TrueBlue4ever

I posted this in "Monday Morning Musings" but maybe it is more appropriately re-posted here in light of the discussion of quality of teams: Here are some numbers to chew on when trying to decipher where the CFL teams really stand so far, in terms of strength of competition. I'll just give you the raw data, make of it what you will. I will first list the overall record and winning percentage of each team's opponents, along with the number of games against an opponent with a .500 or better record. I will then provide the "adjusted" record and winning percentage as determined by what the opponent's record was at the time the game was actually played, to possibly reflect that's opponent's strength at that point in time (example, the Bombers have beaten Ottawa twice, a team with a 2-3 record, so a .400 winning percentage and no games against a .500 or better opponent - but at the point in time the Bombers played them, the RedBlacks were 2-0 and then 2-2, for a .667 winning percentage and 2 of 2 games against a .500 or better team). When considering the "at this point in time" record of the team to establish a game against a .500 or better team, I did NOT count week 1 where everyone was 0-0. So the number of games against a .500 or better team in that category ignores playing a team at 0-0. Only Toronto did not factor into this adjustment, and Hamilton in fact had two games reduced because of this factor. All totals are complete through week 6. BC's opponents have an overall record of 16-14 (.533), and 4 of 6 are currently .500 or better. "At the time" record is 4-7 (.364) with 2 of 5 opponents at .500 or better. Calgary's opponents have an overall record of 9-17 (.346), and 1 of 5 are currently .500 or better. "At the time" record is 4-9 (.308) with 1 of 4 opponents at .500 or better. Edmonton's opponents have an overall record of 13-14 (.481), and 3 of 5 are currently .500 or better. "At the time" record is 4-6 (.400) with 2 of 4 opponents at .500 or better. Saskatchewan's opponents have an overall record of 10-16 (.384), and 2 of 5 are currently .500 or better. "At the time" record is 3-7 (.300) with 2 of 4 opponents at .500 or better. Winnipeg's opponents have an overall record of 8-18 (.308), and 1 of 5 are currently .500 or better. "At the time" record is 6-5 (.545) with 3 of 4 opponents at .500 or better. Hamilton's opponents have an overall record of 11-14 (.444), and 3 of 5 are currently .500 or better. "At the time" record is 2-4 (.333) with 1 of 3 opponents at .500 or better. Montreal's opponents have an overall record of 16-9 (.640), and 4 of 5 are currently .500 or better. "At the time" record is 10-2 (.833) with 4 of 4 opponents at .500 or better. Ottawa's opponents have an overall record of 18-7 (.720), and 4 of 5 are currently .500 or better. "At the time" record is 7-3 (.700) with 2 of 4 opponents at .500 or better. Toronto's opponents have an overall record of 15-11 (.577), and 3 of 5 are currently .500 or better. "At the time" record is 6-7 (.462) with 3 of 5 opponents at .500 or better.

Opened inside a dumpster in 2006 by Japanese sumo wrestler turned brain surgeon Fuji Howzer M.D. This place has everything....Furby's, Cracker Jack, Spud Webb. The bouncer is a bulldog who looks like Wilfred Brimley, and the password is "Dia-beetus"

