OT: Winnipeg Blue Bombers 2023 Season - Another terrible disappointment. NEXT: Tough Decisions on How to Rebuild.

[Holden Caulfield]

Zach Collaros is playing...

0-2 on targets to BOLO
0-3 now but no chance for BOLO on that one

 

[bustamente]

Zach Collaros is playing...

I'm actually shocked he is playing, having said that maybe it's a good thing

 

[bustamente]

Lawler is a bad man, take a seat ZC

 

[snowkiddin]

Stream is awful, I want my $0 back!

 

[bustamente]

Lawler and Collaros are going to be best friends this year

 

[snowkiddin]

Schoen and Lawler. El em ay oh.

 

[Holden Caulfield]

Stream is awful, I want my $0 back!

Is it actually? Cause mines pretty awesome. Only thing that sucks is I have stream muted and my radio feed for CJOB is about 30 secs behind which is mildly annoying.

As for the game BOLO is getting a shit ton of targets here. I guess he's playing in Schoens spot, but still. Some struggles early, but he's getting better as the game goes on.

Not seeing much of the returners. Hopefully Grant is back soon.

Run defense has been decidedly mediocre.

Caleb Thomas and Ricky Walker easy front runners at DT.

Evan Holm still being picked on.

36 year old 2023 2nd round Global pick Schmitz beating 26 year old 1st Round Global pick Sheahan in punting battle

 

[snowkiddin]

Is it actually? Cause mines pretty awesome. Only thing that sucks is I have stream muted and my radio feed for CJOB is about 30 secs behind which is mildly annoying.

As for the game BOLO is getting a shit ton of targets here. I guess he's playing in Schoens spot, but still. Some struggles early, but he's getting better as the game goes on.

Not seeing much of the returners. Hopefully Grant is back soon.

Run defense has been decidedly mediocre.

Caleb Thomas and Ricky Walker easy front runners at DT.

Evan Holm still being picked on.

36 year old 2023 2nd round Global pick Schmitz beating 26 year old 1st Round Global pick Sheahan in punting battle

Mine kept freezing and was super jittery but it seemed to correct itself in the second quarter. We’ll see how the second half goes.

Hard to get a gauge on this game, starters kinda going through the motions.

 

[bustamente]

I think Caleb Thomas gets a real long look next week, D has been kinda flat but he has me interested.

 

[snowkiddin]

DBs getting carved up like a turkey on Thanksgiving

 

[snowkiddin]

Pigrome looks good

 

[bustamente]

Pigrome looks good

Would love to see him get a half next week.

 

[Holden Caulfield]

Pre-Season Game Thoughts

Offense
QB
Very surprised how long Collaros was in the game. I'm thinking he won't play at all in the home game next week now. He was just so-so, but who cares. Brown was meh. Talk of the town will of course be Tyrell Pigrome with a hell of an effort to sell himself as the new Prukop/Streveler. Considering he came in #3 he was already clearly leading the battle and he seemed to completely cement that in place here today. Josh Jones didn't get much of an opportunity. I expect Dru Brow to get a half in next week, with a quarter each for Pigrome and Jones, but it'll take something special to displace Pigrome at this point. That 33 yarder to Murphy was a very nice throw.
RB
Augustine really struggled out of the gate. Oliveira hasn't practiced since day 1, so hopefully he's good to go by season start. I thought Salima had nice reps in there. More a traditional RB than McCrae's RB/WR mold, but he can catch. His ST work might help him there as he returned a couple of times.
WR
Lawler, Demski, etc doing their thing. Brendan O'Leary-Orange got a ton of work in this one. Despite Murphy having been apparently at times above BOLO in TC so far, BOLO looked real solid in there with the #1's despite a poor start. Murphy working with the #2 unit was the standout among that group. Agudosi wasn't able to get anything going, neither could Westfield, Bailey or any of the American rookies. It was always going to be a struggle to fit all these guys into the roster, so we'll see but I expect a round of WR cuts to be vicious.
OL
Didn't get much going in the planned run game with any combo including the starters, but with all combo's they kept the QB's real clean. Big issue was the #3 and #4 C's being wild with snaps (Kolankowski didn't play 2nd half, Eli was left at home). Not a big concern. I was keeping an eye on Machino with the 2nd unit, he looked much smoother than year's past. This is his 3rd TC and he seems much more polished by now. Doubt he's challenging for a starting role, but he might be getting close to cracking the roster as a backup. Always had the physical side of it down, just needed work on technique.

