GCn20

Me neither, because Anderson is actually bigger than both Turner and Collins. He is 6'3 - 305 pounds and is the 4th largest DT in the league?!

A second supplemental, and this may not be the last one, in one season is an anomaly. For this year only, because of changes to the rules as to who qualifies as a non-import, the league determined that as newly eligible players become available they would allow subsequent supplemental drafts for each prospect as their paperwork was approved. Beginning next year, it will be back down to one supplemental per year.

Cleared to play, means that they have evaluated the risk of re-injury. Part of the 6 step protocol in place or are you suggesting a neurologist may have forgotten to do that?.

Sometimes a guy just needs a moment to lay down with his eyes closed and have an internal debate about whether he is getting paid enough to do this. Kinda the same approach I use when evaluating why I got married.... with the notable exception that I'm usually in the fetal position lightly singing to myself. lol

So what were you arguing for?

Nah....I'll trust the experts we already have in place. Both the independent neurologist and the Bombers medical staff, who actually you know examined him and who have more knowledge on the subject in their little finger than you and I will ever possess. I know that makes it tough to be a pessimist, an alarmist, or advance conspiracy theories...but I'll take my chances.

It amazes me how people will hang on and use every word of a neurologist that is completely unfamiliar with the patient and circumstance, but will so easily dismiss the findings of the neurologist that actually examined him and cleared him to play. Hyprocritism at it's finest. That is some weak sauce.

So did I...they said he wasn't.

What makes you think he saw anything at all. He very likely has never seen the play, never met Drew Willy, nor has a clue whether or not he was knocked out. What would his motive be? How about taking an opportunity to advance his agenda for the elimination of contact sport in Canada? No motive indeed.

By definition a concussion is an interruption, be it brief or instantaneous in brain function is a concussion. Really? If that is the definition of a concussion then the word has lost all context. There wouldn't be a player in the league who doesn't suffer a concussion each and every game. I get the David Suzuki of neurology, Mr. Tator's want for a concussion to be defined that way....however, in reality that is just one alarmist's point of view.

World renowned pessimist manages to criticize and declare doom on the only good news Bomber fans have gotten this week. Read more at winnipegsun.com... No doubt about it. Friesen phoned around until he managed to find some Dr. who never examined Willy, has no idea how the Bombers handle their concussion protocol, is unlikely to have seen the play, and wants to get his name in the newspaper, to make a totally unqualified diagnosis on a player from a 1000 miles away. Dr.'s like that are a joke. In his head, he is probably thinking he is advancing concussion awareness. He should realize that making an unfounded diagnosis on a person without examination puts him more into quack territory. Shame on Friesen for manipulating this poor sap for the sake of his daily pessimist column. For the record, after researching Charles Tator, it seems he has a big axe to grind with all contact sports. He is a strong advocate for the elimination of contact sport and has even made presentations to parliamentary commitees calling for them to be outlawed. Guess he has no agenda either.....sorry for the statement above Paul...obviously your guy was more than willing to stick his foot in his mouth if he could take a shot at football.

You know.. Cuz he tested willy and did all the tests on him.. Smh. Guys getting his name out there by rocking the boat. Sure, you could argue the bombers and willy are pushing the limit but again, if he passed ALL baseline tests after hit and then days again later.. What's the issue here? Easy to say but you have to admit that both O'Shea and Willy have been less than forthright in this matter, describing the injury only as "upper body" and avoiding using the word "concussion" at all. Both Willy and O'Shea have said that he never lost consciousness and yet he lay motionless for at least 2 mins. and the photo clearly shows his eyes are closed. Willy was standing in the tunnel still in full gear within 20 minutes of being laid out so if they did go through the proper concussion protocol the results were already somewhat predetermined. In Willy's own words he was ready to return to the game for the 2nd half but the medical staff held him out. As the article explains the real danger for Willy is in the next game, were even a minor tackle could lead to more serious damage. It wasn't that many years ago that Buck Pierce returned to play in games in which he had been obviously concussed. So yes the CFL is taking steps in the right direction but those steps are still guarded by self-interest and the traditions of professional sports and not based on the best scientific evidence. Fans may cheer but it is Willy who has to ultimately pay the price. Have you even remotely considered the possibility that he wasn't concussed? You should...because all evidence points to that. Neither Willy nor O'Shea have avoided the use of the word concussion. Just for fun, I listened to O'Shea's coaches show on Monday again and counted how many times he used the word concussion. THIRTY THREE....THIRTY THREE TIMES in just over 20 minutes the word was used in reference to Willy's injury. He, of course, was using it to declare once and for all that Willy had passed ALL CONCUSSION PROTOCOLS. That's not being secretive, that's not avoiding the use of the word....that's simply you disregarding it because he didn't use it in the imaginary context you have built up in your head to be true. Someone has a problem with avoidance of reality, however, it isn't Willy or O'Shea.

