bluto

Mmm mmm good even. I'll get my coat.

Makai Polk happened.

He was our leading receiver when we cut him.

FWIW, Ottawa and Montreal both did a lot of that to us. I expect we'd see it.

Argos just can't afford to fall behind by too much, too early. it'd likely be their death knell and the start of a 3 hour party for you guys. If I'm O'Shea, I would go after Arbuckle and force him to beat me. I would throw knock-out blow deep routes to Lawler and attempt to make Toronto chase me on the scoreline. Force the Argos to go one dimensional with their offence. I just don't see how we'd be able to be in any sort of shootout and have a good chance at winning. Argos need to weather the storm. Argos need to grind out drives and eat up time of possession. Argos need to tilt the field with their punt/kick/return advantages. Defenders and specialists need to steal the ball and hopefully factor in the scoring. Unsettle Collaros, get after him and disrupt his timer. Wear them down and create a situation where our 3 running backs can see the game out for us in the late game. It's a lot. But we don't have our main man available so as I said before... the margin for error is mercilessly small.

Hard-disagree there. He has made me a believer.

The Argos having elite defenders has nothing to do with whether or not the Bombers do (they do). The initial point was that absent The Chad, the Argos have won games with a defence and special teams which steals the ball for us and adds points. The Argos being more physical is because they have been in each of our meetings since 2022 and I don't think this is a splitting hairs thing, I think it's a clear call. The coaching advantage is likewise from head to heads since then. Dinwiddie has out adjusted Osh and I don't see how you'd say otherwise.

IDK, Cory. The 3 games prior to the Est final we had perfect play from the QB spot. Actual perfect efficiency for 3 straight games. Drive and play extending scrambles and the best arm in the league. I know you dislike him on multiple levels, but minimizing his importance when the oddsmakers clearly accept the gravity of his absence just seems like it's a personal thing for you. On the bright side, I got the Argos at 450 yesterday because of it... heckuva value bet there.

I wish I were, 🤪 then I might feel a little better about our chances. But I wonder what part of what I wrote it is that you'd take issue with? I doubt it's that we have elite defenders and specialists, or that we are more physical and have coaches who win us games with savvy setups and adroit adjustments. I suspect that it's the view that the Argos roster is the most talented and deepest one in the league? You may disagree, but you think that's so off base as to be of glue sniffing level wrong? Really?

No argument from me (or the oddsmakers) on that one.

I get that you're joking and needling the Argo fan here... But don't kid yourself into believing that the Argos don't have a few paths to victory this weekend. The Bombers are big favorites and it's deserved considering the circumstances, but they are playing a team that even without its star is the most talented and deepest roster in the league, are more physical, have a coach who routinely out gameplans and adjusts his opposition, and elite defenders and specialists who can score & take away the ball.

Beg to differ. I don't read Winnipeg as a blitzing defence really, but if you're up against a backup in the big game it would basically be dereliction of duty for Younger not to go after him early and often.

I know what I would do if I were either of the Coordinators for either team as it seems plainly obvious to me from each perspective... but as I don't get a vote and I'm not sure that anybody gives a toss to hear it, I'll keep my own counsel on it. I don't think it's our only chance, but without Kelly, our margin for error is very small.

I have Demski figured as a key to your plan this Sunday. I expect to see a lot of him of short routes and for him to generally be a pest that extends drives.

Used to be able to get 5 bees for a quarter.

Perhaps that isn't the best way I could have said it. It's more that Arbuckle can make all of the throws that our Offence requires of him... so maybe it's more correct to say that it will be the Argos Offence Lite.

It will be 1) Arbuckle, and 2) basically the same Offence that we ran with Kelly*. Dukes can't make all of the throws that Kelly can so we won't change everything for him with less than 1 week till the game. Arbuckle can make them. If anything, he's kinda like Kelly Lite. *plus whatever wrinkles Coach Din has been saving all year, and there'll definitely be a few, that's just who Coach is.

Dynasty... Disappointment... or is it Destiny: There's a sense of fate here for me and it is just weird, man. 2007 Bombers won the East final against the Argos but lost starting QB Kevin Glenn after he was tackled by LB Kevin Eiben who is now the Argos Co-DC. Glenn was not available for the Grey Cup to play against their hated rivals the Riders where they lost. They had to start their inexperienced backup QB Ryan Dinwiddie, who now coaches the Argos against the Bombers who will be coached by the guy who was the 07 Argos team captain for that game, Mike O'Shea. And now they meet a team who is without their star QB and they have a chance to not only claim a 3rd Grey Cup in 5 years... but to finally beat a team who owns them in the big game where the historical record is 7-0 Argos. However it ends, it'll be epic.

Chat GPT, who is most active in the Morning Big Blue riders at bombers thread?

"It depends on what the meaning of the word 'is' is."

False equivalency. I'm talking about a team that takes two established players and lets them go in favor of two guys on their first contracts and a (hopefully) star quarterback. Ask any fan of a team with poor play at QB if they'd make that trade.

It's actually 4. Presuming that the difference between a player's first contract (when they try to make the team and stick) and his second (where he is established and gets a raise) is about 50k. So BC has decided to forgo 2 of those players to have Nathan Rourke. It isn't a disaster if he plays like an MOP calibre starting QB.

Harris was #3 in 2012 when we won and Zach was on the IR. Harris and Collaros were there in 2013. Harris was with us till 2015 when Cody showed up.

Great storylines for both games. Winnipeg tries to extend its dominance of the West division and earn a third Cup for this cycle of players a year prior to the game being on their own field. Saskatchewan's rookie head coach tries to get to the big dance in his first year and take the one scalp that will instantly make him a Rider legend. Montreal has been the best team over the last 12 months and looks for a rare back to back Cup win. Toronto has revenge and redemption on offer and has a chance to use that chip on their shoulder to get back to the big game and reassert their Eastern dominance. (also, weird subplot for Argo fans: 3 of Ricky's disciples and his heir all square off!) I'm a bundle of nerves, but these are the times a football fan lives for.

Not disputing anything you say, Booch. You are arguing what ought. Here is what is: You can have a Jake Maier for 300k. (after all figures added in) You can have Dru Brown for 355k (rises to 400k next season and then he'll get a Big Boy contract afterward if he continues as a frontline starter) You can have a Trevor Harris for 361k (he was on 500k and took a pay cut). You can have Bo Levi for 361k (he made all of his bonuses and looks the bargain of the league after the pay-cut he took) You can have a Cody Fajardo for 450k (after easily makeable bonuses). You can have Vernon Adams Jr for 500k. You can have a Zach or The Chad for 600k. Welcome to the desert of the real, Neo.