BigBlue

We need to study some 1960's film: Kenny Ploen laterals left (an apparent sweep) to Leo Lewis who then throws it the opposite direction, right, to a wide open abandoned Kenny Ploen .... and how many times did we see the same type of play in its many variations such as Ploen to Lewis to Ploen to Lewis Time to get Kenny out of his rocker and down to a closed practice

She is one classy lady .... Sara does Winnipeg PROUD .... maybe she can borrow gary Lawless's Rolodex and carry on.

Montreal is on the wrong end of two signature games: (1) Winnipeg proving that Edmonton was not the best team in the league (2) Trestman & Ricky Ray showing who is the best team in the east [at least as the crow flies right now]. So do the Alouettes have a chance? Barring catastrophe (in the form of injury surprises) they neither have a chance nor clue. Perhaps that's too much bravado but we haven't had bravado in a very long time.

I would not have been wanting to be drinking directly underneath the canon when it went off multiple times Thursday night. I probably would've swallowed my cup. Whatever malfunctions there were at the beginning of the season there is no longer a problem with that canon. The fellows running the scoreboard seem to have made some big improvements. At the beginning of the season they were constantly taking crowd shots of interesting fans, usually at the expense of seeing a replay. There was hardly any of that Thursday night. We had replays galore and in my opinion that was 10 times better than crowd shots. If you want to shoot human expression, please concentrate on the players and not the fans. That's what's interesting, the individual player expressions, not the fans' faces. The scoreboard crew must've gotten some feedback and responded to it. So well done. I very much enjoyed the band that played during halftime .... it was so much better than the variety of dog and pony shows we've seen so often over the last half-century. That band put me in "the mood" and nothing could have been better. Quite frankly I would like to see a lot of local bands engaged at the stadium. Perhaps they could play a mini concert for 45 minutes to an hour prior to kickoff. As far as I'm concerned they could even do it during the player warm-ups. Maybe that would put everybody, players included, in the mood for some great and exciting football. Let me complement Miller & Co. where the ongoing improvements he has been overseeing to make the game day experience that much better is coming to pay off. This is the best entertainment we've had in a long, long time, and Yup, it has an awful lot to do with winning in a decisive way. Yup, Yup, Yup.

I understand biasing the game to favor offense ... that is good for the fans ... but not calling offensive pass interference as policy is more than just breaking the rules - - its egregious to the game

It was a long shot ,,,, but a quick TD would have given then a chance when they had none .... blitzing Hurl is encouraging but he has the worst record in getting pressure

this kind of stuff just reduces the quality of the site and the discussion being taken seriously

I don't understand why you all want to rip into ripper .... not even slightly funny

he just seems clueless in the fight for the ball

yes and nearly gave me a heart attack ... they went the length of field and nearly got back in the game ... we need to be a little tighter than that

On 1290 this am it was pointed out how little ball presence Roc has when a deep ball is in the air .... he seems to be right close with the receiver but ends completely out of position as the ball arrives .... again too many of the big plays against us were RocResponsible

Definitely but possible .... FBs can move to center ..... the change is a matter of speed ... outside or mlb could turn into a decent surprise .... working for Roc isn't it,, sam to db to cb

i am still wondering if we can move a defensive end to lb .... i don't know if any of them have the speed for pass coverage but they would sure add to the blitz and run coverage

