BigBlue

I say ADD 5 Canadians to the roster (at a low cost) for developmental reasons ... in a few years we will have better quality National players

Its important we sign Brohm .... and I would pay up for him ... can trade a QB later if necessary .... but more important than all that is firing Bellf

I like what you're saying overall in this post, I really do. But remarkably coming from a person like me who coaches Atom football players where 100% effort and focus is everything, this statement imho is blinding some Bomber decision-makers from corrececly evaluating players and making some tough decisions. The tough reality being that regardless of 100% effort every play every down and being a loyal team member to a fault is unfortunately not good enough to guarantee a roster spot/starting position. We aren't in Atom, Peewee or Bantam anymore. When I really think about it, that's how Wade Miller was able to be a Bomber for so long . He was simply not talented enough to warrant taking up a roster spot but boy was he loyal, focussed and a hard worker. Probably why he got into private business. Now that he's leading this organization with a head coach who seems to be molded quite similarly, this color blindedness of seeing effort/loyalty as the end all be all of who deserves to be a Bomber concerns me.Bullshit. Wade Miller may not have been the most talented guy but there was a time when he was one of the teams best special teams players and he clearly had the talent to be a CFLer.Thanks for your opinion, but to use your well used quote on other people, your opinion is not based on fact. Wade Miller was not a very good football player, that's a fact. He was also the same guy who came out and said he would quit the team if a very bad coach was fired which would suggest not the best judgement of talent as well. Do love his loyalty and commitment though, misguided at times. "Wade Miller was not a very good football player" but good enough to get into WBB Hall of Fame

At the beginning of the season an injured player had a very hard time getting back on the field. Excellent talents like Johnny Sears couldn't find his way into the lineup. We had Grigsby over Cotton, Kuale keeping Wild off the field and limiting his playing time, and Bryant being handed a starting role when it seemed like he didn't deserve it. Is O'Shea a good evaluator of talent? Does sentiment and past loyalty cloud his judgment? Does he have the confidence of his own convictions? Does he defer too much to his coordinators and coaches? And the biggest question of all is how much has Michael O'Shea learned about being a head coach and a leader this year?

Willey has got the "right stuff" but not necessarily the "right support system"

Isn't the problem here a lack of cooperation & coordination with abdication and command and control leadership dominating? Like was there was no collaboration but instead perhaps a power struggle? I can just imagine something like the line coach saying: " we could do this to make our blocking schemes better" then the OC says "Nope, that's not how I am going to run our offense" while MOS stands back leaving it to his Expert Coordinators, and all the while the peasant players stand around scratching their heads and shrugging their shoulders ... I don't think we are a cohesive "team" yet with everyone pulling equally on the oars

How has expansion thinned out the soup? Ottawa hasn't taken a lineman from each of the other teams so how do you explain increased sacks from expansion?

I like what you're saying overall in this post, I really do. But remarkably coming from a person like me who coaches Atom football players where 100% effort and focus is everything, this statement imho is blinding some Bomber decision-makers from corrececly evaluating players and making some tough decisions. The tough reality being that regardless of 100% effort every play every down and being a loyal team member to a fault is unfortunately not good enough to guarantee a roster spot/starting position. We aren't in Atom, Peewee or Bantam anymore. When I really think about it, that's how Wade Miller was able to be a Bomber for so long . He was simply not talented enough to warrant taking up a roster spot but boy was he loyal, focussed and a hard worker. Probably why he got into private business. Now that he's leading this organization with a head coach who seems to be molded quite similarly, this color blindedness of seeing effort/loyalty as the end all be all of who deserves to be a Bomber concerns me.Bullshit. Wade Miller may not have been the most talented guy but there was a time when he was one of the teams best special teams players and he clearly had the talent to be a CFLer. That's what I like about you Spock, er I mean 17to85, all logic no emotion

would be a good week to fire two coordinators

"Suddenly in 2013, there was an intense increase in the impact of defensive linemen in the CFL, and it’s continued into 2014. This season, there have already been two games in which a team accumulated exactly 10 sacks – the Riders in Week 1 and the Lions last weekend in their win over the Bombers....Given this data, the question that instantly comes to mind is: what caused this sudden dramatic shift?" I don't buy the article's postulate that the increased number of sacks on average is a result of bigger sized rosters I think the league wide shift is all Bellfuelle's fault

Line coaches must be frustrated ... top rated at teaching blocking and looking like ... well you know Bell* knows there are rolling pockets, play action schemes and a dozen other ways to play this wide field game Its like being redcoats in the revolutionary war lining up like pigeons to be shot by the guerilla revolutionaries disgusted regret here at Bell* ... a total inflexible conservative who knows little about war tactics or strategy

"You know, I'm really starting to notice ... as much as people say we have homers, we sure do have a ton of gloomers as well." Can a Bomber fan express frustration and disappointment without being kicked out of True Blue Club ... or being named a Negatron? To be considered loyal do we have to make ourselves a "homer" and at all costs avoid being labeled a "gloomer"? For an all-tolerant-society, and on this posting board in particular, there is a whole lot of judging, bashing and gaffing going on. Does the semi-anonymous nature of the site help us realize who we really are, instead of what we would prefer to appear as? Isn't it true that all of us have a good and bad side ... A mix of human nature? I for one would like to see a greater appreciation for all the differing points of view about our ball club. And isn't it true that those who call out a poster as a negatron are themselves the biggest negatrons of all? I believe we have a fantastic discussion board here at "Morning Big Blue" and that is absolutely wonderful that we can give, politely, full vent to our wide range of emotions about our beloved Blue. Isn't it great that we have a place to compare analysis about the progress of our football club? So who are the negatron's, homers and gloomers, really?

