Mr Dee

I take issue with calling it a garbage D. Garbage tackling yes, but that defence has helped us win a lot of games. BC is not a weak team. Would you call BC's defence a garbage D? They allowed 459 yards from our offence..

The argument for the defence playing off the ball is valid, but it's still not the reason we lost. The running up the gut is valid, but so is the mention of the whiffs. We did not lose on scheming. We lost because we didn't tackle when we had to. Way too many times...right up to the last BC series. We were always there..we just didn't make the play. We haven't tackled this poorly - team wise, for a long time. It haunted us yesterday. For example, and only 2 examples. BC had the chance to stop two of our runs, and if they didn't , we score on one, and get many yards on another. They made the tackles. We had many more than two chances, to stop some runs..and didn't. It's football, they handled that aspect better than us. It shouldn't even have come down to the last couple of plays.

I'm glad the status of Matt Nichols has been brought up. Because that's the direction Nichols play has been trending - upwards. We had the very best chance to look at Nichols' development throughout the year. And develop he did. Game manager is where he started. Slowly, he developed into an offensive leader. Now he's a team leader. His understanding of our offence, along with the execution of same, all with different receivers is commendable. He's making more and more throws, the really good ones. He's not quite there yet, but whereas I was worried about a starter for next year...I'm not now.

The notoriety of LaPolice or Hall has no bearing on what happened in that game yesterday. Each team had its shots and took them. It still comes down to execution. One play is all we needed, but we didn't do it. One play is all they needed...and they did it. A very big difference, in this game, was not the notoriety of the co-ordinators, but simply on a scrambling QB. Jennings won that game for them because of his ability to scramble, not on Hall's schemes - unless you make the reach that his schemes and good coverage forced Jennings out of the pocket.

As we made adjustments for BC, so did their crew. Let's face it, we took what they gave us. I don't think we shrunk into a shrink-wrap offence. We did complete a couple of passes in each the last two quarters of over 40 yards. One to Gudino, the other to Denmark. And I distinctly remember at least twice where, if not for a tackle by a BC defender, we would have gotten way more yardage. But there are plays out that to be made - by both teams. By the same token, you could say BC played a softer second half game also, the major difference being - they executed, we didn't. Especially tackling. The game was exactly what it turned out to be - close, and we didn't execute when we had the last chance. Hey, one more completion, and nobody's talking about playing it safe.

I don't agree with the majority on here. That WAS a great football hit. Over and over again. But, in that situation, it definitely was a penalty. Hitting a defenceless receiver. That penalty has been called in the NFL, CFL, and any FL league that has any credence. You see the consequences of that hit. Arceneaux -out. Love the aggressiveness of the hit, and I wouldn't stop my players from doing it, because, it was close, and Loffler hit cleanly, but it is dangerous. I'd expect a flag every time.

The CFL should wait until the Riders fork over the guaranteed money...then retire the Grey Cup.

Nope. Can't put any blame on LaPo on this one. It was a variant offence that had running and passing and kept the BC defence guessing. It suited Nichols and he operated it really well. As to stopping our offence, we'll, BC has a defence too. They made a lot of plays to stop even bigger gains. Which brings us to Hall, and our defence. I found we weren't ready for their running, but we did adjust. We handled most of what they threw at us. But the one thing that did kill us was the broken plays. That, combined with very poor tackling, was our undoing. The game was what it was, a very close 1 point game. Either team could have won that game, without question. It leaves us out of the playoffs, but as a top 3-4 team, not as a bottom tier team. You cannot convince me, after watching this team, this year, that we could not have won it all. Next year, new pieces, new contracts, and we'll be even more ready..

That was one hell of a football game. Our offence was spot on. Special teams, defensively, was spot on. We took their starting receivers out of that game...in more than one way. Our penalties were minimal. I'd say the only reason we lost that game, never mind calls or dropped balls, was poor tackling. It killed us. The guys were there in position and lost the yardage battle. But I tell you what, after that game, I feel like we can compete with anybody.

........Hey, can anybody guess who's playing the trumpet?

