Week 2 thoughts

[Nolby]

-Reilly has the magic soccer spray on his elbow and makes the Lions look like they could be a threat

-Alberta as a whole blows

- Sask offense is good but they've yet to play a good defense

-Collaros playing smart,Bomber D and Oline are second to none

- Montreal looks like a GC threat

-Ottawa off

-Argos come down to earth real fast

-Hamilton is a tire fire

[Mark H.]

No surprises yet:

Winnipeg has a legit QB & simply continues to play smash mouth, disciplined football (FIFO)

BC: Reilly will keep piling up the yards. Playing hurt is nothing new for this guy

Edmonton: same old TH story - tons of yards, not enough points, poor decisions at critical times

Calgary: Bo just ain't Bo - things are not looking for the Stamps

Sask: until proven otherwise, they are legit

Montreal: not surpised by them. A well coached team with a QB who gives a gutsy effort

Hamilton: continue to show the intestinal fortitude of warmed up pasta

Argos: they look decent - probably a .500 team or better

Ottawa: no comment 

[Mark F]

how many rushing yards against argos?

thought the O line had a tough time opening holes v. argos.

 I really enjoyed all of the games. and the game threads here.

second fav team.... Als,1.  khari, and 2. their young qb has had a tough time, and worked through it.

and, they are no longer dirty.

Edited August 15, 2021 by Mark F

[wbbfan]

14 minutes ago, Mark F said:

how many rushing yards against argos?

thought the O line had a tough time opening holes v. argos.

 I really enjoyed all of the games. and the game threads here.

second fav team.... Als,1.  khari, and 2. their young qb has had a tough time, and worked through it.

and, they are no longer dirty.

They run blitzd us and are extremely good up the middle. All our success running came out side of the a and b gaps. We beat the blitz with come back routes but that doesn't stop the blitz. To stop it you have to beat em deep or with the run. 

A lot of teams are running heavier sets like Hamilton now. Either in an extra ol or two back set. We mostly chip a wr. I expect to see some progression in the coming weeks in our offense. Teams are not gonna play the pass and try to stop the run with 5 guys. 

Our ol is still great and Deep. Tors front 6 is as good as ours in run stopping. Right now I'd say these are the two best ds. 

[do or die]

Gin fueled left handed stab at power rankings

#1 Riders
Generational team of destiny.....expect them to go 14-0.... or better
#2 Bombers
Rock solid O, D, ST, and coaching...built for playoff action
#3 Montreal
Kahari great motivator, Adams might be getting there
#4 Toronto
Physical team, plenty of talent, if they can harness it
#5 Edmonton
QB Harris is one of the CFL greats ....outside the red zone.
#6 Calgary (rubs eyes)
BLM has looked more like Little Bo Peep
#7 BC
Mysterious QB setup, lot of fresh faces
#8 Ottawa
D competes.....but that O....that QB situation
#9 Hamilton
Better that some of the above - on paper
Injuries, lack of dept and under-performers

[Jpan85]

TSN Broadcast - Dustin Nielson has been a breath of fresh air. Can see him being lead announcer in a few years.

[wbbfan]

28 minutes ago, Jpan85 said:

TSN Broadcast - Dustin Nielson has been a breath of fresh air. Can see him being lead announcer in a few years.

Yeah. Thankfully some of the other guys gotta age out at some point. 

[Mark F]

1 hour ago, do or die said:

1 Riders
Generational team of destiny.....expect them to go 14-0.... or better

yeah, think they could def. go regular season 15   16 wins, due to the greatness of their wins. NFL scouts are hovering in the wings!

probably the best football team in a thousand years. 

Edited August 16, 2021 by Mark F

[17to85]

40 minutes ago, Mark F said:

yeah, think they could def. go regular season 15   16 wins, due to the greatness of their wins. NFL scouts are hovering in the wings!

probably the best football team in a thousand years. 

Is it too soon to ask if fajardo is better than Doug Flutie?

[wbbfan]

29 minutes ago, 17to85 said:

Is it too soon to ask if fajardo is better than Doug Flutie?

No joke the hand full of scrambling down field completions collaros has had here are the closest thing I've seen since flutie. 