If you've been knocked out .. you've suffered a concussion. That's not true. A concussion is a very specific injury and there's a lot of misinformation out there. You also don't have to be knocked out to suffer one. I've been in sessions done by the Dr. who works with the NHL on concussion research. He also said you heal almost instantly, the actual injury that is. You may suffer some lasting effects however. Everyone is different. He said the most dangerous aspect is taking a second hit shortly after. As in the same day. You can recover quite quickly from one. If you have been knocked out .. you have suffered a concussion. Full stop. Here's the actual medical definition for you: "The formal medical definition of concussion is a clinical syndrome characterized by immediate and transient alteration in brain function, including alteration of mental status and level of consciousness, resulting from mechanical force or trauma." Simply put, a concussion IS a traumatic brain injury. It's not more specific than that. There are a host of accompanying symptoms and those resulting symptoms can manifest themselves differently in each individual but I'd suggest that being knocked out is an "alteration of mental status and level of consciousness". ;-) I would agree with you if the knockout came as a result of his brain being rattled causing him to go unconscious. However, as a martial artist, I can tell you that there are several areas on the human body that can be struck causing a loss of consciousness that does not result in a concussion, just simply stops the blood flow to the brain temporarily. They are called pressure points and can cause a loss of consciousness and even temporary paralysis. From what I saw of the hit it sure looked like a pressure point loss of blood flow could have occurred. Two spots that render a person unconscious without causing a concussion are the side of the neck (carotid artery) and the point of the chin which also disrupts blood flow from the carotid to the brain and can cause unconsciousness (along with several other pressure points along the human body) that are not concussion related. Have you ever seen a boxer knocked out by a body punch? Happens all the time. Think he suffered a concussion? If so, I am not sure you understand the medical terminology you are reading. Being rendered unconscious is just a common symptom of a concussion, it does not create the concussion. Your brain being slammed into your skull is what causes a concussion. In my martial arts training, I have seen several people knocked unconscious by very slight pinpoint blows to the side of the neck. Sometime just a jab of a thumb from an inch away. They were not concussed. Knocked out....yeah...concussed...nope. Just a temporary disruption of blood flow and it's sleepy time. I think you are being incredibly obtuse and, to be honest, I'm not sure *YOU* know you know what you are arguing. This particular point of discussion revolves around a "blow to the head" (TBI – resulting from mechanical force / trauma) .. not pressure points, body shots, roofies, taking a nap or other means of rendering someone unconscious. So while a shot to the body might result in a “knockout” .. a kidney blow isn’t going to result in a TBI. So I stand by what I’ve said: if you’ve been knocked out – got your brain bounced around resulting in a loss of consciousness – you’ve suffered a concussion. Period. Full stop. End of story. Context is your friend. Learn to make use of it. I am not the one who tried to advance the argument that because he was unconscious he was concussed. The two are not exclusive to each other and I have told you why. I was not being obtuse, just objecting and countering a statement that was not correct. If you don't like that, don't make hasty generalizations like the one you were making. You may have meant when a person suffers a blow to the head, but that is not what you said. You are trying to frame your context after the fact, perhaps next time start with it. You stated that if a person is knocked unconscious they have suffered a concussion. FULL STOP. It is entirely possible that he was knocked out due to a disruption in blood flow from the carotid artery and therefore did not suffer a concussion. A whipping motion to the neck or chin can do that without being a concussion. Those are facts. If you don't like them that's your problem not mine. You are making the awfully big assumption that he suffered brain trauma from the hit because he was unconscious. That, as I have pointed out may not have been the case. That's not being obtuse, that's understanding that there is more than one way to be rendered unconscious from that type of blow without being concussed. At the end of the day, it seems my version may very well be the correct one, as Willy will play.

If you've been knocked out .. you've suffered a concussion. That's not true. A concussion is a very specific injury and there's a lot of misinformation out there. You also don't have to be knocked out to suffer one. I've been in sessions done by the Dr. who works with the NHL on concussion research. He also said you heal almost instantly, the actual injury that is. You may suffer some lasting effects however. Everyone is different. He said the most dangerous aspect is taking a second hit shortly after. As in the same day. You can recover quite quickly from one. If you have been knocked out .. you have suffered a concussion. Full stop. Here's the actual medical definition for you: "The formal medical definition of concussion is a clinical syndrome characterized by immediate and transient alteration in brain function, including alteration of mental status and level of consciousness, resulting from mechanical force or trauma." Simply put, a concussion IS a traumatic brain injury. It's not more specific than that. There are a host of accompanying symptoms and those resulting symptoms can manifest themselves differently in each individual but I'd suggest that being knocked out is an "alteration of mental status and level of consciousness". ;-) I would agree with you if the knockout came as a result of his brain being rattled causing him to go unconscious. However, as a martial artist, I can tell you that there are several areas on the human body that can be struck causing a loss of consciousness that does not result in a concussion, just simply stops the blood flow to the brain temporarily. They are called pressure points and can cause a loss of consciousness and even temporary paralysis. From what I saw of the hit it sure looked like a pressure point loss of blood flow could have occurred. Two spots that render a person unconscious without causing a concussion are the side of the neck (carotid artery) and the point of the chin which also disrupts blood flow from the carotid to the brain and can cause unconsciousness (along with several other pressure points along the human body) that are not concussion related. Have you ever seen a boxer knocked out by a body punch? Happens all the time. Think he suffered a concussion? If so, I am not sure you understand the medical terminology you are reading. Being rendered unconscious is just a common symptom of a concussion, it does not create the concussion. Your brain being slammed into your skull is what causes a concussion. In my martial arts training, I have seen several people knocked unconscious by very slight pinpoint blows to the side of the neck. Sometime just a jab of a thumb from an inch away. They were not concussed. Knocked out....yeah...concussed...nope. Just a temporary disruption of blood flow and it's sleepy time. Interesting - and don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't agree with you or the fact I don't believe the bombers or Willy that he doesn't have one, but that hit looked a lot more like a brain slamming into the skull than a pressure point being struck.. just saying I am certainly not ruling that out. It was a violent blow. Just giving some other possibilities on how Willy could be cleared to play without advancing the notion that the Bombers or Willy are being wreckless or ignoring Willy's long term health. Further to my above post, it should be pointed out, that being unconscious is an absolutely insignificant factor when judging the severity of a concussion. A lot of times a player rendered unconscious by a blow to the head can suffer the mildest form of concussion. While a person who does not lose consciousness (Matt Dunigan) can play an entire half of football and not remember it at all because he has suffered a severe concussion from what appeared to be a pretty benign hit. This notion that he was unconscious therefore he had a bad concussion is for so many reasons completely inaccurate. The only indicator as to the severity of a concussion comes from the baseline testing and the presence and severity of the symptoms. Looking at the hit over and over again tells us absolutely nothing. Watching replays to see if his eyes are open tells us absolutely nothing. Completely irrelevant.

If you've been knocked out .. you've suffered a concussion. That's not true. A concussion is a very specific injury and there's a lot of misinformation out there. You also don't have to be knocked out to suffer one. I've been in sessions done by the Dr. who works with the NHL on concussion research. He also said you heal almost instantly, the actual injury that is. You may suffer some lasting effects however. Everyone is different. He said the most dangerous aspect is taking a second hit shortly after. As in the same day. You can recover quite quickly from one. If you have been knocked out .. you have suffered a concussion. Full stop. Here's the actual medical definition for you: "The formal medical definition of concussion is a clinical syndrome characterized by immediate and transient alteration in brain function, including alteration of mental status and level of consciousness, resulting from mechanical force or trauma." Simply put, a concussion IS a traumatic brain injury. It's not more specific than that. There are a host of accompanying symptoms and those resulting symptoms can manifest themselves differently in each individual but I'd suggest that being knocked out is an "alteration of mental status and level of consciousness". ;-) I would agree with you if the knockout came as a result of his brain being rattled causing him to go unconscious. However, as a martial artist, I can tell you that there are several areas on the human body that can be struck causing a loss of consciousness that does not result in a concussion, just simply stops the blood flow to the brain temporarily. They are called pressure points and can cause a loss of consciousness and even temporary paralysis. From what I saw of the hit it sure looked like a pressure point loss of blood flow could have occurred. Two spots that render a person unconscious without causing a concussion are the side of the neck (carotid artery) and the point of the chin which also disrupts blood flow from the carotid to the brain and can cause unconsciousness (along with several other pressure points along the human body) that are not concussion related. Have you ever seen a boxer knocked out by a body punch? Happens all the time. Think he suffered a concussion? If so, I am not sure you understand the medical terminology you are reading. Being rendered unconscious is just a common symptom of a concussion, it does not create the concussion. Your brain being slammed into your skull is what causes a concussion. In my martial arts training, I have seen several people knocked unconscious by very slight pinpoint blows to the side of the neck. Sometime just a jab of a thumb from an inch away. They were not concussed. Knocked out....yeah...concussed...nope. Just a temporary disruption of blood flow and it's sleepy time.