Here are some numbers to chew on when trying to decipher where the CFL teams really stand so far, in terms of strength of competition. I'll just give you the raw data, make of it what you will. I will first list the overall record and winning percentage of each team's opponents, along with the number of games against an opponent with a .500 or better record. I will then provide the "adjusted" record and winning percentage as determined by what the opponent's record was at the time the game was actually played, to possibly reflect that's opponent's strength at that point in time (example, the Bombers have beaten Ottawa twice, a team with a 2-3 record, so a .400 winning percentage and no games against a .500 or better opponent - but at the point in time the Bombers played them, the RedBlacks were 2-0 and then 2-2, for a .667 winning percentage and 2 of 2 games against a .500 or better team). When considering the "at this point in time" record of the team to establish a game against a .500 or better team, I did NOT count week 1 where everyone was 0-0. So the number of games against a .500 or better team in that category ignores playing a team at 0-0. Only Toronto did not factor into this adjustment, and Hamilton in fact had two games reduced because of this factor. All totals are complete through week 6. BC's opponents have an overall record of 16-14 (.533), and 4 of 6 are currently .500 or better. "At the time" record is 4-7 (.364) with 2 of 5 opponents at .500 or better. Calgary's opponents have an overall record of 9-17 (.346), and 1 of 5 are currently .500 or better. "At the time" record is 4-9 (.308) with 1 of 4 opponents at .500 or better. Edmonton's opponents have an overall record of 13-14 (.481), and 3 of 5 are currently .500 or better. "At the time" record is 4-6 (.400) with 2 of 4 opponents at .500 or better. Saskatchewan's opponents have an overall record of 10-16 (.384), and 2 of 5 are currently .500 or better. "At the time" record is 3-7 (.300) with 2 of 4 opponents at .500 or better. Winnipeg's opponents have an overall record of 8-18 (.308), and 1 of 5 are currently .500 or better. "At the time" record is 6-5 (.545) with 3 of 4 opponents at .500 or better. Hamilton's opponents have an overall record of 11-14 (.444), and 3 of 5 are currently .500 or better. "At the time" record is 2-4 (.333) with 1 of 3 opponents at .500 or better. Montreal's opponents have an overall record of 16-9 (.640), and 4 of 5 are currently .500 or better. "At the time" record is 10-2 (.833) with 4 of 4 opponents at .500 or better. Ottawa's opponents have an overall record of 18-7 (.720), and 4 of 5 are currently .500 or better. "At the time" record is 7-3 (.700) with 2 of 4 opponents at .500 or better. Toronto's opponents have an overall record of 15-11 (.577), and 3 of 5 are currently .500 or better. "At the time" record is 6-7 (.462) with 3 of 5 opponents at .500 or better.

Again, after letting the emotion subside and reviewing the weekend that was: What to say about the Bombers after another systematic dismantling of a team at home? Well, they have outscored the opposition 78-11 in the first half of their last 3 games, and despite grumblings about inconsistency and taking their foot off the gas, they have outscored their opponents 28-25 in the second half of those same 3 games (and in fact have outscored their opponents in the second half 61-40 on the entire season). Perhaps we should praise this team for knowing how to lock things down and grind out the clock when ahead, unlike our pro hockey team last year, rather than picking on low passing totals and two and outs. They have outscored their opponents in the second half in 4 of 5 games this year. Bombers have led going into the 4th quarter of every game so far this year, and only trailed at the half once. They have not been behind in any game since the opening week against BC, when they trailed four minutes into the third quarter after a Lemar Durant TD. They promptly tied the game on the next play on the blocked convert attempt return. They never trailed against Edmonton, Toronto, or Ottawa in either game. The Bomber defence has not allowed a touchdown in 3 of 5 games this year. Then there is this nice summary on cfl.ca: https://www.cfl.ca/2019/07/22/steinbergs-mmqb-no-sign-weakness/ The best part of this team so far is the balance. Week one the offence made adjustments at the half when trailing, defence forces a turnover and they capitalize immediately. then after they lose the lead again the defence atones to tie it up, and the offence takes over from there. Next game, offence struggles but makes some big plays, and defence stands tough when needed. Third game defence is strong while offence gets untracked, but special teams makes the difference and again the O capitalizes when handed the opportunity. Then all 3 phases click against the Argos, and when it seems like there is some life, the D says enough and gives us a goal line stand, and the O says we'll put a cherry on top with an exclamation point TD. And this week, the secondary rebounds after the letdown against the Argos to stifle the RedBlack passing attack, while Lawler atones for last week's brain cramp and Petermann shows "next man up" is no big worry. And different players are stepping up consistently. Wolitarsky and Adams are sharp early, but when they disappear, Demski steps up. Harris having an off game? Cue Lucky Whitehead. Injury to Matthews, hello Kenny Lawler. And Nichols is using them all fairly equally. On defence the line has been a monster, but it's the collective, with no weak links and no one star to key on. The secondary has given up some yards, but even I was surprised to see they have 8 INTs already, and their coverage on Friday was impressive with no PI calls. Medlock has not had many opportunities to kick field goals, and missed a couple, but his sidewinder punts are proving to be no gimmick but a legitimate weapon. Return game has been solid (sure handed catches) and spectacular (big gains), and the punt coverage is unreal, with a different star each week (Exume 5 tackles in week 1, Miller 7 in week 4, Miles 3 in week 5). So life is really good in Bomber land, and I haven't seen this kind of offensive balance since 2001, where they spread the ball around as much as they do. And they are cool, calm, and collected. Liked the attitude after Toronto where it was "we can do better, we left some stuff out there on offence and gave up some stuff on defence" without sounding panicked or petty about it. And every week it's "we're 0-0, let's go out and be 1-0 after this game". Give me more of this quiet humility and determination than a boatload of Swaggerville - this team doesn't need to prove to anyone else how good they are, just themselves. Others will catch on soon enough.

