Grey Cup - Game Week Thread

[WinnipegGordo]

Some Grey Cup weekend content today:

TSN - live coverage from 1-5 pm 

CJOB  - coverage from 2-4 pm

Bonfire Sports - Bauming and Walby

 

[HardCoreBlue]

18 hours ago, Booch said:

Yeah....a dline guy would be more ideal...love Rose and actually would have him before Houston....but another beast on line to help free up the Jeff's would be ideal

My guess is that Osh is giving the loyalty/tenure start to Rose more than amything

Or maybe he throwing a curve and is gonna finally park soldier boy for a useful DA...lol

But sadly that won't happen

Just out of curiosity, has anyone in the press asked MOS why he consistently rosters Jackson or is that a no fly zone type question?

[TrueBlue4ever]

2 minutes ago, HardCoreBlue said:

Just out of curiosity, has anyone in the press asked MOS why he consistently rosters Jackson or is that a no fly zone type question?

Answer: because it works and we are winning. Because he does what the club asks, works hard at a thankless task of blocking on offence and special teams, fills a big role on the short yardage offence which has been extremely effective this season. O’Shea has been open about his reasons but some don’t listen here because they have been convinced by others that O’Shea doesn’t have a clue how manage a roster, all actual evidence to the contrary, and would rather see an 8th d-lineman bolster our already number 1 defence instead of having a starting fullback on heavy package plays. People may not like the answer and tune it out in favour of their personal narrative, but it’s not like O’Shea hasn’t hid his reasons from us.  

[TrueBlue4ever]

Given there are 3 back-ups behind Bighill rostered, and 8 linebackers for 3 spots in total, I doubt he is playing tomorrow. And even with Rose not rostered we have 2 back-up DBs and 3 back-up d-linemen. If we are short with Schoen out, we need help at receiver, where we would have one back-up (Grant) at receiver with Demski and Bailey both banged up and McCrae not even rostered, so guessing he is still too hurt. Wonder if Ambles or Alston gets brought in on an emergency basis? Offence is where we need back-up protection,  not another d-lineman. If Biggie is replaced on the d, I could see Rose coming in since we can anticipate a pass heavy offence from the Als. 

Edited November 18, 2023 by TrueBlue4ever

[Blue In BC]

19 minutes ago, TrueBlue4ever said:

Answer: because it works and we are winning. Because he does what the club asks, works hard at a thankless task of blocking on offence and special teams, fills a big role on the short yardage offence which has been extremely effective this season. O’Shea has been open about his reasons but some don’t listen here because they have been convinced by others that O’Shea doesn’t have a clue how manage a roster, all actual evidence to the contrary, and would rather see an 8th d-lineman bolster our already number 1 defence instead of having a starting fullback on heavy package plays. People may not like the answer and tune it out in favour of their personal narrative, but it’s not like O’Shea hasn’t hid his reasons from us.  

That would be the same reason they kept Hurl at MLB in the past.

[Fatty Liver]

43 minutes ago, rebusrankin said:

I'd like to see Ambles and Fox on if Schoen and Biggie can't go. Hope neither is on the roster if they can't play. Suspect its McCrae and Rose though. Jackson on the roster is still a complete waste.

 

As for the Als, McGloster has really struggled at RT.

They could sure use McCrae to diversify the running game if Bailey and Demski are unable to fulfill that role.  Als D is going to key on Brady all game long, if Buck wants to maintain the running game, he's got to throw in a few wrinkles to offset their plan.

[17to85]

6 minutes ago, Blue In BC said:

That would be the same reason they kept Hurl at MLB in the past.

And hecht at safety. 

Oshea is a flat out awesome coach,  but he's always had some game day roster flaws.

13 minutes ago, TrueBlue4ever said:

Given there are 3 back-ups behind Bighill rostered, and 8 linebackers for 3 spots in total, I doubt he is playing tomorrow. And even with Rose not rostered we have 2 back-up DBs and 3 back-up d-linemen. If we are short with Schoen out, we need help at receiver, where we would have one back-up (Grant) at receiver with Demski and Bailey both banged up and McCrae not even rostered, so guessing he is still too hurt. Wonder if Ambles or Alston gets brought in on an emergency basis? Offence is where we need back-up protection,  or another d-lineman. If Biggie is replaced on the d, I could see Rose coming in since we can anticipate a pass heavy offence from the Als. 

I think schoen will play, there's no benefit to this song and dance if he isn't going to play. 

 

Bighill I am less sure about.

[Booch]

44 minutes ago, HardCoreBlue said:

Just out of curiosity, has anyone in the press asked MOS why he consistently rosters Jackson or is that a no fly zone type question?

