TrueBlue4ever

Since Liegghio is here no matter what as the punter, keep Ali around and let them battle in practice until one consistently outshines the other. Mourtada’s kickoffs were a big improvement over Liegghio, and his kicks were all pretty much straight (save for FG attempt 3, which was wide anyway off his foot). I still see his only issue being alignment off the hash mark, so let him correct that, or in the alternative direct the snap closer to the centre of the field. Liegghio’s problems seem to be more than one thing (hooking his kicks, striking the ball too low and scooping it up short) and he is distracted enough with kickoffs going short or out of bounds and punts not landing between the hash mark and the side lines. If Ali cannot correct this seemingly one problem, then yeah he is done, but we have two weeks of practice to let the coaches work on it.

So, any guesses on when a winner will be announced? Will we know by tomorrow morning? With mail in ballots it feels like results take longer than ever to be confirmed.

I swear I think you deliberately miscount the syllable rule on purpose to make my OCD brain explode! Love the content though.

I don’t totally buy that. Others post negative things and can get pretty hardened in their stances too, but they don’t take the vitriol TBurg does, and often right off the bat (“of course you’d think that”), or get labelled a contrarian as quickly. Having said that, I don’t think anyone is as CONSISTENTLY oppositional as TBurg seems to be, so maybe there is a reflexive need to be bothered by it since we know what is coming. Not sure I’d call it attitude, but that’s a semantic issue. Sometimes it would be nice to see either side walk away from the argument rather than doubling down, but hey, it’s the internet.

That’s a pretty accurate post. And when one poster actually argued about TBurg’s stance that Harris should have been kicked out and said (paraphrasing) “I think it should be an ejection, but it’s so on brand for you to be anti-Bomber” then they basically admitted they agreed with him but didn’t like that it was him that said it. Still, TBurg does know how to push buttons and the doubling down sometimes leads to exaggeration and loss of credibility for the original point - at least to these eyes. Give credit where credit is due though, was correct to express concern about Liegghio being handed the kicking job uncontested in camp. Hopefully the robust debates can continue without name-calling, knee jerk reactions, faux bullying, and can focus on the issue and not the poster. Also hope if a line gets crossed (it’s an internet opinion blog, expect it at some point) we can all have thicker skin. Peace out, we’re 6-1, and TLDR.

The problem with this approach is what people were complaining about in weeks 1 and 2. If we are on the 35 yard line and it’s 3rd and 5, 6, or 7 etc. as opposed to 3rd and 2, going for it is not really an option. And punting rather than banking points is a recipe for failure. Kickers today need to be able to go out and make 50+ yarders from time to time rather than conceding that they can’t reach this distance. The 3rd and 2 scenario from makeable range has not been as common as the 3rd and long from makeable distance this year. O’Shea has agreed that trotting out his kicker to try a 50 yarder is not always best, but conceding the 40-45 yard try is my worry.

So other than offence, defence, kicking game, and return game, we are fine! Whew. (What’s our record again?)

He was highlighted because that’s who Harris passed. Nothing more complex than that. And fairly standard in sports when someone climbs the list to show others on the list.

Everything?

I don’t disagree. And part of the post was implicitly a retrospective feel from the whole season as to the general mood of the fan base towards the listed people. Next year I’ll start from training camp and not wait until week 7.

So we have 3 options in camp right now. Pros and cons of each: 1. Liegghio - the anointed one coming into camp. Did not survive that coronation out of camp, thrust into the FG role out of injury. Pros - he can punt, so not going anywhere yet (still think he is going to get one blocked and doesn’t follow through on his kicks), has a decent leg for FGs and came through with a 4/4 game and a game winner in the last minute in the one game our kicking truly mattered. Cons - misses the makeable ones, especially converts from the middle of the field. Seems to get under the ball too much and sky them at times. For a supposed strong leg, his kickoffs don’t get that deep. Crapigna - brought in to camp to save the day. Then hurt with people calling for a replacement anyway Pros - a veteran with a super high career average of 88%, so no worries about long term yips with him. Cons - for all his success, all I remember of him is the times he choked in the clutch or rang one off the post. Coach doesn’t seem to trust him outside of 40 yards, and watching him kick there may be credence to that line of thinking. Dead leg? Mourtada - the saviour as judged from his workout videos. Then we saw him live. Pros - strongest leg of the bunch. Save for the 3rd miss, every kick was totally straight, so a mechanical alignment issue as opposed to a banana hook problem. Cons - if the issue was simple mis-reading of the right hash mark, why did it not get corrected in practice or after the first miss? So who stays, or do we blow it up and bring in another? For now, I keep Liegghio as punter and let him work on his kicking in practice. Give Mourtada one chance to correct his alignment, but you know the boo birds will eat him up at home with even one more miss, and his face and body language last night make me wonder if he can handle the rejection. Crapigna does not have the distance to compete I fear.

