In Case You Missed It

[Mr Dee]

CFL News
O’Shea’s winning % is 6th lowest in history of #CFL among head coaches who have been on  sideline for at least 40 games. - @Ted_Wyman

Gary Etchevery...
Basically, etch figures Wpg still runs the same kind of offence and really is the reason why they have been so unsuccessful over the last few years. He's not blaming the team's lack of success on the defence, and he defends his defensive record. It's a 60 minute podcast where they review the most recent games. http://www.properspective.ca/?m=0

Since Darian Durant went down with a season-ending injury in the 2014 Banjo Bowl in Winnipeg, the club is 6-25. Rod Pedersen.
Is it any wonder none of the three home games this year have been sellouts? RP

To that end the Riders did get over 30,000 to the game on Friday...aided by a $20 blowout of end zone seats - Mr Dee

More from Pedersen:
It's clear Saskatchewan is slowly falling in love with Jones, his southern drawl and folksy sayings but these fans would turn on their own mother if she had a losing record.

TSN panelist Jock Climie observed that things might be different for the Bombers - and quarterback Drew Willy - if they had a game-changing receiver like Bowman in their lineup.....
  I thought that comment was quite a stretch because it would take far more than Bowman to make Winnipeg a contender at this point, but it is a good point.

Last year, it was Lions kicker Richie Leone struggling with the longer 32-yard extra points, missing a league-high 11 on the season. Rene Paredes is doing his best to surpass that mark with five misses already through just four games. - Calgary Herald

Notable Quotables : true belief or wishful thinking? From these, the Bombers could be all-stars soon.
From Bomber players...

1) "They've seen the film. They're not happy. They're going to fix it." - Coach O'Shea on the week 2 game against CGY
2) We're better than this" - we feel we're one step away from breaking through. We showed glimpses of it in Hamilton. Now we have to take the next step forward and put things together.
3) "We have a lot of tools here and this is a great team. It’s just taking some time to get rolling." 
4) "I'm really really confident, both personally & as a unit. I feel like we can come away with this win" - Thomas Mayo
5) “We're close. WE truly believe that and we're confident in the things we're doing”
Weston Dressler.
6) The players are buying in to the coaches right now. We’re fighting. We’re a 1-3 team, but we still believe.” - Macho Harris.
7) “You watch and see. Give it some more time. We’re going to make some noise."  Darwin Adams.>> ow.ly/SM6t302xeMp

Drew Edwards - Hamilton Spectator:
-Challenges are up across the CFL this season — 1.6 per game versus 1.3 in 2015 — but Hamilton has challenged just twice, the fewest number in the league. Austin has, however, been correct both times. Across the league, coaches have been correct 51 per cent of the time so far compared to 34 per cent last season. Winnipeg leads the league with nine challenges, five of which have led to calls being changed. Only Calgary is without a successful challenging this season, going 0-for-4 so far in 2016.

-With his two kick-return touchdowns this season, Brandon Banks has nine for his career, good enough for fifth all-time in Canadian Football League history.
--Ticats lead the league in giveaways (12) and points allowed off of turnovers (31) but are also tops in take-aways (11) and points generated from turnovers (34). On defence, the Ticats have just one interception on the season (tied for the league low), but lead the CFL in fumble recoveries, with eight, and turnovers on downs, with four. On offence, Hamilton has yet to turn the ball over on downs this season. Hamilton has won the turnover battle in both their wins this season and lost it in both their defeats. The Ticats were 0-7 last season with a negative turnover differential and are 5-21 in the three-plus seasons under Austin.

CFL News
.@Filer64 tells 
@Y108Rocks @benmcvie he could be out for "3 to 8 weeks." bit.ly/29HZFvO #CFL #Ticats via @rickzamperin Ticats centre Mike Filer will soon learn the extent of his right ankle injury.

Jeff Hamilton-
Since 2013, the Bombers have two fewer wins at home (7-22) than Ottawa (9-9-1), who didn’t join the league until 2014. 
Crazy

Head coach Scott Milanovich dropped the bombshell, announcing Akwasi Owusu-Ansah’s season is more than likely done following an injury to his pectoral. - Frank Zicarelli

My question was - So, what does HC Campbell do when Henry Burris is ready to return? Well, now that Harris has been injured, we have out answer. Jensen 'til Burris returns. How easy was that?

