voodoochylde

I'm in (though I'll defer to a site reader if the interest is there - I'd rather they have the opportunity to be a part of it).

In lieu of the Habs bowing out in the first round, I'm going to jump on the Chicago bandwagon. Have to support a good Winnipeg (St. Vital) kid. Can't stand Cindy Crosby. No self respecting Habs fan can cheer for the Bruins L.A. won it all last year. All that said, Go Hawks!

Good point, Sears will miss probably all of camp but you have to think he's going to be a starter when he gets back. TSN is indicating that Sears will be out until at least the start of the regular season.

Original Story Here Burke discusses his expectations and goals for the coming season. I think a lot of what he's saying is realistic (though obvious) but it's something fans can more easily identify with beyond the grand idea of "Win the Grey Cup". I've always said that young teams need to learn how to win and fight through adversity. It's about building trust and having faith in the guy lining up next to you .. those things can help to instill confidence in a young squad. I feel that if we can get out of the gate with sound fundamentals .. good understanding of what we are trying to do schematically (particularly on defense), we'll be in very good shape.

Thanks iso. The site is still young and growing. JimmyFresco and Mike really did a tonne of work to get it off the ground. My hat is off to both those guys. Looking forward to your contributions here!

Glad to have you on board!

for the same reason, a magnifying glass ought to be on pass protection and Crowton's new adaptations he has put in for it. We'll get a good sense of how Crowton has grown as a CFL play caller this season. I'm hoping they move to a more uptempo, high percentage passing attack .. get he ball out of he QBs hands quickly .. Take pressure off the offensive line .. I also suspect that we'll see some two RB sets .. H-Back / TE looks ..

I agree but it's been a long requested feature and we are trying to be responsive to the needs of our community. Always want this site to evolve and adapt to the demands of our readers.

For me, I want to see who is going to step up and make the most of opportunities as they come. Who can be consistent. Who can show continued growth and development in our system. I suspect Hall will look the most poised and I really expect him to challenge Goltz for the #2 spot. It will be a bit of a disappointment if he doesn't in my opinion. Clement will have to show he can grow as a passer and not just rely on his athleticism .. that said, his legs are going to keep defences honest and he has the ability to challenge the edge (which is a big plus in the CFL and when working behind our line - lol). Looking forward to the season.

Yep. Works for PMs and posts (or should)

Original Story Here Just ask Winnipeg Blue Bombers head coach Tim Burke, who says he’s geared this year’s training camp, which starts Wednesday with rookies and quarterbacks, to find out what his young arms are all about. “Our whole training camp will be based on developing our quarterbacks,” Burke said, Tuesday. “In addition to everybody else on the team. But definitely there will be a lot of reps... so the quarterbacks all get a fair shot at showing what they can do.” With the Bombers desperate to find a franchise pivot they can hitch their wagon to, and with newcomers Max Hall and Chase Clement in town, this camp will be unlike others Burke has been involved with. Oft-injured Buck Pierce may be the No. 1 gun, but after that it’ll be a wide open race to find the next No. 1. “Normally you go into a season and say, ‘Here’s our No. 1 guy, here’s our No. 2 guy, here’s our No. 3 guy. And you proportion your reps accordingly, with the No. 1 guy getting the vast majority of them,” Burke said. “In this camp, we’re going to try and get everybody a lot of reps so we can see which will be the No. 2, 3 and 4 guys.” So the returning Justin Goltz might have the backup job on paper going in, but Hall and Clement will get every opportunity to move up. Wednesday will mark the first practice in the new stadium, but Burke is downplaying the significance of the occasion, pointing out rookies won't know anything but the new facility. The coach’s plan is to start a new tradition that has nothing to do with the surroundings. “To me it’s football,” Burke said. “We’re just going to try to get better every day and develop a winning standard of performance. Because you’ve got to have a winning standard of performance before you can go out there and win games.”

Original Story Here The Winnipeg Blue Bombers will make a little local history on Wednesday when they, for the first time ever, take the field as a team at Investors Group Field. The Bombers are holding a three-day rookie training camp this week in advance of the opening of full camp this coming Sunday, and Wednesday will mark the first ever Bombers practice at the new $200 million stadium. While hope always springs eternal for CFL teams at this time of year, Bombers head coach Tim Burke told a news conference this afternoon that the long-awaited opening of the new stadium brings with it even higher expectations than normal for the new Bombers season. "I think there’s heightened expectations. I think mdoving into the new stadium -- it’s a new start, it’s a new beginning. And everybody feels like we need to win to fill the stands, obviously, and bring in revenue for the club," said Burke. "But yeah, I think the expectations from the coaches are always there. And from management. Whether you’re in the old stadium, the new stadium or playing all of them on the road, your expectation levels are always high." The Bombers will hold single practices on Wednesday and Friday for their rookie class of 2013 and two practices on Thursday. The club’s veterans report on Saturday for physicals and then full camp opens on Sunday. Two of those Bombers veterans will report injured. Burke said the latest on slotback Terrence Edwards (lower body) is that the club is hopeful he’ll be ready for Winnipeg’s second pre-season game, while the best case for DB/LB Johnny Sears (knee) is now the opening regular season game on June 27. Burke said his goal for 2013 is to make the playoffs -- something the club has failed to do in three of the last four seasons. "...My target is to win more games than you lose," said Burke. "If you can win 10 games, then you’ll be in the playoffs…. "You’ve got to get to the dance, so you can have a chance."