Ripper

At this point, yes. But who knows how he will developed. Walter has good rushing/receiving numbers to show in his first 3 years compared to Cornish's first 3. Walters will get more looks/ playing time because he is behind Cornish. Cornish played behind a great running back in Reynolds. What are you going on about? Cornish got plenty of carries when Reynolds was still in the picture, and he is also a better running back than Reynolds was. Walters is no Cornish and will not get the kind of playing time that Cornish got behind Reynolds. Here are the facts since you don't seem to know them or are ignoring them. first 3 seasons in the cfl, Cornish had 52 carries and Walters has 155 carries. Cornish did not get plenty of carries behind Reynolds, in fact he only had 137 carries after 4 seasons. It wasn't till Cornish's 5th season that he got the ball more than 100 times and took over for a aging Reynolds. Walter has triple the carries in his first 3 seasons than Cornish had, mostly because walters is behind a rb that misses more time. As far as Cornish being better than Reynolds, IMHO no way that's true. Reynolds had 6 consecutive seasons with over 1200 yards per season. Reynolds had clearly established himself the starter in his second season with the stamps, it took Cornish 5 seasons to do that. I`d take Reynolds over Cornish any day of the week. As far as Walters is concerned he is a ham and egger, they had to sign him because he is Canadian and they need a Canadian backup for Cornish.

At this point, yes. But who knows how he will developed. Walter has good rushing/receiving numbers to show in his first 3 years compared to Cornish's first 3. Walters will get more looks/ playing time because he is behind Cornish. Cornish played behind a great running back in Reynolds.

Excellent post. Simply put, you can't sit back and wait for the other team to make mistakes unless you have a big pass rush coming. The riders front 4 are as good or better than nearly every team. The defence can work but the bombers don't have the people in place now to run it. Without the pass rush its simply death by a thousand paper cuts.

Well, I wouldn't quite phrase it the way you did, but the HC always bears responsibility for his staff and O'Shea probably did explore some avenues with Etcheverry. This I don't know. The Bombers defensive problems notwithstanding, it was still the inability of the Offence to be effective that limited our win total last year. But we're not talking about the rookie HC of the Bombers, we're talking about an experienced HC and his decisions, even now, going forward. And the mammoth task that the Riders have in retaining their long list of FAs and keeping a quality O-Line, and spending within reason in a season where they will have to keep a lot of players happy $$$. And you better hope Mr. Durant isn't antsy about his recent injury, or is healthy to begin with, as your backups are…still backups. As to facts supporting my supposition, I disagree. We have signed or extended a large number of players, and with that, have positioned ourselves well to snag a name, or two, in free agency…big names. Lots of work ahead for both teams, but I like our chances of being overall, a better team, and I see your chances of being an not as strong a team. It's that simple. Fair enough, I'll agree to disagree. I do however think the Bombers are heading in the right direction.

Words and phrases that should make you nervous: However - always a qualifying word and apropos in this case…because it is defensive. I'm sure he will back off - no, you're not sure. Hall's defence clearly wasn't working - Clearly, it wasn't the defence that was the problem. he had enough balls to step in and take control - we all know how this particular phrase can lead to more trouble, not less. The riders haven't slipped any where as much as many of you would like to believe - the more that leaks out about the Riders, their signings, their non-signings, and whats lays ahead for this team, the better I like the chance of the Bombers finishing ahead of them. So you believe O'Shea wears no stink for Etch's defence? MOS was a linebacker himself, how is it that he had no input when it was your biggest glaring weakness? What moves have the Riders made that lead you to believe the Bombers will finish ahead of them? I understand you want to believe in your team, we all do that, but there is nothing more than speculation on your end. There are no facts to suggest it will happen. Agreed that O'Shea had to be aware that Etch's weird defensive strategy was flawed, but he was a rookie head coach still learning, and micro-managing the coached under him would have caused all sort of problems, maybe worse than we already had. Etch had to stand or fall on his own performance rather than being spoon-fed. Control freaks in management can do a lot in a short period of time, provided their underlings follow slavishly, but they do crash and burn to the delight of most, as it takes a tremendous amount of energy to function in that mode. It is not sustainable. good post. Chamblin is either going to do very well this year or be fired next off season. I believe he is a good coach and is passionate about winning. I think we have a good team so I believe he will do well. I don't however see him coaching the Riders long term. He is very demanding and as we all know, people like that are very hard to work for.