If you've been knocked out .. you've suffered a concussion. That's not true. A concussion is a very specific injury and there's a lot of misinformation out there. You also don't have to be knocked out to suffer one. I've been in sessions done by the Dr. who works with the NHL on concussion research. He also said you heal almost instantly, the actual injury that is. You may suffer some lasting effects however. Everyone is different. He said the most dangerous aspect is taking a second hit shortly after. As in the same day. You can recover quite quickly from one. If you have been knocked out .. you have suffered a concussion. Full stop. Here's the actual medical definition for you: "The formal medical definition of concussion is a clinical syndrome characterized by immediate and transient alteration in brain function, including alteration of mental status and level of consciousness, resulting from mechanical force or trauma." Simply put, a concussion IS a traumatic brain injury. It's not more specific than that. There are a host of accompanying symptoms and those resulting symptoms can manifest themselves differently in each individual but I'd suggest that being knocked out is an "alteration of mental status and level of consciousness". ;-) I would agree with you if the knockout came as a result of his brain being rattled causing him to go unconscious. However, as a martial artist, I can tell you that there are several areas on the human body that can be struck causing a loss of consciousness that does not result in a concussion, just simply stops the blood flow to the brain temporarily. They are called pressure points and can cause a loss of consciousness and even temporary paralysis. From what I saw of the hit it sure looked like a pressure point loss of blood flow could have occurred. Two spots that render a person unconscious without causing a concussion are the side of the neck (carotid artery) and the point of the chin which also disrupts blood flow from the carotid to the brain and can cause unconsciousness (along with several other pressure points along the human body) that are not concussion related. Have you ever seen a boxer knocked out by a body punch? Happens all the time. Think he suffered a concussion? If so, I am not sure you understand the medical terminology you are reading. Being rendered unconscious is just a common symptom of a concussion, it does not create the concussion. Your brain being slammed into your skull is what causes a concussion. In my martial arts training, I have seen several people knocked unconscious by very slight pinpoint blows to the side of the neck. Sometime just a jab of a thumb from an inch away. They were not concussed. Knocked out....yeah...concussed...nope. Just a temporary disruption of blood flow and it's sleepy time. What immediately had me encouraged when I saw Willy was that he was holding his neck and so were the trainers. Further reports of an injured jaw also left me encouraged. Sure looked like a pressure point KO to me afterwards.

Agreed. I'm willing to give Veltung more time at receiver before passing judgement but he seems to be more suited to a DI role at PR/KR. This will make two years of swings and misses at receiver recruitment. That's not good. Jhomo Gordon says hello - he's an incredibly impressive prospect for his age. So was Terrence Jeffers Harris. I'm not saying it's a definitive miss for this year, just saying it could be. I like Gordon's upside, but he is no shoe-in for recruitment success yet.

They don't necessarily need to know for certain that Davis is better than Portis. Sometimes you just need to know that Portis is definitely not good enough. Therefore, you pick up a guy that showed really well for another team in pre-season and see what he's got. If he's not good enough you keep moving on to the next guy.

Agreed. I'm willing to give Veltung more time at receiver before passing judgement but he seems to be more suited to a DI role at PR/KR. This could make two years of swings and misses at receiver recruitment. That's not good.

Glad we cut ties with Portis. After a few years in the CFL he obviously didn't have the right stuff. Liked Davis in the limited sample size, certainly puts pressure on Marve to either re-up or be pushed out. Lattanzio was no real surprise, and Unamba only semi surprises me. He didn't have a real strong showing in camp. Thought they might give him a chance based on last year, but I'm kinda glad we have found better.

Yea. A few years ago they developed this thing called the Practice Roster just for that purpose. Last year they increased the number of players you can place on it. A QB or two seems like a pretty good idea for this newfangled practice roster thingy.

I assume that you must have caught him in the buffet line. Nope, I got to the game early and while he was walking around on the field to his private box he noticed my Bomber jersey and came over to say hi. We chatted for a while. He's really good with the fans. An acquaintance of mine is wondering if you could use your new found friendship with Wade Miller to inquire as to whether the hot chocolate will be the just right temperature this year. He would do so himself, but it seems his e-mails are now being regarded as spam by the Bombers front office. He would also like to make several roster and coaching recommendations, if you would be so kind to pass them on.

I don't wish for long term, or in this case potential career ending injury to any CFL opposition player. However, I do wish short term, game ending injuries to each and every opposition team member we play against. That may not sound classy.....and I don't care. Sucks that Durant is out for the year, I feel sorry for him and his family. I do not, however, have an ounce of sympathy for the Riders or their fans. I say tough **** to them.

I like what JFG brings to our team, but he is a fringe NI receiver. I hope he takes the next step forward this year.

I know a lot of people and fans feel that Yantz is a lot better than he actually is. He is a CIS QB. He is simply not good enough for the CFL. Sad, but true.