BigBlue

Over the years I have seen a number of bench clearing brawls on the sports hilite shows .... but I believe they were mainly all college football games ... If we had a bench clearing brawl last Saturday maybe it would have woke a few people up like the league's governors and the zebras ... maybe the smugness would go away and actual change would be engineered by the powers that govern us ... QB & player safety would happen immediately ... fan entertainment and not partisan advantage might take the forefront ... other knuckle dragging things might finally be addressed "a player that retired a quarter-century ago" ... what does age have to do with manliness and being the family/team protector have to do with age? I would rather lose the Grey Cup than see Zach's career end on a cheap shot Dignity is more important than discipline Discipline without dignity is harlotry... And if we had of lost because all 5 of our O-Linemen jumped on Robertson at once, reducing him to an ink spot, this Saturday would have turned into the greatest most anticipated game of all time in Winnipeg history

Every time I hear or see Simone Lawrence I want to puke. I feel this way about very few players. IF I recall correctly, it was Simone that ended Zach's career with the Riders ... most expected he was done for ever. AND nobody I have seen has come back to "Gordie Howe" Robertson after. So I don't buy the discipline thing, Brady Olivera or not. If we really wanted to make a Robertson statement it should have rallied the Bombers that night .... spurred them on with unbelievable smash mouth football for the rest of the game. I do not know if the Blue was gassed by then [they should not have been] but I would rather have lost with smash mouth and not the wimper the team seemed to carry on with... the rest of the game should have been all adrenaline- - win or lose ... we will see if pansies in the rematch ... maybe this can shake up the complacency and the grey cup entitlement mentality ... if not everyone takes care of their pocket book in free agency ... right now we will see if we are a team or not

What do you think would happen if your gangster would head but Wayne Gretsky? Saskatchewan is more aware of Zach's concussion history than any one... Any concussion can be a career ender for Collaros Least penalized team, outscore them next game, exalt discipline over male protector role = pansy city, a lack of testosterone, and the absence of the right kind of passion lethargy is every where on our club, stand-pat complacency is this year's theme, a total lack of urgency is killing us INSPITE of EXTREME TALENT Pansy City I say ... its why we do not dominate anymore (unless the loser gives up and capitulates) I am tired of having to come back from behind to win ... we are going to see talent migrate

Disagree ... there is time for un-disciplined team pride and support ... like when they go after your key man like your goalie or your QB or your Wayne Gretsky ... your thoughts are MOS syndrome ... this has nothging to do with discipline

I believe the head butt had more impact than any body has stated so far ... how much ? A lot ... it is a confidence thing ... AND the lack of no one ripping apart said offender ... penalties be damned ... if it were the NHL that guy would have to stay off the ice for that and every subsequent game ie if he did not want to go back to the dressing room in a stretcher ... we are acting like pansies AS to performance by Zach, he has the ghost of injuries past in his head now Further any head shot is going to have an immediate effect ... the finesse disappears as one goes in to overcome mode SHEESH !!! &^%$#$#%^&&*(

too big a bath .... our league can be a lot better fairly quickly

I never quite understand the CFL's board of governors. They seem overcautious and like to slough off responsibility on the Commissioner, even as they hog-tie him. And now, the new reality is that we live off TSN revenue, so they have a big silent paw in everything... 1. So who really is in charge of the decision-making in our league? 2. When we make up special rules to control Chris Jones having too many coaches, do we think about the subsequent consequences? Yes the bean counters are trying to stay in control especially as attendance drops. But part of the reason attendance is dropping is the fan experience is not as good because high-quality coaching is no longer affordable. How many decision-makers have clarity on this? 3. What can be fixed immediately is rules application in terms of roughing the passer. The NFL has fixed their problem. We have not. The quality of the game is totally dependent on having the best possible quarterbacks on the field. Why can't our powers-that-be understand that? Almost every quarter back injury I can think of is mostly coming from aggressive linebackers and "careless" linemen. If our zebras would just constantly throw the flag that would help, a lot. To tickle the quarterback with a feather should be 15 yards, no questions asked and no appeal. Defensive players should be in control as if they were approaching the quarterback in practice wearing that red jersey. Does that turn us into pansies? You think TSN would be more concerned about high-quality games than occasionally having a highlight reel full of nasty hits on the most important player on the field. We have turned around the big hits on unprotected receivers in the middle of the field. It was just a matter of will. What should we think as fans? If there is one roughing the passer, make it a 25 yard penalty. If there is a second roughing the passer, make it an automatic game ejection. Add follow-up fines. If we do this we wouldn't be using third string quarterbacks so frequently. Is this worth the cost? 4. Do we as fans use the power we have? I am not saying organize and revolt. I am saying that we don't even know we have power! Who wants to use it? Then we might have a real Labor Day classic with both sides having a chance. I do not know anything about the Riders backups... This should be a real rivalry that would be if their starter was in. I love football and I want a lot more people feeling like I do about our fantastic game!

