Mourtada

[TrueBlue4ever]

1 hour ago, HardCoreBlue said:

Also this argument about running players out of town. Not from a professional coaches perspective but from posters here, when is it running them out of town or cutting them because they’re bad and we don’t have the luxury of developing them to be less bad to getting better? Right, it’s subjective so based on his body of work to date I wouldn’t say this falls into running him out of town. By CFL standards if you are going to bring in a 31 year old American kicker unfortunately the rope has to be short due to ratio. The only reason he is still around is we are 8 and 1, we have been pounding teams of late and he hasn’t cost us a game yet. He would be a distant memory if any of these things were different. If he lights it up next week great but it won’t be a I told you so. It will be because he’s playing on the best team by far in the league where you may have more luxury figuring out potential.

In your first sentence you say “we don’t have the luxury of developing them” and then in the last sentence you directly contradict it by saying he is still here because on this team “you may have more luxury figuring out potential”. This is the “run out of town” mentality on display a bit. Has he botched his kicking angles so far? Big time. But O’Shea seems to believe it is a correctable mechanical issue. Should have it already been corrected? Well, I think so but I am willing to defer to a professional kicker or a head coach who thinks more time is allowed. And the guy has been here for 3 games. Good luck to you if you ever had a job with a 3 week probationary period, and you were held responsible for the past guy’s mistakes. Let’s face it, after watching Liegghio miss some converts a lot of folks wanted him gone and were calling for the phenom with the big leg “Hakuna Mourtada” but after one miss from Mourtada it was immediately “here we go again, find another guy”. And now folks have revisionist history and wonder if we gave up on Liegghio too quickly, and give him another shot. Like we did with Hajrullahu, or Kamau “Incompleterson” who found his game in Edmonton, or likewise Adarius Bowman, who went from semi-average to the league’s best once he moved on. Brendan LaBatte said of Winnipeg fans after he left “In Saskatchewan they love you win or lose, in Winnipeg they love you win or tie. Well, maybe not tie”. I am not happy with Mourtada, and would hope we have a better option, but yeah 4 weeks seems like a rush to judgment, especially if the guy whose job depends on wins (O’Shea) is prepared to let this play out beyond one month and avoid a revolving door. 

[17to85]

5 minutes ago, TrueBlue4ever said:

In your first sentence you say “we don’t have the luxury of developing them” and then in the last sentence you directly contradict it by saying he is still here because on this team “you may have more luxury figuring out potential”. This is the “run out of town” mentality on display a bit. Has he botched his kicking angles so far? Big time. But O’Shea seems to believe it is a correctable mechanical issue. Should have it already been corrected? Well, I think so but I am willing to defer to a professional kicker or a head coach who thinks more time is allowed. And the guy has been here for 3 games. Good luck to you if you ever had a job with a 3 week probationary period, and you were held responsible for the past guy’s mistakes. Let’s face it, after watching Liegghio miss some converts a lot of folks wanted him gone and were calling for the phenom with the big leg “Hakuna Mourtada” but after one miss from Mourtada it was immediately “here we go again, find another guy”. And now folks have revisionist history and wonder if we gave up on Liegghio too quickly, and give him another shot. Like we did with Hajrullahu, or Kamau “Incompleterson” who found his game in Edmonton, or likewise Adarius Bowman, who went from semi-average to the league’s best once he moved on. Brendan LaBatte said of Winnipeg fans after he left “In Saskatchewan they love you win or lose, in Winnipeg they love you win or tie. Well, maybe not tie”. I am not happy with Mourtada, and would hope we have a better option, but yeah 4 weeks seems like a rush to judgment, especially if the guy whose job depends on wins (O’Shea) is prepared to let this play out beyond one month and avoid a revolving door. 

Hey you are the only one revising history in this post. 

Mourtada is 31 years old and we gotta fix mechanics? 31 year olds aren't project they are firmly in the perform or go away category.

This isn't a case of oh he has had a few misses either. This is a case of he has only been able to hit short kicks. 

[M.O.A.B.]

how bout this guy... just released by Washington yesterday... it's gonna be fun just by the sound of his last name

 

Edited October 14, 2021 by M.O.A.B.

