17to85

If you're just trying to measure progress then all you can do is look at where they are starting from and gauge whether or not they are headed in the right direction. We should be comparing our team against the other teams in the league this year, not against last years historically horrible team. If we'd gone 1-5 in the first third and 5-1 in the second third, then I'd say we are heading in the right direction and I'd be pretty pumped about our chances of making the playoffs this year. That's not what's happened. We pulled out some late comebacks in the 1st third of the season and we've been heading in the wrong direction since then, culminating in a bad loss to the former worst team in the league. That's way more important than how we look compared to last years losers. Quite frankly, this team isn't much better than last years team. Willy's the biggest difference between 3 and 6 wins and neither record is good enough. You are wrong on all counts here. You compare to where you started from not where others are. This is trying to rebuild a historically bad team let us not forget. This team is leaps and bounds better than last year, but as you said, last year was historically bad. Seriously if you don't think this team is much better than last year I would suggest you actually go watch some of the games from last year again and make that comment. This team has played in close games all season, they won some early and lost some lately, but considering the situation the team was in last year, that's a giant step forward and it's not a lot of steps more until they are a good team that is winning more of the close games and winning more games by good margins. Perspective, you need it.

That's great and all but where's the running backs? Picked up some DL, some OL, some receivers, that's good but we need to be looking at runningbacks as well.

If you're just trying to measure progress then all you can do is look at where they are starting from and gauge whether or not they are headed in the right direction.

It's not better than last year just because, it's better than last year because it's better than last year. We've used the same qb every game this year, that alone is leaps and bounds better than last year, and he's even performed well! The team doesn't just roll over and die this year. It's better than last year because the bar last year was set so incredibly low.

he's not THE problem but he is A problem

The only thing I would add to this is that I would like to see a better back than Grigsby starting for us. Someone who can run through arm tackles.

Did anyone listen to the piece on Kuale they did on the CJOB pregame show before I think it was the Banjo Bowl? Really hammered home my belief that the guy is just way too dumb to know when he's actually ****** up.

I actually think the OL now is better than the one Khari had for most of his time here and that never stopped the offense from being one of the most dangerous in the league. Having a RB who can break tackles and receivers who can make plays does a hell of a lot.that line had the one of the best tackles in the league on it Dave Mudge but he's just one guy. Remember who was at the other tackle?

Not even a thought worth this response, but I am bored. Tanking the CFL doesn't happen, with a single elimination playoffs all you need to do is make the playoffs and then go on a 3 game win streak and you're champions. For a draft that is as much of a crap shoot as the CFL draft is tanking is just worthless.

So we have decent passing stats without the best guy and you don't think getting the best guy doesn't make those stats better? And if the stats were better is the offense not also looking better? I think people are really under estimating how much having another reliable receiver in the lineup helps. It gives everyone more room and means we're not hoping the invisible man Aaron Kelly can show up. The difference between the offense now and the offense in the summer is in large part because we don't have that top guy in the lineup. The other thing I would suggest holds the offense back is an inconsistent runningback. other than improving the OL those are two areas that would really improve things. Top receiver back in the lineup and RB that can run through an arm tackle.

I actually think the OL now is better than the one Khari had for most of his time here and that never stopped the offense from being one of the most dangerous in the league. Having a RB who can break tackles and receivers who can make plays does a hell of a lot.

But you didn't address the main point of the argument, which is that the OL still would have used the same tackles and guards and those to me at least are the more key positions in terms of doing the job.

Bellefeuile has shown the last few weeks that he doesn't have the creativity to move this team forward.... this offence peaked in mid-summer. I agree somewhat with not wanting to change the system year in & out.... and maybe he's not quite there yet, but I would not be opposed to canning Marcel and giving the keys to Buck for the rest of the season as a trial run! I think with a full offseason to prepare, Buck could put together a better, more creative offence than what we're seeing right now. I'm sure people are going to disagree with me... but really, there aren't a whole lot of other options out there that know the CFL game real well, are there!? Did the offense peak midseason because of the play calling or because we haven't had our top receiver in the lineup since midseason?

oh come now, put down the haterade. Mack always had a stream of new players coming in and they made changes all the time. He just didn't make the kind of changes you wanted. Keep your arguments straight at very least.

Picard and Labatte are not even remotely comparable. Guaranteed 100% that if we had Picard people would still be bitching about the OL not being good enough. Centre hasn't been the problem area on this team. We'd still have used the same tackles and the same guards that haven't got the job done.

