Training camp is over .... adjustments have been made  and its time for the opening kickoff

Anybody change their minds on how preseason changed their expectations for this year .... Montreal thrashing Ottawa changed mine .... cutting Willy raise my hopes for the Argos .... Edmonton looks stronger than I first thought and Regina even worse

For the first time in years I am forecasting Winnipeg finishes first in the league  .. just an optimistic hunch .... I forecast these final standings:

Winnipeg

Calgary

Vancouver

Edmonton

Ottawa

Montreal

Toronto

Hamilton

Regina

 

 

 

 

Oh I don't know.. Mike Kelly was a **** for sure.. But he was a decent coach. He almost got us to the playoffs with Michael fricking Bishop. The year before he was in Edmonton and helped Ricky Ray achieve the best season of his career. He was also the OC for some really good Bomber offenses in the 90's including Dunigans 700 yard passing game, and the HC for Reid's single game rushing record. The biggest problem is Taman had a lot of over paid, underachieving vets on his roster the year before so it was somewhat of a rebuilding season. I personally think he laid the ground work for the success of the 2011 Grey Cup team. He obviously had his faults and I don't blame them for going another direction after the season but scrubs like Reinbold, and Burke were a whole level worse then Kelly.. Infact the Burke era was some of the most unbearable football I've ever seen. You almost came into the game hoping new players would make an impact and were worth keeping for next season instead of expecting to win the game. 

20 minutes ago, 17to85 said:

You can disagree all you like, it still doesn't make you right. 

Part of coaching skill is being able to keep the ego in check too. I mean **** Chris Jones did fine when he had someone to keep his lunacy in line, but it doesn't make him any less of a **** up when he doesn't have that control over him. 

You want to make claims that a guy wasn't so bad a coach you better be prepared to back it up because Mike Kelly was among the worst things to happen to this franchise. 

I've already said why I don't think hes a horrible coach.. his record wasn't the worst we've seen, his offense wasn't the worst we've seen.  while not as a CFL head coach, he has won a head coach of the year award AND a championship level at NCAA DIV III level.  So, I'm pretty sure i've backed up my claim.  why I need to reiterate this **** again, I don't know but like I said.  I'm done with this thread and discussion. I've said my piece, I've made my claims and backed them up. you dont agree, thats fine.  I think hes not the worst coach to have ever graced a football field,  guess I'm some kind of stupid. 

Edited August 9, 20178 yr by SPuDS
brain farted.

1 minute ago, 17to85 said:

You can disagree all you like, it still doesn't make you right. 

Part of coaching skill is being able to keep the ego in check too. I mean **** Chris Jones did fine when he had someone to keep his lunacy in line, but it doesn't make him any less of a **** up when he doesn't have that control over him. 

You want to make claims that a guy wasn't so bad a coach you better be prepared to back it up because Mike Kelly was among the worst things to happen to this franchise. 

So, if we exclude Kelly's oversized ego and the accompanying asshattery, his 20 years out of date playbook (Kelly's Greatest Hits of the 90's), his screwing up as a GM and his losing record, can we agree that Kelly wasn't that bad?   I for one will always have at least one fond memory of that year; the picture of Kelly with the rolling container cleaning out his stuff after being fired.  That and his mug shot.  So there are two things that Kelly gave us that we can cherish always.  We need to acknowledge that I think.

So there, you're both right!

The only good thing Mike Kelly did was trash the media in this city and put them in their place with the handled internally presser. Literally the only good thing. 

6 minutes ago, SPuDS said:

I've already said why I don't think hes a horrible coach.. his record wasn't the worst we've seen, his offense wasn't the worst we've seen.  while not as a CFL head coach, he has won a head coach of the year award AND a championship level at NCAA DIV 1 level.  So, I'm pretty sure i've backed up my claim.  why I need to reiterate this **** again, I don't know but like I said.  I'm done with this thread and discussion. I've said my piece, I've made my claims and backed them up. you dont agree, thats fine.  I think hes not the worst coach to have ever graced a football field,  guess I'm some kind of stupid. 

NCAA Division lll

5 minutes ago, 17to85 said:

The only good thing Mike Kelly did was trash the media in this city and put them in their place with the handled internally presser. Literally the only good thing. 

Signed Phillip Hunt, traded for O'dell Willis, signed Hefney, signed Jovon Johnson, brought in Adaruis Bowman who is still a star today. All these guys except for Hefney who was arguably the best of them all are still in the CFL today almost 8 years later. I call BS

4 minutes ago, Jpan85 said:

NCAA Division lll

damnit. brain farted again. somehow saw DIV I.. thanks for the correction.

 

37 minutes ago, SPuDS said:

I mistakenly assumed he wasn't the GM.. doesn't change the fact that those were the QBs available to him. 

nothing you nor anyone else is going to say is suddenly going to make me go "oh, gee willickers you are so right.  how could I have not seen this or thought that!"

 

smfh.   I'm so done with this ridiculous thread and discussion. forgive me for having a bloody opinion that differs. 

 

Kevin Glenn was available to him...

And lol at you for pouting about people responding to your post on an internet forum.

Edited August 9, 20178 yr by sweep the leg

Just now, sweep the leg said:

Why post your thoughts on an internet forum if you don't want people to respond to you? Start a blog...

Kevin Glenn was available to him...

And lol at you for pouting about people responding to your post on an internet forum.

I was a big fan of KG back in the days but the fans ran him out of town..

Just now, Arnold_Palmer said:

I was a big fan of KG back in the days but the fans ran him out of town..

