CFL West

With the 96th Grey Cup now a distant yet visible memory, the CFL's off-season has been anything but quiet. With the latest signings, player movements, and coaching changes, here is a quick update on the goings-on around the Canadian Football League.

Lions Lock Up Seven Players

On December 12th, the BC Lions locked up seven returning players in defensive lineman Caesar Rayford, defensive back Donald Brown, kicker Sean Whyte along with receivers Rufus Skillern and Greg Hetheringtonfor the 2009 season according tocfl.ca.  

In addition, the Lions have agreed to terms with two draft picks—defensive lineman Justin Shaw from the 2008 CFL Draft and linebacker Josh Bean—from the 2007 CFL Draft.

Out of these signings, Skillern saw the most action this past season, recording 19 receptions for 188 yards and a touchdown in nine games.

Stewart, Chiu, and Boulay Re-Up With Als For 2009 Season

Always on the bubble coming into camp, Montreal Alouettes defensive lineman Anwar Stewart as re-upped for another year.  His reliable and consistent play throughout the 2008 campaign fell short of his goal of a Grey Cup.

His reasons for re-signing were simple.  "A lot of guys decide to just come back, but I'm coming back to win."

Named the CFL's outstanding defensive player in 2004, Stewart had four quarterback sacks, an interception, and five passes knocked down, along with 27 defensive tackles during the 2008 campaign.

Earlier in the season, the Als also locked up centre Bryan Chiu and safety Etienne Boulay for one season both.  Chiu, a CFL veteran and an instrumental leader in the Als locker room as well as both Stewart and Boulay are looking at playing their final seasons in football.

Clermont Signs With Saskatchewan Roughriders

After being released from the BC Lions after being in the top six in all-time team yardage, Jason Clermont has found a new home in Regina.

Clermont, a Canadian receiver, demands a large six-figure salary, yet Riders GM Eric Tillman is willing to bring him into the mix to build a strong Canadian nucleus of players for the 2009 season.

"There will always be American GMs and coaches who will overpay Americans at the expense of a strong Canadian nucleus." commented Tillman after his hiring in 2006.

"Good or bad, I'm not one of them."

Clermont joins an already deep and potent receiver core that includes Weston Dressler and DJ Flick, among others.

Mike Kelly Named New Winnipeg Blue Bombers Head Coach

After the sudden, but not totally unexpected, departure of Doug Berry from the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Bomber GM Brendan Taman and Bomber President Lyle Bauer made sure they got the man they were aiming for—Mike Kelly.

Kelly, who formerly coached in Winnipeg as the Bombers offensive coordinator from 1992 to 1996, and was on the short list to succeed Cal Murphy, was offered the head coaching job a few years back as well.

As the 27th head coach in team history, Kelly will also double as offensive coordinator.

John Comiskey Re-Ups with Edmonton Eskimos

The Edmonton Eskimos has re-signed offensive lineman John Comiskey to a multi-year deal.

During the 2008 campaign, Comiskey was nominated for the CFL's Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman Award.  He started every game during the regular season and two playoff games for the Eskimos.

Comiskey, whose brother Dan also plays for the Edmonton, was ecstatic about his extension and the chance to play with his brother for years to come.

Sources:

www.cfl.ca/news

It was a raucous and noisy crowd of 66,308 fans at Olympic Stadium in Montreal Sunday night for the CFL's 96th Grey Cup, but that didn't get to Calgary Stampeders quarterback Henry Burris.

With the majority of fans wearing Montreal Alouette colours, Burris led his Stampeders to a come-from-behind victory for the Stamps 6th Grey Cup in team history and their first since 2001.  Down 13-10 at halftime, Burris rallied the Stamps with a second half comeback to win 22-14.

Burris threw for 328 yards, including one touchdown and one interception, while also leading all rushers by carrying the ball a game-high 79 yards.  When it was all said and done, Burris was named the games most valuable player.

"There was so many times I used to hear that song, 'We are the Champions', I never could listen to the whole song because I always wanted to be a champion," admitted Burris.

"Right now, it's like I'm living a dream."

With most of the 66,308 fans supporting the hometown Montreal Alouettes and their CFL's Most Outstanding Player Anthony Calvillo, Burris came through in the clutch to silence his critics who said he could never deliver in the big game.

