wbbfan

That is what I suspect, too. I don't imagine his value would drop that badly. But the fit would also not really work imo. We've got Kramdi, Allen, Woodbey, Shay/Smith, and hopefully Griffin comes back. Pickett is a monster at sam, wil or S. He would certainly be an upgrade at those spots. But we aren't going to boot Kramdi for him; Griffin, Woodbey, and Allen are all much cheaper and younger with tons of upside. The same goes for the Canadians. I would love Pickett. I think he will come back to be the premier defender he has always been. I think every team save ott should talk to him and make an offer. But I don't see us being competitive in that market. He's too expensive, the secondary is already expensive as hell, and the risk/reward vs those young guys is not ideal for this kind of upgrade. Not when we have positions where a clear upgrade is badly needed, like DL, OL, and WR. I think thats the dodgers approach now.

Normally yes. They pick from a bag of a few and break them in. But we've seen crazy stuff like that in the past. Like when the NBA tried new balls, or when baseball went to more deadened balls after 2019. I would think if that happened, we would have heard about it, though, especially from QBs/wrs. But in this era and league, anything is possible.

My only concern with Mcewen is health/age. I do think either of those two at 100% is a big upgrade. Eli would be an instant and drastic improvement in the run game. But his lateral work at guard in pass pro was very subpar. He might be one of those rare guys who struggle at guard vs a natural position, like Hardrick. He might also be a guy who struggles head up, and is more of a bully C. Which is fine, again, teams played a nose on Kola once he was exposed. Teams aren't going to start out challenging Eli like that. He's a mauler. He might not win, especially against speedy, talented 3-techs, but he will give you a battle. Yeah, that would make a ton of sense. I didn't hear any changes to the football, but if they did, I wouldn't be surprised in the least. I thought the J5Vs were awful when brand new. Most of the time, if you could beat 'em up and get some wear on them, they played a lot better. I remember playing a game in real sloppy conditions with brand new ones, and it was like a 3 stooges bit for the first half. At halftime, they put them in bags with gravel from the parking lot, and we shook them the whole half. After that, it was manageable.

The big obstacle I see is that most pure centres are CIS kids, and they stick at C because they are undersized. So we see a ton of undersized kids at C. Now we have had a tremendous history of success in taking undersized kids at C and turning them into monsters. I hope we go back to scooping up kids like this. I think last year's draft had a good chunk of kids worth developing. Pyle, Klassen, Hocevar, Piazza, Berwick, and Horth. Not all of those guys are the traditional undersized type of project, but they are all worth sitting on for a couple of years to polish. I think those types of guys also bring a high floor as a heavy-set specialist in all 3 phases. If you take any of those guys, and refine 1 weakness into a strength or at least to be pro solid, you have a massive win.

That really depends on the wear on them. Ive seen a ton of people who've reconditioned their hips and knees for extreme use changes in the 30s-60s (Bjj, yoga, muay thai) and its not only worked very well but drastically improved issues. Youd be surprised how many ex ol make moves like that (usually post-career) and how much of a positive impact it has. No one has the flexibility to get rolled up on, that's not a thing. if you get rolled up on from the side or rear of the leg, you are plain lucky to get up afterwards. No matter the age. Stan isn't our best T. If he comes back at 100% of where he was last year, he may not be our 2nd best T. A change inside for a guy like stan isn't relearning. Shortsighted? We are talking about a 40-year-old OL. At this point its about getting the last bit out of his career. There is no long-term anything; he's 40, and the year before last had to be carted off the field and hospitalized for dehydration. You keep saying moronic, even though kicking inside happens across all leagues, specifically to extend careers.

I do remember 1-2 errant snaps in games against us, snapping is certainly not his greatest strength. With the Pistol and alignment nature of cfl offences, I don't think the snap is as critical as it was when everyone was in run and gun from the shotgun. I think a good coach should be able to tighten up snaps with in a year or so in the cfl. But I also think we could have had some outlier issue last year. Kola was always a snapping specialist; that was the one thing he did really well. But last year he was close to a wild snap a game. And most games in the league now that I think back had some bad snaps. I wonder if this is an issue of wear on artificial turf, causing something to rub off on balls, or a wipe down procedure change or some thing. I kind of want to go back and look at the ball handling in a game or two now. It could all be a coincidence, or it could be some odd root problem.

