3 stars / happy honker

[wbbfan]

3 Justin cole 2 sacks, was all over the back field tnite. Play smart maintaining contain several times but was tearing up the hammy OL.

2 Kevin fogg. Monster night returning. Out performed speedy banks and had us in great field position the entire first half. Should have had his 2nd return td. 

1 Ian wild huge pick, 6 tackles with 3 on sts. Played a huge role in our D playing soo well early and in shutting down speedy banks.

HH Clarence denmark. Didnt have crazy numbers, but caught every thing near him and played with a good chip on his shoulder.

Loffler was close too. A big pick and good coverage. Mayo had a great game too. 

Nichols played great in the first half and really good in the 2nd. But the offense disappeared in the 2nd half. I hope hardrick is ok.

A lot of guys had great games. Medlock too.

[Rod Black]

My choice for theHappy Honker would be Loffler. An interception which sealed the blowout. 

That is no where near as eloquent as the forthcoming comments from some our our other gifted posters. 

[iso_55]

Loffler is okay with me.

[wbbfan]

9 minutes ago, Rod Black said:

My choice for theHappy Honker would be Loffler. An interception which sealed the blowout. 

That is no where near as eloquent as the forthcoming comments from some our our other gifted posters. 

Not a bad choice. In retrospect i might say the crowd should get the HH. or a star. The noise and hype in the first half was a big deal. 

[Bigblue204]

I'm going to go with Clarence. Fantastic game considering how much practice time he had. Played like it was his last snap. Is it me or did he seem to have a better burst? It was fun watching him fly around out there again!

[Old Bomber Fan]

I guess MOS didn't let the players look back but instead read the riot act to ensure they were up for this game. Thought Denmark continued from where he left off after being cut for "better" players and didn't let me down at all, just caught everything that was catchable in his direction. Thought the defense played very well and after the first half the game was essentially over. My big concern, and there is always a concern after a win or loss, was the play calling in the second half. While I agree the game was essentially over, I felt that we took the foot off the pedal in the second half and became too complacent. Hamilton moved the ball pretty well at will and save for an Ian Wild interception could have made the game closer, not within reach but certainly closer. Time of possession etc was certainly in their favour I believe as were the other stats but the hole was simply too big to overcome.

The injuries to the secondary have exposed some good players that have been on the sidelines or PR and perhaps should have been playing before. I really like Loffler at safety, Hendricks is a find and Fogg seems to be coming into his own.

The big thing now is congrats, they have won 2 in a row and now go on the road. Another fast start will certainly help in their quest to win again. Here's hoping!!

 

[Stickem]

Was Denmark even away....?? He never missed a beat and you can sure tell where his heart lies...Great game Clarence.

[BomberBall]

48 minutes ago, Old Bomber Fan said:

I guess MOS didn't let the players look back but instead read the riot act to ensure they were up for this game. Thought Denmark continued from where he left off after being cut for "better" players and didn't let me down at all, just caught everything that was catchable in his direction. Thought the defense played very well and after the first half the game was essentially over. My big concern, and there is always a concern after a win or loss, was the play calling in the second half. While I agree the game was essentially over, I felt that we took the foot off the pedal in the second half and became too complacent. Hamilton moved the ball pretty well at will and save for an Ian Wild interception could have made the game closer, not within reach but certainly closer. Time of possession etc was certainly in their favour I believe as were the other stats but the hole was simply too big to overcome.

The injuries to the secondary have exposed some good players that have been on the sidelines or PR and perhaps should have been playing before. I really like Loffler at safety, Hendricks is a find and Fogg seems to be coming into his own.

The big thing now is congrats, they have won 2 in a row and now go on the road. Another fast start will certainly help in their quest to win again. Here's hoping!!

 

Do you mean Terrence Frederick?

[TrueBlue4ever]

[Channelling my inner Cactus - a.k.a. getting my drink on]:

 

Well fans, that was quite a game we saw tonight, and the fireworks literally started before the opening kickoff, when a classic Prairie storm rolled through Investor's Group Field and delayed the start of affairs with a spectacular lightning storm and downpour the likes of which has not been seen since Noah paired up all those animals for a cruise so many years ago [writer's aside- ol' Jack never shied away from hyperbole]. But it was definitely worth the wait for the Bombers and their fans, who did some storming of their own, blasting out of the gates with a pick 6 interception 2 minutes into the game and we were on our way. And before you could blink, there was another touchdown, and another, and a fumble recovery, and a blocked punt, and when you add it all up it was 34-0 at halftime and all that was left was the salute to Milt Stegall and seeing how long his kids could stay awake throughout the second half.

