Blue Bombers 2022 Season Thread - Stunning Loss. Dynasty Interrupted. 2023 awaits.
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ThinIce61
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Bombers have some work to do. 2-0 but some of the same players who had issues in game one were the problem again this week.
Holden Caulfield
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2-0. That's all that really matters. I'll have more detailed thoughts at some point, but just love winning. Go Blue. #ForTheW
None
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Since he's been here I've felt like he's kind of avoided his checkdowns to the RB. That was the one area where Harris and Nichols were on point and Collaros just never looked for those plays.
Edit: I feel I should add that this isn't necessarily praise or trying to diminish any players.
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Yep. I'll be the first to say it. I'm not impressed with their play to start the year but good teams always find a way to win and the Bombers are 2-0 because of it. I'll take it.
Masoli must be pissed. Almost at 700 yards passing to start the season and his team cost him both losses. Rough.
Masoli must be pissed. Almost at 700 yards passing to start the season and his team cost him both losses. Rough.
True but Masoli has to find the end zone. Nothing but FGs won’t get it done in the CFL.
DerekDevils30
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Interesting to see the switch flipped on the O-line late 2nd quarter and on. Kolankowski stepped in admirably.
WolfHouse
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Again, I had no issues with this game...
We lost good players and the rules of the game changed. Hall's D has always been a big yardage big play D. Masoli and Trevor Harris thrive on Hall but somehow he gets into their head...
Kicking is again a massive concern. I have to hope that Prukop $$ allows us to bring in a real kicker and we don't have Mourtada as 'next man up' out of loyalty.
Ellingson and Schoen are our top guys... Demski is still a big play no ball control guy...
Buck got spoiled by Harris... he needs to up his game calling but our run game is fine. The hashmarks load the box - we can't keep running inside. Auggie and Ollie's pass blocking is top notch - that's huge for a running back.
Why don't teams run an RB as their short yardage QB...?
I liked our tackling - I thought the refs leaned towards Ottawa for most of the game... Rose was fine. We are always going to get lit up for big plays... but who is a better long ball QB in this league than Masoli? No one.
Not our best games and we won. Missed converts and we won. Sketchy calls and we won. Its looking good. Biggest threat next week is Simoni Lawrence headhunting Collaros.
We lost good players and the rules of the game changed. Hall's D has always been a big yardage big play D. Masoli and Trevor Harris thrive on Hall but somehow he gets into their head...
Kicking is again a massive concern. I have to hope that Prukop $$ allows us to bring in a real kicker and we don't have Mourtada as 'next man up' out of loyalty.
Ellingson and Schoen are our top guys... Demski is still a big play no ball control guy...
Buck got spoiled by Harris... he needs to up his game calling but our run game is fine. The hashmarks load the box - we can't keep running inside. Auggie and Ollie's pass blocking is top notch - that's huge for a running back.
Why don't teams run an RB as their short yardage QB...?
I liked our tackling - I thought the refs leaned towards Ottawa for most of the game... Rose was fine. We are always going to get lit up for big plays... but who is a better long ball QB in this league than Masoli? No one.
Not our best games and we won. Missed converts and we won. Sketchy calls and we won. Its looking good. Biggest threat next week is Simoni Lawrence headhunting Collaros.
gojetsgo
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WolfHouse
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gojetsgo
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if difference between his salary and mancuso's salary could get you a good kicker he would have been cut as soon as he lost his back up spot
Holden Caulfield
He's guilty
I doubt hes making more than 100K. The replacement Joe Mancusco is coming in at 70K league minimum. So like we are talking a 30-55k saving max(if hes at 125k your saying), plus its only 1/3 of the season so its like 10-20k off our cap were saving. It makes little difference in the end. The only kicker out there worth exploring that costs more than minimum is Harjularhu who wont sign until late Sept at the earliest as hes exploring NFL options. Cap makes no difference for kickers at this point. Any rookie American is coming in at league min. If you wanna blame scouting, sure, but theres no argument to be made about cap holding us back for kickers. Bigger issue is blowing up the roster ratio for an American kicker.
Honestly I think they let Liegghio work through the kicking. He was great in Uni ball. And remember Bombers were the ones who gave up oj both Harjullahu AND Parades early in their careers. Give him time.
