I think it's time to talk Drew Willy. 

In 2014 I thought he showed promise. Last year I started noticing the happy feet in the pocket. One thing I really liked about Willy in 2014 was how cool and calm he was, and his pocket awareness. In 2015 you started to see him throwing off his back foot, and moving around when the pressure wasn't there. Personally I think he's taken some big hits and mentally i'm not sure if he can recover. Numbers or not he looked dreadful last night. Can he recover? Is it time to start looking at Nichols or another QB option? To win in the CFL you need solid play from your quarterback. This is Willy's third year here and there's really no excuse for him to be regressing instead of progressing.

10 minutes ago, blueandgoldguy said:

name a franchise in the history of the CFL that has kept both their GM and head coach after 3 consecutive seasons out of the playoffs.  That is, of course, assuming the team finishes below .500 and out of the playoffs this year.

 

10 minutes ago, blueandgoldguy said:

name a franchise in the history of the CFL that has kept both their GM and head coach after 3 consecutive seasons out of the playoffs.  That is, of course, assuming the team finishes below .500 and out of the playoffs this year.

Saskatchewan

Which Saskatchewan team would that be? What years?

2 hours ago, pigseye said:

Montreals defence is pretty good but so is Calgary, Edmonton & Hamilton coming up, what a potential **** storm on the horizon if this what we can expect from Willy and the offence. When does MOS get the axe 0 -5?

I really think we have a good chance against Calgary.  They lost quite a bit of depth this off-season and their o-line which was a big concern last season will remain on ongoing one this year.  I think our front 7 can make life interesting for Mitchell next week.

 

With that said, even if the team does go 0-5 to start the season, the club should stay with O'Shea until the bitter end of 2016.  The off-season is when the best candidates are available.  When the Bombers fired Ritchie mid-season in 2004 they did not make the playoffs that season and missed the playoffs the following year wasting a year and a half on Jim Daley.  Then the Bombers fired Lapo mid-season in 2012 and the team did not make the playoffs that year or the following one wasting a year and a half on Tim Burke.  

 

Firing a coach mid-season has never turned around a Bomber season and there is no reason to think it would if the Bombers can O'Shea in August or September.  A mid-season firing of O'Shea probably means this organization will waste a year and a half with Paul Lapolice as coach with no playoffs to show for it.

1 hour ago, J5V said:

For some reason, there is a lot of resistance on this forum to the notion that our OLine isn't very good. They'd rather blame Willy for holding on to the ball too long. I suspect it's an attempt to protect Walters who, in three seasons, has been unable to improve the OLine much.

Both can be considered below average

J5V, I can assure you if the OL doesn't play well, I won't be blaming Willy to protect Walters. Bombers don't pay me or anyone else to do that.

22 minutes ago, Mike said:

 

Saskatchewan

Who?  Some GM and coach in the 80s?  I know from 1989 - 1999 Al Ford was the GM but his early teams made the playoffs and a Grey Cup.  He also went through several head coaches none of whom lasted over 3 consecutive years without a playoff appearance.

Saskatchewan in the Eagle Keys era.

46 minutes ago, iso_55 said:

Saskatchewan in the Eagle Keys era.

Riders were a war machine under his watch, never missed the playoffs once and were in 3 grey cups. 3 first place finishes in west. 1970 Riders were 14-2

1 hour ago, blueandgoldguy said:

Who?  Some GM and coach in the 80s?  I know from 1989 - 1999 Al Ford was the GM but his early teams made the playoffs and a Grey Cup.  He also went through several head coaches none of whom lasted over 3 consecutive years without a playoff appearance.

We missed playoffs 11 years in a row. Can't think of one coach that survived 3 years. I believe Faragalli almost made 3 years however

6 hours ago, Throw Long Bannatyne said:

Huh?

Three...