 

Now the Happy Honker award has always been about the player or players who did that little something extra special that made a difference in the game, made it just that extra bit memorable in some way. well, we had no shortage of candidates today all all aspects of the club were on full display. We had Matt Nicholls going 17 of 19 in the first half with 2 touchdown passes as he secured his spot as the new #1 quarterback, so he deserves a small honk. We had Roberts with that interception that got the whole thing rolling for the defence, so he gets a honk from the crowd as well. We had a blocked punt but the special teams and Justin Medlock was perfect again, so they get a honk. And of course Milt Stegall will always be an honorary Happy Honker award winner, and he once again delivered on his promise that when the Bombers honour him, he guarantees and comes through with a home win every time, so a big honk to him.

But there are 3 separate things that stood out to me tonight that deserve extra mention, that rise above as it were and each deserve our accolades, although only one can truly claim the Happy Honker Award. Kevin Fogg had his second unofficial punt return for a touchdown tonight - I say unofficial because of course he got robbed of his first one by a careless penalty, so I was all set to give it to him, when once again a late penalty flag after he had already crossed the goal line denied him once again. So he will have to wait until he actually gets one that counts before I can give him the award.

And Clarence Denmark on any other night would win this hands down, coming out of a forced absence after being unceremoniously cut from Winnipeg and then Saskatchewan, sitting at home when the injury-depleted Bombers came calling, and on one a a half days practice not only suited up and didn't look out of place, but also scored a touchdown, not any touchdown but the winning points no less, in a triumphant return to River City. So special mention to him…BUT…none of those people will win the Happy Honker tonight, even if all were deserving candidates. 

No, tonight was about one thing, and that was the weather. In all my years I have witnessed many things, and seen games delayed for various reasons, from fog at the Grey Cup in 1962, to torrential downpours and lightning strikes in 1984 and 1986 in Winnipeg, to franchises folding in 1987 that forced the league to re-create it's schedule, to those dreaded and horrible terrorists attacks in 2001. But I have never seen three games delayed by weather for one club at home in one season, much less in 4 games. And this one was especially unique in that it held up the start of the game over 2 and a half hours on a weeknight, and opening kickoff occurred when most people would be ready to get in their cars to head home and tune in to me on the radio to give the Happy Honker award at the game's end. But instead we had to wait, and wait we did, with Bob Irving ably stretching the pre-game show from 2 to 4 and a half hours in his usual seamless and brilliant fashion, and then staying on to field calls for an hour after the game was done.

And not only did the majority of fans who arrived before the game, whose numbers totalled over 24,000 at the start and were estimated to still be around 17,000 once kickoff actually arrived, stick around through all of that inclement weather, but many fans who actually were still at home when the game was first delayed, rather than just pack it in and call it a night with the game on TV at home, chose to drive out to the stadium at 10:00 p.m. and arrive for the modified start time, and once everyone was in the stands, they brought a noise and energy that was louder than anyone could imagine a crowd could deliver after such a long wait. And the club rewarded their patience and their passion with the most complete home game this club may have ever seen since they moved into IGF some 3 years ago. So for all of those fans who stuck around for that long delay, for all of those fans who made a point of coming out to the stadium to watch the game at 10:00 p.m. after the delay, and especially for all of those volunteers in the stadium at the vendors, in the parking lots, on the cheer squad and the ticket booths, to the bus drivers getting people home at this late, or is it early hour, this game was truly about the great support that all of you give to this club, no matter what. And you all deserve the Happy Honker Award tonight. So for everyone still at the game at 1:00 a.m. when it ended, either fan or employee, this Happy Honker goes to you. Give yourselves a honk!!!

[Bigblue204]

2 hours ago, Old Bomber Fan said:

I guess MOS didn't let the players look back but instead read the riot act to ensure they were up for this game. Thought Denmark continued from where he left off after being cut for "better" players and didn't let me down at all, just caught everything that was catchable in his direction. Thought the defense played very well and after the first half the game was essentially over. My big concern, and there is always a concern after a win or loss, was the play calling in the second half. While I agree the game was essentially over, I felt that we took the foot off the pedal in the second half and became too complacent. Hamilton moved the ball pretty well at will and save for an Ian Wild interception could have made the game closer, not within reach but certainly closer. Time of possession etc was certainly in their favour I believe as were the other stats but the hole was simply too big to overcome.

The injuries to the secondary have exposed some good players that have been on the sidelines or PR and perhaps should have been playing before. I really like Loffler at safety, Hendricks is a find and Fogg seems to be coming into his own.

The big thing now is congrats, they have won 2 in a row and now go on the road. Another fast start will certainly help in their quest to win again. Here's hoping!!

 

They were only doing what the defence allowed them to do. That's how you protect the lead. Do not under any circumstance allow the big play/fast score. Take that away and you unfortunately give up the short/intermediate stuff, which is all they did. So while it looked like they were moving the ball on them. The defence was still fully in control except a few hiccups. Don't let the stats fool you, that was a very solid defensive effort the entire game.

