BigBlue

Robert, given very good odds, how much  of your own money would you spend on this prediction/bet?
At least a looney? 

Take a look at the stadium photograph above.
Maybe just tear down half the stands, get rid of the track, and build the opposite side with new stands filled with private boxes. In a government town like Edmonton they would find ways of filling those boxes without violating some sense of propriety. The old stands that remain could be discounted relative to the new stands on the opposite side, which would help bring in families at prices they could afford. Yes, renew the refreshment stands and washrooms in the old sections. Meanwhile the new stands would be able to handle more premium food and drink sales. There is a lot of money in Edmonton that would want premium seating, higher end refreshments and all that kind of stuff. The private boxes could add in luxury amenities.
This is not hard to figure out; it's just hard to get past the little fiefdoms that exist in the political arena; they bow to the big money in that city. Some leading figure/s would somehow have to sponsor such.
Leadership would have to go beyond the old boys club that tends to dominate the Board of Directors in cities like Edmonton and Winnipeg. Wade Miller did it here. Such a leader needs good background in both marketing and applicable business skills. That's how community-based teams can continue. In Regina they got Mosaic Stadium done but they've gone backwards in football operations.
In Calgary, the CFL does not have the sex appeal that the status minded have for the Flames. That's more politics and a lack of civic leadership in Canada's leading business city. Calgary's mayor's office has a disproportionate amount of power while the business people are too focused on making lots of money. Again football needs a civic champion in that community.

Of all the quarterbacks outlined in the list above, the one I had particular fondness for was our current offensive coordinator, Buck Pierce. Yes he was on the downside of his career but I still thought he played okay if he wasn't too banged up. He could huck the ball and make plays with his legs. He was filled with heart and intensity. I just enjoyed watching him play. But yeah, he is turning out to be a way better coordinator than he was a QB, even at its prime. Always was and still is a favourite of mine.

Of all the quarterbacks outlined in the list above, the one I had particular fondness for was our current offensive coordinator, Buck Pierce. Yes he was on the downside of his career but I still thought he played okay if he wasn't too banged up. He could huck the ball and make plays with his legs. He was filled with heart and intensity. I just enjoyed watching him play. But yeah, he is turning out to be a way better coordinator than he was a QB, even at its prime. Always was and still is a favourite of mine.

Of all the quarterbacks outlined in the list above, the one I had particular fondness for was our current offensive coordinator, Buck Pierce. Yes he was on the downside of his career but I still thought he played okay if he wasn't too banged up. He could huck the ball and make plays with his legs. He was filled with heart and intensity. I just enjoyed watching him play. But yeah, he is turning out to be a way better coordinator than he was a QB, even at its prime. Always was and still is a favourite of mine.

Of all the quarterbacks outlined in the list above, the one I had particular fondness for was our current offensive coordinator, Buck Pierce. Yes he was on the downside of his career but I still thought he played okay if he wasn't too banged up. He could huck the ball and make plays with his legs. He was filled with heart and intensity. I just enjoyed watching him play. But yeah, he is turning out to be a way better coordinator than he was a QB, even at its prime. Always was and still is a favourite of mine.

Pass - Run: who cares
November games hurt attendance and weaken the whole league ... many fans stay home when they would attend in May
MOVE THE GC TO THE 1ST SUNDAY IN NOVEMBER

Pass - Run: who cares
November games hurt attendance and weaken the whole league ... many fans stay home when they would attend in May
MOVE THE GC TO THE 1ST SUNDAY IN NOVEMBER

Pass - Run: who cares
November games hurt attendance and weaken the whole league ... many fans stay home when they would attend in May
MOVE THE GC TO THE 1ST SUNDAY IN NOVEMBER

i cut my teeth on leo lewis and kenny ploen: inside the 10 yard line, lateral to lewis, lateral back to ploen, then a pass often to lewis, or ploen just walks into the endzone
over and over, game after game
now thats football

i cut my teeth on leo lewis and kenny ploen: inside the 10 yard line, lateral to lewis, lateral back to ploen, then a pass often to lewis, or ploen just walks into the endzone
over and over, game after game
now thats football

i cut my teeth on leo lewis and kenny ploen: inside the 10 yard line, lateral to lewis, lateral back to ploen, then a pass often to lewis, or ploen just walks into the endzone
over and over, game after game
now thats football

i cut my teeth on leo lewis and kenny ploen: inside the 10 yard line, lateral to lewis, lateral back to ploen, then a pass often to lewis, or ploen just walks into the endzone
over and over, game after game
now thats football

Brady is not worth any way thing near Nic Demski  ($175k+)...  I expect BO will be offered around 140 with incentives = $150k take it or leave it

I have lost track of Demski's contract status ... very quiet like most of the Blue /// any updates?
 

