voodoochylde

To be honest, 5th receiver isn't a position I expect a lot of production out of. What I do expect from that spot is someone who blocks well in both the pass and run game and be incredibly efficient with the touches he does get - he needs to buy in and play his role well.

See Roughriders, Saskatchewan.

Just a couple of quick thoughts because with so many bodies and so few quality game reps it’s hard for me to be too invested: Based on how our roster is constructed, and where we have invested heavily on NIs, cutting Rosery is somewhat baffling. Can’t ask a guy to do much more than what he did and it’s not like Augustine has every really done anything of note. How McGhee is still here is beyond me. I joked in another thread, asking if he could potentially play himself off the roster and he did nothing to alleviate any concerns I might have. We had nobody better / willing to stick around? Yikes. i don’t get the Mitchell love (from the staff). Feels like Greg McCrae with worse hands.

Solid rotational piece (for a NI) and would be an upgrade over Jake Thomas (love the guy but he’s well past his before before date).

Just cleaned up some unnecessary walls of text.

This.

Could McGhee play himself off the roster? I haven't been to camp but he didn't look good last game and was picked on a fair bit. I'm actually hoping another DB steps up and takes that spot because I don't have a whole lot of faith there.

I completely agree that WJ's game hasn't fallen off, I simply don't feel we've gotten the most out of him the last couple of seasons because a) we've had a group of duds playing on the interior of the line b) haven't had a regular guy who can stand up on the other end c) he's played way too many snaps. He's best, and most disruptive, when the opposition has to account for another body on the line and he can stay fresh.

It's a reason why I tend to favour a guy like Garbutt over Haba at the other end; he's a more complete, physical player .. in a vein similar to Jeffcoat in that he is responsible / disruptive on both rushing and passing downs. With that said, we may see more out of WJ if we establish a dominant presence inside. I have hope for some of the new guys and what they might do to free up our ends.

Haha .. with the offense they are trotting out onto the field, the defence is going to have all the reps they can handle.

A healthy rotation through the line will be a win for us this year. Not only will it minimize the number of reps a guy like Thomas soaks up but will keep all of them from getting gassed and being ineffective. See Grey Cup 2023

His third year here isn't it (?) but yeah, would be nice to have seen Holm out there to at least develop some chemistry / continuity with Ford.

Maybe have her hold down the fort at the Rum Hut? Might make things bearable for her haha!

Zach didn't exactly light it up down the stretch last season. In fact, I'd say he played himself out of MOP consideration. You couple that with poor performances in the playoffs and I'm of the mind that I'd like to see him get a bit of work.

If I wasn't so starved for football and curious about what a few of these guys look like in person, I wouldn't be going. I also imagine that if this gets out of hand, I'll be leaving early.

Haba I definitely view as more of a situational pass rusher and agree that he's not someone I want getting a huge compliment of reps. He's also a prime example of a guy who could / should be pushed and challenged to make the roster. He's not someone who should be handed anything simply because he was with the team last year.

I think Garbutt is a more complete player than Haba so I'm hoping that he starts opposite WJ.

There's simply a larger pool to draw from. It's infinitely easier to find an American who can come in and offer more athletically than it is to find a Canadian of similar skill. Don't get me wrong, I love the CFL, in part, because of the Canadians in it but I wouldn't lose sleep if starting fewer Canadians meant we were able to build and maintain a deeper, more complete roster.

I’m just going to say that I generally appreciate everyone’s perspectives and always encourage good back and forth. That said, I’m going to ask we keep the discussion on football and not each other. It does nothing to further the conversation. Pruned a few posts.

Dude .. I’m agreeing with you.

Keep preaching what you’re preaching boss.

Hodge is, and always has been, terrible at what he does. The fact he has a platform speaks more to the fact that there are so few quality guys out there covering the CFL than it does about his ability. I’ve been saying this for years.

Beautiful flip to Augustine. Thats what Strev’s legs can do for the offense.

Woli has to put his foot in the ground and turn that upfield sooner.

Make the Riders respect his athleticism then it SHOULD loosen things up a bit.