BigBlue

JCon said: " I don't have a problem with them imposing the rules. My point is that the refing is very inconsistent from play to play, week to week. The quality of refing is very low in the CFL. The poor refing is not incidentally because it can have, and has had, a direct impacted the result of the games." I think the league could spend a lot more money on officiating such as : 1] Making the position a full time job 2] Continuous training of said officials and review using the latest technology 3] Imitate how the NFL trains and develops its officials ... hire the same way ... many college refs would love to become full time professionals ... also former Canadian football players would love to extend their time in the game... Unless and until there is a significant improvement in the quality and accuracy of the officiating calls, to protect themselves teams need more - - not less - - reviews. THIS IS CRUCIAL to the integrity of the game and the growth of our fan interest/base. I know good reviews take more time but bad calls are too big a turn off to the marginal fans we need to grow our game. Here is what I propose: 1] a slight change in the rules to adjust for slight infractions away from the play ... slight contact on a receiver, blocking on kick returns, holding and the like ... this means not over turning plays because the officials are using some common sense discretion and "fairness" ie there are constant small infractions going on all over the field. Teams should not be able to take advantage of this. 2] adjusting for the speed of live play instead of the more accurate slow motion; for example the Loffler hit on Arcenaux during the BC playoff game ... that call was a game changer ... in other words not over turning normal human judgment calls as a matter of practice ... over turn the egrecious errors in judgment only ... take away the picky technicality in favor of supporting normal judgment and on field pragmatic decisions giving back discretion to the official and NOT deferring decisions to the replay - - make the official make an on the spot decision instead of failing to decide in order to defer to the camera... this puts the burden on the official reviewer who should be the very best, not the very least, officials we have ( and who would be paid the best) meaning we have good discretion supporting the officials but knowing when to draw the line on a bad call. The head referee may announce "the infraction was away from the play and will not be enforced"... or "the call was within the discretion of the official ruling at game speed and will not be over turned" ... etc. 3] Give teams unlimited reviews as long as they are right on the calls they protest. Teams get to be wrong on their request for reviews only twice ... and when they are wrong they will be charged a ten yard delay of game penalty ... this will deter teams from throwing the yellow flag unless they are sure of their protest ... throwing that flag will occur less just because it could be a game changer or because it is a blatant un-costly attempt to get lucky at a critical time. I know more reviews slow the game but as long as they correct true officiating errors there is a certain satisfaction in justice being served. Fan frustration comes from the delays resulting from frivolous/marginal protests. Who believes the extra reviews to get it right is worth it to the well being of the league and the fans?

