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My initial thoughts after seeing that they cut McGhee was positive. Not that he’s a bad player necessarily, but I don’t see him being that guy that’s going to be a difference maker at the position. We brought in a lot of talent in the secondary and I’d rather give the reps to the young talent on this roster. In years past we would have pencilled him in as a starter because he was a vet. it would be painfully obvious he was a weak spot and he would be cut by week 3-4 im glad, wouldn’t mind them moving on from a few more vets if im being honest with you.

14 straight sellouts correct? Plus I believe the Banjo Bowl is already sold out.

That would be insane if they did it again in a stadium this size. I've got 1 game in June vs Edm, 2 back to back at the end of July, and Banjo Bowl... So far. Looking into using my remaining vacation days for the fiscal year on an August trip home for another game ... Better hustle on the tix i suppose.

Steamy hot take on a guy who is 26 talking like he is 36. Should cut Cam Allen because he's played a CFL game before too. Who the **** cares if a guy is a "vet" because he's played before or a rookie? Put the best team on the field to win the next game.

I understand what willy is saying and that he isn’t going to say yeah i’m over the hill. no way he feels that way. He has been significantly diminished the double teams and lack of a push from other spots on the line. He hasn’t been double teamed like that, because he doesn’t consistently push into the back field. He steps out if he can’t get an angle with a lead he coasts back and plays for the knock down. When he does get pressure his ability to finish sacks is one of the worst of any league starter. Not to mention getting his lunch eaten in option runs plays. We will see what he has left with some guys around him who can open game up for him. I’m sure it’ll be the best we’ve seen from him since jj left. But i expect his mixed useage, freelancing, and run vulnerabilities to continue.

Friday, May 15 Practice: 9:05 a.m. - 12:10 p.m. Saturday, May 16 Practice: 8:30 a.m. - 11:35 a.m. Sunday, May 17 Practice: 8:30 a.m. - 11:35 a.m. Monday, May 18 Practice: 9:35 a.m. -12:25 p.m. Tuesday, May 19 Practice: 9:35 a.m. - 12:25 p.m.

Mos talked about it in yesterday's presser a bit. Yep, organic PKDs are great. When it comes entirely at the expense of everything else, it costs you a lot. But where a PKD on first down, when the other team converts is wasted, a qb hit/hurry/sack has a cumulative toll and you can easily get to the point where the qb is broken mentally if not physically. We saw us do that to the whole league for 2 years, and have seen zach and others here get to that point. I don't see a lot of WJs drops being called. When it's a called drop from the edge, you see a couple of hard steps to the back field, then a back peddle and you gain depth. The goal is to get the dropper to just under the shallow routes, which creates massive issues for the QBs. This is how we saw WJ get picks and deflections into pick 6s in the past. I haven't seen WJ climb that far back in a long time, though. With the player having the option to rover you see a lot less depth in the drop, and more screening action like on an inbounds pass in basketball. Which is what we do see WJ do a lot. We have had such a strange defensive roster since JY took over, Im not sure how much is his design and how much is just him making the best out of what he gets. We got away from the Fangio 6 style drop cover almost entirely last year. JY does want to play some match zone stuff with a bubble where DBs mirror routes, stay in back pedal as long as possible, make reads and then come up to play on the ball. But I don't think we've seen him married to a front or pressure package. We've seen 30, 40, 4+1, heavy blitz packages, but not as much mixes. We see prolonged runs on schemes then overhauls. He very well may view the front and pressure portion as utilitarian to what the secondary does and needs. Upside as well. if two guys are pretty close in calibre of play, but one is a rook and one is a 4 year guy its reasonable to expect that the rookie hasn't peaked and the vet has.

still amazes me that some are convinced it's one or the other... unfortunately it's true... CFL is a stepping stone for almost everyone... and the CFL would be smart to position itself as the best stepping stone available to get the best talent... obviously some guys are self-aware enough to know it's the best they'll do and that's great too.... but I'd rather see one or two seasons out of guys like Dee Alford and Alex Singleton than none at all...

