Game Day Thread, Lions @ Bombers, August 24, 2012

[WestCoastJoe]

Jabar Westerman really caught my eye when I saw the video of his Evaluation Camp. It was a concern when we saw him start to fly up the rankings list. Of course I was elated when the Lions made the move to draft him.

He would have to be right up there with the best of our 1st round picks during Wally's tenure.

Here is a nice article on his development with the Lions ...

http://www.cfl.ca/article/morris-rookie ... to-his-own

Morris: Rookie Westerman coming into his own

August 22, 2012 06:00 PM Jim Morris CFL.ca

During training camp, and the first few weeks of the season, French mime Marcel Marceau talked more than B.C. Lions draft pick Jabar Westerman.

"He didn't say a word,'' defensive end Keron Williams said with a laugh. "He was quiet, he was mute.

"We kept picking at him.''

When explaining his silence Westerman said he wasn't trying to be aloof and he isn't shy. The big non-import defensive lineman from Eastern Michigan was simply trying to concentrate on the task of making the considerable jump from college football to being a professional in the CFL.

"I didn't want to get involved in all the distractions around,'' said Westerman, raising his voice to be heard over the shouts and music in the Lions' dressing room after Sunday's 24-5 win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

"I was trying to get into my playbook. A lot of the time when people thought I was quiet I was just going over the plays in my head, trying to memorize them and seeing what I could do. In college we had the same terminology but it was different plays. I had to get used to it. Now that I am used to it I have opened up a little more.''

Westerman has proven a quick learner. The rookie has earned himself a spot on a Lions' defence that hasn't allowed a touchdown in three games.

"Things are going pretty well,'' he said.”I'm getting a lot more playing time than I expected to get.''

The two-game suspension handed to defensive tackle Khalif Mitchell resulted in Westerman getting his first professional start against Saskatchewan. He admitted to some extra pre-game jitters.

"After you get that first hit out of the way it's smooth sailing from there,'' he said.

In the last three games the six-foot-two, 285-pound Westerman has four tackles and forced a fumble for the Lions. He also recorded his first CFL sack when he hauled down Toronto QB Ricky Ray in B.C.'s win Week 6 win over the Argonauts.

"It felt great,'' Westerman said."Hopefully I will keep improving on that.''

Head coach Mike Benevides has been impressed with Westerman's progression.

"He keeps getting better and better,'' said Benevides.”As we go, he gets more used to playing professional football. He understands it. He's just learning and getting comfortable.

"One of the toughest challenges for any line of scrimmage player, whether it's an offensive lineman or defensive, is to just get used to the size, speed and physicality of the game. From a physical and maturity point of view, they are still not there yet.''

The 23-year-old Westerman said he's still adjusting to the speed and experience of the offensive linemen he's facing.

"I feel they have a better first step than me,'' he said. “In college, they were still adolescents, 18, 19 or 20 years old. These guys have been here for a long time. They know all the little tricks, the little hand placements, the techniques.

"It's going to take time to get used to that and defeat those techniques. I have been working with the offensive linemen. That should help me out.''

The defending Grey Cup champion Lions traded up two spots in the Canadian College draft to select Westerman second overall. In 23 games at Eastern Michigan over two seasons he had shown promise by making 48 tackles, nine for a loss, 5.5 quarterback sacks and one fumble recovery.

Born in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Westerman's family moved to Brampton, Ont., where he attended elementary school. He played football at Dodge City Junior College in Kansas before transferring to Eastern Michigan.

To gain his non-import status Westerman had to obtain a letter from a secretary at the school in Brampton, signed by the principal, proving he spent 60 months living in Canada before his eighth birthday.

The Lions like Westerman's combination of football intelligence and body size. He has extremely long arms plus explosive speed. He has impressed the coaches with his lateral movement and ability to attack the line of scrimmage.

His teammates liked Westerman's worth ethic and attitude.

"The biggest thing is he's listening,'' said safety J. R. LaRose. "Some guys that get in a position that rise up quickly, they think they (know it all). He's a very humble guy and he's plugging away at it.''

Football runs in Westerman's family. His oldest brother Jamaal is a linebacker for the NFL Miami Dolphins. Another brother Jawann was a wide receiver at Rutgers.

