Winnipeg Blue Bomber Thread

[jerrym]

Sixth round 2018 draft pick WR Tyron Pierre has signed to the Bomber PR. He spent four years with the Laval Rouge et Or where he helped them win the 2016 Vanier Cup.

[jerrym]

HC Mike O'Shea put Matt Nichols back out on the field last week after he had already left the field injured in a game that was already a blowout in order to send a message that no game is out of reach. IMO sometimes the risks outweigh any remote chance of a comeback.

https://www.tsn.ca/cfl/video/why-did...game%7E1467338

[jerrym]

WR Kenbrell Thompkins has a remarkable life story. Growing up in a tough neighbourhood in Florida he was shot in the arm at age seven, arrested seven times between 15 and 18 for trespassing, drug-related charges and armed robbery, he seemed headed for a predictable brutal and sad life when a judge sent him to boot camp. He started turning his life around, became a WR in college, and spent four years in the NFL before coming to the Bombers, getting his chance to play when Winnipeg traded Adarius Bowman to Montreal.

https://www.bluebombers.com/2018/08/...-beating-odds/

[jerrym]

Matt Nichols is facing increasing criticism for his comments after games, but his numbers are also down.

This is not the same quarterback who broke out of his “game manager” shell last season, smashing that reputation and the chip on his shoulder with 4,472 yards passing on a 71% completion rate, with 28 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
Coming into this season, since taking over from Drew Willy as the starter two years ago, Nichols had hit on 70.3% of his passes for 8138 yards in 30 starts, with 46 touchdowns and 17 interceptions.
That’s an average of 271 yards passing per game.

In seven starts this season – he missed the first three with a knee injury – he’s averaged just 229 yards per game, his completion percentage down a full seven points.
His numbers are down dramatically virtually across the board, from his touchdown-interception ratio (10-7 this season, 46-17 the previous two) to his efficiency rating (100.8, 87.8) to the most important stat, his won-loss record as a starter (21-9, 4-3).
He’s not taking off with the ball nearly as often, either, not even once every two games, compared to two carries a game through 2016-17.

https://winnipegsun.com/sports/footb...-not-his-mouth

[jerrym]

#Bombers first-round draft pick and Winnipeg-native Geoff Gray has been released from the Cleveland Browns. I wouldn't expect the OL to make the decision to head north too quickly. @MBBisons

— Darrin Bauming (@DarrinBauming) August 28, 2018

[jerrym]

Geoff Gray's agent expects him to clear NFL waivers today, but he will see if there is any NFL teams interested in Gray before exploring CFL options. The Bombers have had a strong offensive line, but have OL Jemarius Hardrick on the six game injured list and Paddy Neufeld was not at practice today indicating he may also be injured, indicating the Bombers could have a growing interest in Gray. However, Ted Wyman is reporting that the Bombers may be up against the salary cap and possibly have trouble fitting a first round draft choice with NFL experience who commands a hefty salary under the cap.

[jerrym]

Here's an article on Bob Irving who has been broadcasting Winnipeg Blue Bomber games as the team's play-by-play voice on CJOB since 1974.

https://winnipegsun.com/sports/football/cfl/winnipeg-bluebombers/bombers-legendary-broadcaster-bob-irving-celebrates-45-years-on-the-job

As one of the other eight lucky ones I want to underscore how lucky Bomber fans are to have Bob as their voice. He is the Dean of our group and has been a pleasure to deal with over the years. Keep doing what you’re doing Knuckles, the CFL is lucky to have you.

— Mike Hogan (@MikeHoganArgos) September 1, 2018

[jerrym]

The Bombers have signed International DE Gerald Rivers and released NationalWR Tyrone Pierre from their PR.

Rivers (6’5, 255, Ole Miss, June 22, 1990 in Avondale Estates, GA.) played four seasons in the NFL, spending time with six different NFL teams. In 2018, Rivers signed with the Edmonton Eskimos, making four total tackles in five games. Rivers spent his college career with the Ole Miss Rebels.

https://www.bluebombers.com/2018/08/...actice-roster/

[argolio]

They signed Geraldo Rivera?

[jerrym]

Some of the Bomber stats over most of the last year do not look good.

Over the last 16 games, including last November’s West Semi-Final playoff loss to the Edmonton Eskimos, the Bombers have posted a a sub-.500 record – 7-9 to be exact. This after going 20-7 during a stretch from a win in Edmonton in late July of 2016 to a win in Edmonton in late September last year.
While there are some rather significant factors in the recent 7-9 stretch – quarterback Matt Nicholsmissed four starts in which the team went 2-2 and did not finish two other games, both losses – the other offensive and defensive numbers don’t reveal any one specific problem area. And that in itself is part of the problem. ...