Why Jeopardize Our Most Important Assets ?
When a team loses its starting quarterback, home team walk-up traffic and television ratings are crushed; the weaknesses of the league  are exposed.   TSN loses a bit of money and a lot of interest; fans call us a bush league and public interest wanes. The most money spent by any team ALWAYS  is on its most valuable asset, so what is the league’s brain trust thinking? Are they trying to please the players Association? Are they hoping to hit highlight reels of an athlete being destroyed? Are we trying to claim that our 100+ year history and heritage mandates we need to show grit?
Our referees need to be instructed to protect our quarterbacks at all costs! EXPLICITY and in detail. Just a feather of too much force brings out the flag. Forget about referee’s discretion. Make it costly for them to miss a roughing call. Put the whole league on a mission to keep our starting quarterbacks upright. Go overboard making “roughing the passer” punitive.
“When in doubt about a roughness call or potentially dangerous tactic against the quarterback, the Referee should always call roughing the passer.” (NFL Policy)
Our game will change, if we want it to. It’s a simple matter of will. There is no doubt what the  but the NFL has done. We need to more than a match their actions. We have more at stake. THE CFL HAS TO ABSOLUTELY WITHOUT EXCEPTION ENFORCE THE QB PROTECTION RULES. REFEREES NEED TO BE FORCED TO COMPLY.
What is the “hug rule”?
“A rushing defender is prohibited from committing such intimidating and punishing acts as “stuffing” a passer into the ground or unnecessarily wrestling or driving him down after the passer has thrown the ball, even if the rusher makes his initial contact with the passer within the one-step limitation… When tackling a passer who is in a defenseless posture (e.g., during or just after throwing a pass), a defensive player must not unnecessarily or violently throw him down or land on top of him with all or most of the defender’s weight. Instead, the defensive player must strive to wrap up the passer with the defensive player’s arms and not land on the passer with all or most of his body weight.”
One more thing: “A player who initiates contact against a passer is responsible for avoiding an illegal act… pass rushers are responsible for being aware of the position of the ball in passing situations”. In other words, the onus must be on the defensive player to have the awareness required to avoid fouling the quarterback.
So if the defensive pass rusher pulls up and “hugs the quarterback” instead of throwing him into the ground, there is no penalty; but following through yields a 25 yard penalty, a game misconduct and an automatic one-game suspension. Multiple infractions will carry even more harsh retribution.
Real change will happen rapidly.
 
For everyone’s  information, here is a fairly comprehensive set of the NFL’s roughing the passer rules:
https://operations.nfl.com/the-rules/nfl-video-rulebook/roughing-the-passer/
ROUGHING THE PASSER
Because the act of passing often puts the quarterback (or any other player attempting a pass) in a position where he is particularly vulnerable to injury, special rules against roughing the passer apply. The Referee has principal responsibility for enforcing these rules. Any physical acts against a player who is in a passing posture (i.e. before, during, or after a pass) which, in the Referee’s judgment, are unwarranted by the circumstances of the play will be called as fouls. The Referee will be guided by the following principles:
Roughing will be called if, in the Referee’s judgment, a pass rusher clearly should have known that the ball had already left the passer’s hand before contact was made; pass rushers are responsible for being aware of the position of the ball in passing situations; the Referee will use the release of the ball from the passer’s hand as his guideline that the passer is now fully protected; once a pass has been released by a passer, a rushing defender may make direct contact with the passer only up through the rusher’s first step after such release (prior to second step hitting the ground); thereafter the rusher must be making an attempt to avoid contact and must not continue to “drive through” or otherwise forcibly contact the passer; incidental or inadvertent contact by a player who is easing up or being blocked into the passer will not be considered significant.
A rushing defender is prohibited from committing such intimidating and punishing acts as “stuffing” a passer into the ground or unnecessarily wrestling or driving him down after the passer has thrown the ball, even if the rusher makes his initial contact with the passer within the one-step limitation provided for in (a) above. When tackling a passer who is in a defenseless posture (e.g., during or just after throwing a pass), a defensive player must not unnecessarily or violently throw him down or land on top of him with all or most of the defender’s weight. Instead, the defensive player must strive to wrap up the passer with the defensive player’s arms and not land on the passer with all or most of his body weight.
In covering the passer position, Referees will be particularly alert to fouls in which defenders impermissibly use the helmet and/or facemask to hit the passer, or use hands, arms, or other parts of the body to hit the passer forcibly in the head or neck area (see also the other unnecessary roughness rules covering these subjects). A defensive player must not use his helmet against a passer who is in a defenseless posture—for example, (1) forcibly hitting the passer’s head or neck area with the helmet or facemask, even if the initial contact of the defender’s helmet or facemask is lower than the passer’s neck, and regardless of whether the defensive player also uses his arms to tackle the passer by encircling or grasping him; or (2) lowering the head and making forcible contact with any part of the helmet against any part of the passer’s body. This rule does not prohibit incidental contact by the mask or non-crown parts of the helmet in the course of a conventional tackle on a passer.
A rushing defender is prohibited from forcibly hitting in the knee area or below a passer who has one or both feet on the ground, even if the initial contact is above the knee. It is not a foul if the defender is blocked (or fouled) into the passer and has no opportunity to avoid him.
Notes
A defender cannot initiate a roll or lunge and forcibly hit the passer in the knee area or below, even if he is being contacted by another player.
It is not a foul if the defender swipes or grabs a passer in the knee area or below in an attempt to tackle him, provided he does not make forcible contact with the helmet, shoulder, chest, or forearm.
A passer who is standing still or fading backward after the ball has left his hand is obviously out of the play and must not be unnecessarily contacted by an opponent through the end of the down or until the passer becomes a blocker, or a runner, or, in the event of a change of possession during the down, until he assumes a distinctly defensive position. However, at any time after the change of possession, it is a foul if:
an opponent forcibly hits the quarterback’s head or neck area with his helmet, facemask, forearm, or shoulder
if an opponent lowers his head and makes forcible contact with any part of his helmet against any part of the passer’s body. This provision does not prohibit incidental contact by the mask or the helmet in the course of a conventional block.
When the passer goes outside the pocket area and either continues moving with the ball (without attempting to advance the ball as a runner) or throws while on the run, he loses the protection of the one-step rule provided for in (a) above, and the protection against a low hit provided for in (e) above, but he remains covered by all the other special protections afforded to a passer in the pocket (b, c, d, and f), as well as the regular unnecessary roughness rules applicable to all player positions. If the passer stops behind the line and clearly establishes a passing posture, he will then be covered by all of the special protections for passers.
The Referee must blow the play dead as soon as the passer is clearly in the grasp and control of any tackler behind the line, and the passer’s safety is in jeopardy.
Note:
 A player who initiates contact against a passer is responsible for avoiding an illegal act. This includes illegal contact that may occur during the process of attempting to dislodge the ball. A standard of strict liability applies for any contact against a passer, irrespective of any acts by the passer, such as ducking his head or curling up his body in anticipation of contact.
Penalty: For Roughing the Passer: Loss of 15 yards and an automatic first down; disqualification if flagrant.
Notes
When in doubt about a roughness call or potentially dangerous tactic against the quarterback, the Referee should always call roughing the passer.
See 8-6-1-c–d for personal fouls prior to completion or interception.
 