Well, if it was a one-off, it might be easier to let slide. But.... Nichols Hecht Kyrie Wilson Gaitor (last year, who in your own words “proved you wrong”) so that’s “What of it” I guess.

If your only passable standard of consistency and acceptance for Nichols and this offence is 37 minutes time of possession every game, then you have set an impossible bar to meet, and your criticisms lose credibility with such a skewed view of reality

With Walker in, I want to see LaPo just once line up him, Demski, Adams and Whitehead, with Harris and Miller in for extra blocking, and tell them all to run a fly pattern and let Nichols just heave it deep to any one of them. Call it "the drag race", or as Marv Levy called it, "the eight eighty eight" (Watch at 2:20-2:28)

Just confirming that my pick will be Wolitarsky now. One of these weeks I'm going to have to pick Tre Roberson. As a defensive player, he should be worth bonus points.

I don't. Play to the whistle for one. Don't hot dog a first down for 2. Had he stood up and had the Argo reach in and grab the ball I could have even lived with it more. But to hold the ball out to signal first down (and do a jaunty flip with it, which he was on his way to doing before it got slapped from his hand) is just arrogance. But credit where credit is due, he made a great effort later on that non-TD pass attempt in dragging his feet. And it didn't cost us the game or anything. So forgiven, but not forgotten......yet.

I k now O'Shea likes protecting his players, but these back and forth injury updates are a bit frustrating. Cal Murphy was always up front right after the game with the injury status. Does O'Shea really gain a tactical advantage by not saying in the post game comments "Jesse Briggs may have a torn muscle, could be out a while"? The sling on the sidelines is a bit of a giveaway.

Chris Matthews. If he is a late scratch I would then say Wolitarsky.

Speaking of injuries - so what's up with Neufeld?

At this point I'm just going to assume Bighill isn't playing again this week.

Maybe....maybe not. My concern is threefold. 1. A change at QB can be a spark for the team, so if they had some doubts creeping in about Davis on the team, an early start by the Bombers and it could turn into another Argo blowout. But with Jennings, the team may have more patience and rally rather than folding up the tents. 2. A new QB means we have no game film on him this year to see how he fits into their offence, so tougher to predict his tendencies and game plan for them. Have seen this countless times, when a new QB comes in and lights it up early before game film on them leads to a more solid defensive game plan that brings them back to earth (Fajardo, Adams Jr., Dinwiddie for us a few years back, Rocky Butler, etc. Even Arbuckle.) 3. Although Davis can be a scrambler, the only game he really relied on his legs a lot was the Calgary upset. And his INT numbers have shown what happens when he relies on his arm as a pocket passer. Jennings has never been afraid to use the QB sneak as a weapon, and may be harder to defend against as a result, especially if he is not yet comfortable with the pass offence in Ottawa and decides to ad lib his way through the game. Bombers' run D is exceptional so far, but they have not faced a true scrambling QB yet, so hopefully it won't throw them off. Having Bighill back as a spy on the QB would be a great benefit.

Actually, I offer that as a badge of honour that you were willing to admit your error. Do you know how rare it is to own your mistake on social media rather than double down and defend an indefensible position? (Exhibit 1 - this site, exhibit 2 - the current POTUS)

Cone of shame?

Hasn't stopped O'Shea before.

Oops, thought it was one of each. My bad.

That little detail (and 4 yards) cost a TSN viewer $1 million.

Hey, if I picked the BC/Saskatchewan game and said "no one", could that be my pick for the week? Almost as tough a call and picking some one who WOULD score in any other game. ;-)

A few additional musings: - I like to think trhat the team sensed the wailing that was to come on the message boards later when the game was 41-19 and Toronto was driving to score and decided, "OK, enough nonsense, time for a stand on first and goal from the 2 to quiet the few remaining doubters, and not let's march for a late TD to have a score reflective of the blowout this was" - RE: Fenner and his good./bad, one play encapsulated that perfectly. Got burned on a one-on-one out pattern coverage and totally juked out, leaving the receiver with lots of open space after over-running the play, but made a spectacular recovery and tackle to limit the damage to a 5 yard gain when it could have gone for 50. - hard luck for Lawler on that end zone grab where he dragged his feet perfectly. I presume he did not survive contact with the ground, but thought it was worth a challenge, because he had the catch made as he slid out of bounds. Would have been the touchdown of the night - I know why there was so much angst on the boards this weekend. No "Odds and Sods" to tell us exactly how the game played out and quell the insurrection before it started. Do or Die, you have to tip me off when you are AWOL so I can slide in and play relief QB (like Streveler, I need the game reps. Unlike Streveler, this back-up will never be the fan favorite) and finally, I again like to think that after the first quarter gaffe, Mike O'Shea's conversation with Kenny Lawler went something like this:

