billfrank

Calgary will ride their cold weather Clydesdale Cornish all the way to the cup.

It's possible. The factor most coaches cite for their success is player talent, where we are clearly bottom 25 percent. But Burke looks more like a bad coach stuck with mediocre talent than a potential great HC caught in a bad situation. We have suffered enough; if there is another head coach experiment in Burke's future, with more favourable variables, let another CFL franchise play the Guinea pig.

Different people, but so many they may need a different bushttp://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/Articulated-buses-have-arrived-231185421.html

Works the other way too if Redblacks value the non-import talent that the have Argos more than the Collaros. Could draft a QB like Glenn and develop a QB for 2-3 years. just saying, there's a potential coup here for the GM of a team that needs to improve at O-Line and QB right away. So if Ottawa is going to 1) draft a QB under contract from Calgary (likely Glen or Tate)); 2) opt to take a non-QB import from Argos so as to maximize NI talent from Argos; and 3) not draft soon to be free agent Collaros, who may simply refuse any offers from Redblacks and await free agency to see how high Bombers will go (all of which makes sense to me), does this mean Walters can play chicken with Barker, and either refuse to give up a first round pick and wait for free agency to snag Collaros, or alternatively hold out for a lower pick like a second or third? I wouldn't be advising Walter's to be taking an approach like this. We're not exactly in the driver's seat here. If there's something we've set our sights on acquiring, we need to step up to the plate and get it. We'd be taking a huge risk to let Collaros sit until free agency. The time to grab him is before the draft. A part of me feels the same way. But on the other hand, who else will really try and acquire him before free agency, other than maybe Ottawa. It does not make sense for the other teams, who already have a number one QB. Montreal may have considered it earlier, but with Troy Smith, I can't see them giving up a high draft pick to Toronto to have a few months to try and sign Collaros. And why would Collaros sign with anyone before hearing all the offers, including ours? I know we've been burnt by the Reilly affair, but really is there anyone, other than possibly Ottawa that is in the same position as us to offer him a clear path to starting, and a large starters salary that is not limited by having to pay big dollars to another QB on the roster? I would hate to lose Collaros, but it irritates me that we may be giving up a high draft pick that could result in a quality starting NI O-lineman, when we likely will be able to sign him if we wait until free agency. And although I like Collaros, how certain are we that he is a definite improvement over someone like Willy? Is the difference between the two worth giving up the second overall pick, especially when giving it up is only going to let you talk to him a few months earlier, and not guarantee that you actually sign him? Is there not a way, short of tampering, that we can make it known to him and his agent, that if he waits until free agency, we will make it worth his while?

Works the other way too if Redblacks value the non-import talent that the have Argos more than the Collaros. Could draft a QB like Glenn and develop a QB for 2-3 years. just saying, there's a potential coup here for the GM of a team that needs to improve at O-Line and QB right away. So if Ottawa is going to 1) draft a QB under contract from Calgary (likely Glen or Tate)); 2) opt to take a non-QB import from Argos so as to maximize NI talent from Argos; and 3) not draft soon to be free agent Collaros, who may simply refuse any offers from Redblacks and await free agency to see how high Bombers will go (all of which makes sense to me), does this mean Walters can play chicken with Barker, and either refuse to give up a first round pick and wait for free agency to snag Collaros, or alternatively hold out for a lower pick like a second or third?

I'll agree Garrett was running hard...but look at the defence he was running against...they are very very poor And the O-line he was running behind is very good.

I find this excuse hard to swallow. The bombers actually have a lot of vets in the secondary, who have played together for quite a few years now. The only rookie I can think of that got any significant playing time was Markett, and he usually was not starting. Cauchy has been in the league for 4 years. The newest personnel on defense among the DBs/LBs are Washington, Dunn and Wild, and I think they were actually among the better performers in this group. I'm not familiar enough with the secondaries of the other 7 teams to be certain, but find it hard to believe that the Bomber are particular laden with rookies by CFL standards.

Agree. I was also wondering about the mindset of an applicant for a head coaching position; will they choose to walk into a situation where they don't even know who their GM is going to be? If this was their only offer, I guess they'd take the leap, but if they are interviewing and being courted elsewhere, why would they choose Winnipeg, with no idea who their direct superior would be?