Thought about starting this thread for a while now, might as well have some fun with the fandom. Inspired by a former player who suited up here and elsewhere (I want to say Brendan LaBatte) who was asked about playing for the fan base. He said playing in Sask and Winnipeg was great, passionate fans in both places. “Rider fans love you win or lose. Winnipeg fans love you win or……well, maybe tie”. And before the outrage, there is merit to the dislike each person on this list has accumulated. With that in mind: We are 6-1. So who’s in the doghouse this week? 1. Ali Mourtada - welcome to Winnipeg! Read social media and you will see that our fans are loud, proud, and ………intense. Now pack your bags, loser! 2. Charles Nelson - Moves up because now he has stopped doing that straight run into tacklers for 8 yards we hated and now is taking it outside for zero yards which we hate even more. And he fumbled one trying to draw a no yards. The Bomber recovery keeps him out of top spot. 3.. Liegghio - removed from the top spot since he got replaced, but still shanked one punt. On the bubble: Willie J - seriously, people last night were saying it was his worst half as a Bomber with no sacks and the Elks still in it after thirty minutes. The strip sack for the clinching Bighill TD calmed us down though Lifetime achievement members of the scapegoat club: Bernie Ruoff - reefer madness Troy Westwood- we do like to s h * t on our kickers here. At least we don’t dump it on their lawns. Dave Donaldson - also like to rip on our hometown guys if they don’t become stars Charles Roberts - but we agree he should be in the Ring of Honour Matt Nichols/ Lapolice - hard to not join these two at the hip. Who was worse? The guy at the most important position on the field who dragged us out of obscurity but couldn’t win the big one or top 300 yards, until he did, or his coach who misused everyone and couldn’t win the big one, until he did. Bring back Dunigan and Brock, those guys were champs….well, they were more exciting to watch anyway. Even the departure of both as Grey Cup winners has not soothed the discontent. Glen Suitor - could turn the analysis of his game coverage into a drinking game here that would even incapacitate Do or Die. Jock Climie - said some less than glowing things about the Bombers so clearly biased. Sucks even more because he turned out to be right. Bastard.

Sees that post. Flex. Sees the poster’s name. Nods in approval. Then flex.

Maybe since they are doing so well, we only have each other to complain about.

Don’t say “kick”. 😳

Skies opened up in Edmonton shortly after the game ended.

You know, if Mourtada doesn’t miss that 3rd field goal, then Edmonton would not have taken that holding call on the return. And then they would not have started on their own 4. And then the strip sack would not have resulted in the Bighill TD. So Mourtada for the Happy Honker!

To prove me wrong?

Is it just me or does it seem like Liegghio doesn’t do a full leg follow through on his punts?

Not making any excuses for the guy. Just saying what I think I am seeing. And he absolutely should have corrected it after the first kick. How many kickers are left to themselves during practice? Or use the metal stick to pin the ball? Maybe it’s all on him. I don’t know. But looking at his practice tapes of his monster leg we saw on this site, every kick was from straight on. Just my theory.

Not if he is kicking from inside the hash marks at practice.

That last field goal attempt drifted wide right, but again was already wide from the moment it went off his foot. And all 3 converts have gone straight. I am more and more certain he just doesn’t know how to line up with these wider hash marks. Change my mind.

Lucky to get away with that incompletion.

But aren’t the hash marks in arena ball also lined up with the goal posts?

Mourtada is not shanking them or hooking them. He is just kicking them off line. Again I wonder if the wider hash marks are throwing off his alignment?