“It’s just been let downs by certain groups,” said Andrew Harris, when asked for a big-picture take on the 7-9 stretch. “There are times where our defence has been stellar and our offence hasn’t been great, or vice versa. Or maybe special teams makes a big play that puts us in a bad situation. I just don’t feel like we’ve been playing three-phase football for 60 minutes.
“You need to be consistent and productive in all three phases and that’s been the biggest thing. I don’t think it’s individuals or personnel issues, it’s just collectively our groups haven’t gelled and brought everything to the table as consistently as we need to. ...

Some numbers behind the 7-9 run, for your perusal:

• The Bombers are 4-4 at home during the stretch; 3-5 on the road
• Winnipeg is 4-4 vs the East; 3-5 vs. the West
• The Bombers have averaged 236.6 yards passing, 117.2 yards rushing and 339.9 yards net offence during those 16 games
• By comparison, Winnipeg’s opponents have averaged 300.0 yards passing, 96.4 yards rushing and 379.8 yards net offence.
• The opponents have out-gained the Bombers in passing in 11 of the 16 games, and had a higher net offence in 10 games, while the split in rushing yards per game is an even 8-8.
• And interestingly, in the four highest passing-total games during that stretch – including the last two losses – the Bombers have a record of just 1-3. ...

On Friday, we asked quarterback Matt Nichols about the prevailing theory of teams working to limit the effectiveness of Harris as the key to beating Winnipeg.
“No one has done anything too out of the ordinary to take away the run,” said Nichols. “Everything just comes down to little tiny details that if you’re a hair off and the guy on the other team makes a play you can have it rack up on you where you’re not getting production. As an offence, we feel like we can find ways to get that done… we haven’t done a good enough job in the last couple of weeks. We know what we need to do, it’s just going out and executing it.

https://www.bluebombers.com/2018/09/...ing-numbers-2/

[jerrym]

Andrew Harris' 158 yards against the Riders, gives him a 199 yard lead over second place Redblack William Powell, a 350 yard lead over third place Eskimo C J Gable, and a 469 yard lead over fourth place James Wilder in rushing yards.

[jerrym]

The pressure is building to switch from Nichols to Streveler at QB after another poor performance by Nichols.

With his (Nichol's) work ethic, the respect he commands in the locker room and the way he performed in 2016 and 2017, you can see why the Winnipeg Blue Bombers want to give him time to work things out, even though his play has been underwhelming in his eight starts this CFL season.
He hasn’t been the same since he suffered a knee injury in training camp. ...

His passing numbers are way down from last season. After completing just 53.8% of his passes for 166 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions in Sunday’s 31-23 loss to the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Nichols said he absolutely has to be better for the Bombers to have a chance to win. ...

Since returning from a knee injury in Week 4, wearing a knee brace, Nichols has completed just 62% of his passes for an average of 221 yards per game. Last season he completed 71% of his passes for 263 yards per game.
It’s a significant drop-off that can’t be ignored. The Bombers are now 4-4 in games started by Nichols, have lost their last three games and are 5-6 overall, in a fight just to get into the playoffs. The Bombers need their quarterback to be their best player and so far it simply hasn’t happened. ...

There’s no question Streveler is an exciting and promising young quarterback, who has one great game under his belt — a 56-10 drubbing of the Montreal Alouettes — and has thrown eight touchdown passes in limited action. He has shown he can throw the ball and he can definitely run it, bringing a different dynamic to the offence. Streveler has thrown two passes in the last two games, both for touchdowns. ...

As reluctant as O’Shea is to make such a drastic change and make such a damning statement about the ability of Nichols to lead the team on the field, he does have the option of putting Nichols on a shorter leash.
He could at least see what Streveler can do. The guy sure seems like a gamer, even though his last start, in a blowout loss to Hamilton, was a bad one. The thing is Streveler is a 23-year-old pure rookie, straight out of college. Nichols is a 31-year-old veteran who has been through it all in his eight-year CFL career. It’s obvious the Bombers want Nichols to be their man and O’Shea made it clear Sunday that he’s sticking with his No. 1.

But if there’s no wavering from that plan and the Bombers lose Saturday’s Banjo Bowl against the Roughriders after another unimpressive performance from the quarterback to fall to 5-7 on the season, the noise from second-guessing will grow to a fever pitch.

https://winnipegsun.com/sports/footb...veler-a-chance

[jerrym]

Two former Bombers, International DB Vince Phason and National OT Cornel Piper, died just a day apart this week.

Phason, a defensive back who played with the Bombers from 1976-82 and was a CFL All-Star in 1982 and the club’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player in 1978, had been in a Denver hospital when he died. Phason was in a car accident in 1988 that left him paralyzed from the chest down, but stayed active in the game for years as a volunteer assistant coach with a high school in Denver.

https://www.bluebombers.com/2018/09/...w-september-5/

Offensive Tackle: 1957-67
Division All-Star: 1960, 1961
Bud Grant long raved about the Canadians that were the backbone of the team’s Glory Years in the late 1950s/early 1960s. Cornel Piper was among those homegrowns. He played his junior ball with the Winnipeg Rods and after joining the Bombers in 1957, was a mainstay on the club’s four championships over the next five years.

https://www.bluebombers.com/2017/04/25/cornel-piper/

[jerrym]

The Bombers have released former BC Lion QB Alex Ross, who went 1/8 for eight yards in the preseason and 0/1 in the regular season, after going 5/12 for 82 yards with the Lions last year.

