KptKrunch

As Mr.P says do a search on my comments (over at Our bombers) - I never liked that move. We sign him as a free agent after he was cut from B.C., I'd be ok with it. But a trade for a guy who was getting cut? Obviously you're in the 'Banks' camp aren't ya?

To play a bit of Devil's Advocate here, the sample size for Banks as a Bomber is extremely tiny. Yes, he definitely dropped off in BC last year, but when comparing him to guys like Dunn and Sears (who has been injured frequently), I'm not sure I agree with the thinking that our current players are so far and away better than Banks that he's expendable. That's usually a fair argument, but having a down year at 33 years old is a little different than having one at 25 or 26. Football players have an expiry, especially ones that rely on speed and physicality like Banks does. I was fine with the move to acquire him because we really didn't know what we had. I'm not saying one week determines what we have either but Sears when healthy has been an excellent player in this league and Dunn brings more tools to the table right now. That's exactly what I was (and already did) going to say. Banks best before date is long past, he's not 'young' enough to have a 'bounce back' year. He's not a 'skill' player per say. He's lost a step, and he's not as physical as he once was (I'm not dissing him here I'm sure his body is pretty banged up now he physically just can't). Buono was releasing him guaranteed. I never would have traded for him, and I wouldn't have signed him as an FA either. As I mentioned I get why Walters traded for him but why on earth would you sign him to an extension? LIke you say AKA - if he's 25/26 I get it, he's 34 now and done.

Nah, I"m a liberal. Everyone makes mistakes. Of course, the crime has to be realistic. I mean, to me, taking a gun and shooting someone is not a 'mistake' but an arson can be seen as a misdemeanor if the perpetrator is remorseful, a first time offender, and in this case a person who has some mental challenges to begin with. I really don't believe, given the very very limited information I have, that jail time would serve this kid well. I'm sure the Judge would have acted appropriately if he thought it was warranted. Now, if that poor kid went and did something that screwed with that Judges investments - I'm sure he'd be doing hard time in Stonewall for at least 5 years.

Yeah, saw that too. I knew he was in trouble as soon as he said that (Travis not Matt LOL) as Dunnigan wouldn't say something like that if he didn't know something. And no, Matty's not a doctor, but he was a QB, and next to a head shot, a QB's shoulder is the worst. I pulled my deltoid muscle - took two years to heal. Nothing anyone could do - if I were a QB, I wouldn't have been able to throw. After 9 months Lulay couldn't throw more than 25 yards..... shoulders are a ***** to heal. I have no idea if Lulay is 'done done' but I'd be surprised if we saw him this year. And if we do, we'll probably see the same Lulay as last year in the playoffs, which wasn't a pretty sight. It's too bad, we don't get enough good QB's up here (don't we know it) and I hate to see a QB cut down in his prime regardless of where he plays.

Too early. I could actually see Howard taking January's job next season. Bombers are high on him and January isn't getting any younger. He's only 31. He's got several good years left. I find too many people here dump on January. You guys forget that the Oline needs to work as a UNIT - and with all the players coming and going the last few years here, with January being the only 'stable' lineman, he's an easy target to pick on. The guy is a multi time all star. Trust me - he's good. He had a solid game yesterday and you can bet that will only continue. Looks like we got a great pair of bookends with January and Knapp, and Neufeld in there with Greaves and Morley the centre, looks to me like our Oline is pretty solid - as solid as it's ever been in the past 10 years i would say. January never was the problem here, just the whipping boy.

Well I still don't know why we got a guy that B.C. was going to cut anyway. He had a poor last couple of years and if there's anything at all I know about football is that, unlike other sports, like a dog, players go down hill very fast, they don't 'fade' very often. Especially when playing a physical position. Look, in his prime, Korey was definitely one of, if not the, best DB in the CFL. His prime was six years ago. You guys are right - no one will trade for him, and though Poblah never met expectations here you'd think we could have received an actual 'player' for him. Though, I do get why they got him, I wouldn't have but I get it. And I guess it's a good thing that we have players that are 'better' than him. I'd be concerned if he was our 3rd best linebacker. My bet - we cut him, he signs with Ottawa and he may remain there all year (possibly) but this will be his last year.