Replacing a player like Mitchell with a rookie could have opened a gap in the Lions' defence. Against Saskatchewan, B.C. had three sacks, three interceptions and held the Riders to 261 yards of net offence while giving up just one field goal and a safety.

"What it proves is we have tremendous depth,'' said Benevides. "It's not just the 12 starters. We have 15 guys on a defence on a rotation and a multi-packaging thing.''

No one expected Westerman to totally fill Mitchell's shoes but it still was a good fit.

"Even though he's not the same stature as Khalif, he knows the defence and he knows what gap he has to be in to make the defence work,'' said Williams, who leads the league with seven sacks.

Westerman knows there are still plenty of areas he can improve.

"I need to get better on my first step, my get-off is pretty slow,'' he said. "Also, just being aware of the guys around me, where they are rushing, so I can cover for them.

"I feel I have to get a better chemistry with the guys. It's pretty good but it has to get to that next level.''

The Lions face a busy couple of weeks. They travel to Winnipeg to play the Blue Bombers on Friday. B.C. then face the Alouettes in Montreal Aug. 31.

"We have experienced it before,'' said Benevides. "You basically have to give them (the players) rest.''

For Westerman, the learning experience continues.

"It's been a great time so far,'' he said. "It's great living the dream to play professional football.

"A lot of people would live and die for this opportunity. I don't take it for granted.''

[WestCoastJoe]

http://www.theprovince.com/sports/footb ... story.html

Often overlooked, Dante Marsh just keeps taking care of business

It’s been nine years of near-neglect for Lions’ short-side cornerback

By Lowell Ullrich, The Province August 23, 2012

WINNIPEG — It’s been a typical week in the nine-year career of B.C. Lions cornerback Dante Marsh, and it is not likely to be any different until his stay with the CFL team is over.

Marsh recorded his second interception in as many games in the Lions’ win over quarterback Darian Durant and the Saskatchewan Roughriders, yet it is a relative pup, 25-year-old Cauchy Muamba, who attracted the microphones for his two picks in advance of Friday’s game against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (5 p.m., TSN, TEAM 1410).

A sports channel is throwing out possible names to serve as a studio host and the discussion gets around to defensive backs. Marsh hears the conversation. The first name to be mentioned is a more outspoken option, Korey Banks.

Marsh will etch his name in the club record books with his next tackle. It will be the 476th of his unheralded career, one better than Barrin Simpson, the unparalleled linebacker who spent his first five seasons with the Lions.

The mark will be dismissed, because it is an unwritten tenet that a top tackler in the secondary is considered a sign of weakness for the number of times the ball is thrown in your direction.

And to those in his corner, it will be another sign of the lack of love for one of the most tenured corners to play for the Lions.

Marsh has been the short-side cornerback for 140 games. The player voted the top short-side corner in the first 50 Lions seasons, Joe Fourquean, was around for 122 contests, and even that’s 36 more than the wide-side corner acknowledged to be even better, Eric Carter.

Marsh wants to be around as long as his 33-year-old body will let him, but it became clear a long time ago that he will really be appreciated only when he is done.

“My wife takes it more to heart than I do,” Marsh said Thursday, appropriately enough in the windy silence of CanadInns Stadium upon the Lions’ arrival.

“That’s OK. The people who know football know. I just pride myself on being a good football player. I’ve never thought of myself as a finesse guy or cover guy. Not being arrogant, but I’ve seen myself as [an] all-round guy.

“When I got here, they’d just picked the 50th anniversary team. I remember telling Geroy Simon that I’m going to be on the 60th anniversary team.”

Those who know Marsh say the gosh-shucks approach didn’t always reflect his true feelings, especially when he was routinely overlooked in balloting for the league all-star team.

In nine years, he’s made it only once, in 2008, ironically when voters named him and another short-side corner, Calgary’s Brandon Browner, to the same position. Fittingly, the achievement is not noted on his biography in the league record book.

Even one of the winners says Marsh was better last year.

“He should have been an all-star, hands down,” said three-time CFL winner Byron Parker, who signed with the Lions this winter after relentless pursuit by Marsh. “It’s a popularity test.”

