Blue Bombers Blog

He won it for the Riders.

http://www.cbc.ca/cp/football/060603/f060312.html

After you pick yourself off up the floor laughing, he was the best of the qb’s out there for the Riders…sort of, going five of nine passes for 64 yards and managed to put a drive together which won the game.

For Sask:

I. BUTLER 5/9 64 yrds, 0 0

K. JOSEPH 4/10 27 yrds, 0 0

M. CRANDELL 3/7 30 yrds, 0 0

D. DURANT 2/4 22 yrds, 0 0

For Edmonton:

.

J JOHNSON 10/18 88 yrds, 0 0

K. JONES 7/14 38 yrds, 0 0

S. JYLES 4/6 24 yrds, 0 0

The Riders had the edge on rushing

ATT YDS TD LG

K. COLEMAN 8 26 1 6

S. BRACEY 6 30 0 11

D. DORSEY 3 8 0 4

D. DURANT 2 27 0 24

I. BUTLER 2 13 0 12

S. BREEDEN 1 9 0 9

K. JOSEPH 1 8 0 8

M. BREWSTER 1 0 0 0

vs Esks

ATT YDS TD LG

D. DIEDRICK 6 12 0 5

R. MCCLENDON 5 4 0 4

K. JONES 3 10 0 7

J. JOHNSON 1 6 0 6

S. JYLES 1 0 0 0

Minneapolis Star Tribune - Ron Gardenhire normally doesn’t tend to be critical of his baseball club on his weekly Sunday morning radio show on WCCO. But Sunday, you got the impression the Twins manager was really upset with the number of mistakes his players were making. He …

Just listenin’ to the Esks/Riders on RM and Congi just nailed a (wind aided) 52 yarder. He also apparently nailed a 36 yarder earlier but Esks were called for too many men, the Riders took the first down instead and marched down for the major (Rocky Butler QBing in 3rd Q)

Pikula hit a 37 yarder in the 2nd, but only after the Esks (yes again) were called for too many men when Pikula was SHORT from 47 also wind aided.

Globe and Mail - Winnipeg — Five turnovers, a late comeback and an unsuccessful challenge of an official’s decision by Montreal head coach Don Matthews added some excitement to the Alouettes’ 25-24 preseason victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers last night. The …

First off the tailgate:

As we approached the Toronto fans tailgate party we recieved some scrupulous looks from those already in attendance.

This quickly changed when members of the "00"’s (Double zero’s) who welcomed my wife and our two friends with open arms. My Ticat colours definitely stood out when I saw a couple for other friendly colours. It was Tigger, Cossack and Ticatfan.

When we began talking the "00"’s welcomed us with the traditional "I’d rather be an Argo then a _________’n Tiger Cat. To which I replied, "Thank you for the warm welcome folks here’s to a good game!" This met with a resounding "Cheers"!

Converstations ranged from what to expect from who, to how fair weather fans are generally the ones who cause the most trouble at games. Where as the season ticket holders generally see visiting fans as fellow CFL fans and that their ticket money helps the team.

Note: The "00" braised tender loin was done to perfection and tasted great.

Onto the game

The walk over met us with a significant crowd at the Rogers Centre, with only looks but no negative comments.

The Steelback Street party was a busy place with a Lick’s burger and a pop for only $5 (a good deal really).

Into the Rogers Center. The Rogers Centre has been totally renovated, from removing obstructed seats to increasing counter service resulting in a short wait for beer or pop and eats. The popcorn and pizza were fresh and beer while expensive for compared to IWS was resonable for Toronto.

Game intro’s where sharp with Argo players announcing themselves (via pre-taping) on the jumbo-tron as they ran on to the field. Ticat’s were tastefully and professionally introduced.

The Rogers Centre turf is now laden with advertising and it is clear that corporate advertising is way up as you can see it through the stadiium and on the jumbo-tron. The place looks sharp.

The Game:

As expected with the preseason thier was an ever revolving rotation of players on both sides. Some to the stand-outs for me was Jason Mass’s poise at times, Kevin Eakin’s incredible over all athletic ability and stand out performance, to me Jason’s our now and Kevin’s our future. "The Little Ball of Hate" punched the ball in when he needed to and I am sure he and Corey will be our go to guys in the backfield as Corey impressed with his tenacity, skill and aggressive play

The defense was obviously poised and ready to make a statement, there would be no embarrassment this game. They put constant pressure on the Argo’s resulting in alot of tipped balls, stuffed runs and missed catches. Great job guys.

Rickie for 4 days practice obviously was on a explorative mission, when he was called upon to test his ability he attacked his routes. But I think he misjudged his opponesnts ability. It seemed to me he thought with our wider field he could out run the outside and was shut down with minimal gains.

I liked how the Argo’s responed to Thiesman’s comments. The Assoicated Press article described it best:



"Fans got a rise out of a vignette in the second that made fun of former Toronto quarterback Joe Theismann’s condemnation of the club’s signing Williams.

On Tuesday, Theismann called the move a "feeble excuse" by Toronto to sell tickets, lashed out at Williams and said he was ashamed to have worn the club’s old A emblem on his helmet.

