The Unknown Poster

Boom. There it is. Welcome Khari. Very interesting comments about DC. Makes me wonder if they offered him that position already. Thats practically a public offer.

*if* Khari is the guy it opens up a couple of questions: - it means the HC was basically hired at least two weeks ago - why was a HC hired before a GM - why was a HC hired before the current HC was fired (assuming Burke doesnt have an agreement in place)

My worry with Miller is: - rumours of him being a **** to deal with (I've known some hard-ass bosses but the ones you respect rather than fear were always more effective) - his football background making him more likely to interfer with the GM - when hiring, giving extra points to guys he was friends with But I know none of the above are reality, only speculation. Time will tell. Lyle could be a real prick too but he was very effective at turning around the Bombers. His legacy is tarnished by his final moves but his entire body of work was positive.

All things being equal I'd be happy with Khari as OC. When I first heard the rumour I thought it was BS. I said "no way the Bombers hire inexperienced people after whats happened here" but it *is* the most persistent rumour. Someone asked why Miller isnt just named President of Football Ops and keep Walters as Asst. GM? A smart boss always gives himself one degree of separation. When things go south, Walters will be the fall guy.

It wouldnt surprise me if CJOB did outbid TSN1290. If I recall, True North said CJOB made a heck of an offer for the Jets' radio rights but TSN tied it all together so they had little choice but to go with TSN. But I agree with the optics. In addition, I think people really wanted to see a strong football person in that role. We can debate whether the CEO needs to be a strong football person but I remember that question coming up. Since the CEO will be the one to hire/fire the GM, doesnt he need to understand the details that come with running football ops? He also always seemed to be two steps behind. The Stadium fiasco was not his fault. But swaggering up to the mic to vow they would never again play in Canad Inns Stadium *was* his fault. He had the appearance of a guy who wasn't qualified. I cant say whether he was or wasnt because some people have the skill to do jobs you wouldn't think, but hindsight being what it is, it seems clear he wasn't cut out for the gig. I still question how he left as there were two mysterious stories circulating (that he quit, that he was fired, that he refused to come back from vacation to deal with Mack etc).

If Burke wants to be here as DC, then that is a coup for us. He's arguably the best DC in the CFL. The only thing that has changes since he was promoted is he has gained experience. The good and bad that came with being HC will only add to his knowledge and experience. I see no issue with locker room buying in. By all accounts Burke was very respected by his players when he was DC. And this team is going to look very different anyway. If Khari is HC (and I sort of hope he is now just to spite some people who called that rumour ridiculous), its something he is already aware of. Which means I am sure bosom buddies Wade and Khari have discussed staff. ie. which guys do you want fired and which do you want to keep. As an offensive guy, Khari might look at Burke and say Hey this guy is one of if not the best DC is the CFL, ofcourse I want him. He has the experience to be left alone to run the D. As for why Burke would take the job? Thats tough. He was asked that question on the last coach's show and he sort of hedged a bit saying he cant answer that because he hasn't been fired and wouldnt know how he'd feel. And while he could decline and spend a year on the beach collecting money, he sounds like a guy with a strong competitive spirit who sincerely loves being here and is gutted by the lack of success. He might see the DC job offer as a positive. If he truly would "do anything to help this team succeed" then that's putting his expertise to work. And besides, if he's making HC money to be the DC, then good for him. Sitting out for a year is not going to get him in the running for a future HC position. Staying on as DC in a city he is used to, feels welcome in etc, and helping turn the Bombers around *could*. But are there legit rumours or simply rampant fan speculation?

In other news, the Bombers have opted to combine the "President & CEO" roles into one: Emperor.

Its fine if they want to wait until after the Cup to announce a new HC but if they have decided to fire Burke, why let him twist in the wind? Unless they've already discussed it with him and he's agreed to stay on.

I strongly suspect Marcel is gone either way.

Question for the people saying they would not spend any more money: If they keep Burke and they win, will you continue to stay away?

So the bombers don't even know when they blackout begins?? Hahahahahaha Also to be fair, the cheapest tickets were under priced. Is sit in those $17 seats any day. Way better than the $40+ end zone seats.

I'm Not sure they'd sell less tickets, seasons or individuals. It's all about the roster moves. If they have a good team on paper by next spring they will sell season tickets. You're not going to have 10,000 season ticket holders dump their tickets en mass. You may have some. But they might be made up for by new ticket buyers. And I certainly agree the new coach should pick his assistants but if Burke is willing, he's potentially the best DC in the league.