I initially felt the same about the fake punt, but it wasn't anything gimmicky or gadgety at all, just a total blown assignment by the Argo back on that side of the field to not cover the gunner. All the Bombers showed is that they are willing to take advantage of that. Yep 100% there. Don't worry Jaxon, no 'secrets' were revealed, other than Renauds lack of arm strength lol. If anything I'd have been pissed if they didn't do that. As said, no one (wearing argo colors) was within 30 yards of Sherman. That was just great recognition by Renaud and definitely the right thing to do. And you know what, if Ottawa does that, or any other opponent, we'll run the same play and the only thing that can stop it is Renaud's arm or the intended receiver dropping it.

I wouldn't say you were wrong, he was my pick too. Willy was two - best part is Willy was #3 for the bombers (they wanted Burris after Collaros went to Hamilton). It's cliche but so true in a lot of cases, and it is here - sometimes the best moves are the ones you don't make. We missed on Collaros, and we lost out on Burris. Not sure why people continue to claim that Willy was the third choice for the Bombers out of the three available quarterbacks. Collaros and Burris were pursued first because they were available first. It was well publicized that ideally we wanted both Willy and Burris but obviously that didn't pan out with the ridiculous contract he signed in Ottawa. The team is on record as saying Willy is the player they coveted most. No it's not because he's the one we ended up with but rather because he is simply the best quarterback of the three (what a novel concept), and I would have said that before last night as well without hesitation. Yes, and you did. I say it because of what I read and saw on the news - that the bombers wanted Collaros, and when Hamilton cut Burris then signed Collaros, the bombers went after Burris. So when Burris signed with Ottawa, Wpg made the trade with Sk to get Willy's rights and sign him. Sorry Mr. P - but if the Bomber had traded for his rights, which they easily could have done, prior to the Collaros / Burris drama, then it would be obvious he was our 'first' choice. But really, at the end of the day, what does it matter. I dare say we got the best one in the end and that's all that counts

Holy crap I love Leggett. He just hammered that guy in midair. It was awesomesauciness. Amazing how the bomber faithful finally have a legit QB to get behind (and I know there's some bad games there to be had, but Willy looks like the real deal to me - and I'll shout out Mr.Perfect as well for calling it - good job sir) but Cauchy in the safety position last year was worse than our QBing - he couldn't tackle (he was afraid actually - I know, I play football the same way, but I'm not paid to play lol... been paid not to though) and he had no idea where to be on the field in passing situations. Time and time again he was always on the wrong side of the field. Was he even in a training camp this year? My heart lept to my throat when Leggett when down. Does anyone know what that injury was, and is it something that may come back? We need him out there.

It was like this in the preseason too - something I've been wanting to mention but keep forgettng. I've never seen a bomber team with such discipline. I can't remember how many penalties we had against Toronto in our first exhibition game but we only had 2 against Calgary and yesterdays game, the only 'bad' penalty we had was the too many men one (which cost us) but in game one I can excuse that (not in a Grey Cup lol). And you're right to mention that in a thread like this. Penalties to me has always been a reflection of the personality of the team, which you get from your coach.

I wouldn't say you were wrong, he was my pick too. Willy was two - best part is Willy was #3 for the bombers (they wanted Burris after Collaros went to Hamilton). It's cliche but so true in a lot of cases, and it is here - sometimes the best moves are the ones you don't make. We missed on Collaros, and we lost out on Burris. We should all sign a "Thank You" card and send it to ole Hank (I never wanted that guy btw - never liked him he's a 'me first' kinda guy). The Cover will say Thank you and when you open it it'll say "FOR SAYING NO TO US" Yes, now we all know what a real QB looks like, not the crap that has been passing off as such over the past 7 or so years here (no offense meant to you Buck, you were a 'good' QB but you never an 'elite' one and with the injuries well, it is what it is).

Had him as my flex. Good numbers in that spot. I had Owens in there at flex. Embarrassed to say I cheered when he had that ST TD - but only because we had the game won already

And where did it all start boys - preseason. 0-2 last year, 0-2 this year. I've preached many times, check the Jets record in their second year (one loss to their farm team, then beat Chicago in their home opener 6 to 2 then beat Colorado for their next win - 30 games later) that pre-season wins / losses mean nothing. It's how you play, how you compete in those games. Last year was an embarrassment. This year was inspiring, the bombers fought,played 60 minutes and competed to the end. So the score surprised me insomuch as I thought the Argos' would be better, especially on offense. But the effort didn't. I said in another thread O'Shea would win coach of the year (and I said that a week ago) and I still stand by that. Still one game, and I don't think we'll make the playoffs, but we won't finished by Labour Day, and teams will not like the road trip to Wpg.

