Blue Bombers - 2025 Regular Season - Discussion Thread

[GCn20]

10 hours ago, Booch said:

Yeah...can't live in past...no reason for his return especially if you have youth...or if someone in FA comes available 

T.Jones too...misleading stats...not outstanding in any aspect...but a great DA to augment the game day roster...no way shape or form should he be pencilled in as a returnerning starter...and only way he won't be is if Osh is removed...history and track record tells us so

And it started with the lowballing of Jeffcoat...and refusal to pay Sayles and Stove and Kongbo...but keep slop like Thomas..Schmeck...Korn...

We have never recovered...same can be said with center...we coulda retained Couture...or signed a FA center if for anything to compete...or tried Eli..who has never got a real opportunity...but chose to roll with an undersized..under skilled scrap heap guy nobody wanted for 2 yrs on the street cause Osh liked whatever it is about him...and its not talent 

 

Can't argue with any of that. Some poor gm work compounded by poor coaching. That is our decline in a nutshell

[Booch]

25 minutes ago, wbbfan said:

gm mos is worst case ontario 

Probably right that both are back. 

If osh is back...and i hope hes not...but if so...it better be on a short leash and any resemblance as to whats gone on of late...and games that look like this yr...that fire button better be pressed 

I think bringing him back is a huge risk sms wise cause if he just continues as he has..and we need to cut bait...and who really thinks he will change? Then we on hook with money to him on the coaching cap aspect

3 minutes ago, GCn20 said:

Can't argue with any of that. Some poor gm work compounded by poor coaching. That is our decline in a nutshell

Yup...somewhere along the way in 2022 to this yr we lost the plot..the foresight...ability to project and the ability to make the tough decisions...can these 2 get back to that? Maybe? But if they can't and we committ again...only to have to can them...then we really gonna be wandering in the wilderness for a few yrs...they did it before...was it just lightning in a bottle and things just lined up perfect? Or was it from actual things they did...and then got too fat and complacent?? There's arguments for both cases...huge decisions coming here that could affect us for a few yrs running...in either direction..

[GCn20]

24 minutes ago, Booch said:

If osh is back...and i hope hes not...but if so...it better be on a short leash and any resemblance as to whats gone on of late...and games that look like this yr...that fire button better be pressed 

I think bringing him back is a huge risk sms wise cause if he just continues as he has..and we need to cut bait...and who really thinks he will change? Then we on hook with money to him on the coaching cap aspect

Yup...somewhere along the way in 2022 to this yr we lost the plot..the foresight...ability to project and the ability to make the tough decisions...can these 2 get back to that? Maybe? But if they can't and we committ again...only to have to can them...then we really gonna be wandering in the wilderness for a few yrs...they did it before...was it just lightning in a bottle and things just lined up perfect? Or was it from actual things they did...and then got too fat and complacent?? There's arguments for both cases...huge decisions coming here that could affect us for a few yrs running...in either direction..

My opinion is that they can easily get back to where we were at but they need Wadzilla to remind them that we don't live on past results.

[bigg jay]

Beanie Bishop is quite the name.

 

[SpeedFlex27]

3 hours ago, Booch said:

If osh is back...and i hope hes not...but if so...it better be on a short leash and any resemblance as to whats gone on of late...and games that look like this yr...that fire button better be pressed 

I think bringing him back is a huge risk sms wise cause if he just continues as he has..and we need to cut bait...and who really thinks he will change? Then we on hook with money to him on the coaching cap aspect

Yup...somewhere along the way in 2022 to this yr we lost the plot..the foresight...ability to project and the ability to make the tough decisions...can these 2 get back to that? Maybe? But if they can't and we committ again...only to have to can them...then we really gonna be wandering in the wilderness for a few yrs...they did it before...was it just lightning in a bottle and things just lined up perfect? Or was it from actual things they did...and then got too fat and complacent?? There's arguments for both cases...huge decisions coming here that could affect us for a few yrs running...in either direction..

According to Paul Friesen's article today, it sounds like Osh is back & he doesn't want to make a lot of changes. Sigh. Expect more of the same. More Kola & more Thomas. More playing his pet players. More playing useless veterans than promising younger players. This team is headed for a cliff. 

