BigBlue

I do not like the word KARMA but there is a contagious attitude that seems to spread throughout a people, group or team. In football for example we like to use the term swagger for a certain state of being. Whatever attitude we have on our Big Blue now, it seems to be compounding ... its the difference between winning and losing any given game

streveler

what ever the method, he needs to be put on notice [given a chance to change] ... no, you can't get that granular but you can demand general personnel changes immediately ... the point is to confront his stubborn-ness

Do not get me wrong! I am not for firing Michael O'Shea. I like him. What I want to see is to have somebody wake him up out of his complacency. He has got us here and with a little time you will get us there, again. The question is how much pain will we have to go through in the process. It is that stupidity type pain that is wearing me out. I really want to see either Wade Miller or GM Walters issue a commandment; any type will do. Force him to change our Centre, or Thomas at nose guard, or something else he is being stubborn about. It's the confrontation I want to see. And, a meritocracy where players are rewarded for their hard work at both practices and games. I want to see O'Shea a little uncomfortable and to realize his job, this year, might be on the line. Yes we've had devastating injuries and other problems. O'Shea teaches an overcoming mentality but he is not doing that right now. It's time to coach the coach!

I could not agree with you more, Goalie… The negativity just feels like whining… The psychology of crowds and all that stuff. We had the same kind of mentality when we were on top. It's the opposite of a "can-do" attitude. So at least on this matter I agree with Michael O'Shea. However, maybe we really do need a change. The inability to upgrade at least some personnel with developing players is a problem... coaches love veterans, but if they don't make constant change they end up with a leaking sinking ship seems to come from nowhere. And the captain does no more than handout duct tape in the boiler room. So how would you all feel if, President Miller calls a press conference tomorrow morning to announce that Coach O'Shea has been fired and been replaced with Buck Pierce? Do you think such a replacement would solve the problem?

When the Blue lose, the problem is Monday morning the whole city goes into a black funk and it can last all week ... its really hard on biz sales

since we invested so much in pre season analysis, maybe we should start using all that stuff.... or are we to broke to pay for air tickets?

VOTE of NON-CONFIDENCE: Miller the bombers CEO saved this franchise once… And he needs to do it again by and large you let the head coach do his thing… We all know that and the reasons However, now it's different. There's a reason why coaches don't stay with their team forever… Great leaders are always trying to repeat their great successes but so many consequential and ongoing decisions show that they are not thinking straight. Success was found by applying the right principles to the situation and utilizing the people willing to take those critical steps. What proves to be true afterwards is that each situation requires new and unique solutions. Trying to apply past solutions to a very different present situation just doesn't work. It takes a unique individual to apply new solutions to new challenges. It takes a humility to do this. WARNING SHOT ACROSS THE BOW if Walters can use a little influence and "order" MOS to make certain changes, maybe the season can be saved. If Miller looks in and has a heart-to-heart with O'Shea maybe he will realize he's being put on notice. It would be stupid to not tell O'Shea that his job is on the line right now. Otherwise we will just continue to spiral and he will be fired in the off-season. PLANNED Rebuilding next winter simply is too late. Doing nothing is a vote of nonconfidence. Taking corrective action now is a vote of confidence, if things have not already gone too far. We just need our whole team to lead from wherever they are standing. This is executives, coaches, and players. It's not a matter of authority; it's a matter of pulling together to lift each other up as we face the hard realities.

I have been a blue bomber fan for over 60 years starting when I was eight… I've always been passionate about them especially around family. But now I have lost my mojo… The worst part about all has been the bickering between posters and the quick run to negativity that I am not used to seeing. I think this is a great fan board but I just now I feel disgusted. It's not that the bombers are having a tough year; I've been through many more tough years than good ones. What's bugging me is the Blue company PR; it's the appearance of complacency and we will be "okay"… That's what's the heartbreak is for me... It's too quiet. I do miss too the lack of optimism that I usually find somewhere amidst the posters. I see the potential and I see the impatience. But the mood of doom and gloom multiplied by complaining is enough to make me want to walk away from the game after all these years. It's not fun right now. No, I do not think we are spoiled. It wasn't very long ago that we all thought we had the best management in the country. Does everybody seem helpless because one or two individuals have too much control, too much self-centredness? Okay, so for now I give up. I am going to jump on the doom and gloom bandwagon. Every time we win again I'm going to buy a cigar and throw it over the balcony. The rest of the time I'm going to play sad old rock music. Meanwhile, I am going to content myself with trying to figure out when Michael O'Shea first developed Alzheimer's. It's my new challenge. I think I will start next week, maybe.

streveler

Bottom line for the Rough Rider's game: Regina is not as good as its record the bombers are not as bad as our record the blue will have a trick or two up our sleeve the riders will not be able to keep playing above their skill level I think it's called reversion to the mean somebody's going to be letting some air out of the tires A few of the frustrated are going to finally get it together at least for a little while

I still don't know the basis for our decision-making. We are paying top-end dollar for our stars and yet too many of them are on the IR/// I don't think that's just luck.... The CFL draft has turned up okay for us this year and that's helping… However, we are not lining up emerging American talent especially at the line positions. Eventually that's going to bite us or else we will become very good at making patchwork quilts… It takes a little courage to let import linemen develop, right?

streveler

Yes the D's will adjust, finally. Now our other receivers will have a little more room and so will Brady Oliveira. Pokey is the new key ingredient even if he can't duplicate tonight every night. The ingredients to success are starting to show up.

they used to say Ricky Ray was washed up ... look at his last few years ... // ZC ?

