WildPath

Bob Irving 44 Grey Cups ........................WOW

if we could get all the OL back man oh man, finally built a good one, excited to see how it continues on next year.

Just love that we're rostering four draft picks from this year.

Don't like having to prune posts but there's no need for that level of disrespect.  I certainly don't care if you have an issue with a poster or not, if you can't post your viewpoint without also needing to drop an F-Bomb and insult someone .. please .. don't post .. take it to PMs.  Spare the rest of us.

I like your post... but I can never complain about a screen pass, it was so many years without any hope of ever seeing one.

I'll give a Happy Honker to my 10 year old kid, who stuck it out until the end so he could finally see the Bombers win. He's been to several games over the past two years and had seen nothing but losses prior to last night.
 

Even though I don't have memories of listening to Cactus Jack, I still love reading posts when Cactus Jack is being channel. Very entertaining.

[Channelling my inner Cactus - a.k.a. getting my drink on]:
 
Well fans, that was quite a game we saw tonight, and the fireworks literally started before the opening kickoff, when a classic Prairie storm rolled through Investor's Group Field and delayed the start of affairs with a spectacular lightning storm and downpour the likes of which has not been seen since Noah paired up all those animals for a cruise so many years ago [writer's aside- ol' Jack never shied away from hyperbole]. But it was definitely worth the wait for the Bombers and their fans, who did some storming of their own, blasting out of the gates with a pick 6 interception 2 minutes into the game and we were on our way. And before you could blink, there was another touchdown, and another, and a fumble recovery, and a blocked punt, and when you add it all up it was 34-0 at halftime and all that was left was the salute to Milt Stegall and seeing how long his kids could stay awake throughout the second half.
 
Now the Happy Honker award has always been about the player or players who did that little something extra special that made a difference in the game, made it just that extra bit memorable in some way. well, we had no shortage of candidates today all all aspects of the club were on full display. We had Matt Nicholls going 17 of 19 in the first half with 2 touchdown passes as he secured his spot as the new #1 quarterback, so he deserves a small honk. We had Roberts with that interception that got the whole thing rolling for the defence, so he gets a honk from the crowd as well. We had a blocked punt but the special teams and Justin Medlock was perfect again, so they get a honk. And of course Milt Stegall will always be an honorary Happy Honker award winner, and he once again delivered on his promise that when the Bombers honour him, he guarantees and comes through with a home win every time, so a big honk to him.
But there are 3 separate things that stood out to me tonight that deserve extra mention, that rise above as it were and each deserve our accolades, although only one can truly claim the Happy Honker Award. Kevin Fogg had his second unofficial punt return for a touchdown tonight - I say unofficial because of course he got robbed of his first one by a careless penalty, so I was all set to give it to him, when once again a late penalty flag after he had already crossed the goal line denied him once again. So he will have to wait until he actually gets one that counts before I can give him the award.
And Clarence Denmark on any other night would win this hands down, coming out of a forced absence after being unceremoniously cut from Winnipeg and then Saskatchewan, sitting at home when the injury-depleted Bombers came calling, and on one a a half days practice not only suited up and didn't look out of place, but also scored a touchdown, not any touchdown but the winning points no less, in a triumphant return to River City. So special mention to him…BUT…none of those people will win the Happy Honker tonight, even if all were deserving candidates. 
No, tonight was about one thing, and that was the weather. In all my years I have witnessed many things, and seen games delayed for various reasons, from fog at the Grey Cup in 1962, to torrential downpours and lightning strikes in 1984 and 1986 in Winnipeg, to franchises folding in 1987 that forced the league to re-create it's schedule, to those dreaded and horrible terrorists attacks in 2001. But I have never seen three games delayed by weather for one club at home in one season, much less in 4 games. And this one was especially unique in that it held up the start of the game over 2 and a half hours on a weeknight, and opening kickoff occurred when most people would be ready to get in their cars to head home and tune in to me on the radio to give the Happy Honker award at the game's end. But instead we had to wait, and wait we did, with Bob Irving ably stretching the pre-game show from 2 to 4 and a half hours in his usual seamless and brilliant fashion, and then staying on to field calls for an hour after the game was done.
And not only did the majority of fans who arrived before the game, whose numbers totalled over 24,000 at the start and were estimated to still be around 17,000 once kickoff actually arrived, stick around through all of that inclement weather, but many fans who actually were still at home when the game was first delayed, rather than just pack it in and call it a night with the game on TV at home, chose to drive out to the stadium at 10:00 p.m. and arrive for the modified start time, and once everyone was in the stands, they brought a noise and energy that was louder than anyone could imagine a crowd could deliver after such a long wait. And the club rewarded their patience and their passion with the most complete home game this club may have ever seen since they moved into IGF some 3 years ago. So for all of those fans who stuck around for that long delay, for all of those fans who made a point of coming out to the stadium to watch the game at 10:00 p.m. after the delay, and especially for all of those volunteers in the stadium at the vendors, in the parking lots, on the cheer squad and the ticket booths, to the bus drivers getting people home at this late, or is it early hour, this game was truly about the great support that all of you give to this club, no matter what. And you all deserve the Happy Honker Award tonight. So for everyone still at the game at 1:00 a.m. when it ended, either fan or employee, this Happy Honker goes to you. Give yourselves a honk!!!