Defense
DL
It was seeming like everyone was pretty much putting Ricky Walker down in pen at the starting American DT spot, but Caleb Thomas has something to say about that. Caleb Thomas the obvious standout from the game leaves it still a open race at DT, IMO. And Walker made a few plays himself to be honest. Not much out of the ends, Bennett was fine in his debut. Need to work on the run D though obviously.
LB
TC darling Barrington Wade was not good, IMO. I thought he struggled to step up into gaps, couldn't shed blocks. Was not impressed. Not that any of his competition was much better. Les Maruo and Brian Cole being the most reliable LB's in the group, but neither flashed much.
DB
Starters were solid enough. Darby at SLB being the standout in the group. Would have liked to see more from Houston in particular. I thought Evan Holm was being eaten alive again, IMO. I don't really care if O'Shea thinks he has the fastest feet he's ever seen, the guy seems unable to cover. Among backups I thought Daramy-Swaray was very up and down. Kelly was ok at S, seems like he might be a smaller, rangier, more raw version of Loffler. I thought Global Souylemane Karamoko was the standout among the late game DB's to be honest. Closed holes, was on his men in coverage. Best game I've ever seen out of him, he has seen action in previous TC's as well as some D play in meaningless games.

Specialists
LS
Damien Jackson was fine at LS. Played all ST, Offense, and Defense today. It was kinda impressive, I'm not sure I've ever seen a "super utility" player like that in football. He might be able to carve out a roster spot like that to be honest.
K
Staton looked real solid. It seems the team is committed on Castillo so he'll get a PR offer at best likely.
P
Both Punters looked good. Neither is half as good as Liegghio in terms of aiming the ball, but's clear both have very strong legs. I think I actually was more impressed with 36 year old 2nd round pick Schmitz from the Bahamas over the former Aussie Rules 1st round pick Sheahan overall
KR/PR
Meh none really stood out that much to me. Obviously DB Matt Cole had the best return of the afternoon, but he also really seemed to struggle to pick the ball up in the first half. Daramy-Swaray did well understanding the game for his first career CFL game compared the EDM cover guy who tried to down the ball NFL style.

 

[None]

Stream quality seemed alright to me. Some audio issues initially where it was choppy but otherwise it was okay. Far from the highest quality but completely watchable. Names and numbers were legible.

I only caught intermittent stretches of the game though. I don't really have strong opinions on any single player.

 

[bustamente]

Pre-Season Game Thoughts

Offense
QB
Very surprised how long Collaros was in the game. I'm thinking he won't play at all in the home game next week now. He was just so-so, but who cares. Brown was meh. Talk of the town will of course be Tyrell Pigrome with a hell of an effort to sell himself as the new Prukop/Streveler. Considering he came in #3 he was already clearly leading the battle and he seemed to completely cement that in place here today. Josh Jones didn't get much of an opportunity. I expect Dru Brow to get a half in next week, with a quarter each for Pigrome and Jones, but it'll take something special to displace Pigrome at this point. That 33 yarder to Murphy was a very nice throw.
RB
Augustine really struggled out of the gate. Oliveira hasn't practiced since day 1, so hopefully he's good to go by season start. I thought Salima had nice reps in there. More a traditional RB than McCrae's RB/WR mold, but he can catch. His ST work might help him there as he returned a couple of times.
WR
Lawler, Demski, etc doing their thing. Brendan O'Leary-Orange got a ton of work in this one. Despite Murphy having been apparently at times above BOLO in TC so far, BOLO looked real solid in there with the #1's despite a poor start. Murphy working with the #2 unit was the standout among that group. Agudosi wasn't able to get anything going, neither could Westfield, Bailey or any of the American rookies. It was always going to be a struggle to fit all these guys into the roster, so we'll see but I expect a round of WR cuts to be vicious.
OL
Didn't get much going in the planned run game with any combo including the starters, but with all combo's they kept the QB's real clean. Big issue was the #3 and #4 C's being wild with snaps (Kolankowski didn't play 2nd half, Eli was left at home). Not a big concern. I was keeping an eye on Machino with the 2nd unit, he looked much smoother than year's past. This is his 3rd TC and he seems much more polished by now. Doubt he's challenging for a starting role, but he might be getting close to cracking the roster as a backup. Always had the physical side of it down, just needed work on technique.

