TrueBlue4ever

Jets playoff watch, as of 10:00 am March 27: Assuming all regulation or overtime wins: - Playoff spot clinched - #1 Wild Card position clinched - Clinch 3rd in the Central with an 1-4-1 record - Clinch 2nd in the Central with a 4-2 record - Clinch 1st in the Central with an 4-2 record - Clinch 1st in the West with 6-0 record, a 2-4 Calgary record or worse, and a 5-0-1 record or worse by San Jose Last night's results of consequence: - Coyotes win  Tonight's games of consequence: Dallas (WC #1) at Calgary (Conf. #1) Vegas at Colorado (WC #2) Magic # against other teams (combo of pts. gained plus opponent's points lost to secure a Jets' finish on top of the standings, factoring in current ROW): Stars: 3 Blues: 9 Predators: 9 Knights: 9 Sharks: (-13) Calgary (-6) Clinching/elimination scenarios tonight: Anaheim eliminated with a Colorado win. Las Vegas clinches with a win or OT/SO loss Philadelphia eliminated with a regulation loss

Jets playoff watch, as of 10:00 am March 26: Assuming all regulation or overtime wins: - Playoff spot clinched - #1 Wild Card position clinched - Clinch 3rd in the Central with an 1-4-1 record - Clinch 2nd in the Central with a 4-2 record - Clinch 1st in the Central with an 4-2 record - Clinch 1st in the West with 6-0 record, a 3-3-0 Calgary record or worse, and a 6-0 record or worse by San Jose Last night's results of consequence: - Jets, Wild, Flames and Sharks all lose in regulation, Stars, Blues and Preds all win.  Tonight's games of consequence: Chicago at Arizona (Conf. #9) Magic # against other teams (combo of pts. gained plus opponent's points lost to secure a Jets' finish on top of the standings, factoring in current ROW): Stars: 3 Blues: 9 Predators: 9 Knights: 9 Sharks: (-13) Calgary (-6) Clinching/elimination scenarios tonight: Anaheim eliminated with a loss in regulation or OT/SO St. Louis and Las Vegas clinch playoff spots with an Arizona loss in Regulation or OT/SO Florida eliminated with a regulation or OT/SO loss

I agree, but reviews can fix mistakes on some occasions and give fans less opportunities to complain. I don’t think refs get too gun shy to make calls because of video review. I just dislike the concept of “if we can’t fix EVERYTHING, then we won’t do ANYTHING “.

Thought about him, but as a back-up mostly, didn’t think his accolades would warrant all-time consideration. But I will add him.

That really was my only overriding goal. A poll is just a poll, no binding decisions have been made or irrefutable votes for life cast. And I have seen the favoritism play out across the board, with recency bias and generational bias (which I will admit to - I have a Jonesing for the 1984 team and all players of that era), and I certainly agree about posters who list "obscure" players, which seems to be motivated by which era those posters grew up in. But we all have a right to crow about our favorites, and hopefully this little exercise got us through the winter if nothing else. And I can say that some of the name-dropping of players of another time has been helpful in enlightening me about some past greats I would have overlooked. I appreciate everyone's input here, and have enjoyed the spirited but respectful debate that has taken place (although whoever voted Alexandre Gauthier as one of the two best offensive tackles of all time......I have no words there, lol!)