What has happened over the years, players say, is that Marsh has been too busy working on his craft to mount a campaign for himself.


“I go home after the season and rest my body for a month. Dante’s at the gym. I tell him to slow down, sit on your couch and get fat. He just won’t do it,” said Bombers receiver Terrence Edwards, an Atlanta-based winter workout companion of Parker, Banks, Durant and Marsh.

“People need to start respecting him. He’s like me: People don’t talk about me much, but I’m still playing. And at our age, that’s all that matters.”

What also matters is the opinion of general manager Wally Buono, and after briefly fidgeting over the state of a shoulder problem, he signed Marsh to avoid searching for a replacement to the position that has required less attention than any other during his stewardship of the Lions.

“If Wally pays you for this many years straight, that’s better than the media giving you respect,” said Banks.

“Nine years strong? For an American corner? That’s unheard of on one team in the CFL.”

And so the next time Marsh typically goes low to cut down a ball carrier, a tactic Edwards said is loathed but tolerated by receivers, he will put himself in a position to be recognized by the Lions.

It likely won’t happen, because that’s the way it’s always been.

But Marsh says he’s comforted by knowing the truth, understanding that what he has lacked in interceptions over the years is compensated by peer respect.

Marsh often sums up his feelings on Twitter by writing “CUUUUCH.” It’s slang, he said, for church.

“Church is truth,” he explained. “Players can fool coaches. Players can fool player personnel people. Players can’t fool players. I’m not trippin’. It burns inside me to keep playing this game.

“As long as I can stay healthy I’m going to do it until they tell me to get out of here.”

Don’t expect to see him reading the local sports news. He’ll just be on the highlights.

IMO Dante Marsh is having one of, if not the, best years of his time with the Lions. He is in great shape, and making tons of plays.

[WestCoastJoe]

http://www.theprovince.com/sports/footb ... story.html

Lions struggling to go the extra yard

Practice focuses on goal-line troubles

By Lowell Ullrich, The Province August 22, 2012

It is one of the smallest goals in the game but one of the largest challenges, and players like Mike Reilly wish there was only irony involved in one of the biggest issues confronting the Lions these days.

After all, we’re talking here about why it has been difficult lately to gain one measly yard at the goal line.

Twice in the last two games the Lions have been stuffed when it matters the most, attempting to score from three feet away.

And though there are more pressing matters connected with the offence, there was more than just a little time spent on goal-line offence Wednesday in the team’s only full practice of the week in advance of their Friday road date against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

As backup quarterback and field-goal holder, it’s the job of Reilly to handle two of the more delicate tasks in a game.

And though trying to advance a football a short distance may look like a simple exercise of muscle and will, it’s something else if the ball is in your hands.

Run a keeper? Go left or right of centre? Dive upward and hope you are not greeted in mid-air, or go low? What about all the handoff and blocking options involved?

“I came in four times last game and three times we were very successful. If you’re passing, that’s pretty good. But in short-yardage, even screwing up once is unacceptable,” Reilly said. “It’s key we execute the play every time.”

Reilly had only one snap at the goal line against the Saskatchewan Roughriders and was stopped.

A game earlier in Toronto, the Lions handed the ball to Andrew Harris three times and got nowhere, before Reilly cashed in on a fourth try thanks to a bogus offside call against the Argos.

It hasn’t quite reached the stage where the Lions are second-guessing themselves when they get close to scoring, as there are enough other good things happening during a three-game winning streak where the little things are overlooked.

Then again, practice ran late Wednesday for more than one reason.

“We’re not looking at it and saying we can’t get it done, and I don’t think we’re at a point where a fan is asking what’s going on all the time,” said centre Angus Reid.

“In Toronto there was a distinct reason why things didn’t work, and last week we didn’t get enough push. Besides, there were years when we were absolutely atrocious.”

He’s right there. And though it’s been a few years since they’ve had similar problems, the gold standard for goal-line futility remains with veteran members of the Lions to this day — and no doubt has not been forgotten by an interested bystander on the Winnipeg sideline, injured quarterback Buck Pierce.

“Our success rate has been very, very positive, but we have some history that permeates,” coach Mike Benevides admitted.

