Winnipeg vs. Hamilton
Preseason
THE OPENING SONG
(Sung to the tune, “That’s alright Mama ”, by Elvis Presley)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5gTBEci9wM
Well, that’s all right, Bombers
That’s all right with me
That’s all right Bombers, just play where you have to be
Well, that’s all right, that’s all right.
That’s all right now Bombers, any place will do
Bombers they once told me,
One time or maybe two
That old stadium you’ve been playin in,
She ain’t no good for you’
But, that’s all right, that’s all right.
That’s all right now Bombers, the old barn will have to do
You’re leaving town, now Bombers
A long road trip for sure
But come back in July and we’ll be hanging ’round your door
Cause, that’s all right, that’s all right
That’s all right now Bombers, any place will do
Welcome back
Okay, that’s hopefully the last time I have to reference the roller coaster ride that the stadium construction adventure provided us with over the winter. By throwing in the towel for the 2012 season the Bomber’s have finally admitted that anyone who’s ever undertaken a back yard project can attest to….construction projects have a mind of their own and follow their own time lines. So we’re back at good old Canadinn Stadium for the year. Well, that’s all right by me. It’s time to get on with football follies and forget about the construction conundrums.
Greetings and welcome to another season of Blue Bomber football and more importantly, another season of the Corbett Report. Of course before Bomber’s start their season for good with a Grey Cup rematch on June 29th, there is the necessary evil that is the pre-season. At least tonight’s game is the second of two. We might actually see a player or two who’s still going to be around in July.
The Off Season
It’s been a season of change and transition in the CFL this year. Let’s take a look at some of the key changes.
Away goes Ray
In what has to be the second biggest trade in Edmonton sport history, the Eskimos dealt Ricky Ray to the Argos for …….I think it was a bag of Dorritos. So Edmonton starts the season with Steven Jyles as their starting QB. Hmmmmm….perhaps they should have called the Bombers and asked them how that worked out for them.
Smiling Hank heads East
With Drew Tate’s emergence as a star last year in Calgary, it’s not surprising that Henry Burris was the odd man out. So it was Burris to Hamilton for Kevin Glenn. That should give the Stamps a great 1-2 punch.
Argos look to solve their QB wows
So there’s not one but two new gunslingers in TO this year. Ray of course is expected to lead the Argos to their promised land (i.e. the 100th Grey Cup) but if he doesn’t get the job done, they also added Jarious Jackson from BC.
Wally moves upstairs
In BC, fresh off their upset (read upsetting) win over Winnipeg in the 99th Grey Cup, Wally Buono turned the manes reigns over to former offensive co-ordinator Mike Benevides. Other than losing Jackson to the Argos the Lions are pretty much unchanged from 2011.
Is that you Willis?
Saskatchewan made a deal with their arch enemy Bombers and acquired Odell Willis in exchange for two gophers and a bag of watermelon seeds. The trade had Paul LaPolice musing that sometimes you had to “look beyond the athletic skills” when evaluating a player. Shortly thereafter Willis was arrested for driving under the influence in Atlanta. Hmmmmmmmm…..so how’s that workin for you now Sask?
Als look to stability
Meanwhile in Montreal, the eggs continue to accumulate in Anthony Calvillo’s basket. Subscribing to the “if it’s not broken don’t fix it” philosophy, the Als obviously believe they continue to have the talent to regain their winning form.
……..which leads us to…….
The Bombers
There’s been a fair bit of criticism on the Bombers this year for not doing much in the off season. Losing Brendan Labatte and Greg Carr to free agency while not doing anything to improve their team, some are suggesting that the Bombers have adopted a “if it’s not fixed then break it” philosophy. Not so I say. The Bombers have indeed hired their fair share of free agents. Who you ask? Well you may have missed these signings:
January – two carpenters
February – three metal workers and a crane operator
March – two plumbers and an electrician
April – a construction scheduling forman
May – a meteorologist
….and let’s not forgot
June – one (humble) pie bakery chef
(OK – my bad, that’ll be the LAST stadium delay reference)
Seriously, they did make one rather significant change shortly after the Grey Cup by releasing their offensive coordinator and hiring Gary Crowton as his replacement.
The Bombers, as we all know were anemic on offense last year. The team believes they had then and still have the players in place to be an offensive powerhouse. So by changing the coordinator and tasking him with the play calling, they believe the final piece of the Grey Cup puzzle will fall in place. We’ll know soon enough if they’re right. With the core of swaggerville still in place, even a modest improvement in offensive production should keep the Bombers contending late into the season. The trouble is, the rest of the division has improved significantly.
Oh yeah…….and don’t forget the other off season change! The new (old) logo. Gone is the lightning bolt! I’m not shocked.
The Early Season Predictions
Spoiler alert -> what follows will make watching games this year redundant.
Here are the predictions for the season:
WEST
1st – Calgary – Drew Tate outshines Travis Lulay
2nd – BC – Contenders again
3rd – Eskimos – No all star QB since 1952
4th – Saskatchewan – Still clinging to Durrant
EAST
1st – Hamilton – Burris is the missing piece
2nd – Winnipeg – Need to at least go 2-2 on that opening 4 game road trip
3rd – Toronto – Ray Days are done
4th – Montreal – Father time drops the ball but catches AC
Grey Cup prediction
Sorry Toronto you can host the 100th party, you just can’t play in it.
Calgary vs. Hamilton
Game Prediction
Last game- 99th Grey Cup
Corbett Report: Bombers 21 Lions 19
Actual: Lions 34 Bombers 23
2011 Season results: 7 – 4
This week
Preseason games are impossible to predict. It depends of course on who the coaches choose to put out there. I’m going to go with the Bomber’s desire to send the home town fans home happy.
Bombers 23 Ti-Cats 11
GO BLUE
These opinions are my own. Take them, leave them, comment on them. Go Bombers Go!
The Corbett Report 
Posted on June 20, 2012
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