In Case You Missed It

[Mr Dee]

Bye this week - Hamilton 

I can't wait to lay a beating on the Bombers under the lights July 1st. Place is going to be insane. - (poster- Riderfans - The usual suspect)

Herb Zurkowsky    -   It's believed #AlsMTL cornerback Jonathon Mincy suffered a concussion in the fourth quarter. Injury to @7Bowman not considered serious.

Mason Nesbitt   -   Just talked to @CowboyAthletics and @GopherFootball product Drew Wolitarsky. He's excited to join CFL Winnipeg Blue Bombers in about a week.

Randy Turner   -   Fun Fact: Construction crew that built Mosaic Stadium was 2nd largest workforce in Regina last yr. Only Riders practice roster was larger.

Rick Armstrong   - The sideline seats at BMO are $225/$250 a ticket. Sidelines midfield $85-$150. Far too expensive when trying to attract fans. #CFL

?‍? Seems like the Bombers forgot to pretend the 1st quarter is the second Q, so they could actually begin to play on time..

?‍? The Bombers thumb their noses at the Riders by overcoming bad tackling, missed open receivers, allowing 4 sacks and no help from the C’mon Centre.  - But we beat Saskatchewan, so all is forgiven…

?‍?Say what you will, but after all is said and done, we played 3/4 and beat a team that played 4

?‍? Yes, I agree the 4th quarter offence should have been able to control TOP much better than it did

?‍? Heh, heh, heh..Weston Dressler, in the new Mozaic stadium, personally rubbing it in..

CFL - Opening of New Mosaic fails to have fairy tale ending. @Wpg_BlueBombers spoil @sskroughriders

?‍?that's all I need to see ^^

QUOTES   -   3downnation

“Luckily, we made one more play at the end than they did,” said Blue Bombers slotback Weston Dressler.

“It’s a roller-coaster ride, but at the same time I don’t feel like we did our job as an offence,” Nichols said. “We’re up 14 and we need to go down the field and at least kick another field goal and go up 17. We didn’t get that job done.”

“We could have come into halftime feeling sorry for ourselves and not responded,” Nichols said. “We did come out and we did respond and put up points and it seemed like they were coming in bunches. I think that just speaks to the kind of team that we have.”

“We can play good defence some of the time, but we need to learn how to play good defence all the time,” Jones said.

"I make two better decisions in that game, & we win that game." 

Ed Tait    -   “We gave the last punch,” said Bombers receiver Darvin Adams. “It’s always good to win. We’ve got a lot of things to clean up, but it’s so much better to be doing it after a win.

Jeff Hamilton     -   Mike O'Shea on W. Dressler: "He’s still fast, if anyone was questioning that. He still gets behind coverage. You need him on the team.”

-"Great players make great f**king plays," one #Bomber player said re: Jamaal "shoestring" Westerman, who caught the foot of Marshall in OT.

Sam Hurl    -   Love the guys we got in our locker room! Big win! #bluebombers

Chris Jones   -   We can't say we should be 2-0. We played two good teams who deserved to beat us and we let them make enough plays to beat us.

Andrew Harris   -   “For. The. W.”

Maurice Leggett   -   "No more talking about last year. Time to be better starting this week."

?‍?Somebody's going to lose a road game at Mozaic Stadium..we’re ok this time..

CFL Headlines   -   ESPN2 misses end of CFL game with technical difficulties, no on-air acknowledgement awfulannouncing.com/espn/espn2-mis… via @AndrewBucholtz

- $277K 50/50 win unclaimed in Sask. goo.gl/FZwKU9 #MosaicStadium #Riders

Weston Dressler has now played three games against his old club and his totals are gaudy – 20 receptions for 336 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed once for 22 yards -Tait

17:17 – Minutes played before the Bombers registered their first first down of the game, on an eight-yard completion to Weston Dressler. Winnipeg had zero first downs in the first quarter; Saskatchewan had five. Ed Tait

Edmonton remain undefeated – but lose another key player. (John White)

Jeff Hamilton   -   #Bombers R L'Damian Washington, whose family struggled after losing both of their parents, dedicated Saturday's touchdown to his 3 brothers.