Based on this season's performance only, here is how I would rank these 9 CFL QBs 1. Ray 2. Levi-Mitchell 3. Reilly 4. Durant 5. Willy 6. Glenn 7. Burris 8. Collaros 9. Crompton How do you see it?

Moore ... Denmark ... Cotton ... Leggett ... Turner ... Anderson ... Washington ... Stoudermire ... Hajrullahu ... You know, I'm really starting to notice ... as much as people say we have homers, we sure do have a ton of gloomers as well. Moore ... Denmark ... Cotton ... Leggett ... Turner ... Anderson ... Washington ... Stoudermire ... Hajrullahu ... in addition to my mention of Randle & Wild That's a list of our better players but how many are going to be a western all-star (or 2nd team) this year: Hajrullahu possibly... Randle surely I think ... Leggett will be beaten out by Breckenridge but he is good ... Stoudermire might be the best in the league but won't get the votes this year ... Moore has been a bust this year ... Denmark might get in on stats but he has not been a dominating player ... Cotton is still unproven as promising as he looks ... Turner & Anderson & Wild will at best get honorable mentions ... Washington I hope My guess is we get 3 on the western all star team this year ... how many of the rest would be on a 2nd western team is how many are "above average" ie 1st or 2nd out of 5 teams Do we get more than 3 out of 26 or so players as western all stars?

That's BS. You can be a fan and not have season tickets even if you can afford them.Yeah you're just not as good a fan. That's bs big time ... A huge chunk of season ticket holders only go to get drunk and to party with each other and completely ignore the game. I am the opposite of a drunken fan but a devoted fan I am - - for over 50 years a Bomber diehard - - And I am always "depressed" for 3 days after a Bomber loss ... I am just tired of the lack of talent on our club and the inability of our management to build the club into something special ... how many above average players do we have on the club right now: Randle, Wild and maybe a couple others ... Why is that? What is going to change for next year? I am not buying season tickets next year because I care too much and the disappointment ruins my week ... I am just getting too old to not be happy because of my ball club

I am tired of hearing that we have players with "great potential" and a "core to build around". We are a very mediocre football club at best and "them" is just the facts. "Rebuilding" is just another term for a clueless management team that does not know how to recruit or hire. For 25 years I have waited and watched and hoped. I am just tired of it. Any temptation to buy season tickets next year have gone out the window. I am a single-game buyer until we finish in first place. Results are all that matter to me. Make all the off season moves you want, if it is just a marketing ploy I am not interested. I feel like I have been had, like at a travelling circus, but one that doesn't go anywhere. In the stock market, you do not jump on the bandwagon until a trend is firmly in place. I don't see no trend. Bah, humbug!

I hope Etch & Bell are released after our last game and before the season ends ... it will send a strong message and get our recruiting season off to a good & early start

Could McManus be promote to OC? He at least knows what it takes to win ... is he not rather high on the confidence / credibility scale?

I blame the coaching staff BIG TIME for another failed season! Eight straight losses, one of the worst losing streaks in Blue Bomber history, is the last thing I expected after a five and one start. I blame Marcel Bellefuille for being average, unimaginative and unable to adjust. If you don't have the talent at receiver you can at least run timing packages and short stuff. You do something about the unbelievable number of sacks we took this year – – it has more than just a little bit to do with schemes and strategy. There is nothing worse than being average when it is "the slight edge" that wins ball games. As I watched tonight's game I just hated how bad our special teams have been this year. We lost the game tonight on punt returns and kickoff yardage. Our special-teams head coach (MOS) has got to do something for next year. The worst problem was defense and Gary Etchevery. When you run a gambling defense, like he has, you have to have a lot more sacks and interceptions to compensate for the occasional big plays we give up such as occurred this evening and in too many ball games this season. Further, when your personnel requirements dictate using small fast players, instead of the best talent, I am thinking one thing: STUPID! As for Michael O'Shea, I believe we have a real leader. But MOS has to put the best performers on the field (rewarding them and demonstrating fairness and equity) instead of his personal favorites (Kroneyism and fear of your judgment). He has lots of time to get better assistants and coordinators for next season, and, at least now, he does offer some hope of a few good seasons for the next 2 to 3 years. I am not so concerned about talent (and we certainly do need some big upgrading there) as I am concerned about the inadequacy of our coaching-coordinator personnel. And we have to listen more to Danny McManus more. Kyle Walters is doing great with Canadian recruiting but we got failing grades for our US side. I am absolutely disgusted with our coaching staff.

Then lets have Marvel(my + ? nickname for him) in there more often

I'd take him over Desia Dunn in a second. But my guess is he probably goes to Saskatchewan. please explain why Sask

"The problem is that Watson is declining though" I disagree ... good as ever

I don't see any sign of aging in Burris at all ... He is still "Hank" but as good as ever

The point of this thread was to get Watson blocking less and receiving more ... so it deteriorates into trading Watson for a roll of duct tape!

Depth is just another component of progression, it is neither a reason nor an excuse. Depth is something that is primarily built in offseasons though, can you honestly expect depth to get better during a season? It's not bloodly likely since injuries deplete depth like clockwork during a season. Depth is built whenever you add another quality player .... they don't have to be save up for training camp .... and if no one is threatening your job you have to work harder to overcome complacency ... to dig that little bit deeper