GAME 5 | WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS (2-2) at B.C. LIONS (1-2)

THE 4-1-1

Kickoff: 9:00 p.m. CT, Saturday; B.C. Place
TV: TSN, ESPN-+
Radio: CJOB
Vegas line: Off the board, pending the Lions starting QB decision.
Streaks: Winnipeg: 1W; B.C.: 2L
Home/Road: The Bombers are 1-1 on the road this season and 14-6 in their last 20 games outside of Manitoba. The Lions are 1-0 at home this year, having beaten Montreal in their opener.
Series (since 1954): Winnipeg leads with a record of 90-79-2.
Recent history: Winnipeg is 4-2 in its last six regular season visits to the west coast; 4-3 if you include the 2016 West Semi-Final loss to the Lions.

 

 

13 minutes ago, Mr. Perfect said:

Agreed. This team has been "good", and content with being "good" long enough. 11-7 and a first round playoff exit is getting a little old, and at this rate, 11-7 would take a miracle. This team isn't going 9-4 down the stretch. Not a chance.

I called this before the season started. 11-7 is not going to be possible and I will be surprised if they do better than .500.

All the other teams in the CFL have improved and Bombers are not keeping up - definitely regressing from last year or the year before.

38 minutes ago, wbbfan said:

yes, unless its the grey cup. But its a good point. Elite franchises beat the teams they should beat. and they finish a shin kicking. We kicked the poop outta bc for a lot of this game and should have won by 30

We always play badly at BC Place. 

The way the Bombers lost this one had me hopping mad in front of my dear old parents.  17-0 at the half should have been 27-0... and 34-7 if Streveler gets the 1st down when they were on the BC 7 yard line.

It was still 17-0 in the 3rd quarter when that sinking feeling just wouldn’t go away. No more run plays... just these god awful 3-5 yard passes into the flat for 2 and outs.  Felt like the refs sole mission was to drag Lulay kicking and screaming into a the 4th quarter still with a chance to make a comeback.  And then none of that mattered when the Jennings-Nichols Vulcan mind meld was completed.

To summarize, the Bombers second half was suckier than the Lions first half, so we lost.  This one made me angrier than when the Jets laid an egg in Game 3 against Minnesota this spring!

I see the sky is falling again

There is no doubt in my mind, this loss is squarely on Michael O'Shea's shoulders

Kick a field goal instead of gambling .... then kick another field goal instead of gambling

Then very late in the game with the ball near centerfield and the game tied: forget to run Andrew Harris on first down

Horrible game management and don't you dare blame a coordinator .... O Shea has a gambling problem

I see the same thing is happening again that's happened the past two seasons.

People really want a field goal on 3rd and a foot?  There’s no coach in Canada who kicks there.  The 3rd and goal from the 2 is a bit of a gamble, but it was a horrible play call running a search play right into a stack.  Probably should be running more option with Streveler and Harris/Demski and giving him pass options too.

Lapo made Streveler one-dimensional tonight and totally took away the reason he’s been successful.

Here’s an idea, let Lapo draw up the game plan and call plays in the first half and turn over play calling to Buck or the RB coach in the 2nd half.  Help Lapo get out of his own way.

13 minutes ago, JuranBoldenRules said:

People really want a field goal on 3rd and a foot?  There’s no coach in Canada who kicks there.  The 3rd and goal from the 2 is a bit of a gamble, but it was a horrible play call running a search play right into a stack.  Probably should be running more option with Streveler and Harris/Demski and giving him pass options too.

Lapo made Streveler one-dimensional tonight and totally took away the reason he’s been successful.

Play calling on the 3rd down conversions was terrible. The QB keeper around the end was used in the prior game vs BC and Lions were expecting it. Later, 3rd and goal from the 2, you ask the QB to run up the gut from the shotgun formation, c'mon. Even if your QB is built like a linebacker everyone knows it is a run. All the 3rd down conversions/gambles were a shambles. Too clever by half, as they say.

I liked both decisions to go for it on third down, but hated both play calls. Third and inches should have been a sneak. Third and 2 needed to be an actual play rather than a QB dive from shotgun.

I'm fine with the third down gambles but the calls sucked, typical Lapo trying to be smarter than everybody else.

It takes some kind of awful to lose to that bad BC team, and make no mistake, they are a bad football team.

However, the Bombers haven't taken that next step of being able to beat up a team like BC on a regular basis.

Dumb and dumber just keep finding ways to hold them back. 

Our receiving core has been flat out bad. I don’t care how how much money Bowman gets, we need a player that can produce in his spot. 

I’m hoping O’Shea is just giving Bowman the benefit of the doubt because it’s still early in the season but if he’s still starting at Labour Day with this production, there really is no excuse. The guy sucks at this point. 

I know they're fresh off extensions, and I like them both, but if they don't make playoffs Wade Miller may very well clean house. 

The season is already hanging in the balance 

Well, after a good nights sleep? Still furious.

1 hour ago, JuranBoldenRules said:

Lapo made Streveler one-dimensional tonight and totally took away the reason he’s been successful.

He called plays for Strevelor like he was Dan Lefevour.

As bad as Nichols was, we win that game handily if Lapo doesn't crap the bed. To be a victim of coaching after three years with this staff is inexcusable.

Edited July 15, 20187 yr by Super Duper Negatron

IF anyone thinks that performance was Grey Cup 'contending'...then Miller AND the whole bunch behind the bench should be charged with fraud...Same ol same ol guys....after all these bloody years

2 hours ago, JuranBoldenRules said:

People really want a field goal on 3rd and a foot?  There’s no coach in Canada who kicks there.  The 3rd and goal from the 2 is a bit of a gamble, but it was a horrible play call running a search play right into a stack.  Probably should be running more option with Streveler and Harris/Demski and giving him pass options too.

Lapo made Streveler one-dimensional tonight and totally took away the reason he’s been successful.

Yet he should kick it from 60 plus yards out?

Tbh with you I typically like going for it on 3rd and short too, but that one was definitely a big missed opportunity he'll be talking about for a while.

Break out the Prozac boys, it's going to be a long week.  

Terrible display last night but it's just one game, no matter how excruciating. Nichols needs to be a lot better and hopefully will be. 

I'm not even a high school coach but I know that on 3rd and 2, kick the FG and on 3rd and inches, just fall forward up the gut. Simply taking the points when we have them would have won us the game. Gotta say this is the first time this year I've been pissed at a loss because this one shoulda coulda woulda been a win if we just took what was there.

Yep we were so sure of ourselves that we didn't take the sure thing

Lapo has done this before.  In this case he wasn't out coached by the opposition d coordinator.  He was out coached by himself.  He over thinks the game and makes it more difficult than it needs to be.  There's a reason why the tried tested and true has worked for years.  But he thinks he's some offensive genius and he out thinks himself.

I'm a little surprised at the vitriol being directed at Nichols.  Yes he played poorly but a good OC would recognize that and adjust the play calling to play to what the offence is giving up, vs. playing a higher risk scheme.   I have no doubt that Nichols will bounce back. But Lapo needs work with what he's got.  

 

10 minutes ago, BBlink said:

Terrible display last night but it's just one game, no matter how excruciating. Nichols needs to be a lot better and hopefully will be. 

What happened to "Matty Ice"?  Kept waiting for Nichols to take charge and accomplish the minimal amount needed to secure the victory, but he never showed up.  For the first time in two years, I acknowledge his critics and will not tune them out their nagging doubt until he reestablishes himself in a pressure situation.  If Nichols wants a "fairy-tale" ending to his career it's up to him to make sure it happens.