[WildPath]

Even though I don't have memories of listening to Cactus Jack, I still love reading posts when Cactus Jack is being channel. Very entertaining.

[TrueBlue4ever]

I must admit I "hear" his voice in my head when I am typing it out. Kind of like hearing "I see a little silhouett-o of a man" and not being able to read it without singing along in the voice of Freddie Mercury in your head.

 

[Atomic]

I'm not sure if it's 3 stars or happy honker but Thomas "Cinco de" Mayo had a great game.  We needed at least one of the young receivers to step up and he did that.

[17to85]

The int loffler had was a beauty simply for how he just fought for it all the way and took it away from Fantuz 

[Bigblue204]

4 minutes ago, 17to85 said:

The int loffler had was a beauty simply for how he just fought for it all the way and took it away from Fantuz 

That's exactly what I thought too, he took that away from a solid rec. 

On another note, Fantuz is a tool. Kicks the ball like that after scoring 2 points while still down 26 lol.

[Mr Dee]

I just wish there was a boat positioned in the end zone for the Bombers to have jumped into for celebration. #stillremember

[Jpan85]

#neverforgettheboat

[17to85]

1 hour ago, Bigblue204 said:

That's exactly what I thought too, he took that away from a solid rec. 

On another note, Fantuz is a tool. Kicks the ball like that after scoring 2 points while still down 26 lol.

Honestly I think that was a case of a player just trying to show his team that he still cares and they should still be fighting. The guy who was a real dink was the backup quarterback who scored the touchdown. OK buddy go dance away when you're on the wrong end of an ass kicking. At least what Fantuz did came off as frustration rather than self satisfaction. 

[sweep the leg]

I'll give a Happy Honker to my 10 year old kid, who stuck it out until the end so he could finally see the Bombers win. He's been to several games over the past two years and had seen nothing but losses prior to last night.

 

[Brandon]

Loffler had a nice game but he only got the pick because the ball bounced off of Fogg's head.  IMO on defense Fogg had the best game.

 

Denmark for sure coming in on a few days notice played solid.

[Bigblue204]

34 minutes ago, 17to85 said:

Honestly I think that was a case of a player just trying to show his team that he still cares and they should still be fighting. The guy who was a real dink was the backup quarterback who scored the touchdown. OK buddy go dance away when you're on the wrong end of an ass kicking. At least what Fantuz did came off as frustration rather than self satisfaction. 

I thought both were worthy of a "hey guys, look at the score bored" type of deal.

[Nash00]

18 minutes ago, Brandon said:

Loffler had a nice game but he only got the pick because the ball bounced off of Fogg's head.  IMO on defense Fogg had the best game.

 

Denmark for sure coming in on a few days notice played solid.

He still needed to make the play on a tip drill against a sure handed receiver in Fantuz. Full mark to Loffler for awareness and outworking Fantuz for the ball.

No argument on Fogg though, he was brilliant. (He does need to work on those hands though)

[kelownabomberfan]

3 hours ago, TrueBlue4ever said:

I must admit I "hear" his voice in my head when I am typing it out. Kind of like hearing "I see a little silhouett-o of a man" and not being able to read it without singing along in the voice of Freddie Mercury in your head.

 

Great job and thanks for making the effort as it was extremely enjoyable - the only thing that stuck out to me was that in your channeling Cactus got every player's name right.  He rarely did that.  In fact, he probably would have called Milt "Mike" a few times.  But that was one of the reasons why we loved him.

Edited August 4, 2016 by kelownabomberfan

[kelownabomberfan]

 

31 minutes ago, Nash00 said:

He still needed to make the play on a tip drill against a sure handed receiver in Fantuz. Full mark to Loffler for awareness and outworking Fantuz for the ball.

No argument on Fogg though, he was brilliant. (He does need to work on those hands though)

I had heard on the broadcast of last week's game that Loffler played Aussie Rules Football.  When he made that interception it looked exactly like two guys going up for a mark (I watched a lot of AFL when I lived in Perth) only Fantuz didn't realize a battle was on and so Loffler out-jumped him for the ball.  Loffler's aussie rules experience really helped him there on that INT.  At least, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

[Goalie]

I think you'd have to give it to the 18000 or so fans who stuck around for 2.5 hours really during the delay. I think those people definitely deserve some huge props... 18000 or so but.. on TV, it sounded like way more. a very loud  18,000. Probably a very drunk and very full 18,000 but still... i'd imagine the bathrooms got quite the workout last night...

 

But as for the on field stuff

 

1. Special Teams - I can't really single anyone out in particular, D Jones maybe? Kyle Knox? What speed on that guy.. WOW... but the unit as a whole were very very good

2. Fogg- Dude is cousins with Brandon Banks, and seems to be almost as dangerous as Banks is on returns

3. Thomas "No Pickles or " Mayo. - Who expected that? Kid with the funky hair had himself a game.