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I guess we know who got to use the Saskatchewan wifi today. I wonder if it's decided on a lottery or rotation?

CFL needs to drug test before coaching interviews.

Lol. I did a spit take when I read Hall of Fame quaterback.

Scott Grant Photography has a great action photo of your father I'm sure your family would appreciate. You should contact him. His photos are online & you can order it. I remember your father very well. He was just a natural as a player. Peter excelled whatever position he played. He was a safety, a corner, a receiver (wingback) & he could run with the ball as well. He also was the Blue Bomber long snapper. At 185 lbs & he did that very well, too. I remember the game in 1972 when he picked off 4 passes against the BC Lions. Your Dad was one of my favourite player's back when he played.

I'm not sure there's anything Cohon could have done during COVID or about the stadiums (COVID making it worse)... or about retaining talent or about making CFL offenses more dynamic.

I’d say, Attendance, league wide team stability, league wide venue quality, leagues ability to Scout/develop/ and retain talent, the games rules have become more convoluted than ever, challenges barely serve a purpose with the in consistency of enforcement/calls, 80% of the league is a free agent every year, the game on offence and defence is as stagnant as ever with every one running small variations of the same stuff, league wide debt levels, I mean it’s honestly a lot of different areas. Some are hard to quantify but in deniably worse. For sure the leagues BOG is as much to blame as any one. Since cohon all they’ve had is fall guys/patsys. Would any one argue that the league would be worse off or not better off if we had kept cohon this whole time? I very much doubt it. Maybe I’ve crazy, some of that stuff maybe happens any way for sure, but I feel like it all would’ve been dealt with better with cohon.

Hello all!!! I hope this message finds you all well. My name is Taylor Ribbins, and I am reaching out to this community with a special request. My father, Peter Daniel Ribbins, was a receiver/defensive for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers from 1971 to 1976. Sadly my father passed away 12 December 2010. As Christmas approaches, I am on heartfelt mission to create a sentimental gift for my Mother and siblings by compiling a collection of memories, footage, pictures, and/or newspaper clippings from my father's football days with the Blue Bombers. If anyone has any material or know of potential sources that could help me in this endeavor, I would be eternally grateful!! Many thanks Taylor Ribbins

You think brown only gets 160k? If that's the case no way we lose him. Sadly for you, you're wrong.

The league is doing reasonably well considering the pandemic and the effect it had on this league and others. No teams went under during the pandemic. There seems to be reasonable hope in markets like Toronto and BC. Edmonton is struggling but that is not because of something the commissioner did or did not do. It is because they've been poorly run for years. The oilers lead the NHL in attendance mostly because they got lucky and were so poorly run for so long that eventually, their ineptitude resulted in them being gifted one of the most dynamic players in the history of hockey. This is something that Im sure also has an effect on the Elks. In Winnipeg we have a decent NHL team, a playoff caliber team and yes the Bombers are doing so well that i think it has had a negative impact on the Jets. Do we not give the commish any credit for this while blaming him for the situation in Edmonton? It's difficult to measure exactly the impact the pandemic had on sports. But i would say that a couple of factors are that the pandemic taught sports fans that the game isn't as important as they previously believed. And this applies to all sports leagues. The game is not too important to shut down, pause, and cancel. There's also some lingering fear about going to places with large groups of people which has negatively impacted sports attendance. And also when leagues paused or canceled people developed other hobbies which are no in competition with sports. Thankfully some new revenue streams have opened up to replace some of this loss. Ambroisie rubs me the wrong way. Something about his presentation and personality just doesn't inspire me. But I reject the notion that all things considered he's doing some kind of horrible job. Under Cohon there were a lot of old stadiums and tax payer dollars went into building new stadiums and improving some old stadiums. He benefitted from that. Yes he pushed for new stadiums but any commisher would do the same if and when it is feasible. At this point the shine of these new stadiums have come off to some degree.

To me he's a poser. Get someone in there that will get their hands dirty and do the work.