[HardCoreBlue]

28 minutes ago, TrueBlue4ever said:

In your first sentence you say “we don’t have the luxury of developing them” and then in the last sentence you directly contradict it by saying he is still here because on this team “you may have more luxury figuring out potential”. This is the “run out of town” mentality on display a bit. Has he botched his kicking angles so far? Big time. But O’Shea seems to believe it is a correctable mechanical issue. Should have it already been corrected? Well, I think so but I am willing to defer to a professional kicker or a head coach who thinks more time is allowed. And the guy has been here for 3 games. Good luck to you if you ever had a job with a 3 week probationary period, and you were held responsible for the past guy’s mistakes. Let’s face it, after watching Liegghio miss some converts a lot of folks wanted him gone and were calling for the phenom with the big leg “Hakuna Mourtada” but after one miss from Mourtada it was immediately “here we go again, find another guy”. And now folks have revisionist history and wonder if we gave up on Liegghio too quickly, and give him another shot. Like we did with Hajrullahu, or Kamau “Incompleterson” who found his game in Edmonton, or likewise Adarius Bowman, who went from semi-average to the league’s best once he moved on. Brendan LaBatte said of Winnipeg fans after he left “In Saskatchewan they love you win or lose, in Winnipeg they love you win or tie. Well, maybe not tie”. I am not happy with Mourtada, and would hope we have a better option, but yeah 4 weeks seems like a rush to judgment, especially if the guy whose job depends on wins (O’Shea) is prepared to let this play out beyond one month and avoid a revolving door. 

Nope no contradiction read the full post again. You forgot to mention the part about dependent on our won lost record and who the player is, i.e., in this case a 31 year old American (Ratio issue) CFL unproven rookie. 

Sometimes it feels you can be overly protective of WBB Players, Coaches and Management. I get it we love and adore our team thru thick and thin. There are definitely fairweather arm chair QG 'fans' who lurk here. Loyal fans here would agree. However they would also agree it's okay to disagree and/or question certain moves made by the WBB because these really is no clear right answer. Frequently ending a debate by saying they're the professional coaches so you're wrong sometimes doesn't address the question being posed. This recent kicking issue of ours is a great example of that.

[brett_c_b]

51 minutes ago, TrueBlue4ever said:

Brendan LaBatte said of Winnipeg fans after he left “In Saskatchewan they love you win or lose"

Ask Paul McCallum what he thinks of that quote

[TrueBlue4ever]

7 minutes ago, brett_c_b said:

Ask Paul McCallum what he thinks of that quote

Touché. 

[Stickem]

2 hours ago, brett_c_b said:

Ask Paul McCallum what he thinks of that quote

I think the Labatte quote is a load of manure....................Is Bob Cameron still around?....if he is could someone ask him to have a talk with our kickers

[Bomber_fanaddict]

7 minutes ago, Stickem said:

I think the Labatte quote is a load of manure....................Is Bob Cameron still around?....if he is could someone ask him to have a talk with our kickers

Not only is he around he’s been at every home game all year lol. 

[wbbfan]

2 hours ago, brett_c_b said:

Ask Paul McCallum what he thinks of that quote

its typical player goes to new team throw away quote. Not worth any further examination imo. 

Just now, Bomber_fanaddict said:

Not only is he around he’s been at every home game all year lol. 

Idk how good thatd be. On one had he was a punter. On the other hand he also held for westy. But I mean, did he coach up westy at kicking any better? If yes, then im really scared. 

[JuranBoldenRules]

I don't quite understand how Mourtada even ended up here.  His numbers in arena ball are horrific, basically the same as his numbers here.  It's a narrower target, but also a narrower field.  Heard the stuff about Medlock recommending him, but really he's gotta be benefiting from the fact our scouts can't really go to the US.  Then the next piece, how did we dress him?  Is he not having the same issues in practice?

[Bubba Zanetti]

2 minutes ago, JuranBoldenRules said:

I don't quite understand how Mourtada even ended up here.  His numbers in arena ball are horrific, basically the same as his numbers here.  It's a narrower target, but also a narrower field.  Heard the stuff about Medlock recommending him, but really he's gotta be benefiting from the fact our scouts can't really go to the US.  Then the next piece, how did we dress him?  Is he not having the same issues in practice?

Yeah im not sure how he ended up here. Seems weird that such an obscure kicker with not-so-great kicking stats got "discovered" and brought up to Canada. Surely there had to be better candidates available??