After week 6 
Bye - Hamilton
 
?‍?Irony. BC's DL Mic'hael Brooks, he who was fined for a low hit on DDurant, suffered a lower body injury in the BC Calgary game.
Regarding the Hardy neg. list fiasco.
Jones says the matter is over. The CFL says it's an organizational issue. Jones says “We decided we weren’t going to go there, exactly like I said yesterday, and that’s the end of discussion. I don’t want to answer another question, OK?” - CFLNews 
?‍?-I don't know who's right, but i do know Jones is involved again.
?‍?From my last year's notes....Sounds familiar..
1)"Not getting that one new receiver. The game buster, so to speak."
2)"No excitement on Offence, no running game."
3)Ottawa have no-huddle offences, Winnipeg have no offence huddles. 
Gary Lawless says the Winnipeg Blue Bombers are looking to build a team under Mike O’Shea’s leadership, and that O’Shea’s job isn’t in jeopardy. Lawless also says that newly-named starting quarterback Matt Nichols has management’s support heading into Edmonton.
 Listen to the explanation offered by Gary Lawless and his "sources".
?‍?He talks Drew and Nichols and such.
Interesting..
link...
http://www.tsn.ca/radio/winnipeg-1290/lawless-bombers-have-faith-in-nichols-o-shea-1.532602
as per TSN’s Derek Taylor, Willy has connected on just 7 of 22 deep balls this season. Worse - 
Willy has thrown as many late-game interceptions over the past two weeks (3) as deep air-yard completions in his last three games (3).
Player                                          Drives    Touchdowns             Percentage
Mike Reilly, EDM                          54                         13                   24%
Trevor Harris, OTT                       48                         11                   23%
Bo Levi Mitchell, CGY                   56                         11                   20%
Jonathon Jennings, B.C.               53                           9                   17%
Jeremiah Masoli, HAM                 70                         10                   14%
Ricky Ray, TOR                              56                           8                   14%
Darian Durant, SSK                      36                           5                   14%
Drew Willy, WPG                          68                           6                            9%
Tuesday, July 26, 2016 — TORONTO (July 26, 2016) – Jeremiah Masoli, Naaman Roosevelt and Mike Reilly were named the Shaw CFL Top Performers of the Week for Week 5 of the CFL’s 2016 season
Ed Tait reminds us that Matt Nichols' record of 2-5 with the Bombers could be better if our kicker last year had made a few of his kicks...
Blue Bomber Talk
If you take away Maurice Leggett's pick-six, WPG's offence has scored just 14 points on 13 turnovers. That's truly abysmal. #Bombers #CFL
?‍?It's no longer cliche answers when the Bomber players are asked cliched questions, and the players want to say the right things, they are now called cli'shea'd answers.
"One of the most exciting receivers in the CFL is Roughriders’ Naaman Roosevelt, who caught 8 passes for 182 yards and a touchdown last week in Saskatchewan’s first win".- Curtis Rush, the star.com
?‍?By contrast The Bombers use 8 receivers to get 182 yards..
Through four games in 2016, the Lions defence has allowed 18.25 points per game, good for top spot in the CFL. - Matt Baker BC lions.com
That will have to be re-configured after the Calgary game. 44 points!!
CFL News
#CFL personnel people and coaches: lack of Cdn talent across the league playing role in the number of injured QBs - @PentonKirk
As pointed out by herb Zerkowsky. Not all is bad from Montreal's loss to the Argos - they did increase their average point total from 14 to 15!
?‍?Then Saskatchewan came along... 
CFL News reports
RT .@DidierRDS
The three kickers who worked out for the Alouettes were Hugh O'Neill, Brett Lauther and Drew Basil. @CFL #AlsMTL #CFL #LCF
?‍?Montreal's version of "Don't trust anybody with Bede eyes"
Chris O'Leary - the star.com
-Argos head coach Scott Milanovich said Wednesday that the team has had a discussion with the league about the hit in Monday’s game that put Ricky Ray on the sidelines for three to six weeks with a sprained left knee. 
“There was a discussion. I don’t know (if anything will come from it),” Milanovich said. “I’m not going to speculate on it. It’s in the league’s hands.”
?‍?I'd like to know too..
Kirk Penton
Through 20 games, CFL kickers have made a measly 74.4% of their field goal attempts. Last year at this juncture of the season the placekickers were connecting at an 84.2% clip.
At least the kickers are better at converts this year. They're at 88% right now, while last year, at this point they were 80%.
Lions defensive end Alex Bazzie, who was on the outs last season in Vancouver, co-leads the league with four sacks through five weeks. Hamilton's John Chick is the other with four quarterback drops, but he's played one more game 
8 – Sacks allowed by the Stampeders in five games. 7 were from BC..
CFL News
Unreal. Reminiscent of #AlsMTL last year early on.  RT .@TShireGlobal
The #Riders currently have 20 players on the 6-game injured list. #CFL
?‍?(Boy, do I see more roster moves in the future for Sask.)
Derek Taylor - SportsCentre (before the Bomber game)
143 - Passing yards dropped by Eskimos receivers this season. They have a league-high nine drops so far this season.
53 - Passes Drew Willy has thrown at or behind the line of scrimmage - by far the most in the league. Toronto’s Ricky Ray is next on the list with 40.
4 - Missed tackles by Ticats defensive back Travis Lee against the Eskimos. That total was matched by Chip Cox and Billy Parker of the Alouettes in Week 5.
4 - The number of holding calls drawn this season by Argos defensive end Justin Hickman - the most in the league. That includes two in Monday’s win over the Alouettes.
The Argos play 3 of their next 4 games, at home, on the weekend. That should improve attendance. - Anthony Ciardulli - Argo fan site.
