Tracker

I am going to make a bold prediction: Carmichael is so vulnerable and Ray is so deadly a passer that, if Carmichael starts and plays the game, we will lose. Hurl is still a liability but he can be compensated for a lot easier than an inept d-back.

God help us if Ray gets time and Carmichael and Hurl are still starting.

Much easier to release Bass once caught.

I wish I could be more confident about the Toronto game. Its axiomatic that if you are consistently bad, the problems can be identified and fixed. But if you are inconsistent as all get-out, that is a lot harder to remedy. The sea-change that Trestman and Popp have brought about for the Argos proves that coaching is the cause of inconsistency, and the past two games have raised some serious doubts.

So far Knox has not been a starter on defence, although he has shown flashes, and Bass was darned good as an outside linebacker but mediocre at best in the middle. Overall, our scouting has been poor.

There are probably nymphomaniacs who put up more resistance than Hall's defence sometimes does.

Except for the teams which haven't lost. Calgary and Ottawa, I believe.

While we're on the subject, the Bomber slogan this year is "playing for the W". What have they been playing for until now? A "T" or a "L"?

Not that far away? Maybe, but so far there are a lot of concerns about the offence, the defence and the coaching. Its not one thing, its several things for two consecutive games now.

Only until the next full moon.

And whose job is it to make sure the O-line is schooled on how to pick up blitzes?

Its looking more and more like its not all on the players, though a few of them really stank last night. Almost everyone in the media and many in this forum have pointed the finger at the lack of adaptation in the second half. The same thing happened against the Riders last game but they were inept enough that we got away with it...barely.

Lankford seems unable to read his blocking at all. He is very fast in a straight line, and if the opposition would get out of his way, he would score a lot.

For me, the highlight of the game was the Bombers stuffing the Stamps at the goal line FOUR times, and the game absolutely pivoted when LeFevor failed to make the one-yard plunge for the first down. All the Bomber heads were down coming off the field following that play.

Once again, it wasn't just the loss, and you could make a good argument that the Bombers were out-matched. It was the wilting in the second half with the coaches unable or unwilling to make adjustments when the Stamps sure as poop could and did, plus all the turnovers. The game was winnable, but the Bombers shot themselves in the feet once again. After the last game I posted that the Bombers would have to be a heck of a lot better against Calgary to compete , but they weren't. O'Shea's ` I'll have to look at the tape` is insulting to the fans, as all in this forum and probably every fan in stands could see what went on.

And its not shaken by barely scraping by the worst team in the league and then playing the same the next game? Good teams step up against good teams and this edition of the Bombers played worse, if anything, against a wounded opponent.

That game is not going to be a gimme. Who would you bet on- a team coached by Trestman or one coached by O'shea and company? Ricky Ray or Nichols?

Heath, Harris, Dressler were the stars and JFG deserves an honourable mention. However, barring a miracle, we are looking at a .500 team. If our linebacking doesn't improve greatly, its going to be worse than that.

And its not up to just the QB to notice the blitzes- as I understand it, any offensive player (most often the center) can call them and that radio in the QB's helmet ain't for decor, either. The O-line should grade out as C- and the receivers no better. Coaches? F's for sure.

It absolutely was Carmichael who stood offside on that goal line stand. Maybe Knox can step in for Wild who does look to be out for a few days, but the coaching is the problem, and no better than last year. There seems to be a philosophy that changing the game plan mid-game is taboo. I am not as down on Nichols as some, but its hard to separate his performance from the coaching direction and not being in sync with his receivers.

O'shea and company do not seem to be able to learn from their losses.

Nichols' stats were not that much worse than BLM. The difference was the turnovers and timely plays. Stamps did it, Bombers didn't and that has to be at the feet of the coaches.

Your Saskatchewan inlaws are in the movies?

Now, let's not get carried away.

Bombers won't win every game this year, but they sure look to be a tight bunch. And Dressler is class all the way. Good to have him on board with us.