The online fan community would be suicidal. But ultimately, by next June optimism would rule the day. Its going to be all about the talent that turns over and then how the team plays. I know most players arent going to speak out negatively but when you hear from the players they all seem to like/respect Burke. Is it BS? Maybe. But players seem to be more focused on the lack of talent and the youth as the issue. With that being said, I'd rather see him return to DC but I can't see that happen. He was asked if that was possible on the coach's show and he declined to comment saying he wouldnt know how he'd feel if he was fired as HC. I dont know what he is paid, but if the Bombers offered him his current salary to be DC and work out his contract, would he take it.

I dont even look at this from the standpoint of the team wanting to move on. If you have multiple teams knowing they are going to fire staff and you ban them form doing so for a month, that leaves a lot of people twisting in the wind and thats not really cool. If Burke says to Walters "are you going to fire me?" whats Walters to do, say "I can't tell you"? Silly.

Thats ludicrous! Edmonton fired their coach.

And its classless to let your coach's twist in the wind. There are other teams hiring. If you're going to go in a different direction, can them now and be done with it.

I was a Bengals fan in the Boomer days.

That time line does concern me. It's odd. He said 3-5 weeks but the GM would ":absolutely" be prepared for the expansion draft. Really?

I would have no problem keeping him as the third stringer if a better option is readily apparent. And wasnt the final straw for the coaches when Goltz was running and had a shot at a first down and hit the turf early?

Mike, am I crazy or did you not select a GM? Otherwise, I'm with Mike.

The idea they would only draw 20,000 tickets to any game next season if Burke were retained is laughable and the fact they drew 20,000 fans to the final meaningless game when one of the most anticipated Jets games of all time was taking place shows proves that. If anything, the people vowing to never buy another ticket go to show that the Bombers have a lot of opportunity to increase ticket sales by increasing their on-field performance. You can argue Burke's impact on that, but it's a side issue to the big picture. if you personally never go to another game, no one would notice or miss you.

I don't want to feed the troll... but the bait is irresistable... I know A LOT of season ticket holders; and at least 50% are waiting to hear whether or not Burke will be retained before renewing. Sure, they're bitching about the price increases... but they're football fans that will suck it up and buy season's because they love football and the Bombers. Don't kid yourself. There is NO REASON why a team in the CFL's only new stadium since SkyDome shouldn't sell out every game in its first year; especially given half-decent weather. The fact that we DIDN'T... is a result of an extremely poor product on the field. On-field product is Burke's responsibility. People will pay through the nose to watch winners with whom they have a strong attachment. Ever been to a ball game in Boston or New York? We haven't had a winner in a long while, and attachment is starting to dwindle... HAHAHAHA First: Been here a long time pal, not a troll. Secondly, if you thought my post was trolling you neither understand the definition of trolling nor comprehend the common sense of my post. Thirdly, communities like this forum are the vocal minority. It's true. Listen to any broader forum and you get much more generalized opinions with many people sympathetic to Burke. Fourthly, I made no judgements about Burke. I believe he will be fired. I believe massive changes are needed. But keeping Burke will absolutely not result in there being 20,000 fans at Bombers game. That just won't happen. Product on field means more. And finally, your logic makes zero sense. The Bombers did not sell out their second home game. No one thought the team was horrible. They nearly beat Montreal at home and did beat them on the road. Will *some* fans turn in their season tickets? Yes. Ofcourse. Will *some* fans be angry and resist buying tickets? Yes. Ofcourse. But will the sky fall? Nope. Too many Chicken Little's on here. Duration on a site doesn't preclude trolling. You got your response. Be a happy troll. People won't tolerate shitty traffic and parking to watch a poor on-field product; long-term. The other side of it is that once you've been shitty for awhile, it takes time to build your fanbase back. On-field product is the responsibility of management. You yourself acknowledged that Burke is part of management. Good coaches draw the best efforts out of their players. Burke may or may not have inherited a talented group... my point is that he rarely drew inspired efforts out of them. I'll say it again: Burke could coach the '01 Bombers to a losing record. Would you go through a wall for a coach that throws your teammates under the bus to the media? Lastly, regarding your comment about not selling out the 2nd home game... I will agree, but only because Burke couldn't have had an impact on that game. We've probably sold out each and every summer game for the past 10 years. Not even shitty coaching could prevent a sell out. Most of the walkup is there for the party -- and no one knows how much of a stud or dud you have at that point in the year. Remember the traffic snarl from the 1st game? That was the impact on the 2nd. Look more to the empty seats in the fall. That was the impact of Tim Burke. Quality of post should equate to level of trolling. Your quality is slipping. I dont have attendance in front of me. But my recollection is, yes, traffic was an issue (a media-ballooned issue) and the combination of higher capacity and poor pricing kept the last couple thousand tickets from being sold. The team also drew well into the fall. Even the last game started out with 20,000 people. The debate is not whether Burke is a good coach or should come back. You made a broad statement that ticket sales would be disasterous if he were retained. Common sense and history prove otherwise.