?‍?My tackle of the game goes to Kyle Knox on Morris

?‍?My strange play of the game - Sask. throwing 2 defenders out to cover 3 Bomber receivers…Easy TD Dressler

 .....           GREAT EFFORTS............... 

 

Luca Congi   -   I can't stand when people say the kicker lost the game. it's a team game. How about the fact that you left Dressler wide open for 2 TD

Winnipeg Blue Bombers   -   "At the end of the day it’s just football. We knew there would be obstacles to overcome and we did it.”

?‍?MAJOR D-BAG ALERT - On TJ Heath’s interception, Duron Carter chases Heath, but doesn't catch him, so instead he grabs Hurls face mask and spins him around., confirming his official status as the league’s Major D-Bag, and it ain't even close.

At the 1:22 mark of this clip  http://ow.ly/c53O30dfbpA

?‍?Darrin Adams, on the 1st Dressler TD shows restraint by NOT attempting a block on Rider #45 Kacy Rodgers II

?‍?Notice that nice play by Miller on forcing that fumble by Morris.

Blue Bomber Talk   -   Chris Jones lost to Darian Durant in week one & Weston Dressler in week two. He plays John Chick next week. #Riders #CFL

3downnation   -The Stamps are using an international at centre (Ucambre Williams) while Canadians Spencer Wilson (left) and Dan Federkeil (right) are manning the tackle spots. 

-Rene Paredes has a problem with converts.

-the home opener attendance wasn’t great. A crowd of 24,613 might be great in other cities but it’s disappointing in Calgary.

CFL Headlines   - New three-year partnership between Parc olympique and the Alouettes #AlsMTL #CFL  goo.gl/XgFvPM

?‍?Yech - Winnipeg’s first-down production in the first quarter averaged just 1.8 yards Ed Tait

?‍?The good-

The Bombers got possession of the ball with 2:37 left in the first half, and over the next 13 minutes and 32 seconds into the third quarter, out-scored the Riders 31-3. During that span, the club ran 18 plays that resulted in 273 yards and three touchdowns, as Nichols went 10 for 13 for 234 yards and hit Dressler twice and Washington once for TDs.

?‍?The bad

After a Medlock field goal restored a two-touchdown lead at 37-23, the Bombers were outscored 14-zip in the final nine minutes of regulation while having three consecutive punts on their possessions before ending with a kneel-down prior to overtime. Ed Tait

CFL Headlines   - Chris Jones is in over his head goo.gl/fb/mRoMB5 via @GregUrbanoski (Rider Writer)

Herb Zurkowsky   -   It should come as no surprise #AlsMTL CB Jonathon Mincy isn't at practice. Suffered concussion. Two corners are Phillips and Unamba.

Drew Edwards   -   #Ticats have placed REC @TToliver80 on the six-game injured list. #CFL

Calgary   -   The Stamps have added defensive lineman Aston Whiteside to the practice roster

 

Week 3 Bye - Edmonton 

BC @ Montreal

Calgary @ Winnipeg

Toronto @ Ottawa

Hamilton @ Saskatchewan - can you say biggest game of the week?

 

 

[SpeedFlex27]

Argos ticket prices??? WTH??? The people making decisions like this in the Argos front office need to be fired as they are morons. Did they not learn anything from the Grey Cup ticket fiasco last year? Man, that is just stupidity plain & simple.

As far as the disappointing crowds in Calgary? Get used to it. The fanbase is jaded with great regular seasons year in & year out only to choke in the playoffs or Grey Cups. What's the point of players bragging on twitter or other social media platforms about how great they are or putting other teams down as being inferior (Mitchell) when they flat out choke themselves? Stamps fans don't care if the go undefeated at home or 15-2-1 just to lose to the RedBlacks who were 8-9-1.

