TrueBlue4ever

Another mid-game interview from TSN. I love me some Pinball, but c’mom just do the play-by-play.

“Finding new ways to be bad at his job” He has a tough act to follow in Hnidy and especially Ferraro, so he isn’t likely to get a truly objective assessment as he grows into the job (this is his first job as an analyst I believe), but I find his worst flaw is making long points during the live play. More than one goal call from Beyak has been late because Sawyer takes a 2 second interjection and makes it a 15 second commentary. Needs to save that for after a whistle and let Dennis call the game.

Now that is the Freudian slip of all time! “The Can” Yep, and Trotz, Ruff, Arbour, Bowman, and Quenneville are the next 5. Good coaches are around long enough and have enough overall success to pile up the wins AND the losses. It’s more of a longevity award than a mark of ineptitude and failure.

Last week in BC the Bombers were IN 2nd down 19 times and converted to first down 12 times. Twice they converted after BC penalties. They were 4 of 5 converting when running on 2nd down. They were 2 of 5 converting when throwing for further than the first down marker (3 times incomplete). They never threw an incompletion when throwing short of the first down line. 4 of 6 times they converted to first down throwing short of the first down line and their receivers got the YAC yards necessary. The 2 times they did not, one was 2nd and 3 and Lawler got zero yards on the pass. The other time it was 2nd and 17 and Adams got 5 yards. The 4 times it worked, one was a screen play and the other 3 Collaros threw 2-4 yards short of the 1st down marker and the receivers got the YAC yards necessary. The one unique situation was a 9 yard pass to Lawler on 2nd and 10 and they converted the 3rd down gamble (so it technically counts as not converting on second down). So sometimes, just like a long bomb 50/50 ball, a QB will take the pass play the defence gives them (like 8 yards on 2nd and 10) and will basically say to his receiver “go get that first down with your legs”. It’s not like LaPo is the only coach to ever call that play, or that every receiver is even running a short route on the play call, but it is a QB choice where the throw goes and not an OC call, reacting in live time to the read and what the defence is giving them. And that short of the first down marker pass does work from time to time (in the BC game, it converted more often than not, and with more success than the longer passes on second down). But if that play call is so awful, I expect the same criticism of Buck Pierce (or any other offensive coordinator) every time it happens, whether it is his decision or Zach’s.

Am I wrong to read this and the name that springs to mind is “Tkachuk”?

Solid list right there. Good on you for Hal Patterson and Tom Scott, missed that pair.

BC - Darren Flutie was sneaky good, Fernandez, but Burnham makes circus catches look routine Cal - Nik Lewis, Tom Forzani was also fairly reliable Edm - Brian Kelly Sask - Narcisse, Jeff Fairholm and those weird orange fish cutter gloves Wpg - Goodlow, Poplawski, Rick House, Milt Ham - Tony Champion for the Grey Cup broken rib catch alone, Rocky DiPietro Tor - Terry Greer Ott - Tony Gabriel Mtl - Cahoon and Jamal Richardson

Do NOT ask Speedflex about that game!

So to answer my own earlier question, per Bob Irving’s Twitter account the club is looking to get him assistance with alcohol abuse, so fair to assume it was alcohol he was impaired by.

So, random question here. Was it ever confirmed what Lawler was impaired by? Everyone has assumed alcohol, but was it ever clearly stated?

I hear you there. The mandatory vaccine passport is a great comfort, knowing everyone around you has also been double vaxxed. And mask mandates are still in place. Not the worst way to have it going forward on an indefinite basis, frankly.

Here is Stefanson’s Twitter statement on vaccines. As a further FYI, when she was health minister she took an extended leave of absence for a medical matter - a surgery is all I know - hence her lack of visibility during the second and third wave.

2:43 to be exact. I hear the big screen is the way to see it, but socially distant of course.

Oxford’s dictionary: ”punchable face” adj. - noun A person’s smug appearance that invokes hostility and a desire to physically assault them.

Got my tickets for the Bond film opening night. Been waiting 18 months for this one. Hearing good and surprising things.

For now. But this was pre-ordained as Berdin did not need to clear waivers to go down and Conroe did, so there was really no other option.

And that is a problem with the testing system (as agreed to by the PA) not the player’s choice. Leonard knew the penalty, and made his choice, and now has taken the punishment. Given the rules in play, it seems unfair to force him now give a sample before he can be re-instated. Can’t change the rules on the fly. This may well need to be something that can be looked at in the off-season to close off any “test avoidance” loophole.

Was Harris required to give a sample before returning? Does anyone know? I know he was on the “mandatory” list after the positive, bit unsure what that exactly entails.

I get it, my comment was equally tongue in cheek. I find it a bit funny how upset some Bomber fans seem to get from him. Also how much some say we are renting space in the Rider fan base’s heads, yet many here scramble over to RF and obsess about what is being said about us there. Fandom is fandom, so I get that hypocrisy reigns on every board, seeing in others behaviour we ourselves display without any sense of irony or self-awareness. I hope it is not taken as seriously as it sometimes comes across online, at least to me.

I don’t see this as a trap game. If we lose another game this year it won’t be because we were “trapped” expecting to win. We will be favoured in every game at this point, but we still could lose. We just played Edmonton so we know what they will bring. We aren’t heading into or coming off a bye where complacency or rust would be a factor. I don’t see the Bombers taking anyone for granted, but they are not invincible and maybe execution could be lacking. But bottom line, I don’t see this team right now walking in expecting to be gifted a win and carrying a complacent attitude because of it.

I’m not denying that he said it. My response was that Boucher could hear the gnashing of teeth. Suitor and the whole panel spent a large part of the game gushing about how strong the Bombers were. I guess fans will hear what they want and interpret things as they want to see them and find confirmation bias.

You have better ears than me.

That last game certainly moved him to the front of the pack with his offensive explosion, Lucky’s injury and Reilly’s ineffectiveness.

Another screwy schedule. Montreal and Hamilton getting a big advantage in the division each playing a team on a short week. And with 5 games, BC still gets a bye.