Rich

Darren Cameron (@Darren_Cameron) 2/3/2014, 9:46 AM #Bombers have re-signed two pending free agent Canadian's - OL Chris Kowalczuk @theonetheonlyCK and DL Ryan Lucas @rylucas94

“@TSNDaveNaylor: BREAKING: Sale of #CFL's @TorontoArgos to MLSE or Larry Tanenbaum may be right around the corner.

The only reason we were the only team to lose a pending free agent is because our talent cupboard was so bare, Ottawa preferred to take a chance on a guy they could sign before FA rather then the talent we had on contract. I have no problems with Ottawa coming back and the dispersal draft. A team should be in Ottawa, and the CFL is the strongest it has been in a very long time. Worst case scenario is that if Ottawa folds again, then there is a dispersal draft and all teams get some talent back!

Honestly, it doesn't matter what lines are out there. That shouldn't happen. Its a joke 2 seconds into the game. Coaches should be fined and penalized . It starts with them.

Not a fan

Wonder if he will follow in the footsteps of his dad. Cut from a couple of teams before finding a home and a HOF career.

You don't build teams through free agency. You build through the draft and when the time is right you add final pieces through free agency. The Jets have never been there. Their FA signings have been stop gaps while they build the team. First Winnipeg by itself isn't a prime destination for free agents. Throw in the fact that the team sucks, and Winnipeg is tough sell in Free Agency. Winnipeg is used to drive up the cost elsewhere. Get a winning team, get close to being a contender and it is an easier sell. The Jets are close to the cap now, but so are most teams, it is a symptoms of the lockout and the reduced cap, they won't be going forward unless they are close and can add a final piece or two.

Tanking next year would be better as it is a weak draft this year. And it will be the Connor McDavid sweepstakes. I'll still take a competitive team next year though. Somehow, McDavid is bound to end up in Edmonton.

17s assessment really isn’t that far off. The Jets have been a struggling .500 to below .500 club this year and in previous years. They have made some upgrades this season trading away Antropov and company for Frolik and Setagouchi. Add in that they are in a tougher conference and division, and it wasn’t enough. Tangradi, Peluso, Wright, Ellerby and Pardy should all be in the AHL. It can be argued that Scheifele Kane and Frolik (or Wheeler) are the already the number 1 line on the team this year. The sooner they can cement that and Little / Ladd / Wheeler can become the 2nd line the better shape we will be in. The team isn’t that far off, but they are not there yet. Noel had to go because they were playing well below the level they should be. Win or lose you need to be competitive, and this team had no fight in it. That isn’t talent, that is something else. The team is still a year or two away. Hopefully a new coach can put some fresh perspective in.

The last two games were the absolute worse I've ever seen them play, and the players had no answer for why. Sorry to see Noel go, but something had to be done. This team, regardless of where their talent may be, was not playing up to it. It sure is fun being a sports fan in Winnipeg!

No disrespect to Stala but I hope he retires .... the only reason being that I never want to hear Rod Black call him Sticky Stala again................

Merry Christmas all!

I hope the people in Ottawa come out and support their team this go around. Having proper ownership in place will mean a world of difference in managing that team (I know nothing about the new ownership, but it has to be better then what they had last time). What they do have going for them this time around is that the economics of the game have changed. The most recent TSN deal means they are not as reliant on gate revenue. But it will be very unfortunate if they aren't supported at the gate.

You consider it laziness that a person chooses to work in a situation which is more conducive to being successful? Let alone that it is geographically closer to his home... With the hours and work load that coaches put in during the season, laziness is not a quality that a coach who has been in the league for as long as Stubler has been would posess. That statement just smells of sour grapes that he didn't choose Winnipeg. Wonder if you would feel the seem if the Bombers ever turn themselves into a perennial contender and we are able to attract players and coaches as their "first" choice. Will you still call them lazy for coming here?

