Monday Morning Musings - Healthy Bar Fight Scratch Gossip edition

[TrueBlue4ever]

Again, after letting the emotion subside and reviewing the weekend that was:

What to say about the Bombers after another systematic dismantling of a team at home?

Well, they have outscored the opposition 78-11 in the first half of their last 3 games, and despite grumblings about inconsistency and taking their foot off the gas, they have outscored their opponents 28-25 in the second half of those same 3 games (and in fact have outscored their opponents in the second half 61-40 on the entire season). Perhaps we should praise this team for knowing how to lock things down and grind out the clock when ahead, unlike our pro hockey team last year, rather than picking on low passing totals and two and outs. They have outscored their opponents in the second half in 4 of 5 games this year.

Bombers have led going into the 4th quarter of every game so far this year, and only trailed at the half once. They have not been behind in any game since the opening week against BC, when they trailed four minutes into the third quarter after a Lemar Durant TD. They promptly tied the game on the next play on the blocked convert attempt return. They never trailed against Edmonton, Toronto, or Ottawa in either game.

The Bomber defence has not allowed a touchdown in 3 of 5 games this year.

Then there is this nice summary on cfl.ca:

https://www.cfl.ca/2019/07/22/steinbergs-mmqb-no-sign-weakness/

The best part of this team so far is the balance. Week one the offence made adjustments at the half when trailing, defence forces a turnover and they capitalize immediately. then after they lose the lead again the defence atones to tie it up, and the offence takes over from there. Next game, offence struggles but makes some big plays, and defence stands tough when needed. Third game defence is strong while offence gets untracked, but special teams makes the difference and again the O capitalizes when handed the opportunity. Then all 3 phases click against the Argos, and when it seems like there is some life, the D says enough and gives us a goal line stand, and the O says we'll put a cherry on top with an exclamation point TD. And this week, the secondary rebounds after the letdown against the Argos to stifle the RedBlack passing attack, while Lawler atones for last week's brain cramp and Petermann shows "next man up" is no big worry.

And different players are stepping up consistently. Wolitarsky and Adams are sharp early, but when they disappear, Demski steps up. Harris having an off game? Cue Lucky Whitehead. Injury to Matthews, hello Kenny Lawler. And Nichols is using them all fairly equally. On defence the line has been a monster, but it's the collective, with no weak links and no one star to key on. The secondary has given up some yards, but even I was surprised to see they have 8 INTs already, and their coverage on Friday was impressive with no PI calls. Medlock has not had many opportunities to kick field goals, and missed a couple, but his sidewinder punts are proving to be no gimmick but a legitimate weapon. Return game has been solid (sure handed catches) and spectacular (big gains), and the punt coverage is unreal, with a different star each week (Exume 5 tackles in week 1, Miller 7 in week 4, Miles 3 in week 5).

So life is really good in Bomber land, and I haven't seen this kind of offensive balance since 2001, where they spread the ball around as much as they do. And they are cool, calm, and collected. Liked the attitude after Toronto where it was "we can do better, we left some stuff out there on offence and gave up some stuff on defence" without sounding panicked or petty about it. And every week it's "we're 0-0, let's go out and be 1-0 after this game". Give me more of this quiet humility and determination than a boatload of Swaggerville - this team doesn't need to prove to anyone else how good they are, just themselves. Others will catch on soon enough.

 

 

[Geebrr]

It is funny, because the past few years people worried about slow starts. 

 

[TrueBlue4ever]

Here are some numbers to chew on when trying to decipher where the CFL teams really stand so far, in terms of strength of competition. I'll just give you the raw data, make of it what you will.

I will first list the overall record and winning percentage of each team's opponents, along with the number of games against an opponent with a .500 or better record. I will then provide the "adjusted" record and winning percentage as determined by what the opponent's record was at the time the game was actually played, to possibly reflect that's opponent's strength at that point in time (example, the Bombers have beaten Ottawa twice, a team with a 2-3 record, so a .400 winning percentage and no games against a .500 or better opponent - but at the point in time the Bombers played them, the RedBlacks were 2-0 and then 2-2, for a .667 winning percentage and 2 of 2 games against a .500 or better team). When considering the "at this point in time" record of the team to establish a game against a .500 or better team, I did NOT count week 1 where everyone was 0-0. So the number of games against a .500 or better team in that category ignores playing a team at 0-0. Only Toronto did not factor into this adjustment, and Hamilton in fact had two games reduced because of this factor. All totals are complete through week 6.

BC's opponents have an overall record of 16-14 (.533), and 4 of 6 are currently .500 or better. "At the time" record is 4-7 (.364) with 2 of 5 opponents at .500 or better.

Calgary's opponents have an overall record of 9-17 (.346), and 1 of 5 are currently .500 or better. "At the time" record is 4-9 (.308) with 1 of 4 opponents at .500 or better.