It's still Kelly's fault for listening to the fans.

1 minute ago, sweep the leg said:

It's still Kelly's fault for listening to the fans.

Listening to the fans...yeah, that's how a team should be run.

We should be sitting JFG and Coates in the next game because certain fans think they "need to see" the NI receivers on our practise roster.

5 minutes ago, sweep the leg said:

 

Kevin Glenn was available to him...

And lol at you for pouting about people responding to your post on an internet forum.

yea, getting tired of being told to explain myself, doing so and then getting told to do it again whilst getting insulted, is pouting.

good show, thanks for clarifying that for me.

 

smfh.

Kelly was supposed to be a QB Guru....he was supposed to be the offensive genius.......his personal choices for QBs and how to use them were beyond awful and among the all time worst in league history. I've never been more embarrassed to be a Bombers fan than when he was here. 

Any coach would be brilliant with Matt Dunigan as his qb. And a dunce with Michael Bishop as his qb. Kelly's problem was 2 fold. One, he wanted to run an 80's style offense with  a 2 back offense which meant one less slot. In a pass happy league like the CFL that hampered what we could do throwing the ball. Two, he was horrible as a person here. Not just as a coach.  He was mean spirited, angry, untrustworthy & stubborn. The media loved Kellywhen he was here in 1993 & I think they welcomed him back but he sure turned that goodwill into a negative fast. 

23 minutes ago, Arnold_Palmer said:

I was a big fan of KG back in the days but the fans ran him out of town..

disagree,... fans don't make personnel decisions... and I am quite thankful for that most of the time...

Kevin Glenn is better today, 9 years later, than any QB we've had since... save for Buck and Nichols...

I also don't totally disagree with Spuds point... he was 1 win away from a home playoff game... however he made far too many stupid personnel and in-game decisions... I'll kindly refer to him as a bad coach, rather than a terrible coach...  

Edited August 9, 20178 yr by bearpants

 

I sold Mike Kelly a stereo when I worked at Best Buy at the time of his coaching tenure. Didn't buy the extended warranty though.

There. Glad to get that off my chest, thanks for letting me contribute to this discussion.

 

NFL begins the transition to full time referees.    Can the CFL afford to do the same?  Can they afford not to?

 

Great move by the NFL. One step closer to continuity and consistency for the refs. I would love to see that in the CFL but I don't know if it's in the budget for the CFL. Referring has been especially bad this year. 

Kelly , like Jones, allowed his hubris and new sherriff in town shtick to blind him to the fact you simply dont screw around with the QB position no matter how it offends your ego and image cultivation .

Like Jones/ Durant Kelly thought Glenn was disposable and no QB under his watch was ever as viable as Glenn could have been.

3 hours ago, SPuDS said:

oh christ.  of course I can.  but at the end of the day, its still pretty telling if you can win a championship AND a coach of the year honour at  the american university level (even if its not in a big conference or division) 

 

Tell that to Chip Kelly. Some people are just better suited to college ball then the pros. Mike is likely one of them.

As for his lack of QB....he was the one who decided to cut the still playing Kevin Glenn. So he put himself in that **** for qb's position. Its 100% on him.

Im not even getting involved in the good coach/bad coach stuff...i just dokt think you can equate a college championship to good pro level coaching...especially when its not even div 1. As well as him having no luck under player personel department  (qb) when it was legit his entire fault he was there in the first place. 

1 hour ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

Any coach would be brilliant with Matt Dunigan as his qb. And a dunce with Michael Bishop as his qb. Kelly's problem was 2 fold. One, he wanted to run an 80's style offense with  a 2 back offense which meant one less slot. In a pass happy league like the CFL that hampered what we could do throwing the ball. Two, he was horrible as a person here. Not just as a coach.  He was mean spirited, angry, untrustworthy & stubborn. The media loved Kellywhen he was here in 1993 & I think they welcomed him back but he sure turned that goodwill into a negative fast. 

2009 does not encapsulate all of who Mike Kelly is as a person or a coach, any more than 1994-98 does for me.  These are chapters in a much longer story.  He is very likely capable of both coaching football and not denigrating people just to make himself look better, even if he failed to do so in 2009.

My feelings on him and that season have been stated often.  They aren't remotely positive.  Time has not lessened the 5 alarm tire fire that 2009 was.

I have no ill will towards him.  I hope he has 40 healthy grandchildren, or whatever number seems appropriate.  But I have no desire to talk about him.  Or think about him.  With over 7 billion people on this planet that should be possible, even easy to do.  I've simply moved on.

1 hour ago, mbrg said:

2009 does not encapsulate all of who Mike Kelly is as a person or a coach, any more than 1994-98 does for me.  These are chapters in a much longer story.  He is very likely capable of both coaching football and not denigrating people just to make himself look better, even if he failed to do so in 2009.

My feelings on him and that season have been stated often.  They aren't remotely positive.  Time has not lessened the 5 alarm tire fire that 2009 was.

I have no ill will towards him.  I hope he has 40 healthy grandchildren, or whatever number seems appropriate.  But I have no desire to talk about him.  Or think about him.  With over 7 billion people on this planet that should be possible, even easy to do.  I've simply moved on.

So, he came up in a discussion. You're free to read & partake. Or not.  You may not like it but he's part of the Blue Bombers past & the subject of Mike Kelly will continue to come up from time to time. If 2009 was a 5 alarmer then 2013 under Tim Burke was a full out 15,000 hectare wildfire. 

     

                                                                

Esks add: