2024/2025 Blue Bombers Off-Season Thread

[Goalie]

1 hour ago, Booch said:

we already have lost 3 in a row....and shown no ability in all 3 to stray from the pattern od failure...that killed us...

 

lure of new stadium was reason for that

 

people dont put enough emphasis on the amount of pull they allow Osh to have on who he says he wants...and doesnt want...and who he refuses to move on from....Heirachy here is a bit outta whack at times and seems that the guy who should over rule...hasnt been

well...was on oppposite end of where lotsa people lived before too....and in a dump...that argument has no weight at all

Minus the fact that everyone bitched and complained about where it was. You don’t know it all. Accept it. A huge problem was it was half way across the city with no parking. The buses weren’t a thing early on. It came later. 

Edited 11 hours ago by Goalie

[Mark H.]

The old stadium had it's perks when it came to parking. $5 to park behind SIR, & a 2 min. walk to stadium. 

[3rdand1.5]

Our new stadium is nice....But I preferred the old location and amenities of the old site.....hit the mall food court if you wanted, a vendor and a night club across the street, so many lounges and restaurants and easy stumble away, many private businesses "allowed" staff and friends a private property place to tailgate......so much "free" street parking an easy walk away....etc......but overall the new stadium experience is really good....not without some driving/bus logistic concerns and a very serious lack of "easy" walking to amenities.....But huge props to Wade and his teams for the gameday experience and amenities inside the stadium, the bike system, the outside pregame areas, working with so many lounges and restaurants to provide shuttles and making a really crappy in and out drive flow decently.

[wbbfan]

1 hour ago, Goalie said:

Minus the fact that everyone bitched and complained about where it was. You don’t know it all. Accept it. A huge problem was it was half way across the city with no parking. The buses weren’t a thing early on. It came later. 

The buses were a thing in the first season. I was working night shifts coming into Winnipeg from the south of the city. 

They were not nearly as good as they are now and not as many of them. I don't think they had the school buses at first, then brought some in late in the season. They tried to run it through the transit buses. 

Everyone complained about the location of the old stadium, too. It was just more familiar. The complaints were worse at first in the new location, but it was also hands down better by year 2. Old stadium parking was horrible and never got better. Virtually all of the small businesses around the old stadium rented out their parking spots and had to be full just to get the regular crowds in. 

 

10 minutes ago, 3rdand1.5 said:

Our new stadium is nice....But I preferred the old location and amenities of the old site.....hit the mall food court if you wanted, a vendor and a night club across the street, so many lounges and restaurants and easy stumble away, many private businesses "allowed" staff and friends a private property place to tailgate......so much "free" street parking an easy walk away....etc......but overall the new stadium experience is really good....not without some driving/bus logistic concerns and a very serious lack of "easy" walking to amenities.....But huge props to Wade and his teams for the gameday experience and amenities inside the stadium, the bike system, the outside pregame areas, working with so many lounges and restaurants to provide shuttles and making a really crappy in and out drive flow decently.

The location back in the day was handy for sure. I mean, in an ideal world, we would've gotten the stadium somehow by the Forks amid a light rail hub, with walking bridges/cycling paths aplenty. In reality, I think what they've done has been excellent and the best we could hope for without an insane amount of money. I would love to see more development stretch to the U of M. A ton of great food and stuff exists in the south pembina area, but it's a serious walk from the stadium. 

[MOBomberFan]

1 hour ago, Mark H. said:

The old stadium had it's perks when it came to parking. $5 to park behind SIR, & a 2 min. walk to stadium. 

A semi legitimate excuse to meet the fellas at Hooters before and after

[3rdand1.5]

3 minutes ago, MOBomberFan said:

A semi legitimate excuse to meet the fellas at Hooters before and after

Political stuff aside, the beer was always cold, the wings were always hot........

[Noeller]

I personally enjoy the new stadium setup and the travel to and from is so easy. We used to drive to Stone Angel and pre game there, then walk to the stadium. Now, we take the rapid transit from our little place just off McGillvary and that takes like 10 minutes. So easy to do. Game Day Experience in Winnipeg is absolutely top-notch and puts other CFL markets to shame 

5 minutes ago, 3rdand1.5 said:

Political stuff aside, the beer was always cold, the wings were always hot........

My wife friggin LOVES the food there....

[WinnipegGordo]

1 hour ago, wbbfan said:

The buses were a thing in the first season. I was working night shifts coming into Winnipeg from the south of the city. 

They were not nearly as good as they are now and not as many of them. I don't think they had the school buses at first, then brought some in late in the season. They tried to run it through the transit buses. 

Everyone complained about the location of the old stadium, too. It was just more familiar. The complaints were worse at first in the new location, but it was also hands down better by year 2. Old stadium parking was horrible and never got better. Virtually all of the small businesses around the old stadium rented out their parking spots and had to be full just to get the regular crowds in. 

 

The location back in the day was handy for sure. I mean, in an ideal world, we would've gotten the stadium somehow by the Forks amid a light rail hub, with walking bridges/cycling paths aplenty. In reality, I think what they've done has been excellent and the best we could hope for without an insane amount of money. I would love to see more development stretch to the U of M. A ton of great food and stuff exists in the south pembina area, but it's a serious walk from the stadium. 

I am curious to see what is going to be built on the site of the old golf course. 

Hopefully there will be a few places to get a drink and some grub.

[Noeller]

4 hours ago, WinnipegGordo said:

I am curious to see what is going to be built on the site of the old golf course. 

Hopefully there will be a few places to get a drink and some grub.

Not sure what it's zoned as, but that would be the perfect spot for a food/drinks spot. The campus traffic plus regular people in the area would definitely use it a lot. 

Edited 4 hours ago by Noeller

[wbbfan]

2 hours ago, Noeller said:

Not sure what it's zoned as, but that would be the perfect spot for a good/drinks spot. The campus traffic plus regular people in the area would definitely use it a lot. 

Turning it into a nice walkable out door area with lots of food and drink would be great. Like a green out door forks. 

This is just an article clipped from the bombers off season show on OB.

https://3downnation.com/2025/03/03/winnipeg-blue-bombers-offensive-coordinator-jason-hogan-on-scheme-i-love-exotic-stuff/

“It’s hard for me to define the offence. I want to keep it simple. I want to let the guys play fast and not think as much. I do like to throw some exotic stuff in there, but at the end of the day, it’s how do we get our guys to play fast, not overthink it. We call it paralysis by analysis. I don’t want them to just freeze at the line of scrimmage because they’ve got too much going on — you’ve got the game clock, you’ve got the exciting fans. There’s a lot going on, so how do we keep it simple for them, all the while keeping it exciting.”

 

[BBlink]

Seems reasonable. Our rookies (minus a few who just seem to get it out of TC) haven't been effective at all. 

[Booch]

6 hours ago, Goalie said:

Minus the fact that everyone bitched and complained about where it was. You don’t know it all. Accept it. A huge problem was it was half way across the city with no parking. The buses weren’t a thing early on. It came later. 

I didnt ***** and complain...and a lot of people I know didnt either.....as well "everyone" didnt either....the people who used to live closer bitched and moaned....their convenience just shifted to it being convenient for others...

Anywhere u put a stadium it's gonna be across the city for half the fanbase...if not more....and parking at old place wasnt ideal either.....The logistics of the bussing was a ball drop by the team and the city and the city and there is way more actul parking at new stadium than at old.....Karen is gonna Karen regardless....Karen

[SpeedFlex27]

8 hours ago, Booch said:

we already have lost 3 in a row....and shown no ability in all 3 to stray from the pattern od failure...that killed us...

 

lure of new stadium was reason for that

 

people dont put enough emphasis on the amount of pull they allow Osh to have on who he says he wants...and doesnt want...and who he refuses to move on from....Heirachy here is a bit outta whack at times and seems that the guy who should over rule...hasnt been

well...was on oppposite end of where lotsa people lived before too....and in a dump...that argument has no weight at all

I first started going to games in 1968 when I was 13, it used to take me well over an hour to get to the games. Winnipeg Transit had buses from all over the city going to the games. I caught my bus at Osborne & Jubilee NB on Osborne Street.

Getting home after the games took even longer. Unless the connections on the way home were bang on... At least 90 minutes. caught a bus after the game to take me East down Portage Avenue to the Bay. Do you believe at 11;30 or 11:45 pm (as evening games started at 8 pm) I'd wait on the East side of the Bay for the Osborne bus to take me to my last connection home. The Morley bus in Riverview. No way would it be safe enough to do that now. I never complained. 

When I started driving, I'd take my car to the games. I'd have to leave my house in Fort Rouge 90 minutes before the game & fight that gawd awful traffic on Kenaston Blvd NB & then over the St James Bridge to get to the stadium. Going home, the same SB on Kenaston was awful. That was the 70's & 80's. I guess it got even worse since. I never complained. Whether by bus or car, it's where I had to go & I never thought anything about it other than I had a rushed dinner when I got home from work. 

[Booch]

15 minutes ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

I first started going to games in 1968 when I was 13, it used to take me well over an hour to get to the games. Winnipeg Transit had buses from all over the city going to the games. I caught my bus at Osborne & Jubilee NB on Osborne Street.

Getting home after the games took even longer. Unless the connections on the way home were bang on... At least 90 minutes. caught a bus after the game to take me East down Portage Avenue to the Bay. Do you believe at 11;30 or 11:45 pm (as evening games started at 8 pm) I'd wait on the East side of the Bay for the Osborne bus to take me to my last connection home. The Morley bus in Riverview. No way would it be safe enough to do that now. I never complained. 

When I started driving, I'd take my car to the games. I'd have to leave my house in Fort Rouge 90 minutes before the game & fight that gawd awful traffic on Kenaston Blvd NB & then over the St James Bridge to get to the stadium. Going home, the same SB on Kenaston was awful. That was the 70's & 80's. I guess it got even worse since. I never complained. Whether by bus or car, it's where I had to go & I never thought anything about it other than I had a rushed dinner when I got home from work. 