So just expand the roster size from mid August till the playoffs in mid October or even right into the Grey Cup ... this would nab the "Gray"s ... special rules will make sure we are still finding that talent ... further, with high priced returning talent, you can get in to the bidding war because there are only 6 or 7 weeks to pay for, not 18 weeks ... the big cost is sliced by two thirds ... every body is talking about budget and that will help the cap ... especially if highly paid stars are sitting on the injury list ... that kind of evens out the unlucky injury situation And then you work the returning players salary for the balance of the season ... then in the spring you do what you got to do

Its context ... going from October to November its just too cold for many ... coming into May from the winter, it's going to seem warm except for VERY unusual weather ... nobody can overcome a storm ... but there will be a lot more of them in Novemer than May, Correct? Anything over 16 c in May is going to seem like Bikini weather !!!

I believe we WILL have essentially the same NFL recruits as we have always had… Just the sequence of their arrival will change some. If we need to we can adjust our rules and policies to accommodate the cuts including expanded roster sizes starting September 1. The late cuts are not who we are really after. Most of the appealing ones end up on a taxi squad anyway. We are after the US recruits that realize they are not making any NFL team in the near term, as in the next year or two. We want the ones who just want to play football. If they think they can improve their status by playing in the CFL more power to them; we can accommodate that cheerfully and effectively. Our best recruits from the NFL camps find they love living in Canada. They want to raise their families here. This is very good for our league. So we need to offer better tryouts and wider taxi squad accommodation. The big goal is to have them ready for camp next spring. The goal is NOT to bring in a ringer or two to Jack our chances in the playoffs. Just set the trade deadline for October 1 and go from there. November 1 Grey Cup here we come! The world keeps changing and evolving so we can take advantage of that and be happy BTW this type of a combination suits MOS's philosophy & style perfectly... Build your team at training camp and then keep it all year. Help those Canadians develop. I wish we could keep more of our draft picks on the roster somehow , so they can learn on the practice field throughout the year and be more prepared to make the main roster the following spring.

Please show me that that the league is in dire financial shape. Give us some kind of proof or comparison, PLEASE!

Who said rookie camp needed to be in Canada: a month in the deep south in April might be both fantastic and useful for recruiting .... still the suggestion was for indoor stuff in April

Not if you are used to wearing a bikini in Winnipeg's February heat waves... but seriously the 3rd and 4th week of May in no way compares to November cold; some people start planting their gardens on the May long weekend Remember: THINK BEER, not hot chocolate

Making our game our game is why we have survived (and evolved) over the past century. When did the CFL start? We have to keep making our game better and adapt to our changing culture. By contrast the US spring leagues keep failing. They have a different economic equation and very different culture / entertainment packages. They are all NFL, college and local high school. Unless the spring leagues can develop their own special subculture, they are going to fail and keep on failing. The CFL & TSN are increasing their viewership and it can get much bigger. It can be shaped. Meanwhile the USFL is dealing with Einstein's definition of insanity. Our "BALLS" are bigger up here.

And then there is Andrew Harris, Nick Demski and how many other Bisons ... and how many high schoolers & junior players that have made it to the CFL? The whole idea is to build amateur football in Canada bigger and better and not have to go to the US out of necessity, right?

I really want to see the CFL promoting the Canadian College game in a BIG BIG way especially the Vanier Cup