?‍?A good story that put things into perspective regarding Adarius Bowman, and the Bombers...
“It was me,” Bowman said Wednesday morning. “I had dug a huge hole for myself. Why? It's hard to even imagine it now, but it was totally me. It wasn't anything that one coach did to me. It was nothing that happened off the field. It was a journey that Adarius had to go through.
http://m.winnipegsun.com/2016/07/27/fresh-starts-theme-of-thursdays-bombers-eskimos-tilt
?‍?The Riders are looking for their first rushing touchdown this season. They are the only CFL team without a rushing TD.
"It’s probably been a year and some months since I’ve played in an actual game,” said Blue Bomber DB Terrence Frederick
?‍?The most impressive stat was the 20 rushing yards the Bombers allowed.
BomberBuzz
Free-agent acquisition Euclid Cummings finally notched his first sack of the season with a beautiful speed rush around the edge on a play that’s designed to simply open-up the B-Gap for the defensive end to twist inside and press. Cummings, who notched 8 sacks in his first full season with the Argonauts last year, is only on pace for 3 sacks, but he’s been anything but a bust this season. The sacks will come from his pass-rushing, 3-technique position, as he graded as the Bombers’ best defensive lineman in three games so far this season.
?‍?From the "look who's under the microscope file"
-Brendon Morgan has taken countless, unnecessary no-yards penalties, missed countless tackles, lost contain too times and has struggled to get off blocks downfield blocks in about one-and-one-third seasons in the CFL.
?‍?From the "something to talk about file" 
-Although he isn’t a pending free agent, if the Bombers’ brass believe he can be a franchise quarterback, they won’t hesitate to organize a deal with Eric Tillman in the off-season. But that only happens if Masoli continues to play at a high level while Zach Collaros is still sidelined
Edmonton Sun - terry.jones@sunmedia.ca
The loss ended a nine-game winning streak against Western Conference opposition for the Eskimos and concluded almost two full seasons without losing back-to-back games.
Darrin Bauming
The Canadian receiver getting close, catching balls and practicing fully after breaking his hand in the preseason. (Addison Richards)
?‍?Bombers. Too many penalties 10- 125 yds
?‍?Names that stood out (never mind the stats)
Bombers - Matt Nichols *** Andrew Harris *** Euclid Cummings *** Terrence Frederick ***Taylor Loffler *** Ian Wild *** Kevin Fogg *** Weston Dressler *** Darvin Adams *** Bruce Johnson *** Richie Hall
Harris - 1st TD as a Bomber (that doesn't seem right)
?‍?Speaking of Adams. He could be out for awhile. His year so far? 38 receptions for 503 yards and three TDs, through 6 games...
Edmonton - Derek Walker 
Chris Rainey BC- 4 punt return TDs in his career.         All against Calgary...
Bassie BC - sacking, I mean Sack King -1 sack in each of the last 5 games.
Saskatchewan - ?
?‍?It's not so much Montreal did well, but rather there was nothing to be reGale'ing about in that Sask performance...at all.
Montreal - self-proclaimed best receiver in the CFL  and *** Kevin Glenn I suppose*** 
BC - J. Jennings (26-41, 374 YDS, 3 TD) (oh yeah, and 2 Ints) *** B. Burnham (9 REC, 139 YDS, 1 TD) *** Arceneaux 6-128 yds
Calgary - B. Mitchell (29-44, 364 YDS, 3 TD) *** Greg Wilson is fast
Toronto - Kenny Shaw *** A. Jefferson 2 ints
?‍?Hajrullahu 5-5,  now making FGs to help win games as opposed to missing FGs to help lose games. (sounds like I'm still bitter)
Ed Tait reports - On Further Review
Consider these first-down numbers from the first half in Edmonton:
Winnipeg ran 23 first-down plays, with Nichols being sacked on two of them. But of note, there were also no penalties on first down.
Nichols was 7-10 for 91 yards on first down plays in the first half, while the club averaged 8.2 yards (10 carries for 82) per rush. Remember, these are numbers piled up all before the intermission.
On Bond:
That’s a lot of weight over there,” said Bryant with a grin. “He helped me out a lot. He did a great job of communicating. We played well together with this being his first career start in the CFL. I’m happy for him. He looked good.
“You know what? That’s a great effort by the O-line. Coach O’Shea has been preaching all week that from the handshake we had to be physical. We did that. I’m just glad we got Andrew the ball and we were able to open some holes for him so he was able to do what he does.”
Added Harris when asked about running behind Bond:
“He’s aggressive, he’s intense and he’s a monster. You combine those three things… the mistakes that someone might make because they’re earlier on in their games or coming into an offence, they don’t highlight as much because he’s so big and he plays so aggressive. As long as those guys are getting up field, it makes my job easier.”
Gary Lawless
will Henoc Muamba's gamble with @dallascowboys #nfl pay off?. set big asking price in #cfl which no one would meet. worth it if he sticks
Darrin Bauming
Clarence Denmark flew to Winnipeg on Friday — says things happened quickly. He followed the #Bombers while a free agent. "They're my team."
-Addison Richards, who broke his hand in preseason, will come off the 6-Game IL this week. He tells me he's beyond motivated in his 2nd year.
?‍?Teams and Injuries and how they compare - with notables...
Calgary - 7 on the one game list - 4 on the six game list - Joe West, Federkeil, Boudreaux
BC - 4 one game 1 on six.      ONE!?!? - Levy Adcock
Edmonton - 1 one game 11 - six game - Coehorn, Sorensen, Groulx
Winnipeg - 0 one game 15 - six game - Randle, Dressler, Adams
Sask - 1 one game 20 - six game - LaBatte, Best, Clarke
Ottawa - 4 one game - 12 six game - Travon Van, Gascon-Nadon, Trevor Harris
Hamilton - 5 one game - 9 six game - Demond Washington, Collaros, Butler
Toronto - 1 one game - 14 six game - Owusu-Ansah, Gurley, RRay
Montreal - 0 one game - 9 six game - SJ Green Kenny Stafford, Brodeur-Jourdain, Luc