In a 2008 game at Montreal, the Lions lost a five-point game when Pierce and the offence couldn’t score on three chances from a yard out on the final series of the game.

Rolly Lumbala was the biggest running back in that contest and was on the field this year twice as well, but the Lions have demonstrated a clear aversion to using a 6-foot-1, 269-pound bulldozer, who has all of 23 rushing carries in his five-year career.


So the Lions push forward by other means and in different directions, hoping each time not to create their own re-enactment of The Longest Yard.

“Most defences are relatively pretty predictable on short yardage; they’ll usually give us one of two looks,” said Reid.

“Usually we have a choice of two plays. We play the odds. It’s a guess. You play the percentages and hope for the best.”

Yes, it seems some short yardage woes are creeping back into the Lions' game.

Anybody know the answer to the problem? IMO it is not so simple as most would suggest: the O Line has the advantage and has to beat the D man to man. I don't buy it. The D has nothing to lose, and fires out, going for it, some submarineing, some going over the top, filling the gaps, sacrificing some pass coverage, and some outside run coverage.

IMO some deception, some alternatives are still in order. And we have sometimes gone away from the straight QB plunge. Reilly does seem to have a pretty good nose for a gap however (better than JJ IMO).

[WestCoastJoe]

Off the top of my head, some issues and concerns for this game ...

Is Joey Elliott a one game wonder? We have seen those types before. Will the Lions bring him back to earth? Probably IMO. Although he ain't no slouch. It would seem he dodged a few bullets last game that could have really taken him and his team down.

Will the Lions veterans refuse to allow the team to be complacent? I think so. And Benny seems quite good at the motivational aspect of being a Head Coach.

Is Andrew Harris near 100%? I hope so.

Will Travis Lulay start to more resemble the world beater of last year's title run? Soon enough, methinks. And I personally am very content with what he has delivered so far this year. Most rushing yards for QBs. Protecting the ball. Leadership. Game management.

Will our D be able to deny the end zone to the Bombers? Dunno. That is a tough assignment. But our guys will give it their all.

Will we show better in short yardage? Dunno.

Will Paul McCallum start to look like the Hall of Fame bound kicker we have come to know? Dunno.

Will we be able to more fully utilize all of our offensive weapons? Dunno.

Will we be able to break down what I expect will be a highly motivated and talented Bomber team? I think so.

But there are no guarantees in the CFL. OK there are some. Anthony Calvillo and Ricky Ray will probably go over 300 yards passing. Most games will go down to the wire. Et cetera ...

Looking forward to the game.

[JohnHenry]

This game scares me a bit. It seems so improbable that the Bombers could beat the Lions especially with such an inexperienced QB. But just when you least expect it...? The Lions could be over-confident...this is a business trip, just show up and win. They've also only had one day of real practice this week and probably couldn't scout the Bombers that much. The Lions should prevail but the game might be much closer than the stats might indicate.

[Robbie]

I know you often post game day articles from the local newspapers. But just wondering, WCJ, do you often check out the local newpapers of the city of the opponent's team? It's always interesting to see how the opponent's view and perspective of the Lions is to get a very subjective vantage point.

Here are the views of the local Winnipeg sportswriters:

http://www.winnipegsun.com/2012/08/23/f ... beat-lions

Five things the Bombers must do to beat Lions
By Kirk Penton ,Winnipeg Sun

The Bombers face a huge task on Friday night at Canad Inns Stadium when they take on the league-leading B.C. Lions.

The Leos on cooking on every level right now, while the Bombers got a bit of a boost last week when they came from behind to down the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 32-25.

It will take a much better effort, however, to tame the Lions. A look at the five things the Bombers must do if they are going to win their second in a row for the first time in nearly a year.

1. Protect Joey

If games are won on the line of scrimmage, the Bombers are in deep trouble. The Lions give up a sack once every 30 times Travis Lulay drops back. The Bombers give up a sack once every 13 times their quarterback drops back. The Lions lead the CFL with 19 sacks. Buckle up those chin straps, boys.