[Goalie]

I’ll bet Osh is back and we see some significant change. The reality is if Jake and crew are back it’s cuz the gm signed them. If the gm doesn’t sign some of the vets, they won’t be back. Some will be back tho and I think that’s the important question cuz you can’t just get rid of every vet and expect to win. So who do you actually keep. Brady? Demski. Pokey. Sterns. I mean the OL outside of Wallace vanterpool and Randolph are all older vets. Who stays. It’s easy to say who doesnt but what vets stay. Some will.  Maybe I mentioned them there on O plus Zach. 
 

on D, Tony will be back, he deserves to compete for a spot at the least. Holm? Nichols? Kyrie? Willie? I dunno. Who on o who is FA wants to stay with hogan? That needs to be addressed first. Players fired him. Zach certainly did. 

Edited 7 hours ago by Goalie

[rebusrankin]

After reading the article that @SpeedFlex27 cited, it does seem like MOS wants to keep the status quo, not just players but Hogan too. To which I say barf.

[3rdand1.5]

I believe if we still had Buck or Lapo calling the plays on O, we win at least another game or two and would have possibly been fighting for first in the West....

Easiest change has to be OC

Second to that we need to spend, turn over more rocks to improve the lines....they are not as bad as they looked, but we can not have "good" or "reliable" any longer...

 

IMO you give Zach a better O-line and real offensive scheme, give Younger an improved D-line, and give OSH a few players and an OC that take tasks away from him and leads like Biggie, Harris or Buck did and I believe we would be a damn good team.......But we cannot fill those with "good" or "reliable" like we rolled out this year we need to find "great" and "exceptional"

[bigg jay]

6 minutes ago, rebusrankin said:

After reading the article that @SpeedFlex27 cited, it does seem like MOS wants to keep the status quo, not just players but Hogan too. To which I say barf.

I got the impression MOS was just being diplomatic there - he's not going to throw Hogan under the bus but he didn't exactly give him a ringing endorsement either. He said the OC issue needs more conversation and study but acknowledged the players weren't happy with how things went and that's on him as HC to clean up.

[Booch]

if osh is back....be more of the downward trend...poor roster...stupid decisions...same ol same ol

A HC has huge impact and say on the roster and who they retain and who/what they request....and the G.M and his team accomodate...hence why we are littered with garbage....The G.M and coach will always work together in a fluid and functioning system and are not gonna really but heads, and the G.M isnt gonna go against what the HC vision is....they hired him for a reason.....but there also comes a time when the G.M and or President need to step in...and lay down some law....or remove things from the equation....and this wasnt being done here, and if we bring back all the same cast of characters....it's just gonna continue on....plain and simple

This team is broken now at the top...they have no clue in the right way to get out of it and I can see several defections coming player wise with guys who want no more part of this, another season of big whooptydo FA signings and an even poorer roster...and how that's even possible is mind boggling but it's gonna unfold right in front of us....not even the real off-season yet but from sounds of all that in media reports...it's already disappointing and just gonna get worse

4 minutes ago, bigg jay said:

I got the impression MOS was just being diplomatic there - he's not going to throw Hogan under the bus but he didn't exactly give him a ringing endorsement either. He said the OC issue needs more conversation and study but acknowledged the players weren't happy with how things went and that's on him as HC to clean up.

Osh needs to grow a pair and not worry about this mt nice guy image he wants to portray and yeah....rip some new arses and explicity say where things are not optimal....and actually have a plan to fix it...He's a pro football coach....not a babysitter of fragile egos and minds.....just gutless...season is over...was a pathetic excise of one at that....take some accountability for it....make others accountable....but nope...smug grin....like what we have....guys are awesome...blah blah....fuckingblah

[Slimy Sculpin]

FWIW, I emailed Wade Miller yesterday in response to the club's email to me about being part of the sold out season. I hemmed and hawed but finally hit "send" (could have been the second glass of wine with dinner.) It will be interesting whether I get a response.

Mr. Miller,

Now that this disappointing season, in my opinion, has ended for the Bombers, I feel that I must express my views on a number of issues:

Congratulations on the 14 straight sell-outs! As a partial season ticket holder (split two seats with two others) and also a casual ticket buyer, it felt good going to games that were sold out. The atmosphere was "electric" at times. However, based on what I saw on the field this year and to a lesser degree last year, I am considering not renewing my portion of those two season tickets.

