WBBFanWest

He's had 3 documented concussions in the CFL plus one in college. But the article I read suggested he's had many more. http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Football/CFL/Winnipeg/2012/10/01/20247596.html This article from 2012 says anywhere from 2-6 concussions since College. 10 seems high. 4-6 is likely. May have had more or less depending what they consider a concussion. And in his playing days when they didn't really care much about them he could have had more! You would think with Buck being a coach for us now he would be one of the guys helping out in determining if Willy is A-OK to play. I think he may know a thing or 2....or 6 about these types of things I know that ever since I had my appendix out, I've been willing to consult with any doctor if they feel they need a second opinion. I'm still waiting for my first call because apparently they don't count that as "knowledge".

If we assume that everyone is acting in good faith, then with the protocols as they now exist, the doctors have cleared Willy to play. I'm not real surprised that they found a doctor out there who disagrees with the way concussions are dealt with in pro sports, because clearly, there have been issues in the past. But nevertheless, the doctors cleared Willy and I would find it very hard to believe that if they had any doubts about his condition, they would do that, especially with all the attention that concussions and sport get now. Lastly, always remember that Willy has a responsibility to himself. Yes he's a pro athlete, but if he's got any concerns about his condition or their diagnosis, then he's the one who has to speak up. If he feels that he's being pressured into coming back too soon (and I'm not suggesting thats happened), if he doesn't speak up, he's made his choice. So it seems to me that everyone who should have a say in this has said that he's good to go. That's good enough for me.

Throws three TDs after the INT and fails to perform in the clutch. Interesting.... The defense failed to perform in the clutch. How many high pressure games has he won? How many championship rings has he earned? All the stats in the world .. but can't come through when the chips are down. Depends what you mean by high pressure. He was one 5 playoff games and I remember him beating the Bombers in the final game of the 2009 season that secured 2nd spot in the East for Hamilton and eliminated Winnipeg from the playoffs. He has the same number of championship rings as Dieter Brock, Milt Stegall, Juron Bolden and Charles Roberts (who played a big role in the Bombers losing the 2006 East Semi-final and 2007 Grey Cup by the way). Glenn came through this weekend with 3 Tds after the INT. The defense did not come through when the chips were down. Honestly it's funny when I read any gameday threads with Kevin Glenn playing for team x over the last several years. Regardless of when he throws an INT - first, second, third or fourth quarter - he somehow fails to perform in the clutch and cost his team the game. When most other QBs throw an INT it is glossed over. Newsflash: Glenn has won games in which he has thrown an INT. I know it's hard to believe but he has. But never, it seems, the ones that matter most.

It would appear that Tracy was indeed fined for his hit on Willy. http://cfl.ca/article/best-and-tracy-fined-for-week-2-incidents "Tracy had a responsibility to avoid lowering his head and hitting his opponent with it. Leading with your head,and using it as the main point of contact, is illegal. It is a dangerous and unnecessary maneuver that puts both the tackler and his opponent at serious risk of injury. It is standard we must uphold as we strive to protect player health and safety.” Glen Johnson, Vice-President of Officiating, added: “ Player safety is an important priority and there should have been a penalty on the play for unnecessary roughness.” I hereby stand corrected.

I would agree. I don't think we've even gotten to the warm chair level yet.

ok, cotton then. He's wondering which Smith you're referring to. I assume you mean Ryan Smith. Oh yea, like there'd be more than one guy named Smith....

ok, cotton then.

Smith

I think that the problem with doing that is if they bring in an extra security guy to help out the one that's on duty, and all the Argo fans show up to protest, they'll end up with a security to fan ratio of 1:1

I thought the same thing... He sure didn't move much after the hit though.... Well, when you suspect possibly a neck injury, you are told not to move either. So it's hard to say what happened, I dunno. None of us really do. It's all just huge guesses cuz they don't or haven't told us yet... if they even do, a stinger maybe? I dunno, all i really know is if it was indeed a concussion, i don't think he'd be out there today practicing. I'm not an expert, but if it was a concussion, my understanding is that there would be no way that he'd be out there participating this soon after.

The phrase "A day late and a dollar short comes to mind." O'Shea, from where I sit, seems to be someone who places a whole lot of stock in loyalty. He wants his players and coaches to be loyal to him, so he's loyal to his players. Which would be fine, but where I sit, it really seems that he let's that get in the way of making the tough decisions that bosses have to make. Loyalty is great, but wins are better. For some reason, he really seems to have trouble figuring that out.

Well here's the deal as I see it guys. The Bombers have not, as far as I know, appealed to the League for further sanctions. Yes maybe Walters was upset during the game, but it would appear that after cooling down, they seem to have decided against doing that. Maybe because after carefully reviewing it, they've come to the decision that it wasn't a "dirty hit"? Why would they not complain, and do so quickly, if they believed that this was a "cheap shot"? I can't think of any reason except what I've already mentioned. So if that is the case, maybe the outrage being expressed here is a little misplaced. Again, it really sucks to lose Willy, but it is football and people get hurt. Hopefully, he's back in a game or two. There is still lots of football left.

Walters was screaming at the refs throughout the game, after the hit, so I'd think they believe it was dirty. Or... he believed that a penalty was warranted, which is not quite the same as calling it a dirty hit, which, if you watch the replay objectively is hard, in my opinion to make a case for. And if he really did feel that strongly why, as of now, have they not appealed to the League for further sanctions?

Here's a thought, maybe the Bombers don't think it was a cheap shot or an "illegal" hit. Maybe, they see it as a hard tackle and nothing more. Might explain their lack of outrage.