Words and phrases that should make you nervous: However - always a qualifying word and apropos in this case…because it is defensive. I'm sure he will back off - no, you're not sure. Hall's defence clearly wasn't working - Clearly, it wasn't the defence that was the problem. he had enough balls to step in and take control - we all know how this particular phrase can lead to more trouble, not less. The riders haven't slipped any where as much as many of you would like to believe - the more that leaks out about the Riders, their signings, their non-signings, and whats lays ahead for this team, the better I like the chance of the Bombers finishing ahead of them. So you believe O'Shea wears no stink for Etch's defence? MOS was a linebacker himself, how is it that he had no input when it was your biggest glaring weakness? What moves have the Riders made that lead you to believe the Bombers will finish ahead of them? I understand you want to believe in your team, we all do that, but there is nothing more than speculation on your end. There are no facts to suggest it will happen.

So many good things to say about Hall, he is a first class man. He is very experienced and draws up good game plans each week. Strictly IMO where he fails is adjustments during the game. It appeared that we rarely made any halftime adjustments under Hall, he simply seemed happy to stay the course even at the expense of losing the game. My other beef with Hall is in the last few minutes of the game when we were trying to hang on for a close win, he just wouldn't turn up the heat and end it. His defensive philosophy is such that allows other teams to hang around late into games. He is waiting for opponents to make a mistake more so than trying to force a mistake. Letting him go could very well turn out to be a mistake, time will tell. I believe Hall is a great hire for the bombers, he is strict with discipline and runs a tight ship. His schemes are solid. Adding Hall probably brings 2-3 more wins for you guys based on some of the ones you lost last year. For any of you that get to meet him he is generous with his time and friendly. Always has a minute or two to take pictures with the kids or whatever. my 2 cents

There is no question that CC will be calling the shots and overseeing the defence. He is a control freak. However that doesn't mean he isn't a good coach. As he gets more comfortable with Quick I'm sure he will back off and let Quick run the D. For all of you who like to make fun of Chamblin maybe your head coach should have been getting more involved with your defence last year when it clearly wasn't working. I don't always support Chamblin but Hall's defence clearly wasn't working so at least he had enough balls to step in and take control. The riders haven't slipped any where as much as many of you would like to believe and Quick is a good hire for us. IMHO of course.

Regina is pretty small in size to have a Children's hospital. Children's Foundation of Saskatchewan is in process of getting funds together now as we are going to build one in Saskatoon. Does Ottawa have one? Does Hamilton? My point is not every city in Canada is as big as Winnipeg and can afford one. I know a lot more about this than I wish that I did. I have a special needs child and at times services here are not always as available as I would like. We are a small province population wise. Is what it is. The new stadium and this issue are so far apart from being connected, its a huge leap to try to connect them.

Its a pretty common comment that players make when they change teams. Feel free to go looking for something that isn't there. The fans here have much respect for Picard. He is a warrior. This was a money move, nothing more IMHO.

Bottom line, the Riders played chicken and lost. We wanted him back at a reduced salary. I'm a fan of Dominic and think he has a couple years in the tank. He will bring some mean and nasty to the line.

Calling bullshit on Wild being too small to play MLB every play. He may be smaller than the the prototype but the guy is just a damned good tackler and he is a guy who you notice when he's not in the lineup. He gets all over the field and is always involved in the play. This team needs more guys like that not less. Sears is hurt a lot and it is a concern, but when he's in the lineup he's a star. A flat out playmaker. I'm inclined to agree with you. I can't help but look at him and think he is too small, but he makes plays period. He is a notable absence on your defence when he isn't playing, that in itself makes him a priority resign IMO. Look at it this way, I'd be happy if we took a run at signing him if he becomes available.

Pretty poor taste for Banks to be taking shots at the Bombers. Maybe its not to late for him to get in with Bruce on the concussion lawsuit. As far as Etch, he didn't get along that great here either with some veterans on the Riders IIRC.