Proposed Annual CFL Schedule About Marketing Canadian Style With Better Fan Appeal July 29, 2023 April weekend 3 & 4: Voluntary pre-camp indoor conditioning & playbook analysis April weekend 4: Rookie Camp: newbies, prospects, QBs (possibly indoor) May weekend 1: Preseason Camp opens May weekend 2: “Promoted” Intrasquad Game 1 & Autograph Day; heavily involve amateur football organizations for all ages… Make it a fundraiser for them and very much fun… Pass out free “buddy” tickets for next week’s intrasquad game through those organizations May weekend 3: Charity & Corporate sponsored Intrasquad Game 2, part of season-ticket package (but discounted), have “buddy” passes heavily distributed; pre-arrangements to locally televise the game and have many CFL heroes on the telecast doing season forecasts... the whole point is to develop new fans cheaply and synergestically Lack of preseason travel will help with team budgeting; as well some of those funds can be used for the promotion of these intrasquad games and for the coming season; activating with charities will also deepen interest and possibly bring new fans May weekend 4: Season Opener – the 2 Grey Cup teams play and otherwise traditional rivals play each other June – September weekends 4 games each except July (3) including afternoons & Thursday nights as requested Last weekend in July League Wide Bye … TSN replays four most exciting games … All players can plan for a much-needed family vacation and otherwise refresh Late August, September & early October: 8 Canadian College games are played in the home stadium of the bye team … Fully priced tickets become part of the season-ticket package; revenue pickup for both the college teams and the sponsoring CFL team... eventually have TSN televise these college games, perhaps test marketing a couple the first year October: two regular-season games two Sunday playoff games November: first week of November: 5 promoted corporate/charity events and activities including Friday night “College & CFL Awards Night” Played in indoor stadiums, for now alternating Vancouver & Toronto; all teams participate in the revenue stream; cutting out winter seating will increase attendance remarkably Saturday Vanier Cup included with the Grey Cup package, tickets are heavily discounted but fully paid for. What a fantastic extra event for the travelling fan, something more to celebrate on the trip. Canadian College football is “discovered” and new followers develop Sunday The Grey Cup Classic Three weeks earlier than tradition Regular-season will now have 1 May game, 2 October games, and 15 summer games over the suggested timelines; if there is an extra week over the summer, that can be filled by playing two games one week and two games the following week giving out another bye and the players a chance to recover from injuries. RATIONALE: Schedule Change & Traditional Break Fans will avoid winter games and will attend more frequently because of spring schedule; they will love to get outside again in May as spring fully arrives and the Winter departs; attendance will be much higher in June than in early November; further there will be no NFL competition until September and by then football fan interest in the CFL will have greatly picked up; as well teams can still work around the NFL schedule during the brief overlap; furthermore, there will likely be little or no competition or conflict from NHL hockey The CFL is heavily dependent on Canadian College and Junior football development; it’s the heart and soul of our game and what separates our CFL from the NFL. The CFL needs to do more to align with and promote amateur football in Canada and bring the CFL fan base to a new enlightenment. Bringing CFL planning into that College realm can only help everybody… In enjoyment, in player quality, and in revenue increases for all involved Commissioner Ambrosie is doing fine bringing a maritime team or Québec City in as a tenth team for our league. However, that is not nearly enough. The CFL board NEEDS TO BREAK TRADITION and make our league primarily a summer league from May to October. It works very well for baseball. Our fan base loves to get out in good weather so the CFL Board needs to adjust our scheduling to accommodate what the fans really want. They want to get out to the games in the late spring instead of the early winter. They want to drink beer, not hot chocolate!

Game Stats https://www.cfl.ca/games/6307/winnipeg-blue bombers-vs-hamilton-tiger-cats/#/boxscore it seems to me Brady had more than 106 yards running /// look at his last couple of series after he crossed the 100 mark /// 58 yards pass receiving on 2 catches is impressive /// is there anyone on the PR for when he goes down and he will /// why don't we mix in the Bailey & Demsli counter plays earlier with the up the gut calls?

What's the story on Demski, really? I can not imagine the Blue without him. He is definitely our top Canadian and one of our clutch difference makers. So who can explain the drama? I can not accept "just relax". What is going on?

Schoen: did he sign a 2 year deal? If yes then there is a definite window, al least as I recall... I do not know what may have changed with the latest players association negotiations and of course that rules

I like that idea very much... it suits his personality and skill set. He is like a mean bowling ball. It would take a few for him to adjust but the dividends would be huge. So go for it, and his Canadian status would allow more defensive rest and rotation! Still coaching on this team is not very innovative. They get caught in a narrow tunnel mindset - - that's the opposite of creativity. Dobson for NT ... go, go, go

“Kudos to [Hamilton] for being able to come out and punch us in the mouth this week,” said defensive back Brandon Alexander. “Maybe we needed that, to be honest with you.” Success is harder to deal with than mediocrity. Everyone in the whole organization needed that. “There was a lack of communication on our side and I’ll take a lot of the onus on that. Me being first back and seeing the field differently, I wasn’t able to communicate with everybody how I normally do and everything, so I definitely take part of that,” said Alexander. That is likely why MOS wasn't subbing in. Players need to learn where each other will be. Bighill & Rose seem to be trying to play more than just their own position.

[1] Has our Defense structurally deteriorated? [2] Or does it just need better scheming/ prep? [3] Is the sole problem the injury bug? [4] Is complacency undermining intensity ("my starting job is safe" because MOS is loyal)? [5] Do significant personnel changes need to be made now (by trade/PR shift/NFL jump ins)? [6] Do we just need more rotation to stay fresher? [7] Do we blitz too much or too little? [8] Is it too late/early to push the panic button? [9] Are Walters & McManus doing too little? Do our coaches need to adjust their thinking? [10] Did our players just fall into a lull in the middle of a long successful season - - a sleepy abberation which will be cured by tonight's smelling salts?

That will never happen, not even the slightest chance... everyone understands