The Joke that is the Winnipeg Blue Bomber franchise

[iso_55]

8 hours ago, Eternal optimist said:

I always find it funny when people bring up the board of directors and their focus on financial obligations. That's the whole purpose of a board of directors! I always laugh when people suggest getting rid of or abolishing the board... it's not an easy task and if people think decision making is bad now, imagine how it'd be with no formal process in place. Reminds me of how during the recent federal election the NDP campaigned on abolishing the Senate.

That said, the Bombers have been too bad for far too long... as someone who's never seen them when a Grey Cup (born in '89) I guess the closest  thing to them being good was Jones/Stegall years, at least I've had the opportunity to see that! Personally, I can't wait for hockey season to start, not because I like the Jets, but because they're going to be bottom-feeds like the Blue and Gold this year and then Jets fans can stop complaining about how bad the bombers are...

As sad as you never seeing a Blue Bomber Grey Cup, I was 35 in 1990 when they last won & I'm 61 now. Those 3 asshats in charge now & the losers that are almost guaranteed to be hired in the future as well as the present & future Board running the team are going to work hard to make sure I'll be on my deathbed in another 26 years having never seen another one. Hopefully by then I'll have dementia & forgot about the #factoryofpain

Edited July 28, 2016 by iso_55

[Mark H.]

14 hours ago, tracker said:

I would guess we are about 5-6 players away from competing for the playoffs: quarterback, two O-linemen, one defensive end, a middle linebacker, and two d-backs. Probably one, maybe two receivers as well.

I know I keep saying this - but a more dynamic receiving would make the OL look better - look at all the sacks Milt prevented by reading cover 0 and going straight up the middle.

[Jimmy Pop]

As yesterday was the anniversary of Stegall breaking the TD record, and I was rewatching the video - it occurred to me that moment is literally the best thing I've witnessed in person as a Bomber fan.

So depressing to think that 20+ years of fandom, and we've been given a few playoff wins at home and that's about it.

Man, thank Jeebus for Milton Stegall. 

[gcdrought]

You get what you hire.  Joe Mack's out of the CFL for many years and has never been a GM in any football league.  Well let's hire him to re-build the team.  Joe Mack hires Mike Kelly, a guy who has never been a CFL Head Coach, but who is an old friend.   The disaster known as the 'Mack era' ends and the Board hires Wade Miller as President, a guy who has never even tried putting together a CFL football organization.  Miller walks down the hall and hires Kyle Walters, a guy who has never been a CFL GM and whose experience as an Assistant GM was with a losing football team.  Kyle Walters hires Mike O'Shea who has never been a CFL coach.

It's like the main criteria that the Bombers' look for when trying to build a winner is never have any sort of winning experience in the CFL.  IF you've actually won in the CFL as a President, a GM or a Head Coach...we're not interested in hiring you.  My initial thought is 'it's going on the cheap'.  But then you give a QB a $400,000 per year contract ?  But it fits the pattern, he's never achieving a winning record in the CFL.

I love the Bombers, always will.  But I am fed up with the way they try to build a winner.  Their No. 1 priority is hiring someone who has no experience and has never been successful in the CFL.  Mack, Kelly, Miller, Walters, O'Shea...no experience whatsoever in the positions they were hired for.  What type of organization penalizes their loyal fans that way?  And despite their disloyalty to the fans with their terrible hires, I will turn on the TV yet again and cheer for a team I was once so proud of.

 

[B-F-F-C]

1 hour ago, Mark H. said:

I know I keep saying this - but a more dynamic receiving would make the OL look better - look at all the sacks Milt prevented by reading cover 0 and going straight up the middle.

Agreed but you still need a QB to make the read and get the ball out on time.   Ours sees pressure and immediately gets the yips. 

Edited July 28, 2016 by B-F-F-C

[IC Khari]

20 minutes ago, gcdrought said:

You get what you hire.  Joe Mack's out of the CFL for many years and has never been a GM in any football league.  Well let's hire him to re-build the team.  Joe Mack hires Mike Kelly, a guy who has never been a CFL Head Coach, but who is an old friend.   The disaster known as the 'Mack era' ends and the Board hires Wade Miller as President, a guy who has never even tried putting together a CFL football organization.  Miller walks down the hall and hires Kyle Walters, a guy who has never been a CFL GM and whose experience as an Assistant GM was with a losing football team.  Kyle Walters hires Mike O'Shea who has never been a CFL coach.

It's like the main criteria that the Bombers' look for when trying to build a winner is never have any sort of winning experience in the CFL.  IF you've actually won in the CFL as a President, a GM or a Head Coach...we're not interested in hiring you.  My initial thought is 'it's going on the cheap'.  But then you give a QB a $400,000 per year contract ?  But it fits the pattern, he's never achieving a winning record in the CFL.

