TrueBlue4ever

Given the amount of hate spewed his way even after he left and the constant bashing he takes in many quarters with some valid arguments but many overblown or just false, I’d say a good portion here do care. Even wish for his failure. I don’t get the personal anger and vitriol myself, especially since he helped end a 29 year drought here and I figured everyone on that team would at least get a pass if not a statue, but hey whatever makes people feel better about themselves I guess. And yes, I am being protective of him again because whatever his failings as a coach, he is a decent guy who gave a lot to the city twice in his time here. I like to remember that every time I want to scream “cut the bum” that there is a human being with a family who has a job that is by definition not permanent, and doesn’t need piling on from a bunch of keyboard coaches who revel in pot shots from the cheap seats to make themselves feel superior by saying “I told you so”. If he has a personality defect or moral character flaw a la Chris Jones’ lack of loyalty to a contract, Mike Kelly’s documented open disdain for media and fans, legal or professional cheating issues, or Joe Mack’s or Marcel Desjardins’ arrogance in the face of pure incompetence, have at it.

There is also a Jets-Leafs game at 6:00 pm that evening. Wade Miller is arranging buses straight from IG Field to Canada Life Centre but I don’t see TSN or Sportsnet’s home town hockey moving either game time to accommodate. So the Leaf bandwagon in Winnipeg will siphon off some fans as well.

So who should be there? Remember that writers will often look at stats when deciding and not necessarily overall impact in a system. And they typically have no clue when it comes to o-line so there they ask coaches. So who would be projected for the Bombers? Note the caveat that with 3 games left stats can change and drastically alter opinions. I’ll start with defence and Jefferson, Jeffcoat, Bighill as the obvious ones, Alexander has a very strong case and I can’t think of another candidate who would overtake him, but he doesn’t have the monster stats. Richardson has a decent shot given the talking up of him on TSN, and Alford and Nichols each have 3 picks and could squeeze in with 2 Riders (Gainey and Marshall) and Trumaine Washington in Edmonton if the voters don’t get hung up on being position specific. I love Mike Jones’ work, especially the sure tackling, but I think he might find it hard to squeeze in. Offensively, Collaros has the best numbers and is on the best team of any QB, so he is a given even if those numbers are not as grandiose as in other years. Harris’ injuries will keep him off the team and everyone get ready to flex and complain because Wilder Jr. may get a spot, especially if they have a two-back set instead of five receivers in the all-star configuration (Carey in Calgary has the inside track but Powell still in play). At receiver Lawler is in, and that is quite possibly it. Even though Demski has had a solid year and Bailey has responded exceptionally well to the early struggles and silenced the haters, there are too many “name” receivers on other teams with similar numbers who will likely surpass them. On the o-line, Bryant almost certainly gets another nod based on reputation alone, although his play absolutely warrants it. Hardrick is dependent on how long he is out. Who can say if the interior gets any notice - the o-line is a “throw darts blindfolded at names on a board and put them in” exercise for writers at the best of times. Special teams is always punter, kicker, return guy so although Mike Miller is due for a lifetime achievement award if nothing else, he won’t get picked. Grant will be hurt by the lack of kickoff returns since teams don’t score on us, so he won’t get it. Punters are chosen by average, so Liegghio is an afterthought there, and although Mourtada has the best kickoff average in the West by a good bit, kickers are chosen of field goal percentages and total points, so nah. O’Shea wins coach of the year in a walk, and Walters gets GM of the year no question, even Marcel Desjardins concedes that one, with Pinball in Toronto getting some votes.

A few more fun defensive stats to chew on. The pass defence has given up 3 passing TDs all year. 4 Blue Bomber receivers have at least that many. Meanwhile the Bomber defence has itself scored 4 TDs on passing plays (2 interception returns for TDs, and 2 fumble recoveries on QB sacks returned for TDs). The run defence has given up 6 TDs all year. Bomber back-up QB Sean McGuire has 7 rushing TDs on 24 touches. Of the 9 TDs the defence has given up all year, the 3 passing TDs were 11, 30, and 37 yards and of the 6 rushing TDs, only 1 was less than 9 yards. So arguably only 2 TDs against were not on “busted” coverage by the pass or run defence. Teams do not grind out touchdown drives against this defence. Of the 11 games played, the defence has given up 1 TD or less in 9 of them, including 5 with no TDs allowed. Of the 44 quarters the team has played, the defence has shut out the opposing offence in 23 of them. And finally, much has been made of the dominance of the Bombers in the 4th quarter this year, out scoring their opponents 106-6. In fact, in 4th quarters alone, Blue Bomber opponents have been outscored by the Bomber special teams returners (7-6 including converts), Nic Demski, Sean McGuire, Andrew Harris, Kenny Lawler, and Rasheed Bailey (12 points each), and even Marc Liegghio (14 points), Ali Mourtada (12 points), and Tyler Crapigna (8 points),

I prefer TP that isn’t already covered in s***.

