TrueBlue4ever

You simply said he makes players adapt to his system, then you agree he made his system fit with the players like Stegall, Bruce and Roberts. So even if it is a no-brainer, he did not do what you claim he always does. And I personally was never impressed with Streveler as a passer from the get go. Apparently neither was Kyle Walters, since he brought in Collaros rather than ride it out with Chris in 2019. Bottom line, I can accept that at times his play calling got “too safe” and tried to change mid-game when it had been working. But I also remember people complaining when he didn’t change mid-game and the other defence adjusted. I am just blown away by how much people still jump all over him when he has been gone for 2 years. It’s not like we are failing with him now at the helm, and it’s not like we didn’t succeed when he was here. I’ve read pages of “who sucked more, LaPo or Nichols” and you would think we were talking about Stefan LaFors and Joe Zaleski levels of ineptitude. And both these guys were winners at the end of the day. After 29 years and some brutal teams, that matters a lot more to me than whether or not they ran up the score in the 4th quarter instead of playing ball control kill the clock and won by 10 instead of 25 or losing by turning the ball over. And I just wonder why if LaPo is so obviously bad, why some need to make up false stuff (LaPo’s QB never led the league in TD passes) to prove their point. But I have your point, and you have mine. We’ll agree to disagree, and I will satisfy myself with the 2019 Grey Cup banner he was a part of.

And yet LaPo maximized the talent he had with a deep passing game when he had Stegall and Khari in 02 and 03, until Khari broke down, and used Roberts to great effect. Then in Sask. he turned Durant into a prolific passer with a good receiving corps. When he arrived in 2016 we just got Andrew Harris, and the game plan shifted to more run heavy to exploit his talents. And he saw the unique skill set of Streveler and incorporated his skills as another running threat into the game plan. And with Nichols he saw a guy who couldn’t scramble or buy time but could protect the ball and avoid bad decisions for the most part, so he applied a game management system that emphasized ball security. Curious why you think he matched Harris and Streveler to his system rather than adapting his system to their strengths, as one example?

My “crusade” is simply to call BS where I see it, and offer a counterpoint to the trashing of LaPo which borders on the extreme for some. I can accept people who don’t like LaPo’s more conservative style, or say he got in his own way with play calling at times, but to paint him as some sort of incompetent failure is patently false, and making grand statements with zero backing factual basis like “huge upgrade”, or worse yet offering flat out incorrect stats to double down and bolster a wrong-headed argument in the first place is disingenuous and dishonest. So I will challenge anyone who voices an opinion I disagree with, respectfully as much as possible, but won’t sit back and allow disinformation to re-write a narrative to perpetuate a lie. And if people really just don’t like him, then be content that you got your wish - he’s gone. And he left us a pretty sweet parting gift on the way out.

The record for consecutive games with 10+ runs is 6. Jays are at 3, would not be shocked if they took a run at it. Could not confirm it, but I have to think no MLB team has ever put up 10+ runs in a single inning in consecutive games before (although the Cubs once scored 14 and 10 in separate innings in the same game). Amazing that the Orioles were pitching no-hitter going into the 7th inning Saturday, then gave up 11 hits and 11 runs in the inning. And they are now in a wild card spot.

This is a laughable take. A guy with 6 games experience is a huge upgrade over a seventeen year coach with 4 Grey Cup appearances, 2 rings, has had the number 1 or 2 scoring offence 6 times, and the league’s best rushing offence the past 3 years? And Buck learned under LaPo to boot. Ridiculous statement. Your haterade must have a memory loss drug in it. LaPo coached Khari when he ripped the league apart and led in 2002, coached Darian Durant when he finished just 1 behind Calvillo for the league lead in 2009, coached Nichols when he finished second, only 2 behind Reilly, and Nichols was leading the league last season when he got knocked out halfway through the year, and prorated he would have led the league if he played out the full season. After 6 games in 2019, Nichols had 13 TDs to Collaros’ 9 this year.

0 for 6 now. The dream of a “perfect” season continues.

Schaffer-Baker actually doing what we want to pretend Wolitarsky can do today.

Collaros just so good at avoiding the sack and extending the play.

Up by 10 heading to the 4th. And in 5 games this year the Bombers have given up a total of 3 4th quarter points. Good spot to be in.

Surprised the play stood, but who knows with command centre on anything anymore. That was more marginal than some for sure as PI goes.

Beyond the brawl, has been a really chippy game.

Should have been PI against Mike Jones, now almost too many men. The timeout gives the Riders the chance to challenge.

Got lucky. No ejections for the Bombers, should get 20 yards forward on the kickoff.

Sean McGuire - scoring machine.

That was a call out of the LaPo playbook.

Too much Ivermectin.

Powell not as washed up yet as some would believe.

Great run, and better blocking. If Demski could have allowed another block by Lawler, might have sprung it.

Was going to say Bighill has been our MVP this year. And THEN he gets a sack and an interception.

All the more reason! Get out of Dodge!

Buy a ticket and sit in the stands!

Collaros throwing darts. Lawler and Bailey going down to get the tough ones.

No sign of hesitancy, and still nothing much. Maybe the blocking needs to be reconsidered.

And let’s be good hosts today. Give Rider fans the gears, but keep it civil and no fighting, swearing at little kids, or pouring beer on people. Let’s let the Class of the CFL be both the home team on the field and the fans off it in blue and gold.

Let me just say to @WildPath that I appreciate your original post and your follow up. These are trying times and this discussion has the tendency to get heated and loaded with vitriol. Thanks for posting an alternative side that some do not want to buy into, expressing your points so eloquently, and allowing for good debate in a productive, intelligent way. We need more of that on the site and in the world.