We all loved Cohen. But perhaps only because he was here before certain things started hitting the fan. The commish is simply the face of decisions made by the team presidents and franchises. Not too certain how much better/different things would be under Cohen. Before I address your points, I do want to share that I feel very comfortable with where the league strength is at. The Bombers are the model franchise, but BC and Montreal are showing strong growth under new ownership. Toronto is making small strides for the first time I can remember. The cap and TV deals are at their highest ever, including new money from the US (ever so small new money, but it's there). We may hate the idea of revenue sharing as the club making the most revenue, but no doubt it's supporting the league as a whole. The OPS cap that everyone hates at least has the benefit of keeping teams more fiscally responsible. The move from TD Atlantic to TD Pacific and beyond is a great upcoming promotional tool to grow the fanbase across the country. There are a lot of good things happening. Attendance is low, but it's a trend that is happening across sports and entertainment, I think. For years, the home experience has been getting better and better while tickets and food have gotten more and more expensive. But I think we are proof that a good product can still fight for it's place in the entertainment budget. Other teams saw positive trends this year too, while the Edmonton's of the world need to improve their product (I have a lot of faith in the market to support a successful team). I can't disagree with you on the convoluted rules, especially in the area of NIs and DIs and Gs. It's unnecessary and make the game inaccessible to most fans and a lot of coaches, tbh. But it also came with the stability of a new agreement with the players, so good and bad elements I suppose. I also agree that the league has stagnating a bit and is too strongly attached to risk-averse football. We definitely need a team to come in and shake things up, forcing some new ideas. I doubt the league has somehow forgotten how to scout, but the increases and changes surrounding the NFLs practice rosters and new leagues have certainly diluted the prospect pool, no doubt. It also may be a sign of the times as more and more parents don't let their kids play football. The free agent stuff is 100% overblown as we all know that the FA lists on Feb. 13 are going to be significantly different than they are today.

So Mace committed to living in Regina, massaged ODay's ego, and then committed to ODays choice of QB...he already sucks as a HC and it's only day 1. Reading between the lines it would seem that Buck was not very enthusiastic about the job, wouldn't move to Regina year round, or wanted a different starting QB. Probably all 3. Good gravy, committing to year round residence in Regina just screams bad decision maker.

Thank you! Joe Pascucci has been very helpful and sent a video clip of dad getting a touch down. Very very cool to see and cant wait to share with the family christmas morning!!

Thank you! I've reached out to Scott. I would love to watch that game (any of them really) It means a lot to see dad being remembered. I miss him everyday.

Mean's nothing now, there is only one winner in 2023. Will be interesting to see how the Bombers build their roster for next season with guys like Schoen, Nichols, Hardrick, Cole, and Oliveira, etc due big raises. God forbid there is a different point of view on a discussion forum.

Why not, no sense limiting his options, especially if Harris hasn't recovered by the start of TC. I think Brown is smart enough to choose his best option to succeed as a starting QB, which eliminates the Riders next season. If that's the case, why not trade his rights and get what they can?

Brady's 40 time at his combine in 2019 was in the 4.7s which would be the slowest of any rb at the 2023 NFL combine. There is a good chance that he doesn't get an NFL look.

Like you say, he's their safety net and it's their job to find that next guy. It's the hardest job in sports: find a starting QB.

The top receivers have topped 300k for the past 2-3 seasons. Top RBs, including Hall of Fame calibre Canadian Andrew Harris, has not hit 175k. I agree that Brady will set the market, but he's going to set the market as a RB, which is simply at a different scale than other positions.

Not sure but he was number one in just about every QB category last year....and was in his 4th straight Grey Cup...so your questions come off as a bit stupid in light of that. Number of teeth.

So the way I interpret it is Buck came in and wowed them and they all got a hard on for hiring buck (hence media reports) but Buck wasn't as impressed and withdrew so it was "mace was always the first choice!"

