TBURGESS

Oh please, after sitting through the shittiest of shitty games in that stadium losing by one point in a game that came down to the very end that's a step up, especially since they won there last year. We found a new way to lose in McMahon again. Playing better and losing by a point is still a loss. Spoken like someone who hasn't sat through those games in Calgary for nearly a decade. Trust me that was the best game I've seen the team play in Alberta since I've lived here. Yeah it's a sad statement but progress isn't always leaps and bounds. Actually, I've seen lots of games in McMahon. I used to have season tickets and Red and White club spots. There were games where Calgary scored so many TD's that I thought we were trying to kill the horse. Sure, we played better, but we still lost so the demons still very much alive.

Oh please, after sitting through the shittiest of shitty games in that stadium losing by one point in a game that came down to the very end that's a step up, especially since they won there last year. We found a new way to lose in McMahon again. Playing better and losing by a point is still a loss.

I've seen the Bombers win Grey Cups, both live and on TV. I remember when going to the stadium meant expecting to win. No team is perfect. I've seen some very good Bomber teams lose and some very bad ones win. I don't see the Grey Cup drought as something that 'forces' us to do anything or an excuse for any of the problems we've had in the last bunch of years. It's simply a fact of life when you're a Bomber fan. Each year, the team is different. We'll have good and bad luck. We'll be angry and elated. That's what sport is all about. I want to see progress. I want the team to play hard from the first play to the last. I want the GM/Scouts to bring in good players all year long, not just in the offseason. I want the HC to have the answers, not be afraid to take risks, and play to win instead of 'not to lose'. I want us to have enough difference makers on the team to get double digit wins, not just this season, but every season. I want us to make good decisions and less mistakes. I want a team where the fans expect to win most games and are gutted when we lose. A lot to ask for? Sure, but that's what it takes to be a championship team.

The McMahon demon seems to be alive and well after last night.

Calgary was ripe for the picking. Short week. 2 new tackles. Very small playbook because of that. We had them, but let them get away with a win. They'll be tougher to play next time.

If one of the TSN guys said it, it must be true. Face it, It's an excuse and a pretty lame one at that. Just practise it until it become second nature. In the meantime, go for 2 point conversions all the time and hope to go over 50% and you'll get more points anyway.

The blocked punt cost us the game. The Cornish drive cost us the game. The missed FG cost us the game. The timecount may have cost us the game. The int may have cost us the game. Stoudemire's fumble and stupid running back instead of catching the ball and falling forward may have cost us the game. It doesn't come down to a missed single if all of those things don't happen too.

Really? That's the excuse? Lirim can practise converts from the middle of the field all week long. It shouldn't take him until the 5th game to get it right. Should be able to adjust in preseason. IIRC...He's missed the most converts of any kicker this year, so the rest have been able to kick from the middle of the field.

You are underestimating the Esks. Given Stampeders injuries, I can see Edmonton finishing first in the West and even with Nichols as QB, Winnipeg will have their hands full. In fact, I'll be surprised if Winnipeg betters the Esks, which makes the blown opportunity against Calgary even more regrettable. I don't think so, both of their victories have come over the RB's and with Nichols at the controls bad things are going to happen. If Willy plays consistently and the offence can put a decent number of points on the board I think they will top them. I'm certainly not expecting to see a continuation of the mistakes that they made tonight. I'm expecting a game of redemption. I agree. Reality is we eliminate our own mistakes and we owned the stamps tonight. Not sure why some argue it but 16 of Calgarys 26 points came off mistakes. One on a blocked punt. One on a Stoudemire fumble. We win easily and Calgary looks awful without our mistakes. The problem is that we are not limiting our mistakes so we aren't winning, let alone easily.

Esks have one of the best D's in the league. Their D line causes tons of pressure and we've been known to wilt under pressure. I hate Nichols as a QB. Bad accuracy, won't take any part of the blame for any of the problems and is constantly gesturing at his receivers when he thinks they're doing something wrong. Still... they should be able to run and pass on our D. I expect them to win next week. They've actually looked better than Calgary for the last two weeks, but of course they have been playing Ottawa.