[Noeller]

8 minutes ago, Bubba Zanetti said:

Yeah im not sure how he ended up here. Seems weird that such an obscure kicker with not-so-great kicking stats got "discovered" and brought up to Canada. Surely there had to be better candidates available??

apparently this is all because of Medlock, who strongly recommended him when the Bombers called to check and make sure he was retired...

[Geebrr]

48 minutes ago, Noeller said:

apparently this is all because of Medlock, who strongly recommended him when the Bombers called to check and make sure he was retired...

Shrewd move to nail home your value in negotiations.

I am hoping the Bombers have a contract in the drawer for Medlock to come take a 3 week vacation up here and win a Cup.

[bb1]

I think i have a solution....let Mourtada do kickoffs, fgs inside 30 yds and extra points...legs does anything over 30. Then you tell legs listen no pressure if you get one over 30 yds its a bonus!😉

[SpeedFlex27]

7 hours ago, TrueBlue4ever said:

In your first sentence you say “we don’t have the luxury of developing them” and then in the last sentence you directly contradict it by saying he is still here because on this team “you may have more luxury figuring out potential”. This is the “run out of town” mentality on display a bit. Has he botched his kicking angles so far? Big time. But O’Shea seems to believe it is a correctable mechanical issue. Should have it already been corrected? Well, I think so but I am willing to defer to a professional kicker or a head coach who thinks more time is allowed. And the guy has been here for 3 games. Good luck to you if you ever had a job with a 3 week probationary period, and you were held responsible for the past guy’s mistakes. Let’s face it, after watching Liegghio miss some converts a lot of folks wanted him gone and were calling for the phenom with the big leg “Hakuna Mourtada” but after one miss from Mourtada it was immediately “here we go again, find another guy”. And now folks have revisionist history and wonder if we gave up on Liegghio too quickly, and give him another shot. Like we did with Hajrullahu, or Kamau “Incompleterson” who found his game in Edmonton, or likewise Adarius Bowman, who went from semi-average to the league’s best once he moved on. Brendan LaBatte said of Winnipeg fans after he left “In Saskatchewan they love you win or lose, in Winnipeg they love you win or tie. Well, maybe not tie”. I am not happy with Mourtada, and would hope we have a better option, but yeah 4 weeks seems like a rush to judgment, especially if the guy whose job depends on wins (O’Shea) is prepared to let this play out beyond one month and avoid a revolving door. 

I just have one thing to say: What the hell are you carrying on about??? Like, dude. Really?

[wbbfan]

12 hours ago, bb1 said:

I think i have a solution....let Mourtada do kickoffs, fgs inside 30 yds and extra points...legs does anything over 30. Then you tell legs listen no pressure if you get one over 30 yds its a bonus!😉

I think its more about hash marks. Mourtada has to kick the fgs from down the middle. 30 yards and in but on the hash is still a no go for him. So angle kicks go to legs, and straight on kicks to mourtada. 

10 hours ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

I just have one thing to say: What the hell are you carrying on about??? Like, dude. Really?

Same old broken record crap. 

[blue_gold_84]

1 hour ago, wbbfan said:

Same old broken record crap. 

Cherry-picking a handful of players over a 15-year span to prop up some feeble defense of a below average kicker is comical.

Speaking of revisionist history...

Peterson was traded in 2005 from a lousy team to another lousy team in Hamilton. The return was Brazzel, who performed well here for the balance of that season.
Bowman had a brutal case of the dropsies in 2010 and was demoted and released. That's hardly uncommon in professional sports and the CFL is no exception.
LaBatte played here for four seasons and was basically a perennial all-star during that time. He signed in 2012 with his childhood team in his home province, which is common in this league. His commentary on the fans here, if he even said any of it, is nothing more than biased nonsense.
Hajrullahu signed elsewhere as a free agent after a lousy sophomore season in 2015.

To suggest the team "gave up" on any of those players is comically absurd. 

[M.Silverback]

Bottom line is Kyle Walters is a smart GM. He's playing chess, while most are playing checkers. If Mourtada turns it around, great. But, he's not sitting on his hands doing nothing while he waits for that slim possibility. I guarantee there are plans afoot (get it?) for another kicker or two to come to Winnipeg if Mourtada continues to struggle. Kyle and Wade are not going to flush an almost certain Grey Cup victory this season because of bad kicking. O'Shea is doing O'Shea - publicly loyal to players. That's his thing. But Kyle makes personnel decisions. Remember Drew Willy? 