During a stoppage in play Friday, a video ran on the Jumbotron showing Theismann wearing a helmet with the A emblem. Suddenly, a giant pencil appeared and rubbed out the A, after which the worlds "Happy Now Joe" appeared, again drawing solid applause."

On the field.

After the game we made our way onto the Rogers Center field. The Argo’s allow the fans to go on the field after the game and meet and talk with the players. I walked over and spoke to Chad Folks , who my friend knows from work. Chad is a Child and Youth Workers soon to be a school teacher…he’s always a class act.

I also spoke the Crouch the Argo’s back up qb. I asked him how he liked playing on the bigger field. He said he liked it but playing at game speed really opened his eyes as to how truely unique and exciting CFL football is.

The result, enjoyable football for the preseason.

Post game

We made our way over to Joe Badali’s after the game. Where we sat with Lori Bursey (president of the Friends of the Argo’s) and several Argo fans who I am close friends with during the Toronto Rock Lacrosse season.

While there Noel Prefontane joined us for a lengthy conversation, we talked about seeing the same team twice and then opening the season with him. Noel was saying that it’s frustrating because most of the plays must remain very simplistic in nature on both sides in order to not give anything away on game film and that the week before regular season all of the CFL teams must learn a litany of new plays before the first game of the season. I agree and a more diversified preseason schedule would help the teams better assess the players ability’s. It’s safe the to say the Argo’s and Ticats we see in the preseason will not be the Argo’s and Ticats we see on June 17 in Toronto to kick off the season. They will be better.

Thanks for a great time Toronto fans!

From all indications I really feel this is going to be and exciting season across the CFL. Let the games begin!

My two cents! How about yours!

Jare

Random thoughts and three dots in the wake of our first peek at the 2006 Winnipeg Blue Bombers…

First off, credit to the folks who prettied up the Stadium last night. Amazing what a fresh coat of paint will do and it’s also worth noting the visitor’s dressing room — once a running joke across the CFL — is now one of the best. We still think the place is a mess — you need a 4×4 to get through some portions of the parking lot and the place could use a lot more fixing up, but it’s a start…

Here’s what I liked from the Bombers 25-24 loss to the Montreal Alouettes:
-The work of the Canadian receivers, particularly Arjei Franklin, Scott Robinson and Darryl Ray; running back Henri Childs; the work of the offensive linel; Mike Quinn running the offence; Albert Johnson III returning kicks; Santino Hall at linebacker; punter Bryan Claybourn’s hang-time and seeing that many diehards in attendance for a preseason game.
Here’s what I didn’t like:
-The vanilla defensive package that didn’t offer much pressure to the Als QBs; Montreal’s ability to run right at the heart of the D-line; Kevin Glenn’s work - even with a rag-tag collection of receivers - when the game hung in the balance…

By the way, if you saw the look on Doug Berry’s mug after the game, you’ll realize how much the man despises losing — and this was for a preseason game. You have to hope that kind of attitude seeps into those in the locker room who have been around for the last two years, when losing became all-too commonplace.

Finally, nobody asked me but I’m taking the Oilers in six. And that pains me for a guy who grew up despising that franchise and all their success.

Random thoughts and three dots in the wake of our first peek at the 2006 Winnipeg Blue Bombers…

First off, credit to the folks who prettied up the Stadium last night. Amazing what a fresh coat of paint will do and it’s also worth noting the visitor’s dressing room — once a running joke across the CFL — is now one of the best. We still think the place is a mess — you need a 4×4 to get through some portions of the parking lot and the place could use a lot more fixing up, but it’s a start…

Here’s what I liked from the Bombers 25-24 loss to the Montreal Alouettes:
-The work of the Canadian receivers, particularly Arjei Franklin, Scott Robinson and Darryl Ray; running back Henri Childs; the work of the offensive linel; Mike Quinn running the offence; Albert Johnson III returning kicks; Santino Hall at linebacker; punter Bryan Claybourn’s hang-time and seeing that many diehards in attendance for a preseason game.
Here’s what I didn’t like:
-The vanilla defensive package that didn’t offer much pressure to the Als QBs; Montreal’s ability to run right at the heart of the D-line; Kevin Glenn’s work - even with a rag-tag collection of receivers - when the game hung in the balance…

By the way, if you saw the look on Doug Berry’s mug after the game, you’ll realize how much the man despises losing — and this was for a preseason game. You have to hope that kind of attitude seeps into those in the locker room who have been around for the last two years, when losing became all-too commonplace.

Finally, nobody asked me but I’m taking the Oilers in six. And that pains me for a guy who grew up despising that franchise and all their success.

All eyes, it seemed, were on the four players battling it out for Winnipeg’s starting quarterback job. The four pivots were under close scrutiny when the Blue Bombers took on the Montreal Alouettes in a CFL pre-season match at Canad Inns Stadium last night.

Never mind ex-NFLer Onterrio Smith, Winnipeg got a sweet game from tailback Henri Childs, one of several surprises in the Blue Bombers training camp. Childs rushed for 82 yards on eight carries in the first half alone — a 10.3-yard average. That included a 30-yard romp.

