There's np bigger fan of Pinball than me but he and his staff was outcoached yesterday.
1--Dress 2 RBs Avery and Edwards and then not run the ball
2--Failed to keep a lid on his players which led to Eiben's comments (not that they were the deciding factor in the game but they were a distraction)
3--Staying with Bishop when it was clear he was having one of his "off" days. Allen isn't an 18-game starter anymore but in a situation like yesterday, he might've made a difference.
4--Let his players look ahead to the GC game and not focussed on the Bomber game. It was obvious the Argos didn't have their heads in the game.
5--Played Prefontaine when he wasn't 100%. He missed a 36 yarder which normally would be a gimme.
Good points, but I dis-agree. There are 2 main reasons they lost:
the 2-week layoff hurt them. They may have been mentally prepared, but clearly not physically. By the time they were, it was already too late.
Bishop had a great year, but this is the playoffs. You can't expect instant success, if he never had any playoff experience, no matter how good his year was. Ditto for getting a backup to bail him out.
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I think that, to the tee, the same can be said about B.C. Do you see a similarity between the great year that Bishop had, and the great year that Jarius Jackson had?
Yet, both of them disappointed big-time, in the biggest game of their life.
For B.C., Dickerson coming in at half-time was the right move, but 7 sacks killed it for them, and the season. Again, a case of too little, too late.
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Boy - I wish I had picked the underdogs - would have made a killing....
The Eagle - :cowboy: :cowboy: :cowboy:
Pinball sure wasn't the spark plug he usually was and if he was like that all week before the game you can see why the Boatmen didn't look up for the game. Judging by the past Pinball should have been flying high for this game. Big game for the mug in TO, I don't believe it. :roll:
Let's be clear: Steve Buratto calls the offensive plays for the Blue Team, while Rich Stubler makes the defensive calls. The Argos did not make the necessary adjustments at halftime (i.e. run the ball more, have Bishop make the proper checkdowns for more ball control, etc.). It IS Clemons's responsibility as a head coach who doesn't make playcalls to ensure that somebody gets the message that the approach Bishop and company were using was not moving the ball with any consistency!
Time and again, Bishop threw into double coverage when going deep. Clearly he did not have much success at looking off the safety (Hebert), so Bruce faced Bean and Hebert often. There was no attempt by the Boatmen to use Avery as a receiver out of the backfield, establish some sort of running game with Avery and Edwards, and work the ball down the field...
I am sure there will be some turnover in the offseason in T.O. in light of Pinball's apparent departure. I don't expect that Bishop will be tossed overboard, but this game has to sound off some alarm bells about him.
Have to agree that Bishop should have been given the yank after the first half; he was colder than a Winnipeg winter.
Also, as much as I dislike the Argos, Damon Allen is a class act. I thought the way he handled his demotion this year was admirable. Most importantly, he has immeasurable playoff experience, including a number of Grey Cups and MVP performances.
What else did they have to lose?
Good golly. Has anyone considered the possibility the blue team got out-played?
I agree that ignoring the running game hurt them, but the Bomber defence played a great game.
Prefontaine may have been still suffering from another concussion, but would their back-up have done better?
Defence wins championships, but if your offence stinks then eventually the poop catches up with you.
Pinball is a great CFL ambassador and whatever he does next year I hope is within the league. Don't be surprised if he remains in his current position.