Here is an excellent review of last nights game:

https://bomberbuzz.com/2016/06/25/blue-review-preseason-holds-true-as-bombers-fall-flat-in-hope-opener/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

I found these two points to be interesting as it supports what many here have said. Firstly, Willy  played like shat and he hasn't shown any progression from the day he arrived.  Also, the O-line doesn't deserve the criticism for Willy's poor performance. 

3. With that being said, Drew Willy needs to rebound in a huge way from now three consecutive poor showings. The third-year passer seems to be regressing in his development as a starting quarterback despite being in the phase where he should be peaking. I almost didn’t even recognize the 29-year-old out there last night. For the first time in his career, I genuinely thought Drew Willy looked scared in the pocket – and I’d usually never say such a thing about a professional football player. He repeatedly stared down his first read and panicked when it wasn’t there. Willy hesitatingly double-clutched several throws, as alarms seemed to be going off in his head the moment he touched the ball. Struggling to throw against pressure is nothing knew to Willy, though. But it was entirely surprising to see him miss so many throws. Willy over-threw three Bomber receivers deep in this game, and all three likely would have went for touchdowns. His wide-open over-throw on Ryan Smith’s corner route late in the fourth quarter would’ve made it a one-score game. (Willy did, fortunately, hit Darvin Adams deep on the next play to cut the deficit to 8 points). Knowing of what Willy is capable of from previous performances, it’s crucial that he re-gains his confidence, a mental element that was evidently lacking in this game and surely affected his accuracy. There’s absolutely still hope for the 29-year-old passer, but it won’t get any easier against the upcoming stout defenses he’s set to face.

8. All things considered, the Blue Bombers’ rough offensive line does not deserve much of the criticism that they will receive in the loss. Although the Bombers surrendered five sacks, really only Gabriel Knapton’s third quarter sack was at the fault of the offensive line. The remaining four can be attributed to Willy holding onto the ball for far too long, failing to recognize a halfback blitz from Jovon Johnson, and the fumbled snap late in the fourth quarter – the ultimate salt in the wound.

Q.E.D. Ottawa can field a competitive team from year one and with all the storied history of the Bombers, we're still as far from the Cup as we were three years ago.

6 hours ago, do or die said:

Any fanbase can only absorb so much losing.....

I'll give Willy 5 more games. If by that time he's still playing like he did last night then expect the fans to come down hard on him, Walters & MOS. This could get ugly.

Edited June 26, 20169 yr by iso_55

7 minutes ago, B-F-F-C said:

Here is an excellent review of last nights game:

https://bomberbuzz.com/2016/06/25/blue-review-preseason-holds-true-as-bombers-fall-flat-in-hope-opener/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

I found these two points to be interesting as it supports what many here have said. Firstly, Willy  played like shat and he hasn't shown any progression from the day he arrived.  Also, the O-line doesn't deserve the criticism for Willy's poor performance. 

3. With that being said, Drew Willy needs to rebound in a huge way from now three consecutive poor showings. The third-year passer seems to be regressing in his development as a starting quarterback despite being in the phase where he should be peaking. I almost didn’t even recognize the 29-year-old out there last night. For the first time in his career, I genuinely thought Drew Willy looked scared in the pocket – and I’d usually never say such a thing about a professional football player. He repeatedly stared down his first read and panicked when it wasn’t there. Willy hesitatingly double-clutched several throws, as alarms seemed to be going off in his head the moment he touched the ball. Struggling to throw against pressure is nothing knew to Willy, though. But it was entirely surprising to see him miss so many throws. Willy over-threw three Bomber receivers deep in this game, and all three likely would have went for touchdowns. His wide-open over-throw on Ryan Smith’s corner route late in the fourth quarter would’ve made it a one-score game. (Willy did, fortunately, hit Darvin Adams deep on the next play to cut the deficit to 8 points). Knowing of what Willy is capable of from previous performances, it’s crucial that he re-gains his confidence, a mental element that was evidently lacking in this game and surely affected his accuracy. There’s absolutely still hope for the 29-year-old passer, but it won’t get any easier against the upcoming stout defenses he’s set to face.

