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And yet they beat the Stamps in the Grey Cup game.

To be the Devil's advocate, how do you know that Nichols was following the play that was called in to him? We just do not know and we sure as heck are not going to hear that sort of pronouncement coming from O'Shea because it might hurt someone's feelings.

Not true. I cannot speak for the whole game but can recall at least two instances where receivers were open and Nichols was (slowly) rolling towards his right. One in particular, Demski was wide open on the left about 12-15 yards downfield and Nichols tried to force it into Dressler (I think) who was triple covered. Nichols is not the worst starting QB in the league, but he is not the pivot who will seize the game and win when the rest of the offence is struggling. Streveler might be that quarterback, but he still has to make his bones.

Damn. Sooo close.

The CFLPA is appealing the suspension, presumably for the sole reason that Rose would then play in the Grey Cup game. I sincerely hope that the appeal is denied- that was one of the egregious abuse of an official that I can recall seeing in the CFL.

I'm not sure upgrading just one of those positions is going to produce the desired effect.

So long as that does not involve Lankford deviating from a straight line, we got that one.

Heck, yes. If you are ahead in the first 20 yards in the 100 yard dash, you have it made, right?

But...but..but..we have the answer in our midst: Ryan Lankford, do we not?

If we start the 2019 season with essentially the same coaching staff, GM quarterbacks and receivers, the answer would be "yes", at least on the part of the Bomber brain trust. Close only counts in horseshoes and nuclear warfare.

The answer is "yes" to both.

The Bombers were close all game but never showed any signs of running away with the game. To take comfort that they were close is like saying that you almost had enough money for a cup of coffee but never did anything to get the extra few pennies to buy. I have my reservations about LaPolice but considering what he had to work with, he does not deserve the lion's share of blame.

I don't think you will have much support for firing LaPolice. Richie Hall's head was on the chopping block until Bighill arrived and suddenly the defence was credible. Nichols has significant liabilities in footspeed and in his long game and combine that with a mediocre receiving corps, the offensive coordinator has to hobble the offensive game plan to suit the players he has.

I agree that as good as Medlock was and is, he is aging and handsomely paid but aging. We do need to start grooming a replacement, preferably a home-grown.

Herdman did pretty good considering how bad the rest of the team was and his inexperience.

In unguarded moments, people blurt what they are really thinking. There is a saying,"In vino veritas"- that is, in the wine there is truth and this is a good metaphor for Nichols' statement. He may have been devastated but this does not mean that he accepted responsibility for his poor performance.

He might but proof is lacking.

No way does Streveler get a free pass to being the starter next year. He has to earn it, but O'Shea being who he is, it is doubtful that Nichols will not be handed the starter's role.

I don't know if the Ti-Cat defence was that bad, but Harris looked like an all-star. If he is that good next Sunday, its gonna be a helluva game.

The Bomber secondary covered the Calgary receivers well most of the time, but they still got open enough to win the game. Mitchell missed some throws as well, but got the job done.

This is not about Nichols saying something that will impact his performance. If reported accurately, it gives an insight into his attitude: "I did good, its someone elses's fault" . I should think that a a quarterback who played poorly would be aware of his performance needing improvement and take the heat on himself.

And so did Pavelec, and we know how that turned out. Neither he nor Nichols are rookies or sophomores and what you see is what you are going to get.

Without absolving the rest of the offence, I suggest that the offence begins and ends with the performance of the quarterback. If it becomes obvious to the rest of the offence if not the whole team that their quarterback is just not playing well, then that has to demoralize them. The Riders were very fortunate to do as well as they did with their pathetic quarterbacking which let them down when it counted, and that is true for the 2018 Bombers as well.

IF he is still the anointed one.

To me, the mindset of the quarterback is probably the biggest tool in his box, and if he thinks he played well, why would he try to do better? If his performance was not the problem, then by inference, it was the receivers, and/or O-line and/or the game plan. With that statement, he threw his teammates under the bus.