And some others are mistakenly equating “not getting the reference” with “not thinking the reference is particularly clever or at all accurate”. 😉

So instead of the usual power rankings, now that the Blue Bombers are guaranteed the West Final at home, this week’s rankings will be based on who from least to most likely would give us the biggest challenge if we met in the playoffs. 8. Ottawa (eliminated from playoff contention) - non-issue, handled internally, next question. 7. BC - Michael Reilly can still be a game changer, is tough as nails, and if Lucky Whitehead comes back, gives them two big threats at receiver. But as long as they have no run game and that o-line, Bombers feast on them again. Outclassed in every way. 6. Saskatchewan - our defence has matched up really well with them this year, and Zach Collaros plays with an extra large chip on his shoulder whenever he plays his former team. Add a home crowd that will be jacked up against the Green and White more than any other team and their o-line woes, and the Bombers will have every tangible and intangible advantage for this opponent. Only fly in the ointment is that we have not faced Shaw Evans or Duke Williams this year 5. Edmonton - So they have actually given us 3 of our more sloppy match-ups, and their d-line has caused some problems for us. That said, we have beaten them by 10, 15, and 27 points. Might rank higher if I actually thought they might meet us, but that is a massive long shot. 4. Montreal - I have stopped trying to figure out what the Als are. They have been stomped by Hamilton, handled by BC and Calgary, and edged out by Toronto. They beat up what has turned out to be a bad Elk team, and had the good fortune of playing the RedBlacks thrice, and frankly should have lost one of those contests They also stole one against the Cats, but they also dominated the Argos and have new life with a new QB. The back-to-back with the Bombers should clear up their ranking fairly definitively. 3. Hamilton - So the “undefeated” team is a mere shell of itself, and we were in control of the last 57 minutes or our game against them. But still can throw a potential two-headed monster at QB out there, have the talent on paper, and would have home field advantage and a huge payback motivational card to play if we met them again this season. 2. Calgary - We might be luckier facing Bo Levi instead of Maier again, but if good Bo re-appears Calgary is as deadly as anyone And we know how tight they played us last time, and made our secondary look as ordinary as they have looked in any game this year. Having home field rather than a neutral site meeting if we meet them keeps them out of top spot. 1. Toronto - So you have to give the top spot to the one team that beat us this year. And even in their loss a week earlier, they ran the ball down our throats. Their lines on both sides played us tougher than any other opponent this year, and they figured out how to exploit our pressure with a quick pass game. Now, our best run stopper in Steve Richardson was not available then so that could change the whole story here, because without a balanced run game, and MBT instead of Arbuckle, our defence can pin its ears back and bring the heat.

The beauty of this team is how, especially on defence, we have played a rotational system, so going forward a platoon-style approach would (a) give everyone consistent reps so as not to get stale by sitting and not playing (b) get some extra rest and less chances to get dinged up to the usual starters, and (c) help our back-ups be ready to assimilate more seamlessly if (knock wood) a starter goes down. This is the luxury of clinching in week 11 that few teams ever get. I just remember Dave Ritchie always saying that the sitting of starters in 2001 was the worst thing he could have done and never again would he allow rust to set in. Even after losing Milt in 2002 in week 18 he stuck by that principle.