I love the Bombers, always will.  But I am fed up with the way they try to build a winner.  Their No. 1 priority is hiring someone who has no experience and has never been successful in the CFL.  Mack, Kelly, Miller, Walters, O'Shea...no experience whatsoever in the positions they were hired for.  What type of organization penalizes their loyal fans that way?  And despite their disloyalty to the fans with their terrible hires, I will turn on the TV yet again and cheer for a team I was once so proud of.

 

[TBURGESS]

32 minutes ago, gcdrought said:

You get what you hire.  Joe Mack's out of the CFL for many years and has never been a GM in any football league.  Well let's hire him to re-build the team.  Joe Mack hires Mike Kelly, a guy who has never been a CFL Head Coach, but who is an old friend.   The disaster known as the 'Mack era' ends and the Board hires Wade Miller as President, a guy who has never even tried putting together a CFL football organization.  Miller walks down the hall and hires Kyle Walters, a guy who has never been a CFL GM and whose experience as an Assistant GM was with a losing football team.  Kyle Walters hires Mike O'Shea who has never been a CFL coach.

It's like the main criteria that the Bombers' look for when trying to build a winner is never have any sort of winning experience in the CFL.  IF you've actually won in the CFL as a President, a GM or a Head Coach...we're not interested in hiring you.  My initial thought is 'it's going on the cheap'.  But then you give a QB a $400,000 per year contract ?  But it fits the pattern, he's never achieving a winning record in the CFL.

I love the Bombers, always will.  But I am fed up with the way they try to build a winner.  Their No. 1 priority is hiring someone who has no experience and has never been successful in the CFL.  Mack, Kelly, Miller, Walters, O'Shea...no experience whatsoever in the positions they were hired for.  What type of organization penalizes their loyal fans that way?  And despite their disloyalty to the fans with their terrible hires, I will turn on the TV yet again and cheer for a team I was once so proud of.

 

Joe Mack didn't hire Mike Kelly. Kelly was hired by Bauer in 2009. Mack was given the GM spot in 2010.

[IC Khari]

Mack was the rebound choice of the team after the brief Kelly era ... you know what they say about being careful when you're on the rebound 

[gcdrought]

21 minutes ago, TBURGESS said:

Joe Mack didn't hire Mike Kelly. Kelly was hired by Bauer in 2009. Mack was given the GM spot in 2010.

Thanks for the correction.  I guess Bauer - who did hire some good people - officially started the trend of hiring people with no experience for their new position.  

[17to85]

26 minutes ago, gcdrought said:

Thanks for the correction.  I guess Bauer - who did hire some good people - officially started the trend of hiring people with no experience for their new position.  

Bauer didn't even hire anyone good. Bauer came on after Dave Ritchie and they butted heads so Bauer put Daley in place to take over from Ritchie when Bauer had enough reason to fire him. Taman was left to pick a head coach after they fired Daley and he took Berry which had moderate succes, but then Bauer wanted to be the guy to win a cup for the Bombers and handed the keys to Kelly and it kicked off a disasterous stretch. 

I maintain that Mack wasn't as bad as the reputation. He found a lot of good players for this team, yeah he didn't play the free agency market all that much but honestly, look at how well it's working out for Walters right now... he's got a worse record than Mack had. Canadian content isn't all that different either, only thing that is different is that it's had more time to have the depth built up now but in terms of getting impact NIs Walters has relied more on free agents than the draft anyway. Anyone would have signed Harris and Westerman. 

[iso_55]

On ‎7‎/‎26‎/‎2016 at 11:14 AM, 17to85 said:

Plus if you put him under a GM instead of giving him both roles perhaps it turns out different too. I am a believer in giving people 2nd chances if they earn it so I wouldn't be totally opposed, but I still think the biggest problem here is the GM. 

It's been 20 years yet he's never had the opportunity to be a HC again. There has to be reasons for that. Usually if a guy is HC material he is able to get the chances again. Like Ron Lancaster.

[gcdrought]

12 minutes ago, 17to85 said:

I maintain that Mack wasn't as bad as the reputation. He found a lot of good players for this team, yeah he didn't play the free agency market all that much but honestly, look at how well it's working out for Walters right now... he's got a worse record than Mack had. Canadian content isn't all that different either, only thing that is different is that it's had more time to have the depth built up now but in terms of getting impact NIs Walters has relied more on free agents than the draft anyway. Anyone would have signed Harris and Westerman. 

Mack got the team to a Grey Cup.  But they went totally downhill from there.  The team finished 21-39 during his regime, so I disagree that he found "a lot" of good players.  You don't win 1 of every 3 games when you're signing a lot of good players.  Some were signed yes (like every team), a lot no.

Yes, he was better than the current regime but almost anyone could better that.  Walters' record, if you include the 12 games he was interim GM in 2013, has been 15-39.   And in his last 35 games his players are a staggering 8-27.   Five straight years of just plain bad football.