Winnipeg in BC: CFL Game Notes In the last 6 meetings between these two clubs, the team that was won the 4th Quarter, has won the game. The Bombers have now won 4 in a row over BC sweeping the last two season series; all FOUR games went down to the final 3:00. - The last three BC-Winnipeg meetings have been decided by a total of 8 points (margins: 3, 2 & 3 points). Key Stats in 2016 season series: - The Lions ran up 931 yards of net offence but did not win either game one of their three 500+ yard games (503 on Oct 8/16). - Seven lead changes and virtually even Time of Possession across the two games. Jonathon Jennings was 12-4 against all other clubs and 0-2 vs WPG; Matt Nichols has now won three straight starts vs BC. T/O Ratio: Winnipeg forced BC into 9 Giveaways while BC forced only 2. Winnipeg scored 26 of their 72 points off those T/Os. Field goals: Justin Medlock was 10-for-10 vs BC in 2016; Richie Leone was 7-for-10 vs Winnipeg. 2nd Down Conversions: BC was 21-of-38 for 55.2%, Winnipeg was just 18-of-42 for 42.9%. 4th Quarter Scoring: Winnipeg outscored BC in each game and by 23-15 overall. Semi-Final History: - BC is playing in a Semi-Final for the 26th time in club history, they are 8-17 over their first 25 appearances back to 1959. - Winnipeg is playing in a Semi-Final for the 36th time in club history back to 1936. They are 19-16 in those previous 35 appearances. Team Notes: - BC is playing their first home playoff game since 2012 and are 0-4 in their last four playoff appearances (last win: 2011 West Final). - BC is 3-3 in 6 home playoff games since 2004; overall at home in the playoffs this will be game #19: they are 9-9 in the first 18 home playoff games (6-6 at B.C. Place Stadium). With 63 players only, BC employed the fewest in the CFL in 2016 and a league-low 42 different players started for them in 2016. Emmanuel Arceneaux vs Winnipeg - Game #1: 10 for 150 yards, Game #2: 2 for 16 yards. He is coming off a career-best 180 yards in Game #18 vs Saskatchewan. Bryan Burnham last 5 games of 2016: 29 catches for 497 yards with 11 receptions for 2nd down conversions. Fast starts: The Lions have allowed only 7 First Quarter points in the last 4 games and were +37 for the season in 1st Quarter scoring. The Lions’ 545 points scored in 2016 was their highest season total since 2008 (559 points); their 12 wins the most since 2012 (13-5). Jonathon Jennings averaged 320 passing yards per game over the final 6 games of 2016 with 12 TDs but also with 7 interceptions. Jeremiah Johnson rolled up 300 rushing yards over the season’s final 4 games (all starts). This playoff appearance for Winnipeg halts a 4-year absence, matching their longest ever non-playoff run (1967 to 1970). For the season Winnipeg was +29 and has scored 30% of their 497 points after forcing a turnover, the highest % in the CFL. Matt Nichols has a 7-game streak with at least one TD pass; he threw 1 INT in his first 7 starts but had 8 INTs in his last 6 games. Andrew Harris: Did not post a 100-yard rushing game after Aug 12/16 but finished with 4 straight games of 100+ total yards. (116, 150, 139 and 142 yards from scrimmage averaging 17.3 touches per game: 5.8 catches, 11.8 carries per game). Weston Dressler was Winnipeg’s leading receiver in the second half of the season with 48 catches in the 9 games for 649 yards. Winnipeg finished strong with a season-high 437 yards of offence in their final game of the season at Ottawa. Discipline down the stretch: Winnipeg averaged only 7.3 penalties per game over the final 3 contests in going 2-1. The Bombers have overcome six deficits of 6 or more points to win this season; they posted 8 come-from-behind wins overall. Kevin Fogg is out. Not many are predicting a Bomber victory. And it would be better if I kept my prediction to myself. Call it a closed door prediction.

I'm looking for Richards to score a TD tomorrow...