Regarding Chungh and his so-so play this year. Does it mean he's still seriously considering the NFL next year, or our we going to be hearing about an extension later this year? Dee

Many of us were predicting this exact scenario years ago...
"The Montreal Alouettes were spoiled to have a quarterback with the magnificence and durability of Anthony Calvillo. Since he retired after the 2013 season, the CFL club has been flailing about, trying to find a competent, durable replacement."- Curtis Rush, the star.com

Jason Maas easily has the ugliest, most unbecoming hat in the entire league.~~~~in all of sports.

Kirk Penton 
CFL coaches and managers give their anonymous thoughts on what they’re talking about behind closed doors:

The GM's job is to get us players, and they don't have enough good players, but they'll just - fire coaches
--  Hamilton's offensive line won't be able to block Edmonton's front 
The Bombers are nothing if not consistent, even with all the free agents, money spent and draft picks invested. It's tough to see the same struggles three years in a row: the O-line, issues on all three sides of the ball and being outcoached more often than not ... 
(Ottawa's) Abdul Kanneh is the most underrated defensive back out there. He's good and playing the toughest spot in the secondary: weak side halfback ... 
The refs are ruining our game. We have more penalties than big plays. Four or five flags for every touchdown ... 
I respect Chris Jones as much as anyone I coach against, but at 0-3 I don't think they can recover and make the playoffs ... 
We have a 'national' problem, and we've only played three games. Where can we go get more national offensive lineman if we get another one hurt? Adding Ottawa, and not changing the ratio, was a big (bleep)-up ... 
Don't sleep on No. 0 from B.C. (Loucheiz Purifoy). He's good ... Our Canadian depth is holding up decently. We added enough depth at all our spots but offensive line, which is like most teams.

Don't have the figures for the Calgary game, but in the Edm. game Andrew Harris made tacklers miss or broke the tackle 16 times. TSN 
That's pretty good!

Before this week's games, Home teams are just 3-12-1 through the first chunk of games, for a paltry .219 winning percentage. E Tait.

Word out of Montreal is #alouettes fined Nik Lewis for his post-game outburst. Injuries and off-field issues dominating early season stories - Gary Lawless.

And fine'ly
BC was the last team to have a player fined L. Ulrich.

CFL.ca - Jamie Nye
-In 2016, CFL clubs have converted 37-of-47 attempts on third down gambles of two yards or less. Edmonton and Ottawa have yet to fail at 7-for-7 and 3-for-3 respectively, while Calgary has been an excellent 9-of-10.

-The game between Saskatchewan and BC last week featured a CFL rarity in that each club recorded a quarter with 20-plus points. It was Saskatchewan’s first 20-plus point quarter since getting 26 in the second Quarter on Sept. 7, 2014 at Winnipeg. It was the first time in almost six years since Oct. 11, 2010 (Winnipeg 47, BC 35) where both teams did it in the same game.

-This year the REDBLACKS lead the CFL at 503.8 yards of net offence per game.
They are first club since 1991 to threaten the 1956 Montreal Alouettes’ record mark of 532.6 yards per game. The last CFL club to exceed the 500-yard per game over a whole season was BC in 1991 at 506.5 per game. Only three teams have ever averaged over 500 net yards per game, the other being Montreal in 1955 (518.8 per game).

-The areas where Saskatchewan has been the strongest thus far are in the passing game, third overall at 326 yards per game, and having allowed just four QB Sacks in three games (tied for first in the CFL). They have controlled the ball for 31:54 per game (second), and have yet to throw an interception

Still can't believe we let Ricky Collins walk...

THE BIG STAT  (no excuse, just reality..)
19: Points off turnovers by the Stampeders, including Joe Burnett’s interception return for a touchdown.

619: Bo Levi Mitchell’s passing yardage total against Winnipeg in two starts this year. The Calgary QB has completed 53 of 78 attempts for 619 yards with five touchdowns and one interception. Mitchell is now 30-7-1 as a starter.
-Ed Tait.