Edmonton's opponents have an overall record of 13-14 (.481), and 3 of 5 are currently .500 or better. "At the time" record is 4-6 (.400) with 2 of 4 opponents at .500 or better.

Saskatchewan's opponents have an overall record of 10-16 (.384), and 2 of 5 are currently .500 or better. "At the time" record is 3-7 (.300) with 2 of 4 opponents at .500 or better.

Winnipeg's opponents have an overall record of 8-18 (.308), and 1 of 5 are currently .500 or better. "At the time" record is 6-5 (.545) with 3 of 4 opponents at .500 or better.

Hamilton's opponents have an overall record of 11-14 (.444), and 3 of 5 are currently .500 or better. "At the time" record is 2-4 (.333) with 1 of 3 opponents at .500 or better.

Montreal's opponents have an overall record of 16-9 (.640), and 4 of 5 are currently .500 or better. "At the time" record is 10-2 (.833) with 4 of 4 opponents at .500 or better.

Ottawa's opponents have an overall record of 18-7 (.720), and 4 of 5 are currently .500 or better. "At the time" record is 7-3 (.700) with 2 of 4 opponents at .500 or better.

Toronto's opponents have an overall record of 15-11 (.577), and 3 of 5 are currently .500 or better. "At the time" record is 6-7 (.462) with 3 of 5 opponents at .500 or better.

[johnzo]

1 hour ago, TrueBlue4ever said:

Montreal's opponents have an overall record of 16-9 (.640), and 4 of 5 are currently .500 or better. "At the time" record is 10-2 (.833) with 4 of 4 opponents at .500 or better.

When you put it this way, the Als look like a legit upper tier team.

[do or die]

Continuity, depth, and coaching are all combining to build team confidence.  Believe we are looking at at the payoff of a process, that is more than well under way.

In today's Canadian Mafia....there is no confusion about anyone's roles and responsibilities.....from the Godfather (Miller) to the Capo (Walters) and the Captain (MOS)  The button men (players) are provided with both the proper direction and motivation.
People in some other cities, like to blab stuff about MOS....but this team plays hard and physical....but yet displays good discipline.  Special teams are another good indicator of intensity and attitude, overall.
Over the 18 game schedule, guys will get always get nicked....Bombers are demonstrating an ability to plug in replacements who can do a job.  Having guys who can ball, just waiting for their chance, also provides internal motivation for everyone.

This regime has taken some knocks, but the whole landscape has really changed for the better, as this winning culture is being built, right before our eyes.

 

 

 

[do or die]

1 hour ago, johnzo said:

When you put it this way, the Als look like a legit upper tier team.

In the East...probably are....

[Booch]

3 minutes ago, do or die said:

Continuity, depth, and coaching are all combining to build team confidence.  Believe we are looking at at the payoff of a process, that is more than well under way.

In today's Canadian Mafia....there is no confusion about anyone's roles and responsibilities.....from the Godfather (Miller) to the Capo (Walters) and the Captain (MOS)  The button men (players) are provided with both the proper direction and motivation.
People in some other cities, like to blab stuff about MOS....but this team plays hard and physical....but yet displays good discipline.  Special teams are another good indicator of intensity and attitude, overall.
Over the 18 game schedule, guys will get always get nicked....Bombers are demonstrating an ability to plug in replacements who can do a job.  Having guys who can ball, just waiting for their chance, also provides internal motivation for everyone.

This regime has taken some knocks, but the whole landscape has really changed for the better, as this winning culture is being built, right before our eyes.

 

 

 

yeah Osh has these guys playing hard and mean within the whistles and the rules...being one of if not the least penalized team as well the last few years is proof of it

[WBBFanWest]

2 hours ago, do or die said:

Continuity, depth, and coaching are all combining to build team confidence.  Believe we are looking at at the payoff of a process, that is more than well under way.

In today's Canadian Mafia....there is no confusion about anyone's roles and responsibilities.....from the Godfather (Miller) to the Capo (Walters) and the Captain (MOS)  The button men (players) are provided with both the proper direction and motivation.
People in some other cities, like to blab stuff about MOS....but this team plays hard and physical....but yet displays good discipline.  Special teams are another good indicator of intensity and attitude, overall.
Over the 18 game schedule, guys will get always get nicked....Bombers are demonstrating an ability to plug in replacements who can do a job.  Having guys who can ball, just waiting for their chance, also provides internal motivation for everyone.

This regime has taken some knocks, but the whole landscape has really changed for the better, as this winning culture is being built, right before our eyes.

 

 

 

Ummm point of order:  Capo and Captain are the same thing.  Boss-Under Boss-Captain/Capo

[kelownabomberfan]

4 minutes ago, WBBFanWest said:

Ummm point of order:  Capo and Captain are the same thing.  Boss-Under Boss-Captain/Capo

yeah, it's like people have never watched the Sopranos....yeesh...

[do or die]

How would I know?.....as Nixon said "I am not a crook."