That was quick. Its a good move this guy has the ability to develope into a very good kicker. Has a big leg and also punts. PS can one of the mods spell his last name correctly i messed up. Fixed

What I find interesting is the amount of Canadian content we have in the office and coaches. Canadian: Kyle Walters GM - - Born in St Thomas, Ontario Mike O'Shea - Head Coach - Born in North Bay, Ontario Marcel Bellefeuille - Offensive Coordinator - Born in Ottawa, Ontario Ted Goveia - Assistant General Manager / Director of Player Personnel - Believe he comes from Burlington, Ontario Dave Siddall - National Scout - Believe he is Canadian as he graduated from the U of M American: Danny McManus - Assistant General Manager / Director of U.S. Scouting - Dania Beach, Florida Drew Morris - Assistant General Manager / Director of U.S. Scouting - American Vacant Coaching Positions: Receivers Running Backs Offensive Line Defensive Coordinator Linebackers Defensive Line Defensive Backs Special Teams Coordinator Can throw in Wade Miller and a bunch of the other front office staff, but I believe they are typically Canadian on most teams anyway. I don't think it really means anything, just unusual in that the league typically has Americans in a lot of those positions.

Ottawa will have a lot of cap room in free agency as well. Be interesting to see if / how much they would have to over pay to attract the high end talent. A lot of teams have also let contracts expire with the purpose of making them not attractive in the dispersal draft. How many agents will be telling their clients to wait till February now so they can at the very minimum play Ottawa's offers against other teams.

Its been a few years, but wasn't Berry raked for saying something along the lines of .... the players in the room weren't necessarily the best, but the ones we could afford.

I don't view his job as "policing" the officials. His job is to give guidance and direction. Johnson was a good ref, hopefully he can take the years of seeing what worked, what didn't, and knowing where deficiencies in the system lie to improve them. On the other hand, you can take someone who knows absolutely nothing about the job with no experience and put them in charge. Yes, I'm looking at you Mr. Buchko.

If the money Lapo is making at TSN is comparable to a coordinators job, maybe he is liking the reduced work load. He still has a young family, priorities shift. Another possibility is that the disaster here under Joe Mack has soured him on coaching.

I would say he has gotten better in the last couple of years, but before that there always seemed to be questionable call against the Bombers when we played Montreal. When a game doesn't involve Montreal, I have no problems with him as a ref. Perception, or reality? Most of the botched Montreal-Winnipeg games have been officiated by Murray Clarke. I'm not a fan of Murray Clarke either.

I would say he has gotten better in the last couple of years, but before that there always seemed to be questionable call against the Bombers when we played Montreal. When a game doesn't involve Montreal, I have no problems with him as a ref.

Now that you've changed your avatar, does this mean the circus has officially left Winniepg?

If I am ever wronged and feel compelled to go to the media, I would never choose Gordon Sinclair. I refuse to even read his articles on more. On stories where I am knowledgeable of the facts, every time he completely twists the story and people's words to make his articles very slanted in whatever indignant way or point he wants to make that day. This makes me question and dismiss any of his articles where I don't know the facts. It is a shame if what he is writing is true. But because Gordon Sinclair is the author of the article, I place absolutely no weight into what he says.

I agree on all points. Rich, you and I have discussed this before, essentially all I want is accountability, the right people governing, not meddling in day to day ops etc. The fact that leaks are still occurring, nothing was done about the Mack leak, Mack being hired by the Board in the first place, certain members clearly having a lot of influence on the Board and are treating the Bombers as their own toy etc, is not sitting well with me. The Board IMO is just an knee jerky as some the fans, and yet realistically there's nothing we fans can do about it, because inevitably it would just lead to more knee jerk reactions or us fans hurting the team. Yes, we definitely agree on the bolded part. I don't think an entirely voted in board is the answer. Just the logistics of who is put on the ballot, how do they campaign to get peoples votes, etc, etc. I hate politics at the best of times, and I would hate for the Bombers board to become that. I know you are making suggestions to try and change the status quo, which hasn't been working, and I would be for any change that made the Bombers better.. I wish I had a viable alternative suggestion.