Remember the Eskimo dynasty: Eskimos' dynasty (1970–1988)[edit] The Montreal Alouettes' 1970 Grey Cup championship, an upset win over the favoured Calgary Stampeders, served as a morale booster for the city of Montreal, which was reeling in the aftermath of the October Crisis.[24] The 1970s belonged to the Edmonton Eskimos, however, as they ended the decade as one of the most dominant teams in CFL history,[47] reaching the Grey Cup nine times between 1973 and 1982.[48]The team competed in three consecutive finals early in the decade, losing to Ottawa in 1973 and Montreal in 1974, before winning the franchise's fourth championship in 1975.[49] The 1975 championship was held in Calgary and was the first Grey Cup played on the Canadian Prairies.[50] A young woman infamously streaked across the field during the national anthem despite frigid temperatures well below freezing.[51] The only time the Eskimos did not reach the Grey Cup final during this span was in 1976, when the Saskatchewan Roughriders met the Ottawa Rough Riders. Both teams would fight a see-saw battle, which was decided in the dying seconds of the game when Ottawa quarterback Tom Clements threw to Tony Gabriel, which stood out as the winning touchdown, 23-20. The 1977 Grey Cup was the first held at Olympic Stadium in Montreal, contested by the home town Alouettes and the Eskimos in front of a record crowd of 68,318.[48] The game became known as the "Ice Bowl", as low temperatures froze snow on the field that had been melted by groundskeepers with salt, making the artificial turf extremely slippery. The Alouettes adapted to the field conditions by affixing staples to the soles of their shoes, improving their traction, and won the game by a 41–6 score.[24] Upset at losing the 1977 game under poor weather conditions, the Eskimos hoped for a rematch with Montreal in 1978.[52] Both teams reached the final game, which Edmonton won 20–13. It was the first of five consecutive championships, a streak that remains unmatched in the history of the Grey Cup.[53] The Eskimos' dynasty dominated the league, losing a total of only six games during the three seasons from 1979 to 1981.[54] The 1981 Grey Cup was expected to be yet another easy win for Edmonton, who posted a 14–1–1 record during the season and were considered overwhelming favourites against the 5–11 Ottawa Rough Riders.[55] The first half did not go as Edmonton hoped, though, as Ottawa emerged with a 20–1 lead. Quarterback Warren Moon led the Eskimos back in the second half, and with the game tied at 23, Dave Cutler kicked the game-winning field goal with just three seconds remaining.[56] Edmonton's championship run came to an end in 1983 when they failed to reach the final; the Argonauts defeated the BC Lions to win the championship.[48] Despite Toronto's win, the CFL felt that the overall quality of play in the East Division had deteriorated compared to that of the West. In 1986, it altered the playoff format to allow the first non-playoff team in one division to take the last playoff spot, but stay in their division if they had a better record. The consequences of the new rules were felt immediately, as the league gave a playoff spot to the Stampeders having a better record than the Alouettes, and decided the East Division Final would be a 2-game-total-point Final between the Toronto Argonauts and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, who finished first and second, respectively. The crossover, if necessary, would begin in 1987. In financial difficulty, the loss of the playoff spot was disastrous for Montreal, which ceased operations one year later.[57] Reduced to eight teams, the CFL shifted Winnipeg to the East Division, making the 1988 Grey Cup between the Blue Bombers and Lions the first championship game between two western Canadian teams.[58] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey_Cup It seems like Calgary's ownership, Hufnagel & Dickenson have built the potential for a dynasty. Reasons include 1] US Talent acquisition, development and reasonableness about salaries ... not over paying 2] their Canadian drafting thought process 3] the use of the Calgary Colts junior club with Coach "Snoop" for funneling future undrafted Canadians into their system 4] a continuous succession plan at every position on the team - - an EverReady methodology throughout the ranks including management, coaching & players 5] the best set of coaches in the league and a genuine understanding of the evolution of our game 5] paying up for the best QB set available 6] John Hufnagel's brilliance and ongoing learning & experience 7] corporate wisdom & business sponsorship with a genuine sense of community and pride, single mindedness free of infighting It seems quite opposite of the Saskatchewan desperateness to rebuild an instant winner to assuage their local ego I doubt if the 70's Eskimo machine can ever be duplicated but the Stampeders' seem to be building a new machine all of their own. How are we doing with that here in Winnipeg?

The current U of M infa-structure needs improving .... Bison Drive needs double the lanes and the defunct golf course needs to deliver better parking ... no funds for that right now though

Do you think Barker made the deal out of desperation to save his job? Or is a real rehab possible... we gave up a first for Khari Jones and that worked out .... maybe Drew is irredeemable ... as to Ricky Ray, Burris has turned out to be better than Collaros in the past two or three seasons .... probably because of injuries but who can forecast that ... a healthy Burris in Hamilton might have meant a cup visit or two for Hamilton ... Ray has been amongst the elite in the league: could Barker know he would turn into glass?

Regarding Drew Willy, who has made the biggest mistake .... Walters for signing unproven Drew to a stupid big contract so we had to get rid of him when he faltered ... or Barker for giving up a high draft pick to get Drew as a reclamation project?

You know how much a Grey Cup is worth? Ask any Bomber fan! Don't under value Barker's role in that cup. " Good job with QBs? Explain. He already had Ray. " First of all he got Ray, we didn't. Second he recruited a lot of fine QBs like Collaros & Harris and then developed them. Third he put together the talent and chemistry to win it all that year even if there was already some talent such as Owens that you pointed out. Grey Cups don't happen by magic ... it takes real talent... Fourth he did what he did inspite of working with a circus for owners... Barker has real stuff

I for one would like to see what Bennett's got at QB ... but beyond that I would like to see us go all out for the best QB available, even at a heavy price

Did not Barker whip Calgary 35-22 in the 2012 100th Grey Cup? Did he not dig up that talent to do so? Has he not (save Ray) done a good job with QBs? Did he not do well as long as he was the head coach? Did his troubles not start with Milanovich? (and Ray?) Does he not know as much as most veteran GM's in the league? Or is Barker now just old and crodgity?

thank you

I hope so ... but it does take a year or two to repair ... the league needs a competitive Toronto club

I am not sure Toronto's demise has not been more financial than incompetence ... a lot of talent has come out of Toronto including Collaros & Harris ... over all is ownership and that is the big variable here ... Barker has done a lot until the last couple of years and it might be the purse strings ... Milanovich is a top coordinator .... his mind has not suddenly gone to mush ... but it is certainly true that the Ricky Ray thing has been an ever growing disaster ... how much did that contribute to cutting half their receiving corp in one day? Bad decisions happen to those with good judgment: just look at that 61 yard dead air field goal attempt that may have cost the western final or even the grey cup .... when well financed Toronto has been a competitive club under Barker and I don't feel he is a has-been .... the big question is whether a Milanovich offense requires a Cavillo ... maybe.

