willy is brought up, not only do you downplay his abilities, you go as far as padding your valid points with a bunch of nonsense just to try and get extra jabs in at the guy. I literally saw you downplay Willy's numbers in the pouring rain and criticize him for not being productive and then when someone pointed out that he was playing in a torrential downpour, you ignored it entirely. Then the next day, when talking about Brohm's performance in the same game, you let him off the hook because of the weather even though it wasn't even raining when he played. If that's not having an agenda, I don't know what is. On top of that - I keep seeing you mention "exciting" ... is Ricky Ray not exciting? Because that's the mold Drew Willy fits into. Is he Ricky Ray? No, but he's getting there and that's the style of pro QB he is. I feel like you don't like Willy because he doesn't dance around and get you out of your seat. The most exciting thing to me is winning, I don't care how the guy gets there to do it and the truth is, Drew Willy can and will be a winning QB in this league when they give him the best possible chance to succeed (which will basically be when our OC stops making dogshit play calls) I'd like to see Drew Willy succeed. But right now I believe he's over-rated, and probably not as good as you think. And so I disagree with you, partly because I think he has already been given every opportunity to succeed. Like I said, it'll be interesting to watch Winnipeg vs BC and Willy vs Lulay on Thursday. Tedford, an exQB, had them practicing a high-tempo offence right thru training camp. So far this season that is much more fun to watch than anything Bombers have come up with, designed, as I said, around the 3-step drop pocket style passer.

I guess if wanting to see the Bombers finally start to win is an agenda, then I have an agenda.

Well I grew up watching a scrambler like Ronnie Lancaster vs a pocket passer in Peter Liske. I loved Pete Liske for his pure throwing ability but have a soft spot for guys like Dunigan, Flutie et al, who've had success as scramblers on our 65-yard wide CFL field. Calvillo was prolific in the pocket because a) he almost always had good protection, he made quick reads and c) he got rid of the ball in a heartbeat. But with the new rules and given the way the CFL has evolved, a dual threat QB is likely to have more success and is more fun to watch.

It'll be interesting to compare Winnipeg vs BC offenses this Thursday. It's no coincidence that the most dynamic offences in the CFL are run by scambler style QBs: Collaros, Mitchell, Lulay, Harris. Guys who can make plays with their feet as well as via the toss. It's exciting to watch. These teams: Calgary, Ham, BC and Argos also all are coached by ex-QBs. Meanwhile in Winnipeg, (where our coaching and management braintrust comes from the D side of the ball) we are plodding along with an offence designed around a pair of 3-step drop pocket passers in Willy and Brohm. Fans are calling for a more dynamic QB such as Robert Marve because our offensive structure, built around a limited style of QB, has basically failed. Now is the time to re-design the offence to accommodate more of a Bo-Levi or Collaros-Lulay type of QB so Marve can play a bit and give the fans some excitement. I say go for it now even if it means abandoning an offensive structure that's better suited for our #1 and #2 QBs. After all, this is the wide-open CFL. Why should we have to wait til next year and the inevitable changes that will come from another losing season, because Bomber brass were too stubborn to switch away from an old-school offence that's designed around a style of QB that's essentially ill-suited for the CFL?

Folks blaming Brohm for that loss vs Edmonton are mistaken, plain and simple. It is easy to want to settle on a scapegoat but that is all it is. Consider this: It was raining like hell in that game and it should have been a battle of the running backs. But our RBs ran for less than 100 yards on a total of 13 combined attempts. Not enough run attempts or run efficiency given the conditions. Why? And how's that on Brohm? Did Brohm take 18 penalties for 170 yards? Not on my TV. How about ST and field position? Kendial Lawrence ran back 9 punts for 137 yards. Stoudermire was a measly 5 KR for 16 yards. How is that on Brohm? Brohm wasn't even on the field for almost 2/3 of the game when it was Nichols vs Willy. But Nichols was 17/25 for 196 vs Willy's 7/17 for 71. Is that on Brohm? I guess if you're a Brohm hater it is. Really, if you're looking for a Winnipeg QB to be your scapegoat then take your pick. It was 4-3 Esks at halftime. LH got one FG and missed the other. How's that on Brohm? Willy didn't score a TD did he? In fact Drew Willy hasn't manufactured a single TD vs Edmonton in his three starts against them. Even if you take out the first half of the game and only look at the second half you see that Brohm wasn't covering Kenny Stafford for that 15 yard TD strike from Franklin. Nor was Brohm covering Bowman on another Esks short field TD. And if you want to look at QB numbers for the heroic Franklin vs the evil Brohm they aren't that different: Franklin 5/8 for 81 and Brohm 9/19 for 71. Franklin on a short field Brohm almost always backed up to his own goal post. Yup, Brohm gave up 2 picks and one of them was a pop up from Richards, which eventually led to a TD against us. Look, maybe Willy gives us the best chance to win, but if you look at it objectively Brohm seems to be able to read blitz better than Willy and makes his progressions faster than Willy and also brings a bit more tempo to the O. Seeing that, as long was we are employing an offence designed around a fairly immobile 3-step pocket QB I'd be willing to give Brohm more game reps because I also like his throwing mechanics and believe his accuracy problems are correctable. I know I'm in the minority but so be it. Now if Winnipeg wants to join the elite offences in the league like Ham Tor Cgy and BC (all coached by exQBs) then you need a different style of QB than either Willy or Brohm. But that's a different thread altogether.