Nasty Nate

I remember former Blue Bomber head coach Joe Zaleski using a very similar phrase in his time as the Bomber on field boss from 1967 thru the 1969 season. At various times, during all 3 training camps & pre seasons he was in charge, the local media asked Joe how he felt the team was doing. He'd always cheerily answer, "We're optimistic!!" He won something like 12 football games as head coach in 3 seasons. I remember this because as a young fan of 13 & 14, even I knew it was a bullshit answer & was sick of hearing that phrase so much that it always stuck with me. Even after 45 years plus!! Zaleski is one of my top 3 Worst Blue Bombers Head Coaches Of All Time. The other 2? Jeff Reinbold & Tim Burke. Not necessarily in that order. I pretty much agree with your Top 3 Al. Other gridiron grapes were Daryl Rogers, Jim Daley and the last portions of Cal Murphy's reign where he started to lose it. Plop was no great shakes but the type of personnel he was supplied with explains a lot.

Captain Radio a jinx? Well, I never. . . .

A Bomber depth chart is kinda a contradiction in terms.

Other thing about polls. Sounds like many parties are telling their volunteers and campaign grunts to mislead the pollsters when getting polled. Tell them you're voting for the other party. Whichever one makes more sense to create over-confidence and changing campaign stragegies. Probably will happen in Manitoba as Pallister thinks he's so far ahead of Greg Selinger that he assumes he'll take office in 18 months to two years. I think his lead will close rapidly, particularly on election day as "Polling Liars" suddenly go against their declarations.

Not a very attractive slate of leaders if I must say. Jane Lynch, Jr. knocked out The Hood (Hudak). The most attractive candidate (Andrea Horvath, NDP) sounds like tweety-bird with a bar of soap stuck in her larnyx. Keeps repeating the same statement.

Good list. Of all bolded guys I'd only have Greaves as solid and he's no all-star. Jake Thomas will probably start this year but only due to lack of depth and having to start 7 canadians. Jake is a gamer but his like of size will be his undoing as monsters will dominate him. Watson is the only bolded guy who has all-star potential but since coming down with TPD (Tyson Pencer's Disease) he can't stay healthy. Volny is a decent reserve RB but hasn't impressed me as a breakout baller. Don't even think he's an above average blocker which is where your bread 'n butter is if you can't lug the piggy for 500+....

As Jimbozo Bell might say "Other than the crappy draft picks, stadium debacle, Joe Mack era, stinky personnel, coaching shuffles, bluffy management and imbecilic board - BOMBERS IS GREAT!"

Can't take solace in it but essentially Mike Kelly, Lyle Bauer, Joe Mack, Buchko, have been black-balled from ever working in the CFL again.

Neither guy will ever work in the CFL again but frankly I'd take a guy like Lyle Bauer over Joe Mack anytime. They are both bottom of the barrel GMs but at least Bauer didn't put his bank account ahead of the team as much as Mack did. Both guys were lazy pigs but Lyle was able to sell tickets and forgive debts for lousy football. All Mack did was wake up, have a triple/triple and go back to sleep! The Bomber board had a decision. Hiring Jim Barker vs. a career tramp named Joe Mack. They went with Mack cuz an old codger/ex bomber GM named Mad Dog remembered Joe's name from the Cal Murphy era. And Barker was a 6'3", 375 lb. load the board thought might stink up the office.

Personally I wouldn't rule out Wil Ford quite yet - unless he's got some nagging nicks!

You do if you want to be good. That guy was absolutely atrocious. It will take 3 more years to rebuild our Canadian talent. You might be right. I was thinking 1 or 2 years to restore the team to mediocrity but 3 might be more like it. Unfortunate, but true!

The entire Lord Lyle, Young Brendan, Mike Kelly, Joe Mack era was a blight on this franchise. Almost a decade and a half of nothing but incompetence!

Ed Tweet (Tait) had an interesting one about bomber draft in 2011 & 2012. Muamba & Etienne with 1 + 4 in '11; Pencer with a top pick and burning a 1st pick to nab Kito Poblah in supplemental draft. Muamba was a no-brainer but he's in indy now, Pencer is CFL deadwood. Green Narrow (Jade) and Poblah still moping around in CFL camps.