Edited October 15, 2021 by M.Silverback

[Tracker]

11 minutes ago, M.Silverback said:

Bottom line is Kyle Walters is a smart GM. He's playing chess, while most are playing checkers. If Mourtada turns it around, great. But, he's not sitting on his hands doing nothing while he waits for that slim possibility. I guarantee there are plans afoot (get it?) for another kicker or two to come to Winnipeg if Mourtada continues to struggle. Kyle and Wade are not going to flush an almost certain Grey Cup victory this season because of bad kicking. O'Shea is doing O'Shea - publicly loyal to players. That's his thing. But Kyle makes personnel decisions. Remember Drew Willy? 

Walters has proven himself to be one of the most astute, if not the most astute GM since he took office. We're gonna be ok, even if it is not immediately apparent.

[wbbfan]

3 hours ago, blue_gold_84 said:

Cherry-picking a handful of players over a 15-year span to prop up some feeble defense of a below average kicker is comical.

Speaking of revisionist history...

Peterson was traded in 2005 from a lousy team to another lousy team in Hamilton. The return was Brazzel, who performed well here for the balance of that season.
Bowman had a brutal case of the dropsies in 2010 and was demoted and released. That's hardly uncommon in professional sports and the CFL is no exception.
LaBatte played here for four seasons and was basically a perennial all-star during that time. He signed in 2012 with his childhood team in his home province, which is common in this league. His commentary on the fans here, if he even said any of it, is nothing more than biased nonsense.
Hajrullahu signed elsewhere as a free agent after a lousy sophomore season in 2015.

To suggest the team "gave up" on any of those players is comically absurd. 

To be fair, brazzell and bowman were always streaky, drop prone guys but yes. 

The last point is really a great one. Just because a pro team moves on from a guy, doesnt mean they gave up on them or think they cant play. Some times players struggle. Some times players need a change of scenery. Or some times they just dont fit well. If any team has the chance to make them self better or cheaper, they will take it. Thats seldom an indictment of the former player, and more the fact of how much imp talent flows into pro football with every year. 

2 hours ago, Tracker said:

Walters has proven himself to be one of the most astute, if not the most astute GM since he took office. We're gonna be ok, even if it is not immediately apparent.

QFT x2. Im sure they have contingency plans in the works. This isnt the 2019 and prior team. We dont need a medlock level kicker to stay competitive. Mourtada is a badly flawed old imp kicker with little experience. Either they will craft him into what they seek, or they will make a move.  

[TrueBlue4ever]

Never doubt Mike O’Shea!!!!!!!!!!

[Arnold_Palmer]

2 minutes ago, TrueBlue4ever said:

Never doubt Mike O’Shea!!!!!!!!!!

Let me tell you. Happy to see 4/5 but I was nervous as **** for every single one lol

[TrueBlue4ever]

Just now, Arnold_Palmer said:

Let me tell you. Happy to see 4/5 but I was nervous as **** for every single one lol

So was I. Held my breath every time, and after the miss was waiting to hear the wolves at the door. But he did enough to earn a stay of execution for another game. Hopefully people will root for him instead of begging him to pack his bags. A step in the right direction at least, and the second time we have needed our kickers to be the difference in a game they have come through. 

[17to85]

13 minutes ago, TrueBlue4ever said:

So was I. Held my breath every time, and after the miss was waiting to hear the wolves at the door. But he did enough to earn a stay of execution for another game. Hopefully people will root for him instead of begging him to pack his bags. A step in the right direction at least, and the second time we have needed our kickers to be the difference in a game they have come through. 

Oh come on, the long one he made was placed in the middle of the field, short one on the hash marks at the end was a god awful shank. 

This is what we have been saying about the guy, he can't figure out the kicks from the hash marks. yes he was 4/5 and good for him but they weren't exactly challenging kicks and o'shea still opted to punt in what should be field goal range once. 

 

Mourtada is a flawed kicker and nothing he did tonight changes his weaknesses. Hell he had a kick off out of bounds tonight too. 

[IC Khari]

On 2021-10-14 at 2:15 PM, brett_c_b said:

Ask Paul McCallum what he thinks of that quote

https://www.cbc.ca/sports/football/cfl/frustrated-riders-fans-target-kicker-s-home-1.484924