Doublezero

Hopefully the next HC will be an ex-QB. That formula seems to work in the CFL.

Awesome. Plus, wax your car too. Sign him up today.

This could be a defining game. We get to see what kind of team we've got. Go Blue!

Wales! http://www.espnfc.us/match?gameId=438159

Ooohh Hurl was completely lost and seriously behind the play vs Als, the few times he saw the field. Moving the pocket around or a more mobile QB with some pocket presence might be a better solution.

The clip on this thread doesn't show how much time had elapsed on the 20 second clock. All I know is I was sitting in the stands thinking oh no the D is getting ready to stack the line but Pierce didn't see it. Even I saw it and I'm just a fan. He had time to change the play and throw a screen to the RB. But he didn't.

The QB always has the option of changing the play and making pre-snap adjustments depending on what he sees in the D formation.

QB should've read the blitz, called a revision (audible), and screened to the RB. What's so complicated about that? It's on the QB and his failure to see it coming.

OK Darren let's hear Buck's version. Bombers can't wade into this discussion without explaining exactly what happened.

It seemed as if everyone in IGF saw the blitz coming on that play except for the guy who gets $400k to see it coming. I could not believe he did not throw the check-off.

Why do Bombers keep trotting Drew Willy out as #1 when he appears to have no fire in his belly or urgency to his game? I don't understand that. It's like he's lackadaisical and a half-step behind everything. It's not rust - he's been like that from day one. There appears to be nothing in his game that would inspire an elevated level of play from his team-mates, never has. People tired of Bombers always losing? It starts and ends at QB. You can't win in this league without great play at the QB position.

Defence and Special Teams contributed important game-winning points in those first 7 games that year. If not for that, we're 3-15 for 2014. The problem is MOS anointed Willy starter back in Feb 2014 without real QB competition. As you say Willy has shown a few flashes. But IMHO not enough to justify his $400k or starter status. When you say unpredictable at best, I fear that flatters him.

If you give Willy more time to decide what to do, he will take more time. This has been a big part of his problem. Post-snap it's like everything is in slo-mo with him. And, dammit, he takes way too long with pre-snap reads as well. This saps any possibility of the O getting a rhythm or momentum and keeping the opponent on their heels. With Willy, the D always has lots of time to recover & re-set from the prior play. He seems not to have a clue about that. One thing, as you say, that LaPo could do is put the O in perpetual hurry-up, then Willy might adapt his QB muscle memory to the speed of how a pro offence should be run.

'Cept it wasn't a choice between Poblah and Laurent - Wpg could've had both. Bombers, with the first pick overall in the 2011 supp draft, selected Poblah. Bombers then could have selected Laurent in the second round even after they selected Poblah first overall in the first round. Bombers would have had to forfeit a 3rd round pick if they had picked up Laurent, however. And Bombers didn't want to do that, apparently, so Laurent was scooped up by Esks. I think Esks Tillman knew Laurent better from Ole Miss. then again, much of the same talent-assessing braintrust for Wpg then as now in Walters and Lapolice. Here's Lapo saying Bombers thought Poblah was best athlete: http://www.torontosun.com/2011/05/30/blue-bombers-select-poblah-in-supplemental-draft

Sorry, not impressed with Paul Lapolice.

OK thanks. Ya. My guess is O'Shea will handle both HC and ST next year for a variety of reasons, including budget. It seemed ST play was more disciplined after O'Shea took on that responsibility. Not sure how much impact that extra work had on his ability to focus on head coaching duties.

O'Shea was doing double duty as HC and ST coordinator for the latter half of 2015 after firing Pat Tracey. Did he say, during his final news conference, whether the club plans to hire a Special Teams Coordinator for 2016? Or did the intrepid sports media types who were assembled for that event not even bother asking? Arguably whoever fills this vacancy is as important a decision for O'Shea as the decision he makes around the next OC. Bombers special teams have been quite pukey the past couple of seasons - arguably cost us a few games.

I would hope the next OC isn't as closed minded about the QB position as you are. I'll give Drew Willy credit for his unbelievable toughness. But he hasn't played enough to prove he is worth $400k. Which is a problem for Winnipeg going forward. It means they have to allow a big percentage of the cap for QB if they want any real competition at the QB position. For example, let's say Harris or Ray is available. One of those guys could easily come in and beat Willy for the job. But they won't be cheap. (Assuming Wpg wants another pocket passer). How do we know they could? Did Harris do anything Willy isn't capable of? Has Ray been healthy enough to give out the big contract to? You are severely under rating Drew Willy here and I don't understand why. Watch the guy play and you see a guy in total control. He makes good decisions he can make all the throws you need. Give him an offense that doesn't handicap a qb and watch him put up some damned good numbers. You are falling into the grass is greener trap bigtime here. OK Ricky Ray we know and we know he's near the end of his career. Would rather see him come here as a coach than QB. But did Willy do anything Harris isn't capable of? Harris did throw for 33 TDs this year with a 100.7 QB rating in a very mediocre offence. Meantime Bombers have been starved for exceptional QB play for so long that even so-so looks amazing, it seems. I hope you're right and a healthy Drew Willy never gets hurt again and plays lights out under a new system. I really wish it could happen. But I don't think it will because I don't think he's as good as some folks seem to think. Many Bomber wins where Willy was QB came on the strength of sold ST and defensive play - offensive production was still putrid. But now that MOS has basically told the next OC like it or not here's your starter, I guess we are all going to get a chance to see what unfolds. Bass-akwards management tough, hamstringing the next OC.