Not only was it Burris' play that led the Stamps to their Grey Cup victory, but kicker Sandro DeAngelis' foot that helped lead the Stamps offensive charge.

DeAngelis kicked five field goals, including his longest from 50 yards out.  His other four field goals came from 44, 12, 21, and 30 yards out.

"This is one of the greatest days of my life," admitted DeAngelis.

"We are immortal."

The turning point in the game came when Calgary wide receiver Brent Ralph caught a 20-yard touchdown pass from Burris late in the first half.  The touchdown seemed to spark the dormant Stamps offense late in the first half.

On the other side of the ball, Montreal quarterback Anthony Calvillo let another one slip away as he lost his fifth of six Grey Cup appearances.  Calvillo threw for 352 yards, yet had no touchdowns and two interceptions, the last one intercepted by Calgary linebacker Shannon James sealed the deal for the Stamps late in the fourth quarter.

Avon Cobourne had the only touchdown for the Alouettes on a screen play that set up a hole that led the only Alouette major in the game.

Montreal kicker Damon Duval went two-for-two in field goal attempts by making 14 and 19 yard field goal attempts.

After a rough-and-tumble season, the Grey Cup was awarded to the Calgary Stampeders for the sixth time in team history.  The Stamps last Grey Cup victory came back in 2001, which coincidentally was in the same building—Montreal's Olympic Stadium.  Except it was a 27-19 win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

The crowd of 66,308 was the second largest attendance at a Grey Cup.  Coincidentally, the top five crowds at a Grey Cup were all at Montreal's Olympic Stadium.  The largest crowd recorded was set at 68,318 in 1977 when the Montreal Alouettes steam-rolled over the Edmonton Eskimos 41-9.

Its that time of year again when the CFL Championship game for the Grey Cup will be played this Sunday in Montreal. The home town Montreal Alouettes will play the Calgary Stampeders for the cup. Looking on the web this week for sportsnews stories, you will find many on the two teams and analysis of the up coming game.

The problem is that until this time of year the CFL goes relatively unnoticed in the sports world. Its too bad really because it is a great brand of football with the games usually pretty exciting, close, with lots of scoring. The lead will sometimes change hands six or seven times throughout the game and it is usually a play in the dying seconds of the game that wins it.

Calgary Stampeders head coach John Hufnagel, left, and Montreal Alouettes head coach Marc Trestman

In some ways I like the Canadian game better than the NFL game because you have to pass the ball and move it 10 yards in two downs instead of three or your kicking the ball away.

In the NFL a lot of the time it is just a big pile up at the line of scrimmage getting their two or three yards on each down. The main reason the NFL is so big is one thing, Money. Without the millions of dollars being bet on the games each week, I doubt you would have the interest that you do in the product.

Montreal Practice

I did speak about the history of the CFL (Canadian Football League) in an article a while back when I did a tribute to the Little General, Ron Lancaster.

So now I would like to point out the major differences between the Canadian Football League and its cousin the National Football League south of the border. If you were so inclined, you could find the information on the web looking for sports news for rules in the game of Football but to make things easier, allsports will give you the difference in a nutshell.

The field for the Canadian game is ten yards longer and wider than the NFL field. The End Zones are deeper. The CFL only has three downs while the NFL has four. The ball is slightly larger in the Canadian game. The Canadian game allows for one more player on the field. On a kick return the receiver of the kick has to be given five yards by the opposition to get possession of the ball before he is tackled.

Those are the major differences in the two games. The bottom line is that the Canadian game promotes more passing and the quarterback has to be a little more mobile to avoid being sacked. Anyway you look at it, it is still football and the Grey Cup game should be very entertaining. Tune in and enjoy the game.

“No Guts No Glory.”

Walt Webb

P.S. Anthony Calvillo was the big winner this year for the CFL awards as he won the “Most Outstanding Player”. You can check the other CFL award winners by going to TSN for other sports news stories on the web. I am picking Montreal to win it just because they are at home. Anyway you look at it the game will be a good one and be very close.

The 96th Grey Cup in Montreal this Sunday could be one for the ages. Both the Calgary Stampeders and the Montreal Alouettes were the top teams in their division, their Quarterbacks are the finalists for the CFL's Most Outstanding Player, both offenses can light up the scoreboard, and both defenses can shut down when called upon.