[jerrym]

The Bombers 5-7 record has put on HC O'Shea on the hot seat.

They’ve clearly lost their way and their quarterback situation is a hot mess, but somewhere deep down are the remnants of the team that was expected to contend for the Grey Cup this season. ...

Four weeks ago I believed the Bombers were in the mix for first place in the West Division. So, how is it that things have gone so horribly wrong? Good teams don’t have 5-7 records. They don’t turn over footballs like they’re distributing free candy at a parade. They don’t have the kinds of letdowns in every game that lead to losses. ...

There’s no doubt the thing that has hurt the Bombers the most is the play of veteran quarterback Matt Nichols. His season was already spiralling when he had the worst half of his career on Saturday, throwing three interceptions (and having two more wiped out by penalties), two of them for long, humbling touchdowns.
Nichols, who now has completed just 61% of his passes this season and has thrown 12 interceptions against 11 touchdowns, was finally, mercifully, yanked by head coach Mike O’Shea. Rookie Chris Streveler came on to play the second half on Saturday and produced a touchdown, but also threw two interceptions. His performance was not much better than that of Nichols. In fact, they both went 10-for-20, Nichols for 165 yards and Streveler for 160, and combined on the five picks. ...

Ultimately, that decision will fall to O’Shea and his offensive co-ordinator Paul LaPolice, both of whom are having rough seasons themselves. The Bombers are supposed to be good, remember? Their offence was supposed to be high-powered and dangerous. They have one of the best players in the league in Harris and, when healthy, one of the best offensive lines, and yet they haven’t capitalized. When it comes to playing good teams this season, the Bombers have simply been overmatched. Their record against Calgary, Edmonton and Saskatchewan — the three teams ahead of them in the West — is an embarrassing 0-4. They are 1-5 within the division and their only win against a Western opponent came against the fifth-place B.C. Lions. ...

None of this bodes well for the hopes of fans who have suffered more than long enough.
O’Shea and his coaching staff have had plenty of time to put their mark on this team and lead it in the right direction. They seemed to be doing so, putting together 11-7 and 12-6 seasons in 2016 and 2017. This season qualifies as a significant regression. Head coaches whose teams regress usually find themselves on the hot seat and that’s exactly where O’Shea should be. This is on him to turn things around over the final six games of the season. He needs to make the right decision on the quarterback, get his team working on the same page and use the tools in front of him to save the season.

https://winnipegsun.com/sports/footb...n-the-hot-seat

[R.J]

https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sp...492826801.html

For the record, fans should fully expect Nichols to be the quarterback when the Bombers return from the bye week.

Won't sit well with Bombers fans if he does lol.

[AngeloV]

https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sp...492826801.html
the record, fans should fully expect Nichols to be the quarterback when the Bombers return from the bye week.

Won't sit well with Bombers fans if he does lol.

Bombers are in big trouble and I predict they will miss the playoffs. They have played at least 1 game more than every team except Edmonton, and have actually played 2 more than B.C. Looking at the schedule, I don't see them winning more than 1 or 2 more games. I know it looks like a long shot now, but if the Argos can somehow go 5-2 over their last 7, I believe they will make the playoffs at 8-10, and their might be no crossover. Even a 7-11 record might get them in if Calgary, Edmonton and Saskatchewan run roughshod over BC and Winnipeg the rest of the way, which isn't unreasonable.

[R.J]

Bombers are in big trouble and I predict they will miss the playoffs. They have played at least 1 game more than every team except Edmonton, and have actually played 2 more than B.C. Looking at the schedule, I don't see them winning more than 1 or 2 more games. I know it looks like a long shot now, but if the Argos can somehow go 5-2 over their last 7, I believe they will make the playoffs at 8-10, and their might be no crossover. Even a 7-11 record might get them in if Calgary, Edmonton and Saskatchewan run roughshod over BC and Winnipeg the rest of the way, which isn't unreasonable.

Montreal could get hot too.

[AngeloV]

Montreal could get hot too.

Agreed. I'm just looking at it from an Argo and crossover point of view. Everyone seems to think the crossover is a done deal, but Winnipeg and BC have tougher schedules than Toronto and Montreal down the stretch. Much tougher.

[R.J]

Agreed. I'm just looking at it from an Argo and crossover point of view. Everyone seems to think the crossover is a done deal, but Winnipeg and BC have tougher schedules than Toronto and Montreal down the stretch. Much tougher.

I think Nichols confidence is shot, and obviously I have no idea if he can get it back this season, so the Bombers hopes maybe with Streveler. BC's the wildcard IMO, because while they're a lot better with Lulay; something's off... Posey should help though.

I think BC has an easier schedule between the 3 (Toronto, Winnipeg, BC)