Blue Bombers - 2024 Regular Season - Discussion Thread

[17to85]

5 hours ago, Atomic said:

So what are you suggesting exactly? O'Shea just has a personal vendetta against Eli? Why not cut him at the beginning of the year if he hates him so much? Or even advise Walters not to sign him at all? This thought that O'Shea hates certain players on his roster is just nuts to me.

Vendetta? No, hates him? No. Just that oshea doesn't make moves unless he absolutely has to even if they might make the team better. Kolankowski stepped in for an injury and held the fort and now he is untouchable. Eli was away for a year and dropped on the depth chart and can't move up because no one is getting hurt.

[SpeedFlex27]

2 hours ago, 17to85 said:

Vendetta? No, hates him? No. Just that oshea doesn't make moves unless he absolutely has to even if they might make the team better. Kolankowski stepped in for an injury and held the fort and now he is untouchable. Eli was away for a year and dropped on the depth chart and can't move up because no one is getting hurt.

Basically, we have a 32 year old journeyman Center who's not playing particularily well & never has. There's no reason to keep playing him as a starter over Eli who is younger & can't develop because O'Shea won't give him playing time that he needs. Knowing O'Shea, no matter how good Randolph plays, he'll still put Neufeld back in. How is that good roster management? 

Edited August 8 by SpeedFlex27

[Mark H.]

Eli has had playing time at guard.  He's Canadian but Randolph gets to start ahead of him.  

[Booch]

10 hours ago, Fatty Liver said:

Because O'Shea wants to destroy him slowly, grind him down till his career is nothing but dust.  BTW he's using the same tactic to destroy Booch's credibility.

I dont come here for credibility....but thanks for the concern lol

bUT if you think Osh is all that...and places the best options in some spots then all the best to you

Kolo isnt our best option but we stuck with him cause Osh thinks he's all that

9 hours ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

And an undersized Kola who blows his blocking assignments & gets blown back 10 yards into Zach's face on a bull rush is any better? At least Eli is younger & can only improve with a higher upside if he plays. Kola is 32 years old & his potential has reached his ceiling. He'll never get any better than he is now. Eli needs more playing time but doesn't get it. 

some see it....but again is what it is,,,,and this is exactly it....guy was on scrap heap for 2 yrs....nobody wanted....and we never know what we have in this regime as guys never get a true chance....many here can argue it all they want but it's a fact

Kolo has no potential now....he reached his ceiling and it was a low ceiling...he not the future...so why continue??...makes zero sense...same with Thomas...BA...Biggie....but Osh gonna Osh as he cant see talent through bias

9 hours ago, Mark H. said:

Kola has been better the last couple games. The OL has improved quite a lot.

so he went from shitty...to not as shitty??...and he looked better...maybe...tho I never saw it as he had an active and athletic guard beside him cleaning things up....

1 hour ago, Mark H. said:

Eli has had playing time at guard.  He's Canadian but Randolph gets to start ahead of him.  

because if the center went down....then Eli would have to slide over, and someone else slide to guard...and in effect you have 3 changes in game to cover one injury....for once Osh did something with roster for a game that actually made sense and was the right thing.....now use the break to swap out the center....and see what that gives you on your interior....as opposed to standing pat

[Mark H.]

No worries, I'm just making conversation. 

If Eli gets/earns the starting centre spot - do you keep Kolo as depth?

[Booch]

2 minutes ago, Mark H. said:

No worries, I'm just making conversation. 

If Eli gets/earns the starting centre spot - do you keep Kolo as depth?

convo is good....I didnt see any better play from Kolo....Randolph was real good...Lofton has been good of late, and with Randolph there he looked really good last game...hopefuly that is the new norm

Kolo I would assume stays as depth for this yr...I still think the 7 oline guys is a waste, and that roster spot could be filled with a more useful player, and for the times we run all 7 at once, we could use any big body really....but we seem to think that extra oline guy for 4  reps a game is best use of a spot...I disagree

[Atomic]

8 hours ago, 17to85 said:

Vendetta? No, hates him? No. Just that oshea doesn't make moves unless he absolutely has to even if they might make the team better. Kolankowski stepped in for an injury and held the fort and now he is untouchable. Eli was away for a year and dropped on the depth chart and can't move up because no one is getting hurt.