I hope we have a good double tight end scheme for some of the plays tonite

At times we have had over $1 million on the IR, short-term and long-term: Collaros, Schoen, Lawler, Olivera, Lawson, Parker, Wheatfall, at times also Fox, Garbutt, Haba, Hallett, Kelly, Sampson thats a lot & a big reason we can look like bums

I am only guessing why we didn't step up and re-sign Brown when we let our All-Star right tackle go... Good Canadian lineman are worth their premium.

What is the real NUB of the problem this year? Does it go back to January? I am a student of leadership and I just wanted to say what I am feeling. Great leaders are best because they call upon the talents of the people around them. They are not impressed with their own skills. In fact, the moment you start reading your own press clippings you are in trouble. We have run into a one-man rule situation with our top dog, Michael O'Shea. When he starts to think his judgement is better than everyone around him, we start to see major mistakes made. One-man rule is dominated by ego and all its foibles. It also takes away the power of the best people on the team. I am sure our coordinators and our positional coaches are suffering from a high-level of frustration. Back at the start of this calendar year we decided that we didn't need Grant, Bailey & Hanson. Grant has been a difference maker as long as he has been here. Somebody decided he was injury prone because we used him to run him up the gut on too many running plays. Watching the game between the Als & Argos, we saw Grant to be their key in the victory. Grant supplies constantly better field position; plus his big plays completely turn games around as it did Thursday. But we decided we didn't want him at his premium price (perhaps $135 K). Bailey has been our best blocking receiver for years, greatly contributing to our running game and protection schemes. Hiss absence is one of the biggest reasons our blocking looks so questionable. He is Toronto's leading receiver this year. We refused to even make an offer to him. What if he was on our club this year? Last year we signed him as an afterthought. Who was the mastermind on this decision? Hanson looked fantastic on special teams as he always does. To what lengths did we go to re-sign him. Did we think promoting Miller to special teams coordinator would be enough without the appropriate personnel? So Grant Bailey and Hanson were our gift to Toronto. One-man rule apparently Dictates on the Bombers. I get a little nauseated as I think about it. Cal Murphy hated rookies too but at least he managed to pick up a lot of good veterans from other teams, as I recall. Press clippings are an enemy. Lowliness brings everyone's talent into play. It also overwrites judgement so that newcomers have a chance to outshine the veterans. I was very impressed with the people we brought in to Camp. Now I'm wondering where they all went. I am glad we brought Lucky back but it smacks of desperation. Good thing our defence seems to be clicking but it could be dominant, IF, our personnel judgement was a little better.

streveler

I think i have the solution... move Jake Thomas to offensive right tackle .... he is so good at plugging up the line by just standing there ... make MOS happy too Perfect! & brilliant !!! LOL

What I am about to say is deeply symbolic. It is a single "for instance" that represents so very much of what is going on. We gave up an All-Star right tackle for Salary cap reasons and attempted to replace him with a player that was going to be cut. There was no real competition for that right tackle spot although there are hundreds of American candidates that could have been pursued rigorously. Did they really think they could coach a below average player into a good player? Would it not be better to bring in a good player and coach and into a great player? Please tell me what the short-circuit is in this instance and throughout the roster? Is it structural? Is it Biden like? Is it too much hierarchy? Have we gone from great to good? Or are we outright awful just because it's a mystery?

streveler

who is 68 Vanterpool, Micah I know he's on our practice roster as our backup right tackle… I know there is a couple of tackles I really liked in the preseason but I lost track of it all in the final cut down swapping tackles with Regina was a definite downgrade… Lawton was the appointed one from his arrival… As they say on the Old Spice commercial, do you really think no one would notice? That looks like one of the weakest spots on our line and even I can see that's where too many of our plays break down. If we we are developing a rookie yank with some upside I might not mind as much… The offensive line is not just a modular plug-and-play… One isn't just like another; maybe we needed to move Grey there unless he just under no circumstances wanted to play for the Blue anymore at any price maybe we are thinking our line coaching will override any lack of talent on Lawton (the riders didn't think so) if Vanterpool is the only import offensive lineman we have on hand, is there any developmental plan for him? The spring league is over; there might be a few highly qualified individuals for right tackle ready now for up here I miss you-know-who's contribution on running plays to the right side

streveler