I didn't really think anything of it when it was first made aware to me that Montreal, being the host, had an advantage. Then I remembered being at the 2001 Grey Cup when the Stampeders beat the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

I remembered how good of a job Montreal did hosting the game, and how loud it was. That game didn't even have the Als playing in the big game. Imagine how loud it will be when there are 68,000 fans, and most of them are cheering for the Alouettes. It will get mighty loud without any help from the alleged "canned crowd noise".

As we've seen in the past, the offense needs to hear the calls of the quarterback, and not being able to hear that can cost precious yards in penalties, and can frustrate an offense to no end.

The Stampeders are a slightly stronger team, and may have had an advantage if it were in any other city, but the fact they are playing in the deafening confinds of Montreal's Olympic Stadium, the advantage definitely shifts to the Alouettes.

This, however, does not guarantee a win for the Als. There are two keys to combat the noise. These two factors will have a definite impact on the outcome of the game.

1. Preparation. George Cortez isn't new to playing in loud buildings having coached teams in BC Place Stadium. There must be a communication system that will allow the team to work in sync, and not get caught with unnecessary procedure penalties.

2. Take The Crowd Out Of It. This almost 100% of the time needs key No. 1 to be implemented for key No. 2 to work. The Stampeders are known for their slow starts, and if they get behind early, it will be much harder to make that comeback with the crowd interfering the way they do.

If you take the Montreal fans out of it early by scoring early and often, the fans lose their intensity, and it makes it easier for the offense to work to finish the Als off.

Having said that, if the Als can shut Burris down early, and put points up early, Montreal will have a much better chance of winning. Even in a shootout, the Als will have an advantage, and keeping the crowd in it will make it that much easier to allow for Anthony Calvillo to finish his career with a Grey Cup victory. Failure to do so will give Henry Burris a chance to win his first Grey Cup as a Starter, and finally silence his critics.

It's that time in Canada once again for the winter classic known as the Grey Cup Championship game.  And for the second consecutive year, the game will be indoors.  And for the first time since 2002, the home team will be playing for the Grey Cup on home turf come Sunday, November 23rd.

The Combatants and Their History

The 96th Grey Cup, hosted in Montreal's Olympic Stadium, will feature the Beast of the East Montreal Alouettes (11-7) playing in their first Grey Cup since 2006. Anthony Calvillo and company easily defeated the Edmonton Eskimos 36-26 in the Eastern Semi-Final to move on to the Alouettes 17th Grey Cup appearance in franchise history. 

It will be the first time since 1979 that the Alouettes have played in the Grey Cup game that they have also hosted in the same season.  That season, the Alouettes were defeated by the dynastic Edmonton Eskimos 17-9.  It would be the second of five straight Grey Cups for the Eskimos.

The Alouettes have also appeared in home Grey Cup games in 1977 (a 41-6 win over the Eskimos) and in 1931 as the Montreal AAA (22-0 win over the Regina Roughriders).

In their 17 Grey Cup appearances, the Alouettes have won five, the last coming in 2002 (25-16 over the Eskimos).

Meeting the Alouettes in the 96th Grey Cup will be the western champion CalgaryStampeders (13-5).  The Stampeders, led by outstanding quarterback Henry Burris, defeated the BC Lions 22-18 in the West Semi-Final to advance to the Stampeders 12thGrey Cup appearance—of which the Stampeders have also won five, the last coming in 2001 (27-19 win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers).

Historically, the Stamps and Als have met only twice in the Grey Cup, with the Als winning both times—once in the 37th Grey Cup in 1949 (28-15 win for the Als) and again in the 58th Grey Cup in 1970 (23-10 win for the Als).  

With their appearance in the 96th Grey Cup, the Stamps end a six-year drought from the Grey Cup game, the second longest drought from the Grey Cup game next to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, now at nine seasons (since 1999).

With Montreal being the hosts this season and Calgary being the hosts for the 97th Grey Cup next season, this is a big game.  A win for Calgary could put them in a situation to repeat at home next season.  No CFL team has repeated as champions since the Toronto Argonauts won the 84th and 85th Grey Cups (1996 & 1997).