I'm just not convinced that Eli is that much of an upgrade. He may be. But nothing I've seen so far shows that for sure. You're going to pull your starting centre and gamble on his replacement? What if Eli gets trucked on his first 2 snaps like he did at guard? I agree Kola is nothing special but I don't think he's some anchor dragging the whole line down that desperately needs replacement.

[17to85]

2 minutes ago, Atomic said:

I'm just not convinced that Eli is that much of an upgrade. He may be. But nothing I've seen so far shows that for sure. You're going to pull your starting centre and gamble on his replacement? What if Eli gets trucked on his first 2 snaps like he did at guard? I agree Kola is nothing special but I don't think he's some anchor dragging the whole line down that desperately needs replacement.

So Eli is not likely to get trucked IMO. Miss a block? Sure maybe, that happened when he first went in but he won't get bullied like kolankowski regularly does. 

[bigg jay]

4 minutes ago, Atomic said:

I'm just not convinced that Eli is that much of an upgrade. He may be. But nothing I've seen so far shows that for sure. You're going to pull your starting centre and gamble on his replacement? What if Eli gets trucked on his first 2 snaps like he did at guard? I agree Kola is nothing special but I don't think he's some anchor dragging the whole line down that desperately needs replacement.

I saw him whiff on blocks but I don't recall him ever getting trucked.

[Booch]

1 minute ago, Atomic said:

I'm just not convinced that Eli is that much of an upgrade. He may be. But nothing I've seen so far shows that for sure. You're going to pull your starting centre and gamble on his replacement? What if Eli gets trucked on his first 2 snaps like he did at guard? I agree Kola is nothing special but I don't think he's some anchor dragging the whole line down that desperately needs replacement.

Kolo gets trucked and pushed into pocket repeatedly...has a huge difficulty switching blocks or recognizing what's flashing in front of him and who to take....plus he is undersized, which bodes well only with an extremely athletic center...and he's not that either

Eli has untapped potential and upside....but hard to tap it...or see the upside when not given a chance...and it's mainly due to the way Osh does things.....to not even try to see, and upgrade your roster is kinda foolish....you should always try to be better

Same said with on the Dline....Thomas is what he is...is not a future piece here...yet he plays and plays and plays...Let Schmeck take his reps...Thomas take Schmecks...and see what he has, and if he is a capable back-up to Lawson.....and then go a step further and allow Samson some field time too...I think he has more potential than Schmeck actually, but good luck getting a look the way we do things. Thomas at this point should be injury replacement insurance, or the guy who gets 5..7 snaps a game and is there in case we have 2 olineman go down....nothing more

[GCn20]

7 minutes ago, 17to85 said:

So Eli is not likely to get trucked IMO. Miss a block? Sure maybe, that happened when he first went in but he won't get bullied like kolankowski regularly does. 

It pretty much amounts to the same thing though. Whether you are trucked or whiff on a block the outcome is poor. I'm not here to pump Kolo's tires, I see him as a weakness as well, but after watching Tui's reps the last few games I think we are stuck with him. Tui was an absolute disaster and last game, in particular, was just pitiful....and that was on limited reps. Could be he resets at C and is just fine, but I think people expecting it need to watch some tape. I can get the argument of how does he get better with no playing time, but I can also understand any coach not wanting to get their QB killed while an OL is learning game speed too.  I'm not suggesting that MOS is making the right decision playing Kolo over Tui, just saying it's not as cut and dry as it seems.