Taylor...Maston and how utilized BA turned it all around and morphed the defense into the juggernaut...thtat's where the season turned and was pre ZC ZC came in and got the rust knocked off in the last game and the WSF...and then managed the Grey Cup perfectly

Yeah...I think the staff fell in love with the knock down...sure it's good, but if you let the end(s) loose and constant attack, they are gonna get knockdowns still being in the QB's face and or the possibility of a strip sack, or just sack....plus with real push now likely on every down up the middle with JT no linger being trotted out there play aftr play after play....you may get interior knockdowns or just plain old pocket collapse Our INT production went down even with the excessive use of extra DB's which at times I just cant stand...too much rotation...guys not getting in a groove...cause of the passive rush...QB's rarely got hurried like our boy ZC and tossed the ball early into a bad spot...or a spot that didn't develop...I hope with a strong interior, and what looks to be likely some high motor rotational ends this yr likely rostered that we just cut WJ loose and let him attack...The PKD's will come regardless of how we scheme him I not sure they said it...But its obvious if you watch...A quick jab step to see what the tackle/guard blocking responsibilities are and then a pop back into one of the lanes and float there lookung for the ball....Even talking to Gavin Walls when training we said it was a scheme they were wanting to do...and he would have hated it

I don't want a player in TC that doesn't believe he can win the starting job. All Nuer did was say out loud what every single guy on our roster secretly thinks. Being a high level football player REQUIRES confidence in yourself.

Thanks good sir...Was gonna be in the area so figured on taking some camp in if there was practice

You want the best players but you're fixated on cutting a guy just because he's played in the CFL before and is 26? Like I said....steaming.

Sometimes, as fans, we value backups more than starters until we see them play. Myron Mitchell was cut in camp? If you are asking if he should have been cut the answer is probably. Coaches always value vets, every coach ever, if all things are equal you go with the vet unless there is some serious cap savings, or the other players upside is so high that you just gotta let him take his rookie lumps. It is nonsense to say that MOS does not give young players a chance. There are a ton of guys that were year two starters on our team. There are even a few guys that were rookies with us and were starters first year. Just because we don't replace every player based on a TIMEX like they do with airplanes, does not mean we refuse to use young guys. To be the man you gotta beat the man. Sure OSH gives his vets a little more leash than most, but I think this board goes a little over the top sometimes when it suggests that MOS won't make changes if need be.

My initial thoughts after seeing that they cut McGhee was positive. Not that he’s a bad player necessarily, but I don’t see him being that guy that’s going to be a difference maker at the position. We brought in a lot of talent in the secondary and I’d rather give the reps to the young talent on this roster. In years past we would have pencilled him in as a starter because he was a vet. it would be painfully obvious he was a weak spot and he would be cut by week 3-4 im glad, wouldn’t mind them moving on from a few more vets if im being honest with you. Are you new here? There’s been countless examples of O’Shea sticking with a vet instead of giving a rookie a chance to compete for a position. I want the best players period, you use Allen as an example but he’s a prime example of a guy who has a great camp and it took countless injuries for him to get on the field when he should have been there much earlier. Do you really think Myron Mitchell was the best receiver we could have put on the field last year to start the season?

Agreed with the caveat that salary is also a consideration though. If two guys are near equal but one guy is making 100k a season more than the other, you might take a very slight downgrade to free up cash if it is close enough of a gap.

Jordan Younger's ideology is exactly that, so they don't really have to say it. Just watch his defensive schemes. It isn't really built for PKDs they are just a good result. He likes to drop WJ out of pass rush a lot.

Have the coaches ever said they want WJ to knock down passes and they aren't focused on sacks?

mos certainly loves willy playing the lanes. I’ve never heard jy talk on it but he can’t be against it. but he didn’t get to play that under hall. I mean, i love good pkds at the line too. when it comes with in the flow of pass rush it’s great. Even if the whole rush is stalemated dropping back is brilliant. At the expense of disruption it’s not worth it. no one does that in any league or level for a reason. consistent disruption not just sacks but pressures, hits, hurries and pocket collapses are too valuable. having that half the snaps of the game vs 1 pass knock down a game or less is a horrible trade off.

1000%. That 2019 team was 11 - 7, had their up and downs and got their butts handed to them a few times. When they really put it all together, ZC was the QB. And no, he didn't just 'manage' every game.

I was under the impression the coaches want him to knock down passes and to contain rather then for him to go for the sack. Also he played next to Jake Thomas who comically was knocked around on nearly every play. From what I've watched Willie still can disrupt even at his older age.

Of course Friesen did...

If Vaval is an every down player on D you basically need to dress a DI to cover that spot anyways because we don't have a Canadian who can play corner and punt returner is the most likely player on the whole team to get injured.

The Dominator

No concerns about this kids head space for me

I believe he was put on the 6 game (is that allowed now?) At least thats what someone mentioned on the other forum. If thats the case, the rumor of an Achilles might have some weight....which would really suck for him.

Nichols helped bring us back to respectability and into contention. Zach helped put us over the top in 2019.

I think they've done the opposite quiet a bit. Bring in a vet...put him in the spot whether he's being out performed or not and wait until 3 or 4 games into the season before deciding to move on, sometimes forced to by injury even. For me it's a good sign that they got rid of him if they felt like they have someone else who can get it done.

