Doublezero

Ha! lol Indeed. Because for all anyone knows, Drew Willy could be the back-up next year.

I agree. The only problem is that if QB X wins the job, Bombers have a very expensive back-up or #2 in Drew Willy. And I'm not sure they'd want to set themselves up for that. Anyhow, that's for the future. Let's go beat the Als next.

Bombers would be smart to have real competition for the starting QB role in 2016. Not sure if that would be Nichols. But if he plays well for the remainder - why shouldn't he get a shot to knock Drew Willy off his anointed perch?

No more TiCat-Argo games this season unless they happen to meet in the playoffs. If that be the case and I'm Austin, I'd stand some distance from the sidelines should an unintentional event befall him.

Interesting to see Bombers willing to develop a legit dual-threat QB. Much better suited to the CFL than 3 step drop and crumble. If true he's agreed to terms, he'll be among a few Clemson Tigers who've come north to wear Blue & Gold, including Jim Washington and Perry Tuttle.

Bombers are in a good position. If Nichols is so-so for the remainder of the season then no prob, they can let him go when his contract expires at the end of the season. But if Nichols plays well and can make a difference on a bottom rung team like Winnipeg, you can bet he'll demand (and get) starters money from somewhere as a FA next Feb. No way does he want to be a "reliable backup" to Drew Willy or anyone else. If he plays well, then it's likely Bombers will have to choose between him and Willy as the starter for 2016.

Post-game comments on club's website by K Bass and JFG suggest Nichols play and leadership got the whole team fired up. Haven't seen that before with any Blue Bomber QB in recent history. Time will tell of course but what if it comes down to a choice between keeping just one of Nichols or Drew Willy?

Here's a vid. Folks can make up their own mind. Here's #Ticats coach Kent Austin bumping #Argos WR @StalaDave during Friday's win. #CFL pic.twitter.com/HHMNJY63a3 — Drew Edwards (@scratchingpost) September 12, 2015 Austin apologizes - but only after getting caught on camera. If a high school coach had done that "unintentionally" to an opposing player, he'd be suspended.

Johnny Adams better play like an adult this week or his rook of the year nomination is in jeopardy. And if Nichols can actually get the ball away quickly and bring some tempo and urgency to the O, that would be good. Also, it would be nice to see if Winnipeg can run the ball at all.

One of the most damning things about our offence this year and last was how long it takes for a play to develop. The opposition has time to run tot he sidelines for a drink and still return to the field to stop the play. It was most noticable during the Calgary game. ongoing problem last 2 years - and this is going to sting but - both pre- and post-snap tempo seems to be a little better with Drew Willy out

And exactly which others of the 17 losses Bombers have recorded since starting 5-1 in 2014 would be Brian Brohm's fault?

There are 3 phases to the game and none have been very good. The D has begun to come along but ST and O not so much. Has lack of discipline become the hallmark for this club? When you look at the leadership - someone made a critical error by not having an Offensive mind among them. You've got Miller, Walters, MOS all Canadian guys with experience on Special Teams. It would an overstatement to say they don't know squat about the offence - but they don't know enough. Its all been delegated and gone off the rails. Maybe Danny Mac needs to be involved in the O. Or someone like Dunigan. Definitely not Lapo or Buck Pierce.

Brohm is a good QB, some aspects of his game are superior to Drew Willy. He should not be blamed for any of the 17 losses Bombers have suffered since their deceptively hot start in 2014. But Brohm has been snakebitten since getting here and has become a convenient whipping boy for frustrated fans. Just like all the Bombers troubles in the years prior to the present regime were wrongly laid at the feet of Joe Mack.