Don't agree. That 4-14 team was competitive and enjoyable to watch. They were better than their record, in the same way next years team was not as good as the first half of the season indicated.

So much this... They'd be choosing from a preselected list of qualified candidates. Its not like you'd get a mail in vote for just anyone. And it would undermine the tendency of the board to keep promoting people they are familiar/friendly with, which leads to a very insuler organization. But on reflection, maybe it would be too dangerous. After all, it might lead to the bombers becoming a poorly managed organization that finishes at the bottom of the league... and we wouldn't want that. So lets let the public engage in voting acitivites that won't have such potentially significant consequences as effecting the composition of the board of a football club, like voting in federal and provincial elections, etc...

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/football/bombers/Blue-Bombers-board-of-directors-accepting-nominations-205973501.html So it's really no different than the usual process, except they had names emailed to them to choose from. So really they could have just appointed anyone they wanted, not a public process at all. Its a sham. A genuine process of public involvement would have been to whittle the publically nominated candidates down to a manageable number of qualified people, and then allow season ticket holders to vote. And probably to have the process overseen by a separate body arms length from the board. But that would have taken control out of the boards hands. Its laughable that they consider this "public involvement".

Regarding our offensive improvement, we just played the worst defense in the league (other than possibly ours) back to back. People were saying the same thing about our offense after last season. We need a real search for a GM (I thought this was the plan as laid out by Miller), who needs the freedom to hire who he wants. Trying to hold onto coaching pieces that you think might be responsible for "improvement" (now were still in the game until the fourth quarter before losing) is in part what led to this year's debacle. did you just say the eastern division leading argos have the worst defense in the league next to us? stats are for losers, that defense was good enough to win a GC last season and depending on how calgary finishes out, could do it again.. . They give up more yards than any other team (by a long shot) and the second most first downs (after us). That will make an offense look better than it is, which was my major point. But your right, that doesn't equate to second "worst" defense; "most porous defense" would have been a better choice of words.

Regarding our offensive improvement, we just played the worst defense in the league (other than possibly ours) back to back. People were saying the same thing about our offense after last season. We need a real search for a GM (I thought this was the plan as laid out by Miller), who needs the freedom to hire who he wants. Trying to hold onto coaching pieces that you think might be responsible for "improvement" (now were still in the game until the fourth quarter before losing) is in part what led to this year's debacle.

So much for the benefits of a veteran secondary. Although it didn't help that we spent most of the game rushing 4, who got very little pressure (Mainor in particular is useless), leaving a hall of fame QB limitless time to pick apart our D.

I'm not sure a centre straight out of CIS will be an immediate upgrade on our O-line (in a year or two, possibly, Brent Jones not withstanding). Neufeld will help our ratio, but will he necessarily be better than Jones, or even Boatman? Pencer has not managed to win a starting position yet. I think Greaves has been average, but is still young and could improve. I would hope we our able to upgrade our O-line in free agency, since I'm not convinced the group you envision will be that much better than our current group, which I think is one of the 2 or 3 worst in the league.

I doubt that was his only option, other teams were also interested in Hall. Whether this trade is good for us or not comes down to how good Neufeld is versus what we would have chosen for our pick, which was 10th overall. We seem to have a lot of NI Olineman that are not of, or barely of starting caliber. Neufeld may be an upgrade, but will we really be able to challenge teams like Saskatchewan when we seek to acquire their 6th or 7th Olineman as our starters? The draft is a crapshoot, but your odds of winning go up the more picks you have, especially in the first 2 rounds. I think a strategy of hanging on to our picks, even though it will make us worse in the short term, is the only way we eventually join the stronger franchises like Calgary and BC. A 10th pick overall could yield nothing, or it could yield a starting NI lineman that plays at a higher level than Neufeld. You need to find some of the latter is you ever want to develop a premier O-line, and the draft is the most likely place to find them.

Burke sounded flat, emotionless. I'm sure he's upset, but his lack of emotion comes off sounding strange. The OB commentators came off sounding more concerned than he was.