Messam - "Everyone on this team vibes with each other, thats why we gonna win the Grey Cup!"#squad

It's not true, that in teaching form tackling, Macho Harris's technique is used as example of how NOT to. But it could be...

CFL News -
A witness said #Bombers pres. Wade Miller tore a strip off game observer Ken Lazaruk at suite level during half time. - @PentonKirk #CFL

If I were the CEO of Ottawa, there would be sufficient grounds to tear another strip off Ken Lazaruk for back-to-back contradictory PI calls in the Sask Ottawa game. 1st the uncatchable ball to Roosevelt, then the non-call, for one even worse on Williams.
See the video... https://twitter.com/failedprotostar/status/756704892299931648

I was curious on the uncatchable aspect in pass interference and found that in the NFL, they state - "Pass interference can only be called if the player could reasonable have made a play on the ball."
"If the pass is deemed to be "uncatchable", pass interference rules do not apply in American college football or the NFL, and starting with the 2010 season they do not apply in Canada." Wikipedia.
This is how I now thought it to be. 

Then, I thought I would ask a minor league official -
*****  just a quick question on your understanding of "uncatchable ball" in regards to pass interference. Is there consideration given to that aspect from a referee's viewpoint or no such thing? Have you ever been informed of such?

RESponse - Yeah, we talk about that. Ultimately it's a judgement call, which is why I much prefer refs who have played. Players likes to say "don't tell me what I could or could not have caught" after being interfered with, so close calls tend toward being catchable more often than not, but ultimately, judgement call, thus highly debatable. 

But that Friday night game Ottawa-Sask was nonetheless...very entertaining.

Sask. handed off the ball only 3 times on Friday - Vanstone

Was it really true, as Justin Dunk indicated, that the Riders had a policy for a flannel-free facility for their game against Ottawa? https://twitter.com/sskroughriders/status/755883953383313408

CFL News
This year’s #Riders team has remained mentally tough for the most part despite their struggles. - @JGasson_21 #CFL
***So very true. The same cannot be said of the Bombers. They're floundering. (Struggling mightily - and it's not just the players)

You have to ask, as Santino Filoso did, "at half-time last night Brad Sinopoli had 5 catches for 156 yards and 2 TDs. Then, in the 2nd half...nothing". So, why did that change? 

What a matchup in the Edmonton-Hamilton game. The defensive front four of the Ticats battling against a pretty big O-line of the 'smoes. The evening out factor is Mike Reilly who reacts so quickly to get the ball away as pressure mounts.
The other huge matchup, or mismatch if you will, is Bowman against the Ticat secondary. Bowman is having a field day! And then, there in the background, is Walker, who only scores TDs.
Regarding Bowman..
Interesting to hear that Adarius Bowman considers that catch he made in double coverage against the Bombers, to be the 2nd best catch in his entire career, including college.

Edmonton, with every possible means for a thrashing at their disposal, lose that game...
"Our offence didn’t help the defence, the defence was on the field too much in the 2nd half.”
Winnipeg? No, Edmonton's Jason Maas.

All's I can say is...I'm sure glad it wasn't the Bombers who fell apart like that. Things are bad enough.

ZERO somersaults for the Edmonton defence....

Only 5 FIVE penalties in the entire game and Edmonton didn't get any. What? 

But, but, but, didn't the Bombers beat Masoli?

As we all know the Bombers have recently been hit hard with injuries. The infuriating part, for me, is we now have no real idea how long these guys will be out. This is because of the current regime's insistence on not releasing relevant information. Such as the actual injury. Instead it's cloak and dagger. Because, well we have to keep other teams in the dark. Yeah, like they need that help. Ex. Johnny Adams "yeah, not ready","we'll see", "maybe next week"
Now, with all these injuries, we know they won't be "2 weeks" - more like "we'll tell you the same in two weeks.

This about sums it up:
Sebastian Ball @therealsebball
I hate feeling hopeless about CFL football in July. It shouldn't be this way. We shouldn't be expecting losses at all let alone this early.

Random remark...That moment when you realize that the Oiler defense will be better than the Esks defence. - woodguy55

Hajrullahu tackles as badly as Willy slides. Dee

***Both offences in the Tor.-Mont game starting kind of Bomberish = sluggish 

Carter is the best receiver, at his position, in the CFL.  How do I know. He said so.
Carter likes to straight-arm his tacklers...straight in the face mask.