The current staff's use of the league's roster rules is a bit baffling to me, for instance, continually dressing more than the minimum required Canadians. (There are a couple of roster spots currently occupied by, in my opinion, non-starter quality Canadians.) The lack of use of the "nationalized American" rule is also concerning. (There are several veteran Americans on the team who would qualify and who might be better used in this category.) I realize that this is the C(anadian)FL but make better use of the rules.

Head Coach O'Shea has made some odd roster choices throughout his tenure here. I first noticed it with his continual playing of Sam Hurl at MLB. Then it was the truly baffling decision to roster and keep trotting out the American, ex-Navy Seal, Damian Jackson. Truly bizarre, in my opinion. Currently, two players come to mind as starters who shouldn't be, Kolankowski at Centre and Thomas on the D-line. I've watched every Bomber game this season and the ineptitude of these two is quite evident. Surely, there are better players on the roster than those two veterans. Loyalty is fine to a degree but the coaching staff (Coach O'Shea?) is taking loyalty to another but detrimental level.

I was wary when Jason Hogan was announced as the new OC but, at the time, trusted that the Bombers' tall foreheads knew what they were doing. However, I'm extremely disappointed in Hogan, not so much that he was a "rookie" but, to my eye, because he didn't improve his plans and playcalling over the course of the season. It is my opinion that Hogan should be relieved of his duties.

I greatly appreciate what Collaros has done for the team signed he was signed. However, I (and a few others) have noticed a decline in his play that started at least a year ago. I don't understand why before this past season started, he was signed to a contract extension. To me, it would have made more sense to have him "show us" before the extension was offered.

The "elephant in the room" for me, and judging by letters to the editor and comments on online CFL and Bombers forums, many others (a majority of current CFL fans?) are the proposed rule and field dimension changes. No doubt tweaks to the rules are warranted. Getting rid of the single point for kicking or punting through the end zone and a few others I can live with. However, the dramatic changes to the dimensions of the field of play and moving the goal posts (literally) are a "no go" for me and many others. When was the last time that someone was injured by the post? Sure the odd football hits an upright as Collaros this past Saturday. As a teenager in the mid-1960s, I was at a playoff game where the Bombers beat the Roughriders because Ron Lancaster hit an upright when had Gord Barwell wide open for what would have been the game-winning TD. It's rare but it's part of the Canadian game.

The lack of prior consultation by the league with its stakeholders (i.e., the fans) was not a good move in my opinion. Perhaps, the league's brain trust thinks that the changes will bring in new fans? Perhaps but will that offset the potential loss of current fans (i.e., me). I have also read that the players and management were not even consulted. And what of Football Canada, U Sports and minor football in general? What are they to do and better still who will pay for it?

I will not comment on the league's (and pro sports in general) ever increasing "symbiosis" with the "gaming" industry other than that I abhor it.

Sincerely,

real name and mobile phone number

[HardCoreBlue]

53 minutes ago, rebusrankin said:

After reading the article that @SpeedFlex27 cited, it does seem like MOS wants to keep the status quo, not just players but Hogan too. To which I say barf.

If JT is trotted out next year, someone should go to jail.

[bustamente]

At this point it really doesn't matter who you put behind this years O line they wont last long, Kola gets pushed back constantly, Neuf is a turnstile, Wallace is green, Sir Stan got old and who ever you had on the right side wasn't that great. Vanterpool might become something and Eli hasn't been able to un seat any on the interior linemen. Line needs to be rebuilt across the board or it will be another poor year offensively.

[bigg jay]

9 minutes ago, HardCoreBlue said:

If JT is trotted out next year, someone should go to jail.

Yeah but there would be so many suspects... not sure how they would figure out who did it to poor old Jake.  Completely unrelated question - did a GoFundMe for Booch's "services" ever get created? 😂

 

[17to85]

Ok been thinking about this... who is the worst starter on the team? Genuinely curious what people think.

[bigg jay]

3 minutes ago, 17to85 said:

Ok been thinking about this... who is the worst starter on the team? Genuinely curious what people think.

Kolo on offense and Jake on D.  If i had to start one of them though, it's Jake.

[HardCoreBlue]

30 minutes ago, bigg jay said:

Kolo on offense and Jake on D.  If i had to start one of them though, it's Jake.

[wbbfan]

20 minutes ago, 17to85 said:

Ok been thinking about this... who is the worst starter on the team? Genuinely curious what people think.

 

15 minutes ago, bigg jay said:

Kolo on offense and Jake on D.  If i had to start one of them though, it's Jake.