[IC Khari]

2 hours ago, gcdrought said:

Mack got the team to a Grey Cup.  But they went totally downhill from there.  The team finished 21-39 during his regime, so I disagree that he found "a lot" of good players.  You don't win 1 of every 3 games when you're signing a lot of good players.  Some were signed yes (like every team), a lot no.

Yes, he was better than the current regime but almost anyone could better that.  Walters' record, if you include the 12 games he was interim GM in 2013, has been 15-39.   And in his last 35 games his players are a staggering 8-27.   Five straight years of just plain bad football.

[do or die]

But at least we have continuity and consistency......

[do or die]

....which leads to continual and consistent consumption of gin.....

[Tracker]

Just now, do or die said:

....which leads to continual and consistent consumption of gin.....

So.... you're saying that the liquor stores are conspiring to keep the Bombers pathetic?

[do or die]

Haul down my glass?  Never.  I have not yet begun to drink.....

[pigseye]

On ‎7‎/‎27‎/‎2016 at 5:34 PM, tracker said:

I would guess we are about 5-6 players away from competing for the playoffs: quarterback, two O-linemen, one defensive end, a middle linebacker, and two d-backs. Probably one, maybe two receivers as well.

Not as far off as you thought.

[Tracker]

6 hours ago, pigseye said:

Not as far off as you thought.

I stand by my assessment. The Bombers started Bond as a new O-lineman and we also had a new D-back, receiver and safety in the lineup. So that's four and I still see the need for a better MLB. Nichols may or may not be the QB we need (that's five) and we are not going to know that for a couple more games. Nichols did not look like an all-star, but he managed the game well and ought to get better with reps. Barring an injury to Nichols, he will probably start again next week and then have the bye week to fine-tune his game. Losing two/three starting receivers has to be a setback to the cohesion between QB and receiver, but we'd best enjoy the afterglow. Reality arrives next week and its gonna be a tougher game.

[Atomic]

Just now, tracker said:

I stand by my assessment. The Bombers started Bond as a new O-lineman and we also had a new D-back, receiver and safety in the lineup. So that's four and I still see the need for a better MLB. Nichols may or may not be the QB we need (that's five) and we are not going to know that for a couple more games. Nichols did not look like an all-star, but he managed the game well and ought to get better with reps. Barring an injury to Nichols, he will probably start again next week and then have the bye week to fine-tune his game. Losing two/three starting receivers has to be a setback to the cohesion between QB and receiver, but we'd best enjoy the afterglow. Reality arrives next week and its gonna be a tougher game.

A better MLB....... I wonder if we might see Kyle Knox in that spot.  However it's the same story as last year with Hurl, the MLB in this defence is just there to fill a gap it would seem.

[kelownabomberfan]

21 minutes ago, tracker said:

I stand by my assessment. The Bombers started Bond as a new O-lineman and we also had a new D-back, receiver and safety in the lineup. So that's four and I still see the need for a better MLB. Nichols may or may not be the QB we need (that's five) and we are not going to know that for a couple more games. Nichols did not look like an all-star, but he managed the game well and ought to get better with reps. Barring an injury to Nichols, he will probably start again next week and then have the bye week to fine-tune his game. Losing two/three starting receivers has to be a setback to the cohesion between QB and receiver, but we'd best enjoy the afterglow. Reality arrives next week and its gonna be a tougher game.

from what I've seen so far, all we need is a Tom Burgess type QB who isn't great but is accurate and can execute on plays.  Nichols could be that guy.  He sure was last night.  That drive ending in the pass to Adams was what this team has needed all year, a killer instinct.

[Tracker]

1 hour ago, kelownabomberfan said:

From what I've seen so far, all we need is a Tom Burgess type QB who isn't great but is accurate and can execute on plays.  Nichols could be that guy.  He sure was last night.  That drive ending in the pass to Adams was what this team has needed all year, a killer instinct.

Nichols could be the QB we need to at least give us competitiveness, but we are going to need more data. We've had too many pivots who looked good for a game and then sank into obscurity. I suspect that some of the throngs of QBs who have passed through here were not as bad as they seemed but none went on to stellar careers elsewhere with the only possible exception being Kevin Glenn.

[kelownabomberfan]

59 minutes ago, tracker said:

Nichols could be the QB we need to at least give us competitiveness, but we are going to need more data. We've had too many pivots who looked good for a game and then sank into obscurity. I suspect that some of the throngs of QBs who have passed through here were not as bad as they seemed but none went on to stellar careers elsewhere with the only possible exception being Kevin Glenn.

depends how far back in history you want to go.  One Danny McManus for instance...

[Tracker]

34 minutes ago, kelownabomberfan said:

depends how far back in history you want to go.  One Danny McManus for instance...

Okay, this side of the Stone Age. My grandkidlets already think that I can remember dinosaurs.