According to TSN’s Dave Nailor, he has been granted permission to approach teams about a trade out of Winnipeg. If true,that could be the final nail in the coffin.
You know Kasps I had a bit of fun tormenting you guys but I feel for Bomber fans at this point, really. Simpson and Brown are the two leaders and fan favorites on the Bombers D maybe the whole team, to end like that is a heartbreaker.
The loss of Simpson is going to hurt the locker room and whatever chemistry was holding this team together. If WPG beats SK on Sunday,we may survive this one. But if we get blown out, it will be season over. We have to go to MTL next week,so WPG. could be 3-8 with 2 more against MTL.
Not only that but Lobendhan has two reconstructed knees. I don't even think he can handle anything close to a full 18 game season as a MLB. Good tackler, average to less in coverage.
Moreno for Simpson !
Bomber folks, I too have made it a daily ritual coming over here to chuckle at whatever crisis Kelly had embroiled himself in on any given week. And I had a grudging admiration for those of you who valiantly defended the fort.
But let's not be kidders any longer. There's no way anyone can polish this turd. Barrin Simpson has been a warrior, and the heart of a defence that was actually pretty good. But if he's pulled the pin, you can bet that's the beginning of a major meltdown.
The arguments that "the players are behind him", or that "he's a player's coach" that have sounded around here can no longer be made with a straight face. When a consummate pro calls 'er quits halfway through, that about says all that needs sayin'.
I even feel a bit sad. Well, I will after this Sunday.
If Moreno goes from Hamilton at its worst, to Winnipeg under Doug Berry, to the mess that is Toronto, and BACK to Winnipeg under Kelly, he’s got to think he’s in some kind of bizarre football Hell.
If I were the GM of any other team, I’d have half a mind to try and trade for him, on humanitarian grounds alone.
Bob Irving of CJOB reported this evening that the Bombers told Barrin Simpson that he and Joe Lobendahn would be rotated at middle linebacker during games. Simpson didn't like that and asked to be traded.
Bob Irving is a consummate professional and is the authority on what is really going on in Bomberland. If you guys want to believe what Naylor says versus what Bob Irving says that's your prerogative but I know who I would believe.
Look at the situation objectively, Simpson has had turf toe for most of the season and the Bombers have pretty good depth at linebacker. Ian Logan should be back at safety this weekend which means Sideeq Shabazz will be back as a linebacker. Given the circumstances, using a rotation makes sense.
You probably defended the Alamo in a previous lifetime too.
I'm sure Kelly has a perfectly reasonable explanation as to why a perrenial all-star who has never been a troublemaker suddenly went off the deep end and is to blame for this. And I'm sure Kelly will also be able to explain why, deep down, this is really a good thing.
But c'mon. Really?
So Artie, who would you not play so Simpson and his turf toe can play every down? Lobendahn, Shibazz, Charlton?
If he's hurt, put him on an injury list. If he can be on a roster, he plays every down until he can't. He's not going to heal quicker playing in a rotation. So who, exactly, does this help? Kelly.
And that's the nut of it. Kelly, once again, opted out of making a hard decision over sitting someone down and waffled his way into anothe crisis. Hey I won't not dress anyone, we'll all just share. How nice. That worked swimmingly in Calgary when they had one too many receivers a couple years ago, and Higgins couldn't pull the trigger on a decision.
As with every touchy personnel decision since he got here, Kelly handled this in a bad way, thus creating this crisis. Simpson's a pro - for him to want to leave like this, it's the HOW it was communicated far more than the WHAT was communicated.
If you're right, then shut him down....rather than this wishy-washy "rotation". As I think on it, this is basically the Armstrong saga all over again.
On a positive note, the Bombers' streak of consecutive weeks with some mindbending crisis to cope with continues unabated. This team has had more "situations" this year than the other 7 teams combined.
Any Lion fans out there? Didn't something like this lead to Simpson departing from the Lions?
And Artie, you didn't answer my question - who wouldn't you play so Simpson could play every down - Shabazz, Lobendahn or Charlton.
Another thing, I don't recall hearing Doug Brown complaining about the D-line rotation. In fact, he embraced it.
Supposedly this turf toe has been bugging Simpson since early in the season. If he can rack up enough tackles to be 2nd in the league, and all the while playing every down with this turf toe, why force change now?
Joe Lobendahn was out with a shoulder injury suffered in training camp. He returned to the line-up at the same time Sideeq Shabazz was injured. Shabazz returned to the line-up at the same time that Ian Logan was injured so Shabazz was shifted to safety. Logan will be ready this weekend and will be back at safety so Shabazz will be moved back to linebacker. So now the Bombers have four linebackers who have all been starters for the team (Charlton, Lobendahn, Shabazz and Simpson) but only three can be on the field at the same time since the Bombers play mostly a 4-3 defense. So the question is do you sit one of those guys or do you rotate.
My question regarding the Lions was answered in the other thread so I’m quoting it here:
All those guys you mentioned have all been out from injuries. Barrin not only played through his, but he's been doing a top rate job all year. When you got a hot hand you go with it. I'm not saying that the other players aren't good enough or not as good as Simpson. What ever happened to rewarding a player who not only plays through injury but also plays at the top of the league in his position. I don't know......just seems so me that if this injury hasn't bothered him or his play all year, why do the coaches all of a sudden think it's a bother now? there has to be more to it.
If Lobendahn and Shabazz hadn't been hurt then Simpson would likely have been sat for a couple of weeks. Turf toe doesn't sound like much but it is a very painful injury (see my post in the other Simpson thread for information about turf toe).
If you look at the big picture. Simpson is coming back from a serious injury, he's taken a pay cut from Kelly an now is asked to rotate, which devalues him (lower stats, question marks) and possibly impacts bonus structure based on tackles , all star nominations things like that.
From the outside looks like this team has no idea where it is going and changes direction daily depending on how the wind is blowing. If they trade him they lose, if they don't trade him and play hime they lose, if they don't trade him and don't play him they lose. This is all bad...
Don't look to free agency to improve this team. Mr. Database better be all that and then some.
Well now Kasps and the rest of you so called fans of Kelly. What do you think of this latest crisis. The Board of Directors should show leadership. They have 5 million in surpluss stached away. Use some of that money to fire Kelly, Bauer, and Murphy. Get rid of all this cancer that has caused so much grief with our club. A week does not go by ,without some circus type atmoshere developing. Now Barrin Simpson. The Kelly fanatics will be spinning a web to make their leader look good and Simpson some sort of evil person. You know the routine, Kelly will control the message. The stooges in the Bomber executive offices will pack the buses with Kelly supporters to attend the upper deck sports bar, as there should be no tough questions asked. The apperance of solidarity is of the upmost importance. But not everyone is fooled. It will be very interesting how this web will be cast. This will further the circus atmosphere into the next week. The immediate removal of Kelly should be the number 1 priority of the BODs. This team is going nowhere fast. The coach and President are an embarrasement to the club, city , and province. :oops: :oops: :oops: :oops: :oops:
So now lower stats and all-star nominations are good enough reasons to not play. I always thought the team came first. You can compare this to the Armstrong situation. What team is he playing for? Why didn't anyone scoop up a 1000 yd. receiver? The me-first atitude doesn't work and no team or coach wants it ! I'm with Blue Blood on this. Nobody answered his question, who do you sit? No, it's easier and the thing to do to blame the coach. Simpson wasn't asked to clean the latrines, it's a common thing to rotate. Pretty soon you guys will be blaming swine flu on Kelly. Off with his head ! The sky is falling !