They all scared too...they know as well as anyone with half a brain it's a dumb roster use

 

36 minutes ago, TrueBlue4ever said:

Answer: because it works and we are winning. Because he does what the club asks, works hard at a thankless task of blocking on offence and special teams, fills a big role on the short yardage offence which has been extremely effective this season. O’Shea has been open about his reasons but some don’t listen here because they have been convinced by others that O’Shea doesn’t have a clue how manage a roster, all actual evidence to the contrary, and would rather see an 8th d-lineman bolster our already number 1 defence instead of having a starting fullback on heavy package plays. People may not like the answer and tune it out in favour of their personal narrative, but it’s not like O’Shea hasn’t hid his reasons from us.  

Again...anyone with a football skillet and acumyn can do that role ..why u think Jackson is something special is beyond me...it's an issue Osh fell in love with his back story...nothing more

I can name 46 guys who work hard...do as ask...and have wayyyyyyyyyyy more experience in football 

38 minutes ago, TrueBlue4ever said:

Answer: because it works and we are winning. Because he does what the club asks, works hard at a thankless task of blocking on offence and special teams, fills a big role on the short yardage offence which has been extremely effective this season. O’Shea has been open about his reasons but some don’t listen here because they have been convinced by others that O’Shea doesn’t have a clue how manage a roster, all actual evidence to the contrary, and would rather see an 8th d-lineman bolster our already number 1 defence instead of having a starting fullback on heavy package plays. People may not like the answer and tune it out in favour of their personal narrative, but it’s not like O’Shea hasn’t hid his reasons from us.  

Was even more effective last yr...sans Jackson

[rebusrankin]

Heck forget the past, MOS had McCrae on the roster last week and the guy didn't play a snap and was in a parka on the sidelines. I think we all love MOS and are glad he is our coach but his roster management isn't perfect.

[BagBlieBulls]

Man it irks me to hear the panel and other experts beak about the Al's 7 game winning streak. Has no one noticed that both teams are undefeated since week 16? Both teams last lost in week 15. Yet Montreal is the team of destiny on the hot streak? Bollocks 

[WinnipegGordo]

1 hour ago, 17to85 said:

And hecht at safety. 

Oshea is a flat out awesome coach,  but he's always had some game day roster flaws.

I think schoen will play, there's no benefit to this song and dance if he isn't going to play. 

 

Bighill I am less sure about.

Bighill was doing some running today. There is at least a chance he'll play.

[JuranBoldenRules]

1 hour ago, TrueBlue4ever said:

Given there are 3 back-ups behind Bighill rostered, and 8 linebackers for 3 spots in total, I doubt he is playing tomorrow. And even with Rose not rostered we have 2 back-up DBs and 3 back-up d-linemen. If we are short with Schoen out, we need help at receiver, where we would have one back-up (Grant) at receiver with Demski and Bailey both banged up and McCrae not even rostered, so guessing he is still too hurt. Wonder if Ambles or Alston gets brought in on an emergency basis? Offence is where we need back-up protection,  or another d-lineman. If Biggie is replaced on the d, I could see Rose coming in since we can anticipate a pass heavy offence from the Als. 

That’s the exact same roster as last week aside from Schoen listed GTD instead of McCrae.

All those backers are dressed because that’s the core of the special teams units.  No bread crumbs there on Bighill.

I think they should go rush end for Bighill but will probably go Rose since he’s a vet.  They got picked on pretty bad by BC when Jeffcoat was on sideline and Hansen on the field.  If Jeffcoat tweaked his hip 3 plays into the game we’d be absolutely ******.

[SpeedFlex27]

1 hour ago, HardCoreBlue said:

Just out of curiosity, has anyone in the press asked MOS why he consistently rosters Jackson or is that a no fly zone type question?

No one asks hard questions anymore out of fear they'll lose their press credentials. The days of the media holding the HC & GM's feet to the fire is over.

There are no more Jack Matheson's Don Blanchard's or John Robertson's. They were as smart as the team manager as they'd all covered the Bombers for at least 30 years. Matheson back into the early 50's for the old Winnipeg Tribune. If they wanted to, they could make life miserable for any GM & HC duo if they got on their bad side.

Then on the radio side was Jack Wells who also was hard to fool. Although, he generally had a good relationship with Lunsford & any of the coaches he hired. Being on radio, he could only really give sound bites & not go into anything in great detail. The same in local TV with Don Wittman, Bob Picken & Stew McPherson. Thyey only had maybe 3 or 4 minutes to tell a story about the Bombers before having to move on to other subjects in an 8-10 minute sprtscast.

They all had insider CFL contacts in every city & more importantly were never intimidated by guys like GM Earl Lunsford or any of the many head coaches he hired at the time. And there were a few. If there were tough questions to ask then they all did it.

