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Say what you will about Mike O'Shea but no one can ever overstate how valuable he has been in turning around the perception and culture of this franchise.

From Adam Bighill: https://www.bluebombers.com/2018/05/24/words-adam-bighill/ A great read.

http://www.3downnation.com/2018/05/23/kate-beirness-host-thursday-panel-cfl-tsn-makes-changes/ Kate Beirness to take over from Rod Smith to host Thursday Night Football. Rod to still host Friday nights and do some play-by-play Davis Sanchez to have an increased presence on the panel . (Matt Dunigan, Jock Climie, Milt Stegall and Henry Burris) Chris Schultz back as a CFL Fantasy football specialist

Hopefully Dunigan gets more games this year... he's absolutely hilarious IMO.

His passion for football is very evident when he does color, I like it when he does games.

From my perspective he epitomizes their fan-base accurately.

Very interesting. And exactly the reason why many of us find value in the man, the Coach, and his importance to the team. Adam Bighill says it himself. It’s the culture of the team nowadays. When Wade Miller, Kyle Walters, and Mike O’Shea were trotted out as our team, to lead the team, we were all excited but anxious because they were new and inexperienced. Now we know. This organization is light years ahead of the dead planet atmosphere that prevailed in the years before. We’re still anxious, but for much different reasons. It’s the ‘when’ now, not so much the ‘if’. We’re getting closer. That’s the culture we revel in now. And many more players, like Adam Bighill, realize it too.

Thought I did, to be honest. Had the mobile window open and apparently didn’t hit post reply. Don’t visit either forum much anymore unfortunately so didn’t notice until just now. PS I don’t run this site at all and I’d say it’s unfair to Rich and the moderation team to suggest I participate in the day-to-day operations of this place whatsoever. Here are my camp thoughts so far based on the odd times I've stopped in at practice:Chris Streveler plays a lot like Mike Reilly without the polish of the veteran experience. Threat to run, threat to beat you over the top with a good deep ball and he is slowly picking up on the timing routes in the middle parts of the field. I haven't watched him a ton but I have noticed he's improved day by day that I've been there. I think he's our number 2 by September, if not out of camp.Myles White might be the best receiver in camp ... think Weston Dressler with a bit more size. His moves in the middle of the field and ability to make guys miss is something that this roster could really benefit from. I don't know if there's a day one spot for him at this point, but his return abilities and an ongoing performance in camp/pre-season games could push one of our three out the door or put him on the roster some other way.Kembrell (I think?) Thompkins wears really short shorts. He looks like the kind of deep threat that I would liken to a guy like Brandon Banks, but a little bigger ... he's never going to catch 90 passes, but I could see him grabbing 50 for 800-1000 yards in the right offence. I just don't know if that's here. They've had him on the neg list for a while so he's going to get a chance, but he's not the future (already older than Darvin) and so I really can't say for sure that the timing is right with him. Rueben Randle is another one ... I just don't know how these NFL guys crack the roster. Could be something to watch though.Forgotten about has been the linebacker battle now that we signed Bighill, but honestly I'm putting JSK on my roster over Wild at this point. Do they both make it? Who knows but if you're looking for cap savings, Wild could be a candidate ... then again, so could Drake Nevis because Brandin Bryant looks like a force at DT and compliments Poop Johnson well in terms of skill set.Marcus Sayles ... we always go out and scout all these big bodied defensive backs and then of course it's a little fella who lights up the camp. His nose for the ball is incredible, but I want to see how he plays with the lights on. So far, going against the same guys with the same playbook and the same tendencies every day has served him very very well but let's see how he does with a different opponent. Also been impressed by Seisay (until he got nicked) and I've seen flashes from Humes (who is built like a mack truck)Rashaun Simonise and Daniel Petermann ... jesus christ... these two guys are solid. Simonise is going to be a day one starter for us, he's left Wolitarsky behind if you ask me - even if DW is healthy. All three will be on the roster though.Week One Roster Prediction?QB - Nichols, Streveler, RossRB - Harris*, LaFranceFB - Rush, MillerOL - Bryant, Neufeld*, Goossen*, Chungh*, Hardrick, CoutureREC - Bowman, Adams, Dressler, Simonise*, Demski*, Petermann, Wolitarsky, White (DI)DL - Jeffcoat, Okpalaugo, B. Bryant, Poop, Roh (DI), Corney, EkakitieLB - Santos-Knox, Bighill, Fenner, Wild (DI), Miles, Briggs, GauthierDB - Randle, Leggett, Loffler*, Gaitor, Alexander, Jones, FirlotteK - Medlock (DI)LS - RempelAs much as I like Flanders, I just don't see him on the squad even if they part ways with a guy like Ian Wild and use Wilson/Gause instead. What do we need him for? He played a hybrid slot/tailback combo and Demski looks like he can very clearly fill a very similar role in our offence. There's only one football and I'd rather they look at ways to integrate a guy like Myles White into the offence instead so that when we go deeper into the season and have some injuries, he's not going to go all deer-in-the-headlights on us. Bowman/Adams/Dressler/Harris/Demski/White/Simonise/LaFrance is a ridiculous amount of weapons on offence and Flanders just loses the numbers game in my opinion. I also see them getting creative on defense with the ratio ... we'll "start" two there since I expect we'll have rotations that put two Canadians on the field all the time anyways - makes it easier to get Myles White on the field in certain packages if we want to give Harris a breather, throw Demski in the backfield and roll 4 imports on offence at times

