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Winnipeg Blue Bombers sign first-round CFL draft pick Nuer Gatkuoth - 3DownNation

That 2019 playoff defense was just scary good. As dominant a D as I think we've seen. Hamilton was a pretty damned good offense that season and the Bombers D made them soil themselves.

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.

Look the reality is that the more time a qb spends with Paul lapolice the more they become only a game manager and get their ass kicked in the process.

He was a game manager when his arm was shot in his last few years with the club. Purely because he was unable to throw a 15+ yard pass. His first two years with us he was a gunslinger and was able to take chances. Truly unfortunate that his injuries derailed him.

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.

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

An inch or two taller and 15 pounds lighter. Not saying he won't be effective, and I'm sure he can add more weight to his frame if he wants. Just doesn't seem like the type that is going to jam up the line of scrimmage at 235.

Not really. Very different strengths and weaknesses. Kongbo was more an all around DL who excelled in stopping the run and being sound positionally, he wasn't known as more than an average pass rusher. Nuer has one big strength, he can get after the QB, but needs work on other aspects of his game. I suspect we will love it when Nuer is on the field on passing downs, and hate it when he is on the field against the run.

I can't imagine any HC having the time to coordinate in game player usage in every aspect during a game. This is where non-coaches don't really grasp what exactly a HC does. I imagine discussion on roster are done prior to a game, but I think that you hit the nail on the head, it's not MOS sending specific players in and out.

They essentially broke Dane Evans.

Nichols was dealing in 2019...had he not got hurt I have xero doubt we don't win the Cup, especially with the defence we had. He was turned into a game Manager by Lapo and his penchant for everything flowing through Harris, but if you look back on things as soon as Nichols got his opportunity and saved Osh/Walter's bacon our offence almost immediately got a vertical game and pushed the ball well into the intermediate zone...which we rarely did up until then...What happened with Lapo and his super safe game plan was puxxling, but when he need to..Nichols could push the ball down field If he played in the Grey Cup all he needed to do was manage the game and we win, and he always showed up in playoffs. Strev threw the TD pass in the 2019 Cup...Harris and the oline controlled the l.o.s and the Defense had Hamilton offence backpeddling and in fear all game...ZC gets all the accolades but all he did was be a game manager

Shawn Lemon. We may have been able to win in 2019 with Nichols but who knows. That one sack completely turned the franchise around.

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.

Interesting. I didn't realize Nuer is a bit of a smaller DL. Likely wouldn't see him inside the line anytime soon. But might be a guy that can drop back into LB coverage like Willie J?

I don't get that from him to be honest... when he's had to play rookies before it's been no problem. With Osh it's more of a "once you have secured your spot you don't lose it" kind of thing.

My all time favorite playoff defense was our 1990 team with Greg Battle, James West, Tyrone Jones and Albert Williams at LB. Tracy Ham and the Edmonton offense didn't want to leave the sidelines. Beautiful to watch.

This is what concerns me about all the new bodies coming in. I think that if these have been forced onto O'Shea, he will go onto passive- aggressive mode and and put them out in situations where they will have little chance of showing well. Then he can smirk and go into "ahtodeso" routine.

I agree. Zach did an awesome job considering he was thrown straight into the fire with us, and deserves kudos for making up for his lack of time in our system with some clutch throws down the stretch, but Nichols was firing on all cylinders that year and had he not gotten injured, and our defence plays like it did in the playoffs we win the Grey Cup...no doubt in my mind. I feel for Nichols in that regard, and that is why I actually wanted us to cut bait on Collaros and bring back Nichols. (I had no idea is shoulder was mush). Was going to say that he wasn't the game manager people thought. We led the league in explosion plays both of his last two seasons with us. This notion that he was a game manager stems directly from him having Andrew Freaking Harris balling out and getting 25 touches a game. If that is "game management" or Lapo small ball sign me up for more. Maybe our biggest flaw last year was that we went away from feeding our stud running back the rock 20 times a game (altho in fairness BO was obviously not playing 100% healthy all season).

Sounds like the Broncos were not ready to sign him after their mini camp but he is still on their radar

It did turn the QBing around for sure. Look at Nichols record and stats in 2019 before going down, he was in MOP discussion at that point.

Not his last game - that was in 2018 after getting smoked by Ottawa. He tried spinning it by saying it was a heat of the moment thing and that he was over it 10 minutes later & also said it wasn't the first time and wouldn't be the last time he got booed, .but yeah he definitely cared. 2019 was the game manager thing, with the hats, so by that point he was definitely leaning more into it than the year before. He had the club winning while not looking spectacular - a winning record goes a long way to help lessen the impact of criticism!

Yeah, he got injured in 2019, hence bringing in Zach and re-signing him as opposed to Nichols.

His arm wasn't shot until he went to Ottawa. He could still make all the throws in 2019 when he last played for us.

When given the chance, he could definitely pitch... College numbers: 12,616 passing yards (6th in NCAA history) and 96 touchdowns over 47 games

Exactly my point. If players feel slighted because MOS is playing favourites you'd think there would be a stampede, when they become FA, to sign elsewhere. But that has not happened.

Nothing wrong with being a game manager at all. I wish ZC would lean into it at this stage of his career.

Jesus christ with the you have to earn it ****... what more could Smith have done last year to earn reps? By the end of the season guy was very noticeable every time he was on the field (pretty much only special teams). It's great to say osh will start a Canadian over an American but I don't believe that's universal. Osh loves veterans and guys who are established. He won't take reps away from them unless something forces his hand.

Matty Ice had a couple great showings in the playoffs. Like you said, just wasn't a team that was ready to win yet.

I can't speak for these other guys, but strippers do love me. If these guys can't buy a stripper's love then they need to rethink their banking strategy when going to the peelers.

AND in all honesty...he played well in playoffs and if not for a seive defence vs..was it BC??...He would have pulled off a playoff win...we lost but not from his play. I bet his playoff stats are much better than ZC's in his time here

Not necessarily formal recognition, heck maybe even just a chance to step on the field as an honored guest and get the ovation from the crowd he deserves. He never got a chance to say goodbye and we at the very least owe him that.

all high profile defensive free agent new team tweets must feature a photo of free agent forcing a Blue Bomber fumble.