Edited August 8 by GCn20

[Booch]

2 minutes ago, bigg jay said:

I saw him whiff on blocks but I don't recall him ever getting trucked.

yeah...He is last lineman we have who would get trucked...he whiffed his first couple , but then settled in...and again...when you get no live reps...you will make some errors at first...practice isnt gonna get you ready for game play

Same with Randolph...took him a series or 2....and then he looked like he been playing for yrs...same would happen at center if we made that switch...but we won't just cause we have a stubborn HC who only makes a change when a guy can'y physically perform...and even then as we have seen...some his fav's still get rostered

[blue85gold]

I don't know if Eli is a better centre than Kolo but I'm tired of seeing Kolo pushed into Zach and BO's laps. 

[Stickem]

Switching up a bit....Why do we employ a kicker who is not getting it done....I realize there is chemistry with Castillo but I don't see why we couldn't get another kicker, to build chemistry with Castillo, who is a helluva lot more reliable....Just one of the head scratchers that hold this team back....

[JuranBoldenRules]

9 hours ago, 17to85 said:

Vendetta? No, hates him? No. Just that oshea doesn't make moves unless he absolutely has to even if they might make the team better. Kolankowski stepped in for an injury and held the fort and now he is untouchable. Eli was away for a year and dropped on the depth chart and can't move up because no one is getting hurt.

There's been 3 jobs open up long-term or permanently on the OL in the past season.  

[IC Khari]

1 hour ago, Atomic said:

I'm just not convinced that Eli is that much of an upgrade. He may be. But nothing I've seen so far shows that for sure. You're going to pull your starting centre and gamble on his replacement? What if Eli gets trucked on his first 2 snaps like he did at guard? I agree Kola is nothing special but I don't think he's some anchor dragging the whole line down that desperately needs replacement.

[Noeller]

52 minutes ago, Stickem said:

Switching up a bit....Why do we employ a kicker who is not getting it done....I realize there is chemistry with Castillo but I don't see why we couldn't get another kicker, to build chemistry with Castillo, who is a helluva lot more reliable....Just one of the head scratchers that hold this team back....

Our kicker is fine... Arguably the best in the league. Our punter, however, has issues sometimes. 

[Atomic]

Yeah Sheahan is problem #1 for this team right now, IMO. I'd love to see them bring in some competition coming out of the bye week. I'm not sure if there are any CFL free agent punters out there. I'd also be interested in giving Castillo a chance to punt, at least for a game or two, while Sheahan sits on the PR as insurance...

[Brandon]

I'm cool with Eli going through the growing pains and gaining experience,   he doesn't look completely lost when playing so why not give him more time. 

[Pete]

11 minutes ago, Atomic said:

Yeah Sheahan is problem #1 for this team right now, IMO. I'd love to see them bring in some competition coming out of the bye week. I'm not sure if there are any CFL free agent punters out there. I'd also be interested in giving Castillo a chance to punt, at least for a game or two, while Sheahan sits on the PR as insurance...

we don't do that, rather O'Shea doesn't, it takes a lot for him to back down on a previous decision regarding a vet. Even when it becomes obvious to others there can be better options

[Noeller]

I don't think the punter is THAT big of a deal, but I'd of course being favour of a more traditional style. They focus so much on the spins and directional stuff, when sometimes you just need a boomer. And if you don't get th spin kicks JUST RIGHT, then you end up with the bullshit short kicks out of bounds like we saw recently. I'm curious if JS is capable of more traditional punting or only knows how to do the Aussie style spin/directional stuff...

[JuranBoldenRules]

53 minutes ago, Noeller said:

I don't think the punter is THAT big of a deal, but I'd of course being favour of a more traditional style. They focus so much on the spins and directional stuff, when sometimes you just need a boomer. And if you don't get th spin kicks JUST RIGHT, then you end up with the bullshit short kicks out of bounds like we saw recently. I'm curious if JS is capable of more traditional punting or only knows how to do the Aussie style spin/directional stuff...

The directional stuff is necessary though.  Every single punter on this side of the border is trying to hit the ball to the numbers and tighter to sideline.  If it's not there it's a major fail whether it's a 70 yard kick or a 30 yard one.

