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2021 Grey Cup GDT - Bombers vs. Tiger-Cats


TrueBlue4ever

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Weather 6 degrees and sunny in the Hammer today, will be 4 degrees at kickoff and hold steady at that temperature for the entire game. Will feel like minus 3. One factor may be the wind, which is projected to be 32 mph gusting to 48. Yesterday was insanely windy in the city, with gusts up to 100kph, power outages in some parts, and some freeway bridges threatening to close around the area

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My keys to the game:

Offence:

Bombers - Finish what you started. Last week the team gave away a bunch of points in the red zone with turnovers. Cannot afford to play with fire twice. The team that has won the turnover battle has won 23 of the last 24 Grey Cups, and these two teams were the best all year at protecting the ball themselves and also getting the other side to cough it up. Bombers need to maintain drives to keep the home crowd out of it, work the clock, and get points on the board every opportunity they are in the score zone. They were second worst the league this year with 4 red zone turnovers and have been uncharacteristically sloppy with the ball since the second Montreal game. Spreading the field with jet sweeps mixed in with power runs up the middle by Harris will then open up the downfield passing game, and keep Hamilton from keying in one one area consistently and setting up the chance to jump a route or knock the ball out  

Hamlton - Hurry it up and quick strike. I think wbbfan nailed it saying the Tiger-Cats should employ a hurry up offence to limit the Bombers’ ability to get their substitutions in. The rotational defence has been the magic elixir for the Blue and Gold d and their dominance this season, run and gun may be the only way to neutralize it. Get the ball quickly into your stars’ hands (and the Cats are starting to drop like flies with injuries to their big guns) with sweeps and short patterns to set up the deep strike. This will also keep the Bomber front 4 from disrupting longer developing pass plays with their relentless pressure. Mike Jones being out hurts the tackling proficiency of the secondary a bit, so hitch screens may be an effective weapon against the secondary who like to body check as much as wrap up at times. 

Defence:

Bombers - Controlled physicality. We saw in the 2019 game how the Bombers literally beat the Cats into submission with their physical play. Frankie Williams got mowed over, Brandon Banks quit the game when the going got tough, and Dane Evans was a deer in headlights. So they can be physically intimidated I believe, especially Banks, who shrinks when the contact gets rough and checks out mentally. But control is needed. The home crowd could influence the referee calls if they start screaming about dirty play, and we know Brandon Alexander likes to play on the edge and gets flagged for the rough stuff from time to time. Willie J loves the strip sack and the arms will be flailing. Be sure to wrap up when tackling and avoid the thundering shoulder checks in the secondary instead of just bringing them to the ground effectively. 

Hamilton - Lock down on first down. Winnipeg led the league with a 6.5 yards per play average, and also had the second best 2nd down conversion rate at 47.6% and time of possession at thirty one and a half minutes. But they were also second worst in the CFL in going two and out on a drive. Hamilton needs to keep the Bombers in second and long as much as possible, and that means keying in on the run game and controlling the line of scrimmage on first down plays. Good luck with that. Loading the box may be the approach. As long as the Bombers have second and short opportunities and can use their whole playbook, they are in control. 

Special teams:

Bombers - Contain, contain, contain. Directional punting by Liegghio will be very important here. The special teams cover unit led by Mike Miller and Noah Hallett has been stellar this year in limiting returns, but Brandon Banks is as dangerous as anyone back there, so keeping discipline in closing off the lanes is vital. Bombers had the best starting field position average on the CFL this year, due in part to flipping the field with good punting and then letting the defence do its thing to get the ball back quickly. The wind was crazy in the Hammer yesterday, hopefully it settles down a lot for today’s game (gusts of up to 50 mph are projected, so half of what we got yesterday but still a potentially big issue). Like against the Riders, a special teams tie at game’s end is a victory. 

Hamilton - Take it to the house. We know how good the Bomber D is, especially in the second half. The Tiger-Cat offence will need some help from the other two facets in scoring points to have a chance at winning today, in my mind. That means a pick-6 or a special teams return score. With Frankie Williams out that latter option becomes tougher, but Brandon Banks is hardly a slouch. A kick return score would be a massive emotional and psychological win for Hamilton and may be the great equalizer in the contest. 
 

Edited by TrueBlue4ever
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As an outsidie observer I am jealous of you guys and that special feeling that you get when your team plays in a championship game. As a CFL fan I am cheering for a great game and hoping the CFL can build off the momentum of two exciting games in the Division finals. My keys to the game for both teams are: 

Winnipeg: dont make the big mistake. Whether that be a costly turnover, or giving up a big play to Hamilton's offence. I think Winnipeg wins this game if they control the ball with their offensive line and consistently make Hamilton have long sustained drives on offence. This style of game favours the bombers for sure. 

Hamilton: Start fast. As someone that was at the 2013 grey cup in Regina I appreciate what the home crowd can do in such a big game. If they start fast they can get the crowd into it and ride some momentum against a superior team. If they don't they could be in trouble. 

My prediction: 27-17 Bombers

Top Canadian: Harris 150 combined yards

MVP: Lawler with two touchdowns. 

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Good luck BB's and to you, their loyal support.

I'd rather a simultaneous root-canal/colonoscopy than a TiCat Grey Cup... But fortunately I just can't see a football-logic way that they can win without the Football Gods (or devils) playing a part in the outcome.

Sucks to see 2 Argonaut Legends coaching other clubs in the big game. But Osh is bringing it back to 'Toba today.

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I just don't know how the ticats beat the Bombers without winnipeg just giving the game away... and I don't forsee the Bombers trying so hard to give the game away 2 weeks in a row.... collaros has only lost once as a bomber. It's bullshit they hang that calgary game on him when he barely played and had the lead when exiting the game. Don't see him losing this one. 

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1 minute ago, 17to85 said:

I just don't know how the ticats beat the Bombers without winnipeg just giving the game away... and I don't forsee the Bombers trying so hard to give the game away 2 weeks in a row.... collaros has only lost once as a bomber. It's bullshit they hang that calgary game on him when he barely played and had the lead when exiting the game. Don't see him losing this one. 

Yup, it was a "No Decision". They certainly wouldn't give Ma**holi the win in the EF, do they?

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14 minutes ago, bluto said:

Good luck BB's and to you, their loyal support.

I'd rather a simultaneous root-canal/colonoscopy than a TiCat Grey Cup... But fortunately I just can't see a football-logic way that they can win without the Football Gods (or devils) playing a part in the outcome.

Sucks to see 2 Argonaut Legends coaching other clubs in the big game. But Osh is bringing it back to 'Toba today.

That era argos sure gave a lot to the league. Mos Orlando and pinball. 

I'd love to see pinball as the commish

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46 minutes ago, bluto said:

Good luck BB's and to you, their loyal support.

I'd rather a simultaneous root-canal/colonoscopy than a TiCat Grey Cup... But fortunately I just can't see a football-logic way that they can win without the Football Gods (or devils) playing a part in the outcome.

Sucks to see 2 Argonaut Legends coaching other clubs in the big game. But Osh is bringing it back to 'Toba today.

I sure hope they don’t try doing the root-canal via the colonoscopy…….

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