?‍?Nobody's asked, but why isn't Ottawa thrashing Toronto?
Booing in Ottawa?
Heads up play by Medeiros, leads to a TD.
Looks like both teams are doing just enough... to stay close.
?‍?Boy, has the waiting for the throw taken on a different meaning this year. Used to be about waiting for the QB to make the throw. Now it's about waiting for the throw..of the challenge flag from the HC.
The MMG: Like it or not, the Riders are right on schedule at 1-4 rodpedersen.com
"The win over Ottawa was just a teaser to keep you interested, and maybe a sign of what's to come when this club gets all the kinks worked out.  But that's not likely to happen consistently until the leaves change colour."
"Until then they are right on pace.  Whether you like it or not." - Rod 'twilight zone' Pedersen..
Week 7 Bye - Toronto

I'll get back to you after I review the film.

After week 4:
From week 3, and something for Our HC to think about:
- Buono says if the offense struggles again he will have no hesitation to pull Jennings again. Believes he hung onto the ball too long at times - Farhan Lalji    Wally, "I didn't pull Jonathan to damage him, I did it to help him. The offense was getting stagnant, I wanted to take the pressure off him" - Farhan Lalji
 
I think Buono was pretty close to pulling Jennings in this last game too. 
Still on Buono ..Buono strolls out, pretty well to midfield, to get the attention of the ref and gets a penalty for his troubles. I wonder if he was trying to one-up Jim Popp for throwing his hat to get the ref's attention? It was a deserved penalty, which spawned a caller to the Rider post-game show to comment: 
“Wally Buono had more yards on the field than the Riders running backs.”                               
Speaking after the Bomber game, Walby says he's surprised O'Shea didn't use ex-Edmonton Nichols in a one or two series scenario. He admits O'Shea is a loyal guy.
Drew Willy just 7-14 in the red zone...- Jeff Hamilton (Hamilton game)
"You don't want to be known as a league that doesn't pay it's assistant coaches as per their contracts." - @scratchingpost #CFL #Esks CFLNews 
GREGORY HIRED: John Gregory has a new football post.
The former Saskatchewan Roughriders and Hamilton Tiger-Cats head coach was recently named the first commissioner of the Arena Development League, an indoor football circuit that has no affiliation with either Arena Football League or Indoor Football 
Some of us conspiracy theorists believe Durant — as good as he is — might not be the Riders’ long-term quarterback, that Jones instead has his eyes on free-agent-to-be James Franklin, an aspiring star who Jones coached last year with the Edmonton Eskimos. And all these other guys are simply short-term backup plans. - Posted on July 12, 2016 by Darrell Davis 
@BlueBomberTalk
Source indicates the #Bombers sold just over 800 new jerseys on preorders alone. That's ~$160,000 in revenue. Not bad. 
CFL News –  @CFL_News
#Riders get rights to QB Vad Lee in deal with Eskimos http://3downnation.com/2016/07/12/riders-get-rights-to-qb-vad-lee-in-deal-with-eskimos … #CFL #Esks via @JDunk12- 
My question is - why in hell does Hervey keep feeding Jones players?
The number of rushing yards per game, according to league stats guru Steve Daniel, has never been as few as this year. Through three weeks, there has been an average of 166 rushing yards per game, which is down 23% from only two seasons ago.  
Through three weeks, teams have combined to rush the ball only 34.7 times per game, which are the fewest in league history. Edmonton’s John White and Calgary’s Jerome Messam are the only two rushers on pace to crack the 1,000-yard mark in the early going.  Kirk Penton, Toronto Sun
The “eye in the sky” video reviewer appears to be working so far. One thing he should be able to fix in the future, however, is plays like Hamilton’s touchdown last week against Winnipeg. Andy Fantuz was clearly offside on Chad Owens’ TD grab, and here’s hoping the league will allow the eye in the sky to fix the mistakes that hundreds of thousands of viewers can see plain as day. KPenton
I'm not as sure as Kirk Penton about the "eye in the sky" working so far. I've seen it work, maybe a few times, but, shouldn't it be preventing at least, some of those challenges?
Insider stuff from Penton: 
Chris Williams and his dropsies from years gone by. He says "Chris Williams is simply catching the football. He had the second-most drops last year, which worked out to more than 300 yards worth. A lot of his drops last year were touchdowns, so his concentration has improved. If he cuts his drops in half, he’s a 100 catch guy every year .." 
I too, was wondering about Williams' drops from years gone by. That's a huge difference.
CFL News - Accepted penalties at a 23 per cent decrease from the same point last season. - @garylawless #CFL  
'Accepted' as opposed to called?
@ArashMadani
So @JDunk12 just came on @timandsid and said Jim Barker/the Argos did not offer the same money as Ottawa to Trevor Harris in the off-season.  -  
This counters the Argos claim that they did.
Coach Jones...
“Just for y’all’s information, Cover Zero is when you don’t play with a free safety and you blitz everybody. It has been 86-per-cent successful over my career for a 3.3-yard average, so that’s why we run it.” - leaderpost.com
Reflecting back on it now, making the convert harder to get, has made the convert....harder to get. - Mr Dee
I suggest that somebody in the bomber employ, phone Marcel Desjardins, and ask him who he thinks is the next 'can't miss' QB for the CFL . Why Marcel? Well, he seems to know what he's doing. 