So apparently Buck was in Regina and left on Saturday. Mace's 2nd interview happened and was scheduled Monday. Buck stated he withdrew his name and one would have to assume it was Saturday before he left. I think Buck is the type of guy who would do it in person. Something happened on that visit that changed Buck's mind and it wasn't the imminent hiring of Mace because he had not even had his 2nd interview yet. My bet is that O'Day told him that Harris would be his man and Buck said thanks but no thanks, and rightfully so. After that is was straight spin about how Mace was the guy all along through the process. Mace basically got Harris forced on him and wanted the job so bad he is willing to harpoon his, and the teams best chances of success by properly rebuilding around a young QB. Unfortunate for the Riders and the Rider fan base that JOD can't help but #%$* their team over even as a new coach is hired. Buck had the integrity to stay committed to his plan for success or pass on it. Harris 38 coming off a major injury and has been completely uncomfortable in the pocket for a few years now. Chances are he doesn't make it to the halfway point of next season.

Maybe a 10% (up to 50%) reduction on the salary cap impact for every year they are there after 2 or 3 years. So, someone like MOS, is only costing us half against cap.

he certainly couldnt have prevented it. Though I bet he wouldn't have tried to go hard against the government and get very little money when more was on the table. The cap has created a league where the same disciples spread and the same experienced guys keep floating back to the top. It certainly wouldn't be fixed, but I think it would be a lot better bringing new blood into the league. Maybe not, but I think it'd be better. Cohon was the last commish with actual power. The BOG trusted him and empowered him to dig them out of the trouble he came into and he did. I wonder if perhaps part of him leaving involved the BOG wanting to peel back some of that power. Cohon era remember edmonton was pulling massive attendance. While we were far lower I feel the average team was much higher. Has the cap increase beaten inflation though? I bet that would be real interesting to see, though the recent massive surge in inflation would certainly skew those numbers. Is it? The stuff I follow I don't seem to see that. I could believe that attendance is dropping though. Especially post covid. The nature of entertainment has changed A LOT. Yeah, We need the NI rule, and I like some of the thought process behind globals. But it has basically just filled out punters and the odd kick cover guy. 100%, an expansion/rebuilding team just needs to buck the popular trend and do things differently. It could be a huge boon as teams try to catch up and involve new wrinkles. Increase in NFL PR size has certainly been an issue, as well as xfl/usfl. I think long term more talent circulating will improve quality of player for every league though. Another 3-5 years and I think all leagues left standing will see benefit of this. It is, but, the FA thing has created events like lawler, where a guy leaves gets an insane deal that messes up the market, and then it doesn't lead to any thing.

OK, so it's not just me...

Jets were just a little too cautious in the third. Didn’t really push anything for the last 15 minutes of the period. It almost worked, but a weak goal given up by Hellebuyck flipped the script, and you just knew a late penalty was coming.

I stopped reading after “massaged O’Days”….and drew my own conclusions

Ambroise has been awful.

I would say, a 2-year deal $300k & $400k. Includes a $125k & $125k signing/roster bonus. He has some leverage.

One bottle of grey goose per team courtesy of jones/ambrosie. Despite a bigger tsn deal, the biggest us tv deal ever, and the gambling revenue, I’d say the league is in a worse spot than it was when cohon left. Am I out to lunch?

Or when Chris jones insisted that the hs job was his dream job. Right before he bailed mid season for Toronto then Edmonton.

he actually said that?..lol....too funny...and yeah Buck dodged a bullet there and kudos to him for seeing that was prob not a good first HC gig to take

I rememebr reading that too... after reading that I was all:

Literally no-one wants to coach there so when someone tells them they actually want to be there they lose their minds.

Reminds me of when we hired Mike Kelly because it was his dream job so he'll probably try real hard.