@stan, the wear at C would likely be the lowest he'd face in terms of impact. Now it would really depend on how his knees and hips are. C is more demanding in those areas. Stan has always kept himself in tremendous shape and has never been sloppy. he looks to move fluidly, even if slower in this age range. At C he wouldn't be facing the mashing every snap, or even on most snaps. Teams aren't going to line up a nose against big stan unless they are in a 30 front, which no one is running as a base. Having been exposed by speed rushes off the edge, he will see even more of that this year. Which means his lower body is at risk from those non-contact type injuries, having to explode out of the stance and kick step to a rusher. Those side-angled pushes at T are what generally cook Ts knees. So it really depends on his physical state and what is worn now. That is a good point, the kr game in the NFL is soo strange now. Moe actually played a considerable while once he kicked inside, first to G, then to C. He actually slide in side for the final stretch of his first year here as well. But he played the last 3 years inside, about 3/4 of that at C. Then he also played C in his final year with bc before he retired. He didn't play T here for as long as you'd think. qft. Such an impressive career, one of the most resilient players we've had.

Woodmansey just completed his first full season at C, he played it off and on the two previous years so he isn't like a true blue centre. But he's damned good and still 28. He's played 82 games, but he's also been pretty healthy through his time in the league. He's got excellent size and build for C as well as athleticism. I dont know how much he will get, but a steal like that in free agency is worth being spend happy on. I do like Eli and am comfortable with Vibert as the backup. He was also solid in the work we gave him at C last camp/pre-season. But there are other options as it stands right now; Woodmansey, an excellent centre in his prime. He will command a premium price. With marty coaching him, I think he only goes up from last year. Mcewen, the riders prized free agent from last year but ended up getting hurt and missing the year. Turns 33, I wouldve loved him last year. This year, he'd be solid at a reasonable pay day. Further to the scrap pile, Sceviour is also a free agent. He is a natural C that has played as much G in the cfl as C. Again, solid pick up if he is on a reasonable deal. Then in the depths of the scrap heap, Starczala. He's a warm body who has started at C, and is likely a 6th ol at best on a good team, if hes healthy. At that point I'd rather take a developmental kid in the draft.

Idk who that is, but that didn't happen either. The eastern final had Woodmansey at C. Revenberg and Dobson played and started every game for the cats at G from week 1 through the eastern final. The depthchart for that game is at the bottom. https://www.ticats.ca/2025/11/07/tiger-cats-set-for-high-stakes-eastern-final-against-alouettes/

It’s backwards. He was drafted as and started out his career at G. He was in and out of the line up and bounced between g and c. But he played much better at c and was at C most of year and maybe the best C in the league. The previous year he was at g the whole year. the cats ol prior to last year was pretty bleh and they didn’t run balanced play call. he’s an excellent run blocker and good in pass pro. he’d fit us brilliantly. I don’t think we will be in the market to pay that though.

same. Especially sheed. idk if he’d be the best technical coach of the position, but his guys would run through a brick wall for him. He’s one of the best natural leaders we’ve ever had. sheed and yoshi showed more leadership than you’d think would even work in the pros. When ever a new guy would be inserted into the line up or especially start, you’d see them with him in the walk out and warm ups. Those two made me wanna run through a brick wall as a fan lol.

Always a chance, idk how good it is, but dare to dream for now. I wonder how much he will get? Deals are pretty nutty right now. If good NI Dbs pushing age are getting in the 200k range, I have to think a young prime ol like woodmansey is going to demand 275k+ Maybe north of 300. BC signs Sayles, thats a good get for them. RBs cut pickett early ahead of FA as well. Wonder how much the stamps are offering Hicks. Thats gotta be a big offer to try and get him to skip FA.

It should always be the case that you need to win your spot in camp. After a run like we've had the past few years, we have to bring in league free agents who will compete for spots. And be willing to cut them if they get trounced in performance, like Vaval/Logan. On that note, how has Vaval not gotten an NFL deal yet?

He's really good as a team/position coach. They loved his recruiting ability in Hawaii, too. He didn't work out, but he was also given way to much to do. He's a quality guy though. I don't have any hate for him, even though his era here was brutal. Prior to last year, he was a very reliable snapper. Heavy-set asset? Not really. An OL with the right passport can always get another shot up here though. I find that an interesting move with woodmansey a free agent for them, and one of the best guys available. Maybe they are preparing (poorly) for him to get an offer they can't compete with.