"Dru will likely look for the biggest possible deal " how can you read his mind? know his intentions?
Brown has said in public he loves being mentored by zc ... that is very big
 

I expect MOS & Ritchie's decisions on Biggie's replacement will be best ... they keep inserting players that  they are familiar with & likewise their team mates .... lesser players are more because of greater harmony ... it might why MOS has stuck with Jackson ... he has knowledge of where ZC will be ... a newbie at the FB position might not as much ... and we don't know what effect Jackson's indominable spirit might spread to the people beside him ... he might be the least talented player on the field but it is just possible that Michael O'Shea might know what he is doing ... maybe its NOT a blind spot

I do not know when they vote on MOP bur Brady vs Kelly is not leaving much room for favoritism after today's two games
 

I am sticking to my opinion that "resting" can cause rust and over confidence just like it did to Toronto this year.

I have been sorta Keepin' Tabs on 3DN ... all year ... there is a definite attitude there ... even when the Blue were in their glory after a great game, 3DN would focus on the loser and analyze what went wrong ... they just would NOt give it up for the Bombers

One thing this site is not is gracious in victory... humility actually works and I believe MOS and his teams are just that ... bullying might be sweet in the short run but its a world that brings out the worst in everyone ... I like MOS ' s approach and that's how he gets the best out of his buy-ins.

Toronto's loss reminds me very much of the 2001 Blue Bomber western final loss ... we dominated the whole season and "decided" to rest the stars AND Glenn Suiter Rod Black style   kept our most important players out to keep them from getting injured ...
Well we came out flat as a pancake and could not shake the rust off ... no Grey Cup appearance for the most deserving players ... assk Milt Steagall for details:
"Offensively, Winnipeg topped the circuit with 509 points. The defense proved to be a force, as the Blue Bombers surrendered 383 points, lowest in the league. Khari Jones led the charge, throwing for 4,545 yards. Milt Stegall caught 81 balls for 1,214 yards.
Charles Roberts rushed for a team-high 620 yards, while Eric Blount also buoyed the ground attack.
Juran Bolden picked off 6 opponent throws. Doug Brown blasted opposing passers 7 times."
https://www.statscrew.com/football/roster/t-CFLWPG/y-2001#google_vignette 
I believe when a team has that big a lead for 1st place, on every "nothing game", all the starters need to play at least the first half, if not the whole game ... the secondary players only come in when victory looks likely (see Tom Brady). Last year it cost us a Cup when ZC hurt his wheels but we were still VERY close. A little more intensity earlier in the game and it would not have been close.
I do not expect a relaxed attitude this time... the whole team has something to prove ...  and yes talent overcomes luck ... just like yesterdays Hail Mary TD

I expect the CONTROLLED method was the key to the whole game ... it was the KEY mindset that was the difference maker ... AND it will be the same strategy for Cody Fajaro ... rinse and repeat
no need for hero plays

I do not know when they vote on MOP bur Brady vs Kelly is not leaving much room for favoritism after today's two games