Division Finals/108th Grey Cup

[Coast Mountain Lion]

I think it was an error. He should have run out. He had a lot of room to run. He4may have been instructed to take the knee if it looked like he was going to get stopped deep. But clearly that point changed the Cats strategy.. A tremendous pick in the OT. Probaly one of the best in a Grey Cup.

Probably clock management. Running it out would have taken time off the clock which they didn't have a lot of.

[TheLionKing]

Winnipeg's decision to defer to the second half proved pivotal. Hamilton punter had trouble kicking into the wind in the 4th quarter resulting in a couple of short kicks which the Bombers took advantage of.

[Hambone]

I think it was an error. He should have run out. He had a lot of room to run. He4may have been instructed to take the knee if it looked like he was going to get stopped deep. But clearly that point changed the Cats strategy.. A tremendous pick in the OT. Probaly one of the best in a Grey Cup.

Probably clock management. Running it out would have taken time off the clock which they didn't have a lot of.

That plus field position. Might get a decent run back but might end up killing 5 to 10 seconds to wind up only at their 25. They'd likely need to get inside WPG 30 to be in good position for a FG shot. An extra 10 to 15 yards with 5 to 10 seconds less clock may have been too much.

[Sir Purrcival]

There may well have been some logic behind it but commentators, the look on the fan faces said it all. A lot of folks questioned the decision including myself at the time. It was one of two major turning points in the game. That unnecessary roughness call early in the 4th was the other. Decisions are decisions. I am really just curious if it was a called coaching decision or a case of an American born player not realizing that taking that knee meant giving up a point. Either way, I bet a lot of Hamilton fans are feeling pretty down tonight.

A great ending to the game. Congrats to the Bombers They were the class of the league all season. Had to laugh that a couple of the more prominent interviews right after. Andrew Harris, Adam Bighill. Nice to see how a change of venue has rewarded them. They both have 3 cups now which I think must start to put them into some elite company.

[David]

The decision to take a knee was a curious one; one that I did not agree with at the time. Regardless, the Ti-Cats got the ball all the way down to the 5-yard line, 1st down, with plenty of time on the clock for a TD and a whole playbook to choose from. IMO, that was not the time to go conservative to Jackson up the gut. It was a wasted down that came down to bite them as the 2nd down pass went incomplete.

Hell of a Grey Cup though.


DH

[B.C.FAN]

I was disappointed for the Ticats and their long-suffering fans but the game was a great showcase of CFL football and highlighted the strategic importance of conceding a single point and a safety to gain field position. On a windy day, those decisions can be crucial in deciding the outcome of the game. I’ve never liked American rules that allow a team to gain a free 20 or 25 yards just by deciding not to return the ball from the end zone.

[David]

Any thoughts on seeing Lucky in the stands with Bomber fans dressed in Bomber gear?


DH

Have to admit this kind of rubbed me the wrong way (the B.C. Lions fan in me) seeing our star player back in his old stomping ground mingling with fans and wearing the enemy colours, but this piece today from the Winnipeg Sun's Paul Friesen provides some context.

One of the lasting images from the Bombers’ West final win over the rival Riders was the appearance of B.C. Lions star receiver Lucky Whitehead in the front row, singing, dancing and at one point wearing a Bombers tuque.

How he got there is one of those only-in-the-CFL stories.

“I put on Twitter that I would be at the final, and let me know if I can crash somebody’s tailgate,” Whitehead explained from his off-season home in Virginia. “I got a ton of messages about that. So I showed up early, had some good food and drinks. A couple of young guys were like, ‘Hey, come to Section 141,’ and I ended up in Section 141 and we partied.”
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A former Bomber who was with the team for its 2019 championship, Whitehead remains close to Winnipeg receiver Rasheed Bailey.

He says pulling for his former team in that atmosphere was a blast.

“It was definitely electric,” he said. “It was kind of cold, but the energy that we were bringing made it electric and fun. I don’t remember even watching it much.”

At one point Whitehead had stripped down to his bare chest at the urging of a fan going after the Chris Streveler look (fur coat, no shirt) from the 2019 Grey Cup parade.

As for the Bombers tuque, Whitehead says he actually came wearing a Lions ball cap.

“One of the fans took it off and put their hat on my head. I was like, ‘OK, here we go.’ ”

Whitehead, along with about a gazillion others, will be a free agent in February.

DH

[SammyGreene]

God I hate 1 year deals. Couldn't have worked out better for Lucky coming to BC. An opportunity to start with an extremely pass happy offensive coordinator and a veteran QB that can distribute the ball and doesn't mind taking a hit to make a throw. Throw Chris Rainey looking pedestrian on kick returns and it was night and day when Lucky got to return kicks. But kudos to him for thriving with the opportunity in front of him.

How much loyalty to BC though after a 14 game season? Undoubtedly all about the money but you have teams like the Elks that could offer him Derel Walker's salary that was the highest in the league for a WR or even Ottawa that needs an ejection of talent.

[Toppy Vann]

The CFL travel rules for playoffs put the Bombers at a disadvantage given that players all had to travel as a team meaning a Bomber couldn't have got to Hamilton from Wpg on their own while the Ticats were able to all but to the game in Toronto.

Turns out Masoli is not vaccinated and he turned the fortunes in the Ticats favour as up to that point the starter had done little. The question for the Ticats will be to sign him or let him go now as the unvaxxed might not be able to come back from the USA next season.

Many Bombers now have covid but that's more likely from the partying than any game contact with other players or officials.

https://3downnation.com/2021/12/23/undi ... -grey-cup/

[Hambone]

The Bombers had to leave their starting center in Winnipeg because he wasn't vaxxed.