After the emotion of the big win (I think - hard to tell from some of the wailing here over the weekend) has subsided, some thoughts on sober reflection of the events past. - Nichols is good - like, really good right now. I don't really care if he doesn't excite some posters here like the "Strevelation" or pass their subjective eye test. Dude is killing it and I re-affirm my position from the pre-season that people need to get off his back. Some of the (I'll say it right here and now) utter nonsense posted about him not being consistent or not worthy of trust to pull out the big game or spoiling Streveler's chance to get reps and be our star QB remind me why I take 48 off from posting following a game to avoid the hysteria. Others should try it some time. - Streveler is one tough dude, but if we want to apply the same level of scrutiny to his game and we do to Nichols, that INT he threw was not a smart decision, and he's lucky his reckless run and fumble was recovered by his teammates, and that he didn't get hurt himself. People who moan about the conservative approach miss the very point Nichols made on the post-game show. Do not allow any bad turnovers by forcing plays, and at worst the other team needs to drive a longer field and eat up more time. The strategy employed by Nichols and LaPo won't score you 37 more points in the second half, but we aren't playing a video game. It's clock management, and given that the Bombers finished the game with 33+ minutes of time of possession, I'd say the game plan is working to a tee (especially since the Argos has the ball for 7 of the first 8 minutes of the game). -back to Streveler, poor decision to throw with heat in his face, and a really poor throw to boot for an easy pick. That pass may have helped the decision to get Nichols back in - I questioned with Lucky Whitehead's speed why Charles Nelson is back returning punts, but boy he is solid running up to catch tricky punts on the fly and drawing no yards calls -who would have thought Nic Demski would be our deep threat? - for all those wanting Nichols and Harris benched early for fear of injury, rosters just aren't big enough to sit people down on a regular basis. Besides, for the blowout wins the Patriots put up, when do you ever see Tom Brady pulled early? Or any QB for that matter? - BC is worse than Toronto right now. On paper, BC has more talent, and Toronto has been far more overmatched than BC in games, so I know that statement seems odd. But the Argos did not quit on Friday, and BC flat out rolled over at home, the second time they have just stopped playing mid-game in the last 4 weeks. - Jackson Jeffcoat is our defensive MOP right now - Willie Jefferson may not have the sexy stats like last year, but he has been well worth the investment for his disruption on the line of scrimmage alone. - Chandler Fenner is the most visible of the DBs right now. For all the right AND wrong reasons. Either a great tackle/INT/knockdown, or a big bust. No middle ground it seems. - Can we remove Jeff Hecht from the scapegoat list now, especially given what Derek Jones showed in his place?

There are penalties for illegal equipment, including helmets. No one is allowed to play with an unbuckled chin strap, the offending player will be sent off if the equipment is broken, but a player who violates the rule is treated like an injured player and sent off for 3 plays. No player may deliberately remove their own helmet on the field of play, if you do you get an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. If your helmet comes off accidentally in the middle of the play, you are ineligible to participate in the play any further, and if you are the ball carrier the play is immediately whistled dead. Harris is not technically breaking any rules because his chin strap is done up, but as pointed out, it is essentially useless since he can take off his helmet without undoing it, so the chinstrap in no way is securing the helmet to his head. I suspect if this keeps happening they will tweak the wording of the rule so that the chin strap is fastened "in such a manner as to prevent the helmet from being capable of coming off in the normal course of play (a facemask would not be considered "normal course of play" but regular tackling contact would be). I believe the officials could determine that his helmet is not properly secured and send him off for three plays at this time based on how loose the chin strap is, even if it is done up.

Can we find some consensus on what "offensive consistency" is then? Offensive points scored? (#1 in the league, btw). Keeping the team on the field, as measured maybe by, I don't know, time of possession? (32:51 average at this juncture, #2 in the league, btw). Balance between passing and running attack? (#1 in passing TDs and QB efficiency, #2 in overall rushing)