Argos best in the CFL in the score zone...

Kickers, well, stunk tonight. Tor. - Mont

What did I miss? 
Low hit on Ray....no penalty??? Suspected sprained ACL Out 4-6 weeks

Nik and nine (hundred receptions)

Montreal 13 penalties 130 yards
Toronto - time of possession 38 mins-22

The latest - Gary Lawless says the Winnipeg Blue Bombers are looking to build a team under Mike O’Shea’s leadership, and that O’Shea’s job isn’t in jeopardy. Lawless also says that newly-named starting quarterback Matt Nichols has management’s support heading into Edmonton.
http://www.tsn.ca/radio/winnipeg-1290/lawless-bombers-have-faith-in-nichols-o-shea-1.532602

Names that stood out this past week:

Ja'Gared Davis Calg. - 7 tackles, 2 sacks.
Tommie Campbell Calg. - 11 tackles,1 deflection, and was a disruption all night.
Weston Dressler 12 rec. - 118 yds. The bombers spoiled this effort.
Darwin Adams - 7 rec. - 109 yds
Paul LaPolice. - for the insufferable running up the middle on 1st down, when everybody knew it wasn't working, forcing our QB and newbee receivers into long 2nd down plays where they routinely ever get is 80% of the yardage. Talk to the receivers Paul!
Brad Sinopoli - 5 rec 156 yds
Naaman Roosevelt - 8 rec 182 yds 
Commissioner Jeffrey Orridge - for accepting the 22 push up challenge from the TSN crew, then proceeding to do them in a Twitter posting.

Mitchell Gale 21-36 354 yds 1 TD and one hell of a gutsy effort...for the win.
Brock Jensen - 20-29 271 yds 2 TDs another rookie QB who's put spirit and points on the board...in an emergency situation.
Zach Evans - 6 tackles and 3 sacks
Rick Campbell - on QB Jensen.."He gave us a chance to win the game, which is what you want from your quarterback."
Tyler Crapigna - 5-5 FGs including that 53 yard winning FG. 15-17 for the year...
That guy who fluctuates between average and awesome...23 consecutive passes! on route to 31-38 and 391 yds and 3 TDs.
The other guy who went 32-42 and 354 yds and 3 TDs and LOST!
Masoli 139.25 QB efficiency! Reilly 124.5
Derek Walker 12 rec for 140 yds 1td
Adarius Bowman 9 rec for 111 yds 1 TD.
Luke Tasker 11 rec for 146 yds
Fantuz 2 TDs and one incredible catch 
Chad Owen - small guy, times a jump perfectly to tip a two-point convert to himself, in the end zone, to prove it can be done. Wow-catch.
Ricky Ray - ho hum another 3 TDs 29-34 before injury
Duron Carter 6-124 1TD
Bear Woods 10 tackles
6'3" Alexandre Dupuis, the nullifier, doing a good job blocking Bear Woods off R. Ray.

[Mr Dee]

Odell Willis and Adarius Bowman had some  kind words about Coach Harris....

 

"And one former coach, in particular, stands out above the rest from their days there.

Five years ago Tuesday, Bombers assistant head coach and defensive line coach Richard Harris died from a heart attack at age 63 after collapsing in the team’s office.

“It wasn’t just a defensive thing, man,” said Bowman, who spent two seasons in Winnipeg before joining the Eskimos the same year it happened. “For most of us, he was almost like a father figure, especially in my case. And I know he touched Odell a lot from being around him.

“We used to go for lunches and do a lot of things. Most of his talk wasn’t even about ball, it was about becoming a man. We were so young then, 22-23, and what’s crazy is it felt like all his words sunk in on me after I left there. But he definitely took the time to do that.”

Not every coach does. Especially with a player from across the line of scrimmage. But suffice it to say that the 260-pound retired NFL defensive lineman recognized the unbridled potential in this pair of up-and-comers who might not have had the squeakiest of clean images early on in their football careers.

“We didn’t understand the impact we could have off the field. He used to tell me, ‘Someone’s always watching, even when they’re not watching, A.D.,’ ” Bowman recalled. “And at the time, I’m like, ‘That sounds stupid.’ But I understand what he meant now. So that’s a coach that will always be with me.

