Mike

Getting married and wanting that security in a location could be part of it. Nothing is guaranteed but maybe signing now firms up a plan to set down roots in Winnipeg, instead of having to wait a year to see how it plays out.

The crux of the matter is... 'Is Willy a franchise QB'? If you think he is then you want to lock him down for as long as possible no matter the cost. If you think he's a JAQ (Just another QB) then you don't care if he's signed or not. If you're not sure (Me) then you want him to prove it before you give him the big bucks. The reality is either he's worth the money or he's not. I agree that we don't know the definitive answer to that yet but here's the catch. If he's not worth the money, then it doesn't matter what happens this year, we're not going anywhere as a team so it's not like the amount of money we have tied up in him will make a difference. If he is worth the money, then paying him and firming up control of his rights is a great move. The contract isn't guaranteed, the sooner we can get it signed, the better for us.

Exactly Rich. Take the opportunity when you can. And they will. So many thrifty Manitobans would rather let a franchise QB walk away than pay them anything more than a steal of a deal.

Walters will be working tirelessly to get a deal done. There's almost zero chance Willy walks into training camp without a new extension. It's clearly the right move, Willy has said he's open to negotiating, so play the game for a bit to make everyone feel like they worked their hardest at the deal and then sign it and get it done.

To be fair, the whole "Myers was bad" thing also had a lot to do with Buffalo being an absolute dogshit team. He was never as bad as people were making it seem.

Enstrom is what he is. He's a responsible puck-moving defenseman who takes pressure off the other half of his pairing and gives them a good shot to flourish. He's undersized, his offensive abilities are trending in the wrong direction and he is prone to struggles with the physical aspect of the game. That being said, he's still our 1LD and he's still a damn good defenseman. He's not a complete hockey player, but he's the only guy on our roster capable of playing 20+ minutes on the left side at this point in time and unless there is a clear commitment to moving Trouba to the left side or unless we want to gamble on Morrissey being ready for a huge workload in his rookie season, we need to keep Toby. Winnipeggers love the lunch bucket defenseman. That's why we love Stuart, even though he's an anchor tied to whoever his partner is. He's physical and he gives it his absolute best night in and night out, but he takes way too many gambles for a 3rd pairing defenseman and he is far too prone to unawareness in our own zone. But because he's the blue collar defenseman in a blue collar city, we love him, flaws and all. I'm included. I love Stuart, but I know I should be more critical of him.

Move Toby to the right side and then he's not as valuable because we have lots of RHD and then we can trade him.

Mateas projects as either a guard or a center.

Dude, you're reading way too much into that. Good call. Don't worry, much more of this and you're going to get all the credit and acknowledgment you desire. Just don't be surprised when it's not the kind you were looking for. You know that saying, "when you keep running into the same problem over and over, maybe you're the problem"? That's you. There's a reason almost every single regular poster here has taken issue with something you've said at one point or another. Take a look around man.

Durant could be one that meets that criteria.Doubt it. When asked the question he mentioned Covington. Durant has been eligible for a while now. Covington is newly eligible but he hardly should be altering the top of draft boards. Could even be Wagonner, a stab at him in the supplemental makes a guy like Shortill or even Ackie less important with one of those second rounders. Covington? Meh. Not buying that he makes many rearrange their top rankings.

Durant could be one that meets that criteria.

Kent Austin should know all about him. His resume seems interesting enough that a team might be willing to spend a second or third round pick on him. I would imagine Winnipeg will be interested.

I don't mind it although I'm surprised Greg Peach survived.

I'm really going to have a hard time agreeing that it's a good idea to force one of Anderson, Turner and even Nate Collins (who I think is going to be a stud up here) to the inactive roster. I agree it's possible, but I don't like the thought of it.

The reason I don't foresee us going OL at number 2 is because there's a huge logjam after Mateas. You can easily argue Chungh, Groulx, Ruby and McEwen in there all together. Any one of them could be worthy at the 2 spot but with 8 picks in between 2 and 11, I just don't see all 4 of those guys going by the time it gets to us. They might, but I don't believe they will. One of them would fall to 11, especially if Boyko doesn't end up getting signed. We'll have a better idea after the NFL Draft but I just feel like the OL pool is deep and you're not getting the best one whether you pick at 2 or 11, so why not maximize your assets.

Canadian Michael Bishop?

Love both, slowly becoming just as diehard about the Jets but I'm ready for some football.

He's not kidding when he says major. The guy has had 4 separate torn ACL injuries.

Marve was never unsigned. Not much of a power shift.

He is? He's literally the exact same size as Paris Cotton.

Hernias are a real *****.