The all-time record is Calgary (15-3) in 1994 with a +343 when they scored a record 698 points for and 355 against. Just behind are the 1989 Edmonton “slurs” (16-2) with a +342 and hold the 18 game season record for fewest points allowed at 302 and scored 644 points. Joining the 1997 Argos (15-3) in 3rd spot at +333 is the 1957 Edmonton team (14-2) who outscored their opponents 475-148 in a 16 game season for a record +20.8 points per game differential. For context, this Bomber team is averaging a +16.2 point differential and pro-rated over 18 games would be on pace for a +291. The Bombers are out scoring opponents at a ratio of 2.41:1 right now. Notable teams from before 1958 (which is the starting point of the “modern” era when offences changed) are the 1948 Stampeders (12-0) who outscored their opponents 218-61 for a 3.57:1 ratio, the ‘49 Stamps (13-1) who outscored opponents 270-77 for a 3.51:1 ratio, and the aforementioned 1957 now-Elks with a 3:21:1 ratio. In the modern era, the only other teams I can find that outscored their opponents by a 2:1 ratio or better are the Edmonton dynasty teams of 1979 (12-2-2) who hold the modern day record at 2.26:1 (495-219 points for and against) and 1981 (14-1-1) at 2.08:1 (576-277 for and against), the 1989 Edmonton team noted earlier at 2.13:1, and the 1997 Argos who outscored opponents 660-327 for a 2.02:1 ratio. All of which to say, rare air indeed. We are witnessing a special team right now. Soak it in, these seasons come along once in a generation.

Third and not that close yet. At 66 wins, Cal had 86 and Bud had 90.

If you ever need a sub to come in and cover one, let me know. There is no replacing the master, but I am happy to be the lame duck substitute teacher and give it the old college try for you to keep the O & S going if you are indisposed. I’ll even drink gin for the sake of continuity.

Was at the game last night in person (as I have for the past 40 years) so doing the day after catch-up of the GDT page. Random thoughts from the multiple posts. Sorry if it is long, just figured I would compile things in one comment (and the site would merge things anyway). Attendance was 23,750. Crowd probably looked smaller because 1. Folks with both Bomber and Jets tickets may have opted for the latter since those ducats are much more expensive 2. Some folks will opt for watching something indoors in October so may have chosen TV or the Jets game in person over this, but it was a nice October night, slight chill but nothing If you know how to dress 3. The stadium always looks emptier thanks it is because of the design allowing fans to watch from the concourse, especially the north end Rum Hut rather than sitting in their seats. Sask did it better in new Mosaic after studying our stadium build by making sure the concessions were hidden from view forcing fans to their seats to watch, and creating the Pilsner zone standing area rather than concourse congregation. Bombers have tried to retrofit the north end zone with the standing room only party zone with limited success. This is what 1984 was like. Going to the park to see a guaranteed win with surgical precision. The question was not “will we win?” but rather “will we win by 20 or by 30?” Tonight’s game may rank as the all-time most completely dominant win I have ever seen a Bomber team present in my time attending. There were higher scoring offensive games like 68-14 against Hamilton in 1991, the 58-2 demolition of the star-studded Als in 1981, and a 56-0 beat down of Saskatchewan in 1986 that is the all-time biggest shutout in CFL history which is the closest comparable. In that game the Riders got down to our 10 yard line or so once but threw a pick, and never crossed centre field any other time. BC last night I think got down to our 31 yard line at best and only crossed centre field twice maybe? We was honoured along with John Hufnagel at a game in the 1990’s and named to the Blue Bomber hall of fame in 1992. I think he was coaching in the NFL during the hall of fame induction game and could not attend (my brain is hazy on that detail) but at the other ceremony I remember him being gifted a framed jersey and saying “I appreciate this gift, now I can return the jersey I stole from the locker room back in 1987 when I left”. Lucky enough myself to see 4 Grey Cups now. My experience in 2019 was not weeping but just sheer relief that the drought was over. Watching with friends that day and it was remarked how quiet I was when they figured I would be bouncing off the roof. I realized what a mental toll all the losing had on me and was more numb than joyful. Repeated watchings of the win brought more exuberance later. I cannot think think of an argument where the 1984 team (touted by Bob Irving as the best team he ever saw), the 1987 squad (regards by mode than a few media types as maybe the best team ever to not play on a Grey Cup) or the 1990 defence (seen as the best Bomber defence ever by most historians) surpass this team and certainly the defence. This is history unfolding in front of us. Soak it in, these seasons are once in a generation things to witness. I am really torn with this statement. On one hand, I agree this team is on pace for something extraordinary, but nothing should be set in stone until the end of the year. Winning and losing championships has a massive effect on how a team is regarded in the annual of history, and to paraphrase Dennis Green, I am not ready to “crown their ass” just yet. Bill Simmons did a whole piece in ESPN on the then 18-0 Patriots debating if they were the best team of all-time, and had a book ready to go out, with the quiet caveat “if they win it all” but most assured that they would. And we all remember 2001 and 14-4 and those useless 8-10 Stamps. In fact, 11 Bomber teams before this have had a winning percentage of .722 or higher, only 3 times have they won the Cup. And of the top 10 all-time teams by regular season winning percentage, only 3 won the Cup that year. All I know is Mike O’Shea would say publicly “we are 0-0 trying to go 1-0 this week” and would tell his squad to tune out the reviews. So I could have chosen from a bunch of quotes to dig into this pet peeve. Maybe I am reading the mood wrong, but I continually wonder why people here waste their time going to a rival fan site in the first place, why they go looking for praise for our team when that is never going to happen, and why they seemingly get offended when they don’t get that validation from another source? It is amusing to see that we live rent-free in other fan bases’ heads with their jealous comments, but to me at least it comes across line they are equally loving rent free in our heads when we mention their comments and how we don’t get out due credit. Who gives a rat’s ass what they think? If one enjoys their suffering, OK, but it seems like it gets noses out of joint here when they don’t throw that internet validation our way, and I don’t know why anyone would get bothered by it, or seek it out if they knew it would irk them? But that’s just me, I guess. Life is too hard and sad enough already to need to go out of one’s way and find things to get upset about, IMO. Enjoy the ride, and don’t worry if people you care nothing about don’t like you either. Kongbo was on the sidelines in a bit of a snit with Hansen I’m the 4th quarter and then Jeffcoat came to calm him down, just before he got hurt. Wasn’t sure what it was about (playing time, missed assignment?) but he stuck out in a sea of happiness on that bench when they were up 37-0. Anyone notice that or hear anything about that? From my review of the history books, has never happened. and they have only ever played 5.5 games in December (all Grey Cups, the 0.5 being the two-day fog bowl game in 1962). As noted by others, refers to a BC shoutout. And a good kickoff game including a single and a special teams tackle. Admirable effort from a dead man walking. See my comments above about being upset about what Rider fans think of us. Patience. This is what the mid-80’s and 2001 were all about. Great to see it back. Been a long time coming. The only game I actually long for “revenge” for is the 1996 playoff game where we lost 68-7 to the “don’t call them that”’s. Because they blatantly cheated and got away with it, and ran up the score in the process. Losing big happens and teams will have lopsided results on either side of the ledger against another opponent, but the fraudulent way that result transpired makes me long for revenge in this one instance.