Then I suggest we go after said QB. Now. Before now. Pre-now, if you will. ASAP. Never mind the repercussions of such move. Just do it.
Only half-kidding.
2 of the 3 must see moments in the CFL involved 2 receivers that made incredible catches in the game this year. Against. Us.
Hearing SJ Green is about a month away from the procedure to repair is ACL, MCL & PCL #Alouettes #CFL - Matthew Scianitti
Willy had 13 incompletions on 38 attempts. In breaking down each of his errant throws, there were eight where Willy was simply off the mark; either too high, too low, behind or too far ahead. Two were intercepted in heavy coverage, a third should have been picked off, one he threw away because of pressure, and it appeared Willy was upset with Darvin Adams for making a mistake on another.
- Kirk Penton
Ed Tait -
The Bombers had 33 first down plays against the Eskimos and, factoring in penalties, sacks and losses, netted just 77 yards offence. Willy was 12 of 19 for 184 yards with a TD and an interception on first down, but the Bombers rushed nine times for only 27 yards, Willy was sacked once, and there were four penalties.
of the 22 second-down plays the Bombers ran, a whopping 13 of them needed 10 or more yards to be converted and only four were second-and-five or less.
Kent Austin speaks his Mind. Mike O'Shea hides his feelings. 2 Complete opposites. #bombers #cfl #ticats - Steve Morley
Hamilton 8 sacks Montreal 4 sacks Not much to say about this game. This was not the same Montreal team the Bombers played.
TSN had been reporting how good their numbers were for CFL games this year. Then came this ugly Hamilton -Montreal affair...GULP ? 
Mack, who took over as general manager in January 2010, produced a 21-39 mark before getting the pink slip in August 2013, which works out to a .350 winning percentage. Since then the Bombers are 15-37, which represents a .288 winning percentage over eight fewer games than Mack lasted. - Kirk penton
In the "news to me" category - Miller, who appears 2 B involved in personnel matters, & Walters will celebrate 3rd anniversary w/ #Bombers in few weeks. - @PentonKirk #CFL
Quebec pouring it on now..Gregoire Martin runs it in from 13 yards and it's Que 25, Sask 8 w/1:06 left.   - Football Manitoba  
Ha! Anything to do with Sask losing at football....I'll post it.
The CFL headline read that Hamilton dominated the Alouettes. More proof that the reality behind the headline is completely different.
Who said this? 
We f—in’ suck,” he said, quite candidly. Until the motherf—ers take control and look in the mirror, it will continue to be no good,”  “Everyone in the locker room has got to be accountable. It’s not about character. We didn’t play very well.”
Nic Lewis
And as the writer says (Herb Zerkowsky - Montreal Gazette) "the Als were coming off a bye week in the schedule, having not played since June 30. The coaching staff had plenty of time to prepare. Instead, they made a Ticats team that had lost two straight at home look magnificent."
Don't know how much of this true... Chris Carter was on the sidelines watching his son Duron perform. At least one spectator sitting in the south-side stands indicated "it appeared the elder Carter was coaching Montreal’s receivers."
Heh, heh. I bet you Duron Carter is sorry he didn't sit out the Hamilton game on suspension...?
Chris Jones - 1st time as a HC - loses 3 games in a row. So sad.
#Riders injuries were a big factor, but @JJ_Jennings10 came of age in 2nd half against heavy blitz, was able to beat man coverage. @CFLonTSN - Farhan Lalji
Durant x-rays were negative for a broken bone. Would like league to look at hit. #Riders Lee Jones
"I'll let the league answer to that." - Jones on whether hit on Durant was dirty. #CFL
-Warren Woods - "Jones not buying the notion Brooks " accidentally" rolled into Durants ankle"..#postgame
-didn't look like an 'intent to roll to me', but he did get 3 roughing-the-passer penalties. Let's just say he didn't try to stop from rolling into Durant. Durant, himself, believes it was 'borderline dirty'......."Durant calls Michael Brooks hit that injured his ankle "borderlne dirty" leaderpost.com/sports/footbal… #CFL" #Riders #BCLions via @murraylp
Does Justin Capicciotti miss Hopkins, Shologan, and Lemon from the RedBlack D?
I thought it was a head's up play when A. Allen, in the grasp of defenders, spotted Jennings, and tossed him the ball for a BC TD.
The hitch screen -  They threw it four times to Weston Dressler and picked up a grand total of zero yards before finally deciding to ditch it. - Penton.
Is this really why we got this guy? - Dee.
Also, Penton reports Sophomore right guard Sukh Chungh was beaten on two of the 3 sacks, and he also took a holding penalty on Winnipeg's drive in the game's final minute.
The kicking curse lives on in Winnipeg? 
"New Bombers placekicker Justin Medlock, who failed to convert from 49 yards against the Eskimos, has missed four of 12 field goal attempts through four games. Last year in Hamilton he missed only five kicks in 47 tries" ..- Penton
You have to ask yourself - do you think the Bombers could have responded the same way the Lions did under all that pressure? Even with that horrid Sask.secondary? .......I thought not.
The #Bombers are running fundamental blocking and positional-tackling drills in practice today. So there's that. - Darrin Bauming
Which brings up the question, "are the bombers physically able to move the opponents off the ball?" MOS brought this up and it's worth pondering.
The Eskimos have a record of 2-1 at this stage of the season. They could easily be 0-3.
 