I get that honestly and actually kinda feel that way myself. My first reaction was confidence is nice but dude might be in for a bit of a surprise. I’m not sure he actually understands the talent level in the CFL. By all means I hope he dominates and takes the other end spot and doesn’t look back and we got ourselves a stud ratio breaker on the DL. I mean I hope he dominates but something tells me he won’t immediately.

I guess if people are that sensitive about it, I can understand. But I don't understand why people would be that sensitive about it. The kid is confident in his abilities and wants to dominate. Him saying it doesn't make him any more arrogant than every other player on the team who feels exactly the same way but was never given the opportunity to be interviewed.

He has a QBR in the 70s without Lapo and a QBR around 100 with Lapo. I'm no fan of Lapo, but I live in reality. Lapo made the guy's career. He was a limited QB. When he was gunslinging he was almost 1:2 TD to turnover ratio with significant fumbling issues on top of INTs. Having a QB who could threaten teams vertically gave us the win in 19 behind that, Harris and the D. We don't beat Calgary and Sask on the road without that.

I know some people get ruffled feathers over this. But the vast majority of guys who come to the CFL, especially when they're young feel this way. The CFL isn't the goal.

Yeah NIL money is why guys like Pavia are more than happy to spend 6-7 years in college. Next to the NFL, it's their best bet to make big money.

The only people wrong are the two taking a hard line on either side. There's plenty of blame to go around everyone from Walters on down to the coordinators...

On the never ending who is to blame, MOS or KW, I once again say

Seems like a cool idea....

And likely wont be his role, or need to be really. He will be speed off the edge, and a pressure guy but also prob has the ability to as well crash in on the line off the edge as a nice backside pressure hopefully getting to ball carriers before they get into second level. He's a guy we haven't really had in a while...a pure speed rush end...Interestingly enough Bailey is prob just as fast off the snap...if not faster and also can bull rush his way in and actually overpower an olineman...He's very deceiving body wise with what he possesses and a lot of people are totally under estimating him and what he will bring....He's a unique player. Gotta think we will see sets with Ceresna, WJ....Bailey and Gatkuoth as a 4 more man front and that will be a hard group for an oline crew to manage

15 lean pounds on the defensive end is a lot. Its not soft body mass differences like with DTs or guards. 15 pounds of muscle from basically the small side of normal, when you're facing import tackles in the 6'4 300 range all day. Bailey and WJ are slight, but Bailey is an outlier in terms of strength and WJ plays his own game. I think Nuer will be good up here, but he does have to be protected in terms of rep exposure early on. His testing for his size wasn't ideal either. Thats why he isn't in the NFL. If he had the same athleticism with 15lbs more lean mass or a higher tier of athleticism at his size he wouldn't be up here now. Its hard to say. His frame looks long and lanky. He could bulk with out question, would it slow him is the question. If he can't bulk with out slowing down he's best off staying down in weight imo. He did drop back from the edge range from his spot a decent bit in college. I think to start with, he will do a lot better rushing from a stand up position rather than having a hand in the dirt on most of his snaps.

I could see playing a guy who is "cold" and who has shown flashes of brilliance and trying to let the guy dig himself out of a rut. What annoys me is playing a guy who at best is a "C" level player and who is doing absolutely zilch on the field and refusing to give the next man up a legit chance to shine. O'Shea likes to give the next man up a "chance" on the last drive of the game when we are taking a knee or losing a game that is completely out of reach where the opposition is just dicking around.

I truly don't believe MOS is deciding who is on the field in which packages on O or D. I don't believe that is how the team is run from everything we've seen and heard from everyone involved right up through Walters and Wade Miller. I believe he wields strong influence on who is on the bottom 1/3 of the roster for special teams purposes, Canadians and DI's. But of the guys on the roster, I believe from basically everything we've seen that his coordinators are designing the packages including WHO is on the field. I think if you want to glean something from our deployment on D the past few years it's that Younger doesn't trust rookies. Even most of the guys we've brought in off the street into camp or due to injury and rostered had extensive experience in the CFL. Younger will only reluctantly put a rookie on the field.

Smith definitely deserves on defense...and not just token ones...was one of the top ST guys in league last yr...Made plays in limited reps on defence and the game where they got a lot of playing time at end of yr looked right at home. He can play multiple spots and we have to allow him to grow into them this yr. By season's end I'd have 3 guys on the roster who were our best and most versatile and guys who should be key contributors in the second level...and they were Woodbey, Griffin and Smith, who vaulted right up the depth chart and him being Canadian is a huge bonus. He will do us no harm at all at either Wil...SAM and I bet a strong safety type role when we run basically a free and strong lineup.