The bigger issue here is it exemplifies once again the current climate we find ourselves in. Back in the day this kind of behaviour was quickly, immediately and swiftly condoned and put back under the rock where it belonged. Nowadays, posturing and blithering absurdness is a strategy to get likes and grift money off/build a coalition of people who share similar approaches of what presenting other viewpoints looks like.

applies to both. The serious penalties start coming in at 100k+ on both in the form of draft picks and 2:1 penalties It's worth it for any contending team to go over 99k on both. Burn 198k in fines, but make up that revenue as a drop in the bucket hosting playoff games.

Comedy is trying to compare the wear and tear of a rb whose Carried the ball over 1100 times in his career and been hit nearly every one of those Carries some times more than once with a qb who was hit less in two years than one busy game for Harris. Not to mention that Harris used to have less injury concerns. In the last 3 years he’s missed more games than he’s played. Zach we missed 1 due to injury. Those, are facts. Rb years is completely in comparable to qb years. You think hardrick and Cole are due big raises? We don’t pay dbs big bucks. Never have. The most ba has made here is under 90k. We have lots of varied povs here. Check literally any thread with posts this week and you’ll see that clearly.

Defensively, Ribbins was a ball hawk & similar in stature to that Ducoix kid in Montreal. He's the closest to Ribbins as a DB I've seen. They're very similar. But Ducoix can't play the other positions like Ribbins could.

and...what has Harris ever won?...theres that too....stats between the 20's with minimal scores does not make a winner The fact that a new HC has accepted a deal/position right out of the gate where he is basically saddled with a player, and had no say in it is not a good start...let alone look I'm almost certain Brown won't accept a deal there if he does entertain offers...especially with the condition of that oline, and the risk it may be the same as last yr...or worse....Also...who is the O.C?....has that been decided?...and a new QB trying to become the guy on a new team...without a legit established OC...QB coach and system in place....he won't be going there...and his teamates and ZC himself have already been explaining all the factors to him, and making sure he chooses the ideal and right situation...and it ain't there....In all honesty his best bet is to remain here on a fair deal...with start incentives if ZC gets hurt and or falters, and continue his path to the heir apparent in a system and environment he knows and is comfortable in...and has thrived

What scars are those? Being the best team in the league? The only spin is coming out of Saskatchewan. No-one thinks mace is a poor hire but this notion that Pierce withdrawing had nothing to do and is saving face is ludicrous. Who has to save face more buck Pierce who had all this come up only when rider media started tweeting he was the likely choice or the team who had been turned down by nearly every coach they've approached then last few years... I will believe they went into the process having mace as #1. But I also believe Buck did enough to wow them that sask media started tweeting about him being hired. So when buck is no longer interested It's back to "yeah we always wanted Mace!" Which can be a technical truth... but it ignores the ebbs and flows of the situation. And the situation is another coach told the riders he doesn't want to be in that circus.

You don't have to pay Brown starters salary. You have to pay him more than any other team with a starting QB spot available to compete for. IMO, that's Ottawa and maybe Hamilton. Overpaying a guy who only has a couple of career starts under his belt is a huge gamble, especially if you don't have to pay him that much.

Oliveira is a game changer, IMO the most dominant RB this league has seen since Mike Pringle. Every team in the league will be interested, which will do nothing but drive up the price. If you honestly think that a guy like Kenny Lawler will be making 6 figures more than Oliveira, well then I guess there is no use discussing this. That said, isn't Lawler supposed to be getting even more coin this upcoming season?

Highest contract ever given out was by us, to Andrew Harris, at 170k. Brady could top that, but he's not blowing the pay scale out of the water. RBs are too replaceable.

WIsh I could help you. I was too young to have watched your father play but a really good resource might be to contact the Bomber`s themselves. Darren Bauming in particular. The Bombers are a first rate organization to alumni and I am positive they would do their best for you.

Would not be surprised at all if Oliveira makes an NFL training camp roster, and if he doesn't, his ask is gonna be huge.

$160k is a joke for a starting QB. Oh, but Keyboard Lawyer Warrior knows everything.

So basically O'Day wants a yes man for the HC position. Cool. That will turn out well. I smell another 3 year extension coming.