BigBlue

The NFL angle I didn't consider but does he have a chance at age 30 for any kind of career? I consider Brohm a far better QB than Sunseri who lost his job to Kerry Joseph and his cane Reilly didn't have great stats when he was traded .... we just all knew what he could do I think Brohm came close to proving what he could do for us last year

It would not surprise me to see Brian Brohm starting for the BC Lions or even the Montréal Alouettes before the year is out. I am wondering whether Kyle Walters had a chance to get a draft pick in the same way Wally Buono set up the Mike Riley sweepstakes. Perhaps Walters is hoping to sign him back pr maybe Brohm just isn't that good. Anyway, nobody seems to be falling all over themselves to get this potential star. Any clues?

We think we know the true colours of management around the CFL. Will any be acting out of character in the upcoming free agency scramble? Who will be most active and why?

By the way, the infamous call to throw the ball on second down may have been in large part inspired by the way the Seahawks use their final time outs. They used one or two on the final drive before they got to the goal line and consequently had only one left. So they could pass immediately and if unsuccessful then run on third down; if the run was stuffed they can use a final timeout to run a fourth-down play. If Seattle had of had two or three timeouts left, I am certain they would have run for that final yard on second, third and fourth down.

On the final interception I do not know if Chris Matthews was even on the field. He had a fabulous game with four catches for over 100 yards and two touchdowns. If they had of thrown that final pass to Matthews on the same call, I believe he was big enough that the defender would not have been able to reach around him and make the interception. There was a bit of a collision as they both went for the ball at once. The defender would've bounced off of Chris Matthews like a pinball ... Seattle touchdown, end of story. Two rookies who hardly played all year were big impact players. Kudos to the Pats and boo-hoo to the Seahawks for not putting more faith (in Seattle's case as opposed to New England) for not giving the hot rookie a bigger role in that final drive. Matthews saved Seattle's butt with the onside kick recovery in the conference championship. I expect Matthews will turn into a star for the Seahawks next year. His Star performance in the Super Bowl and a catch on the final offensive play would've made this "unknown" the Super Bowl MVP. As delightful as Chris Matthews was in the last two games, yesterday's Patriots victory was the first time since the Blue Bombers 1990 Grey Cup victory that "my team" has won a bowl game. I am dancing on air...

What happened to "the Claw"?

The reason the NFL works so well and the reason any given team can go from worst to first in short order is a strictly enforced salary cap. Salary caps in other major sports such as baseball and basketball are not nearly as fair. In the CFL I do not know if there is any restrictions on corporate sponsors paying "marketing money" to local CFL players or not. Gone are the days when most of the players had full-time jobs with local companies because players' salaries looked like amateur hour. I've always suspected that a certain quarterback in Montréal was making out like a bandit in "off book" earnings. I have the same suspicions about Saskatchewan's local corporate interests. Regardless of the off book stuff, I believe being over the salary cap should cost not only fines but also draft picks, depending on the extent of the felony. Does anyone remember what the Bombers had to pay the last time they were over the salary cap?

I am guessing Belichuck will have another scheming surprise If they can keep Wilson in the pocket, they will mostly take away the SeaHawks big plays (Packers forgot this "luck factor") Key on shutting down running attack and especially scrambling The Pats will make less mistakes and that will be the difference

We all have a fairly strong interest in our beloved Blue Bombers or we wouldn't be on this form and a cold day in February. But I'm very curious to know how many of us are fanatics on the NFL; and do we really care about the other teams in the CFL? So on the pole please rate where you stand in interest as far as the rest of the CFL goes and how intense you are about the NFL. I am also curious about who your favourite NFL team is right now. Also do you have a favourite team outside the Blue Bombers in the CFL. Personally I am a Patriots fan and have been for a very very long time (ever since I gave up on the Minnesota Vikings) In the CFL I like the Stampeders mainly because of John Hufnagel; however the BC Lions is also high on my list mainly because of Andrew Harris (but I have gone from loving to hating Wally Buono) How about you?

Starting center Stork is back for the Pats ... a key to their running game and perhaps the difference maker

Who will be the champs and why? What factors influence your prediction?

Nothing unusual in the Ritchie Hall announcement ... little if any "sitting" I suspect

Now that the other shoe has finally dropped with the signing of Hall, what does Walters have to get done in the next month before the free agency lottery starts? Which Bombers have decided to test the NFL possibilities? Which Bombers are just trying to maximize their negotiating power? Is Heenan really available? Is Brohm gone? Which veterans are lurking out there for us?

Muamba got into the Colt game as an LB not just special teams

Yes we know the Blue (and all other teams) will often bundle up the signings of two or three prospect signings... but do they ever sit on a fairly major announcement? Would there be a reason to do that? Could it even be kept secret with the sophisticated rumor mill out there run through social media, undisciplined players and competitive reporters?

What is the strength and weaknesses of our Canadian starters? What kind of two year plan do we put in place to improve the talent level of our Canadians?

Stubler (I think) said the whole concept of "half-time adjustments" was something coaches made up for half-time TV interviews. Yes all-the-time adjustments are required ... that's what press boxes are for

Is Drew Willey going to be treated as the anointed one? How hard will we work at re-signing Brohm? Will there be an open competition for the starting spot at QB? Will Willey have a lot of latitude or will he be on a short string? How will the backup QBs be managed? Will Walters & Miller have a role to play in QB management?

I neither love nor hate Hall ... he has a track record such as it is What's the downside on Hall? Did the Riders fire him for no good reason? Are the Riders stupid? Or was it just time for a change, sorta like time to change your underwear?

Same gut said 4 burgers was a good idea....My gut told me to have 4 rum & cokes last night, a bag of chips, chip dip & then finish off a turkey wing & leg while watching a John Wayne DVD (Angel & The Bad Man) at 1 am this morning, Bad gut. Baaaaad gut!!! Ugh!!! just shows how gut is related to judgment

thread not about prediction ... just intuition

all analytics .... what's your gut saying, really? it's not about being right .... it's that little voice in your head called intuition a couple of cogs in the wheel is not going to be the deciding factor for the year, is it?

I go into each year with such lofty expectations of the Blue ... and lately I have been so disappointed I know what my heart says We all have our analytics about how the Bombers look for the coming season ... but that's left brain What is your right brain telling you about what's ahead?

Agreed. The CFL needs a strong Toronto franchise. Hopefully get them out of the Dome and onto to BMO field. Maybe Torontoians will now realize the city isn't NFL material after the Bills cancelled their Toronto dates, and actually embrace their CFL team. Toronto is all about trendy ... A NY or California wannabe ... they have a small but dedicated fan base but good luck adding to that ... BMO field would make things more intimate and affordable (its very, very easy to spend $200 on a CFL outing: downtown and the SkyDome is major expensive)... the CFL will never satisfy the trendy mindset and that's why its been a nightmare for traditional marketing ... they need to develop some kind of new niche/specialty fan identity (non trendy types) to add to the existing fan base ... that means marketing has to change their methods and quit being so shallow ... they need a brand that fits and has the right distinctness ... "bigger & better" won't work in Toronto & "just as good" certainly won't ... they need to find that portion of the population that would be proud of our long time Canadian heritage that care more about football than keeping up with (not the Jones but) NY & LA

Well I was certainly wrong about nothing happening till the new year .... I would like to be wrong more often