I'm still disappointed at the lack of respect older players are getting in some of these categories. I appreciate that newer players are bigger, faster, stronger, more advanced training so they would be "better" in a head to head comparison, but I try to view it in a " how did they stack up against the best of their era" comparison. That's why Rigney losing out to Bryant in the tackle category is frustrating. Bryant is no doubt the best in the game right now, with 2 consecutive Best Lineman awards, but Rigney was an all-star 7 times. Bill Frank was a monster in his time here too. That longevity and domination over his counterparts during that era should not be washed away by recency bias. To that end, Leo Lewis should be above pretty much anyone not named Roberts in this category (and IMO should have topped out the kick returner category too). The bio will come out later, but he was the club`s all-time rushing leader prior to Charlie, and had a ridiculous 6.8 yards per carry average if my memory serves. And I say this as an unabashed fan of Willard Reaves, the first superstar I observed when I was weaned on Bomber football. And as much as I can appreciate the talent of Blink, I will always be sore about 2001 and his contribution to the club`s failed Grey Cup aspirations that year. First a petulant walk out during the club`s 12 game winning streak because he was tired of the team concept that saw him returning kicks and filling in for Troy Mills and Eric Blount in the 4th quarter when he wanted the star treatment and a dominant starting role. In the short term lead to the end of the streak in Toronto to a lousy Argos team, then a loss at home to the equally mediocre Stampeders (that actually snuck them into the playoffs), stalling the team`s momentum. Longer term it led to a change in Rick Worman`s spread offense game plan, and put the focus on Charlie, who thought that a drunken bender until 4 am in Montreal the night before the championship game was the way to prepare. Milt Stegall has never come out and blamed Charile, but he often decried the lack of dedication to practice and training that he (Stegall) took so seriously, offering grudging respect by saying Roberts had more raw talent than anyone, if only he had put any kind of the effort Stegall did into his game prep, how much better could he have been? As for the Grey Cup, when asked how disappointing it was to never get a ring, Stegall once said "I can't speak for other players, but at least I know when it came time to play in those games, I showed up rested, practiced, prepared and able to give my best in those contests, I couldn't control others who took a different approach". Dig a little deeper and the name Roberts was often tied to those comments. And don't remind me who fumbled on the goalline in 2007 where Kevin Glenn dove to recover it and busted his arm. Grrr!!!!!!! I will be voting for Lewis and Roberts, but if I was coaching an old-style offence with a fullback/running back combo, I would put Andrew Harris at the fullback position and watch him rip off big yards on screen passes and effectively block in pass protection or as a lead blocker in the eye.

Jets playoff watch, as of 10:00 am March 25: Assuming all regulation or overtime wins: - Playoff spot clinched - #1 Wild Card position clinched - Clinch 3rd in the Central with an 1-5-1 record - Clinch 2nd in the Central with a 4-3 record - Clinch 1st in the Central with an 4-3 record - Clinch 1st in the West with 7-0 record, a 3-4-0 Calgary record or worse, and a 6-0-1 record or worse by San Jose Last night's results of consequence: - Coyotes lose in regulation, Avs lose in OT  Tonight's games of consequence: Dallas (WC #1) at Winnipeg (Div. #1) Vegas at St. Louis (Div. #3) Nashville (Div. #2) at Minnesota (Div. #9) LA at Calgary (Conf. #1) Detroit at San Jose (Conf. #2) Magic # against other teams (combo of pts. gained plus opponent's points lost to secure a Jets' finish on top of the standings, factoring in current ROW): Stars: 3 Blues: 9 Predators: 9 Knights: 11 Sharks: (-15) Calgary (-8)

As has been stated a few times by the coach, having Little and Lowry together on a line allows them to match up well on defensive zone faceoffs. Lowry steps in on his strong side (dot to the goalie's left) and Little takes the draws ion the other side. Plus, if one of them gets tossed they have a ready back-up who is capable. And count me among those who does not mind Hendricks playing right now. He has had past chemistry with Perrault, he plays more of a bottom 6 game than Roslovic, and he gets to harden himself for the playoff grind while Roslovic gets some rest. Roslovic has only 2 even strength goals all year, and is more of a top 6 replacement than a bottom 6 checker. He will be very good in the future, but he has not stepped up quite yet into the offensive player the team needs him to be. Cue Goaile's rant in 5...4...3...