Swap Rod for Rod - in goes Smith and out (forever) goes Black. Who says no?

Rod Pederson needs a punch in the throat. Nichols can play. Bridge will be the starter in Sasky by week 6

I find it funny and somewhat sad that anyone cares what Pederson has to say.

I like when Dunigan is doing games with two subpar teams and where lots of mistakes are being made and the outcome really doesn't make a difference. This is when he shines and does all sorts of funny sound effects and jokes around about pass drops and anything funny that happens on the field.

I turn the radio off when 1290 has him on. And, I let them know it too. He doesn't provide any insight or value to the conversation. There are quality, thoughtful Rider reporters and he's not one of them.

I like it. Kate is a fun host.

I love that the media is obsessed with the Johnny Manziel signing... meanwhile, we quietly went ahead a signed, quite possibly, the best FA on the market and no one seems to notice... I like when everyone sleeps on the Bombers!

Well one thing that seems for sure better is the way Ed Tait is getting out daily reports on training camp ... I like the layout, style and content ... snippets of MOS and other players are great

Is anybody else concerned that Ryan Lankford has been mentioned twice as a standout in Ed Tait's TC reports?

The NFL got rid of the forceout rule a decade ago and they're better off without it IMO. I've never been a fan of the rule. You either land in bounds or you don't. Who's to say that someone would have landed in bounds if they weren't contacted? It's a judgment call and the less of those the better.

That is called the Climie Clause.

He brought in Glenn last season which is a more then capable backup. Should we **** on Hufnagel since he has not brought in a capable back up QB to Mitchell over the last few years?

Sigh... we're still on about this "We haven't developed our own QB" crap? Again I'll ask the question, in the standings, is it 2 points for a win but 3 points if you win with a QB you developed? No? Then who bloody well cares how they get here as long as they do.

That's because Burris is a complete and utter dumbass but he doesn't know that he's a dumbass so he thinks he's actually making smart points. Just a total waste of time on a panel.

They only bring him in for jokes and entertainment, no one outside of Saskatchewan takes the guy seriously at all.

Yeah it's tough to listen to that idoit....not sure why they even bring him in for his thoughts....he is so biased and pro everything Sask....How he isn't sold on Nichols over past 2.5 years, but figures they are set with Collaros after past 2-3 years is embarrassing...And when he brings up a guy like Steele as part of a reason why their defense will be so dominant....guiy has no clue He also raved that they are just dominant on defense because they shut down their offence totally in practice..hmm...maybe thats more a matter of their QB's being pretty pathetic?...maybe he should spin it that way

This makes me happy.

She's great and will be an awesome host. And she's a total babe.

Sometimes mid-season too. And, sometimes, refs will change the rules arbitrarily throughout the game. What's PI in the first quarter may not be in the fourth quarter. Keeps everyone on their toes.

