4 losses this year. 3 against the east. 2 where we had substantial leads so those ones really stung (obviously). 1 against the Riders where our backup QB hadn't gotten into his groove yet. But all of our losses were away games.

We haven't lost a home game yet. We forget momentarily after these kind of losses that we are still a good team. Just for whatever reason we aren't consistently a good team on the road.

It becomes paramount that we win the rest of our home games. Not going to be easy but it shouldn't be. We seem to shut it down when it's easy and rise up when it's not. Big win coming up next week

No reason they can't keep winning at home where they seem to play 60 minutes. I still like our chances of finishing first in the west. 

We're 4-4 in our last 8. We win at home and lose on the road. Gotta get a home playoff game. Hopefully 1st in the west.

In what I've seen of the post game interviews by O'Shea, he comes across as a bit more ticked off that he can otherwise hide.  That tells me he's really really mad.  I'm hoping that Hall and LaPolice are in for a dressing down and a reading of the riot act.  Bob Irving said it best when he mentioned that these "lessons" are not the ones you should be learning from at this time of the year.  In a way I'm glad that they lost this game because it will force O'Shea to address things in a way that he might not of if they had squeaked out a victory.  Hopefully, things get corrected now, as we make our final run for the playoffs.  If not, there will have to be some changes made in the off season because this team has too much talent to lose like this. 

This game and the Toronto game and Labour Day aren't games they lost because they were out matched. Hell 2 of them the game should rightly have been over by half time. Those 3 games are examples of the coaches, specifically the coordinators having their heads so far up their asses and having the team play not to lose rather than playing to win. They too often expect the other team to give the game away to them. Need to recognize that they can't always play that way with a lead. They need to keep the foot on the gas and play to win even if it means taking some chances. 

Lapo needs to stop being afraid if letting his QBs throw. Hall needs to smarten up with his blitzes.

Edited September 22, 20196 yr by 17to85
Can't type

9 hours ago, 17to85 said:

 

   O'Shea needs to tell Lapo  to stop being afraid if letting his QBs throw. And O'Shea needs to tell Hall  to smarten up with his blitzes.

That's the way I see it.

I too am tired of hearing the blame all put on the two coordinators.

He's the boss. Fix it.

I have a hunch O'Shea defers to those two on a lot of decisions.

 

Edited September 23, 20196 yr by Mark F

9 hours ago, 17to85 said:

This game and the Toronto game and Labour Day aren't games they lost because they were out matched. Hell 2 of them the game should rightly have been over by half time. Those 3 games are examples of the coaches, specifically the coordinators having their heads so far up their asses and having the team play not to lose rather than playing to win. They too often expect the other team to give the game away to them. Need to recognize that they can't always play that way with a lead. They need to keep the foot on the gas and play to win even if it means taking some chances. 

Lapo needs to stop being afraid if letting his QBs throw. Hall needs to smarten up with his blitzes.

O'Shea admits to instructing LaPo to run the ball to run the clock out on the last drive so it's not all on LaPo.

1:12 of yesterday's interview.

https://www.bluebombers.com/2019/09/21/coach-oshea-post-game-51/

 

Same reply as last thread.

1 minute ago, Throw Long Bannatyne said:

O'Shea admits to instructing LaPo to run the ball to run the clock out on the last drive so it's not all on LaPo.

1:12 of yesterday's interview.

https://www.bluebombers.com/2019/09/21/coach-oshea-post-game-51/

 

Same reply as last thread.

Is O'Shea taking the bullet for LaPolice here? Whoever made the decision was stupid or drunk, as the running game had completely dried up by then. Did O'Shea also direct LaPolice to do this against the Riders and Argos?

29 minutes ago, Throw Long Bannatyne said:

O'Shea admits to instructing LaPo to run the ball to run the clock out on the last drive so it's not all on LaPo.

1:12 of yesterday's interview.

https://www.bluebombers.com/2019/09/21/coach-oshea-post-game-51/

 

Same reply as last thread.

OK but what about the entire half before the last drive?

29 minutes ago, Tracker said:

Is O'Shea taking the bullet for LaPolice here? Whoever made the decision was stupid or drunk, as the running game had completely dried up by then. Did O'Shea also direct LaPolice to do this against the Riders and Argos?

What I can't begin to fathom is how an unstoppable running game in the first half completely ceases up in the second half.

11 hours ago, BBlink said:

It becomes paramount that we win the rest of our home games. Not going to be easy but it shouldn't be. We seem to shut it down when it's easy and rise up when it's not. Big win coming up next week

I'm on it! As of this post, it's 4 days, 22 hours, 40 minutes until kickoff, I'm sure I'll be perfectly rowdy by then if I keep up my drinking habits from the past ~36 hours (notably escalating half-way through the 4th yesterday).