People don't realize how good it really is...it's not in your neighborhood..oh well if u a fan you will go

Maybe some should go to a game in many of the NFL and Ncaa venues...with some with minimal parking...or the high cost parking...the logistical nightmares of some places...the 3 hour round trip to go to a game...some in bad neighborhoods....then reflect on their sojourn to games here and realize ...hey...it's not that bad after all

The city is growing to south anyway..so in due time majority of fans will be close 

[SpeedFlex27]

35 minutes ago, Booch said:

People don't realize how good it really is...it's not in your neighborhood..oh well if u a fan you will go

Maybe some should go to a game in many of the NFL and Ncaa venues...with some with minimal parking...or the high cost parking...the logistical nightmares of some places...the 3 hour round trip to go to a game...some in bad neighborhoods....then reflect on their sojourn to games here and realize ...hey...it's not that bad after all

The city is growing to south anyway..so in due time majority of fans will be close 

Winnipeggers who ***** & complain should go to Seattle for a Seahawks game. A city of nearly 5 million with a stadium down by the seaport area where container ships are loaded. Freeways are always jammed. Absolutely zero parking anywhere except on the street if you can find a space to park blocks away.

There are a number of parking garages different distances from the stadium between 2-6 blocks away. You have to call these parking garages & reserve a spot. You can't just drive in. I don't know the price to reserve a parking space as my son paid for it the last game we went to in 2024.

Getting in & getting out takes forever but at least it's close. Crime in the area is very high. Meth heads & street creatures are always around. You don't want to be caught by yourself after dark when the football crowd is gone. So, people hustle their ass to get to their vehicles after a night game where they lock the doors & feel safe. Sunday afternoon games are usually okay. But it is downtown & sketchy. I guess the area where Lumen Stadium is was a cool place when it opened in 2005 replacing the Kingdome on the same spot.

So, quit bitching Winnipeggers. You have it pretty good! Do you feel unsafe going to your car or catching a bus after the games at PAS? Compare the area at the U Of M is in to Canada Life Centre downtown.

Compared to Seattle, we have nothing like that here.

Edited 3 hours ago by SpeedFlex27

[Mark H.]

Everybody's right.

[WinnipegGordo]

Bombers signed Jaiden Woodbey today. He's a 6 foot tall DB / LBer.

He played college ball at Florida State and Boston College.

He tried out for the Rams in 2023 and played for an indoor league last year.

 

[HardCoreBlue]

5 hours ago, 3rdand1.5 said:

Political stuff aside, the beer was always cold, the wings were always hot........

Hooters = political?

Who knew.

[Tracker]

50 minutes ago, WinnipegGordo said:

Bombers signed Jaiden Woodbey today. He's a 6 foot tall DB / LBer.

He played college ball at Florida State and Boston College.

He tried out for the Rams in 2023 and played for an indoor league last year.

 

Overview

Woodbey has good short-area quickness and play strength, but he lacks the instincts and burst to make plays that stand out. His speed testing was disappointing, but it appears to match what is on tape at times. He needs to prove he can play fast and will need to star on special teams to have a shot.

Strengths

• Quick feet for good short-area movement.
• Possesses above-average strength for his size.
• Stands his ground and drives through hips as tackler.
• Can line up and redirect release of slot tight ends with force.
• Experienced contributor to special-teams units.

Weaknesses

• Minimal production in impact categories.
• Lacks functional speed to play chase-and-hit football.
• Blockers are able to sustain and keep him out of plays.
• Doesn’t have athleticism or twitch to create a margin for error.
• Will have trouble tracking deep routes down the field.

[brett_c_b]

6 hours ago, Noeller said:

I personally enjoy the new stadium setup and the travel to and from is so easy. We used to drive to Stone Angel and pre game there, then walk to the stadium. Now, we take the rapid transit from our little place just off McGillvary and that takes like 10 minutes. So easy to do. Game Day Experience in Winnipeg is absolutely top-notch and puts other CFL markets to shame 

My wife friggin LOVES the food there....

Best game day experience I've had was surprisingly Ottawa. BC is my favorite stadium (Winnipeg second). Going to a game in Ottawa was actually a really fun experience though, I never thought I'd say that about Ottawa in any capacity

[Mark H.]

23 minutes ago, brett_c_b said:

Best game day experience I've had was surprisingly Ottawa. BC is my favorite stadium (Winnipeg second). Going to a game in Ottawa was actually a really fun experience though, I never thought I'd say that about Ottawa in any capacity

If you're in downtown Ottawa, absolutely go to a Sens game. Tickets can be found cheap online, and bars in the downtown have shuttle busses to the arena.

[WinnipegGordo]

1 hour ago, brett_c_b said:

Best game day experience I've had was surprisingly Ottawa. BC is my favorite stadium (Winnipeg second). Going to a game in Ottawa was actually a really fun experience though, I never thought I'd say that about Ottawa in any capacity

Ottawa might be a bit of a **** show for a couple of years while they renovate their stadium.

Then you have the Lions and Argos next year that will probably be playing their first 5-6 games on the road.