I disagree. This is already a competitive team and when healthy maybe even a decent team. What we need more than anything is depth so that losing a player like Moore or Wild doesn't leave the team without adequate players in those positions. Sure there's some places that could use upgrades, but to suggest that this team isn't competitive already is just ludicrous. They have been competitive in almost every game they've played this season. If we add 4 or 5 difference makers we're one of the best teams in the league. Or is that what you mean by competitive? Being one of the best is the only way to be competitive? Cause that's equally ridiculous. If you consider being in most of the games competitive, I guess we're competitive, but I don't look at it that way. I call top half of the league competitive and I sincerely doubt we will be there at the end of the season. Winning more than you lose is competitive, losing more than you win isn't. Losing 8 out of 9 games isn't competitive. We were great in the first third of the season, competitive for the first half of the season, but we aren't anymore and we're still trending downward. 4 or 5 upgraded players won't get us to top spot in the league. It will put us in the top half, which is where we need to be to not only make the playoffs, but have a chance of winning it all. you didn't say 4 or 5 upgraded players, you said 4 or 5 difference makers, which implies star players. If we added 4 or 5 star players damn right this would be a top team. What we have here is something that makes sense to you but in reality is nonsense but you won't accept that your talking out your ass. A competitive team is a team that can compete and so far the Bombers are competing. You gotta stop trying to redefine words to suit your own crazy ideas.

so your username is a lie huh

But here's the thing, Labatte has admitted that he didn't even talk about his desire to not switch to centre with the Bombers. So the situation is one where the Bombers outline their plan for the player but the player doesn't tell them he doesn't like that. You think if he had said he wasn't keen on it that the Bombers wouldn't have changed their tune if it meant keeping him? That's where you realize that Labatte really wasn't all that interested in staying with the Bombers. He didn't put in effort with them to get things worked out with Winnipeg on his terms, he just used them to drive up what he could get from the Riders. Sure, he could've talked to them about it; but one gets the impression Mack didn't listen to too many people. Except the conversations would have been with the teams coaches not the GM with regards to what position he was going to play right? There's lots of things you can get on Mack for, but I don't think this is one. He did the best he could with the Labatte situation. You can't put a gun to a players head and force them to sign with you. Labatte was leaving and nothing was going to change that. Really the big thing that sunk Joe Mack was the handling of the coaching situation. Lapo wasn't a great coach but he fired him at the worst possible time and then replaced him with an even worse choice. That sets the entire thing off the rails in a big way.

I disagree. This is already a competitive team and when healthy maybe even a decent team. What we need more than anything is depth so that losing a player like Moore or Wild doesn't leave the team without adequate players in those positions. Sure there's some places that could use upgrades, but to suggest that this team isn't competitive already is just ludicrous. They have been competitive in almost every game they've played this season. If we add 4 or 5 difference makers we're one of the best teams in the league. Or is that what you mean by competitive? Being one of the best is the only way to be competitive? Cause that's equally ridiculous.

Some of us are true fans and never lose interest.

Can you explain how we are being exposed exactly? we are in these games for the most part, The redblack game was a stinker and so was the bc game (willy got hurt tho) but the team has had chances to win, they keep making mistakes tho, turnovers, special teams turnovers have killed us this season, you eliminate those special teams turnovers and we probably win 2 vs sask, the bc game? man The D held us in right until the 4th but when you are playing your 2nd string qb who has had like no reps, and can't move the offence at all, eventually the D will tire out. We got blown out by the redblacks sure, but again mistakes, tackling issues, turnovers. If we could actually eliminate our mistakes (mainly turnovers and special team blunders) we would have won several of those games. How are we being exposed exactly? outside of one game vs ottawa and one game vs bc, and i suppose the toronto game, we have been in every game this year with a chance to even win most of them.. Exposed? How? This team is 6-8 right now but eliminating mistakes and turnovers, which easily could have been avoided if we actually had some depth at some positions, guess easier said than done tho, that 6-8 easily could be 10-4. we have been blown out once, just so happens it was against the worst team in the league but besides that game and the other 2 i mentioned, we could have won every other game we lost if not for shooting ourselves in the foot. I don't disagree with you entirely. However, football games are usually won or lost by one or two big plays (often turnovers). Also, many of those turnovers were not as easy to avoid as you make it sound. A good number of them were the cumulative result of too much pressure on Willy and poor snapping on punts. If anything, I dare say there could have been MORE turnovers on special teams. I think the point though, is that with some small improvements it is possible to turn those big plays the other way and win some more games. It's not like this team is in a huge hole, just some things to clean up and more wins will follow.

the BC game vs. the redblacks was with gimpy shoulder Lulay playing though.

It's obvious that he was trying to explain his problem and type "few IQ" but one problem led to another and he made the typo.

It's not always about the money. He's one of the highest paid if not the highest paid offensive linemen in the CFL with the deal he got in Sask is he not? So it's not like the Riders got him at a discount. They're paying him as one of the top players at his position AND he gets to play closer to home, in his wifes (girlfriends?) home... how much more money did the Bombers need to offer to over come those factors? Where would the Riders have topped out at bidding? Money is only one factor.

Yeah sorry but Lapo sunk himself with his passive playing not to lose, and there's a reason he's on TSN now not coaching in the CFL. Burke will never be a head coach in the CFL again because of how terrible he was at the job.