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WolfHouse
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We will never be sure he wouldn't have been cut - because now he's injured. But I think the team still has faith in Legghio and we cant escape that Medlock recommended Mourtada...
Either way, Maston and Prukop combine for at least 50k in cap space above minimum. No?
WolfHouse
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I agree. I dont think we will sign a kicker until labour day... I hope we do... but either way the cap space will be there.
To be clear, Im talking 125k after bonuses... Harris caps out at 200k after bonuses as the Montreal backup... but teams still need to budget for contingencies. Mancuso is league minimum and that's it.
Im still predicting we trade for Castillo at deadline.
gojetsgo
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I don't think either guy makes that much more then their replacement tbh, prukop had to go to rookie camp to prove himself because his spot wasn't guaranteed, matson signed after missing all of 2020 with an injury
WolfHouse
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Mancuso is 65k with no bonuses. for sure.
Maston - maybe 80k and replaced by rookie; even if Prukop is 100k - you have 50k - again this is assuming Prukop is gone once he is healthy... or just never healthy...
Holden Caulfield
He's guilty
Game Thoughts.
O - This group needs to find what's going on. The struggled with protection big time again, particularly in the first half. And while last week OTT was consistently bringing pressure, that didn't seem to be the case today. Geoff Gray at RG struggled alot and with top prospect Liam Dobson nipping at his heels it'll be interesting to see how that plays out. LG Patrick Neufeld wasn't a stud either. However C Michael Couture's potential injury might throw everything into flux anyways. At RB Oliveira was better today than last week. He was getting consistent gains. He really looks like the part of poor man's Harris, but he needs to hit the hole with more speed to be an effective everydown RB. Augustine once again denied a chance to showcase himself. Other than being 5'9" I'm not sure what's holding him back. I know his pass blocking isn't great, but it's not horrible either. At WR I think the Bombers need a blow the top of the D threat. Right now there's no threat of the deep ball, which allows D's to run downhill at them every play. It makes running and short to intermediate passing tough when the D plays so close. Part of that is Collaros not being a strong arm QB, but IMO a legitimate deep threat WR help open that up. Which is why I'd love for Bombers incorporate speedy Janarion Grant into the O more. He might not be a great WR, but he offers that threat which might help.
D - Looked much MUCH better with Jackson Jeffcoat in there. The DL was noticeably more effective tonight. Means Willie wasn't facing as many double teams, and they were able to generate much more pressure. Rose looked much healthier, even if he still looks a step or two slower than we've seen in the past. I still have concerns with his speed, but it was much better tonight. While it's cliched, I do agree with TSN that missing Alexander in the secondary is huge. He just offers such incredible range and smarts from the S position. Malcolm Thompson is fine, but nothing like we will get from Alexander.
I was gonna comment on ST but the only thing I have to offer is Liegghio needs patience, IMO, considering how we gave up on Harjullarhu and Parades. So there's that.
2-0, moving on. We play a new opponent finally next week welcoming the Kitty Cats on Friday. Can't wait to see how that plays out. Go Blue and Gold!
O - This group needs to find what's going on. The struggled with protection big time again, particularly in the first half. And while last week OTT was consistently bringing pressure, that didn't seem to be the case today. Geoff Gray at RG struggled alot and with top prospect Liam Dobson nipping at his heels it'll be interesting to see how that plays out. LG Patrick Neufeld wasn't a stud either. However C Michael Couture's potential injury might throw everything into flux anyways. At RB Oliveira was better today than last week. He was getting consistent gains. He really looks like the part of poor man's Harris, but he needs to hit the hole with more speed to be an effective everydown RB. Augustine once again denied a chance to showcase himself. Other than being 5'9" I'm not sure what's holding him back. I know his pass blocking isn't great, but it's not horrible either. At WR I think the Bombers need a blow the top of the D threat. Right now there's no threat of the deep ball, which allows D's to run downhill at them every play. It makes running and short to intermediate passing tough when the D plays so close. Part of that is Collaros not being a strong arm QB, but IMO a legitimate deep threat WR help open that up. Which is why I'd love for Bombers incorporate speedy Janarion Grant into the O more. He might not be a great WR, but he offers that threat which might help.
