BigBlue

Based on the past two years, none. For other clubs, perhaps for better aptitude or skill set against another club's style. And yes, to give a promising player a chance to show his stuff and perhaps go beyond mediocrity at that particular position.

Based on the initial results of this poll, we opined our finish in the regular season: Top 3 club: 20% Middle 3: 38% Bottom 3: 42% So most of us are not thinking any where near championship this year. What has to change for us to finally dominate again and perhaps win a Grey Cup?

It was nice to see a couple of roster additions this week. There is plenty of latent talent that didn't quite make the grade in other tryout camps around the CFL. See QB Dominic Davis last year. What I am wondering is whether we have a merit based decision making process. It seems in the past once you made the starting lineup on week one, you were there to stay unless [1] you got injured or [2] you repeatedly embarrassed yourself over several games Many of the starting choices were very close choices, when the number 2 contender was behind by only a whisker or two. We need to make changes at DE and at DB based on performance. Will we start alternates at those two spots Friday? Will we use judgment and merit to make changes or will we stick to loyalty/consistency/stubborness/pride to resist needed change?

Based on what we showed last year, and the personnel improvements we have made this year, we should have a reasonable chance to make the playoffs this year, or better.... The problem is we have hitched our wagon to one star: "Willy or bust" Thats pressure, period. Remember Kenny Ploen and Hal Ledyard (or **** Thorton) or one of a dozen brilliant QB tandems we have seen over the years. Look how so many teams today will play 2 QBs from choice, not injury. Montreal was an extreme example last year, too much. But they were at least trying and are better for it this year. We need to throw a 2nd QB in for a drive or few when the starter struggles. Then put him back in... its like changing goalies...

I am surprised at the low level of activity on this forum compared to earlier years. Normally we have a steady stream of comments during the season from 6 am to 1 am. I am not seeing that right now; in fact its real easy to catch up with all the new posts. I remember I used to check in every 2 or 3 hours. Now, not so much... Is thus resignation and bitter disappointment, the loss of real hope.... or is something else?

I believe Ricky Ray will play only half the games this year, he is too old and slow to recover from the bumps and nicks. Kevin Glenn will be better than Ray and do well enough to gain the payoff spot. Letting Harris go was a major mistake. Perhaps the Bombers can get ahead of the ALS to cross over but we will have to have a real QB to do it and that means we have to do something with our O Line regardless of who is hucking it.

Does the east have the better teams this year? What changes the balance of power in this league?

Every year I hear we need more data before we can predict how the upcoming CFL season will turn out. Well the rosters are set, we have seen the preseason and Week 1 of the CFL schedule. Now is the time to exercise our judgment in how our nine teams are going to perform this year. What do you really think?

This 8 defenders in the box/all out blitz has not been well handled in half a decade ... we need to practice against it during the week until we learn how to beat it without thought ... or we will continue to lose the same way over nd over

I have not seen a poll topic in a while. Have they been discontinued on this site ? Or, are they just hated that much?

WE have already seen what Drew can do in the last two years ..... both good & bad ... he has been way better than what we have had in the last few years but he consistently holds on to the ball too long. That's why he gets killed. It has to change. He needs to get the ball off on the first read or buy enough time for a second or third .... that is what needs to change. Too much dink and dunk just brings the D in closer and gives us even less room to move. As it is we need to move our QB around so he has time for the 2nd or 3rd reads if he neeeds them. Most of all he needs to get the ball off on the initial call even if the receiver isn't wide open. Its all about timing and confidence and thats not there right now. As to the long layoff excuse .... that doesn't cut it .... the layoff has been just as great or greater for the other QBs Lapo is a good teacher who can build a QBs confidence and he uses dink and dunk a lot .... but unless that ball regularly goes downfield too, the good Ds are going to have our number.

Well, the blue bomber quarterback ratings are in and Drew Willey didn't win. He was not finding receivers downfield that were open. Our other quarterbacks were. Based on play alone in the two preseason games I would personally rank Willey last in performance. He showed none of the elusiveness of a Henry Burris when the first read wasn't open. He didn't show the quick release of a Kevin Glenn. It was more of the dink and dunk we've seen in the last two years. At least Andrew Harris executes it well. Based on performance alone I would have to pick Matt Nichols or possibly Brian Bennett as the number one quarterback in the two preseason games. They would at least fire the ball downfield and they were picking out open receivers. If we had to thread the needle, they tried and made some completions. Dominic Davis impressed me more than Drew Willey. There are lots of excuses about why Willey didn't show but the other quarterbacks moved above and beyond those excuses. My guess is that by mid year Willey will not be our number one quarterback unless something changes in a hurry. I wonder what Wally Buono wants for Travis Lulay.

The drought is over !

"If I give a dollar more than what the #1 pick got last year, I'm not only affecting this year's cap, I'm then saying next year that rookie pick will go up $5000, $7000 or $10,000 which means we are contributing to a situation that is not realistic. In the next two years we'll be dealing with the CBA whether you're a player, agent, team, GM or coach at every level, you're creating a false sense of security for these players to think you can enter the CFL at a near $90,000-$100,000 range and that wouldn't work in the economics of today's CFL. ... "We went back and forth and his agent then sent back an offer that was, again, exceedingly high for any rookie player but I can tell you firsthand that both of the offers we've made of the long-term variety - which is what his agent wants - would make him the highest-paid player in this Draft and the second-highest paid player in the history of draft picks. So if we are offering a deficient deal, I don't really see where that's the case." So what does SJS actually & REALLY want?

I am surprisd I have not heard of any hamstring injuries yet. Hammys so often seem to be a plague in training camp....

Anybody know what time practice is Sunday? Is there a schedule for this week?

not in this oil economy

Spoken like a true accountant who doesn't know how to run a business

Can you go into the locker room and smile after making a half hearted attempt to save a TD?

If the punter/kicker is the last line of defense and does no more than wave his arms at the returner, then it is demoralizing and respect is lost ... going all out to make a saving play is expected of everyone .... anyone who doesn't is finished with the club ... getting injured or not isn't a realistic thought as the returner gets close

And for a while Calgary was a disaster and a laughing stock even with Matt Dunigan (a great player and leader) .... what changed? Management!

Yeah, this is way more fun than the dueling over the Rough Rider's logo

Why is Wiecek focusing on MOS's family issues? Is he Ted Cruz or Donal Trump? Is "crying" a real football issue? Or is this just more headline grubbing by the incompetent, as Trump might say? I am not sure about MOS's leadership .... he had one of the best examples of a coach anywhere in Pinball Clemons .... He has witnessed some of the best in football .... but why isn't it translating? Is he too authoritarian or its opposite? Was the team divided or cohesive last tear? I really can't tell. Has the whole problem been (1) a lack of talent at the critical positions and (2) player leadership? Is it (3) the lack of support from above? Who has the diagnostic tools to actually nail down what the problems have truly been? Yes how our BELOVED BLUE perform in the first 6 games in a very challenging early schedule is going to be the measure of MOS's manhood, in the football sense. By game 8 we will know whether he has the right stuff. But what his family life has to do with BOMBER-MANIA I can not fathom.

That is why I want this thread ... to leave it here and out of the general discussion: its too annoying for words .... the bashers can have a good time here

I don't mind loving the hate for all things Green & White. What I do hate is all the loving that gets the other threads off track. So lets spread it around here, if you all like. What is your very favorite Regina joke?