Have you ever heard the expression "behind the sticks" being used as much as it this year?
And finally, does it ever do any good to rush only 3 men in any kind of defence?
Names who stood out Week 4:
Kenny Shaw - 7-94 yds. Great good route runner and yac getter. Don't much like his haircut though.
T. Harris (28-31, 392 YDS)
G. Ellingson (9 REC, 218 YDS) Nissan player of the game.
Jaime Elizondo - Ottawa OC - brilliant game plan and mix. racking up 455 yards of offence while averaging 8.3 yards per play.
Mike Reilly - 32-45 465
Adarius Bowman - 10-185
D.Walker - 7-154
B. Banks - 86 yd punt return TD
Adrian Tracy - 11 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 deflection
B Maher - 5 FGs including a 56 yarder.
J. Jennings 25-40 429 yds - career high
S. Gore 6-109 yds
N. Roosevelt 8-132 yds

Rhéanne Marcoux
@RheanneMarcoux   If it weren’t for the numbers on the backs of their jerseys, you’d be hard-pressed to tell Ryan Smith and Weston Dressler apart out on the field. But it’s not just stature and position the pair share in common – the two former Saskatchewan Roughriders both come from North Dakota and both signed with the Bombers this off-season.
And they also both happen to live under the same roof with Dressler’s fiancé, Tegan, here in Winnipeg and back in their days in Regina.
“They take care of me,” began Smith. “His fiancé even offered to do my laundry the other day. I was like ‘ah, I should let you, but I don’t want to.’”
Hearing this, Dressler rolls his eyes and adds a mocking laugh.
“If you walk by the guy’s room you’d understand why,” Dressler explained. “I mean, it’s just a normal… teenager’s room. He’s a good cleaner when he wants to be.”
The Dressler-Smith relationship, needless to say, goes beyond the typical teammates-become-roommates story. It’s unique, not just because of where they’ve come from and the positions they play, but because of their friendship.
A friendship that became immediately apparent before the double-interview even began.
If Smith is the teenager of the household, Dressler, the older of the two by six years, is clearly the father figure; an early-to-bed, early-to-rise father figure.
“He goes to bed at about 8:30 every single night, like a grandpa,” said Smith. “And I’m not going to sit downstairs by myself, so I have to go to my room at 9 o’clock every single night because ‘my parents’ are going to bed.”
That story brought a roar of laughter from Dressler, but there’s a beginning to this tale. When Smith’s roommate was released in Saskatchewan, he turned to Dressler for a place to stay. After consulting with his fiancé, Dressler – who had already rented a room to Rob Bagg – agreed to also take in Smith.
What he soon came to realize was that he hadn’t just agreed to take in Ryan, a fresh-faced new teammate.
ALONG WITH RYAN, IT TURNS OUT, COMES ‘BRYAN’.
“He’s got an alter ego,” explained Dressler as Smith groaned, knowing full well what was coming next.
“I call him ‘Bryan.’ When Ryan gets angry, he becomes a different person and everything will bother him. He’s like The Hulk. He gets just… well, the rage builds up and you can’t even talk to the guy.
“You try and talk to him and he’s just like ‘ NO!”
Dressler breaks into a ‘Bryan’ impersonation, grunting and stomping his feet.
“So when Bryan comes out,” Dressler adds, “you just ignore him for a little while and eventually he’ll calm down and Ryan comes back.”
The laughter continues.
Smith, catching his breath, attempts to offer an explanation for the ‘Ryan-to-Bryan’ transformation.
“Usually it’s about food,” said Smith.
“IT HAPPENS BECAUSE I’M HUNGRY OR THIRSTY OR WANT TO SEE MY MOM… SOMETHING LIKE THAT.”
Dressler is nodding and laughing, adding that the transformation is not a rare occurrence.
“This happens at least once a week. Yeah, I like to just give him his space or-”
“No, you egg it on!” interjects Smith with a laugh.
“Well it’s fun to egg it on when it’s coming out! I definitely call him Bryan,” admits Dressler.
“Like an older brother, just poking at me,” Smith shakes his head with a smile.
But Dressler knows his limits, and knows how to tame this alter ego.
“There’s definitely a breaking point though, where I have to step away and be like ‘ok, Ryan needs to come back.’”
 
Inseparable on and off the field, it’s an easy assumption to think the two receivers have known each other their entire lives, or that Smith was perhaps Dressler’s real-life younger brother who had maybe followed him to play receiver at the University of North Dakota.
In fact, official introductions didn’t come until the day Smith – a product of rival North Dakota State – first became a Roughrider in 2014. As Smith remembers, it went something like…
“It was ‘sup Dress? I’m Ryan. Nice to meet you.’ And then,” added Smith in a mocking happily-ever-after tone, “we never looked back from there.”
“Instant. Instant friendship,” added Dressler. “Both coming from North Dakota, we’ve got the rival schools thing going on so we had lots of things to discuss. Easy conversation.”
Here’s the truth, though.
The two didn’t first meet at Riders training camp two years ago. It actually happened years before, back when Smith was a junior at Wahpeton High School.
“It’s kind of funny…” begins Smith with a smile and a sideways glance at Dressler.
“When I went to Grand Forks my junior year of high school, I met him. He was at the Aleris Center. He probably doesn’t remember that, I was just a little shrimp.”
Dressler takes a step back, eyes wide in surprise, and doubles over in laughter.
“I don’t remember that!” he exclaims. “This is the first time I’ve heard this!”
Smith smiles, playing up the long-forgotten moment to embarrass his super star friend.
“I was star-struck, you know,” Smith added with a smirk. “He’s from North Dakota, you look up to him.”
This friendship, first forged in Regina and rekindled in Winnipeg, almost came to an end as quickly as it began when Dressler was released from the Riders on January 16, 2016 and signed with the rival Bombers.
Even then, Smith had a feeling things would work out for the best.
“I was optimistic about everything because when I was in talks with Saskatchewan, it wasn’t going so well,” explained Smith, who was heading into free agency in February.
“I ended up here, and I was pretty excited that Dress was here also. I wasn’t going to be the new guy out of place.”
Even in a new province and wearing new colours, Dressler just couldn’t escape his young protégé.
“I WAS LIKE ‘HERE HE COMES AGAIN…’”
Dressler rolled his eyes as Smith laughed.
“No, I was super excited,” said Dressler with a playful jab towards Smith. “Just happy that we’re able to continue playing together. We had a few conversations throughout, but it’s so interesting through that time because as players, you don’t know what’s going to happen. You don’t know until that free agency day what exactly is going to go down, and my situation was a little different, being a free agent shortly before that time.
“It’s just fortunate for us that it worked out here for both of us.”
So what’s next for the dynamic duo from North Dakota?
After hours in the film room, a long practice, extra work out on the field afterwards, some time in the cold tub and a drive home – all still side-by-side – the pair will head home to make dinner together and maybe even watch a movie before Dressler’s 8:30 p.m. bedtime.
“Well, he did say he was going to make a meal the other day…” Dressler looks over quizzically at Smith.
“Yep. Chicken Alfredo. That’s my sig. Maybe I should make it tonight.”
 