The Blue Bombers over the last month of the season have finally somehow been able to turn things around.  After trading they're best player and losing they're top sack getter for the season, as well as captain Barrin Simpson this team looked like a ticking time bomb.  The Bombers have rallied the troops and Friday's comeback win over the Eskimos has temporarily moved them into sole possession of second place and a playoff spot in the CFL East.  Having lost so many narrow games to this point in the season, the breaks appear to be balancing out of late more in Winnipeg's favour.

On a night where Milt Stegall was honoured for his career receiving yards record he was a major game breaker once again in a game hat early looked like it could become ugly. Before the capacity crowd at Canad Inns could even sit down and relax the Esks were already up by a touchdown. Ricky Ray wasted no time leading the Eskimos into the end zone after only 3 offensive plays.  The Bombers offence however to they're credit had an answer all night,the  unfortunately kicker Alexis Serna did not as his three missed field goals and a botched convert almost came back to bite them.  With the Bombers down 9-1 and Ricky Ray having his way with the secondary Kevin Glenn made the smartest play call he could going to the most dependable Winnipeg player in the last decade Milt Stegall, smart decision as Stegall's first catch of the game was a 31 yard catch that got the bombers offence rolling late in the first half.  Glenn and the Bombers didn't look back from there as before the half he found Arjei Franklin for a 73 yard catch and run, Franklin first career CFL TD. 

The second half was much the same as the first as Ray and Glenn dominated and put up points left and right.  Jason Armstead electrified the crowd in the third with an 84 yard punt return touchdown that seemed to turn the game in Winnipeg's favour before Ray answered back with an impressive drive capped off by a TD pass to Maurice Mann, and then took the lead when Ray found Fred Stamps for a 44 yard catch.  The Bombers however were not to be denied as Kevin Glenn brought them back.  Down by a point and facing a second down situation near midfield he found Winnipeg's favourite receiver Milt Stegall who was where he's been his entire career open to make a huge catch, this one a 25 yard scamper that set up a Fred Reid touchdown. 

After the defence keeping the games close so often this season it has been the turn of the offence lately to shine as they put up 21 of the 30 points to help them win.  Kevin Glenn was once again impressive as he went 18-26 for 268 yards and 2 touchdowns, as the weeks have gone on Kevin Glenn is looking much more like the East MVP he was last season.  For the Bombers and Fred Reid it sent a message that they are back, ''It's most definitely a statement game,'' said Reid, ''We're more confident right now as a unit and we're coming out and playing hard every week.''  Fred Reid had 16 carried for an impressive 93 yards and has really stepped up his game since the departure of Roberts, along with Joe Smith who rushed 7 times for 49 yards, they were both able to keep drives alive when Winnipeg needed it most. 

Weather the shocking trade of Charles Roberts, the arrival of Joe Smith and Zeke Moreno or the illness of Tom Canada or whatever the reason may be this team has tightened the loose screws in they're head and gotten down to business.  The win was they're third in a row and improved they're record to 5-8 to take over sole possession of second place in the East for the time being.  Also of note Ricky Ray passed Warren Moon to become the Eskimos all-time leader in touchdown passes.  The two teams face off next Saturday at Commenwealth and based on the ejections and fighting at the end of this one there should be alot of tension and bad blood going into this critical rematch.

Anyone needing clarification on how the Saskatchewan Roughriders managed to out-duel the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, 34 to 31, need only look at the inscription on the back of each of last years Grey Cup rings... 

...Believe.  What HAS to be the Riders most exciting chapter in a long history is being completely ignored and discredited by Canada's football media.

For anyone just tuning in to the 2008 season and listening to the TSN broadcast analysis, the Riders had no chance at halftime.

The team that resides 550 kilometers east of Regina clearly lacks any of the reward earned by such a philosophy as belief.     

The only thing the Bombers managed to do was lead with their helmets (none of which were called), benefit from poor officiating, and fold as a team when the chips were down. 

At the final whistle the positives for the Bombers didn't matter as they hadn't even helped the CFL's all-time best receiver, Milt Stegall, get the official record even though he required less than 100 yards(he did get his name on street sign leading up to CanadInns though).  

On the other side of the ball, a raw rookie out of the University of North Dakota, Weston Dressler sure had a big day (6-199, 2 TDs).  It might be the last time he out-duels Stegall who remains in the twilight of his career in the CFL.  Welcome to the CFL in 2008. 