This is what it comes down to. 

For who is worse between kola and jake, I’ll say kola 10 times out of 10. Jake is washed but kola is a never was good guy. A dud dt hurts, but in this league you can work around that. We did last year, and with the points allowed on D this year. 

Kola on the other hand, cripples the whole offence. When he gets down field he can never find a guy to block, he can’t lock a front 6 guy down when he gets on one, and is snaps have become brutal. 

Lt has long been considered the key cog in offensive lines all over football. The blind side protection was key and teams put their best pass rushers on that side. That lead to teams rushing their best dl at the rt who was often significantly worse. So demand became higher for RTs in pass protection.

The new phase, is up the middle rushers. Guys like aaron donald, and chris jones who can dominate inside out, at most techniques with power and speed. We’ve seen guys from stove to bryant and johnson plus many more when it was our priority. Even adams who when fresh can beast mode any interior ol in the league on any given play. (problem is consistency with him.) 

 As more and more teams carry more dl who are more athletic, a weak point at C becomes a free pass. For the past two plus years every team lines up a guy on the nose in passing downs, twists, or crosses the centres face on the huge majority of snaps. Because every one knows you can get easy free disruption going at kola. That’s why his snaps are suffering, he’s routinely getting his butt beat. not just blown by, but turned around, thrown down, powered through. 

 

Kola is the worst starter in the league. kornelson and jake are in the top 5 for worst players though. 

 

1 hour ago, HardCoreBlue said:

If JT is trotted out next year, someone should go to jail.

I’m preparing a soft padded room for my self when the news comes out that kola and thomas will be back 

[Booch]

1 hour ago, bigg jay said:

Yeah but there would be so many suspects... not sure how they would figure out who did it to poor old Jake.  Completely unrelated question - did a GoFundMe for Booch's "services" ever get created? 😂

 

it's free now hahaha

[17to85]

Yeah for me Jake isn't even in consideration.  I vote kolankowski and then probably a couple others on offense.

[Booch]

52 minutes ago, 17to85 said:

Ok been thinking about this... who is the worst starter on the team? Genuinely curious what people think.

Thats multi layered.....who isnt roster let alone any business starting or worthy/usefull....I'd go with JT...Kolo...Korn...Corcorran....Ball...Weitz tho he did get removed

AS for starters who aren't the best use of assets and cost...and the cost of player not worth the bang....Kramdi....T.Jones...Mitchell (tho i sure he will be quietly gone)

All guys who played the one corner......Have to get better, and bigger....also was it scheme related and lack of pressure....maybe...but we still need to get physical DB's

Wilson tho played well...needs to be replaced with the Canadian kids and open up ratio swap for us....That being said...Healthy Wilson is he better as the reserve DA LB over T.Jones...and would he be more cost effective...?? as well as offer a better all-around usefulness?

Our recieving corp heeds major overhaul and talent...Keep Clercius..Demski...Pokey...the collective rest can all be replaced...need to be replaced. And Demski shouldn't be the A1 guy at this juncture

 

 

[HardCoreBlue]

24 minutes ago, 17to85 said:

Yeah for me Jake isn't even in consideration.  I vote kolankowski and then probably a couple others on offense.

You know it’s bad when you don’t have to be a football x and o guy to know JT had absolutely no business being out there. 

[HardCoreBlue]

1 hour ago, 17to85 said:

Ok been thinking about this... who is the worst starter on the team? Genuinely curious what people think.

Just to draw a comparison to the NHL, here's a blurb from NHL trade talk and the impact of allowing certain players to continue to play:

'The calls for Bouchard to sit are no longer whispers, and the players on his team, all of whom are watching Bouchard go consequence-free, are picking up bad habits'.

Works in football as well being the ultimate team sport that it is.

[Stickem]

IF we're going to remain status quo in 26' ,then I would expect the team to finish in the basement ...Other clubs in the west will change and finish ahead of us, while we float into obscurity...How the hell Miller is going to sell a repeat of the incompetent bull$hit to the paying public next year, would be more than miraculous...There needs to be some serious change on this club....player wise and coaching...Doing otherwise will be accepting failure...with the inevitable result

[BomberBall.]

14 hours ago, bigg jay said:

Beanie Bishop is quite the name.

 

He was just released from the Steelers practice squad.  Was a starter for them last year and I think he had 4 picks.