I honestly have such a hard time responding to your posts. They're filled with such misinformation that it makes me really wonder if you are capable of seeing things with an unbiased eye. I mean really, you made two statements in that entire post and neither one of them is anywhere even NEAR true. Willy has completed 23 quarters of football this season, so for the sake of giving your argument a bit of merit, let's say 6 full games even though it's one quarter and change short of that. He's thrown for 8 touchdowns and we've rushed for 3 more on drives that he's finished off. So on average, it's basically double what you suggested. When Brohm came in against Hamilton, it was 17-7 Hamilton. In the first quarter. That is not a game that is out of hand, never mind "well out of hand". When Brohm came in against Edmonton, it was 4-3 Edmonton. Neither one of these is a ridiculous situation for a backup quarterback to enter into. They should actually be the exact kind of situations a backup QB is mentally prepared to enter, seen as how the body of their work isn't really expected to come in mop up time after their team is already well out in front. Feel free to share your opinion but don't try and lace it with pure bull**** and expect to have it slide. While I agree with most of this post Mike. average of 2 tds a game is still complete bullshit, especially this year. But as for the other comments, yes the games he's stepped into have given him plenty of time to show something...even a glimmer of hope that he's improving...but we only see 3 passes in a row bounce off the turf. Brohm is brutal, but I'll say MB is worse. Oh, for sure not good enough. But that doesn't make the facts in his post any more accurate. I said I'm ok with Brohm starting this weekend. Given who is available, who would you prefer? Could Brohm have been better coming off the bench? Maybe but I'm not going to vilify the guy because given the limited reps he does appear to do some things well. Better than Marve. And he does some things tempo-wise better than Willy. Unfortunately it's been a perfect storm for him. As for Drew Willy - he has NOT been able to produce 2 TDs per game. Far from it. Since he arrived in Winnipeg Willy has generated less than one strike per game, on average. In 24 starts for him its 22 TDs. And 19 INTs. That level of O production is not going to win games in Pop Warner, let alone the CFL. Winnipeg's can't run, can't pass O doesn't scare anyone, even with Drew Willy at the helm. so we just ignore the rushing touchdowns now. Gotcha. OK I missed the 2 rushing TDs Drew Willy scored since he arrived in Winnipeg. That is a grand total of 24 TDs in 24 starts as quarterback - on average one TD per start since he got here. And 19 INTs. Tell me you think that is even close to adequate and then we can just disagree. It's just so obvious Bombers need a QB to step up and create some momentum and confidence. We don't appear to have anyone on the roster who can do that.

I honestly have such a hard time responding to your posts. They're filled with such misinformation that it makes me really wonder if you are capable of seeing things with an unbiased eye. I mean really, you made two statements in that entire post and neither one of them is anywhere even NEAR true. Willy has completed 23 quarters of football this season, so for the sake of giving your argument a bit of merit, let's say 6 full games even though it's one quarter and change short of that. He's thrown for 8 touchdowns and we've rushed for 3 more on drives that he's finished off. So on average, it's basically double what you suggested. When Brohm came in against Hamilton, it was 17-7 Hamilton. In the first quarter. That is not a game that is out of hand, never mind "well out of hand". When Brohm came in against Edmonton, it was 4-3 Edmonton. Neither one of these is a ridiculous situation for a backup quarterback to enter into. They should actually be the exact kind of situations a backup QB is mentally prepared to enter, seen as how the body of their work isn't really expected to come in mop up time after their team is already well out in front. Feel free to share your opinion but don't try and lace it with pure bull**** and expect to have it slide. While I agree with most of this post Mike. average of 2 tds a game is still complete bullshit, especially this year. But as for the other comments, yes the games he's stepped into have given him plenty of time to show something...even a glimmer of hope that he's improving...but we only see 3 passes in a row bounce off the turf. Brohm is brutal, but I'll say MB is worse. Oh, for sure not good enough. But that doesn't make the facts in his post any more accurate. I said I'm ok with Brohm starting this weekend. Given who is available, who would you prefer? Could Brohm have been better coming off the bench? Maybe but I'm not going to vilify the guy because given the limited reps he does appear to do some things well. Better than Marve. And he does some things tempo-wise better than Willy. Unfortunately it's been a perfect storm for him. As for Drew Willy - he has NOT been able to produce 2 TDs per game. Far from it. Since he arrived in Winnipeg Willy has generated less than one strike per game, on average. In 24 starts for him its 22 TDs. And 19 INTs. That level of O production is not going to win games in Pop Warner, let alone the CFL. Winnipeg's can't run, can't pass O doesn't scare anyone, even with Drew Willy at the helm.

