BigBlue

The choices at FB are:
1.  Miller, a pure blocker for run or passing plays
2. Augustine, for a choice of 3 runners to Keep the D guessing where we are running to and to keep them from keying on Harris....  QB option is in play a well as multiple choices for screens and hitches
3. A Canadian WR  for a 5 receiver set on any long yardage down
I don't know how well Miller blocks compared to Augutine

First star - Bob Irving
Second star - Ed Tait
Third star - Michael O'Shea

WEST
CALGARY
EDMONTON
WINNIPEG
BC
SASK
             EAST
HAMILTON
TORONTO
OTTAWA
MONTREAL

I am not sure exactly how the rules work but unless you are starting more the than the limit of national players, you have to declare the number of nationals on offense and the number on defense .... how that gets changed I don't know
For example perhaps our defense is overwhelming but our offense is having trouble getting out of a wet paper bag ... so we want to get Flanders on  the field at the expense of one of our four import D-Linemen (Thomas and Corney platooning will take over to increase our nationals on defense by one) ... can this be done anytime or at all?

SPY versus SPY: League Opener
The Bomber brain trust is putting together a very specific strategy to outsmart Edmonton's tacticians who no doubt will try to create as much havoc and confusion as possible for Bomber rookie Quarterback Chris Streveler. We will see an abnormal number of blitzes, camouflaged or not. They will disguise their formations and schemes trying to throw off Streveler's reads. LaPolice and Pierce will be over preparing to counter such tactics. And they will have a backup plan in case they have to switch to Ross or Bennett. 
The Bombers collective coaching staff picked Streveler for 4 reasons outlined on Bob Irving's Coaches Show Monday night. Michael O'Shea said
1] he had the highest combined completion percentage of the 3 backups in camp.
2] he was the best at making the right reads of the defence
3] he is also very good at protecting the football and
4] at not making critical errors.
Those were the 4 factors along with his athleticism that swung the starting role into Streveler's selection as Thursday night's starter. 
So get ready for plans and counter plans. The entire team is still burning from the playoff loss last November to this Edmonton Eskimo football club. You want to see confidence mixed with desire?
The Bombers are fielding a team of savvy  veterans who will have their own bag of tricks; but more than that, they are dripping with talent and with it they more than anything just want to protect the baby on the team: their starting quarterback ... They will be doing some devising of their own... heh heh

SPY versus SPY: League Opener
The Bomber brain trust is putting together a very specific strategy to outsmart Edmonton's tacticians who no doubt will try to create as much havoc and confusion as possible for Bomber rookie Quarterback Chris Streveler. We will see an abnormal number of blitzes, camouflaged or not. They will disguise their formations and schemes trying to throw off Streveler's reads. LaPolice and Pierce will be over preparing to counter such tactics. And they will have a backup plan in case they have to switch to Ross or Bennett. 
The Bombers collective coaching staff picked Streveler for 4 reasons outlined on Bob Irving's Coaches Show Monday night. Michael O'Shea said
1] he had the highest combined completion percentage of the 3 backups in camp.
2] he was the best at making the right reads of the defence
3] he is also very good at protecting the football and
4] at not making critical errors.
Those were the 4 factors along with his athleticism that swung the starting role into Streveler's selection as Thursday night's starter. 
So get ready for plans and counter plans. The entire team is still burning from the playoff loss last November to this Edmonton Eskimo football club. You want to see confidence mixed with desire?
The Bombers are fielding a team of savvy  veterans who will have their own bag of tricks; but more than that, they are dripping with talent and with it they more than anything just want to protect the baby on the team: their starting quarterback ... They will be doing some devising of their own... heh heh

Please start one so I don't get yelled at by the small minds around here.

Please start one so I don't get yelled at by the small minds around here.

Please start one so I don't get yelled at by the small minds around here.

Please start one so I don't get yelled at by the small minds around here.

Please start one so I don't get yelled at by the small minds around here.

we can manage that

The one big concern I have about our Blue (and MOS) is that we overlook recent performance and go with prior formed judgments instead. An example is keeping an almost unused Bryant at DT and ignoring an extremely good performance by Montgomery at the same position. That's both deheartehing and demotivating to the rest of the team causing doubt that will cause a few to not try to go above and beyond - - not everyone, just a few - - unless it becomes common place and then it turns into a cancer.
The opposite we are witnessing right now  in Regina where everything is recent performance: it better be good or you are cut; this ignores talent and the potentially justifiable reasons for a poor outing. In Baseball even the team's best hitters go into slumps for a variety of reasons but eventually bounce back in a most pleasing way.

I hope the Blue Brassd are talking to Bond instead of continuing " to go in a different direction" ... I bet after the Saskatchewan trauma Bond might reduce his salary expectations

"the PR doesnt help you in game. You may have noticed we cut branning and conteh. We will likely have 4 starters + the sam + loffler, +1 DI on the game roster. + morgan/jones."
I am not sure about Morgan but Jones is pretty good ... could be a starter on another team either at safety or CB ... and that is what the cfl is all about Cdns backing up internationals

That all changed when the players association went to 1 and 2 year contracts ... no longer are the FA's generally over the hill aging veterans, has-beens who are just after the best possible paycheck ... now there is freedom of movement and players go where they want ... there is also deliberate decisions made like with Travis Bond where a player can demand a huge paycheck based on an accomplishment (here a recognised allstar performance two years ago) and that player would just upset the team's salary structure. Such players better live up to expectations immediately or they end up cut quickly within a couple games or at the season's end: just ask Enoch Muamba. Because of this factor good players are taking more modest salaries and enjoying the CFL with a club they want to be on. That's why teams like Winnipeg and Calgary's management are becoming so attractive.