Defense
DL
It was seeming like everyone was pretty much putting Ricky Walker down in pen at the starting American DT spot, but Caleb Thomas has something to say about that. Caleb Thomas the obvious standout from the game leaves it still a open race at DT, IMO. And Walker made a few plays himself to be honest. Not much out of the ends, Bennett was fine in his debut. Need to work on the run D though obviously.
LB
TC darling Barrington Wade was not good, IMO. I thought he struggled to step up into gaps, couldn't shed blocks. Was not impressed. Not that any of his competition was much better. Les Maruo and Brian Cole being the most reliable LB's in the group, but neither flashed much.
DB
Starters were solid enough. Darby at SLB being the standout in the group. Would have liked to see more from Houston in particular. I thought Evan Holm was being eaten alive again, IMO. I don't really care if O'Shea thinks he has the fastest feet he's ever seen, the guy seems unable to cover. Among backups I thought Daramy-Swaray was very up and down. Kelly was ok at S, seems like he might be a smaller, rangier, more raw version of Loffler. I thought Global Souylemane Karamoko was the standout among the late game DB's to be honest. Closed holes, was on his men in coverage. Best game I've ever seen out of him, he has seen action in previous TC's as well as some D play in meaningless games.

Specialists
LS
Damien Jackson was fine at LS. Played all ST, Offense, and Defense today. It was kinda impressive, I'm not sure I've ever seen a "super utility" player like that in football. He might be able to carve out a roster spot like that to be honest.
K
Staton looked real solid. It seems the team is committed on Castillo so he'll get a PR offer at best likely.
P
Both Punters looked good. Neither is half as good as Liegghio in terms of aiming the ball, but's clear both have very strong legs. I think I actually was more impressed with 36 year old 2nd round pick Schmitz from the Bahamas over the former Aussie Rules 1st round pick Sheahan overall
KR/PR
Meh none really stood out that much to me. Obviously DB Matt Cole had the best return of the afternoon, but he also really seemed to struggle to pick the ball up in the first half. Daramy-Swaray did well understanding the game for his first career CFL game compared the EDM cover guy who tried to down the ball NFL style.

I expected more from Wade and I was also disappointed, I would be lying if i said I expected Thomas to play so well but he was the best D L man maybe defensive player for the Bombers today. Our receivers as a group are going to rip D's apart

 

[snowkiddin]

Stream quality seemed alright to me. Some audio issues initially where it was choppy but otherwise it was okay. Far from the highest quality but completely watchable. Names and numbers were legible.

I only caught intermittent stretches of the game though. I don't really have strong opinions on any single player.

I think my shitty stream earlier on was a result of my wifi to be honest

I expected more from Wade and I was also disappointed, I would be lying if i said I expected Thomas to play so well but he was the best D L man maybe defensive player for the Bombers today. Our receivers as a group are going to rip D's apart

Yeah, gonna be tough to keep pace with the Bombers if our receivers are on their games

 

[AussieBomberJet]

Missed the game, but sounds like we are off to a good start.

Also, just a small pet peeve of mine.
OffenCe
DefenCe.

Spelling it with an S is American English. We use C in Canadian English

 

[roccerfeller]

Missed the game, but sounds like we are off to a good start.

Also, just a small pet peeve of mine.
OffenCe
DefenCe.

Spelling it with an S is American English. We use C in Canadian English

Actually to my knowledge every English speaking country inuding England where English is from spell it that way lol

 

[AussieBomberJet]

Actually to my knowledge every English speaking country inuding England where English is from spell it that way lol

No, American English uses an S. All other English language variations, including Canadian English, use C. It is one of many ways that help Canada keep our cultural distinction from Murca

 

[nobody imp0rtant]

No, American English uses an S. All other English language variations, including Canadian English, use C. It is one of many ways that help Canada keep our cultural distinction from Murca

Do you refer to the band as Zed Zed Top?

 

[roccerfeller]

No, American English uses an S. All other English language variations, including Canadian English, use C. It is one of many ways that help Canada keep our cultural distinction from Murca

Yes - that's what I said

 

[EpochLink]

I can’t get into preseason CFL, ill wait til the season starts.