So Bastaja and Black get in as the guards, and Walby and a surprising Stanley Bryant are leading the way at tackle, so next we will consider the running back spot. Originally I was going to make the first category fullbacks, and leave only a single running back spot, which would have made an interesting debate when limited to one choice, but I am going to reverse course on that. The fullback spot is hard to research going back, I suspect people would have pretty much unanimously chosen Mike Sellers, and today the dual back set does not much exist with 5 receiver sets in vogue now. Even when two backs line up they often both can be a tailback. So I will just make one category for running backs and we will have 2 to choose from. Early nominees from me, without having done a lick of research on it, will include Fritz Hansen, Gerry James, Leo Lewis, Mack Herron, Jay Washington, William Miller, Willard Reaves, Robert Mimbs, Michael Richardson, Charles Roberts, Fred Reid, and Andrew Harris. I've tried to include those who won at least one rushing title, made an all-star squad, or were nominated as the team's MOP. Let me know of any others you'd like added. Bios up on Friday.

That's a nice concept in fairy tale land where everyone lives happily ever after, but we all know fans will lose their collective $#!+ when it's their team on the end of a blown call in a big game, and they know technology exists to fix these mistakes and isn't being used. Ask any Sabres fan if they are over losing the Stanley Cup on Hull's foot foul? Or if England has forgotten Maradonna's "Hand of God". Or if Saints' fans would like a do-over on the missed PI call in the playoffs last year? I don't mind the concept with the added challenge. It sucks to have to burn your challenge if the refs obviously miss something early in the game, and don't have it in the 4th on a 50/50 PI call. And if only goes from one gov two IF you get the first one right, it won't stall the game too much. What I could do without is the challenge for "illegal contact" halfway across the field from the play. I get the argument that any interference can disrupt the play, and maybe the QB was going to go that way before the infraction but had too look off it, but if 7 or 8 refs don't catch it in live action, then coaches shouldn't be able to hunt for an infraction. That's akin to challenging holding - if you look hard enough you'll find some kind of penalty on every play. Maybe they should institute a penalty for an incorrect challenge, like a delay of game penalty, 10 yards, automatic first down if the defensive team gets it wrong, or 10 yards and loss of down for the offensive team.

So nothing of consequence last night with the Wild winning. Lots of scenarios tonight, but bottom line Jets win and they are in the playoffs regardless of any other outcome.

Bryant in a very short time has achieved what only Walby before him had - 2 MOLineman awards. Give him 4 more all stat noms and one more MOLine award in the next 4 years and he steps into the conversation for top 2 all time. Hard to believe that a back-to-back lineman of the year “only” ranks anywhere from maybe 3rd to 8th right now, but as was said this category was loaded.