Your next OC won't be able to do that either. Any opposing D worth their salt will shut down the run and make your rookie throw more. The best you can usually hope for with a rookie QB is your defense keeping the game close or perhaps chipping in with turnovers and points. You have good points for sure. I just can't justify losing that many games without Durant. Terribly predictable play calling also. No sense moving beyond a vanilla scheme if the QB can't execute it. Who's your QB coach? Either your young QBs were incompetent or he did a poor job of preparing them. Guys like Marve (2014) and Collaros (2013) are proof that it can work if prep is done proactively throughout the season. Cortez was the qb coach in addition to OC. Many fans here including myself have referenced that as a huge mistake. Khari was here the year before as qb coach.

Your next OC won't be able to do that either. Any opposing D worth their salt will shut down the run and make your rookie throw more. The best you can usually hope for with a rookie QB is your defense keeping the game close or perhaps chipping in with turnovers and points. You have good points for sure. I just can't justify losing that many games without Durant. Terribly predictable play calling also.

Interesting posting angle. You guys came into Regina thinking you would win and well that didn't work out and you had to eat crow all year. So now the we don't have a chance angle. Its a good move, Either way you can sit on the fence and not eat crow. For the record, I'm pulling for the Cats out of respect for Kent Austin and the two championships he brought home to our prairie city. I also agree with another poster that the Cats want a close game, if the score is high it will be the Stamps running away with it.

First of all I find it funny that many of you never miss a opportunity to make fun of the Riders and enjoy our loses. Ok that's not the funny part, its that you want to sign the coach that helped us lose. Cortez looked ok/fairly good when Durant was playing. The second Durant went down it was totally obvious he had zero ability to adapt the play book or play calling for the rookie qb's. He is a big part of our struggles down the stretch and I'm glad he is gone. He does know Willy but also had no problem with Drew sitting on the bench here either even when Durant played hurt at times last year. I think George is more of a closer than a builder. my 2 cents.

If he has legit shot at the NFL, likely in the 3rd round. Unless he can post a sub 4.7 40 time he'll be viewed as a FB and won't be drafted. 4.64 in the 40. This kid has some talent that's for sure. Will someone take a flyer on him, likely.

Sears and Wild are the two that really stand out impact must haves. Bucknor I think played pretty well, I would at least be making a effort to bring him back. I'd put Brohm in same category, I'd bring him back if I could depending on financial limitations.

Really? Is it that ridiculous to think that passing yards are overrated when evaluating a quarterback? Or that Willy needs to make better decisions with the ball in his hands? yes. Passing yards are one of the biggest numbers for a qb, the others on that level are going to be completion % and tds in my mind. You want a qb who can complete passes and throw tds. Yardage just goes along with the completing passes. ... And what you DON'T want is someone who throws a lot of interceptions. Passing yards tend to be the first thing that the average fan looks at when evaluating a quarterback, even though there clearly better methods of evaluation. People who throw the ball a lot, throw more pick's. The same 4 qb's that have the most attempts are listed in different order in the ones with the most int's. Throwing the ball has its risk's. If the bombers offensive strategy is to throw a lot, then the int numbers will stay higher than normal or higher than teams that don't throw as much. Willy most picks, 3rd in attempts. glenn 2nd in picks 4th in attempts. ray most attempts 3rd in picks. burris 4th in picks 2nd in attempts. same 4 guys in yardage. ray, willy, glenn, burris.

The Riders were 8-2 with Durant throwing for 172 yards a game, they've been 1-6 without him while averaging something like 225 yards a game passing. As Yourface already stated, the correlation between throwing for a ton of yards and winning football games isn't there. Our offense was struggling bad when DD was playing. A combination of DD as a threat to run himself and having few turnovers guided us to some wins we probably shouldn't have had. When the rookies went in, no one respected them as a threat to run and the pass rush heated up, combined with some very poor decisions and the Int's followed. Our offense was bad before Durant got hurt but we were managing to gut the wins out, now without him we have tanked and its been painful to watch, for me anyway I'm sure others have enjoyed it. Long storey short is as Drew learns when to force it and when not to he will improve. His blitz recognition also seems to be improving as the year goes along, another good sign.