I agree, the amount you'll pay out for the rest of Burke's contract is very small compared to the revenue lost with a non-competitive team. I would be stunned if he comes back. I've heard it argued that he was dealt a bad hand, with poor talent, no QB, and an incompetent OC. While true, no one held a gun to his head, he took the position, accepted the situation, and needs to wear this teams record on his head. He hasn't impressed me as a good head coach caught in a bad situation; he strikes me as a terrible head coach who made a bad situation worse. Even Bob Irving, one of his defenders, admitted in the post game show that it would be very difficult for the Bombers to bring him back after a season like this.

Okay, I'll take the bait. I think it was absolutely wrong. And the reason is the timing. I'd have been more ok with pulling him after his second interception. But Hall had just thrown for a touchdown. Granted he had a number of very poor throws, but he seemed to be pulling it together. Why pull him at the half? The guy had partially redeemed himself. Let him play the third quarter. The game was probably not winnable at that point, (a fact that was only partly his fault) but he was moving the team, and might have made it respectable. And if he stinks it up, then try Boltus. They'd seen Boltus for weeks in practise. They should have had some idea of what they had. Unless his performance in the second half was a complete anomaly, he isn't ready to play. They should have known that, and stuck with Hall a little longer. It wasn't a preseason game. They'll be mathematically eliminated soon enough from the playoffs, and then they can play whoever they want at QB.

The recommended treatment for Mackadamia is avoidance of any exertion and prolonged rest in warm southern climates such as North Carolina. Patients may notice eratic behaviour when exposed to drafts.

I did not know there was game day activity in the chat room until iso brought this issue up, so I owe him a note of thanks.

I don't think Buono accepted a deal from Hervey not to shop Reilly, since by all reports I've read Buono contacted Mack after speaking to Hervey. I've always been a little confused by the issue of Edmonton talking to Reilly before the trade. “I was approached by Edmonton GM Ed Hervey seeking permission to talk to Mike before the free agency period began and in light of Mike’s desire to explore opportunities to become a starting quarterback, I believed a trade was doable,” Lions general manager Wally Buono said in a team media release. Does this mean Hervey was allowed to trade for Reilly, so he could then talk with him, negotiate, and try to sign him? Or does it mean Bouno let Hervey do all this first in a preliminary form, and once Hervey was satisfied that Reilly would come to Edmonton, he agreed to the trade? I cannot be sure, based on this quote. I don't know if there are other quotes out there. I do know Reilly was signed very quickly, suggesting discussions may have gone on before the actual trade. But I also find it hard to understand why Bouno would give Hervey permission to talk with Reilly for nothing, since that permission to talk/negotiate is essentially what he had to sell. Giving it to Hervey for nothing carries a risk for Buono (that Hervey realizes Reilly is high on Edmonton, and he can wait for free agency, or alternatively that Hervey realizes that a deal is not a sure thing because Reilly wants to go to free agency). The only way I can make sense of Hervey getting to talk to Reilly before a trade is if Bouno knew Mack declined a deal, Hervey insisted in talking first, but promised that he would come through with the trading of picks if Reilly was interested in negotiating with Edmonton before free agency, and Buono figured he had no choice since Hervey was now the only game in town. Why was Mack not allowed to talk to Reilly first? Maybe because Hervey made the first approach, maybe because Buono suspected Mack would not come up with enough in talks to satisfy Reilly whereas Hervey was hot to trot, maybe because Buono did not like Mack... Who knows, ultimately its alot of speculation. But it does not change my opinion that a deal of trading first round picks with BC would have bettered Hervey's offer, (and could not have been easily countered by Edmonton, since they had no first round pick in 2013), and that a good GM would have then found a way to get Reilly signed. Who knows, maybe it happened that way because we're destined to get an even better QB this off season...