I don't want to feed the troll... but the bait is irresistable... I know A LOT of season ticket holders; and at least 50% are waiting to hear whether or not Burke will be retained before renewing. Sure, they're bitching about the price increases... but they're football fans that will suck it up and buy season's because they love football and the Bombers. Don't kid yourself. There is NO REASON why a team in the CFL's only new stadium since SkyDome shouldn't sell out every game in its first year; especially given half-decent weather. The fact that we DIDN'T... is a result of an extremely poor product on the field. On-field product is Burke's responsibility. People will pay through the nose to watch winners with whom they have a strong attachment. Ever been to a ball game in Boston or New York? We haven't had a winner in a long while, and attachment is starting to dwindle... HAHAHAHA First: Been here a long time pal, not a troll. Secondly, if you thought my post was trolling you neither understand the definition of trolling nor comprehend the common sense of my post. Thirdly, communities like this forum are the vocal minority. It's true. Listen to any broader forum and you get much more generalized opinions with many people sympathetic to Burke. Fourthly, I made no judgements about Burke. I believe he will be fired. I believe massive changes are needed. But keeping Burke will absolutely not result in there being 20,000 fans at Bombers game. That just won't happen. Product on field means more. And finally, your logic makes zero sense. The Bombers did not sell out their second home game. No one thought the team was horrible. They nearly beat Montreal at home and did beat them on the road. Will *some* fans turn in their season tickets? Yes. Ofcourse. Will *some* fans be angry and resist buying tickets? Yes. Ofcourse. But will the sky fall? Nope. Too many Chicken Little's on here. I wouldn't really call the Winnipeg Sun comments page a broader forum. a) no one mentioned the Sun yes it is c) Point is still the same. the "no one will buy a ticket because I wont buy a ticket" argument is silly.

and TIm Burke consistently puts a shitty product on the field. Nope. Tim Burke is part of a managment team that out a shitty product on the field. Its a moot point as Tim will be fired. But anyone who thinks keeping him would sound the death knell for attendance is kidding themselves.

I don't want to feed the troll... but the bait is irresistable... I know A LOT of season ticket holders; and at least 50% are waiting to hear whether or not Burke will be retained before renewing. Sure, they're bitching about the price increases... but they're football fans that will suck it up and buy season's because they love football and the Bombers. Don't kid yourself. There is NO REASON why a team in the CFL's only new stadium since SkyDome shouldn't sell out every game in its first year; especially given half-decent weather. The fact that we DIDN'T... is a result of an extremely poor product on the field. On-field product is Burke's responsibility. People will pay through the nose to watch winners with whom they have a strong attachment. Ever been to a ball game in Boston or New York? We haven't had a winner in a long while, and attachment is starting to dwindle... HAHAHAHA First: Been here a long time pal, not a troll. Secondly, if you thought my post was trolling you neither understand the definition of trolling nor comprehend the common sense of my post. Thirdly, communities like this forum are the vocal minority. It's true. Listen to any broader forum and you get much more generalized opinions with many people sympathetic to Burke. Fourthly, I made no judgements about Burke. I believe he will be fired. I believe massive changes are needed. But keeping Burke will absolutely not result in there being 20,000 fans at Bombers game. That just won't happen. Product on field means more. And finally, your logic makes zero sense. The Bombers did not sell out their second home game. No one thought the team was horrible. They nearly beat Montreal at home and did beat them on the road. Will *some* fans turn in their season tickets? Yes. Ofcourse. Will *some* fans be angry and resist buying tickets? Yes. Ofcourse. But will the sky fall? Nope. Too many Chicken Little's on here.