 

[17to85]

59 minutes ago, wbbfan said:

No joke the hand full of scrambling down field completions collaros has had here are the closest thing I've seen since flutie. 

 

Suitor and Smith started down that road on tsn and were quick to admit it was stupid cause no one is flute, but obviously they were thinking that.

[TrueBlue4ever]

4 hours ago, do or die said:

Gin fueled left handed stab at power rankings

#1 Riders
Generational team of destiny.....expect them to go 14-0.... or better
#2 Bombers
Rock solid O, D, ST, and coaching...built for playoff action
#3 Montreal
Kahari great motivator, Adams might be getting there
#4 Toronto
Physical team, plenty of talent, if they can harness it
#5 Edmonton
QB Harris is one of the CFL greats ....outside the red zone.
#6 Calgary (rubs eyes)
BLM has looked more like Little Bo Peep
#7 BC
Mysterious QB setup, lot of fresh faces
#8 Ottawa
D competes.....but that O....that QB situation
#9 Hamilton
Better that some of the above - on paper
Injuries, lack of dept and under-performers

Another take:

1. Sask (up from 2)- Even if some Bomber fans don’t want to see it, Riders are playing well and Fajardo is compensating for the patchwork o-line with his scrambling and quick release to a talented receiving corps. Ball hawking secondary and solid kicking game so far. They get top spot because they have done a better job at getting big leads. Big question, are they built for the playoffs?

2. Wpg (down from 1) - Even if some Bomber fans don’t want to see it, the offence isn’t quite there yet, and we lack trust in our kicking game. But the best o-line on the league helps the offence a lot, and the best defensive front 7 in the league is making this the most dominant defence seen in years. Still susceptible to letting an opponent hang around and steal a victory, but if defence wins championships the road to the Cup goes through them right now. 

3. Tor (up from 4) - Took out perennial powers Calgary at home, and hung with the Bombers and won the run game battle. Had they started their better QB, they might be 2-0. 

4. Mtl (up from 5) - looked impressive, but need to beat a better calibre of team than the Elks before they can be ranked ahead of the others. 

5. BC (up from 7) - Still trying to figure them out. Do they fight back in week 1 or did Sask get complacent and give them garbage yards? Did they shut down BLM with great D or is Calgary falling apart? Michael Reilly gives them a good chance any given week, their kicking game at present does not. 

6. Ham (down from 3)- Only the facts that they have lost to the clear top 2 teams in the league, had to play road games to start, and the ineptitude of the teams below them gives them a ranking this high. Their offence has not impressed, they are undisciplined, and they appear to be still trying to live off their press clippings rather than playing tough football and earning the praise thrown their way before the season started. 

7. Cal (down from 6) - Ranked behind Hamilton because of who they lost to and due to losing both at home. Something off about BLM, but until he owns his own mistakes, acknowledges the talent of his opponents rather than expecting them to bow down to his greatness, and accepts his new teammates, or gets properly healed with all of his mystery ailments, not sure if they will be in the right headspace to climb out of this. 

8. Ott (up from 9) - Yes they are 1-0 and ranked below winless teams, but they were really impotent in week 1 and should have lost. Still on track to be the worst team by year’s end. 

9. Edm (down from 8. - Week 1 may have been a fluke, but week 2 left little doubt that this team is bad, and Trevor Harris couldn’t be bothered to put up misleading fancy stats this week. How all that supposed offensive talent on paper can be so ineffective is inexplicable. 

Edited August 16, 2021 by TrueBlue4ever

[Mark F]

16 minutes ago, 17to85 said:

Suitor and Smith started down that road on tsn and were quick to admit it was stupid cause no one is flute, but obviously they were thinking that.

how about Flutie v. Warren Moon?

Tough comparison to make.

[17to85]

14 minutes ago, TrueBlue4ever said:

2. Wpg (down from 1) - Even if some Bomber fans don’t want to see it, the offence isn’t quite there yet, and we lack trust in our kicking game. But the best o-line on the league helps the offence a lot, and the best defensive front 7 in the league is making this the most dominant defence seen in years. Still susceptible to letting an opponent hang around and steal a victory, but if defence wins championships the road to the Cup goes through them right now. 

