voodoochylde

It's about perspective and I do believe that *many* people lack that around here (and I would argue most fan bases) when it comes to the CFL, high draft picks and the impact they are expected to make. Am I happy with every pick we make? No. I hated the Richards pick with a passion for example (because I thought there were more impactful players available who also fit that need, receiver specifically).

So .. you're quoting a bunch of fans? Also 5th ranked prospect (might as well use the CFL Scouting Bureau rankings): https://www.cfl.ca/2017/04/13/senior-tops-final-cfl-scouting-bureau-ranking/ I would suggest to you that "need" from an organizational perspective .. with what Walters et al are envisioning .. isn't of the immediate variety but rather with the concept of long term roster construction and flexibility in mind (ie. how our team is built), it also means providing depth. Would it have been nice if Ekakitie could have come in and blown the doors off during training camp and won a starting spot outright? Sure. It wasn't necessary.

He wasn't selected to fill an immediate need. We had no immediate need. This is the luxury we have with the depth Walters has built these last three years. So your definition of "impact" is playing limited snaps .. rotating occasionally .. so kind of like what's he's done to this point (based on game day needs, game day roster decisions etc). Great! We're ahead of the curve then.

Out of curiousity, what would you consider impactful? What contribution would you expect a first year player to make who plays behind an established veteran and two fairly dominant imports?

He's a defensive tackle who has played limited snaps .. 'stats' don't always tell the whole story. Hell .. Nevis is sitting at just over 1 tackle a game .. Johnson is the same .. and these are the guys who are getting regular playing time.

He was the most 'pro ready' .. still doesn't mean he's going to step in and make an impact right away, especially when he's playing behind guys like Nevis, Johnson and Thomas (who is having a very solid year). Also, with our NI depth we have the luxury of allowing him to develop and get familiar with the Canadian game .. to acclimatize to the demands of our faster style of play .. why are people so quick to label Ekakitie a bust? He's played well enough in spot duty.

It shouldn't be close but this team, at times, has shown a tendency to play down to an opponent's level. Also, as 17to85 pointed out, Lapo doesn't keep the pedal to the metal when they jump out big .. we get way too conservative. For once, I'd love to see us keep the boots to an opponent when they are down.

Queuing Wiceck and Friesen in 4 .. 3 .. 2 ..

This is more than a little surprising to me. I know Flanders being on the field essentially limits our ability to put Thorpe on the game day roster but he (Thorpe) had tools. Fought hard for yards, was willing to get dirty ..

That sucks. Not sure when / how he got hurt. Let the speculation ensue.

Pruned one rather .. questionable .. post in this thread. Keep it classy guys.

West side clearly representing better than the East. Just saying.

I think the non-call was correct and, if anything, Edmonton's receiver went out of his way to initiate the contact .. they were lucky it didn't go the other way. Edmonton was one of those teams that benefited from (and abused) the loose Challenge rules early in the season and, I feel, that since the change Maas has struggled to adjust. Can't have a head coach melting down on the sidelines like that.

Wouldn't that be a "Technical Knox Out"?

Have to give your head a shake if you think this team is soft .. we've gotten up off the mat in a number of games this year already and were fighting back in this one. It was a game of momentum and the Riders had it from the get go .. they were catching all the breaks and making things happen and to be honest .. I think many people around here expected this kind of game today. We were never going to win out .. but now we have to respond .. I've sat through countless games where the team HAS rolled over .. it's not in this group's make up.

Posted 8 threads with the same content. Cleaned them up.

And I'm happy to oblige. I'm all for banter and back and forth but there's never a need to get personal, to cross the line of good taste or just let a thread devolve into senseless bickering. /fin

Purposefully trying to be contrary .. that and I missed this one completely. ?

It's damn, dammit.

It just goes to show though that, organizationally, we are starting to make the right decisions and are allowing individuals to develop and grow in the roles they've been placed in. For too long we were knee jerk .. making changes because we didn't realize the success we wanted .. these guys committed to doing things their way and are allowing it to play out, regardless of the outside pressure. It's paying dividends.

I expect a physical game tonight, Montreal's defense still has some teeth and things won't come as easily for us this week. Team has to be mindful of Lewis .. especially on 2nd down and his ability to move the sticks .. can't play him soft. If the Bombers can keep the tempo up offensively and consistently put pressure on the Montreal defense, this will be a walk .. if they allow Montreal to stay close OR sleep on a lead, then I worry about this game. (this post may or may not be fueled by my pre-gaming .. #GoBlue)

Best coach we've had for this team in a long time. Say what you will about Berry or Lapo .. but Mike has grown into the role and we are seeing why he was so highly regarded. He, Walters and Miller have really helped change the culture of this organization. We are only now just reaping the benefits.

It's a joke.