1 hour ago, Throw Long Bannatyne said:

What I can't begin to fathom is how an unstoppable running game in the first half completely ceases up in the second half.

Booch can answer better than I, but I suspect that all you need do is stack the box and get a linebacker to spy on Streveler all the time. The obvious answer to that is to lob the ball into the medium 10 yard area to a tall receiver who can both catch and run (hello Drew Wolitarsky- anyone remember him 'cause the offensive game plan didn't).

2 hours ago, Throw Long Bannatyne said:

What I can't begin to fathom is how an unstoppable running game in the first half completely ceases up in the second half.

well there wasn't much threat of passing in the 2nd half. Lots of 4 yard throws, none of the stuff that was working so well in the first half. 

it was the patented Lapo "safe" offense. run for minimal yardage, throw short of the first down sticks and punt the ball away. 

10 hours ago, Tracker said:

Booch can answer better than I, but I suspect that all you need do is stack the box and get a linebacker to spy on Streveler all the time. The obvious answer to that is to lob the ball into the medium 10 yard area to a tall receiver who can both catch and run (hello Drew Wolitarsky- anyone remember him 'cause the offensive game plan didn't).

Well when one team adjusts (Mtl) and the other does the same things with no adjustments/counter or use of what worked to set other things up (Wpg) then totally abandons it all together for whatever reason with what looked like no real game plan whatsoever and play to sit on a lead and not commit any errors...well you see the result...again

This is modus oparandi with Lapo...always has been. Even a team spying Streveler would have been easily exploited and we just don't seem to make the in-game adjustment to counter anything. They should have a scenario already in place that if thats what they are doing, or spying Harris and it is easily flushed out by putting Harris in motion, or moving him outside the box...then you use your guy (WHITEHEAD) who would exploit teams in that scenario where he slides in and runs constant quicj=k bang routes or slants with him in that open space..but nope...we do nothing of the sort

This team..especially on offence always shuts it down when they have a nice lead and then when they need to turn it back on...they cant...and thats how football works with momentum..if we had an O.C with a set of onions on him at worst we would be 12-1 right now...I hang 3 of those 4 losses squarely on him...not on Hall or the defense...

But the defense played well on Saturday in the first half. How does Hall get a pass in that loss (the defense allowed 21 points and nearly 250 passing yards in the 4th quarter)?

12 minutes ago, Booch said:

This team..especially on offence always shuts it down when they have a nice lead and then when they need to turn it back on...they cant...and thats how football works with momentum..if we had an O.C with a set of onions on him at worst we would be 12-1 right now...I hang 3 of those 4 losses squarely on him...not on Hall or the defense...

Completely agree with everything you posted about the offense. And thanks for the great insights. But, I'm not giving Hall a pass on his defense. He basically did the same thing you pointed out the offense did - failed to adjust to what Montreal was doing. So in the fourth quarter he decides that 4 man pressure, which has worked well all season, no longer works, and starts bringing blitzes, which Montreal is carving up. Instead of adjusting, he keeps doing it. And, the DB's in this blitz package are playing some type of cover 2 zone? With Hecht nowhere to be found, or blitzing? And Bighill vacating the 10 yard middle of the field? Hey, they score on you once, fine. But they kept marching up the field and Hall's defense kept doing the same thing. How about the first half D? 4 man pressure, make them use the "best RB in the league"? As bad as Lapo's play calling is, Hall's is almost worse. He has excellent players on defense. 

Edited September 23, 20196 yr by M.Silverback

oh I agree Hall ran some dumb schemes...no doubting that, that being said we should have never let up on offence and kept doing what we were doing and the Montreal offence would hardly have been on the field and would have been having to come back from way more than 20.

Gaitor tho had a bad game..was getting owned bigtime and Hall not seeing that and like you mentioned changing his blitz, or even abandoning it would have helped for sure, that or changing coverages and having the DB's jam at the L.O.S would have helped too

24 minutes ago, Booch said:

if we had an O.C with a set of onions on him at worst we would be 12-1 right now...I hang 3 of those 4 losses squarely on him...not on Hall or the defense...

I agree, Toronto and Montreal they never should have let up, would have been easy wins if they kept playing aggressive ball. Look at Montreal, they didn't get scared of throwing ints, they just went out and made plays. 

The other one would be Labour Day. Total ***** game plan going in afraid to let Streveler do anything. Wasted the entire first half before he let him play a bit. 

It's the reason Lapo was a loser as a head coach here unless his defense won the game for him. He can come up with some brilliant game plans and play calling at times, but his passive nature and abject fear of making mistakes costs him so many games. 

 

on a bright side to this game though....until they Neutered Streveler in the second half,  I think made a huuuge stride and has settled right in...more experience and reps with his unique skill-set..look out.

