BigBlue

As per Bob Irving's Coach's Show, MOS says Nichols is good to go for Sunday. Will he practice this week? MOS says he hasn't decided that yet... he is always pretty sharp even without practice.

WBBFAN said "Talent and skill are far from the first thing our coaching staff looks at. Its frequently over ridden by all kinds of other factors. At some point you need superior skill and talent to win. I would wager far more championships have been won based on talent and skill then character." So is Michael O'Shea on the right path in terms of building a team with heart, loyalty and character? Was it the teams character that was responsible for Friday night's victory over Calgary? Or did we just have better skill and talent on the field? O'Shea is in the exact opposite arena then Chris Jones who has put together a mongrels team of highly talented prima donnas. I know Friday night's game was just an exhibition game for the Stampeders but you can't use Bo Levi Mitchell's apparent ailing shoulder as an excuse to not show up. Maybe the Bombers do have more skill and talent than we give Walters credit for. Maybe that talent is why we beat Edmonton twice. Or maybe, just maybe, the O'Shea philosophy is in full gear. Long story short, if we are going to beat Edmonton this Sunday what will be the main reason?

Since Michael O'Shea has arrived here we have relentlessly heard preached the crucial elements of character, heart and team loyalty. Tonight that's going to be put to the test - - to see how character stacks up against talent. The Bombers have a lot on the line, Calgary doesn't. One of the 2 teams will end on a three-game losing streak. The snow by the way is just another wildcard, not an advantage card. Let's see who wants it more (which is another way of saying how much does heart and character really count for anyway).

Assuming Edmonton beats Regina and we lose to Calgary we are on the road again finishing 11 & 7 behind Edmonton's 12 & 6 but ahead of the Roughies 10 & 8. If Regina wins we are in a 3 way tie all at 11 & 7. We beat both Edmonton & Sask twice, so we host and the Riders who beat the Esks 54 -31 earlier lost 27-10 (64-58 total points for the Green Machine) will come visiting, I think. That will probably give the Green and Gold a pass to the Grey Cup if they can unseat two sub .500 clubs. So we better beat Calgary next Friday. I just hope we don't have to do it with wooden crutches and plaster casts for weapons. Calgary seems mainly intact, injury wise, so we better hope MOS's Bombers' 3 secret weapons (loyalty, attitude and big heart) will be enough to overcome Calgary's overconfident laurels. After Friday, one of the two teams is going into the playoffs on a 3 game losing streak. Am I thinking clearly here?

When it comes to intelligent analysis and play calling Dunigan & Miller are TSN's best. Clearly Miller is the best play by play guy and there is no better colour man than Dunigan.... And Winnipeg's very own Black is a "fraidy cat" (always advocating resting your stars before they get hurt) gets the award for the most obsessive "fact giver" broadcaster the CFL has ever had. He out-does even Captain Obvious with his insight and hackneed worn out football cliches ... perhaps he has some "mystery" he keeps in his sock drawer. Where else would he keep his talent?

I probably need to put on a helmet for this topic: there are just too many Rider haters on this site to not have extra protection. The way the season started out this year it made Jones look like a complete fool - - the house cleaning looked like a merry-go-round leading to nowhere but a repeating loop like ground hog day. But Jones has assembled a reasonable set of talent that can challenge anyone on any given Sunday .... he just might know what he is doing. He is actually earning my respect. And while I still have my helmet on, I must say, I am enjoying watching Duran Carter. My respect for him, too, is greatly on the rise after watching him play defense when Jones needed it. He may have a big yap, but when he backs it up with great play, I think its funny, gratifying funny. That's how the football bounces ... who would have thunk it?

Thank you ... that is what I most wanted to know.

You nailed my concern and my frustration .

One thing I do know is that I am not dissing Chris Jones now, like I was at the beginning of the season. Now I have not quite got to the point of respect - I can't quite get myself there, at least so far The truth is Jones is actually building a football club and probably needs one more year to make it a full competitor. The disdain I was giving him is just about gone but I am not expecting most posters on this site to quit ridiculing Mr. Jones. Excuse me while I get my combat helmet.