I felt kinda bad for him (not really). Problem here though wasn't the 'scheme', but the execution (not player execution). He's got a lot of new players there and no one expected much (especially Burke). But......... TONE TONE TONE. Remember last year, on Our Bombers - I freaked first on the two loser QB's we brought in, then I freaked on our exhibition games. I mean, first game we went over half field what, three times? Getting ONE field goal - against backups and training camp fodder. Then the following week, before the game the exulted (eh unknown poster) Tim Burke boasts to the media how in the Hamilton game we'll be whipped. 52 to 0 in an exhibition match is a joke. Nice tone to set sir! So lets fast forward to this year - what was/has/is Mike O'Shea saying? Any concerns? NO . Who's starting? THEY'RE ALL STARTERS. What's keeping you up at night? NOTHING Tim Burke "Our defense is a work in progress?" Tell me - who would you go to the wall for? Who inspires confidence in you? So yes, a lot of new players. Bombers have a lot of new players. The coach (and coordinators) are paid to 'lead' them. Burke leads his players to the bus, and puts them under it. And that's what we saw tonight - a defense who didn't believe in themselves because their coach doesn't. You need to remember people, the guys you see on the field - they have been playing ball all their lives. These aren't guys off the street. They need organisation and leadership first and foremost. If they don't have that - they don't stand a chance no matter how talented they are. On the flip side, we saw a confident group of Bomber players who even when something bad happened (like the Willy INT) they bounced right back. So Tim Burke, you got exactly what you deserved tonight, just like you got exactly what you deserved last year.

I had him as my fantasy running back this week - did any of you ? No TD's though

All the attendance figures were down this year though. Here in Edmonton the crowd was crappy too - though I don't now how many went, I wasn't there either. So I wouldn't judge the crowd on the pre-season. Not being in Wpg - I'm wondering if the lousy crowd (so far) has as much to do with the logistics of getting in and out of the Stadium as much as the product on the field? I've read it's 'better' but that doesn't mean it's 'good'. And if I were Wade Miller, I'd offer the public a half price sale for the first game of the year (too late now I know) including a rebate to season ticket holders as an apology to last year's travesty of a team. Believe it or not, that's what pissed me off more than anything. Seeing all those great fans who paid their hard earned money, and put up with the logistics of getting to and from the game, week after week, to watch that pathetic excuse of a football team. I still maintain that those fans are the best in the league, as the stadium kept selling out week after week. It wasn't until the last couple of home games that I saw empty seats (on TV) and frankly, I don't blame the fans this year. To those that are going - I wish you are thoroughly entertained. A win would be nice but I just hope I hear more cheers than groans

? No. That's why I quoted you. I really don't want to put anything in your mouth. Guess you don't understand the concept of someone who is seeing where Lawless is coming from vs someone who thinks that. Again, I'm commenting on Lawless's comments and I get where he is coming from - I can do that and not necessarily agree with it.

Willy will get 300+ yards to day and 3 td passes - but Ray will be over 400 yards, Owens over 200 himself - and 5 td passes. I don't like our defense going in

In this certainly, you will be quite alone. Seriously, you think a real live not cartoon professional football coach will struggle emotionally with leaving his starting QB in after only 15 minutes of the regular season if he doesn't experience immediate success? As for the list, they should have made it all Rider players. 46 plus 4 from the PR. Anything less is an flaming pile of crap in the eyes of impartial rider fans. ummmmm why would I be alone? I wouldn't be wanting a change. Lawless was commenting on O'Shea though I certainly don't agree with 1st quarter (those were Lawless's words) and secondly I don't think Willy is going to struggle. I just agree with Lawless's take on the whole thing in a general way. Lawless did not say (and neither did I) that Willy would be pulled. In fact, I'd be very surprised if he didn't pass for over 300 yards and threw at least two if not three TD passes. If you want to put words in my mouth - I'm thinking our Defense will be our undoing in this game as neither team is going in with a highly rated D. I'm also thinking Ray will pass for over 400 and Owens will get at least 200 of those a couple of TD's himself.