http://edmontonjournal.com/sports/football/cfl/edmonton-eskimos/eskimos-looking-to-extend-unbeaten-streak-at-investors-group-field Eskimos looking to extend unbeaten streak at Investors Group Field GERRY MODDEJONGE WINNIPEG – The Edmonton Eskimos are looking for their fourth-straight road win to start a season for just the second time in 37 years. And the first-place club (7-0) couldn’t have picked a better place to do it than against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (5-2) on Thursday (6:30 p.m., TSN, 630 CHED) at Investors Group Field, where the Eskimos have yet to lose. Since the Bombers’ new home opened ahead of the 2013 season, Edmonton is 5-0 against them in the regular season, and 6-0 if you include a 26-20 win over the Ottawa RedBlacks in the 2015 Grey Cup. “It’s just a cool place to play football,” said Eskimos quarterback Mike Reilly, whose squad won its first four away games in 2014 – before that, it last happened in 1980. “They did a very nice job at that stadium, I said that the first time I played a game there. Their atmosphere is awesome, the way that they designed it, it gets very loud down there. “So if you’re going on the road into a hostile environment and not ready to play at your best, you’re going to get your butt kicked.” So while it’s been an Investors Group Field of dreams, there’s not exactly a road-field advantage. “I think it just helps to focus in a little bit, I think that’s probably why we’ve had some success there, is because our guys understand how difficult a place that it is to play,” Reilly said. “And they make sure that they’re ready from the minute we touch down in Winnipeg. “We know it’s a business trip and we’re there to do one thing and that’s win a football game.”

If that is their best bring it on!

isn't that what they said about reilly?

Who, tell me, is so great? After Reilly it seems like they have a nice combo of journeymen and rookies with heart, but stars tp ltft a team, i dunno

me tooooo ..... big time!

yup .... thats the metal tester for both of us .... I am assu,img we win to make the top 3

winning streaks are notoriously difficult to maintain .... besides we are the first top 3 team the Esks have met this year (I am not counting the BC Pussycats as a top 3 team right now - they have noy beaten anybody tough yet) I think we win on talent plus team spirit

first time in recent memory no roster changes by us .... i see they have 2 OL vets back ... how will their conditioning be?

https://www.thestar.com/sports/argos/2017/08/14/rays-recovery-throws-argonauts-game-plan-up-in-the-air.html Injured Argonauts quarterback Ricky Ray is making progress with his sore shoulder, but not enough to guarantee he’ll play in Saturday’s rematch with the Montreal Alouettes at BMO Field. That’s why coach Marc Trestman has a pointed conversation with backups Jeff Mathews and Cody Fajardo at Monday’s practice. “We left a lot out there at that position,” Trestman said of the fill-in QBs’ performance in Friday’s 21-9 loss in Montreal. “We had guys open … (Mathews and Fajardo) owned up to it, and they want to improve upon their mistakes. But we have to be better at quarterback.” Trestman and the Argos led the CFL’s East Division heading into Friday, but left in second place at 3-5. That loss made crystal clear what the Boatmen need to work on before Saturday’s return engagement. Toronto’s penchant for too many costly penalties continued in Montreal. Add in the letdown in execution at quarterback and the result was a demoralizing defeat against a division rival. The Argos had their chances. A red zone completion was fumbled, and another was brought back because of a penalty, leaving the Boatmen with a bitter pill to swallow after limiting the Als to just three points in the second half. “We played well enough,” said Trestman. “The tapes showed (it). We played well enough on defence. We tackled well. But penalties stopped extended drives.” riffin The coach made it clear that he wasn’t blaming Mathews and Fajardo for the defeat. The backups are in a tough spot, trying to replace Ray — who had thrown for 300 yards in six consecutive games before his injury late in a July 29 loss to the Roughriders in Regina. Still, the Argos failed to move the ball past midfield in the first quarter against the Alouettes, and struggled throughout to get the offence going. Trestman said he’ll monitor Ray’s progress for another day or two before making a decision on a starter for Saturday’s game. “(Ray) threw a bit and we’ll see (Tuesday) and decide from that point,” Trestman said. “But I told the guys that we don’t have to work any harder or prepare any harder. But on game day, we have to play the way we practise. We practise clean. Now we’ve got to play clean.” Should Ray miss a second week, Fajardo could get the call after taking the reins in the second half on Friday. His running game could help if the air attack stalls. In Montreal, the Argos also went more to running back Brandon Whitaker, who had his best game of the season — 13 carries for 96 yards — against an Alouettes defence ranked No. 1 against the rush.