8. All things considered, the Blue Bombers’ rough offensive line does not deserve much of the criticism that they will receive in the loss. Although the Bombers surrendered five sacks, really only Gabriel Knapton’s third quarter sack was at the fault of the offensive line. The remaining four can be attributed to Willy holding onto the ball for far too long, failing to recognize a halfback blitz from Jovon Johnson, and the fumbled snap late in the fourth quarter – the ultimate salt in the wound.

After a full re watch. 2 of those 3 over throws that would have scored hit hands. High tosses for certain. But the ones to mcduffie and smith gotta be caught. The ball cant hit both your hands and the turf.  We had more bobbled passes then i remembered on the live watch. Aside from tossing high, willy wasnt tossing the most catch-able balls. 

Its laughable to say only one sack was on the ol. They gave up pressure up the middle countless times. Willy did bobble the snap and didnt pick up rushes before the snap. But we also got shut down on the running plays on second down, and on short yardage. Thats not willy. Thats the OL.

7 minutes ago, tracker said:

Q.E.D. Ottawa can field a competitive team from year one and with all the storied history of the Bombers, we're still as far from the Cup as we were three years ago.

Ottawa situation doesn't count even though I agree with you to a certain extent. They start out with a draft to help and have no salary cap issues. Every team is paying out a old contract or two or whatever. Ottawa started clean.  That being said, they have done a hell of a job of being competitive quickly and prove the point that a team can turn it around in a hurry

1 minute ago, Ripper said:

Ottawa situation doesn't count even though I agree with you to a certain extent. They start out with a draft to help and have no salary cap issues. Every team is paying out a old contract or two or whatever. Ottawa started clean.  That being said, they have done a hell of a job of being competitive quickly and prove the point that a team can turn it around in a hurry

ottawa is an exception to the rule with building/rebuilding. That said turn arounds should not take 3+ years in the cfl. 

1 minute ago, wbbfan said:

ottawa is an exception to the rule with building/rebuilding. That said turn arounds should not take 3+ years in the cfl. 

Recent memory with Riders, 2011 grease fire, 2013 grey cup champs.

2 minutes ago, Ripper said:

Recent memory with Riders, 2011 grease fire, 2013 grey cup champs.

not wrong. Not to mention wally buono hasnt missed the play offs since ww2 broke out.

Troy Westwood had one of the longest career's in Bomber history, next to Bob Cameron, and has been retired for nearly a decade. The last time the Bombers won the Grey Cup he was still in college 

10 minutes ago, IC Khari said:

Troy Westwood had one of the longest career's in Bomber history, next to Bob Cameron, and has been retired for nearly a decade. The last time the Bombers won the Grey Cup he was still in college 

dear god thats depressing. But bob cameron is soo old he was punting footballs off the mayflower. He retired after his college retired! xD

16 players on our roster weren't born when we won the Grey Cup lay time.

14 minutes ago, TBURGESS said:

16 players on our roster weren't born when we won the Grey Cup lay time.

>.< now i feel bad AND old thanks.

Willy was crap no doubt but I'm willing to give him a few more games. He did look hesitant to start. It's pretty obvious that we need to use Harris as much as we can at the start of the game so 1. Oline gets engaged and 2. Willy can settle down a bit. He did look a bit better later on. Played terrible overall but the O has some potential to be very good. Signs are there. Just need willy to pull his head out of his ass 

13 minutes ago, Goalie said:

Willy was crap no doubt but I'm willing to give him a few more games. He did look hesitant to start. It's pretty obvious that we need to use Harris as much as we can at the start of the game so 1. Oline gets engaged and 2. Willy can settle down a bit. He did look a bit better later on. Played terrible overall but the O has some potential to be very good. Signs are there. Just need willy to pull his head out of his ass 

Pretty much. We were 2 balls off the fingers / an upright away from winning that. In 5 weeks we could be any where between 0-6 and 5-1 depending on how they straighten things out. 