2. Second Down Blues

The Bombers converted just two of 13 second-down plays that needed seven yards or more last week against Hamilton. Overall in the contest they converted 44% of their second-down attempts, which was above their league-worst mark of 39.5%. The Lions lead the league with a success rate of 54.1% … in case you were wondering why this game features the league’s best versus the worst.

3. Trap the Lions

This is the definition of a trap game for the Leos. They’ve won three in a row without giving up a touchdown, and they’re playing the worst team in the league. If there were ever a game they were going to mail in, it would be this one. The Bombers can take advantage of this by jumping out to a rare quick start.

4. Get in the Zone

If there’s one thing Joey Elliott might be able to take advantage of, it’s B.C.’s zone defence. If he can get some good accuracy on his passes, he has enough zip to slice and dice the vaunted Lions defence. No one else has succeeded lately, though, so Elliott should start with the short stuff like he did last week and work his way down the field from there.

5. Be Special

The Bombers and Lions are the two worst return teams in the league and they are also the two worst kick cover squads, so something has to give. If the Bombers can have even an average outing on punt and kickoff returns then it will give them an advantage. Now that everyone on defence is healthy, Demond Washington can focus solely on returning the football.

http://www.winnipegsun.com/2012/08/23/b ... -bc-streak

Bombers look to snap Lions streak 0
B.C. defence hasn't allowed a touchdown in 3 games

By Ken Wiebe ,Winnipeg Sun

So how do you prepare to face a defence that hasn’t given up a touchdown in three games?

It’s easy, either you shudder in fear or, in the case of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, you draw up a game plan that just might help you become the team to snap the impressive streak.

“The competitive side of you says ‘Hey, here’s what we’re going to do to score and here’s a couple things we think are really good,’” said Blue Bombers head coach Paul LaPolice. “Here’s how we can face these guys.”

The Blue Bombers’ offensive line is coming off its best game of the season, but are about to face a stiffer test, going up against the likes of CFL sack leader Keron Williams.

“They always bring a good game, so you have to rise to their level and make sure that you’re prepared,” said Blue Bombers offensive tackle Glenn January. “I feel like every game starts with the hogs. It’s on us to get the running game, it’s on us to make sure that Joey (Elliott) is protected and comfortable back there in the pocket. It’s not a job that comes with a lot of notice or praise, but it is one that’s necessary.

“We didn’t play them the last three weeks, so (the touchdown-free streak) doesn’t really apply to us.”

HAPPY HOMECOMING

It sounds like Lions running back Andrew Harris is ready for his homecoming, one that will include his first start at Canad Inns Stadium.

“He was one of the best-dressed guys on the plane,” said Benevides.

“He’s excited about this game. He’s coming back home, he’s fired up and it will be interesting to see how he handles the game.”

Harris, in his first full season as the starting tailback, is enjoying a breakout campaign. He’s currently second in yards from scrimmage with 732 and fifth in the CFL in rushing with 430 — leaving his stated goal of 1,000 yards on the ground well within reach.

“(Harris) has been phenomenal,” said Benevides, whose team leads the CFL in rushing yards. “He runs the ball, he catches the ball and he’s gotten a lot of attention the last couple of weeks, just because of the start he’s (had). He’s getting better every week and taking the right approach.”

Lions quarterback Travis Lulay isn’t surprised to see Harris succeeding.

“Andrew’s played great, he really has,” said Lulay. “He’s a guy that really works and one thing that separates him from a lot of younger players is that he’s mature beyond his years probably, in terms of football smarts.

“He has a good knack for some things that are hard to coach and physically, he does surprise some people. He’s fast, he’s strong and he’s got great balance, breaks some tackles and he doesn’t quit.”

LATE HITS

The Blue Bombers are officially adding LB Brandon Stewart to the active roster this week after he missed the past five games with a knee injury, while DB Deon Beasley (undisclosed) was moved to the one-game injured list...The expected scratches for the Blue Bombers Friday are LB Jeremy McGee, C Chris Kowalczuk, FB Jordan Matechuk, LB Terrell Parker...The Lions didn’t make any changes to their 46-man roster this week, but are without DT Khalif Mitchell, who is serving the second game of his suspension.