After practice yesterday, the offensive linemen did wind sprints. As per usual, Dan Knapp blew everyone away. And guess who finished last, by alot...Tyson Pencer. He's probably just really out of shape and not taking the job very serious. Too bad as he had some physical tools...it was probably the mental part of the game and offseason training that he couldn't handle. Couldn't even beat Bumleg Neufeld and Old Glenn..... awful!!!

Good article. The sad reality is the bomber roster does not cut the mustard for a winning CFL record. Just too many guys who are too slow, too weak, too un-disciplined. Walters & O'Shea are madly scrambling to replace B- starters with B- to B replacements so the difference on paper will be massive (almost an entirely new roster) but the on-field differential will be small. I'm glad they finally cut bait on a couple more Joe-Boys in Pencer and Robertson. Neither seemed destined for football mediocrity. I suspect Tyson will catch on with a local bar as a hulking security boy. Nobody cares about Robertson. Just another overated piece of garbage that Mack got sucked into drafting. Like what I'm seeing in no longer 'protecting mistakes'. But still lots of work to do. New hires and personnel won't start showing results for at least a year. This is truly a rebuilding year.

And the emergence of that Calgary mayor as super-hero. Nenshi, I believe. When is he poised to run for premier, Al? are you kidding? Nenshi was super popular from the word go. There's lots of talk that he doesn't really have any ambitions provincially or federally, he likes municipal politics and feels party labels are too limiting. Its called testing the waters, son. I do love how Alberta can have no provincial sales tax and us mopes in Manitoba are charged 8% on virtually everything other than apples and delissio pies.

I'll listen to TSN before and after most games this year. Walby is rip-roarin' funny and Westwood is much better when he doesn't have Matt 'The Intern' Leibl dogging him all morning. Irving is really grating when it comes to tending "house" for the bombers. Brown says the same things over and over and lives in Polysylbia.... Not to mention egomaniacs like Jimbozo Toth and Geoff Currier running rampant on the sidelines. Or dorks like George Mackling and Keith McCullough....yuk --- not to mention the 45 minutes of commercials for every hour of programming!

And the emergence of that Calgary mayor as super-hero. Nenshi, I believe. When is he poised to run for premier, Al?

Regardless of whether we have Willy, Hall or Marve at the helm this team will lead the league in two and outs or be pretty darn close to Ottawa. Montreal might be close, too!

The last two posts sum up Lawless very well!

Source? Is this new information because O'Shea said he expects Moore to play week one? Moore was at practice today and while he wasn't practicing fully, he looked fine. Winnipeg Sun. Coaches always expect guys to play until they're scratched. You don't much around with backs. Especially in exhibitions. Hope he only misses Saturday.

Sounds like a bad one. Prolly occured when he got jammed by the Argo DB stretching for a catch. No word on how long he's out for but my estimate (back injuries) is minimum 2 games to as many as 10 games.

http://www.montrealgazette.com/sports/Zurkowsky+decision+strictly+mine+coach+Higgins+says/9926396/story.html Worman comes across as a bit of a **** head. After he was fired from the Esks, halfway through the 2010 season, Kamau Peterson accused Worman of conducting a personal vendetta against him. I'm glad the Bombers didn't hire him. I suspect he clicked with the vendor!

LOL marchand would go for kane, it would be marchand scheifele wheeler for sure. a trade wont happen, i think he will be bought out, he has lots of term remaining on that deal, 6.75 or so a year, kings probably will buy him out, they will resign gaborik, muzzin is a soon to be free agent also. If they do, there is a good chance he comes here. I'll go on record saying IF the kings buy him out, he's a jet. If Lombardi is smart and knowing Richards personal situation he probably will try to negotiate a trade where he gives us Richards, swallows a majority of Mike's salary (less than the buyout) and gets a prospect or pick in the process. Thats what the great GMs do and Lombardi is right up there.

Richards is only 29 but he's got the mileage of a 35+ year old. That said, if LA buys him out of his contract and we can get him at reasonable rates ($4 to 5 million) he'd be worth the investment. Essentially, he's a more vibrant version of Andrew Ladd, another guy who shouldn't be trolling the 1st line of any NHL club. (and Ladd is only 28) With all the personal stuff Lawless mentioned it would be a no-brainer for RIchards to finish out his career in Wpg. with a solid 3-year committment. If he can play 70 to 72 games in good shape, provide winning leadership and pot some points he'd push the Jets to near-playoff country. I say near playoff cuz there's still a problem named Ondrej....