Some last minute pieces before the Edmonton-Hamilton semi.... Keeping the Eskimos’ defence away from Collaros will be key for the offensive line so the quarterback can find his receivers along with using C.J. Gable out of the backfield. ?‍?Especially after reading this : *We don't understand what Hamilton is thinking on offence. They don't do any of the (bleep) that we do scheme wise to protect their quarterbacks. - an anonymous insider And yet, according to Drew Edwards: Edmonton did not record a single sack against Hamilton and there were just three total turnovers in the two games. ?‍?Of note, Stoudermire is out as KR, Bell is in. Drew Edwards: The Eskimo’s vulnerability is in the secondary, where they gave up the third most passing yards... - The Eskimos have scored 40-plus points in three of their last five games and averaged 35.0 per game over that span. -When receiver Luke Tasker played this season, Hamilton was 6-6: they are 1-5 without him in the starting lineup. Tasker will not play Sunday -Hamilton trailed at halftime in 13 of 18 games this season and were 3-10 in those contests. And another insider (Penton's column) said about Edmonton: We're happy about Edmonton. We wanted them to go over there as the crossover team. Only way we play them now is in the Grey Cup. They're hard to beat, because they've got big (bleepers) on the offensive line and the league let's them hold every (bleeping) play. When those big (bleepers) grab you, it's over ... ?‍?who from Winnipeg, BC or Calgary would have said that? ?‍?Collaros is the wild card for me in this game. He can extend a game with his legs and scrambling. But I don't know. A lot of injuries, and a team that seems more than ready (the Eskimos), got to go with the prevailing pick - the Eskimos.

I like your gut talk better than that other gutter talk..

?‍?"We're interested in winning and however that looks is going to be good enough." - Coach O'Shea (What's he got up his sleeve?) ?‍?Hey, Hurl played & had 7 tackles vs Ottawa - tied with Loffler, and the defence did not fall apart. ?‍?After Medlock's league leading 227 points, the Bombers next highest scorer was Denmark with 48 points on 8 TDs ?‍?The balance of big plays and ground control seems to have been achieved by the Lions. They are ranked second in the league in time of possession. But, it's like this, they can control all the time they want, as long as we, control the scoreboard. ?‍?Richie Leone had a staggering 25 singles kicked this year. ?‍?BC and WPG. - tied for third for points allowed at 25.2 per game. ?‍?Winnipeg ended with 1036 scrimmage plays - good for third. ?‍?Bombers ended with the second best completion % at 70.1% ?‍?Bombers only attempted 4 2-point converts and completed 2. ?‍?How would you feel about Addison Richards playing where Kohlert usually lines up? ?‍?Still pissed off for the process that allows a Coach's sub 500 record to even be considered in the Coach of the Year category It also produced - RedBlacks get 11 divisional all-stars... ?‍?Will be glad when this Grey Cup is over so I don't have to see a pop-up Tickets for the game ad, every time I go to a CFL site... ?‍?Here's the inside scoop from the closed practice today - ..... ......and that's it. Mike Beamish - The Province Shawn Gore appears to have had a relapse of concussion issues that plagued him earlier. Ed Tait Thursday’s session was just as crisp as the day before. And that extra attention to detail, coupled with the enthusiasm, has been obvious. Pick trend Edmonton at Hamilton 82% to 18% ....Edmonton Pick trend Winnipeg at abc Lions 27% to 73%.....BC

Lest we forget..

It wouldn't be the first time we rely on Medlock to give the Bombers the edge on something...

That COTY determination has just been turned into a farce. The best Coachs don't follow East-West guidelines. They are simply the Coachs who are deemed to have done the best job, under the circumstances, or because of the circumstances, and that certainly doesn't qualify ANY Eastern candidates. Buono and O'Shea certainly ahead of Campbell.

But Campbell? Did the Command Centre review and make this call?

To be fair, both those throws were high and hard. Very catchable, but it's not as if he 'set' the ball up for the defence. You didn't know, but they moved the closed practice from from Thursday...to Friday. There's something up, and it might involve two players mentioned in this thread...

Props to those indeed. While I admire the community aspect of the award and the nominees, it is the essence of this award that I take issue with. Outstanding sportsmanship. There is no parallel for sportsmanship and dirty play in my eyes. That alone disqualifies Mr Hebert aka dirty bird. Tom Pate Award "It is awarded to the player who ‘embodies the qualities that distinguished Tom Pate; qualities that recognize a player with outstanding sportsmanship, a player who has made a contribution to his team as well as to his community and to his Association.’

Very well said TUP.

Looking at the fact that it's the 9th day of the 11th month.