I'd probably take Drew Carey at this stage

Didn't think this thread would turn out this way, but the kind words are appreciated. (these are entirely my words)                                                   (although I might have used a dictionary)

Until someone here (Rich) tells you to stop then keep doing it. I enjoyed the read.

Ed Hervey. Chris jones. Gotta love those guys. 
Hervey says he knew two weeks before the Grey Cup, that there was 'something going on' with Sask. and Chris Jones. Something. He wouldn't say tampering, but I will. 
- According to a CFL coach who has worked with members of Jones' staff in the past, there was a very significant – and previously undiscussed – element to the mass exodus. ".....
"So, what did Hervey do? After its made official that Jones was leaving, Hervey takes it upon himself to punish the entire coaching staff in Edmonton. He holds back their Dec. 15 pay checks because he felt all the staff was disloyal."  Still classy after all these years. 
And what does the entire coaching staff do? Get pissed off, and leave with Jones.
Not only that, but it's rumoured the cash-rich Riders made up the pay loss by paying the staff for their loss.
"When asked about the matter on Thursday, Hervey's comments were both interesting and revealing.  And, in spite of being fined by the league office for previously suggesting the Riders tampered with Jones and Co. prior to the Grey Cup game, he once again stuck to his guns."
"As far as when guys leave, I knew two weeks before the Grey Cup that there was stuff going on, so I was prepared for it," Hervey said.  "I was in full motion on trying to prepare for the next guy.  I was looking for a new head coach and I wanted the give the next head coach an opportunity to hire his own staff. 
There are no secrets in this league.  People can pretend they are hush-hush, but like I said earlier, what I was fined for happened."
And as Greg McCulloch puts it..."So basically, the man who signed Odell Willis as a free agent in less time than it takes to microwave popcorn is trying to take the high ground on tampering."
http://www.edmontonsun.com/2016/07/07/the-untold-story-behind-the-edmonton-eskimos-coaching-staff-mass-exodus
Names who stood out in week 3 
Alex Singleton rookie MLB Calgary Stampeders.
Ricky Collins Jr. Jettisoned(Bombers) rookie receiver Sask. 6 rec 115 yds.
Trevor Harris 39-50 396 yds.
Chris Williams. 10 -130 yds rec. -  he now has 493 Reception yards ( a record for a 3 game span), on 25 receptions, and 6 touchdowns.
Brandon Whitaker 13-97 yds. 7 rec 55 yds
Lirim Hajrullahu 6-7 FGs
Anthony Allen BC 16-107 3-32 receiving
Moe Leggett - 5 tackles, 2 interceptions and 1 pick six.....
B Mitchell 29/43 368 yds.
Greg Ellingson 9-101 yds.
Darian Durant  27-38 317 yds.
Mike Reilly 27-37 378 yds.
A. Bowman 6-141 yds 3 TDs
Devon Claybrooks:  "The greatest defence on earth is a good offence, and ours did a good job of putting drives together to let us catch our breath and things like that,” Claybrooks said.
Following Charleston Hughes’ second sack of the night, the bombastic edge-rusher stormed around demonstratively in the backfield, knocking over teammate Micah Johnson, who flew backwards to the turf. 
With RedBlacks head coach Rick Campbell looking on, it was Hughes’ theatrical version of the headline-grabbing Duron Carter incident that earned the Montreal Alouettes receiver a one-game ban and Campbell a fine for flopping.
Hughes has been known to take events that are in the news and find creative ways to implement them into his post-sack routines.
Mike O'Shea, always focussed on teaching. "It's easier to learn when you win." #Bombers
O'Shea says no major injuries came out of the #Bombers' win over the #TiCats. Kalil Bass, Quincey McDuffie are fine.
I like Bob Irving's report....
Khalil bass and quincy mcduffie among many bombers not practicing--extent unknown--not believed serious. Stay tuned for more vague info
#Bombers HC M O'Shea still doesn't understand Smith's catch: "I equate it to a Bob Wylie magic trick. He conjured the ball onto Ryan's hip.”
Hamilton - trying to whip up some statistics to make up for their poor start.
715 – The threesome of Andy Fantuz, Luke Tasker and Chad Owens have combined for 715 receiving yards this year. Their offensive contributions represent 66% of the total offensive yardage through three games this season.
6 – Out of the seven Ticats who had receptions on Thursday, six of those pass-catchers managed to find the sticks and averaged over ten yards per catch. For the season, the Ticats remain to have six receivers as well averaging ten yards or more per catch.
311 – Jeremiah Masoli is averaging 311 passing yards a game. He is ranked third in the league with 933 total yards while also having a pass efficiency rating of 95 completing 70% of his passes.
10 – The Hamilton Tiger-Cats sit on top of the league in turnovers. Many of the turnovers have been a straight result of the defensive line getting to the quarterback and knocking balls loose, coming up with six fumble recoveries.
25.1 – Brandon Banks has been a key contributor on special teams, which is nothing new. The Ticats rank first in the league with averaging 25.1 yards on kickoff returns. 
50.5 – Brett Maher has been a main reason in pinning opposing offence’s deep in their own zone and allowing the defence ample room to do their job. Through three weeks of the season, Brett Maher leads the league in yards per punt with 50.5.
Injury update: Alex Hoffman-Ellis sustained a torn right bicep during Friday’s OT win against @sskroughriders. Recovery is approx. 12-16 wks
After HB Travis Hawkins' benching in Hamilton, the #Bombers are working some options in the secondary. C.J. Roberts may enter the equation.
There's a new name for Sask and their short yardage team...Rob Vanstone
Darian Durant, who had the misfortune of being asked to quarterback the Roughriders’ short-a-yard — er, short-yardage — team, tried to sneak for the first down and was repelled.
Dancing Gabe Bobblehead Night @Wpg_Goldeyes on Wed night, 7:00pm. 
RT .@Dave_CHED
Alouettes have signed former #Eskimos REC Marcus Henry to their practice roster. #CFL #AlsMTL      So, Marcus Henry over Clarence Denmark?
Darryl Davis - The Spanish word for “testicles” is “cojones.”
How appropriate that the last name of Chris Jones, the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ on-field boss, is part of that word.
- through two winless games the Riders have fumbled, slipped and otherwise blown four of their eight chances in short-yardage gambles.
 