The dwindling fanbase is angrily jaded & although it may seem unbelievable with all the success the team has had the past 3 decades, but the city is turned off with the Stampeders. Scary thing right now is the apathy. Fans don't seem to care about the team anymore with all the chokes they've served up over the years. That Grey Cup loss has really set the Stampeders back & may have been the straw that broke the camels back. No one wears any Stamps gear in public & no one talks about the team anymore. I think a lot of people have no idea when its game day here. The team does very little marketing. Combine that with a horrible economy with unemployment at 9.6%, a Flames team on the rise & the Stamps are a poor second on the sports radar in Cowtown.

Edited July 3, 2017 by SpeedFlex27

[Fatty Liver]

27 minutes ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

Argos ticket prices??? WTH??? The people making decisions like this in the Argos front office need to be fired as they are morons. Did they not learn anything from the Grey Cup ticket fiasco last year? Man, that is just stupidity plain & simple.

As far as the disappointing crowds in Calgary? Get used to it. The fanbase is jaded with great regular seasons year in & year out only to choke in the playoffs or Grey Cups. What's the point of players bragging on twitter or other social media platforms about how great they are or putting other teams down as being inferior (Mitchell) when they flat out choke themselves? Stamps fans don't care if the go undefeated at home or 15-2-1 just to lose to the RedBlacks who were 8-9-1.

The dwindling fanbase is angrily jaded & although it may seem unbelievable with all the success the team has had the past 3 decades, but the city is turned off with the Stampeders. Scary thing right now is the apathy. Fans don't seem to care about the team anymore with all the chokes they've served up over the years. That Grey Cup loss has really set the Stampeders back & may have been the straw that broke the camels back. No one wears any Stamps gear in public & no one talks about the team anymore. I think a lot of people have no idea when its game day here. The team does very little marketing. Combine that with a horrible economy with unemployment at 9.6%, a Flames team on the rise & the Stamps are a poor second on the sports radar in Cowtown.

Do you think football fans are following the NFL or are football fans in CGY. dwindling?  I spent 7 years in Cgy. and didn't run into many football fans, most people were tied up in their careers and raising their kids.

[SpeedFlex27]

59 minutes ago, Throw Long Bannatyne said:

Do you think football fans are following the NFL or are football fans in CGY. dwindling?  I spent 7 years in Cgy. and didn't run into many football fans, most people were tied up in their careers and raising their kids.

Even more than before. The Seahawks & Cardinals are big here. People still vacation in the Phoenix area or have property down there. When the NFL season starts, there are a lot of friends of mine who fly down for games in Arizona or at Xmas, the college bowl games like the Fiesta Bowl. You can bet most of them don't spend a loonie on the Stampeders.

The Seahawks are the closest NFL team here so there are also a lot of fans that go to their games. Although, I suspect that the number of fans from Calgary that do travel to Seattle to see the games is less than it used to be due to the horrible economy. The same with the Cardinals. However, the number is still in the thousands for both teams even in a bad economy.

The Grey Cup loss just made it worse attracting fans back or getting new ones. The team is viewed as a choker. The players the same. All talk, talk, talk but when the chips are down they inevitably fail. My surgeon who did the surgery on my feet has Seahawks season tickets. He flies down for home games. I've talked to him about the Stamps but he really doesn't care. Which seems to be prevalent here.

If it wasn't for CHQR there's be virtually no Stamps coverage. However, like CJOB they have other programming so the Stamps are priority #7 or #8 when it comes to coverage. Gotta have all those infomercials all weekend long. Click. See ya.

The Fan 960 is all Flames everyday Mon -Fri with Blue Jays baseball thrown in during the week. On weekends it's ESPN radio so American programming. hey, lets talk Golden State basketball or Marlins baseball isn't that great. I'm surprised they even have an audience those 2 days. The Fan 960 does have a bit of Stamps coverage on Fridays but not a lot.