Speaking of 2008, human life-preserver Wes Cates had 14 carries for 92 yards and a rushing TD, proving with average numbers that while he is the leagues premier running back, he's not the only weapon available to new Rider number one (make no mistake about it) Michael Bishop. 

Those weapons include a cast of receiver purchased at Dollarama.  Manitobans will know what I'm talking about.  Good deals.

Dressler, Vincent Marshall, Gerran Walker, Michael Palmer, Henri Childs and Adam Nicolson aren't exactly candidates for people in your five (most frequently called numbers on your cell phone).

Bear in mind Bishop has produced his best game of 2008 despite these factors and despite having only participated in nine practices with his new teammates.

No excuses in Riderville.  Just heart pounding hard nosed never-say-die individuals that can almost kill you as a fan at times.  Clearly the CFL's "Cardiac Kids."

It was Joe Smiths first game in blue and gold.  The wind was strongly in the Riders favor in the fourth quarter.  The Bombers defense suffered a few injuries mainly to the line backing corps.  

So I ask you, when do the Riders arrive at their destination, if not now, as the CFL's best team?

The big story to start the season was a six-game winning streak, but the big story has now shifted to the untimely injuries.

With so many injuries to the offense, the Saskatchewan Roughriders have been unable to maintain their success and have now lost their last two games. This includes a 27-10 loss to the Edmonton Eskimos tonight.

The game was tough to watch, with the offense unable to move the ball at all and the defense tiring from being on the field for so long. Here is a quarter-by-quarter recap of the game.

First Quarter

The game started off slowly, which was to be expected after two weeks off for both teams. The Riders' first possession was a two-and-out, while Edmonton was forced into their own endzone, ultimately ending in a safety by kicker Noel Prefontaine.

The Riders strengthened their lead with a 35-yard touchdown pass from Marcus Crandell to Weston Dressler, and punter Jamie Boreham made it 10-0 on the following kickoff after kicking the football through the endzone.

The Eskimos got a quick touchdown on a broken play when running back A.J. Harris ran 37 yards into the endzone, going the exact opposite way he was supposed to. The  Eskimos went into the second quarter only down by three.

Second Quarter

The second quarter started off with a Lance Frazier interception off a Ricky Ray pass, but the Riders were unable to capitalize after Luca Congi missed a 49-yard field goal kicking into the wind.

The Eskimos were able to take the lead this quarter on the strength of an eight-yard touchdown catch by Kamau Peterson and nine-yard field goal from Noel Prefontaine.

Third Quarter

The third quarter was relatively quiet as both offenses looked absolutely awful. The Riders got a scare as it looked like another important player, Maurice Lloyd, went down with a knee injury. Fortunately for the Riders, Lloyd came back three series later.

The Esks were able to get a 43-yard field goal from Prefontaine for the only scoring that happened in the quarter.

Fourth Quarter

The fourth quarter has been very good for the Riders this year, but today that was not the case. The Eskimos got seven points off of two field goals and a single while the Riders were shut out. Edmonton was able to score 27 unanswered points after the Riders started the game off very promising.

Crandell played absolutely terrible, going 7-for-24 in pass attempts for only 134 yards and one touchdown. He had been replaced by Steve Jyles when the expected happened—Jyles was knocked out of the game in the last minute. This made him the third quarterback to be injured this year and he will likely have to join Darian Durant on the injured list.

Something must be done about this losing streak. Sure, Saskatchewan has a lot of injuries, but only Chick is expected back soon while Flick and Fantuz should be available later in the season. The Riders must go back to their winning ways so they give themselves a shot at a repeat once their star players come back.

When the ball is kicked off for this Thursday's game between the nearly perfect Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Edmonton Eskimos, we can say that we're pretty much half-way through the grind of the 2008 CFL season.

And what a season it has been.

The reigning Grey Cup Champion Roughriders have surprised many critics in the CFL world.  Many thought that the breakdown of the Riders offense, with the departure of Kerry Joseph along with other key players in the Riders march to their 2007 Grey Cup victory, would sink the Saskatchewan team to the cellar of the West Division.

So far, the Riders have exceeded expectations far and above anything anyone could have imagined.  With two solid QB's making a difference in Darian Durant and Marcus Crandell, the Riders have marched to a 6-1 record through seven weeks and look to put another in the win column against Danny Maciocia's 4-3 Edmonton Eskimos.