One man's take - This is a stacked field, and some of the best players in club and league history will be left off of the top 2 due to the depth at this position. 9 Blue Bomber Hall of Famers, 6 CFL Hall of Famers, 2 members of the 75th Anniversary all-time team, and a third who was feted on the 80th anniversary team, plus a Ring Of Honour member. So if my dismissal of some seems flippant or harsh, consider who I am comparing them against and not just take it as disregard for their skill. With 18 on the list, some will pale in comparison to others. The also-rans: Elewonibi, Gauthier, Hardrick, Thompson - these 4 each have only one divisional all-star nom (or in Thompson's case a CFL nod too), and aside from Moe, none were regarded as the team's best lineman in any year, award-wise. Hardrick needs to put many more years before he can rank with the upper echelon. The "best on the team but not league-best" club: January, Perez - they both got 3 straight nods as the team's best lineman, and January added three divisional all-star noms, but they were not graded as the best in the CFL when they played with Winnipeg, despite being tops on the team. Perez went on to CFL all-star status after going to BC, and January was a warrior who played through some brutal injuries (and was a real gentleman when I met him at a Bomber dinner - a "player's player" for sure). The all-time great before he got here but winding down: Gorrell - Was league-best in his years with Ottawa and Hamilton, but by the time he came to Winnipeg he was not the same dominant player. That is not to say he was not good, or even very good, but just not as brilliant as with other teams (think Dominic Hasek with the Red Wings - still really good, but a shadow of his Buffalo self) Best in the league in their time but too short a tenure to compete with the legends (NOTE - with weaker competition they may have made an all-timer list): Bryant, Gainor, Goodspeed, Huffman - Gainor played only 4 seasons but was an all-star and Grey Cup participant every time, a pretty great success ratio. Huffman is a CFL Hall of Famer and had 4 consecutive all-star nods and one of only two offensive lineman to be named the team's outstanding player. Goodspeed was a legit star who blocked for Charles Roberts and had the league accolades to his credit, but his 5 year tenure needed to be tripled to approach the best on this list. Bryant deserves special mention because he is one of only 4 Blue Bomber tackles to ever win the award as Best Lineman in the CFL, and only one of 2 to win it twice (in fact, he is the only Bomber to ever win it in consecutive years), but with only 4 years on the Bombers, he will need to keep up that pace for another 6 years at minimum to enter the discussion as best ever. Check back in a decade to see where he ranks. A tier below the legends (NOTE 2 - again, on another team they may well top the list, but they are in tough here): Mudge, Norman, Savoie - Mudge was the glue on the line for a team that reached fantastic offensive heights with Roberts and Stegall, and was the team's best for a 3 year run that included a league best award in '01 and all-star recognition. He is just a shade ahead of the group before him due to his games and years played. Savoie has less award and all-star recognition than his counterparts, mainly because the awards were not around when he played. But no one on the list (save one) played more years or games, or had more Grey Cup success than he did. And he's in the CFL Hall of Fame. He is in contention for top 5 placement on this list, no small feat. Norman was the team's best for 7 years and had some league recognition as well spread out over that time, a giant of a man on the line. His longevity puts him higher on the list, his lack of team success or Best Lineman award probably puts him below the other 2 in this category. That leaves me with 4 superstars to choose from, all CFL Hall of Famers. Let's flip things and start with the easy choice as top of this field: The best ever Walby - Regarded as the best offensive lineman in CFL history. His stature now (6'7", 325 lbs.) would put him among the larger linemen in the league, but nothing outrageous, but at the time he was a giant in the tranches. Gaudy accolades - his 11 divisional nods are the best in club history at any position, and his 9 CFL all-star nods are the most of any tackle, tied for most of any o-lineman, and 2nd only to linebacker Willie Pless' (who had 11) in CFL history. Although not officially retired, his number 63 will not be worn again by any player for the foreseeable future. And the sole member on this list who graces the club's new Ring of Honour. He should be a unanimous pick here as not only top 2 but the best o-lineman in club history, regardless of position. So who joins him? For me, from 4 to 2 it is as follows: Bill Frank - if this list counted a player's accomplishments throughout his whole career, and not just with the Bombers, Frank would be #2 on this list I'd wager, and he still makes a pretty good argument anyway. He was a 3 time CFL all-star and best lineman nominee in 1967 with the Argos before coming to Winnipeg. He continued his dominance here, racking up 4 more league all-star nods and 4 club noms as outstanding lineman (the first 3 when he had to compete with the defensive linemen too). He also achieved something that almost no one ever has, being selected the club's outstanding player as an offensive lineman (granted the team was 2-14 that year). Splitting the thinnest of hairs, I rank him below the other 2 because he was not part of the all-time 75th anniversary or 80th anniversary teams, never got to the big dance, played a few less years than the others, and never won a league award for best lineman, none of which should detract from his amazing career. Buddy Tinsley - a legendary name in Bomber history (and part of grey Cup folklore for "almost dying" in the Mud Bowl - a "fact" he said was exaggerated), he dominated on both sides of the ball during the glory years. Named to the all-time 80th anniversary Bomber team, he played over a decade with the team and had an astounding 7 all-star nods. Had there been awards for best lineman at the time he surely would have won, and he also played in 5 Grey Cups, winning 2. Just outside the cut line for me. Frank Rigney - before Walby (who is the only offensive lineman other than Rigney named to the all-time Blue Bomber team that was selected in the team's 75th season), he was in the discussion for best offensive lineman of all-time in the CFL. With Walby, Bryant and Mudge, one of only 4 Bomber tackles to win the award for best lineman in the CFL. 7 divisional all-star noms, and "only" 3 CFL all-star noms because the league did not have that recognition until 1962 (he won his 3 in the first 5 years that they awarded it). He was also part of the greatest era of Bomber football ever, with 4 championship rings. Bonus points for coming from Iowa right after his QB Ken Ploen, and being the lead blocker for Leo Lewis. He will be my other selection as greatest Bomber offensive tackle ever. I will honestly be disappointed if he gets overlooked due to recency bias - he like Herb Grey deserves to be on this team.