Saw what a beautiful day it was going to be and took a vacation day. Took in Bomber training camp this morning. Bringing a 2 year old (some might have seen him wanting to get onto the football field) and a 3 week old there, I wasn't able to watch a ton...and let's be honest, we're all there to watch the 1 on 1s. You can definitely see the polish and level that the new guys (Thompkins and Reuben) bring to camp. Guys like Coney and Dye, who may have been the front runners to try to get a spot on the roster (or at least be the "next guy up") didn't impress me too much, and I couldn't see them being there in the end. That said, Myles White is the real deal. Looked uncoverable in the one on ones. He might not have been drawing Randle in coverage, but he was making the guy he was lining up against look silly pretty routinely. Was also lining up to return kicks. He's my pick to make the team. Canadian receivers: Daniel Petermann. What can you say. He is looking like a training camp superstar. Demski wasn't taking too many reps this practice and Petermann made play after play after play. Couple deep balls, some catches in the middle. Super excited about him. Simonise looked real good and even Henry is looking much better this year. Don't know how many reps Wolitarsky had. Pierre was helping with the receivers (off crutches I guess) along with Corey Washington (imp). Overall the receivers are looking darn good. After the receivers, the player that really stood out to me in special teams drills was Jacob Firlotte. He was getting down the field pretty quick and has an intriguing size to him. Dark horse? Quarterbacks...I think they all had their moments. In Skele I think you'd give the edge to Ross for processing the field much quicker than Streveler. Not unexpected. Streveler made some nice throws as well. Mention to Faith Ekakite who took the time to walk over to my 2 year old and give him a fist bump. By the end of practice, my little guy was way overtired but I think he had fun.

How come @Mike posts camp updates to the official forum but not the forum he runs???

Why in the hell would that be cool?

Good on Shayne. He should be able to get something good from Bighill for it. Think of Bighill's salary and job security compared to Gauthier's. Whether it dinner at 529 or whatever.

He's currently wearing #50... it'll be interesting to see if he negotiates a number deal with Shayne Gauthier or if he decided to pay tribute his HC... no more fitting player to do that...

The host doesn't really have to be that knowledgeable but I would assume after a decade of working at TSN and a lifetime living in Canada that yes, she does have some knowledge of the CFL.

I was just about to post about Pederson. Turned the radio off halfway through his shtick. Brutal.

Personally, I was bloody terrified and disappointed because I thought that Wade had gone the quick and easy route in hiring the guy that worked down the hall, and when that rookie GM hired a rookie HC, I thought "Two rookies in critical jobs, what could possibly go wrong?". Well, I was wrong. Right people, right place, right time. Go Bombers!

Members of the media love to find whatever narratives it can and Scott Oake is no exception. It doesn't change the fact it's a stupid one.

Soooo...you're saying he's off his meds again?

Rod Peterson was on AM1290 this morning. He was asked about the Bighill pickup and whether he still predicts that the bombers will finish 5th in the West. He said it didn't change anything he still thinks Winnipeg will finish 5th because he's not a believer in Matt Nichols. LOL... So this guy is more of a believer in a washout like Zach Collaros over a guy who has had consistent success for 2 and half season in a row in Winnipeg and only had weapons added to his arsenal!

Season is over for me.

Meh, he was probably in a hurry to get home. If you've ever seen his wife you'll know why 😲😲. At my age I'm only talking about nostalgia here but wow.

Go Caps Go

This is a better rule change... CFL coaches won’t be allowed to challenge illegal contact calls this season. The CFL eliminated illegal contact as a challengeable call Wednesday, and the change will be in place when the regular season kicks off next month.

We will win the cup for sure IF we can complete the trifecta and hire a coach with Youngest as his last name. 😁

What a nifty little league, the people directly involved in the game can adjust the rules to improve the game and can implement the changes quickly. Have to like that.

yup, Fort Hew just got a lot stronger today.

The Bighill signing is absolutely outstanding! What better way to move on from the Douchebag Doubles fiasco than to pick up an elite, experienced MLB and all-around class act in Adam Bighill. Hands down the biggest acquisition of the off-season.

Id be pretty happy with that if he shook loose. I wouldnt trade for him right now though.

QUOTE: Pulled from the Official CFL website today: The so-called “force out rule” is eliminated: a receiver catching a ball has to place at least one foot inbounds regardless of whether he was contacted in mid-air. This will change how D play the perimeter (a bit). Advantage D. What do Offense fans think of eliminating this force out rule? I do not support this rule change at all. It seems to me they barely call the rule properly now. To me, if the QB and the receiver make the proper reads and if the receiver makes a play for the ball, and catches it inbounds, then he should not be subject to a hit that will make the call ‘no catch’. The judgment calls will always be in sports. It’s part of the game. Good or bad. That ruling definitely helps the D. And besides, who’s to say it will eliminate subjectivity at all, as in: Did the receiver even have a play for the ball before he was hit out of bounds? Was it an early hit? Or necessary? etc.