“I know that hurt a lot of us when that occurred. I remember when it was first announced, it just didn’t seem real. Coach Harris was a huge man that had a bigger heart. Some of the things he said is stuff I’m still learning now. He wasn’t my coach, but I felt like I’d do anything he said.”

Willis doesn’t need any sort of anniversary to remember his former position coach.

“He was one of the best, one of my favourites,” said Willis, whose Swaggerville teammates were always anchored in reality by Harris, regardless of how big their on-field persona would get. “I’ve never paid attention to how many years it’s been, when I think about him I just think about all the positive things and all the good stuff he did for us.

“For a guy who didn’t have it easy to having almost everything in the NFL, he’d seen it from both sides. The older you get, the wiser you get, and that was just him. He could relate to everybody, whether you came off of the streets or came from a good family.”

Regardless of the problem, Harris could always relate to it.

“He knew one day we were going to become men,” Bowman said. “We’ve matured so much. And back then, I thought I was the coolest person walkin’. I hope I’m able to get older and have that smile and heart that he had. But also that fight.”

http://edmontonjournal.com/sports/football/cfl/edmonton-eskimos/eskimos-veterans-remember-coach-richard-harris-ahead-of-showdown-vs-winnipeg?__lsa=06a5-9936

Edited July 26, 2016 by Mr Dee
Info..

[B-F-F-C]

Quote

A witness said #Bombers pres. Wade Miller tore a strip off game observer Ken Lazaruk at suite level during half time. - @PentonKirk #CFL

 

If Osh is let go during the season.  I want Miller to take over the coaching duties for the rest of the season.    

[17to85]

1 hour ago, B-F-F-C said:

 

If Osh is let go during the season.  I want Miller to take over the coaching duties for the rest of the season.    

The team would be aces at taking intentional offside penalties. 

[Logan007]

Thanks Dee.

I hate our reffing over the whole CFL.  I think we all feel the same way that we wish the ref's would just let the players play instead of all these damn calls.  Is it just me or does it seem to be getting worse?

[Dr. Blue]

Another quote from Kirk Penton's CFL Insider piece I found interesting...

 

" As coaches, we always take the bullet first. (Marcel) Bellefeuille took the first one. (Mike) O'Shea's next. None of their quarterbacks can play worth a (bleep). The GM's job is to get us players, and they don't have enough good players, but they'll just blame another coach ... "

Edited July 26, 2016 by Dr. Blue

[17to85]

6 minutes ago, Dr. Blue said:

Another quote from Kirk Penton's CFL Insider piece I found interesting...

 

" As coaches, we always take the bullet first. (Marcel) Bellefeuille took the first one. (Mike) O'Shea's next. None of their quarterbacks can play worth a (bleep). The GM's job is to get us players, and they don't have enough good players, but they'll just blame another coach ... "

Well how about that....

[Tracker]

4 minutes ago, 17to85 said:

Well how about that....

While Walters deserves his share of the blame, O'Shea has made enough obvious mistakes that were his alone that he has disqualified himself as the head coach. He is the first that has to be changed.

[holoman]

26 minutes ago, Logan007 said:

Thanks Dee.

I hate our reffing over the whole CFL.  I think we all feel the same way that we wish the ref's would just let the players play instead of all these damn calls.  Is it just me or does it seem to be getting worse?

hmmmm 

To me the officiating is the same.  

What is ruining the game is the expanded challenges.   Which is funny because 3 years ago us as fans were fussing to have these calls made in the first place and now that they're being called....it's ruining the flow of the game (by virtue of the challenge)

 

[IC Khari]

12 minutes ago, tracker said:

While Walters deserves his share of the blame, O'Shea has made enough obvious mistakes that were his alone that he has disqualified himself as the head coach. He is the first that has to be changed.

It seems that Wade is satisfied with the speed we've picked up going over the cliff though ...

[Mr Dee]

Stats all for now...