We basically shouldn't be punting inside the 50 and to me if it's on -50 and 3rd or 5 or less I'm going for it no matter who my punter is.

Last 5 games net is 33, 47, 42, 30, 36.  Season is 36.

Net average for 2024 so far (with adjustment for rouges)

Calgary 32

BC 35

Winnipeg 36

Sask 36

Montreal 37

Ottawa 37

Hamilton 37

Toronto 40

Edmonton 40

 

[M.Silverback]

6 hours ago, Booch said:

Kolo isnt our best option but we stuck with him cause Osh thinks he's all that

some see it....but again is what it is,,,,and this is exactly it....guy was on scrap heap for 2 yrs....nobody wanted....and we never know what we have in this regime as guys never get a true chance....many here can argue it all they want but it's a fact

 

100% agree that Eli should be starting over Kolo. And no debate that Osh makes many baffling roster decisions. I do wonder though if there's a bit more to him not starting than just Osh. OL coach, OC, even the DC and DL coaches give some input as to who they see as the best options. OL coach and OC give a lot of input on all teams. You have to wonder why they're not seemingly beating the Eli drum as hard as we fans are. Maybe they're seeing something in practices they don't like? Blown assigments, communication, conditioning ... just guesses. I get it, head coach has final say. But you know that in football the assistant coaches and especially coordinators are really vocal about player choices. And one final thing - if Eli was clearly blowing away Kolo in practice, regularly pancaking DL's, he'd be starting. I just think that although he's better than Kolo, the margin isn't massive. At least at present. 

Edited August 8 by M.Silverback

[Booch]

8 minutes ago, M.Silverback said:

100% agree that Eli should be starting over Kolo. And no debate that Osh makes many baffling roster decisions. I do wonder though if there's a bit more to him not starting than just Osh. OL coach, OC, even the DC and DL coaches give some input as to who they see as the best options. OL coach and OC give a lot of input on all teams. You have wonder why they're not seemingly beating the Eli drum as hard as we fans are. Maybe they're seeing something in practices they don't like? Blown assigments, communication, conditioning ... just guesses. I get it, head coach has final say. But you know that in football the assistant coaches and especially coordinators are really vocal about player choices. And one final thing - if Eli was clearly blowing away Kolo in practice, regularly pancaking DL's, he'd be starting. I just think that although he's better than Kolo, the margin isn't massive. At least at present. 

this day and age....there no way to prove anything in the practices they run....fact of the matter now practices are a joke....and in no way a guy can prove anything by physically beating out a guy or showing anything...not along the lines or even with LB's 

Non contact 7 on 7 skelly is about only way and even then it's still not the same as an actual scrimmage or real world reps

And clearly the coach isn't looking at skill-set and what guys are doing and look like in any technical drill or work on their craft....because many of the practices I attended...especially last 2 yrs....some of the best guys when you were to assess them on thier skill level....couldnt get on the roster.....2 db's last yr....a DT and a DE stood out in every one....but only 1 of em got any roster time

[Arnold_Palmer]

1 hour ago, JuranBoldenRules said:

The directional stuff is necessary though.  Every single punter on this side of the border is trying to hit the ball to the numbers and tighter to sideline.  If it's not there it's a major fail whether it's a 70 yard kick or a 30 yard one.

We basically shouldn't be punting inside the 50 and to me if it's on -50 and 3rd or 5 or less I'm going for it no matter who my punter is.

Last 5 games net is 33, 47, 42, 30, 36.  Season is 36.

Net average for 2024 so far (with adjustment for rouges)

Calgary 32

BC 35

Winnipeg 36

Sask 36

Montreal 37

Ottawa 37

Hamilton 37

Toronto 40

Edmonton 40

 

Our cover teams have been phenomenal and really help with that statistic but yes a part of the equation is kicking the ball in places in which negates a punt return and in that specific aspect Sheahan has been fine.