I was drinking at 12:01 am this morning, and I am an hour ahead of you Albertans. Silver medal for you. Huzzah for time zones! 😄

Nice save, man! 👍👍👍

Agreed. This is a non-starter, except we can all agree that if you don’t attend the games in person at IG Field, you cannot be looked at as a “true fan” and any excuse like “I live in a different Province” is weak, lame, and a pure cop out. Right Noeller? 😉

Remember that announced attendance for them is seats sold, not fans in the building. And they have a locked in 13,000 for every game with their season ticket base. So a walk up of 886 is kind of shocking. I sensed a shift when they started the quarter pack sales this year, and read an article in The Athletic that said all teams were struggling post-pandemic to sell full season packages, as fans became used to not attending in person and saving their money. So they were reverting to limited game packages. The second wave of 5 year renewals is up this year, and I know a few who are opting out. I think the lack of newness, the long term commitment in price, the individual ticket prices, the sheer amount of nights it eats up a year and all ancillary costs, are all leading to a downward trend. Curious how low it would go if the team were actually bad.

Everyone just cool out. COOL OUT!

I’m no doctor but know a bit about knee injuries. Given where he grabbed his leg in the back, could also be hamstring tear or posterior cruciate ligament. But I suspect we will hear more if it is season-ending or requires surgery. As for Brady, not all of us were condemning him early on. Actually, I was very impressed in the last Edmonton game how he was timing his blocks better a la Harris, and hitting the hole aggressively and confidently when he made his reads. We have a great luxury in letting him grow into the role over the next 4 games with less than the usual pressure given our lofty standing. And Augustine is most capable as well. A platoon style approach would not bother me at all. Keep them all fresh and not worn down while also giving them both healthy reps. Hey, that reminds me, I just picked up your Xmas present. 😉

Bring back LaPo! Running game was gangbusters under his watch. 🤣

👍

@Rich, I got my votes in early, so not a personal concern, but it appears the poll was locked at 6:30 am this morning when you indicated it would be closed at 6:30 pm.

Note to self, don’t hire Goalie as your agent. 😉

PVR the HNIC and take in the glorious first place coronation in person.