TOTAL POINTS.                             
OTTAWA              
REDBLACKS.            158
Hamilton Tiger-Cats    137
Edmonton Eskimos    127
Toronto Argonauts    125
Calgary Stampeders    113
Saskatchewan Roughriders    110
BC Lions    102
Winnipeg Blue Bombers    98
Montreal Alouettes.                59 

Defence Rankings – PA (PPG). 

BC — 73 (18.3)
CGY — 86 (21.5)
HAM — 114 (22.8)
TOR — 120 (24.0)
OTT — 126 (25.2)
MTL — 103 (25.8)
WPG — 135 (27.0)
EDM — 134 (33.5)
SSK — 138 (34.5)

TOTAL POINTS
OTTAWA
REDBLACKS.            158
Hamilton Tiger-Cats    137
Edmonton Eskimos    127
Toronto Argonauts    125
Calgary Stampeders    113
Saskatchewan Roughriders    110
BC Lions    102
Winnipeg Blue Bombers    98
Montreal Alouettes.                59

PASSING YARDS
OTTAWA
REDBLACKS.             2,021
Edmonton Eskimos    1,580
Winnipeg Blue Bombers    1,564
Hamilton Tiger-Cats    1,532
Saskatchewan Roughriders    1,332
Toronto Argonauts    1,283
Calgary Stampeders    1,220
BC Lions    1,193
Montreal Alouettes.     1142
 

PASSING TDS
OTTAWA
REDBLACKS.             12
Toronto Argonauts    10
Edmonton Eskimos    10
Calgary Stampeders    8
Saskatchewan Roughriders    8
Hamilton Tiger-Cats    8
Winnipeg Blue Bombers    6
BC Lions    5
Montreal Alouettes      3

POSSESSION TIME
OTTAWA
REDBLACKS.            154:52
Toronto Argonauts    152:52
Winnipeg Blue Bombers    137:59
Hamilton Tiger-Cats    136:23
Calgary Stampeders    126:22
Edmonton Eskimos    125:12
BC Lions    125:07
Saskatchewan Roughriders    122:28
Montreal Alouettes.      118:45

RUSHING YARDS
OTTAWA
REDBLACKS.   497
BC Lions    429
Calgary Stampeders    372
Toronto Argonauts    331
Montreal Alouettes    303
Winnipeg Blue Bombers    302
Edmonton Eskimos    296
Hamilton Tiger-Cats    277
Saskatchewan Roughriders 226

SACKS ALLOWED
WINNIPEG
BLUE BOMBERS.      16
Toronto Argonauts    15.      
Ottawa Redblacks    14
Montreal Alouettes    13
Hamilton Tiger-Cats    13
BC Lions    9
Saskatchewan Roughriders    8
Edmonton Eskimos    7
Calgary Stampeders.  4

TURNOVERS
WINNIPEG
BLUE BOMBERS.      12
Montreal Alouettes    12
Hamilton Tiger-Cats    11
Saskatchewan Roughriders    10
BC Lions    9
Ottawa Redblacks    9
Toronto Argonauts    8
Edmonton Eskimos    6
Calgary Stampeders.  6

Bombers are 8th in total points allowed
                      7th in sacks
                      1st in interceptions 5 
                      1st in forced fumbles 10
                      1st in turnovers 12 
                      6th in passes defended
                      7th in punt aver. 44.9
                      5th in kickoff aver. 65.3
                      2nd in punt return avg. 12.3
                      3rd in kickoff return avg  22.6
Andrew Harris has the lowest avg in the top ten rushers @ 3.9
Ian Wild leads in tackles 37

 

[Tracker]

Well, if you are looking for a statistical condemnation of the current coaching regime, here it is. A whole ocean of ineptness.

[17to85]

So good passing totals but poor rushing totals and a ton of sacks given up... and people still defend the offensive line? 

[Brandon]

17 minutes ago, 17to85 said:

So good passing totals but poor rushing totals and a ton of sacks given up... and people still defend the offensive line? 

They can if the QB doesn't get the ball away in time and/or if they are always forced in 2nd and really long. 

 

[Dr. Blue]

I think we need to connect on the deeper routes, and stretch the field a bit more (when it is still a game). Right now teams do not respect our offense and the threat of a deep ball, which in my mind, will make it harder to run the ball.

We all know that a good chunk of our passing yards have come in garbage time.