I don't buy that. I think it's a case of recognising that the defence has given up one touchdown a game and not a damned thing else. You don't need to try long field goals when you can have pretty damned good faith that your D is going to get the stop and you'll get the ball back. It's all about controlling field position and grinding out wins. That's the identity of this team, and they're doing it to perfection. 

[Dodge and Burn]

Sorry but our oline got a slap on the face this week. They run blitzed us to the ground.  It worked. 

Pass pro was great. 

They are a good team. 

If we dont get more push from our interior DL goin forward it will cost us. 

[TrueBlue4ever]

10 minutes ago, 17to85 said:

I don't buy that. I think it's a case of recognising that the defence has given up one touchdown a game and not a damned thing else. You don't need to try long field goals when you can have pretty damned good faith that your D is going to get the stop and you'll get the ball back. It's all about controlling field position and grinding out wins. That's the identity of this team, and they're doing it to perfection. 

A field goal inside 50 yards (certainly inside 45) is not considered long in today’s league, and we have passed up on 3 of them so far. And judging by how Crapigna kicked those pair of 22 yarders, I’m seeing why they don’t trust his leg. He didn’t clear the end zone on either of them. 
And if we have such faith our defence is going to get a stop, then it shouldn’t matter if we pin the opponent inside the 20 to start, or give them the 35 with 3 more points on the board. 

[17to85]

8 minutes ago, TrueBlue4ever said:

A field goal inside 50 yards (certainly inside 45) is not considered long in today’s league, and we have passed up on 3 of them so far. And judging by how Crapigna kicked those pair of 22 yarders, I’m seeing why they don’t trust his leg. He didn’t clear the end zone on either of them. 
And if we have such faith our defence is going to get a stop, then it shouldn’t matter if we pin the opponent inside the 20 to start, or give them the 35 with 3 more points on the board. 

but if you miss, which happens to everyone, even Medlock missed some, you have a more dangerous return opportunity and a chance to give the opponent a spark. Look Medlock isn't here and that means that inside the 55 isn't considered automatic, but that's true of every team. It's just a different strategy, doesn't mean they don't trust their kicker. We were just spoiled to have Medlock before. 

[Mark H.]

17 minutes ago, Dodge and Burn said:

Sorry but our oline got a slap on the face this week. They run blitzed us to the ground.  It worked. 

Pass pro was great. 

They are a good team. 

If we dont get more push from our interior DL goin forward it will cost us. 

They stopped the run but gave up 300 passing yards.  Stop 6 of one, give up half a dozen of the other. 

[Mike]

6 hours ago, TrueBlue4ever said:

A field goal inside 50 yards (certainly inside 45) is not considered long in today’s league, and we have passed up on 3 of them so far. And judging by how Crapigna kicked those pair of 22 yarders, I’m seeing why they don’t trust his leg. He didn’t clear the end zone on either of them. 
And if we have such faith our defence is going to get a stop, then it shouldn’t matter if we pin the opponent inside the 20 to start, or give them the 35 with 3 more points on the board. 

That’s not how kicking works, you don’t just try and slam a chip shot to see how far you can kick it 

[TrueBlue4ever]

10 hours ago, 17to85 said:

but if you miss, which happens to everyone, even Medlock missed some, you have a more dangerous return opportunity and a chance to give the opponent a spark. Look Medlock isn't here and that means that inside the 55 isn't considered automatic, but that's true of every team. It's just a different strategy, doesn't mean they don't trust their kicker. We were just spoiled to have Medlock before. 

If a coach approaches the field goal with the attitude of “if we miss this” then that screams to me a lack of confidence in the kicker, or the kicker themselves are saying to the coach “I can’t make it from here”. All teams have a dangerous returner who can bring back a field goal. At best this is an ultra conservative coaching approach that is playing not to lose rather than to win, which from your past comments on Tim Burke and LaPo’s offensive schemes is something you absolutely hate. In a one score game in the 3rd quarter, you should want points on the board, not give them a long field to march. Maybe with one minute left I can see it, but too much game left to ignore points. I’d it was a 55 yarder I could accept the logic, but I’d your offence gets inside the opponent’s 40 yard line in today’s game with kickers as refined as they have become, I think you should expect to come away with some points. 