 

I don't know why people are dismissing the dink and dunk offense. Ricky Ray used to rape us with dink and dunk. Hamilton likes to blitz hard and it's worked against willy for years. This game we had them chasing the play for a change and i will not complain about that at all.

Let me give this a shot (channelling my inner Cactus Jack):
"The happy honker award doesn't go to the player who was the best or most dominant in the game, or had the best stats, but rather goes to someone who did something a little extra special during the game, maybe that one play that stood out or made a big difference at an important time, and changed the game.
Well, with the game close near the end of the second quarter, the Bombers had just scored a touchdown on a defensive interception play by Mitchell Leggat [writer's note - that butchering of his name was deliberate - Cactus often mangled syntax when he was waxing poetic. He came from the old school where a little imbibing during the broadcast was not only practiced, but almost mandatory, kind of like Do or Die and his gin] to pull ahead of the Hamilton Tiger Cats for the first time. After successfully making the convert the Bombers lined up for a kickoff to Brandon Banks, the dangerous and dynamic diminutive returner for Hamilton, when Justin Medlock kicked the ball towards the out-of-bounds stripe. When out of nowhere Maa-cho Harris [he'd mess up the syllables there too] hustled down filed and scooped up the ball for the Bombers, recovering it deep in Hamilton territory in the process, and setting up an eventual Drew Willy to Ryan Smith touchdown pass with a minute left in the first half to open up a big 12 point lead going into the locker room, and that would prove to be the big lead the Bombers would need to hold on and win the game in the end. So for that big turning point play, the happy honker award goes to the big special teams player Maa-cho Harris."
 
He might have also given it to Ryan Smith for that magic trick reception for the TD, but he loved the swing in momentum play that seemed kind of big at the time but maybe not the "TSN turning point"obvious type, but on reflection was a really big play to stop or start a key drive. Leggett's overall performance was more player of the game good, and too "good" for happy honker status. 

Here's a couple of things to consider... Offence had one 2 & out and it was the first series of the game. TOP for the Bombers was 33:33 and Ticats had the ball for 26:27.

Your right we should of let Willy drop back in seven step drops all night. Ughh I have almost had enough of this. 

You guys complain about the dink and dunking but that complete took the TiCats pressure game away. Did we here Lawrence's name all night. That's how you beat teams like the TiCats.

A little late to the posting party, but maybe a specific thread for just expressing the immediate feelings right after a loss (maybe a win too)? I know I was extremely upset right after the loss and it kinda helps seeing others express those first feelings that occur before realizing the sky isn't falling. Soon after I don't envision the team going winless this year and can take it in perspective and realize its just one game. I think I remember someone saying that is what the chat is for, but I for one rarely have access to chat during, or immediately after the game. Perhaps it could filter the hyper-negative stuff post loss from all the other threads. Just a thought.
Second, I am a teacher in Northern MB and I introduce my students to football, most of who have no idea about the game other than what the actual ball looks like. After playing it a bunch they quickly gain interest.. Its a great sport after all. Every once in a while I show them clips from the CFL, return tds, exciting plays and such and the become really excited about watching the game. Get some of them to watch bomber games, but lately its pretty frustrating with the bombers not winning and often putting up boring and depressing games. Hard to get them hooked to following the team, but I'm in my early 30s and somehow I'm fully into it even with what's gone on in the 25 years I've been a fan.

Other unique CFL conversions saw Bob Swift being a solid FB/RB for the BC Lions and then extending his career becoming an all-star o-lineman in Winnipeg.
Jerry Keeling was an outstanding stampeder defensive back who also quarter-backed the team and later became a head coach.
Bud Grant played a variety of positions including defensive back, defensive end and split end/flanker.
Ken Ploen was initially recruited as a bomber QB but played defensive back while Jim Van Pelt led the team to the Grey Cup.
Another bomber player who eventually became a quality NFL player was Mike Sellers. As a younger player he worked as a linebacker - and then became a ruthless running back in the backfield with La Petite Charlie, Charles Roberts. Think Jerome Messam with a bit less speed and a lot more power (if that's possible). Sellers was too good for the CFL and finished his career as a decent blocking back and check-off receiver for the Redskins.

As someone possessing a degree in statistics, I must respectfully disagree with the title of this thread. That said, most statistics (especially sport statistics) can be easily manipulated to suit one's needs... such as making the Bombers woeful offense look a lot better in the numbers categories than it has been through two games.

A little late to the posting party, but maybe a specific thread for just expressing the immediate feelings right after a loss (maybe a win too)? I know I was extremely upset right after the loss and it kinda helps seeing others express those first feelings that occur before realizing the sky isn't falling. Soon after I don't envision the team going winless this year and can take it in perspective and realize its just one game. I think I remember someone saying that is what the chat is for, but I for one rarely have access to chat during, or immediately after the game. Perhaps it could filter the hyper-negative stuff post loss from all the other threads. Just a thought.
Second, I am a teacher in Northern MB and I introduce my students to football, most of who have no idea about the game other than what the actual ball looks like. After playing it a bunch they quickly gain interest.. Its a great sport after all. Every once in a while I show them clips from the CFL, return tds, exciting plays and such and the become really excited about watching the game. Get some of them to watch bomber games, but lately its pretty frustrating with the bombers not winning and often putting up boring and depressing games. Hard to get them hooked to following the team, but I'm in my early 30s and somehow I'm fully into it even with what's gone on in the 25 years I've been a fan.