In Eskimo land, the state of head coach Danny Maciocia has been in constant rumour-mill.  Will he stay after this season or will he go?  After a rookie season that earned him a 2005 Grey Cup, Maciocia has failed to even make the playoffs since, including ending the Eskimos 20+ year-long playoff streak.

Can Ricky Ray help out his bench boss?  With a 66.3% completion percentage so far this season for 2389 yards, with 12 TDs and 6 INTs, Ray has been trying to elevate his game to get the Esks back to the post-season and into the CFL limelight once again.

Meanwhile, south of the Oil capital, the Calgary Stampeders are making noise in the West themselves.  QB Henry Burris has been on fire all season long with a 68.5% completion rate so far with 13 TDs and 8 INTs for 2159 yards.  The Stampeders are one of the highest scoring teams in the CFL and are dangerous on every drive.  

The Stamps 4-3 record shows no indication at all about how explosive their offense can be on any given night.  And with a receiving core stabled around seasoned veteran Jermaine Copeland and Kenyon Rambo, the Stamps are a certain threat to go to this year's Grey Cup playoffs.

BC has made some noise in the West too.  Despite losing Dave Dickenson to the Stamps, the Lions have moved on from that era of their franchise and into the Jarious Jackson era of Lions football.  Wally Buono has his Lions clawing their way through the West standings to a respectable 4-3 record log-jammed with both Calgary and Edmonton.

BC's defense seems to be the weakness, with the offense only scoring five more points than their defense is stopping.  If the Lions are to make any noise in the West late into the season, their defense has to stop the ball and force turnovers and interceptions.

East of the packed West Division, the East has never looked so bleak in comparison.   The well-oiled machine known as the Montreal Alouettes has been revived from the ashes and Anthony Calvillo is playing the best football of his life at age 37.

The Als offense is the highest scoring offense with 268 points so far this season.  And their defense isn't too shabby either, allowing only 192 points, the least among East Division teams and third fewest in the CFL.  Calvillo's 20 TDs leads the league and along with his 67.8%, he is in the running for player of the year if he can keep up the magic with receivers such as Ben Cahoon and Kerry Watkins.

In Toronto, a new coach can make all the difference.  Or maybe acquiring last year's player of the year can too.  Both helps and it certainly shows in Toronto.  Despite a 3-5 record, the Argos are second in the East and are looking good.  Kerry Joseph's rise to take over the starting QB position has many questioning whether former starting QB Michael Bishop will end up elsewhere.  But where?  Hamilton?  Winnipeg?

Despite being the new QB in town, Joseph still has to show up and produce as he did last year.  So far, he has only 4 TDs and 6 INTs with a 56.2% completion rate for 1735 yards.  If Joseph can pick up his game, the Argos will be in the running right alongside Calvillo's Alouettes.

In Hamilton, it's the same old story.  Charlie Taaffe's time in Hamilton may be numbered if he can't get the once great TiCats out of the East basement for once.  The TiCats last winning season came in 2004 when they bowed out to Toronto in the East Semis after a 9-8 season.  Since then, the TiCats have won a combined 14 games from 2005 until Week 8 this season.

For Hamilton, it is all about consistency and it just isn't there.  After a huge win over the Argos, the TiCats had a great opportunity to climb higher in the standings when the visited the struggling Winnipeg Blue Bombers, yet lost the game and now are still being chased by the revived Bombers.  Whether it be Casey Printers or Richie Williams at the helm as QB, the TiCats need to start winning and doing it every week.

In Winnipeg, the bye week came on a sweet high note.  With only one win in the first six weeks, the Bombers finally scrapped out a win against the TiCats in Week 7 to go to 2-6 going into the CFL's second half.  After controversy in the QB slot, Kevin Glenn was replaced by Ryan Dinwiddie, only to come back into the starting role and lead the Bombers to their second win.

Yet, in Winnipeg, the Bombers have two reliable QBs going into the second half.  Dinwiddie and Glenn are both capable of playing in the CFL and the Bombers boast one of the most deadly 1-2 QB punches in the league.  With Charlie Roberts revived last week and Milt Stegall returning to form, the Bombers should be fun to watch in the second half.