mbrg

awwww that's so cute that you're pretending not to be a raging rider homer on this site. 

What he has done best so far is bringing down the ball on plays he has little business making.  Unless Urrutia steps up the job should be Kelly's.  He is earning it this year.
 
Usually the guy we have on the wide side is a NI we're stuffing over there in hopes of meeting the ratio and not hurting the team.  Kelly on the wide side is actually a threat.

The name does seem familiar.  Did he also build my computer?
 
Cornell seems like an easy James Green-type pickup.  Could make our special teams much better than using some of our other NI backups.  Now can he take any meaningful reps on D?  Probably not, but I'll cross my fingers just the same.
 
Urrutia hasn't done much to earn a roster spot at this point other than be tall.  Cutdowns are only 3 days away - at this point I'm keeping Dell on the roster ahead of him if that's a choice the numbers forces us to make.

So how do you want to use him?  Describe his place on the team, his role, what he will actually contribute.  Be specific.  Connect some dots and demonstrate how he will make this team better this year in real and practical ways.
 
Example of being specific (that requires a fictional depth chart that some will argue about even though that is clearly not the point), if Cotton is our starting RB and Ford is our DI who will replace Cotton in games in the event of injury or rest or pee break - Messam is not as good a running back as Ford (I should probably use Grigsby so all the people who don't like Ford aren't wasting their time arguing a point that isn't the point, but I suspect the Bombers will keep Ford around over Grigsby so I will remain true to myself, jeez this is a really long aside).  (I'll just underline everything not in parenthesis so it's semi-readable)
 
So either the Bombers are going to use:
- Cotton, Ford, Volny
 
Or under your scenario:
- Cotton, Messam, Volny
 
There is no realistic scenario where the Bombers use:
- Cotton, Messam, Ford
 
And there is no practical reason for the Bombers to use:
-Cotton, Ford, Messam
as Messam has no reason to ever touch the ball in that scenario.
 
Practical and specific examples provided.
 
Please feel free to argue with some practical and specific examples as to why you think Messam improves this team.  Messam being better than Volny as a RB has never been a point of debate.  Only the complete lack of practical relevance that his superiority has is being argued.

So how do you want to use him?  Describe his place on the team, his role, what he will actually contribute.  Be specific.  Connect some dots and demonstrate how he will make this team better this year in real and practical ways.
 
Example of being specific (that requires a fictional depth chart that some will argue about even though that is clearly not the point), if Cotton is our starting RB and Ford is our DI who will replace Cotton in games in the event of injury or rest or pee break - Messam is not as good a running back as Ford (I should probably use Grigsby so all the people who don't like Ford aren't wasting their time arguing a point that isn't the point, but I suspect the Bombers will keep Ford around over Grigsby so I will remain true to myself, jeez this is a really long aside).  (I'll just underline everything not in parenthesis so it's semi-readable)
 
So either the Bombers are going to use:
- Cotton, Ford, Volny
 
Or under your scenario:
- Cotton, Messam, Volny
 
There is no realistic scenario where the Bombers use:
- Cotton, Messam, Ford
 
And there is no practical reason for the Bombers to use:
-Cotton, Ford, Messam
as Messam has no reason to ever touch the ball in that scenario.
 
Practical and specific examples provided.
 
Please feel free to argue with some practical and specific examples as to why you think Messam improves this team.  Messam being better than Volny as a RB has never been a point of debate.  Only the complete lack of practical relevance that his superiority has is being argued.

Stephan will be hurt in the first half of the first game and be gone for the year. So it really doesn't matter.

I'm really starting to think Aaron Kelly should be starting over Urrutia. He's made some nice contested grabs today.
Urrutia has never impressed me like he has others. I just don't see it in him.
Kemp not practicing either I don't think I mentioned him.

This was from Kowalczuk facebook page. Pretty classy way to handle it hopefully he sticks around Winnipeg.

You know there's one more DI spot on the roster this year, right?  It's up to 4.
 
