Captain Blue

Ticket prices in all sports will need to eventually come down. This isn't just a CFL or Winnipeg issue; you see it in all the other leagues. Staying home to watch a game on an HD TV at no cost is pretty tempting option for most people. Thursday night games are great on TV (more football!) but during the work week makes it difficult for a lot to attend. I think the league should really push the Western start times earlier. Eastern Canada likely isn't watching a Lions game starting at 10 Eastern. We were in Ottawa during Week 1, and watching the Bombers-Lions game from 10-1 AM was just not an option for us. Its a bit easier for the NHL to get away with those late starts when there is so much hockey on earlier for fans to consume. There are only four CFL games most weeks, you can't really afford to have one continually with low viewing numbers.

TSN says Joe Mack will take on a bigger role now.

Happy for Khari and Vernon Adams. I still think it'll be really unlikely for Khari to succeed in Montreal (thanks Kavis Reed!) but maybe he gets an extended shot there and eventually somewhere else. Been a fan of Vernon Adams since his college days and continually thought he was perfect for the CFL. Has a chance to be a really exciting QB still, so hopefully it works out now finally.

I think its reasonable to be concerned with the second half playcalling, particularly on the offensive side of the ball. That said, this was a pretty dominant win from start to finish. Nichols had a second straight good game. Probably his best of the season, I think. Accuracy was on point, timing clicked, great decisions with reads. The offense is so much better when he can stretch the field successfully. The defense was excellent yet again. Not much more to say about them at this point.

You left Nichols in, presumably because you thought the game was still in doubt, but then went ultra-conservative. The two don't seem to align. Either you think its over (put in Streveler) or its not and give Nichols a better playbook than that. Wasted a lot of second half opportunities either way.

The coaching this half should be truly, truly concerning. Its made no sense.

It is truly phenomenal how good the offense can look (like in the first half) and then completely disappear. LaPo has packed it in for the day.

Fenner hasn't been very good but he's being asked to cover a top WR in the league in solo man coverage and not getting much safety help over the top.

Complete domination by the Bombers tonight. The interception and fumble allowed the Redblacks to hang around, but they couldn't get their offense going so it didn't matter. Our defense is phenomenal. Really impressed with how they handled Davis tonight, and that is without Bighill. The offense was much better too. As bad as Nichols was last week, he was really solid tonight. Accuracy was much improved. Stretched the field, controlled the game. A tough break to get hurt after finally getting in the groove. Streveler was a bit more up and down but the offensive gameplan really seemed to change too. Much more run-oriented by that point.

Is anybody saying wins are a bad thing? Obviously not. Winning is always good. But if Nichols' play does not improve then the Bombers won't keep winning - or rather, at least not win the most important games. The Bombers are a really well built team and look like they'll be in contention late in the season. They'll win games and have won plenty the past few years. They have obviously been a very successful organization that just hasn't been able to break through for the big one. They need the QB play elevated for that to happen, in my opinion.

The differences in fan viewpoints in my opinion are just linked to how we interpret the process leading to a result. You can get a good result from a bad process, which is what happened on Thursday, when we are discussing Nichols. Wins are always good, but how you get there matters. Nichols had a few really great throws and then a bunch of awful ones. If Lucky Whitehead isn't the fastest person on the field, the Bombers likely lose and Nichols' stats are even worse. The idea that Nichols and Whitehead share equal credit for Whitehead's second TD, for example, is why advanced stats have made such a big impact in the NFL - we know which player deserved more credit on that play. In a league where offensive success is so closely linked to victory, it should be concerning that Nichols and the offense struggled to find consistency. I don't think this is really that unreasonable. You should be able to both praise and criticize the team after wins and losses, not just saving the positivity for good outcomes and negativity for bad ones.

We showed up this afternoon to watch camp but were told they moved it to this morning suddenly. Glad we didn't miss much but what a bummer.

Judging from Harris' tweet about the AAF and XFL, this clearly is a big talking point for the negotiations. It does make sense that it likely divided the CFLPA, which is shame. The league is already predominantly populated by American players. There are still good Canadian football players out there that deserve that chance to play. I get that guys like Singleton really aren't Canadian, but there are also a ton of guys that are and that I still want to see play. I even love that the Bombers have Canadians in their front office and coaching staff.

I would be pretty disappointed if they reduce the number of Canadians. Its part of what makes the league so special, in my opinion. The AAF and the upcoming XFL serve as non-NFL leagues with unique rules and rosters composed of Americans.

Today again shows the issue with the two division system. The West continues to get better and better.

Interesting to see who heads to Edmonton now. That team was held together by Reilly for a while this year, whoever heads there will be in a difficult spot.

Those defensive restrictions are ridiculous.

The Bombers just kind of keep humming along and retaining several contributors.

While Jones is legally allowed to leave the Riders for an NFL opening, I will clearly argue that this was not very fair to the team and organization. But that is what happens when you hire a weasel. If only he had a history of only looking out for himself... So yes, I think Chris Jones left the Riders in a terrible spot. Its not the Bombers' problem that he bailed so late.

If LaPo wanted to be a head coach so badly, he could have pounced on several of the previous opportunities he has had. This isn't just about becoming a head coach. Its clear he is/was more interested in the Rider job because its still close to family. I'd feel bad about this if it was December. For those looking to blame Ottawa, Winnipeg or whoever else, the blame pretty clearly still lies with Chris Jones.

I hope this doesn't turn out to be a big story. I can understand why LaPo would be upset and I'm sure Elizondo felt similar as well. But still, everyone including LaPo needs to also understand the situation. If Jones leaving this late in the offseason was such a big blow to the Riders, why would any other team WILLINGLY bring that on themselves too?

I would assume the Bombers - and pretty much all the other teams - would not let the Riders take an assistant at this point. If they do want LaPolice, I feel more likely they'll have to wait at least until next offseason. Said it before and I'll say it again on Richie Hall - if you are rooting for the Bombers to lose him, you are working off a 2017 viewpoint and haven't updated it from last season. With Bighill back I am really, really excited to see that defense again.

Brutal for the Riders to lose their HC this late in the off-season. Chris Jones continues to be all about Chris Jones.

Absolutely fantastic signing. Its been a few years so we may not always think back on it, but Winnipeg has become a strong organization and place to play. Another big signing that praises the work Osh has done here.

I scoffed at the idea initially but I don't blame Ambrosie for looking outside the box here for potential revenue streams.