Training Camp is over, the roster has been set, and the biggest Q is who should MOS start at QB.
The Bomber Brass are comparing notes on that and have yet to decide so its not clear cut by any means. The default is Ross by a nose but we could have 3 legit thoroughbreds in our stable all at once.
I personally believe Steveler has the most upside based on pure talent, scrambling pizzazz, and the ability to see the whole field. He is also the most likely to turn the ball over and make gigantically good plays. Ross will protect the ball best and run the short game well.
Ross may have played the most regular season downs but Bennett has the most experience especially in the Bomber system. I can see us saying later in the year "why didn't we start using Bennett earlier?" He is my pick for short yardage QB but I would be happy with Steveler in that role too.  My best guess: Ross starts but Steveler comes in as soon as Ross has two or three bad series in a row.

The one big concern I have about our Blue (and MOS) is that we overlook recent performance and go with prior formed judgments instead. An example is keeping an almost unused Bryant at DT and ignoring an extremely good performance by Montgomery at the same position. That's both deheartehing and demotivating to the rest of the team causing doubt that will cause a few to not try to go above and beyond - - not everyone, just a few - - unless it becomes common place and then it turns into a cancer.
The opposite we are witnessing right now  in Regina where everything is recent performance: it better be good or you are cut; this ignores talent and the potentially justifiable reasons for a poor outing. In Baseball even the team's best hitters go into slumps for a variety of reasons but eventually bounce back in a most pleasing way.

CFL.ca has not updated its transaction list since last night with deadlines on all due at 9 am ... the league's site should keep its fans current and not be babying the teams who may be slow in contacting its cuts to tell them they are gone.

CFL.ca has not updated its transaction list since last night with deadlines on all due at 9 am ... the league's site should keep its fans current and not be babying the teams who may be slow in contacting its cuts to tell them they are gone.

The one big concern I have about our Blue (and MOS) is that we overlook recent performance and go with prior formed judgments instead. An example is keeping an almost unused Bryant at DT and ignoring an extremely good performance by Montgomery at the same position. That's both deheartehing and demotivating to the rest of the team causing doubt that will cause a few to not try to go above and beyond - - not everyone, just a few - - unless it becomes common place and then it turns into a cancer.
The opposite we are witnessing right now  in Regina where everything is recent performance: it better be good or you are cut; this ignores talent and the potentially justifiable reasons for a poor outing. In Baseball even the team's best hitters go into slumps for a variety of reasons but eventually bounce back in a most pleasing way.

all these initials are becoming skiltg  testing Qs

Bond instead of Hardrick, Neuf or Couture at tackle

Last year the Bombers announced late so they could inform all the cuts personally ... I expect the same this year .... might even take till Monday for the press release ... but there are bloggers out there digging that may get us earlier news ... and some players may twitter their goodbye
Here is a guess at the roster (I am not sure how big the PR is to start the season ... I put 12 but if it is less pick your cuts  ... they may also cut more receivers  and keep some Canadian projects they drafted)
IR
Vernon Adams QB
Bryant DL
Demski SB
La France RB *
Leggett DB
Menard Briere K *
Nichols QB
Wild LB
 
 
PR
Awoke DL*
Cooper DB
Dye WR
Gause LB
Koczwara OL *
Lankford WR
Montgomery DE
Randle 80 WR
Rush FB *
Seisay DB
Thompkins WR
Washington WR
White WR
 
 
4 of the 46
Flanders 20 
Foketi 57 
Hardrick 51
Wilson 19
 
 
The 42 game day
DI
Fogg 3
Medlock 9
Roh 93
 
 
QB
Ross 18
Bennett
Streveler 17
FB
Augustine 35*
Miller 24 *
HB
Harris 33
SB
Bowman 12
SB
Peterman 71 *
Simonaise 13 *
Wolitarsky 82*
WR
Adams 1 
WR
Dressler 7
T
Bryant 96
T
Couture 59 *
G
Chungh 69*
G
Neufeld 53*
Speller 52*
C
Goosen 51
Spooner 64 *
Remple 46 LS
 
 
 
CB
Randle 8
CB
Alexander 37
DB
Walker 5
Conteh 26*
DB
Gaitor 23
Morgan 21 *
Firlotte 42 *
S
Loffler 16 *
Jones 0 *
MLB
Bighill
Miles 52 *
Renaud 40 *
WIL
Santos Knox 45
Briggs 34 *
Gauthier 44 *
SAM
Fenner 22
DE
Okpalaugo 54
Cormey 43*
DE
Jeffcoat 94
DT
Nevis 92
Ekakite 56 *
DT
Johnson 67
Thomas 39 *
 
 
CUT
Branning DB
Casher DE
Coney WR
DeBoer OL *
Henry WR *
Humes DB
Jones LB
Mahoney QB *
Ouellett De Carlo OL *
Pierre WR
Priester DB
Rodgers OL
Sayles DB
Thera-Plamondon  *

I will second that:   "just needs to manage the game, don't force the ball if its not there... " I hope Lapo can teach that to our stable of QB's ... I think we have great QB teachers in Lapo & Pierce and so I believe they will get that done
Looks like Ross has been selected to start but if he struggles expect another QB will be given a chance ...  But remember MOS tends to stick with his starters even when performing poorly .... fortunately I think QB will be a Lapo decision
I would not be surprised if we see all 3 QBs in one of the first 3 games