Willy cost us both of the games here against you guys with terrible game crushing interceptions. My biggest concern with Willy is the fact that he regressed as the season went on. Isn't that what rookies do to a certain extent. Once there is more game film on them other teams clamp down on some of the early success. Drew stood in there and tried to win. The int's where the qb just panics and floats the ball out there up for grabs are the ones that scare me. Drew didn't appear to be doing that, just forcing some balls maybe that he shouldn't have thrown. He clearly is very talented, I've been following him in his time here as well and have watched practice. You can't coach a qb to throw the ball, drew has a great arm IMO. The hope with experience is he stops forcing those balls and knows when to hold em and when to fold em. Durant threw a lot of picks earlier in his career, but watching him now he is picking his spots better and the turnovers have gone down immensely. It doesn't necessarily make Durant a better qb but more so a better game manager. The game will slow down next year for drew and the turnovers will go down as well with that. At least that is the hope going forward. You should watch some early video of Anthony Cavillo - talk about bad decisions. But - he learned. I'm sure Willy will too given time, he does have the natural talent. Only point I've ever tried to make is Willy is just as responsible for losing these last 8 games as anyone else. He's not the 'sole' reason, but he's 'a' reason. He's learning and will hopefully rebound next year and be better for it. I'm old enough to remember AC in those days, he was a raw talent. As far a drew you are 100% correct he has a part to play in the loses for sure.

Willy cost us both of the games here against you guys with terrible game crushing interceptions. My biggest concern with Willy is the fact that he regressed as the season went on. Isn't that what rookies do to a certain extent. Once there is more game film on them other teams clamp down on some of the early success. Drew stood in there and tried to win. The int's where the qb just panics and floats the ball out there up for grabs are the ones that scare me. Drew didn't appear to be doing that, just forcing some balls maybe that he shouldn't have thrown. He clearly is very talented, I've been following him in his time here as well and have watched practice. You can't coach a qb to throw the ball, drew has a great arm IMO. The hope with experience is he stops forcing those balls and knows when to hold em and when to fold em. Durant threw a lot of picks earlier in his career, but watching him now he is picking his spots better and the turnovers have gone down immensely. It doesn't necessarily make Durant a better qb but more so a better game manager. The game will slow down next year for drew and the turnovers will go down as well with that. At least that is the hope going forward.

not always. Yards correlate with moving the ball and TOP and all that. As I pointed out, if a team moves into the redzone but opts to run the ball into the endzone then the td-int ratio isn't all that important right? You're just trying to pick and choose what you want to use. Everything needs context. Quite honestly you can assess the qb performance for this team without using any stats. The eye test is still good enough for football. These would be today's standings if teams were placed based on passing yards. West: East: 1. WPG 4,276 1. TOR 4,461 2. BC 4,009 2. HAM 4,422 3. EDM 3,848 3. OTT 3,788 4. CGY 3,660 4. MTL 3,234 5. SSK 3,379 And if they were drafted in accordance with the TD-INT ratio... West: East: 1. CGY +14 1. TOR +13 2. EDM +7 2. HAM +3 3. BC +7 3. MTL 0 4. SSK -1 4. OTT -1 5. WPG -3 To me it seems that the TD-INT ratio paints a much more accurate picture. The only team that is misplaced is Montreal (who have been overachieving this year IMO) That is more to do with the overall turnover amount than td-int ratio of a quarterback. There is a well established trend in the CFL of teams that turn over the ball more lose more. You are trying to assign too much importance in winning and losing to quarterbacks I think. Willys numbers all told pretty accurately describe the Bombers season. Team that can't run so the qb has to pass more, but some mistakes made as a result which have held the team back from winning more games. Guy has played well though despite that. There are a lot of factors contributing to his play. That lack of a running game is one. How do the win/loss records look if you base it on total offensive yards? Some teams do rely a lot on the running game, thinking Calgary and Saskatchewan in particular. good post. Agree. would like to add that teams that fall behind in games because of defense issues (sorry but the bombers fall here) have a tendency to turn the ball over more. Being behind leads a team into taking chances as the clock winds down in the forth quarter. My 2 cents on Drew this year is most of the crushing turnover int's came late in the game when you guys were behind, when chances were being taken. In games where a running game was established and/ or you were ahead, I wouldn't say he necessarily threw more or less int's than any other qb. In fact if the team is behind and taking chances to try to come back and win, I don't think its entirely fair to blame the qb even though he is most responsible for the int himself. I'd be interested to see a stat on how many of Drew's int's were in the fourth quarter and what the score was when they occurred.

I'd vote for Willy. Nearly 4000yards passing on a team that gave up a lot of sacks, a record I think I read. How many times did he stand in there and get pounded to deliver a pass? Also his first season as a starter. Not every comeback will be successful but he engineered a few of them also. The Bombers were in most of the games he started.