 

[Slimy Sculpin]

Pre-Season Game Thoughts

Offense
QB
Very surprised how long Collaros was in the game. I'm thinking he won't play at all in the home game next week now. He was just so-so, but who cares. Brown was meh. Talk of the town will of course be Tyrell Pigrome with a hell of an effort to sell himself as the new Prukop/Streveler. Considering he came in #3 he was already clearly leading the battle and he seemed to completely cement that in place here today. Josh Jones didn't get much of an opportunity. I expect Dru Brow to get a half in next week, with a quarter each for Pigrome and Jones, but it'll take something special to displace Pigrome at this point. That 33 yarder to Murphy was a very nice throw.
RB
Augustine really struggled out of the gate. Oliveira hasn't practiced since day 1, so hopefully he's good to go by season start. I thought Salima had nice reps in there. More a traditional RB than McCrae's RB/WR mold, but he can catch. His ST work might help him there as he returned a couple of times.
WR
Lawler, Demski, etc doing their thing. Brendan O'Leary-Orange got a ton of work in this one. Despite Murphy having been apparently at times above BOLO in TC so far, BOLO looked real solid in there with the #1's despite a poor start. Murphy working with the #2 unit was the standout among that group. Agudosi wasn't able to get anything going, neither could Westfield, Bailey or any of the American rookies. It was always going to be a struggle to fit all these guys into the roster, so we'll see but I expect a round of WR cuts to be vicious.
OL
Didn't get much going in the planned run game with any combo including the starters, but with all combo's they kept the QB's real clean. Big issue was the #3 and #4 C's being wild with snaps (Kolankowski didn't play 2nd half, Eli was left at home). Not a big concern. I was keeping an eye on Machino with the 2nd unit, he looked much smoother than year's past. This is his 3rd TC and he seems much more polished by now. Doubt he's challenging for a starting role, but he might be getting close to cracking the roster as a backup. Always had the physical side of it down, just needed work on technique.

Defense
DL
It was seeming like everyone was pretty much putting Ricky Walker down in pen at the starting American DT spot, but Caleb Thomas has something to say about that. Caleb Thomas the obvious standout from the game leaves it still a open race at DT, IMO. And Walker made a few plays himself to be honest. Not much out of the ends, Bennett was fine in his debut. Need to work on the run D though obviously.
LB
TC darling Barrington Wade was not good, IMO. I thought he struggled to step up into gaps, couldn't shed blocks. Was not impressed. Not that any of his competition was much better. Les Maruo and Brian Cole being the most reliable LB's in the group, but neither flashed much.
DB
Starters were solid enough. Darby at SLB being the standout in the group. Would have liked to see more from Houston in particular. I thought Evan Holm was being eaten alive again, IMO. I don't really care if O'Shea thinks he has the fastest feet he's ever seen, the guy seems unable to cover. Among backups I thought Daramy-Swaray was very up and down. Kelly was ok at S, seems like he might be a smaller, rangier, more raw version of Loffler. I thought Global Souylemane Karamoko was the standout among the late game DB's to be honest. Closed holes, was on his men in coverage. Best game I've ever seen out of him, he has seen action in previous TC's as well as some D play in meaningless games.

Specialists
LS
Damien Jackson was fine at LS. Played all ST, Offense, and Defense today. It was kinda impressive, I'm not sure I've ever seen a "super utility" player like that in football. He might be able to carve out a roster spot like that to be honest.
K
Staton looked real solid. It seems the team is committed on Castillo so he'll get a PR offer at best likely.
P
Both Punters looked good. Neither is half as good as Liegghio in terms of aiming the ball, but's clear both have very strong legs. I think I actually was more impressed with 36 year old 2nd round pick Schmitz from the Bahamas over the former Aussie Rules 1st round pick Sheahan overall
KR/PR
Meh none really stood out that much to me. Obviously DB Matt Cole had the best return of the afternoon, but he also really seemed to struggle to pick the ball up in the first half. Daramy-Swaray did well understanding the game for his first career CFL game compared the EDM cover guy who tried to down the ball NFL style.

Much appreciated, thanks for this HC.
It's kind of a sad state when I get more information on the Bombers from a Jets forum than from the two dedicated Bomber forums.

 

[WPGChief]

Only really watched most of the first quarter and bits and pieces of the second, and I don't know what it is, but every time I watch Brendan O'Leary-Orange, I come away unimpressed. Maybe it's because of all the other receiver talent around him that he pales in comparison, but he hardly creates separation from his defender, and in the pre-season game yesterday - even though I thought Collaros had a few duds - he never really fought for positioning to give himself a chance at the ball. I suppose his value is his nationality, but I'd rather spend the effort trying to make Agudosi the 'big' / safety valve receiver on the team for Collaros, granted we only saw a one-game flash of that last season.

 

[bustamente]

BOLO had a few drops in the first quarter but they went back to him in the second finishing with 3 catches for 33. Newcomer Murphy looks like he will fit in eventually had 2 catches for 44. Our receiving corps are going to light up defenses all year if they stay heathy