HEFNEY VS. SIMON (from Kirk Penton)

Jonathan Hefney is moving back to halfback this week, and the man he gets to cover is none other than the CFL’s career receiving yards leader.

Hefney will be tasked with stopping Geroy Simon, who passed Milt Stegall as the league’s receiving king when the Bombers and Lions tangled in Week 1 at B.C. Place.

“I follow him on Instagram,” Hefney said. “I love looking at his kids, his family, his son. I wish his son could’ve went to Tennessee. I wonder why Tennessee didn’t recruit him.
“He’s just a good guy all around and a great competitor, so I’m going to have a good time with it.”

Simon’s son, Gervon, accepted a full scholarship to play football at U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y., this fall. Hefney won’t be reminding Simon he’s so old he has a son in college.

“You can’t really because he’s too slick,” Hefney said. “You trash talk him and he’s going to give you one of them old school moves.”

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports ... 93425.html

A test for Bombers against the best
Win will require complete effort
By: Paul Wiecek

Time's up.

Over the course of the past two months and through seven regular-season games, Winnipeg Blue Bombers fans have been hearing the same refrain from the team's coaches and players following every game:

Yes, we did some good things. Yes, we improved in some areas. But no, we still haven't put it altogether.

And that ongoing failure to get the very best out of their offence, defence and special teams in one complete game includes -- by the coaching staff's own admission -- the two games the Bombers did win, last week against Hamilton and July 26 against Edmonton.

Fans have been given a litany of explanations for the incomplete efforts -- most of them centring on the terrible run of injuries that have befallen the Bombers this season -- and all of that has been true, to a greater or lesser degree.

But the time for excuses is now over. With the Bombers now the healthiest they have been all season long -- with the addition of linebacker Brandon Stewart to the lineup this week they will have all 12 of their chosen defensive starters on the field tonight for the first time this season -- there is no reason why the team that takes the field tonight against the B.C. Lions at Canad Inns Stadium cannot put together a complete effort.

Which is not to say, mind you, the Bombers will beat the Lions even if they do that. The Lions, after all, come into Winnipeg with the best record in the CFL at 5-2, by far the best defence in the league and an offence, led by 2011 Most Outstanding Player Travis Lulay, that is third in the league in net offence and first -- by a mile -- in rushing, thanks to Winnipeg's own Andrew Harris.

So against that kind of opponent, there would be no shame for any team in the league -- least of all a Bombers squad with a win-loss record of 2-5 -- in losing to the Lions.

What would not be acceptable would be for the loss to be the result not of sterling play by the Lions but rather -- yet again -- of a middling and incomplete performance by a Winnipeg team that has been so maddeningly inconsistent this season.

The good news for Bombers fans is the team couldn't agree more.

"We're going to come out and make a statement," pledged Winnipeg's Jonathan Hefney, who moves back to his favourite position at half-back now that Stewart is back in the lineup at strong-side linebacker.

"We've got everybody back so now it's just time to play football. We can't say that we don't have players who aren't playing because we have pretty much everyone we want playing this week."

The key to a berth in the Grey Cup game last season was, of course, the dominating play of the Bombers defence and if the team is going to turn around this season, it is going to have to begin once again on the defensive side of the ball.

But this defence is not last year's defence, no matter how many players are now healthy, and it is not going to single-handedly carry the Bombers to victory over the Lions -- or a turnaround this season -- unless the offence and special teams also step up.

Bombers QB Joey Elliott made headlines across the country with his 406-yard performance in his first start last week, but the question is: does he have anything close to an encore in him against the Lions? The tools to make it happen, at least, appear to be there for Elliott. Even with Kito Poblah continuing to underachieve, Elliott has a talented aerial corps with which to work, led by perennial all-star slotback Terrence Edwards and CFL rookie wideout Chris Matthews, who is currently second in the league in receiving yardage.

On top of that, tailback Chad Simpson has given the club a running game they didn't have earlier in the season, while also providing some relief to an offensive line that is improving but still likely the weakest link on this 2012 club.

If the special teams can figure out a way to stop spoiling their own otherwise solid efforts by making what seems to be one major mistake a game -- last week it was a 72-yard punt return for a TD by Hamilton's Chris Willams -- the Bombers could record their third win in four games tonight and be on the cusp of proving what head coach Paul LaPolice and GM Joe Mack have been saying all season long: This is a much better team than their record suggests.