Yep, took a lateral job. Kind of wild we kept Hogan and let Jackson go. But from what I saw late in the season, when Jackson was clearly running our play call, the fit wasn't right here anyway. Shame, but wish him well. Did we ever find out what the personal business was that kept him away? I imagine it must've been something rough. WR coach would be the prominent spot left open. We also have 3 offensive coaches, including the CO. On D, we have 4, including the co and an ast co. I could see a WR coach who is also a special assistant to Condell. Either a stats guy, or a guy with a specific skill set like running game co. I could also see that spot doing double duties replacing a scout/agm from brocks departure. Maybe they call a guy like Darvin adams or Sheed to see if they want to come in for a developmental offensive coach as well.

Agree. I think Rando would've been a league all-star on most any other playoff team. Yeah, that is what im really hoping for. That more important than having an impactfull free agency, and that is pretty important. This camp needs to be the scrapiest in ages. Any one with the age/wear of bryant/neuf should be going into camp under heavy scrutiny. But they are much better positioned to excel than they have been for a couple years. If both are as healthy as they can be going into camp, I expect the OL battle to be a real war. We've seen so many guys elevate them self to elite status from intense camp battles. Lawler, schoen, stove, desjarlais etc. So many times we've broken through a new star player, it's been because while they were great in camp, they had a real dog fight in camp too. On the Ol we have some real sleepers and interesting depth built up. Returning guys (to us, or the league) Vanterpool, Stewart, Dooley, Elsbury, Wallace, Eli, Vibert, and Poncius are all well poised going into camp this year. They've all been on Prs and or in TCs up here previously. They should be well-adjusted and understand a good chunk of the league's nuance. The game should be slowed down for them in camp this year. They all have significant upside. The Canadians and Vanterpool have high floors as well. If 1 Canadian and 1 imp from that list take the next step, our OL will be in a great spot. Plus, we already have imp rookies like Lindsay and Williams with tremendous upside. We should hit free agency for a guy, draft another depth piece, and sign a couple more good prospects. But a lot of heavy lifting is done on the OL, including the most critical addition by subtraction.

yeah, even at C too. If you limit the speed he has to face vs on the edge you will certainly get the most out of him. If vanterpool is ready for T, that’s a solid move. If he isn’t, I think vanterpool is much more of a roadgrader inside.

If any thing id be less concerned about paddy. He could kick to C or be 6th ol but as a guard with a semi decent C he isn’t nearly as beatable in pass pro and can still move guys in the run game. If big stan loses another step hes basically unplayable at T. He could kick inside, but It would be hard for him to be better than vanterpool inside. It’s also much easier to replace an ni G than an imp T. You can always flip to 3 imp ol if paddy doesn’t pan out. Big stan has always done a great job of maintaining him self. Idk if he would benefit from working on flexibility or even re constituting his physique. The usual stuff ol do to extend the end of their career is less of an issue for big stan, but also less of an opportunity. I’m good with the gamble on both, if we are willing to make the hard move in camp. Paddy isn’t my favorite ol, but he’s pretty high floor as long as we aren’t going to stick him into the lineup when he’s toast physically or other wise.

yep. Dobson fell into the same gap where the usfl made more sense. He isn’t just looking at a one year thing here too. It’s likely 2-3 year minimum once he comes here before he could get another nfl look.

hodge also reporting that walters said both bryant and paddy want to continue to play and performed well last year. Which sounds like he’s hoping to lock both back up. I’m fine with running back with both of them and kola gone. I think we need to grab one free agent ol and let every one fight it out for spots.

https://3downnation.com/2026/01/12/canadian-qb-taylor-elgersma-selected-by-birmingham-stallions-in-2026-ufl-qb-draft/ Elgersma selected in usfl draft With his lingering interest from the NFL, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him in the usfl this year and another nfl camp after that.

100%. Same for both for me. I like both as guys and football minds. Don’t particularly want either here unless it was some crazy good value position.

dyce to ham for teams, and reinbold back to hamilton for the same too.

fr though. dollar stores are steaming past walmart in popularity. which is kinda of sad when it comes to the economic implications, but screw the waldons. Maybe the cfl should get a sponsorship deal or even mutual marketing deal with dollarama/dollar tree

nailed it. I wonder if this is going to be the new market for dbs, or if it’ll be a short term surge. It’s crazy to pay such money. DB is very close to rb in terms of replacement. It might even be easier, because rbs in the cfl really need to block and a lot of college backs struggle at first with it.