As far as discretionary income goes here, if anyone has money to spend it sure isn't spent on the Stamps. They do have their 24-26,000 core of fans but it isn't growing at all. Having a dumpster for a stadium is another reason the fanbase is dwindling. McMahon Stadium is a pile of crap. People here see the new stadiums in Regina & Winnipeg & want one here but the Flames & City have no interest in building one. Having an old stadium like that is definitely affecting attendance. A new facility for the Stamps is needed badly. Our Mayor is a total asshat when it comes to sports. He is the Supreme Negatron when it comes to anything sports related especially new buildings. Flames want their arena & that's all they care about. Nenshi opposes anything when it comes to new facilities.

I think a new facility like Investors Group Field or Mosaic Stadium would totally change the perception here that the CFL is minor league & the Stamps aren't worth supporting. Doesn't look like it'll ever happen which is sad. The Stamps are stuck with a 60 year old facility for a long time.

Edited July 3, 2017 by SpeedFlex27

[Noeller]

Cgy is just not a CFL town. The whole time I've been in AB it's been like that. Love their UFC, not so much the CFL... 

[Jesse]

2 minutes ago, Noeller said:

Cgy is just not a CFL town. The whole time I've been in AB it's been like that. Love their UFC, not so much the CFL... 

They have among the best attendance in the league every year, don't they ?

[Arnold_Palmer]

I don't think it's just Calgary. I think it's every major CFL city. When the global scale for the NFL is so huge and fantasy football is popular for the 18-35 range it gets people really engaged into the game. I'm 26 and I can say I'm easily the biggest Bomber fan in our group of friends who are all huge sports people.

[SpeedFlex27]

1 minute ago, Jesse said:

They have among the best attendance in the league every year, don't they ?

Core of 24-26,000 every game. Older fanbase.

Edited July 3, 2017 by SpeedFlex27

[Noeller]

Definitely not a well attended venue... No question about that. 

[SpeedFlex27]

10 minutes ago, Noeller said:

Definitely not a well attended venue... No question about that. 

I think price of tickets is a problem the CFL refuses to address. Hopefully Randy Ambrosie does that when he officially takes over. It's not so much the price of season tickets but single game day tickets. The CFL has virtually eliminated the walkup. Especially with every game televised. TV is giving the CFL more revenue generally but hurting it at the same time as attendance is falling. There needs to be a price point where casual fans think there's value to attending games & I think they will.

Edited July 3, 2017 by SpeedFlex27

[rebusrankin]

Agree on ticket prices. Loved the idea that BC had for $5 tickets for kids. All clubs need some $20-$25 walk up tickets.

[SpeedFlex27]

Just now, rebusrankin said:

Agree on ticket prices. Loved the idea that BC had for $5 tickets for kids. All clubs need some $20-$25 walk up tickets.

Who wants to pay anywhere from $85 to over a hundred dollars a ticket on Game Day to watch a CFL game when they can see it for free at home? If you want to sit on the 20 yard line at McMahon that's what you pay. You can buy cheap seats thru Safeway but they're in Section A in the end zone.

[Fatty Liver]

3 minutes ago, Arnold_Palmer said:

I don't think it's just Calgary. I think it's every major CFL city. When the global scale for the NFL is so huge and fantasy football is popular for the 18-35 range it gets people really engaged into the game. I'm 26 and I can say I'm easily the biggest Bomber fan in our group of friends who are all huge sports people.

I think a lot of it has to do with the demise of print media delivered to the door daily, people followed the CFL because that was the sports news that local media delivered daily.  Now  people tend to go online for their news, weather and sports info..  It's much easier to get caught up in the hype of the NFL as the volume of information and the level of promotion is huge compared to the CFL which has become a niche product even within Canadian borders. 

I think this all starts at age 10-12 when most boys get interested in following and watching football, if everyone at school is talking NFL other kids are going to pick up on that right away and deem the CFL inferior.  The only hope the CFL has of generating new fans is to get them into the stadiums repeatedly so they become fans of live football and that depends a lot on parents being interested in the product and taking their kids while they're still young.