D - Looked much MUCH better with Jackson Jeffcoat in there. The DL was noticeably more effective tonight. Means Willie wasn't facing as many double teams, and they were able to generate much more pressure. Rose looked much healthier, even if he still looks a step or two slower than we've seen in the past. I still have concerns with his speed, but it was much better tonight. While it's cliched, I do agree with TSN that missing Alexander in the secondary is huge. He just offers such incredible range and smarts from the S position. Malcolm Thompson is fine, but nothing like we will get from Alexander.
I was gonna comment on ST but the only thing I have to offer is Liegghio needs patience, IMO, considering how we gave up on Harjullarhu and Parades. So there's that.
2-0, moving on. We play a new opponent finally next week welcoming the Kitty Cats on Friday. Can't wait to see how that plays out. Go Blue and Gold!
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Some good and some not so good from the first couple of games:
- Kicking remains an area of concern. Hard to believe they couldn't find someone better this offseason. I think Liegghio's problem is in his head. He was a good kicker in school; the CFL shouldn't be any different. He needs to build some confidence but I'm not sure we're good enough to offset questionable kicking until someone comes back from the NFL (like we did last year).
- Ellingson looks like a very solid receiver and a legitimate #1; Schoen has impressed as well. Most of the other guys in the receiving corps have underwhelmed so far but I'm not too worried. They'll come around. I agree with Holden though that they should incorporate Grant more as a downfield threat. Also if our run game wakes up (and it looked better tonight) that'll make it easier on them too.
- Overall, I think the offensive line is close to last year's level, but they aren't there yet. Gray is an obvious weak spot, which is both surprising and unfortunate given the hype around him. Maybe Dobson can come in. Or Eli can come back now that there isn't a vaccine requirement AFAIK. Either of those options would be an improvement. Couture's injury could suck if it's long-term but I though Kolankoski looked fine tonight.
- Oliveira started to figure it out this game. Ottawa completely clogged up the middle both games and he finally started going around the tackles and finding some success. This is where Augustine would be great - he has the speed to explode into the secondary if there's space on the outside. Not sure why it took so long for the Bombers to finally give him some carries? And then when he was showing some success they put Oliveira back in. Maybe Augustine slept with O'Shea's daughter or something.
- Collaros hasn't been himself these first two games but he's done enough to win. He's the reigning MOP so I expect he'll continue to improve.
- Secondary is a major concern. Masoli was completely washed last year and he shredded our defence both nights. Not sure how Glass was among the best DBs out of the 35 million we had in camp, he's been getting beaten like a mule. Rose has been even worse. If he's hurt, they should rest him. Team really misses Alexander out there, Thompson isn't nearly as impactful (he's basically the third string though so that's fine). Hall's "let's-give-them-a-10-yard-cushion-by-using-zone-defence" strategy is frustrating to watch, but the team does enough to win. Masoli was dunking 10-yard passes routinely but the defence held every time. You can't complain too much when they only give up 12 points.
- Having Jeffcoat back was a huge boost. Him and Jefferson are probably the top two pass-rushers in the league. That's a major help. As well, Kyrie Wilson has been an absolute beast these first two games. He's outplayed Bighill so far and reminds me a lot of Henoc Muamba when he was in his prime - all over the ball and making plays.
- Offence started to come on during the second half. Hopefully they can carry that over into next game as the first half was beyond dreadful. We can't leave our defence on the field that long all the time.
Both games we probably deserved to lose if not for Ottawa being stupid and shooting themselves in the foot (stupid ass penalties at inopportune times, dropping wide open passes, and Masoli's fumble on short yardage), but at the end of the day, the Bombers hung around all fight both games and delivered the knockout blow when they needed it most. There's lots of work to be done, and they need to (and likely will) play much better, but we're 2-0 after two poorly played games. The team can get it done when they need to, and that's what championship teams do.
- Kicking remains an area of concern. Hard to believe they couldn't find someone better this offseason. I think Liegghio's problem is in his head. He was a good kicker in school; the CFL shouldn't be any different. He needs to build some confidence but I'm not sure we're good enough to offset questionable kicking until someone comes back from the NFL (like we did last year).
