Noeller

re: Practice on Weds Oct 1 Not much to report other than Willy back at the controls and throwing with "zip" according to Friesen. Appears to be ready to go. Not much else being reported on Twitter...

a damn shame, but I guess we'll see what The McGuffin is all about...

Best thread in ages....

I bought a Wii when they were still pretty new, but mostly as a social-gaming thing. I like to entertain, so it was a nice thing to have for groups of people at the house. Honestly, I spend more time "retro-gaming" than anything. I have a Retro Duo and Retro Trio (the Retro Duo plays NES/SNES games with SNES controllers....the Trio is new, it plays NES/SNES/Genesis games with any of the 3 controllers) and play a lot of the old EA NHL games from the mid 90s and some other stuff from back in the day, too...

Bridesmaids was such a piece of ****, and saved only by Melissa McCarthy being as filthy as she is...

Miles and miles of heart is masking a severe lack of talent right now...no question about that.

and I'd certainly have taken the 5 yards vs a loss of down....sigh.

#BigLeagueTeague

...and a HC who gets this team to go through walls for him. Between MOS and Willy, we're gonna be set for a long time...as long as our OL doesn't get Willy killed.

While I'd like to see Sears on the field as much as possible. If bruce is healthy he should play. He's been arguably our best DB this year. He most certainly has not. Randle has been the best and I don't think that's really up for debate. Johnson has been good no question about that, but has he been better than Washington? Not sure I can go that far. Was he any better than Sears was? Don't think I can say that either, has he been better than Leggett? Dunno about that either. Really what we have is a secondary that have all been doing quite a good job. Sears I wouldn't replace though, too much of a playmaker, gotta make room on the roster for guys like that. You know what "arguably" means right? I never claimed he was "the best". and Dave's saying that you can't even really make the "argument", for "reasons" that were "accurate".....Chris "Randle" has been our "best" DB all year by a "mile" and likely "the" best in the "league.....

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/football/bombers/fear-not-loyal-blue-bombers-fans-277548601.html?cx_navSource=d-top-story Sometimes, to fully appreciate what you have, you need to take a moment to step back and see where and what you came from. While the city and team are understandably reeling from the angst of losing a critical game with first-and-goal on their opponent's three-yard line, the fact the Blue and Gold are trading blows with each and every opponent down the stretch is a magical promised land far, far and away from what we suffered through last year. While it is never politically correct to stand on the laurels of improvement, and to accept mediocrity as a standard of performance, we have to realize less than a season ago this team was checking off benchmarks of futility. On the freeway to 3-15, the Bombers surrendered 224 more points than they scored, and on average, they were losing games by more than two touchdowns -- a differential of more than 16 points a game -- including losses of 37-7, 53-17, 38-11 and 37-14. Those aren't competitive football games -- that's the men's league Saturday afternoon weekend warrior exhibition schedule against a bunch of old pros. They were led by a coach that became beleaguered and bewildered at the controls, and a carousel of QBs that were spinning faster than usual, with four different pivots getting time under centre. In only one off-season and parts of the 2014 season, with the urgency of a surgeon removing necrotic tissue, great swaths of management, players and coaches were cut away from the team. To have recovered to the point where the Bombers are relevant again and in the thick of things as the season turns its final corner, is nothing short of remarkable and inspiring. Whether they bust out of this slump in Ottawa on Friday night and reignite their hopes in the playoff race with five games remaining, or continue to be one play away from the team that everyone wants them to be, one thing is for certain: This franchise has not had this kind of promise and potential at quarterback and head coach since Facebook was created. Drew Willy is only 27, and this is essentially his rookie season. To be sure it would have been nice for him to finish that drive in the dying moments and pull one out of the fire -- like he already has several times this year -- but what are your expectations for a first-year QB? He is currently leading the league in passing yards, and has the third-highest QB rating of any pivot that has thrown more than 300 balls. Certainly you can nitpick on his TD-to-interception ratio, but in that same grouping of quarterbacks, only Ricky Ray has a better completion percentage. For an unproven player that was brought in to lead a 3-15 football team, if you can say anything definitively about Willy, it's that he has overachieved in his debut. Any criticism of his development and performance thus far is simply unrealistic and short-sighted. As for the head coach -- yet another freshman phenom -- we have a leader that is unconditionally revered and respected by his players. It is obvious they have bought in to Mike O'Shea's teachings and style, and love playing for him. He doesn't offer up excuses, holds himself accountable, and has gotten more out of this football team than anyone thought possible. No matter how October plays out, the Bombers can go into the off-season knowing who and what the foundation of their football team is. And when you don't have to scramble to find another handful of hopeful pivots, or have to wonder about how to get out of yet another head-coaching extension, you might be surprised by just how good this team could be by 2015. If they make the same strides from this year to the next, as they did from last year to this season, there is truly nothing out of the realm of possibility.

Perry Floyd #1!!! If it's not Wade Miller, I'll raise hell...

Willy and MOS, both only going to get better as they go along. Also agree the defense has been better than expected. If you give up 16 and still lose, that's not on the D. I'd love to see them force more turnovers...fumbles, interceptions, whatever....but they're doing their job, for the most part. Just gotta get some guys healthy so the offense actually has a chance to do something...

Madani was Bombers Communications/PR guy during Taman run there....super tight. Text regularly...not that it means anything, but just sayin'...

bah...there goes my Fantaseh team officially in the shitter with Harris out. Damn it all to hell...

Calgary...same reasons as last week.

We have a great QB and Head Coach who are only going to get better. From there, we can build.

God, I love this thread...

...and it was still the best discussion on this board in weeks...

Great to hear...cold, drizzly and a high of +9 out here in AB for the Stamps/Leos.....

This is really the thing for me.....we've had some of the league's all-time worst teams over the last decade, and the fans STILL sell the place out. The Riders would be lucky to get 20k with those teams. The difference between Bombers fans and Riders fans, is we have more "die hards", but less "casuals". The Riders have WAY MORE casual fans than any other franchise and maybe even more than some NHL franchises in Canada. They're the ones who buy the merch because it's "cool" to do so right now. They badly need another extended run of Al Ford years to thin out their ranks a little and shut them up but good... Rider fans used to cry, cry, cry when Ford was GM. That era in the 90's was brutal & I know crowds of 10-12,000 wasn't the exception but the norm. When I lived in Dauphin, I had a roommate from Sask who is the most die-hard CFL fan I've ever known. Legit huge Rider fan...and I know this because he had seasons tix during the Al Ford years, earned his bragging rights, and is full marks for all the good stuff he's reaping now. I like those guys...they're the real deal, and he made me a better CFL fan. Taught me to appreciate the entire league and its history, and not just the Bombers. The post-2003 crew.......f*ck them so much.

Lawless had a good line in the FP today (...I know, I know..) to the effect of "It's as close to a must-win game as you'll get without it being an elimination game" and, to me, that's about right. Really REALLY need a win today...not only to stem the losing, but to keep pace with BC. We're still in this thing, but man we're pissing it away quick. Let's go Blue!! #GameDayWeAllPlay

??? Seems pretty one sided to me,Jacquie? Moist calls going against the Shmoes.You don't agree? look pretty dry to me...

I love so much how completely embarrassed the Riders look in this game. This time, no shitty Ottawa to let em back in it...

Fey's time as head writer is among my least favourite eras of SNL. I'm terrified how bad things would be if she was head writer with Aidy Bryant in the cast. *shudder*