Been working on a mock draft for a week or so now. What really stood out to me is that everyone keeps saying the Bombers are going to get three good players. This draft, in my mind, is so deep that with our current pick pool, we could easily snag a fourth solid prospect. Here's what I've got so far 1. Ottawa - OL Alex Mateas (seems to be the smart money pick, hometown kid who can be a solid building block; could be derailed by NFL) 2. Winnipeg - REC Nic Demski (OL and REC equal areas of need, pool of OL better than pool of REC + the hometown connection; could easily be Durant but Walters on record saying Demski is his REC1 on the board) 3. Toronto - OL Sukh Chungh (best OL not named Boyko on the board, Toronto needs to prepare for aging OL and rebuild) 4. Montreal - REC Lemar Durant (OL not a deep concern for Popp, best REC available is easily Durant and Montreal could use experienced REC corps to groom and mentor a great talent; this could easily be Waud too) 5. BC - OL Danny Groulx (not a lot of OL depth in Vancouver, fills a need and fits the BPA label) 6. Saskatchewan - DL Daryl Waud (strong move by Taman, could see this being accompanied by decision to commit to a Canadian DT and make a trade with Hamilton) 7. Edmonton - OL Sean McEwen (strikes me as a very similar player to Brett Jones, got all the smarts, maybe not as ready physically, but still a very pro ready OL in my opinion) 8. Hamilton - OL Brett Boyko (calculated gamble here by Austin - he's got a ton in the pipeline for Canadian talent and could really use a stud OL - makes NFL gamble worth it) 9. Calgary - LB Chris Ackie (best player available scenario right here, not a strong need on the OL and Calgary could use some bodies to take defensive reps and make ST contributions) 10. Ottawa - LB Byron Archambault (tough player to project, could go here, could go in the third round. How do you translate his overall athleticism to the field? Shuttle time helps big time at combine) 11. Winnipeg - OL Jacob Ruby (if Bombers see Ruby fall to them, they'll be thrilled. Biggest threat is Hamilton at 8) 12. Toronto - DL Ese Mrarube-Ajufo (edge speed and athleticism were big pluses at combine, gives them a body for reps behind new prize Foley) 13. Montreal - DB Tevaughn Campbell (raw, but showed good cover skills with new rules at combine and is easily fast enough to defend in pros, immediate ST demon) 14. BC - RB Shaq Murray-Lawrence (gives them the all Canadian backfield combination that could be envy of CFL, hard guy for them to pass on at this spot) 15. Winnipeg - DL Maxx Forde (concerns about why his senior season was disappointment, but capable of being a big disruption on defensive line; this could easily be Shortill too) 16. Edmonton - REC Addison Richards (good value on BPA for Edmonton, interview disappointed at combine and speed is concerning, but he's a big physical body with soft hands) 17. Hamilton - OL James Bodanis (went OL gamble in first round, goes OL that they can have in camp in second round. Stocking the barn with hogs important for Hamilton) 18. Calgary - REC Jake Harty (natural fit in Calgary, can easily push Charbonneau and Parker) 19. Calgary - OL Karl Lavoie (Huf understands the value of a guy like Lavoie on the OL, can be brought along slow) 20. Hamilton - LB Nick Shortill (good bet to be one of the best available guys on the board, could be gone much earlier. Strong pick for Austin) 21. Toronto - LB Ron Omara (big broad LB who can take snaps behind Cory Greenwood in Toronto D) 22. Calgary - RB Tyler Varga (at this point, the pick makes sense, still have pick to get similar player to what you could take now at 27, hedge your bets with Varga earlier) 23. BC - DL Brandon Tennant (question marks, but if focus is there, talent is there easily) 24. Hamilton - REC Melvin Abankwah (another tough guy to project ... how much stock do you put in combine? Not a safe pick but could look great in two years) 25. Edmonton - DB Kwame Adjei (big body, could project at LB or DB, showed great coverage ability at combine) 26. Saskatchewan - OL Campbell Allison (had terrible combine, did not show up in shape. With proper work ethic, he's talented enough to be a strong guard in CFL) 27. Calgary - LB Auston Johnson (Alondra will be pleased ... needs shaping to be CFL game ready but looks good on film and can fill ST role immediately) 28. Ottawa - DL Ettore Lattanzio (Ottawa continues to build a strong stable in trenches) 29. Hamilton - REC Matthew Norzil (if healthy, Norzil is easily up there with, at the very least, Richards and Harty. health is big concern) 30. Toronto - DL Rory Connop (faded at combine, didn't help his cause but still deserving of top 30 selection) 31. Montreal - RB Dillon Campbell (offensive skill guys so tough to project when they don't fit mold, but with Lumbala gone, makes sense) 32. BC - LB Adam Konar (awful combine showing including a late flight resulting in interview delays/cancellations dropped his stock a lot but reports are he's got impressive film) 33. Winnipeg - LB Blair Smith (could easily see Konar and Smith flip flopping ... classic film vs combine, athleticism concerns vs football concerns) 34. Edmonton - RB Matt Rea (this guy could easily end up being huge fan favorite in Edmonton ... does all the dirty work, will contribute in Rob Cote fashion) 35. Saskatchewan - LB Adrian Clarke (big body, ST contributor immediately) 36. Montreal - OL Quinn Lawlor (big time project, but hard to turn down upside at this point, especially with team that has no real need to rush OL)

Demski to 9 means nothing, he's still probably the 5th or 6th ranked player that is realistically going to be taken. Varga, Boyko and Covington aren't going first round. Covington probably goes in the 6th or 7th at best.

1 (--) Christian Covington DL Rice 2 (1) Brett Boyko OL UNLV 3 (2) Alex Mateas OL UCONN 4 (4) Tyler Varga RB Yale 5 (8) Danny Groulx OL Laval 6 (7) Sukh Chungh OL Calgary 7 (3) Daryl Waud DL Western 8 (--) Lemar Durant REC Simon Fraser 9 (5) Nic Demski REC Manitoba 10 (6) Sean McEwen OL Calgary 11 (12) Chris Ackie DB Wilfrid Laurier 12 (9) Addison Richards RED Regina 13 (10) Jacob Ruby OL Richmond 14 (17) Byron Archambault LB Montreal 15 (--) Tevaughn Campbell DB Regina 16 (--) Shaquille Murray-Lawrence RB UNLV 17 (18) Ese Mrabure-Ajufo DL Wilfrid Laurier 18 (19) Jake Harty REC Calgary 19 (--) Brandon Bridge QB South Alabama 20 (11) Nick Shortill LB McMaster

MBB meetup is actually a really good idea.