http://edmontonjournal.com/sports/football/cfl/edmonton-eskimos/cfl-edmonton-eskimos-ottawa-redblacks-5-things Calling it a perfect start to the season is somewhat misleading. Yes, the Edmonton Eskimos are winning games, but they are also losing players to injury week in and week out makes their formula for success unsustainable. Still, the results, so far, speak for themselves as the Eskimos sit in first place at 7-0 to match their second-best start to a season in franchise history, dating back to 1961. And win No. 7 came in the same place they last lost, having fallen to the Ottawa Redblacks at TD Place Stadium in the 2016 East Division final. This time, the Eskimos won 27-20 to sweep the season series and mark a run of 12 wins in their last 13 regular-season games since head Jason Maas got off to a 5-7 start as their head coach. Here’s what we learned from Thursday’s win. 1. Borrowed time With two more starters getting hurt, it’s getting more and more difficult to shake the feeling these Eskimos are playing on borrowed time. That line was cut and pasted from last week’s things we learned. This time, it was the defensive line’s turn on an injury carousel that began twirling after opening day of training camp. At this point, it’s spinning out of control, with perennial all-star defensive tackle Almondo Sewell and defensive end Marcus Howard going down with what head coach Jason Maas referred to as “devastating” injuries.' 2. Seeing red How can a team that dominated in time of possession by 12 minutes, led by nearly 200 yards of net offence and nine first downs while actually getting penalized less yards than the opposition for once, still let the game be decided on the final play? One big reason is because for as good as Edmonton’s offence moved the ball downfield, they had trouble finishing in the red zone, scoring just one touchdown in four tries. Of course, the opening drive saw them cruise right through the final 20 yards thanks to a 35-yard touchdown catch by running back LaDarius Perkins. So, there’s that. 3. Big boot Hugh O’Neill has been lights out since taking over for injured kicker Sean Whyte. After going six-for-six between the uprights these last two games, it took a 49-yarder on his final attempt Thursday to miss his first field goal. While it meant the opposing offence had one more chance to tie things up in the final minute, it almost seemed predetermined this would be another game to go right down to the wire anyway. And besides, O’Neill had just come up with a coffin-corner punt that pinned Ottawa on their one yard-line, leading to a two-and-out that gave Edmonton the ball back in Ottawa territory for the winning touchdown drive. 4. Well received An Eskimos offence without star receiver Adarius Bowman or team-leading pass-catcher Brandon Zylstra hasn’t missed a beat. A big reason for that has been the efforts of Bryant Mitchell, who posted his second straight 100-yard game Thursday catching all seven passes thrown his way for 114 yards. Kenny Stafford’s shown he hasn’t lost a step with a 70-yard catch. With rookie Duke Williams a healthy scratch and three Canadian receivers starting for the first time this season, veteran slotback Chris Getzlaf came up with his first touchdown of 2017 on the game-winning drive. Shamawd Chambers also played his first game in green and gold since the 2015 Grey Cup. 5. Arm and legs It was the Mike Reilly of old, using both his arm and legs to help track down close to 500 yards of net offence. While he had 384 yards through the air on the way to a club record 17 straight games with a touchdown pass, his contribution of 51 yards on the ground matched that of running back Perkins. While it was the most Reilly’s run in a game since the 2015 Grey Cup, it had to leave his coaching staff wincing all 11 times he scrambled. The last thing they need with the injuries this team has suffered this season is to have a replay of Reilly going down like he did in that 2015 season opener. Then again, the Eskimos didn’t get to 7-0 by having their on-field general play cautiously.