And I would agree with you completely.

If you're leading with your head it isn't a form tackle. If he wrapped up around his head, I'd hate to see it called, but he led with his helmet and that needs to be penalized (both to discourage idiots from leading with their helmets for their own protection and for the players they are hitting with their helmets) and probably answered on the Bombers end. Just a quick question, and I ask this because when I look at an A&P book the head is normally at the top of the body: If you are aiming to hit your opponent in the midsection/hips area and you are running at full speed, how can you not lead with your head? Your body isn't static heading into a tackle. Google form tackling. A tackle is a stick and a wrap, not launching your helmet into somebody. Upper body should make first contact and the rest follows through with the arms wrapping. Head should be back and turned. Obviously there will be contact with helmets but it shouldn't be the first and/or only point of contact. It's probably more dangerous for the tackler who launches head first, see Shea Emry and the scrambled eggs he has in his cranium. Interesting. Thanks for that info. On a related note, I just watched the replay in stop action and it appears to me that the Hamilton player does not leave his feet until contact. So I think that saying "he launched himself" is a bit inaccurate. It really does appear that this was simply a matter of two players moving in just the right directions and at just the right moment that their heads collided. I get that people are ticked, but I really can't fault the TigerCat. Just plain old bad luck. Lord knows, we should be good at dealing with that.

If you're leading with your head it isn't a form tackle. If he wrapped up around his head, I'd hate to see it called, but he led with his helmet and that needs to be penalized (both to discourage idiots from leading with their helmets for their own protection and for the players they are hitting with their helmets) and probably answered on the Bombers end. Just a quick question, and I ask this because when I look at an A&P book the head is normally at the top of the body: If you are aiming to hit your opponent in the midsection/hips area and you are running at full speed, how can you not lead with your head?

What you are proposing might sound good in theory, but at game speed helmet to helmet is going to happen. If you suspend every player every time, you might as well just say "no hitting the qb" because what defender in his right mind is going to aggressively go after a qb knowing that if there is helmet to helmet, he is automatically gone. The "throwing a punch" analogy is just silly because the last time I checked, people don't tend to accidentally throw punches, so clearly, yea, throw a punch and you can be gone. Apples to Oak Tree comparison there. It sucks to see this happen but it is part of the game and a hazard that every player recognizes. I could see a penalty for H2H infractions, similar to contacting the kicker, intent doesn't matter, just the result. But a suspension/ejection should only happen if there is clear evidence that it could have been avoided or was done with an intent to injure.

And yet Westerman still leads the team in sacks (not that that's saying much at this point) .. The more I watch this defense .. the more apparent it is that certain players are simply being misused .. a case in point is that Randle has gone from being an all-star calibre cornerback .. a guy QBs stayed away from .. to being a liability at LB .. Yes it's Richie Hall doing that. It's 100% his fault for moving Randle away from corner, 100% his fault for backing our linebackers off the line of scrimmage, and being stupid for not faking blitzes, loading the box, or doing anything to try and confuse Hamilton. What a stupid defensive coordinator who should be shitcanned immediately and an instant upgraded actual real DC brought in to fix this. Just stupid that he got hired to come in here. Funny, I seem to remember a lot of people on this board, myself included, who were really happy that firstly, Etch was gone, and secondly that Richie Hall was hired. I too am not happy with the D as they currently stand, but I do know enough about Mike O'Shea to know that there is just about 0% chance that Hall is fired before the season is out. So that being the case, let's hope that MOS has a talk with Hall about schemes and with Walters about finding some replacements because as I see it, both schemes and personnel changes are going to be needed.

The hit was helmet to helmet certainly, but when I watch the replay it seems pretty clear that he was coming in to finish the tackle and due to WIlly being pulled down just happened to end up helmet on helmet. Nasty hit, but no intent to injure.

You know what would have been a really interesting match-up to watch? Cauchy vs Brock Ralph. Sort of the opposite of the "Irresistible force meeting the immovable object"

Actually, because of the ads, they sorta do.

Not sure that it has anything to do with safety at the stadium. For the average fan, it likely has more to do with the weather forecast and our record last year. Keep winning and those "fair-weather" folks will start coming back.

I understand that McCallum's signing happen something like this: It was early morning. Paul sat in his living room, staring dejectedly out the window. He'd been doing that a lot lately. "Why?" Paul quietly muttered to himself. "I can still play. I know I can." Damned Brillohead. "Retire or else" he says. Suddenly the room was filled with a dazzling light. Paul squinted, blinking furiously. Slowly a form took shape. A human form. A woman. Paul sat wide eyed, looking at this vision: a beautiful woman in a shimmering gown. Looking closer, Paul could see a pattern in the gown. No, not a pattern, they were logos. CFL team logos to be exact. "Hello Paul, I'm the CFL fairy Godmother. I would have been here sooner but I've been over at Chris Bauman's house for a while. Some miracles are a lot harder that others." "Look Paul, you're a decent guy, so I'm going to grant you one wish. But just one, so choose carefully. What is you heart's desire" Paul didn't hesitate. "I want to play again in the worst way. Please, fairy godmother, make it happen!" "Your wish is granted. You shall play again. In the worst way." Suddenly as quickly as she had come, she was gone. "In the worst way? What could she mean by that?" Then, as the walls slowly turned green, and the smell of manure filled the air, his screams echoed through the house.

Which we will own after tonight's game Technically, we're in first place right now (in virtue of a better points spread than Calgary): http://www.cfl.ca/standings/2015/reg Now this is the only "power listing" worth worrying about. Us on top, Riders on the bottom. Balance is slowly returning to the force!