[Tracker]

Love this quote:

Randy Turner   -   Fun Fact: Construction crew that built Mosaic Stadium was 2nd largest workforce in Regina last yr. Only Riders practice roster was larger.

[wbbfan]

that face mask needs to be sent into the league. Another rider who needs a fine.

 

[BigBlue]

What I don't like is the agency fees ... they seem too high and too easy for too little work ... hurts the walk up business for sure .... only escape is buy season tickets ... pure greed and lack of competition

Toronto continues to suffer from P**** envy .... they are trendy, extreme trend followers and want to pretend they could be as good as a classy American city: the blue jays suffer from this band wagon effect ... Toronto could develop its own niche of fans but they have to develop that crowd with lower priced tickets that makes them attractive compared to other competitive venues ... many real fans wouldn't go to Rogers centre because everything was too expensive, refreshments, parking, driving time ... it was more fun to just visit the local beer store, order a pizza and watch the game on TV .... and your wallet wasn't $200 lighter the next day

If you can get decent seats for $35-60 each all in, things could change ... when your fan base gets above 20K then slowly start to raise prices on the best seats but keep the cheap seats around for developing fans

I wonder how pricing for soccer compares to football tickets at BMO

[Arnold_Palmer]

Toronto is a very diverse city. A lot of second generation immigrants so they have no root to the CFL. I do agree Toronto is a huge bandwagon city though, because how big around the world MLB and NBA is it's easy for them to get big crowds, but they don't truly care about the product. 

[Tracker]

55 minutes ago, Arnold_Palmer said:

Toronto is a very diverse city. A lot of second generation immigrants so they have no root to the CFL. I do agree Toronto is a huge bandwagon city though, because how big around the world MLB and NBA is it's easy for them to get big crowds, but they don't truly care about the product. 

Toronto is very diverse. The longer you stay there, di verse it gets.

[Guest J5V]

6 hours ago, tracker said:

Toronto is very diverse. The longer you stay there, di verse it gets.

{groan}

[WildPath]

I couldn't believe that the Carter facemask wasn't penalized or at least talked about on TV. Maybe Bob and Doug caught it? I saw it right away and watched it again to see what the hell happened and who did it. Wasn't too surprised....

I don't really blame the Bombers for the whole slow start thing though. I expected it after that bye. I also called it to my buddy that they would make a comeback. Just thought that they would be able to sustain it throughout and after getting the lead thought they would really crush them.

[WildPath]

In regards to ticket prices. I had season tix at the old stadium and got them for a little over $100 for the north end zone. I could barely afford rent, but I felt like I had to get them at that price point. Got a lot of entertainment for that and definitely made me more of a fan. I haven't gone to a game since, but a lot of that is because I teach in Northern MB for most of the year. Also echo the comment that getting kids interested at a young age is very important. I do a lot of football with the kids there. They have barely any knowledge or experience with football before and end up very interested in it. Usually I show them some highlight clips toward the end of the year. Would really have been nice to bring some to a preseason game and get them to see the atmosphere in the stadium.

[LeBird]

8 hours ago, wbbfan said:

that face mask needs to be sent into the league. Another rider who needs a fine.

 

Not egregious enough they would say. However, they should report it to the league in the hope the refs would watch that slimeball a lot more.

[WinnipegGordo]

12 hours ago, wbbfan said:

that face mask needs to be sent into the league. Another rider who needs a fine.

 

There was also that asshat Rider that tried to horsecollar Dressler 10 yards into the endzone. 

[Mark F]

Looks like MrDee's phrase "c'mon centre" is moving outwards, saw it several times on the other Bomber forum.

 

 

Quote

 

?‍? Heh, heh, heh..Weston Dressler, in the new Mozaic stadium, personally rubbing it in..

 

I've read that he lives in Regina and his wife is from Regina.

Letting Dressler go must drive Sask fans nuts.

Truly boneheaded move.

 

Edited July 4, 2017 by Mark F

[Mr Dee]

Wish I could be there for this. He was quite the character....and Coach