Found this http://www.torontosun.com/2017/08/15/looking-like-argos-ray-will-return-for-game-against-als Barring a setback, star quarterback Ricky Ray should be under centre for the Toronto Argonauts when the team hosts the Montreal Alouettes on Saturday. Ray, who suffered a shoulder injury after being hit hard during an Aug. 3 loss against Calgary and missed last week’s game against the Als, took all of the reps at practice on Tuesday and said he is feeling much better. “I’d say I’m pain free. There’s still a little soreness in my shoulder, it’s to be expected,” Ray said after practice. “I’m hoping over this week getting back into throwing every day that it will slowly get better.” Ray said there is a huge difference between where he was just seven days ago and now. “A ton better. Last week I had a pretty painful, pinch in my shoulder. It affected the way I was throwing, couldn’t really put velocity on it, now it’s just a little bit of soreness,” he said. Will he play against Montreal, an important game with the Alouettes passing the Argos, losers of three straight, for first place in the East? “That’s what I’m hoping for. One day at a time, seeing how it responds. I’ll be throwing a lot these next few days, but I’m hoping I’ll be ready to go,” Ray said. Ray said he didn’t do much of anything other than getting treatment over the past week and it has worked wonders. “He had a very efficient practice,” head coach Marc Trestman said of Ray. “Ricky practised the entire day ... we’ll see how he is tomorrow, how he comes out, he threw about 25, 26 balls today, didn’t take any breaks.” Trestman wouldn’t say who his backup would be should Ray return to the starting lineup. Jeff Mathews struggled against the Als and was replaced by Cody Fajardo. Not surprisingly, the team’s ground game finally got untracked last week. “We pushed it. We ran the ball a lot because of the fronts we knew we were going to get,” explained offensive tackle Chris Van Zeyl. And Fajardo (nine rushes for 60 yards) made a difference. “I think defensive linemen worry a little more about Cody being able to get out of the pocket when he is out there then some other quarterbacks. Cody can run. He’s faster than probably most of the guys on our team,” said Van Zeyl. Ray, of course, has built his stellar career on his pin-point passing accuracy, not an ability to move around on the field, so can the Argos find a balance with him at the helm? “We want to be explosive in every play that we run out there,” Ray said. “Last week we got into a pretty good rhythm and we stuck with it. We were able to get a lot of yardage out of the run game. The more things you can do well offensively, the tougher it is to defend you and if we can get things going, it will open up a lot of different things for us.” Ray said the team is making a point of emphasis at every practice of improving its pass protection. “It’s not something we’re just saying we’ve got to do, we’re actually working on it and I feel like we’re moving in the right direction,” he said, after kicking himself for holding the ball too long against Calgary, which he said led to his shoulder injury. Running more could help, but Van Zeyl said the key will be giving Ray a few more precious seconds to operate. “Just protect him, let him pick them apart. When you have a Hall of Fame quarterback behind you, all you have to do is give him time,” he said. CHANGES AT RECEIVER The Argos released American wide receiver Khalil Paden, who dropped a catchable ball in the end zone last week in Montreal and didn’t do much overall in his time in Toronto. Paden, who won a Grey Cup with Ottawa last year, hauling in a touchdown pass in the East final, made only nine receptions for 107 yards and no touchdowns while with the Argonauts. “All the best 2 my teammates in Toronto & nothing but respect for Jim Popp & Coach Trestman...my release was the best decision for both sides,” Paden tweeted on Tuesday morning. Fellow wide receivers DeVier Posey and Chandler Worthy have missed five games due to injury, but Trestman said Posey, who is still second on the team in touchdown receptions and receptions of at least 30 yards, despite all of his missed time, was on the field for Tuesday’s practice. A return for the important playmaker could be on the horizon. However, Trestman said Worthy is not practising and remains day-to-day. International receiver Kendall Sanders, who had been on the practice roster since signing on July 20, drew good reviews from the coach. “We gave (Sanders) most of the work today for (Paden) and (Canadian Malcolm Williams) got some work and (Posey) got some work, so we’ll just assess things the next couple of days at practice,” Trestman said. “Kendall’s been with us, he’s been around us, but he hasn’t practised like he did today. He had an active practice today, took a lot of the reps and he was, I thought, part of a very efficient practice offensively for our football team.” QUICK HITS Trestman said defensive lynch pins Cleyon Laing and Victor Butler will not be ready to return to action against Montreal (both were injured against Ottawa late last month). Defensive tackle Alan-Michael Cash might finally be ready to make his debut against his former team on Saturday. “It’s certainly possible we can get him (in the lineup),” Trestman said ... Running back Brandon Whitaker rushed for 96 yards against Montreal on 13 carries. That more than doubled his season rushing total and it was more carries than he had managed in his previous two outings combined, one this month, one in mid-July.

I might want to change my Montreal Toronto pick