The only head coach that I remember Jack Matheson & the rest of the media holding in high esteem was Bud Grant after he left. I do remember that Grant was pretty close with most of them. I know Bud shared more than a few drinks after hours with those guys & some of them were his good friends. 

Bud Riley never got along with the local media very much. It was always frosty as he never never trusted them. That changed when Ray Jauch was hired. He knew most of them from his time as a player with the Bombers & he won a GC as a Head Coach in Edmonton. When Matheson smelled a story, he was relentless uncovering it. Guys like Earl Lunsford had to treat the media with respect even if he didn't like them. It made for some great reading in both newspapers.

Times are certainly different today. It would be interesting to see the relationship those old media types would have with Mike O'Shea today as he keeps a lot of things close to the vest. I think they'd have a hard time getting info from their sources as the league has closed ranks in a lot of ways to the media. Things aren't as open as they used to be. 

[bearpants]

20 minutes ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

No one asks hard questions anymore out of fear they'll lose their press credentials. The days of the media holding the HC & GM's feet to the fire is over.

There are no more Jack Matheson's Don Blanchard's or John Robertson's. They were as smart as the team manager as they'd all covered the Bombers for at least 30 years. Matheson back into the early 50's for the old Winnipeg Tribune. If they wanted to, they could make life miserable for any GM & HC duo if they got on their bad side.

Then on the radio side was Jack Wells who also was hard to fool. Although, he generally had a good relationship with Lunsford & any of the coaches he hired. Being on radio, he could only really give sound bites & not go into anything in great detail. The same in local TV with Don Wittman, Bob Picken & Stew McPherson. Thyey only had maybe 3 or 4 minutes to tell a story about the Bombers before having to move on to other subjects in an 8-10 minute sprtscast.

They all had insider CFL contacts in every city & more importantly were never intimidated by guys like GM Earl Lunsford or any of the many head coaches he hired at the time. And there were a few. If there were tough questions to ask then they all did it.

The only head coach that I remember Jack Matheson & the rest of the media holding in high esteem was Bud Grant after he left. I do remember that Grant was pretty close with most of them. I know Bud shared more than a few drinks after hours with those guys & some of them were his good friends. 

Bud Riley never got along with the local media very much. It was always frosty as he never never trusted them. That changed when Ray Jauch was hired. He knew most of them from his time as a player with the Bombers & he won a GC as a Head Coach in Edmonton. When Matheson smelled a story, he was relentless uncovering it. Guys like Earl Lunsford had to treat the media with respect even if he didn't like them. It made for some great reading in both newspapers.

Times are certainly different today. It would be interesting to see the relationship those old media types would have with Mike O'Shea today as he keeps a lot of things close to the vest. I think they'd have a hard time getting info from their sources as the league has closed ranks in a lot of ways to the media. Things aren't as open as they used to be. 

This is an odd take… you think if one of the established reporters in Winnipeg (bauming, Hamilton, wyman, etc) asks a tough question, they’ll be banned from the facility?… nothing that’s happened in the ten years that O’Shea has been here leads me to believe that would happen…

if anything… it might be more like the media guys are too afraid to fracture they’re relationship… they’re more concerned about being buddy-buddy than getting the “hard scoop”

[BBlink]

I just think they've all but given up getting a straight answer from O'Shea. As Mike Kelly would say.. It's all handled internally. Osh just has a better way of saying it.

[johnzo]

On 2023-11-17 at 1:14 PM, Geebrr said:

The 2019 team came out the gate and showed they would not be losing that night.

That first TD where Bailey pancaked Howsare and Harris galloped to the end zone ... we were on a mission that night.

[HardCoreBlue]

3 hours ago, TrueBlue4ever said:

Answer: because it works and we are winning. Because he does what the club asks, works hard at a thankless task of blocking on offence and special teams, fills a big role on the short yardage offence which has been extremely effective this season. O’Shea has been open about his reasons but some don’t listen here because they have been convinced by others that O’Shea doesn’t have a clue how manage a roster, all actual evidence to the contrary, and would rather see an 8th d-lineman bolster our already number 1 defence instead of having a starting fullback on heavy package plays. People may not like the answer and tune it out in favour of their personal narrative, but it’s not like O’Shea hasn’t hid his reasons from us.  

Thanks. So yes to my original question? 

Again my observation here is this consistent response of yours is a bit over the top, a bit of a fun sucker. Most (not all) acknowledge/preface MOS is an elite coach, obviously does have a clue and knows how to manage a roster but disagree with some of things in how he manages his roster. All good. Always room for improvement.

I find you ignore the acknowledgement/preface/room for improvement and come in critical on people's disagreements with some things MOS does. Just my observation, unsolicited as it be.

 

[Nolby]

3 hours ago, HardCoreBlue said:

Just out of curiosity, has anyone in the press asked MOS why he consistently rosters Jackson or is that a no fly zone type question?