Love the way mcduffie returns and runs. But hes gotta get a bit more sure handed too. 

2 hours ago, B-F-F-C said:

Here is an excellent review of last nights game:

https://bomberbuzz.com/2016/06/25/blue-review-preseason-holds-true-as-bombers-fall-flat-in-hope-opener/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

I found these two points to be interesting as it supports what many here have said. Firstly, Willy  played like shat and he hasn't shown any progression from the day he arrived.  Also, the O-line doesn't deserve the criticism for Willy's poor performance. 

3. With that being said, Drew Willy needs to rebound in a huge way from now three consecutive poor showings. The third-year passer seems to be regressing in his development as a starting quarterback despite being in the phase where he should be peaking. I almost didn’t even recognize the 29-year-old out there last night. For the first time in his career, I genuinely thought Drew Willy looked scared in the pocket – and I’d usually never say such a thing about a professional football player. He repeatedly stared down his first read and panicked when it wasn’t there. Willy hesitatingly double-clutched several throws, as alarms seemed to be going off in his head the moment he touched the ball. Struggling to throw against pressure is nothing knew to Willy, though. But it was entirely surprising to see him miss so many throws. Willy over-threw three Bomber receivers deep in this game, and all three likely would have went for touchdowns. His wide-open over-throw on Ryan Smith’s corner route late in the fourth quarter would’ve made it a one-score game. (Willy did, fortunately, hit Darvin Adams deep on the next play to cut the deficit to 8 points). Knowing of what Willy is capable of from previous performances, it’s crucial that he re-gains his confidence, a mental element that was evidently lacking in this game and surely affected his accuracy. There’s absolutely still hope for the 29-year-old passer, but it won’t get any easier against the upcoming stout defenses he’s set to face.

8. All things considered, the Blue Bombers’ rough offensive line does not deserve much of the criticism that they will receive in the loss. Although the Bombers surrendered five sacks, really only Gabriel Knapton’s third quarter sack was at the fault of the offensive line. The remaining four can be attributed to Willy holding onto the ball for far too long, failing to recognize a halfback blitz from Jovon Johnson, and the fumbled snap late in the fourth quarter – the ultimate salt in the wound.

 

I disagree with this. The O-Line continues to be the root of all the Bomber's problems. All game long the interior of the O-Line was being pushed back into Willy's lap. In short yardage, Bombers were getting zero push up the field. Something is definitely wrong when you fail on 4 different 3rd and 1 attempts in the last 3 games. For a pocket passer it is not enough to just keep the defense from blowing by the O-Line on their way to the QB, they are responsible for creating passing lanes. The biggest problem with the Bomber offense in the last 6 to 10 years is that the O-Line is not controlling the line of scrimmage and they are getting pushed around when they are not just missing blocks completely. They are not creating passing lanes for the QB, and this causes the QB to hold on to the ball too long, and also causes the passes to be inaccurate as the QB has to worry about lobbing it over or around defenders. I think the reason there is no touch on some of the passes is due to the lack of throwing lanes being created by the OL.

In addition to this, sacks are not the only indicator of O-Line problems. Willy has been hit and hurried more in the last 3 years than most QBs see in an entire career. He is indeed shell-shocked, and the verdict is still out on whether he will recover or if the crappy O-Line has ruined his career. Since Winnipeg is in love with that crappy O-Line, it is only a matter of time before he is permanently damaged either physically or mentally. Buck Pierce, Marve, Broom, Willy... the Bomber organization is a QB destroying machine, all due to the worst O-Line in the history of pro sports...

PS: Similar to Willy's numbers, the Harris rushing and receiving yards all came in Garbage Time. When it counted, Harris was stuffed with ease, so I'd say the Oline failed in that regard as well.