That INT as well was a perfect play by the DB...He gambled and read the play right and won....left his man and jumped the route...Happens to the best of the best. You learn from that and next time you bait that guy and go over top and hit the guy that was left free....I'm sure that is in the memory bank and I guarantee you next time we will show/run that play early in a game and the second time we run it will bait that DB and burn them.

That was in no way a poor throw, or bad read...The DB just made a great play...something they are paid to do too....it just so happened that it made LAPO turtle like usual and we became ultra conservative and predictable...does same thing with Nichols

Streveler was unreal good until Lapo stopped him. The INT was the only blemish otherwise he looked totally in control passing and running. How you take that skillset and nullify it.... 

2 minutes ago, 17to85 said:

Streveler was unreal good until Lapo stopped him. The INT was the only blemish otherwise he looked totally in control passing and running. How you take that skillset and nullify it.... 

You saddle him with an OC sans cajones?

20 minutes ago, Booch said:

on a bright side to this game though....until they Neutered Streveler in the second half,  I think made a huuuge stride and has settled right in...more experience and reps with his unique skill-set..look out.

 

That was in no way a poor throw, or bad read...The DB just made a great play...something they are paid to do too....it just so happened that it made LAPO turtle like usual and we became ultra conservative and predictable...does same thing with Nichols

Agree....that's why Calgary and Bo are consistent winners .(for the most part)....Their coordinator and Bo will go right back to a failed play and receiver till they get it right....Lapo heads for the hills ...goes conservative and let's us wallow in the failure...Different approaches for sure but I think Cal. has got it right...We were distributing the ball well until that pic and then our receivers disappeared for the most part...They just didn't quit ....the coordinator decided to go in a different direction in the second half.....Failed

1 hour ago, M.Silverback said:

Completely agree with everything you posted about the offense. And thanks for the great insights. But, I'm not giving Hall a pass on his defense. He basically did the same thing you pointed out the offense did - failed to adjust to what Montreal was doing. So in the fourth quarter he decides that 4 man pressure, which has worked well all season, no longer works, and starts bringing blitzes, which Montreal is carving up. Instead of adjusting, he keeps doing it. And, the DB's in this blitz package are playing some type of cover 2 zone? With Hecht nowhere to be found, or blitzing? And Bighill vacating the 10 yard middle of the field? Hey, they score on you once, fine. But they kept marching up the field and Hall's defense kept doing the same thing. How about the first half D? 4 man pressure, make them use the "best RB in the league"? As bad as Lapo's play calling is, Hall's is almost worse. He has excellent players on defense. 

It's not like V. Adams has a rocket arm, he was throwing up rainbows that the D-backs were easily knocking down and coming close to picking off...until they weren't, then miraculously the Als receivers were getting  behind the secondary for big gains.  As for Hecht, he never uses his arms when tackling, he launches himself horizontally and usually whiffs or bounces off receivers with no damage done, kind of like a dud skud missile.

I am feeling better about Streveler.....progress definitely being made.   But defensively, when we don't get the heat upfront.....question marks.  The coaching, overall is another big one - the bad tendencies on both sides of the ball continue.

15 hours ago, Tracker said:

Is O'Shea taking the bullet for LaPolice here? Whoever made the decision was stupid or drunk, as the running game had completely dried up by then. Did O'Shea also direct LaPolice to do this against the Riders and Argos?

I got into a bit of an argument with my dad and bro over this. They understood the strategy and liked it. Saying 2 first downs and the game is over. I argued, scoring a field goal does the same and MTL will 100% be ready for the run. Sure enough 2 and out. Long field to drive...my dad "Now they have to go 100 yards to win.." like we've never seen that before.

I get the strategy and don't mind it when the game is actually over (under 2min left and a 3 score game). But they just couldn't give them the ball back with time left and no points being scored. BE AGGRESSIVE!!! GAAH now I'm getting pissed of again.

4 hours ago, Bigblue204 said:

I got into a bit of an argument with my dad and bro over this. They understood the strategy and liked it. Saying 2 first downs and the game is over. I argued, scoring a field goal does the same and MTL will 100% be ready for the run. Sure enough 2 and out. Long field to drive...my dad "Now they have to go 100 yards to win.." like we've never seen that before.

I get the strategy and don't mind it when the game is actually over (under 2min left and a 3 score game). But they just couldn't give them the ball back with time left and no points being scored. BE AGGRESSIVE!!! GAAH now I'm getting pissed of again.

To be fair... where they gave them the ball all it took was forcing them to only gain 10-15 yards per attempt and they probably don't have enough time to score a TD.

The breakdown that gave them a 50 yard bomb and left them on our 20 with 20 seconds left was the real issue