So you've forgotten how good Willy has been for us? And forgotten that Bellefeuille made Calvillo look like a slow release slow read drop back pocket passer too? Drew Willy absolutely can be the franchise guy for this team. Willy has shown incredible toughness at times. But I can think of only one or two games when I thought 'Wow - Drew Willy played great and won that game for us." Mostly he's been unable to muster the O when it counts. His lack of success can't be pinned entirely on Bellefeuille though. While it is time for the Bombers to part ways with Marcel, they should have done so last year. Going forward, I worry about cap space and the QB position and whether we can recruit real competition for the #1 QB job when we are committed to paying Willy $400k. It seems ridiculous that MOS would hamstring the incoming OC by declaring Willy the starter since we don't even know if he'll pass the physical come TC 2016.

I would hope the next OC isn't as closed minded about the QB position as you are. I'll give Drew Willy credit for his unbelievable toughness. But he hasn't played enough to prove he is worth $400k. Which is a problem for Winnipeg going forward. It means they have to allow a big percentage of the cap for QB if they want any real competition at the QB position. For example, let's say Harris or Ray is available. One of those guys could easily come in and beat Willy for the job. But they won't be cheap. (Assuming Wpg wants another pocket passer).

Is Wally Buono been an Offensive coach ? Is O'Shea been Wally Buono? I agree that O'Shea is not Buono and that's not the point I'm trying to make. My point is it doesn't require a HC to be a former Offensive coach to have a very good offense. I dont have any history whatsoever, but who are Buono's OC and DC when he started HC'ing? And my point is that MOS may not be the best judge of quarterbacks. But he is already telling the next OC that Willy is the starter. Yikes.

It doesn't matter who they bring in as next OC - they are doomed to fail. When you look at the chain of command: Miller, Walters O'Shea - their CFL experience is all ST and D - not an offensive mind among them. Is it any wonder Bombers have seen the worst offensive production in the league since this regime took over? Sure, OK, we've got Danny McManus in the group, and it was on his advice Bombers acquired Brian Brohm from Hamilton. Now I happen to think Brian Brohm isn't nearly as bad as everybody says, but regardless we need to use this opportunity to find absolutely the right person in this critical OC job. Especially since whoever comes in here has got no real offensive expertise/coaching back-up since the rest of the senior coaching/management draws their experience from ST and D. What really has me really worried is O'Shea's flat out declaration today that 'we feel we have a franchise QB' in Drew Willy. That means he's already locking the next OC into using an immobile, slow-read, slow release, drop-back packet passer on one leg. That tells me MOS still knows nothing about what really works or doesn't in a CFL offence and he hasn't learned anything either. Sorry, but this is a recipe for more futility and failure in 2016.

LaPolice had one good year as OC in 2002 when Khari Jones was on fire. And then he failed dismally when Khari couldn't stay upright, and was finally fired. Lapo also was terrible as HC: he was 4-14 in his first year here as HC and in the second year (2011) when Bombers backed into the Grey Cup, it was on the strength of the defence. It was LaPolice who brought in Gary Crowton as OC, remember that stellar judgment call? I was surprised it took Joe Mack half way through the terrible 2012 season to fire that charlatan. He should've been canned at the end of 2011. Please, lets go forward, not back.

Not a fan of #5, who will be pulling down $400k to play a few games next year - if he passes his physical. So I'm going to speculate that Bombers record would not have looked much different even if he'd stayed healthy. In the 52-26 loss to Ham Willy was 3 of 6 for 48 yds before leaving the game. In the 32-3 loss to Esks we scored a field goal. In the 38-8 loss to Ham he was a non factor etc etc etc ad nauseam - the common denominator is Willy was injured in each of those games. But he did nothing before getting injured. Its a bit of a pattern going back to 2014. I favour more of a dual threat QB. Looking forward to watching Davis today.

Drew Willy broke his leg after jumping in the air and landing awkwardly, while in the grasp. Look at the video. It was not a low hit or illegal contact. There was no penalty on the play, nor should there have been. So any rule making it illegal to hit a QB low or on the legs would not have changed anything in Willy's case. He just jumped in the air and, upon landing, his right leg buckled backwards at the knee. A very unfortunate and weird injury.