Way better game than the one we lost to Hammy. Hung in with the Grey Cup winners until the very end.

Eliminate the turnovers and we win. Sure, but we didn't. Fix the run defence and we win, but we didn't. Eliminate the mistakes like time count, punt return and Int at the end and we probably win, but we didn't.

He's right, but that doesn't help the situation. Gotta make the call in the game when the chips are down. He had the 'I'm a new HC' excuse last year, but he can't use that anymore.

Here's a hint Edmonton... Throw the ball to your own players in the endzone. Not too far that they can't catch up and not too short so the other team can catch it. You'd be up by a ton by now if you just follow that rule.

Gotta think that Calgary's O line gives us a good chance of owning the LOS on defense. Usually a good sign of a dominant defensive performance, which we'll need if we want to win.

A nasty attitude is great, but a cheap shot is a cheap shot IMO.

If Neufeld is on the roster this week, I expect he'll be the 6th guy and will take Goosen's spot. I wouldn't trade Greaves right now, even if their are other teams asking about him. I'd offer Neufeld instead and hope to get rid of the $150K salary for our oft injured NI O lineman.

Cornish - I've only got it right once, so this is a good omen for the Bombers.

Yup. It had nothing to do with the Refs hating the Bombers.

Greaves looks to be the weak link but I wouldn't touch the O line right now. They need some time to play together to get better as a unit. Neufeld might be a better choice than Goosen as the utility guy because he's played tackle before, but that's as far as I'd go right now.

I like the idea of going for 2 more often and not just for us. Assuming a 100% 1 point convert, and that's actually a bad assumption, all you need is 50.1% on two pointers for them to be a better idea. The only question is.. Is that realistic from the 3? With a good offense and the new rules I think it is.

If the DB pushes a receiver while the balls in the air, it should be a penalty. Every time. No ifs. No ands. No buts. Simply throw the flag. If the refs started doing that, no DB in his right mind would push a receiver unless they were already beat. In that case, the flag would be worth it because it's better to get flagged than to allow a deep pass to be completed. Refs shouldn't let them get away with it sometimes and call them other times. That just causes the DB's to do it more often and complain when they do get called. People who say there's holding on every play don't understand what holding is or how the refs have been calling it for years. For example, grabbing the jersey inside the shoulder pads is no longer called holding even though the offensive player is holding the defensive player. Consistency is the key here too. The same interpretation of the rules should apply to every team. Sometimes that doesn't seem to happen, especially in the eyes of the fans who see holding everywhere on the other team and don't see it on their own. I'm saying if you remove the refs discretion, you remove their known or unknown bias. They wouldn't be able to favour one team over another or one player over another. You also get rid of the 'why did you call it this play when you didn't call the same thing 10 plays ago' arguments. Utopian idea? Sure. Workable? We'll never know because we'll never see it.

How can anyone expect a ref to decide if a penalty is going to affect the play in real time? They can't even get the calls right all the time, even with replays and coaches challenges. I certainly don't want them trying to decide if this hold or that hold is going to affect the play. The simplest of concepts are the best when it comes to reffing. Be consistent and call it the same way for both teams. If players don't want to be called for holding. Don't hold. What makes it OK to cheat if it doesn't affect the play anyway? Before I get the 'you said something different about unsportsman conduct penalties'... I think that those should be completely eliminated from flags. I don't believe there should be any penalty for miming a flag or tapping your facemask or complaining about a penalty or lack thereof any more than their should be one for celebrating a great play or a TD. I draw the line in unsportsmanlike conduct to getting into the face of another player or ref.

Shell made a great play last night, but it's honestly the only time I've heard his name mentioned. Has he played any DB yet?

Funny because I remember you saying the exact opposite when people used this argument in favor of the Bombers in the year they went 4-14 before going to the Grey Cup the next year. Folks like you were arguing that the Bombers were better than their record. They weren't and the Riders aren't better than their record either. If they can fix the defense they should be OK in the long run. They may or may not be able to do that. Our 4-14 team never could.