pw13

Jones barely played in 2024, first because of ratio issues and then because Darkangelo grabbed a spot and wouldn't let go of it. Argo brass must believe Darkangelo isn't getting an NFL invite, and it appears they might be going with two NATs at LB anyway. I doubt Jones had a high salary, so not much money to be saved. They've done him a favour by letting him get a jump on free agency.

He is indeed one of a kind, albeit a bit injury-prone. I imagine Argos know they can bring back only one of those two (Brinkman and Ceresna). Both are gonna get paid, just like Hendrix did last year.

I wish that were so but the Argos have developed ONE good INT OT (Allen). Cage is OK but his body is wearing down. There is no team on either side of the border that can easily find good OTs. It's as hard, or harder, than finding good QBs IMO.

Make no mistake, I was thrilled to get Ceresna. But Gittens is a special talent, and a NAT, and signed to a longer deal. Two years from now, the outcome of that trade might look different.

IMO there are a couple of factors here. Hunter can definitely play OT so Toronto might need only one INT starter on the line. Allen is an excellent player, but $210k is a lot when you might be able to find a younger INT at a third the price. (The risk is you don't find one, of course, and good OTs don't grow on trees.) This deal frees up money that could be spent elsewhere (like McManis). Toronto might also be expecting to lose a NAT starter or two (Metchie/Smith) so having a starting-calibre NAT LB might be a good hedge against that. Toronto's last off-season trade (Gittens for Ceresna) came as a shock to fans but worked out well for both teams. This one might, too. I, too, would love to know who's pulling the strings in Toronto's front office. My guess is that Dinwiddie has become the de facto GM.

Pretty surprising to see how the East fared against the West in 2024: Tor 7-3-0, Mtl 6-3-1, Ott 6-3-1, Ham 3-7-0. Overall East was 22-16-2 against West. Head to head, Tor was 2-0 vs. Wpg, 2-0 vs. B.C., 1-1 vs the other three (including meaningless loss to Edm in wk 21). Toronto had trouble with the non-playoff teams (0-3 vs Ham, 1-1 vs both Cal and Edm) but was 8-3 against playoff teams.

For the record, in the Grey Cup Toronto started nine NATs (4 o-line, 2 receivers, DE-LB-S) and used one other (Mital) on a lot offensive snaps.

The Argos cut both Priester and McFadden this season before bringing both back. Mgmt made some questionable choices early on in the secondary, but eventually corrected them. Both guys played in the 2022 Grey Cup; IIRC Priester missed all of 2023 with an injury but McFadden was a regular that season.

To me the big question is, is he due a roster bonus or signing bonus payable before the season starts? If so, the Lions will be eager to take the highest offer they can get before the payment deadline. If not, they can hang on to him until Day 1 of the season. Any team that wants Adams is going to want him in the building and working with the OC long before camp opens. So the "wait for him to be cut" strategy works only if he's due an off-season bonus. And it has the added disadvantage (for the teams seeking him) of creating the possibility of a bidding war. Whereas getting him by trade gives the acquiring team certainty about its 2025 starter.

Hank Ilesic seven -- 1977-82 with Edm, 1983 with Toronto.

Since they won't go up against Thursday or Sunday night NFL, there are only two ways to have just one bye each week in the fall: double-header Friday/double-header Saturday, or single game Friday/triple-header Saturday. With CTV needing a 3p ET start time for its Saturday game, they would have to start a game at noon ET or have games at 7 and 10 ET on Saturday to accommodate a triple-header. I don't think either of those options would be appealing to the TV rights-holder. 10p ET starts drive away a sizeable chunk of the TV audience, and noon ET (9a PT) seems like a non-starter as well. Yes, he is the best QB this season despite his team's mediocre record. Which QB in your estimation has played better than Mitchell?

Assuming reporters are watching practice, who's starting at QB would be apparent since starters get most, if not all, of the practice reps.

He was with Toronto in 2022 and looked quite good in the handful of games he played. I thought he was a lock to make the Argos last year but I guess they had too much INT depth on the d-line. I think he's gonna be a good player in this league.

Barker was with Toronto for only one year (2022). A few of his signings were on the Grey Cup team and the 16-2 team, but not many that were solely or mostly attributable to him IMO. The real brains of the Toronto operation is Vince Magri. Their Canadian scouting has been out of this world -- their past four drafts have yielded a ton of roster players, including some starters.

Kudos to you and the others taking this sensible position, as opposed to the "don't put yourself in a vulnerable position" nonsense.