Tracker

I'd hate to think where we'd be without Willy, he's surround by a mediocre cast and crew. We'd be in 2013.

With Grigbsy and no timeout, I'm not. The only run play I would have tried there is QB Draw. Hamilton wasn't going to let Grigsby beat them around the edge, and he can't make a cut to save his life between the tackles. A good idea in theory, but you may recall that the Bombers tried a QB draw a bit earlier and not only did it fail, it looked like a Keystone Kops routine. All it needed to complete the picture was the comedic sounds effects.

Desperate is as desperate does. Some fans think that because you win the championship once, you're automatically entitled to it year after year.

Walters needs to get off his ass and sign a proper long snapper.... one or two screw ups is acceptable but this is getting ridiculous. My thoughts on the game/team... As I complained frequently in the chat... the team is not playing disciplined football and seem completely out of focus which is weird considering they are coming off a bye week. Earlier on in the season we rarely ever took any "bad" penalties... tonight we killed 3 drives in the first half purely on bad ill timed penalties. O'Shea is a special teams wizard?? Maybe at covering but he made two huge brain farts IMO. First taking the kickoff rather then taking the ball at the 35 early on resulting in a field goal and then that awfully timed short kick in the 2nd half. Their is times to take the risks... the times he chooses to take these risks are always poor. In a close game where your team is so damn lucky to be only 5 points down and when Hamilton couldn't move the ball .... you dont' f'ning hand them the ball at midfield with the wind to their backs. I like a risky gambling coach but you save the bag of tricks when you are desperate. Also thank you Mr Walters and OShea for not getting a long snapper resulting in pretty much losing this game. Can this team learn how to do both proper time management and the ability to maybe call several plays when their is 16 seconds left and 3 cracks from the 4 yard line? Total mismanagement and just all around incompetence. I understand the coaching staff and the team is *young* and learning but had our team played a clean game we would of won it. Side note... Austin will die from a heart attack soon... that guy gets animated on every down. Also his guys never ever seemed to be zoned out like our guys do on the bench. I'm seeing a lot of Burke droopy dog looks on the guys faces.... we could use a little life on the bench. The reality of the team's situation is beginning to sink in to them- they are not good enough as a team despite some bright spots. For a player with a healthy ego, knowing that you are going to miss the playoffs yet again and win one (or two if the gods smile) has to smart. I would be a lot more concerned if the players were joking around and laughing on the sidelines while we are losing.

There are darned few QBs in this league who have lit it up in their first year as starters- probably a half-dozen in the 100+ years, so let's let Willy grow into the job. Besides, we have one of the worst O-lines in the league, and that has to be hampering his development.

It may be just a coincidence, but Tom Higgins was director of CFL officiating last year, and while it was far from perfect, it was a heck of a lot better than it is this year. Maybe, if Higgins gets canned from Montreal , we could petition the CFL to take him back.

That's it. You've ruined my anticipation of watching the game tomorrow. I'm gonna have to sync the tv to OB's broadcast and be 2 minutes behind all game.

I agree in principle with this, but pepping up the defence is not the need (except against the run)- the problem is an anemic offense and it sure as heck looks like Romby is just going through the motions. He was brought in to be a deep threat, but he has to actually get open and catch the ball to be a threat.

Ill go one better. They should never let Willy play again. Thats the only way to ensure our starter never gets hurt. Come on... obviously his injury is not something that can be aggravated by playing. The way I heard it explained, its all about pain management and Willy is able to play through the pain due to guts and, presumably, injections. Hey if the safest way to have sex is abstinence the safest way to play football is not play football. Even abstinence is not 100% safe. Apparently there is a credibly reported case where pregnancy occurred without sex.

One out of two ain't bad. You could be two for two, but we will know by half-time if Sunseri is real or not. Sunseri has a better team around him and I think Sask's O-line will keep Edmonton's pass rush off him.

The ground is becoming sodden with amber fluid.

I agree, but that realization won't allow for them to scream about how the sky falling, so it's not going to happen. Hyperbole on your part does not respect the conversation. The point is that when the importance of the game is weighed against significant and undue risk to Willy, all reasonable caution should be taken. O'Shea is new to being a head coach along with all the attendant stressors, so it would be easy for him to look past the risk and want the win too badly. It's not about Lulay- if Willy is still taking analgesics, that is not a good sign, but we do not know if it is prescription or OTC.

Signing him to be our backup would've been nice. Crompton had the misfortune to be in Edmonton when the circus was at Commonwealth, much like Elliott was here in Winnipeg last year, so in both cases, their real value was unknown. I'm just nitpicking, but Elliott wasn't here last year. It was the year before. I stand (sitting actually- its hard to type while standing up) corrected.

For me, it still makes sense to start Brohm against the Cats and keep Willy in reserve even if he thinks he is at or nearly at 100%. If Brohm looks clueless, he can always be yanked- early or late. The playoffs are still theoretically possible but not worth risking Willy's future for unless absolutely necessary.

Any draft pick in the third or later rounds who makes the team has to be considered a pleasant surprise most years.

Nothing unusual there as head coaches often pick their own staffs. I know, but Brice is stating that if Etch is still here next year, the blame should fall on Walters shoulders. Which is incorrect. Etch is O'Sheas call but what options did he have, apart from retreads even worse than Etch? Its Walters responsibility to steward the "vision" of the club, thereby attracting quality people. Right now we look like a young, athletic team with a lousy defense against the run and no o-line. Pass the buck or not, its still on Walters watch. I thought we passed (on) the Buck last year.

Very little information on Tyler beyond his physical stats available on the net. He could be another Glen January who landed here after auditioning elsewhere and has been a solid contributor. It is a bit discouraging that our scouting can't find a blue-chip 0-lineman or two in a country of 300 million where football is a religion.

Fixed that for you.

A win is a win is a win, and it really doesn't matter how. But, a loss realistically means the end of the season, and a loss to a team which has been a bottom-feeder for most of the season would add insult to injury. Sometimes pessimism is reality and did anyone really expect better than 8 and 10 this year? We're on the right path, but its going to be a long road with rough patches along the way.

I agree with you for the most part, but I pray that the Eskies do beat the Riders, otherwise the ex-pat Rider fans on this forum will be insufferable. Somehow, I think they just might.

Considering how the team has played the past 6 weeks, if Willy is healthy, we can look forward to a dogfight with a 50-50 chance of winning. If Willy is significantly less than at his best and/or we have to go to Brohm or Marve, all bets are off. If we can't beat Hamilton, we are out of the playoffs no matter what the mathematics say and if we lose against Ottawa (shudder), its paper bag time.

That's the reason their feeding Pencer, Goosen and Hinse to be able to come in as backups when injury calls. You still think Pencer is here? What team do you follow? Sorry, meant Swiston. They're frickin' interchangeable in my mind as neither has contributed squat. There's a lot of that going around in the current crop of O-linemen.

There are a lot of great "practice players" who look good until the game is on the line, and then they suddenly seize up or become invisible. I used to play golf with a guy who would smoke me every game until there was a bet on the line, and then his game would fall apart. We've had too few Milt Stegalls around who have the talent plus the killer mindset.

Signing him to be our backup would've been nice. Crompton had the misfortune to be in Edmonton when the circus was at Commonwealth, much like Elliott was here in Winnipeg last year, so in both cases, their real value was unknown.

This is like being offered the best dress at Zellers.