I'm not sure why this question is asked anymore. Funky ways we've rostered our lineup seems to have worked if we're in our 4th straight cup. These coaches know the players, capabilities, positioning better than any of us. It's seemed odd at times but we've just won and won and won.

[Mark H.]

3 minutes ago, HardCoreBlue said:

unsolicited as it be.

 

Sloshed as I may be....

[HardCoreBlue]

Just now, Nolby said:

I'm not sure why this question is asked anymore. Funky ways we've rostered our lineup seems to have worked if we're in our 4th straight cup. These coaches know the players, capabilities, positioning better than any of us. It's seemed odd at times but we've just won and won and won.

Cuz there's always room for improvement, win or lose?

It's like in hockey if the PK is clicking at 80%, I can guarantee there's always assessments on how to get it better even when it's working and we're winning games.

Now in this same scenario if someone says our PK sucks at 80%, the coach doesn't know what they are doing and why aren't they doing it this way, then I can see why there is a problem with the question

[Booch]

1 hour ago, WinnipegGordo said:

Bighill was doing some running today. There is at least a chance he'll play.

I have seen Schoen moving about quite well this week too...so ....

[SpeedFlex27]

1 hour ago, bearpants said:

This is an odd take… you think if one of the established reporters in Winnipeg (bauming, Hamilton, wyman, etc) asks a tough question, they’ll be banned from the facility?… nothing that’s happened in the ten years that O’Shea has been here leads me to believe that would happen…

if anything… it might be more like the media guys are too afraid to fracture they’re relationship… they’re more concerned about being buddy-buddy than getting the “hard scoop”

You ask too many of those questions then yeah, I believe they would. Everything is always hunky dory. You don't think the media notices what O'Shea does with the roster & yet it's always crickets. All the rumours swirling around about Walters future with the Bombers. Only one question from a guy who really isn't media but thinks he is & gets rebuffed. The Bombers take the besat beat writer & hire him for their communications dept. CFL teams control the message now like never before.

It's the same thing here in Calgary. At least here there are legit beefs about the way the Stamps are run yet are never asked. There's only about 3 reporters covering the Stamps now. None go on the road. Danny Austin files the same stories for the Herald & Sun. He's more interested in being buddy buddy with the players & Dickenson than really reporting any negatives about the team. The team loses three or four in a row & there he was filing stories about how what's happening is just bad luck. Or what a great season a player is having instead of focusing on what's really wrong with the team. You don't get the info you used to get. 

Edited November 18, 2023 by SpeedFlex27

[Noeller]

14 minutes ago, Booch said:

I have seen Schoen moving about quite well this week too...so ....

So I wanted to ask you and I keep forgetting.... Schoen hasn't played in like 5 weeks ....no "live reps".... How off would his timing be? I feel like he has enough mental reps to know his route assignments and would still be able to complete his blocking assignments, but things like timing with Zach.... Is that something he can just pick up where he left off after this much time, and with zero practice reps all week...?

[SpeedFlex27]

3 minutes ago, Noeller said:

So I wanted to ask you and I keep forgetting.... Schoen hasn't played in like 5 weeks ....no "live reps".... How off would his timing be? I feel like he has enough mental reps to know his route assignments and would still be able to complete his blocking assignments, but things like timing with Zach.... Is that something he can just pick up where he left off after this much time, and with zero practice reps all week...?

Like riding a bike. It's more trust than anything else. Both looking at the field, reading the coverage & Zach knowing where Schoen will be. Both on the same page. That isn't lost in a month. The more important question is how much Schoen is out of football shape being off so long? Can he get to where he's supposed to be if he's gassed? 

Edited November 18, 2023 by SpeedFlex27

[Booch]

41 minutes ago, Noeller said:

So I wanted to ask you and I keep forgetting.... Schoen hasn't played in like 5 weeks ....no "live reps".... How off would his timing be? I feel like he has enough mental reps to know his route assignments and would still be able to complete his blocking assignments, but things like timing with Zach.... Is that something he can just pick up where he left off after this much time, and with zero practice reps all week...?

Yeah.....That won't be an issue...not for a 2nd yr guy...with all same parts around him and ZC running the show

Like @SpeedFlex27 said, ZC will know exactly where he will be, or supposed to be and will throw even if he cant even see him there...they have that connection now. If he was a raw rookie, or a late season pick up I'd be concerned but he's not.

Also way more goes on behind the scenes you won't see where he is working, and also involved in the daily routines like he would be if playing....from experience the only real thing to get re-conditioned to, is being popped and banging around....but a big game...adrenaline etc....he wont notice that till monday.....even your wind....after a few series you would be surprised how fast that short term aerobic capacity comes back.... and even then just slam down a few sudafeds before...and during the game n you be just fine lol