- Ellingson looks like a very solid receiver and a legitimate #1; Schoen has impressed as well. Most of the other guys in the receiving corps have underwhelmed so far but I'm not too worried. They'll come around. I agree with Holden though that they should incorporate Grant more as a downfield threat. Also if our run game wakes up (and it looked better tonight) that'll make it easier on them too.
- Overall, I think the offensive line is close to last year's level, but they aren't there yet. Gray is an obvious weak spot, which is both surprising and unfortunate given the hype around him. Maybe Dobson can come in. Or Eli can come back now that there isn't a vaccine requirement AFAIK. Either of those options would be an improvement. Couture's injury could suck if it's long-term but I though Kolankoski looked fine tonight.
- Oliveira started to figure it out this game. Ottawa completely clogged up the middle both games and he finally started going around the tackles and finding some success. This is where Augustine would be great - he has the speed to explode into the secondary if there's space on the outside. Not sure why it took so long for the Bombers to finally give him some carries? And then when he was showing some success they put Oliveira back in. Maybe Augustine slept with O'Shea's daughter or something.
- Collaros hasn't been himself these first two games but he's done enough to win. He's the reigning MOP so I expect he'll continue to improve.
- Secondary is a major concern. Masoli was completely washed last year and he shredded our defence both nights. Not sure how Glass was among the best DBs out of the 35 million we had in camp, he's been getting beaten like a mule. Rose has been even worse. If he's hurt, they should rest him. Team really misses Alexander out there, Thompson isn't nearly as impactful (he's basically the third string though so that's fine). Hall's "let's-give-them-a-10-yard-cushion-by-using-zone-defence" strategy is frustrating to watch, but the team does enough to win. Masoli was dunking 10-yard passes routinely but the defence held every time. You can't complain too much when they only give up 12 points.
- Having Jeffcoat back was a huge boost. Him and Jefferson are probably the top two pass-rushers in the league. That's a major help. As well, Kyrie Wilson has been an absolute beast these first two games. He's outplayed Bighill so far and reminds me a lot of Henoc Muamba when he was in his prime - all over the ball and making plays.
- Offence started to come on during the second half. Hopefully they can carry that over into next game as the first half was beyond dreadful. We can't leave our defence on the field that long all the time.
Both games we probably deserved to lose if not for Ottawa being stupid and shooting themselves in the foot (stupid ass penalties at inopportune times, dropping wide open passes, and Masoli's fumble on short yardage), but at the end of the day, the Bombers hung around all fight both games and delivered the knockout blow when they needed it most. There's lots of work to be done, and they need to (and likely will) play much better, but we're 2-0 after two poorly played games. The team can get it done when they need to, and that's what championship teams do.
Totally agree but i want Suitor doing all the Bomber's games because Suitor having to watch the Bombers win all the time must really piss him off.
gojetsgo
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Holden Caulfield
He's guilty
Big add. Adds some explosiveness and versatility to the DL and ST.
Until injuries hit looks like end of Karamoko on active roster. Im guessing Bombers will run out two globals with Hansen and Maruo. Also means theyll likely PR Mack or Wilcots, meaning another DI spot opens up. If they wanted an American kicker, or DB or whatever this gives them a spot. Amazing but this one player will give them ALOT of roster flexibility.
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gojetsgo
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I'm just confused why he wasn't signed before now by us or any other team
Holden Caulfield
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Bombers had an open offer out to him pretty sure. If he was gonna come back over it was only for Bombers. His problem was the old CBA which had limited him to making 54K, 11K less than league minimum for Americans and Canadians. Once the new CBA was signed mid training camp there he likely opened negotiations with Bombers again as new CBA stipulated globals had to make league min (not sure if it can be more than league min). Hes been busy with some other stuff, including getting involved a little bit in some refugee organizations in Germany. Might have been he needed time to train to get back in shape or work something out with his job and/or projects in Germany.
None
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CBA disagreements. Global players got screwed in negotiations. Their base pay is lower than an American or Canadian equivalent player for no other reason than they're not from a US or Canadian school. Hansen was playing more snaps than a lot of Canadian and American players in the league (not just the Bombers) and getting paid a fraction.
gojetsgo
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