Choose two from the list. Here are the bios: CFL all-stars first awarded in 1962. Most Outstanding Lineman first awarded in 1956 and included defensive linemen, Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman first awarded in 1974. Stanley Bryant – 71 games in 4 seasons (2015-18), 2 time divisional and CFL all-star (2017, 18), 3 time team nominee Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman (2015, 17, 18), 2 time Western Division Most and CFL Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman (2017, 18) Moe Elewonibi – 83 games in 5 seasons (2000-04), divisional all-star (2000), team nominee Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman (2000), team nominee Most Outstanding Canadian (2000), Grey Cup appearance (2001) Bill Frank – 107 games in 8 seasons (1969-76), 4 time divisional and CFL all-star (1970-73), 4 time team nominee Most Outstanding Lineman/Offensive Lineman (1970, 71, 73, 75), team nominee Most Outstanding Player (1970), CFL Hall of Fame Martin Gainor – 34 games in 4 seasons (1937-39, 46), 4 time divisional all-star (1937-39, 46), 4 Grey Cup appearances (1937-39, 46), Grey Cup champion (1939) Alexandre Gauthier – 36 games in 2 seasons (2007-08), divisional all-star (2007), Grey Cup appearance (2007) Dan Goodspeed – 57 games in 4 seasons (2005-08), 2 time divisional and CFL all-star (2007-08), 2 time team nominee Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman (2007, 08), Eastern Division Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman (2007), Grey Cup appearance (2007) Miles Gorrell – 72 games in 4 seasons (1992-95), 2 Grey Cup appearances (1992, 93), CFL Hall of Fame Jemarcus Hardrick – 32 games in 2 seasons (2017-18), divisional all-star (2017) Richard Huffman – 58 games in 5 seasons (1951-55), 4 time divisional all-star (1952-55), team nominee Most Outstanding Player (1954), Grey Cup appearance (1953), CFL Hall of Fame Glenn January – 87 games in 5 seasons (2009, 11-14), 3 time divisional all-star (2011-13), 3 time team nominee Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman (2012-14), Grey Cup appearance (2011) Dave Mudge – 89 games in 6 seasons (2000-05), 2 time divisional and CFL all-star (2001, 02), 3 time team nominee Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman (2001-03), Eastern Division and CFL Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman (2001), Grey Cup appearance (2001) Butch Norman – 97 games in 7 seasons (1974-80), 3 time divisional all-star (1976, 79 ,80) and 2 time CFL all-star (1976, 80), 3 time team nominee Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman (1976, 78, 80) Christopher Perez – 54 games in 3 seasons (1997-99), divisional all-star (1998), 3 time team nominee Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman (1997-99) Frank Rigney – 153 games in 10 seasons (1958-67), 7 time divisional all-star (1959-62, 64-66) and 3 time CFL all-star (1962, 65, 66), CFL Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman (1961), 5 Grey Cup appearances (1958, 59, 61, 62, 65), 4 time Grey Cup champion (1958, 59, 61, 62), CFL Hall of Fame Roger Savoie – 191 games in 15 seasons (1951-65), divisional all-star (1962), 2 time team nominee Most Outstanding Canadian (1956, 62), 7 Grey Cup appearances (1953, 57-59, 61, 62, 65), 4 time Grey Cup champion (1958, 59, 61, 62) Bobby Thompson – 65 games in 5 seasons (1979-83), divisional and CFL all-star (1982) Buddy Tinsley – 161 games in 11 seasons (1950-60), 7 time divisional all-star (5 on offense, 2 as defensive tackle - 1950-52, 55-58), 5 Grey Cup appearances (1950, 53, 57-59), 2 time Grey Cup champion (1958, 59), CFL Hall of Fame Chris Walby – 249 games in 16 seasons (1981-96), 11 time divisional all-star (1984-87, 89-94, 96) and 9 time CFL all-star (1984-87, 89-91, 93, 94), 9 time team nominee Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman (1986, 87, 89-94, 96), 4 team Eastern Division Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman (1987, 90, 91, 93), 2 time CFL Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman (1987, 93), 2 time team nominee Most Outstanding Canadian (1989, 96), 5 Grey Cup appearances (1984, 88, 90, 92, 93), 3 time Grey Cup champion (1984, 88, 90), CFL Hall of Fame