Head coach Doug Berry’s debut ended with a loss. Several Winnipeg Blue Bomber newcomers — for purely selfish reasons — probably didn’t feel the same way about their own.

SLAM! Sports - The CFL and the CFL Players’ Association announced yesterday, six hours before kicking off the 2006 pre-season schedule, that they had agreed on a four-year collective bargaining agreement which takes effect immediately. “It’s a very good deal for …

SLAM! Sports - Still, the ESPN analyst had some good points as he stirred the pot on a hot-button issue. And you can bet a lot of people south of the border are listening to his opinion. And therein lies the rub. American football fans don’t know much about the CFL …

What did you think of Eric Crouch’s performace? I seriously think the Argos need to hang on to this guy. He has Flutie tools and remember he has played much QB in a few years so he needs time. He had a nice scramble yesterday. Given the choice between Wynn, Crouch and Peterson, I keep Crouch. (and Wynn 3rd string).

Edmonton Journal - Ricky Williams looked less like an NFL rushing champion and every bit like a running back less than a week into training camp with a new team. The former Miami Dolphins running back was held to just seven yards on four carries in his first CFL game …

BC:

Buck Pierce started. Can’t say he had his best stuff. Was mmm okay, didn’t look completely comfortable. Dickenson played last half of second quarter. He carved it up fairly decently. Jarious played most of the second half. He looked sharp. I liked what I saw. BIG difference from the scrimmage last week where Jarious did not look good at all. Not a lot of deep balls in the game at all. Thought both Jarious and Pierce showed a little bit of happy feet.

Warren barely touched the ball. He had like 1 catch and 2 carries I think. Only played the first quarter. Joe Smith got a good look in the second half. Tore off a long one like 25-30ish. Made a catch or 2, dropped another. Nohra didn’t dress to my knowledge.

Paris Jackson made a couple nice grabs. Totally burned Crance Clemons on a crossing route, or was it Ruffin. The announcer called Ruffin Clemons at one point so now I have them mixed up. Clermont was solid. Krepps got a decent look in the first half and made a couple grabs. Boden caught an easy TD, Calgary blew their coverage. Eason dropped his only look. Wylie King saw a lot of action on kick returns in the absence of Lockett (didn’t dress). King was ok, not spectacular.

The o-line actually looked like an o-line. Nothing special but made a couple nice holes off tackle in the second half and the backfield wasn’t pure chaos that we’re used to from the Lions. Had a little trouble picking up the blitz in the early going against Calgary’s first unit.

McCallum hit all his FGs including a 41-ish yarder. Sciortino put a 47 yder under the bar but made another FG and kicked off deep.

Glatt made a nice blitz play early in the game.

Some rather unimpressive DBs for BC #47 (can’t remember name), a little sloppy tackling from #10 Barber, and #42 Knowlton totally caught sleeping on the last TD can’t be sleeping well tonite. #40 made a terriffic play staying in Rambo’s(?) pocket on a long pass and tipping it away at the 5 yard line. Sweet D by #40 on that play. Korey Banks played the first half and did NOT look good 1 on 1.

Calgary:

Corley played most of the game and actually looked decent. Showed some poise on a bad shotgun snap past his ankle, he tracked it down, dealt with it, neatly sidestepped a sack and cut back up the middle for an 18 yard gain. Danny Mac played the 2nd quarter. He was good. He hooked up with Thurmon a few times to victimize Korey Banks. D Mac really liked that matchup and picked on him. That was starter on starter too, so that said something. With about 7 minutes left Calgary’s starting offense took the field. Burris, Copeland, Reynolds, etc. Hank’s first play he fumbled while being chased around the backfield. His second play he couldn’t handle the bad shotgun snap (Calgary had a lot of trouble with those, 3 or 4 bad shotguns). Burris actually looked shaky for what it’s worth. He was sacked a couple times by the second stringers. His TD throw on the last play was actually a bad decision on his part, he threw it right into the defender’s back, the defender (Knowlton) was just clued out and Rambo(?) made a nice adjustment. That play was actually a bit of a groaner way to end a game no matter who you cheer for.

Stallings got a decent look, he was ok. Made a great cut in the backfield to bounce outside, then got even further due to some sloppy tackling for a fairly big gain like 25 ish I think. put them on the 10. Joffrey barely played.

Elijah Thurmon had a great first half although he let one through his hands in the 4th. Rambo looked good. Copeland/Lewis barely played. Darnell McD had a couple grabs, seemed to lose another in the lights or something. The play looked really weird. He had a step, the throw was nice rainbow, he just kept looking up and around for it and never made a play. Weird.

Scott Coe played the first quarter. Came clean off the end twice, 1 pass batted straight down, 1 sack. He still has awful hair.

DeAngelis 4/4. Routine.

Basically the Stamps came back to win in the last 7 minutes because they put their A offense in. Don’t read anything into it being a character win. Basically a shaky Burris moved the ball on the scrubs. Meh.

TONS of penalties. Mostly dumb stuff like offside.

The instant replay was practiced. The hanky system is in effect. Can’t say I’m a fan of that. Also, while the play is in review, for whatever reason the jumbotron won’t show the replay. You just have to sit and wait for the call.