The alternative, of course, will just be a lot more of the same.

[DanoT]

The stuff from the Winnipeg media was a good read.

[TheLionKing]

Is this the game that Superman gets his first touchdown of the season ?

[beaglehound]

This game scares me a bit. It seems so improbable that the Bombers could beat the Lions especially with such an inexperienced QB. But just when you least expect it...? The Lions could be over-confident...this is a business trip, just show up and win. They've also only had one day of real practice this week and probably couldn't scout the Bombers that much. The Lions should prevail but the game might be much closer than the stats might indicate.

I agree JohnHenry with some of what you say. Just when you least expect it, a game the Lions are expected to win and they end up losing. I don't think that is going to happen though. Elliott is going up against an incredibly good defence. Elliott simply does not have the game experience. This does not mean the Bombers will not score or keep things close for awhile but I believe the Lions are just too good for the Bombers to handle. The Bombers have allowed almost twice as many points against as the Lions though granted stats don't always mean a whole lot.

I think the Bombers will be able to keep up with the Lions for a while but the Lions will wear them down. This happened in Saskatchewan. It has happened in other games. I don't think the Lions will be over confident at all. They know what is at stake. The D will want to continue its string of no TDs in a game alive. Hamilton succeeded to make it 6 in a row in '98. The Lions are at 3 so far. Wouldn't it be nice to stretch it to 4?

There are some guys on the Bomber squad that the Lions will be keying in on that can burn the Lions and the Lions will be smart not to take them lightly. The Bombers will have their hands full with the likes of : Lulay, Harris, Gore, Foster, Brown, Bruce, E. Jackson, Simon, and Iannuzzi. They may be able to keep some of these guys down but not all of them.

So here is my message to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.........................

[notahomer]

It is a great way to spend a birthday... Take in a Lions game at home with a stocked fridge and your only concern is what kind of delivery you should phone out for...

The Ourbombers website has some interesting threads. One not so classy (photochopped) which IMO, has a racist reference to Khalif Mitchell. I personally like these photoshop type threads, and I'll freely admit I have a little bit of a thin skin. Humour can be just that at times. What one person find hilarious, others may be offended.

I like checking out other CFL fans websites before/after games. Its neat seeing/hearing their perspectives of how a game may turn out before, and whether that should/shouldnot have been a penalty after. For the most part most of the teams have a cross section of fans like ours. There's the fan who never thinks anything is wrong and its just the officials who keep screwing his team all the way to the fan who gets attacked because he never has anything nice to say. And of course, lots of knowledgable female fans too!

I think it will be a close one. Elliot may have some success but I doubt it. I think the majority of points the Bombers score will either be on defence and/or specials. I'm just not so sure Elliott will have the success he had last week. Hope I'm right........

[swervynmerv]

Off the top of my head, some issues and concerns for this game ...


Will Travis Lulay start to more resemble the world beater of last year's title run? Soon enough, methinks. And I personally am very content with what he has delivered so far this year. Most rushing yards for QBs. Protecting the ball. Leadership. Game management.

Maybe that is all Travis needs to be, in someways, sounds a lot like Calvillo. Travis doesn't need to be agunslinger, especially with our defence but I do believe he can still be a bit better. I have a feeling that he and Ernest Jackson may have a big game tonight.

Games like this scare me as it should be a Lions blowout. Two years ago during the loss to Winnipeg that had the infamous Printers blow-up, wasn't that the first start for Alex Brink? Like the saying goes "Any Given Sunday (or Friday)".

[PigSkin_53]

Is this the game that Superman gets his first touchdown of the season ?

You know that he's been "Mr. Everything" when it come to the ("no I in team") concept ...


I hope Gee murders the end zone with TDs tonight!

[TheLionKing]

Interesting that Geroy's son will be playing football for the US Military Academy in the fall

[sj-roc]

Baller on 1410 just reported that Anthony Reddick from the 42-man is scratched with injury so the Lions will have to play with 41 tonight.

Anthony Reddick will not play tonight! Lions will play one short! That hurts!!