Sigh. I love how you make it so simple. "Oh, just go get him!"I wanted Reilly here but there is a lot of things we had to consider. It's not Madden. But hey while we're at it, Mack has caused global warming. Also the Syrian attacks. Oh and any natural disaster that may come this year? I'll save you the suspense. It was Mack. frankly, yes. "just go get him". there were only 2 teams in the running and your GM designated him as the priority... then failed to make a serious offer or even a serious pitch. winners win and closers close. the only thing that prevented Mack from doing what it took to land Reilly was Mack and his weak excuses and false spin after the fact... and the people who are still defending the architect of this disaster (HC, OC, QB, O-Line, secondary) are just too ego-invested in their prior Mack-love to step back (even now!) and lay the blame at the feet of the man who frankly should never have been hired (he'd been out of football for a decade for a reason... as some handsome guy from Toronto remarked at the time of his hire)... and if hired, should never have been placed in a position outside of scouting/personnel. I don't think the situation is completely black and white, but I think there is enough evidence out there to support this view. The deal with Edmonton involved trading second round picks with BC for Reilly (essentially the right to talk with him until Feb), and in addition, sending Edmonton's second pick to BC if Reilly was actually signed. Before agreeing to this, Buono contacted Mack to see if he would better the offer by switching first round picks with BC (our second for their sixth), to talk to Reilly, with a third round pick sent to BC if he signed with BBs. Mack refused to trade first round picks for the right to talk to Reilly and try to sign him. He also did not follow Hervey's lead of clearing out most other competitors for the QB position, (to make it clear that Reilly was clearly being targeted as the starter), even though it eventually became clear that Elliot and Brink were not in their plans, and were released. Some argue that Reilly was never coming here anyway and Mack made the right decision. Mack himself probably thought Reilly would go to FA, and Buono was just trying to squeeze value out of him before he left. But the risk here was fairly small (trading first round picks, you only lose the third round pick if Reilly signs), and the reward potentially huge. Mack knew he was going into the season with Buck and Goltz at QB. He did not think Reilly was enough of an upgrade on that to take the risk of trading down in the draft, nor did he think Reilly was good enough (or Buck bad enough) to sacrifice Buck the way Hervey sacrificed Jyles. To me that exposes him as a poor judge of QB talent, and a poor judge of what the relative risks and rewards were here. Could he have traded down, talked to Reilly, and have him signed with EE anyway? Sure, but IMO a good GM would have made the deal, and known how to convince Reilly to come here. I agree this back and forth argument about Reilly has gotten stale. But its somewhat relevant because we may find ourselves in a similar situation this fall. We can wait for FA in February, with the hope of signing someone like Collaros, Willy (if he only signed a 2 year deal, and is a free agent) or Glen. But as one poster has already noted, another team may decide to give Toronto something after the season to talk to Collaros and try to sign him before free agency. Montreal and Ottawa are both probably interested in him. I know, no one wants to trade a decent player or a high draft pick for the right to talk to a player who may then sign elsewhere. But how will we feel, if Collaros signs with another team before FA (why wouldn't he wait? Why should he if he gets the starters role and the salary he wants ie see Mike Reilly), and Ottawa drafts/signs Willy. We're then looking at Burris (may resign with Hamilton and is already nearing the end of this career), maybe Glenn (if Calgary doesn't resign him), an injury prone Tate. This is speculative, and lots could change by the end of the season, based on how QBs perform, and injuries. But I think a lot of how our team performs in the next 3 to 5 years may hinge on making the right move this fall, and that may require the GM to be proactive, as opposed to just waiting for FA in February, where we could be left picking up the scraps.

Hall keeps taking flack for pushing the ball into tight coverage. He was down by over 2 touchdowns, his receivers were not getting wide open, and he was being pressured on virtually every play. His choice was often to eat the ball or take a chance that his receiver would make a play. I'm not defending every pass or decision, but this needs to be factored in. I'd rather he did this, and actually try to put points on the board to win the game, than play it safe to try and keep the score respectable.

I actually thought he looked mediocre up to the forth quarter. He was getting pressured, he receivers weren't getting much separation from defenders, and the running game was not working well. He had 59 yards passing at the half, and I thing about 110 after the third quarter. I think if you watch the first three quarters you get a sense of what he would look like with our current team. Not saying he's not an improvement over what we have, but you need time to throw and receivers that get open, or you can look very ordinary.