OShea is saying he's using one of those spots on a backup RB.  That's why upgrading Volny to Messam is irrelevant.  It accomplishes nothing.  Cotton needs a rest, Ford goes in.  Not Volny.
 
Messam being better than Volny doesn't help the Bombers get better, unless he can play Oline, Dline, LB.  Something like that.  I'm all about upgrades but there has to be a point.  OShea is telling you there is no point.

Seems pretty straightforward, they will be using a DI spot for the backup RB, who will get some amount of returner duty.  Perhaps all.
 
I don't think anyone will dispute that 2011 Messam is a better RB than Volny.  Who knows what he is now.  He can't hold a job despite being a potential ratio-breaker, so he's probably not really a ratio-breaker anymore.  However, for the sake of argument, let's say his superiority over Volny is not in dispute.
 
I don't think anyone will dispute that Volny is a better ST player than Messam, since Messam doesn't play teams.
 
So if Volny is not likely to touch the ball as a RB more than twice a game all season (rewarding the worker bees) but plays 18 snaps a game on teams, which Messam can't replace, and Messam is unlikely to get any more snaps at RB because our DI is outright better, then yeah, Messam is a waste of a roster spot.  If his last name was Etienne you'd all be losing your minds about how big a waste of a roster spot he would be.

Seems pretty straightforward, they will be using a DI spot for the backup RB, who will get some amount of returner duty.  Perhaps all.
 
I don't think anyone will dispute that 2011 Messam is a better RB than Volny.  Who knows what he is now.  He can't hold a job despite being a potential ratio-breaker, so he's probably not really a ratio-breaker anymore.  However, for the sake of argument, let's say his superiority over Volny is not in dispute.
 
I don't think anyone will dispute that Volny is a better ST player than Messam, since Messam doesn't play teams.
 
So if Volny is not likely to touch the ball as a RB more than twice a game all season (rewarding the worker bees) but plays 18 snaps a game on teams, which Messam can't replace, and Messam is unlikely to get any more snaps at RB because our DI is outright better, then yeah, Messam is a waste of a roster spot.  If his last name was Etienne you'd all be losing your minds about how big a waste of a roster spot he would be.

Remind me again about the order that these QBs became available….

So has football started yet?
 
There's a lot of interesting information out there.  Word origins, name origins, languages, history.  That's why this thread remained interesting.  I had forgotten there was a time when people actually thought the New Jersey Devils were referencing the actual devil.  Apparently Brandon knows some people who still do.  Now you can tell them you learned the actual origin, and on a football message board of all places.
 
Brandon, well, how best to explain this - when my kids are arguing with each other in a manner most childlike they always want to have the last word.  When they try that with me I don't say anything in response.  Maturity comes with adulthood.  For some much later than others.  I hope any pokes or prods contained in my responses were taken in reasonably good humour, they were not meant as insults.  You are certainly not required to care at all about any of the problems in the world or even acknowledge those problems exist.  That has largely become the platform of the republican party.
 
I have no interest in having the last word.  Or the most words.  Or the loudest words.  I have great interest in finding the right words, and that will be a work in progress until I shuffle off.  mbrg out.

Last year, yes, I agree that is the way it plays out.  This year?  OShea has not been conventional or safe.  Hall as backup is the smart safe choice, the high percentage play.  Marve spending 2 years on the sidelines holding clipboards and charting plays is the conventional route.
 
If Marve does anything in Calgary like what he did here I'd put the odds at 2 to 1 Marve starts the season as backup.  OShea is rewarding performance and nothing else.  Some might say that he's not looking at the big picture if he does something like that.  He'd probably say performance is the big picture.
 
As for me, I've just seen too many guys flame out because of the difficulties they have understanding the CFL.  Marve holding that clipboard for a year or two is how I'd approach it, but I'm not getting the big bucks or wearing the headset.
 
Hopefully we never have to see our backups play anyways.  Except for those games when we're up 70-0 and the cheerleaders have already dragged Willy off to the dressing room with 10 minutes left.

That's a great read, thanks for doing all that typing.

