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On the other hand, if the underdogs are doing so well this season, there's more incentive for the Bombers to win. The examples have been set.

Yet another veteran bites the dust in Regina.

Getting off to a fast start is essential for the Bombers. Calgary looked beatable last game, but so did the Bombers. It will take 25 points to win this game.

We are going to need Willy to be at or near his best, plus a large amount of luck. The team confidence has to be shaky at best, and we need this win to give hope that we are not going to be looking at 0 & 6 in the near future.

Actually, I believe we have several.

I watched only the first half of the game, but I thought Durant looked good, considering a new coaching regime, new receivers and a long time off the field. The Riders may not be as hapless as we thought this year.

O'Shea could be excused on that accord the first season and perhaps the second, but no more. The GM cannot override the coach if the coach says, "this is the right player and I am going to go with him" and Nichols could be an effective plan B to Willy but we may never know.

This is not on Walters if he and O'Shea have the relationship where O'Shea assesses the talent and tells Walters to get the need filled. It has to be O'Shea to look at Willy and decide if he is the right horse or not, and there have been a lot of instances where O'Shea's judgement has been shown to be lacking.

No matter how, the Bombers have to be ahead by half-time and not by fluke plays. Given the track record of the team over the recent years, I do not think they have the mental stamina to come from behind. Willy has to take charge of his offence or we ought to see a change in quarterbacks for the second half.

Walters probably has a longer leash, but O'Shea has had plenty of time to produce, not necessarily a Grey Cup contender but a team that is able to compete in almost every game. I see the deadline as Labour Day, but if they are 2 and 6, I cannot believe that Walters and Miller will support him any longer.

Lemon might be a good fit here, and if we can rub it into the Rider's faces, even better.

If I am not mistaken, this is not Dressler's first bell-ringer and if so, they will need to be extra super careful with him. Don't be surprised if his stay on the IR is more than one game.

Apparently the Bombers are 9 point underdogs for the Calgary game. If you are a betting person, you might make some money because there is no reason for that kind of gap.

Two things have to happen: A) O'Shea has to prove that he can assess talent properly enough to form a winning team and lead them to a winning record. Willy has to prove that he is a starting CFL quarterback with the potential to take them to the Cup.

Wtf? How many linebackers do we need? This guy better be a starter within a couple-three games or why are we doing this?

Calgary is mostly as good as last year. Unfortunately, it looks like the same can be said about the Bombers at the moment.

Was anyone fooled by O'Shea's pronouncements that Dressler "might" be ready for Calgary? Well, at least we no longer have to hold the Mayo.

I have been a Bomber fan for 40+ years, through good and bad, and I am angry about the lack of progress through successive regimes and how that has turned by team into a laughing stock while other teams have had bad stretches but picked themselves up in relatively short order and became respectable. No team wins every season, but its been a very long time in the desert for us fans. As long as fans still care enough to get angry, they are engaged. When they get to the point where they no longer care, the team is in big trouble and I believe we are not far from that now. No one here is maligning O'Shea or Walters or Willy on a personal basis, but criticizing them for the results they are producing on the field. And yes, they are also bearing the wrath and resentment that Kelly, Mack, Bauer, LaPolice and Burke generated. We were lied to and betrayed. To the Bombers brain trust: for God's sake- give us reason to hope.

So sick of the Stamps or so sick of us looking up at them in the standings and envying their team, coaching and GM?

We've been led down the garden path too many times lately. Most of us have moved to Missouri, and if you think the apathy and pessimism is rife now, just wait to see how this forum will be if we lose in Calgary Friday.

In an interview a couple of weeks ago, Hall said that because of the improved personnel on defence, the Bombers would be a lot more creative in coverage and line play this season. Still waiting.

I guess it comes down to whether you think Dickinson and company can rebound better than O'Shea and company. Logically, it seems way too early to start designating a game as a "must win", but here we are, and it sure feels like it.

Willy's market value at the moment is near zero. As a matter of fact, given his contract, it might actually be less than zero. I have doubts about Willy being able to fulfill the promise he showed when he arrived, but he deserves a chance to prove himself worthwhile or play himself off the roster. Nichols might be good enough to step in, but that smacks of desperation. As Willy goes, so goes the team, and we just might be scrooged.

And here I thought this was McCallum's front yard a few years ago.