Well, well, well! Guess what? The Esks can be beat. The Blue Bombers laid a lickin' on RR tonight. And how did they do that? Rush, rush, rush!!! Got that Mr. Tibesar? If you let RR get comfortable, he can destroy you. So, study the video of this game and plan accordingly.
AC & co. - more of the same from the Argo game, please!
Let's get 'em!!
and the esks are traveling tomorrow from winnipeg and wednesday to montreal which leaves them only 3 little days to rest and practice. no better time to beat them than now because when we go to edmonton sept. 23 we'll only have 5 days to prepare. BC is finally winning tonight. If they can beat the peg at home we could be tied for first heading into the break.
weird thing. calvillo broke both his records against TO and his last one (yds. passing) could be broken oct.10 against those same argos. talk about karma. 8)
Tibesar doesn't have a fearsome front-four at his disposal, nor does he have a secondary full of ball-hawks who can actually swing a game with interceptions. Burke has both in Winnipeg -- that's why their defense is succeeding.
And McElveen was apparently injured in the Toronto game (can't remember where I read this), so it's possible we could be down two starting linemen against Edmonton.
I certainly agree about the front four
Probably the weakest “four pressure” we’ve had in years
But our secondary and linebackers stack up with the best in the league
Even Dix has “upped” his game significantly
Where last year I was screaming at my TV for the Alouettes to pressure the quarterback
This year I’ve pretty much taken to grumbling under my breath
Bowman is good enough
But the Alouettes need at least another rush end and tackle
At best Bekasiak and Wilson are the same kind of “backbone” guys up the middle
With Bekasiak starting to show some great instincts for sniffing out plays
Before he got hurt…that is
Until and unless the Alouettes get some line help
We’d be remiss in not putting an asterisk next to the low interception total and poor overall performance by the secondary.
It’s worth noting Kitwana Jones and his performance against the Argos
While it’s questionable whether Jones could start and play regularly
He brought pressure…and attitude
One has to wonder what a young “buck” of a rush end could do for this Alouettes defensive squad
With all due respect to Richard’s objections
The position is probably more “plug and play” than any other on the team
And I’m crossing my fingers that Popp will find us that crucial element we need
Now…
If we’re going to keep pace with the Bombers and TiCats
Funny…I just flashed back to last year when I was musing
About Hamilton’s acquisition of Stevie Baggs
And Toronto’s landing Ricky Foley
While the Alouettes have gone backwards since then
The competition…at least in this crucial area…certainly has not
Well, Jones & co. are going to have to get some reps in this one. We will be forced to bring the house because RR has been awesome this year, like the RR of old.
I expect the Als to win at home, Edmonton just got beat physicaly really badly, they are playing a second road game on a short week, Stamps had to go to the hospital he's got a banged up shoulder/elbow, so it leaves them Barnes and their running game. Their DB's are very vulnerable on vertical routes.
Yeah, after watching last night’s game, I think we can beat Edmonton in our own house. With Richardson, Green, and Watkins, we should be able to stretch the field on their secondary.
Forget Stamps:
Arash Madani reports the following on his twitter:
Wow. #Eskimos announce Fred Stamps had emergency abdominal surgery today in Winnipeg. Test showed internal bleeding. Out 4-6 weeks. #CFL
Re Mcelveen, it was reported in the Gazette.
Bombers have a fierce looking D… ahead in the sack department by a country mile and two country miles on the Als
Really tough break for the Esks. Not sure their offense will be able to click without Stamps drawing the double coverage.
Without Stamps Ray and the Eskimos can be taken
Hopefully
The Bombers are frightening on D
But without Buck Pierce…how far can the Bombers really go?
It’s not exactly pleasant to think about
But the Alouettes season may well depend on whether Pierce remains standing
Every bit as much as the Bombers season does
While I continue to hope the Alouettes can 3-peat
It’s not exactly clear they have the personnel to get the job done
If games are won and lost in the trenches
We’ve already “sold the silverware”
It’s like a “western”
Waiting for the cavalry to ride in to save the day at the last minute
Jim Popp blowin’ that tune on his bugle
While we’re circling the wagons
Watching that Winnipeg defense put the Eskimos through a shredder
I couldn’t help wishing we had some of that
C’mon Jim
Blow that bugle
And I don’t mean “taps”
I am really not sold on our linebackers. Cox is a stud. The other three? Meh. Emry has been really hit and miss this year, Guzman has been invisible, and Ferri has been visible for all the wrong reasons. As a group, they aren’t swarming to the football. As well, we’re terrible against the run this season, and some of that has to fall on the linebackers, particularly the mike and will backers who have more run-stopping responsibilities than the sam backer.