Jets playoff watch, as of 10:00 am March 22: Assuming all regulation or overtime wins: - Clinch a playoff spot with an 1-7 record - Clinch the top wildcard spot with an 1-7 record - Clinch 3rd in the Central with an 3-4-1 record - Clinch 2nd in the Central with a 5-3 record - Clinch 1st in the Central with an 6-2 record - Clinch 1st in the West with an 8-0 record, a 4-4 Calgary record or worse, and a 6-1-1 record or worse by San Jose Last night's results of consequence: - Blues, Avs, and Flames win, Preds lose in SO, Jets, 'Yotes, Hawks, Sharks, and Stars lose in regulation Tonight's games of consequence: Minnesota (Conf. #9) at Washington San Jose (Conf. #2) at Anaheim Magic # against other teams (combo of pts. gained plus opponent's points lost to secure a Jets' finish on top of the standings, factoring in current ROW): Blackhawks: 0 Wild: 1 Avalanche: 2 ///playoff line/// Coyotes: 2 Stars: 7 Blues: 11 Predators: 13 Knights: 14 Sharks: (-15) Flames: (-10) Elimination/clinching scenarios tonight: None

Regardless of one's opinion of who is better, as of now we have Ehlers locked up on a long term cap friendly deal, while Connor could be in line for a big pay day that might affect other signings (Laine, Morrissey, Trouba, Myers, Roslovic, Tanev, Lowry, Copp). I don't personally want to see either player go, but the cap situation in today's game has as much to do with trading or keeping players as skill level does.

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Because he's been tearing it up on the ice? Zero goals, 5 assists in his last 19 games. Let him sit for a bit.

This comparison is a bit apples and oranges though, since every American salary is for a starting player, and 2/3 of the Canadian salaries are for back-ups, so one would expect that the back-up salaries would skew those numbers lower. Wonder what the average salary is for the 7 Canadian starting players per team?

Remember that even if the number of Canadian starters gets cut from 7 to 5, EVERY back-up still has to be a Canadian. 3 QBs, 20 internationals, and 21 Nationals at the this point (with a minimum reserve roster of 2). That's 189 guaranteed Canadian spots right now in the league compared to 207 Internationals, provided that every QB is American (which is not the case right now, but is the norm). If Halifax joins the league and the Canadian starter ratio gets reduced, then the total number of Canadian jobs in the CFL actually goes UP, to 190. I like the ratio rules and feel that we need Canadians in the CFL, not for the CFL itself but to keep Canadian university football going and building.

The third QB gets so little playing time on any team. A 4th Canadian QB would just sit there until they got cut for a cheaper version, and no real progress in the position would be made.

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Truth be told, magic numbers don’t really work for hockey for a few reasons. First off, there is no such thing as “half a win”, literally speaking. Also, the Jets could lose every single remaining game but accrue enough points through overtime losses alone to eliminate Minnesota, so saying they need wins is technically inaccurate, when what needs to be counted is points. And third, because of the ROW (regulation or overtime wins) tiebreaker, you can have the same number of points as another team and be ahead of them based on the tiebreaker. “Magic numbers” are a baseball construct, and really the only place it can be properly used, since ties and loser points don’t exist, and if teams end up with the same record they play an extra game to break the tie and decide the playoff team, rather than falling back on tiebreaker rules. I use the total points system myself for hockey to determine what a team needs to do, but to each their own.

The guy we should have paid a lot more money to so we didn’t lose him to free agency and cripple our line for 5 years.