Thoughts Between Pre-Season Games
 
http://2ndand10.blogspot.ca/

Last year, yes, I agree that is the way it plays out.  This year?  OShea has not been conventional or safe.  Hall as backup is the smart safe choice, the high percentage play.  Marve spending 2 years on the sidelines holding clipboards and charting plays is the conventional route.
 
If Marve does anything in Calgary like what he did here I'd put the odds at 2 to 1 Marve starts the season as backup.  OShea is rewarding performance and nothing else.  Some might say that he's not looking at the big picture if he does something like that.  He'd probably say performance is the big picture.
 
As for me, I've just seen too many guys flame out because of the difficulties they have understanding the CFL.  Marve holding that clipboard for a year or two is how I'd approach it, but I'm not getting the big bucks or wearing the headset.
 
Hopefully we never have to see our backups play anyways.  Except for those games when we're up 70-0 and the cheerleaders have already dragged Willy off to the dressing room with 10 minutes left.

Good article about Marve's history from Scott Billeck:
 
 
http://mytoba.ca/sports/its-been-a-long-road-to-winnipeg-for-qb-robert-marve/

Who knows.  After Saturday they might both be unemployed and Walters might have made a trade for DeMarco.  Marve might end up as a footnote in the 2014 season and nothing more.
 
I was just (sarcastically) pointing out that we all know that having a QB with a strong arm in addition to smarts and accuracy is better than having one without a strong arm.  The point was that if your QB is not smart and accurate, that strong arm is of almost no value at all.

A little bit surprised, but guys whose names score well in scrabble tend to be more memorable.

The old "overblown reaction post"?
 
Let's see, you opened with:
 
 
because for some reason only you have the clarity of vision to think that better quarterbacks are better than worse quarterbacks.  Uh, great.
 
Well let's play the one up game - the Bombers should find a QB with brains, accuracy and a strong arm....and mobility.
No, wait - they should get a QB with brains, accuracy, a strong arm, mobility....and experience.
Nope, nope, they should get a QB with brains, accuracy, a strong arm, mobility, experience....and durability.
 
No, no, that guy would be garbage, they should get a QB with brains, accuracy, a strong arm, mobility, experience, durability, leadership, a strong family background and early upbringing in the missionary field, a dad who was a football coach in high school, beautiful Dinwiddie eyes AND Usain Bolt-like speed.
 
Anything less is not worthy of consideration.
 
(you were arguing against a point that no one was making)

The problem Lawless has is that he's really the stereotypical media douchebag. If he likes someone then it's great but if he's got an axe to grind with someone being an objective reporter is out the window and he's dragging people through the mud. I really have a dislike for media people with personal vendettas. 

Weakest arm of the bunch is a relative statement.  He gets some grief for that but I'm pretty sure he can put enough zip on the ball to knock a tooth out of my face while I'm standing 15 yards away from him and explaining his lack of arm strength to him.
 
A strong arm allows a QB to force balls into tight coverage before the DB can react.  That sounds like a good thing, and it can be, but it can also be a crutch for QBs who aren't good at reading coverage, or a problem for QBs who think they can throw the ball hard enough to beat any coverage.  Known as a Bishop.  When a QB understands the CFL better he knows which passes are available to him on any given play.  Sometimes the out pass will be there for Hall, sometimes it won't.  He has to be smart enough to see it.  He seems pretty cerebral in his approach.  Last year he was a CFL rookie.  He had lot of NFL experience but history has shown that doesn't mean much.  He picked it all up pretty quick and ended up as our best QB last year (not saying much) despite being a rookie and having a "weak arm".
 
The goal is to win games this year, not accumulate the most project players.  Odds are that Hall as our backup gives us a better chance to do that than the other two, at least in the short term.  There is plenty of camp left to see what kind of challenge Brohm can put up.  Sounds like he mounted one today.

Can't tear his ACL.  He's practically indestructible now.

Not totally true. Taman had that big coup in 2005 when he signed Kamau Peterson out of free agency...that went well...
That one year Taman traded a first rounder for Gauthier I couldn't complain. Starting NI tackles are gold Jerry gold....