I do agree that Dix is playing like a man transformed. Have absolutely no complaints with his performance so far at corner. As far as our secondary as unit? I might have agreed with you if we were healthy (Brown, Estelle, Parker/Dix, Anderson, Brouillette/Boulay). But Parker got beaten like a rented mule by the Argos of all teams, Estelle has forgotten how to tackle and is playing way too far off his receivers, and Anderson has been, shall we say, a mixed bag thus far.
To me, our secondary is good, but not great, and not good enough to compensate for the absence of a decent pass rush. If they were, we’d have more interceptions, plain and simple. Look at how Winnipeg’s DBs took over yesterday’s game against Edmonton with timely picks. Winnipeg’s DBs climb the ladder to make interceptions on great plays. Our DBs drop picks thrown right into their numbers. Turnovers are so crucial to wins and losses. It’s very rare for a team to win the turnover battle but lose the game.
The position is probably more "plug and play" than any other on the teamAgreed. Defensive tackle is the least system-sensitive starting position on the team IMO. Just line up inside and beat the holy hell out of the lineman in front of you, twists and stunts be damned. :D
And I'm crossing my fingers that Popp will find us that crucial element we need Now... If we're going to keep pace with the Bombers and TiCatsFunny…I just flashed back to last year when I was musing
About Hamilton’s acquisition of Stevie Baggs
And Toronto’s landing Ricky Foley
While the Alouettes have gone backwards since then
The competition…at least in this crucial area…certainly has not
As far as Anderson goes, so far the Als are not getting their money’s worth.
While I am not entirely sold on our linebackers.as a group/unit, we cannot say that we are bad against the run, in fact,after 6 weeks, we may have the best record against the run/less yards allowed; our problem is yards allowed against the passes/yards given after completions. I presume that some will credit Eric Wilson. Ha1Ha1
Winnipeg has definitely the best defensive unit in the league; if Pierce stays healthy, they could well finish in first place. Odell Willis has 8 sacks while our team has 7.
I don't expect major improvements to our defensive line,during the current year.
Richard
Those stats are deceiving. Our total rushing yardage given up is low, but that’s mainly because we have a good offense that usually piles up first-half points, forcing the other team to abandon the run. The key stat is yards per run average, where we were last in the league heading into this week. When teams run on us, they are running for big yardage. The stat bears out what I see with my own eyes from weak to weak. What used to be a strength (run D) has now turned into a liability, which keeps the defense on the field because we keep allowing the other team to work themselves into second and medium and second and short situations.
This week, for example, Chad Kackert rushed 10 times for 62 yards and a 6.2 average. So yes, we didn’t give up a ton of rushing yardage, but we gave up big yardage most times Kackert touched the ball.
whoa, I meant 'week to week.' Brain cramp. :lol:
Our D-team, all or most of it, has run hot and cold so far this season. The good news is we are 4-2; not too bad, all things considered. The other good news is that we have an O-team, when firing on all cylinders, that will force the other team to play catch-up. That, at least in theory, makes the opposing team more one-dimensional and therefore easier to defend.
So, for me at least, the key to a W is racking up points early, bringing the house, a variety of blitz packages, make RR run for his life, toss the ball into the cheap seats (and there are none at Molson Stadium!!), and "kiss the carpet", to borrow a phrase from Rick Moffat.
We can't take the Esks for granted. So far this season, RR is looking like the RR of old and Messam is also having a good season. Hope Trestman, Tibesar & co. have studied the video from the Wpg game well.
If I remember correctly…Don Matthews and the Alouettes got burnt pretty bad blitzing Ricky Ray
The key to beating RR is to get pressure without the blitz
Which unfortunately isn’t an option this year
Studying the game film won’t do much
Unless we can make a trade for Odel Willis
Well, that was the 2003 Grey Cup game in which Matthews elected to start two rookies at each cornerback position. Predictably, Ray torched us.
The key to beating RR is to get pressure [b][i]without[/i][/b] the blitz Which unfortunately isn't an option this yearYep, pressure without the blitz is what will make the difference. I don't mind the occasional blitz, particularly if it's second and long, but Ricky Ray is too savvy to be blitzed into mistakes [i]unless[/i] we are particularly good at disguising our blitzes pre-snap.
Ray will be working without his top receiver, though, and Edmonton is on a shorter week than we are, so I still think our odds of victory are good.
Well Senior and d&p, you are both essentially saying the same thing. This year, we haven't been able to bring enough pressure from the front 4, or enough pressure off the ends. So, what is there left but a HB/LB blitz package until we get this thing sorted out, likely by new personnel on the line?
That said, the Als obviously can't bring the house each and every down; they'll have to take their reads and cover. But, as Wpg showed, blitzing RR works, and works very well. So, either they manage, somehow, to bring enough pressure from the D linemen, or it's a blitz package for this game.
If we don't, we'll have to expect the O-team to bring their AAAA game and score 58 points, or it will be a high-scoring game where both teams trade TDs. BTW, I wouldn't mind a barn-burner - it makes for very entertaining football, as long as we come out with a W at the final whistle.