If it happens, I'm ok with giving Brohm another look. Brohm has unfortunately become a lightning rod for general fan frustration with the Bombers anemic offence. It's valuable to note that even when Drew Willy is at the helm this O can't muster as much as one TD per game, on average. That's not on Brohm. Criticism of Brohm has been unfair given the ridiculous situations he's been placed in, coming cold off the bench in games that were already well out of hand.

Get a grip on reality. In the first blowout vs TiCats Drew Willy was a whopping 3 of 6 for 48 yards and zero TDs. In the next game vs Esks Willy was a masterful 7-17 for 81 yards. Next blowout vs TiCats Willy was 16-27 for 171 yards with one TD and one INT for a pick 6. As Winnipeg's starter Willy produced a total of 8 TDs in 7 games, before his injury. He had virtually the same QB passer rating as rookie Rakeem Cato, who, at that point, had played one less game. Winnipeg's O production has been mostly putrid, with the occasional big-play exception, regardless of who is in at QB since around the the halfway point of last year. Injured. Injured. Injured. Yeah, Doublezero, you really need to check the facts before you post. He got injured in each of those outings like Goalie said. You act like he threw for 48 yards in 4 quarters. And btw, that 171 yards was 2 quarters before he wrecked his knee. So he was on his way to 300. Do you even watch the games? OK here are the actual numbers: in 17 starts in 2014 Drew Willy threw for an average of 224 yards per game. In seven starts in 2015 Drew Willy threw for an average of 161 yards per game, True the 2015 numbers are skewed by Willy's unfortunate injuries in 3 games he couldn't finish. But before you tell me Willy's numbers are through the roof here's a somewhat telling number for you: in 24 games as the Bombers starting QB Drew Willy has thrown 22 TDs and 19 INTS, that's less than one TD per game and not good enough to win consistently in this league. When Bombers won a few games way back at the start of 2014 it was due to big help from special teams and defence scoring points off turnovers. That's the truth. Our production on O and at the QB position has been pretty paltry, Willy included. Good analysis, but statisitcs do not address the times that Willy was playing hurt and/or scared with an O-line which offered the protection of Kleenex and a receiving corps which was, to put it kindly, sub-par and in a cnstant state of flux. And then there was a certain offensive coordinator..... For sure. I was simply responding to the original poster who said Willy often throws for 300 yards. I will say this: I haven't bought a #5 jersey.

Derek Taylor ‏@DTonSC 4h4 hours ago Pass chart for new #Bombers QB Matt Nichols: 7th in catchable % 1-10 yds downfield 6th 11-20 yds, 8th 20+ yds

Get a grip on reality. In the first blowout vs TiCats Drew Willy was a whopping 3 of 6 for 48 yards and zero TDs. In the next game vs Esks Willy was a masterful 7-17 for 81 yards. Next blowout vs TiCats Willy was 16-27 for 171 yards with one TD and one INT for a pick 6. As Winnipeg's starter Willy produced a total of 8 TDs in 7 games, before his injury. He had virtually the same QB passer rating as rookie Rakeem Cato, who, at that point, had played one less game. Winnipeg's O production has been mostly putrid, with the occasional big-play exception, regardless of who is in at QB since around the the halfway point of last year. Injured. Injured. Injured. Yeah, Doublezero, you really need to check the facts before you post. He got injured in each of those outings like Goalie said. You act like he threw for 48 yards in 4 quarters. And btw, that 171 yards was 2 quarters before he wrecked his knee. So he was on his way to 300. Do you even watch the games? OK here are the actual numbers: in 17 starts in 2014 Drew Willy threw for an average of 224 yards per game. In seven starts in 2015 Drew Willy threw for an average of 161 yards per game, True the 2015 numbers are skewed by Willy's unfortunate injuries in 3 games he couldn't finish. But before you tell me Willy's numbers are through the roof here's a somewhat telling number for you: in 24 games as the Bombers starting QB Drew Willy has thrown 22 TDs and 19 INTS, that's less than one TD per game and not good enough to win consistently in this league. When Bombers won a few games way back at the start of 2014 it was due to big help from special teams and defence scoring points off turnovers. That's the truth. Our production on O and at the QB position has been pretty paltry, Willy included.