I was very frustrated this weekend losing the end of the Rough Riders game to a Calgary start AND not seeing the beginning of the Bomber game. I know there must be some meaning to the 5 different channels TSN has but I never know how to program my PVR so that this kind of stuff doesn't happen. Which channel from 1 to 5 focuses in on Winnipeg? Does anybody understand the priorities of the other channels? There is nothing I'd rather hear less then the announcer saying blah blah blah but go to TSN for to see the rest of this game, if as and when they do that. Why does TSN use numbers instead of geography to label its channels? Signed Very Frustrated!

Both Regina and Toronto are coming off come-from-behind victories. Of the 2 teams I don't know which is the better bet. They both have good defences and inconsistent but explosive offences. Ricky Ray is the old pro; Kevin Glenn has that quick release. Regina's receiving core was one of the best but the injury bug has struck. Toronto's running back had a 200 yard game a week ago but then disappeared this weekend. So does it come down to Marc Trestman versus Chris Jones? Maybe the edge goes to home field advantage. I can't make up my mind what I think. I'm not sure which team has more momentum.

Anybody seen a depth chart yet? If so can you post it please, pretty please ...

Your are so brilliant!

Reilly keeps tossing those long bombs downfield and his receivers keep getting them. We need a really good rush to neutralize his throwing ability but he is harder to catch than a greased pig. Edmonton's defence isn't all that bad either. It ranks up there with Toronto's D. I don't know what holes Lapo is going to have to find but I like what he's been doing so far against everybody. It would not surprise me if special-teams turns out to be the difference in this game. I just don't think it's going to be easy... on O, D or special teams So what will it take to beat Edmonton?

My hope: we beat first Edmonton then Calgary to reach the GreY Cup ... Toronto beats Chris Jones in the Eastern final Nichols proves he is a better QB than Ricky Ray in the Grey Cup .... the Bombers win a squeaker for their first cup since 1880 er I mean 1990

I eventually get my opinion in but I am always interested in the wide range of the analysis not just loving what I think .... and I think the Stamps are showing signs of being vulnerable even though they just win, win, win .... they have a history of blowing the western final

More importantly can we beat the Stamps on November 3rd & 19th? Calgary finishes the regular season with Montreal, Hamilton, Regina, Edmonton & us. We have Edmonton, Hamilton, Vancouver, Toronto, & Vancouver again before finishing with the Stamps. I don't know if there are many scenarios where we finish in first ahead of Calgary but it is going to be fun to see us try. What do you think it will take?

who?

MOS & Company seem to have a philosophy that rules their decision making and that supercedes player judgment ... I hope I am wrong on that but I suspect it explains too much .... would like to see them more pragmatic

that's what i don't get

I don't understand the cloak and dagger about Westerman ..... Irving interviewed him today but as I listened I missed his self description ... a lot of mumbo jumbo to me

could not find that

Anybody got a depth chart?

A third string quarterback is not too good - - they are only worth a quarter of a first string QB ..... that is they they value at a quarterBLACK

Game day thread: Ottawa QuarterBLACKS vs Bomber BYES So we are all wondering what the defensive line is gonna look like but does it matter against a third string quarterback? Time to shake off the rust from the bye week or shall we say the Bombers have all healed up from their little nicks. I doubt if they have forgotten how to play .... as much as the players may be chomping at the bit to get going, I think we as fans are far more anxious than the players to see the game underway. We are likely to see a defensive line that has 2 international defensive ends and one international defensive tackle. That means that Corney, Thomas and who knows who else will be platooning. I personally don't see many other changes. It will be interesting to see who gets the start, Knox or Santos Knox at linebacker. At safety Jones or Loffler ... maybe a little experimenting with where to put Loffler but probably not. Other than that I think Michael O'Shea will be standing pat tonight - - and that feels like a habit - - if it ain't broke don't fix it. Game day - Yahoo !!!!!