In Fantasyland, this trade would be interesting. The Toronto managerial talent is better & proven. The Winnipeg duo holds out hope, promise and dreams. If I was CEO I think I would make the trade.

The Pick Ten (buy 10 games of my selected dates in any available seats) used to be how I would buy my tickets ... but there is no way I am sitting in the corner seats ... just don't want to do that ... I will pay premium prices but I want to buy tickets that fit my unusual schedule... besides corners and endzones are over priced IMHO. The club needs to get over the big city illusion and realize we are a unique community with our own mindset. They won't convert us into an elite mentality. We are small town family thinkers, that's all. The CFL is not the NHL or the NFL, JUST ASK ANYONE FROM TORONTO.

Endzone tickets are too expensive ... lack of low cost seats for families means the teens don't have the Bombers in their blood as they mature .... pick ten tickets are now offered for only the corner seats ... poor greedy marketing in my opinion ... parking problems could be overcome by higher quality speedy busing but not if feeling 2nd class by bus ride ... ride could be transformed into a better fan experience with a little marketing prowess ... like on board sales of refreshments and gimmicks, football music and whatever the innovators can get us excited about ... marketing is so much more than sales, its about identity and fun and heart and pride rolled into a special experience ten times per year

Do you think BLM has NFL aspirations .... if he stays in the CFL he will likely break every QB stat there is .... we have seen a great many CFL QBs have success down south to the credit of our league. Can Calgary stay this good forever?

MOS has to continue to develop as a leader ... he has many of the elements but has not put it alll together ... he has made a number of courageous calls - - some have worked out, some haven't .... leadership is about competence which means MOS needs a higher percentage of his decisions to work out well ... When the head coach blossoms in confidence it spreads to the other coaches and they become less passive, more heat seeking ... when the coaches are highly confident the players are freed to get to the top of their game .... when does that come in Winnipeg?

Lapo developed Glenn

Seems like 3 million illegal immigrants voted fraudulently ... if we count the doctored voting machines that were putting out % returns for Hilary instead of the actual votes, and if we throw in the number of "stuffed" ballot boxes that skewed the reults, then Trump won the popular vote by YUGE probably garnering 2 out of 3 votes on average ... he likely lost 3-6 states in similarly fashion to outright cheating

Our number one recruiting priority needs to be a big run stopping middle line backer ... bring in 4 or 5 prospects there ... our outside linebackers are fine.

Championship clubs are not built by accident. It takes tough courageous patient decision making. Without wisdom and conviction we end with mediocrity and frustration. We are not going to win a championship by standing pat. [1] What bigger fundamental structural changes do we need to make to improve this ball club? [2] What small nuanced changes do we need to make to go from good to very good? [3] Do we have any glaring weaknesses that have to be overcome? First a championship, then a dynasty ...

The current league wide standings: Top Six 8-1-1 Stampeders 7-3 Lions 6-4 Bombers 5-5 Eskimos 5-5 TigerCats 5-4-1 RedBlacks Bottom Three 4-6 Argonauts 3-7 Alouettes 1-9 Rough Riders At the moment Edmonton would cross over to play Ottawa ... is this going to change much if at all by playoff time?

To me the difference between an average team and a good team is what they do with the ball on 1st down inside the opponent's 20 yard line. As much as I liked Medlock kicking 7 FGs, I felt like our play selection in the red zone is not getting the job done. My working theory is that on first down, we are throwing the ball into the endzone and if that does not work we are left with a low percentage 2nd and long.... hence low redzone production. The defense is under extra pressure near their goal line and tighten up. The usual dink and dunk doesn't work the same because the entire D is creeping up when we are inside the 20. There are ways to spread the defense out but I don't think we are finding them. What do you think will improve our redzone production?

I don't like the compromise worked out here ... the refereeing is so frequently wrong ... personally, I would like to see unlimited challenges when you are right and a 10 yard delay of game when you are wrong to a maximum of 2 or 3 ... leave the timeouts alone...

I see OC's & QBs call screens and draws constantly on 2nd and long ... it seems to me such a low percentage play that its like giving up ... do you disagree?

Has chat taken over the chatter of yesteryear? The commentary on away games is not what it used to be .... pining away for the good ole days .... just can't remember exactly when they were ... the burdens of being an old geezer I guess... I think we have a chance if we have another good first quarter ... haven't seen the character to see this team come back from behind yet ... thats the mark of of a good team Hope all you folks at the lake have satelite dishes Good luck to us