3 hours ago, Mike said:

That’s not how kicking works, you don’t just try and slam a chip shot to see how far you can kick it 

But even an easy kick should clear 42 yards, no? Otherwise, as 17to85 said, you give that dangerous returner a chance to run it back, which is apparently O’Shea’s strategy to avoid according to him. Looking at Crapigna’s history, of 118 career field goals only one has been over 50 yards, and only 3 more have been over 48. In today’s game, that’s a weak leg. We’re we spoiled by Medlock, sure, but Bede, Paredes, Lauther, Ward and Whyte can all hit beyond 50 comfortably. It’s a big advantage to give up. Either Legghio fixes his accuracy, we trust Crapigna to kick something beyond 45 yards (hardly a big ask) or we start shopping for a new kicker before this habit of letting teams hang around bites us in a close game where we passed up on points. Just my opinion. 

Edited August 16, 2021 by TrueBlue4ever

[Noeller]

I think it's super cute that anyone would question Mike O'Shea on Special Teams..........that's Mike O'Shea........one of the greatest ST coaches in the history of the 3 down loop......

[Nolby]

https://3downnation.com/2021/08/16/3downnation-power-rankings-calgary-is-bad-now/

[IC Khari]

13 hours ago, Mark F said:

yeah, think they could def. go regular season 15   16 wins, due to the greatness of their wins. NFL scouts are hovering in the wings!

probably the best football team in a thousand years. 

This is an actual post agreed on by most at riderfans ... 

[TBURGESS]

1. Riders: Faj-J-J is almost as good as the Riders fans think he is. The OL hasn't been a problem... yet. The injuries haven't either. Beat Hammy worse than we did.

2. Bombers: Haven't played a top half team yet. Our DL and OL are top units. Our kicking is still in flux.

3. Als: Only 1 game against a bottom level team, but looked great for the first game in forever.

4. Argos: 1 and 1 against Wpg and Cgy. Vet laden team with below average QB's. I expect them to drop next week.

5. Lions: Reilly is the difference maker and their coaching and D are way better this year.

6. redblacks: Got a win.

7. Ticats: Played the top 2 teams and lost both. Banks hasn't been the difference maker he was.

8. Stamps: BLM has been bad which makes the team bad.

9. Elks: Couldn't even beat Ottawa.

[Mike]

44 minutes ago, TrueBlue4ever said:

If a coach approaches the field goal with the attitude of “if we miss this” then that screams to me a lack of confidence in the kicker, or the kicker themselves are saying to the coach “I can’t make it from here”. All teams have a dangerous returner who can bring back a field goal. At best this is an ultra conservative coaching approach that is playing not to lose rather than to win, which from your past comments on Tim Burke and LaPo’s offensive schemes is something you absolutely hate. In a one score game in the 3rd quarter, you should want points on the board, not give them a long field to march. Maybe with one minute left I can see it, but too much game left to ignore points. I’d it was a 55 yarder I could accept the logic, but I’d your offence gets inside the opponent’s 40 yard line in today’s game with kickers as refined as they have become, I think you should expect to come away with some points. 

But even an easy kick should clear 42 yards, no? Otherwise, as 17to85 said, you give that dangerous returner a chance to run it back, which is apparently O’Shea’s strategy to avoid according to him. Looking at Crapigna’s history, of 118 career field goals only one has been over 50 yards, and only 3 more have been over 48. In today’s game, that’s a weak leg. We’re we spoiled by Medlock, sure, but Bede, Paredes, Lauther, Ward and Whyte can all hit beyond 50 comfortably. It’s a big advantage to give up. Either Legghio fixes his accuracy, we trust Crapigna to kick something beyond 45 yards (hardly a big ask) or we start shopping for a new kicker before this habit of letting teams hang around bites us in a close game where we passed up on points. Just my opinion. 

Nobody is returning a missed 22 yard chip shot. That’s not a factor whatsoever.