There are starters and there are backups on every team, the Bombers included. The starters have earned the right to be called starters and the backups hope to earn that right. The starters and the backups know who they are. The opposing coaches know who they are. Everyone who watches tonight's game will know who they are. It's no big secret that the coach has to protect. To me calling everyone starters is the same as giving everyone a participation ribbon in grade school. Well last year Burke's attitude is he didn't have any starters lol. So far, personally, I like what O'Shea is doing. I like the seed he is planting in bomberville. But you need to remember, being in Edmonton, and (now) a die hard Oiler fan, I was sold on Dallas Eakins and what he was saying before the season started this year too, and we all know how the Oilers fared don't we? I'm not insinuating here that the Bombers will crap he bed like the Oilers did, far from it. I am saying that until the bullets start to fly none of really know what will transpire. I do know though that O'Shea is a breath of fresh air here. I like his demeanor, I like his attitude, I like how he handles the press. I like how he refuses to put undo pressure on any of his players by announcing them all as starters and thus holding all of them accountable. And don't forget any one of the 24 that take the field are one hit or mis step away from going on the DL - which means one of the remaining 18 on the sidelines will in fact, be a 'starter'. So his statement isn't actually innaccurate, just all encompassing.

I actually like his attitude of having '42' starters. I mean, Burgess, look at it this way, you got Offense, you have defense, and you have Special Teams. Or do you not consider someone starting on 'special teams' a starter. I sure do. Now, still doing the math, that's '36' and we know there are players who 'start' on two of the three teams all over the place. But, there are injuries, there are rest breaks (for lineman especially). So when a player goes in to sub for an injury, or to give a player a rest, is he not 'starting' at that point. No, he may not be on the field for the opening snap, but riddle me this, opening snap, the Bombers run a play with 6 receivers and an empty backfield. Now assuming (from the depth chart) that Ford is the 'starting tailback' but is not on the field for the 'opening snap', is he now, in your eyes, not a starter? Just because you're on not on the field for the first play doesn't mean you're not a 'starter'. To me, all that O'Shea is saying is that if you're dressing for the game, you prepare for that game like you're a starter because I expect you to play like one if I need you. That's a big attitude shift and since neither you nor I have ever played Pro football, and O'Shea has, he could very well see his squad this way, and treat them this way. If I were the 42nd man, I can tell you personally I'd appreciate that kind of attitude from my coach very much.

Well Tracker until Montreal gets a QB they won't do much. I do not like Troy Smith and I think he'll be a UFA by Labour day

Ya, hearing about how Mike O'Shea is going to have to restrain himself from pulling Drew Willy if he struggles in a first quarter was enlightening. Lawless is out of his depth talking about actual sport, hockey, football, whatever. He's good at digging and working sources for information and creating soap opera-esque storylines. Sad that we couldn't get any thoughts from a guy like Lapolice on Drew Willy or anything Bomber related really. I don't know about that. From what I saw, all Lawless was saying is that O'Shea is used to winning with a credible QB. If the bombers O is struggling in the first quarter I'm sure O'Shea will be 'struggling' emotionally, inside about leaving him in there. Of course, if we had a Drew Tate or Kevin Glenn as a backup, I'm sure he'd make that move in a heart beat, we have Marve and Brohm though so I doubt O'Shea would do something unless he was forced to (Injury wise). To me though, what I heard was O'Shea wants to win but he'll have to learn patience. I agree with that and I think he will (learn patience) as otherwise he'll look like Tim Burke by seasons end (all wrinkly and gray, not the stupid 'WTF is going on' look that Tim Burke always had on his face).

Looking forward to it - will try to get in on the chat, have a viewing to go to tonight before the funeral tomorrow so I need to PVR the game though so probably won't join chat as I don't want any spoilers, should be back before the game ends unless we go out to eat later.

Well overall I enjoyed the show. My fav was Milt Stegalls segment, was it just me or does anyone else think he could make a comeback and be one of the top receivers in the league still? Good stuff. As for the bombers segment, don't forget guys, only 'local' Wpgers know about Lawless and his comments. It could have been a lot worse, it could have been Friesen! And FWIW, I think Lawless's comments were spot on.