Get a grip on reality. In the first blowout vs TiCats Drew Willy was a whopping 3 of 6 for 48 yards and zero TDs. In the next game vs Esks Willy was a masterful 7-17 for 81 yards. Next blowout vs TiCats Willy was 16-27 for 171 yards with one TD and one INT for a pick 6. As Winnipeg's starter Willy produced a total of 8 TDs in 7 games, before his injury. He had virtually the same QB passer rating as rookie Rakeem Cato, who, at that point, had played one less game. Winnipeg's O production has been mostly putrid, with the occasional big-play exception, regardless of who is in at QB since around the the halfway point of last year.

If the ball is on the left hash, misdirect left, QB keeps or hands, using FB to overload and seal the DE and SAM and sweep hard to the strong side. Guaranteed 5 yards. When the head linesman places the ball on the right hash, same play in the opposite direction - always to the the distant or wide side of the field. When the head linesman places the ball on the left hash, repeat right. Then left. Right. Left. Right etc. On every play misdirection, followed by sealing the DE and LB is key. Run it with no huddle to tire and discourage the D. Because the field is 65 yards wide, and because it's a footrace around the wide edge this play is almost always good for at least 5 yards. Eventually you will score a TD by running repeated sweeps in alternate directions, but always to the wide side of the field. I can never understand why anyone would run a short side sweep in Canadian football.

Bakari Grant (2nd week in a row)

I'm no expert but I really liked what Marve said today about running the offence at high tempo. Don't give the D time to rest. That has been sorely lacking. And it seems his skills are well-suited for the Gen3 spread-option running game along with a vertically-oriented passing game described here: http://www.footballstudyhall.com/2015/2/19/8061667/the-future-of-the-dual-threat-quarterback-spread-option-Malzahn-Briles

It is unfortunate Marve is forced to work within an archaic offence that is designed for a 3-step-drop pocket passer. Hopefully Marcel tweaks the playbook to Marve's strengths, actually its similar to what Mike Riley faces in re-tooling things at Nebraska O: http://hailvarsity.com/news/hot-reads-the-past-present-future-of-dual-threat-qbs/2015/02/ Bellefeuille prefers mobile QB's, there's no doubt about that. He spent 3 seasons trying to replace Kevin Glenn with Quinton Porter, they started 09 with Porter starting over Glenn. Porter could never take the reins, but every year Bellefeuille was head coach in Hamilton he gave Porter more opportunities than he deserved to win the job. The archaic offence stuff is getting a little stupid too. Let's get at least 80% of our offensive line looking like they belong in the CFL. There's no play call that's going to compensate for a centre and guard being completely useless on any given snap. The entire O line has taken turns looking inept at different times. And yes, Marcel hasn't had success with Calvillo or Willy and that style of QB. I'm really hoping they can help Marve succeed by tweaking things for him. They will ruin him by making him stand in the pocket. In the last game you could see he wanted to run into the open field but stood in there and threw into a crowd because coaches said he must learn to play within the system. But the system needs to adjust IMHO.

It is unfortunate Marve is forced to work within an archaic offence that is designed for a 3-step-drop pocket passer. Hopefully Marcel tweaks the playbook to Marve's strengths, actually its similar to what Mike Riley faces in re-tooling things at Nebraska: http://hailvarsity.com/news/hot-reads-the-past-present-future-of-dual-threat-qbs/2015/02/