Mike

As per Darren Cameron's twitter, the Bombers have signed DB Gabe Loper from South Alabama and LB Kenny Tate from Maryland.

I'm confused too. When they changed the eligibility, the CFL said "the players will be eligible to be selected in the CFL Draft three years after completing their first year of CIS eligibility." Am I correct that both those players' first year was 2011? Then their eligibility is 3 years after December 2011... i.e. December 2014, making them eligible for the 2015 draft. OR does it mean 2014, as in 3 years after 2011? Eligibility changes explained here... http://www.cfl.ca/article/cfl-adjusts-eligibility-rules-for-draft Just another example of the CFL being confusing as hell.

agreed. In my mind, this is one time where the obvious choice is absolutely the right one.

Gonna be tough to pull that off without a second round pick. We pick at 2 and then not again until 20. I know. I'd try and pretend that I think Coombs will tumble as a running back but I really don't think he will. He's a special talent.

those are actually good moves to make, bring in veterans so that the guys you draft have some time and less pressure to perform. They knew this was going to be a long road so why freak out when the GM is doing exactly what they said they would do? But the big free agents available we never go after. I'd like to see us do that... As far as veterans, yes, I agree. But it was Cheveldayoff preaching patience since the Jets got to Winnipeg & now suddenly it's like a light bulb went off in his head that things aren't working remaining status quo. Maybe Chipman told him to change, who knows? Hopefully we become more active on July 1st & trade to actually try to improve. Just because Winnipeg is a hockey city with knowledgeable fans doesn't give Cheveldayoff a pass to take years to build a winner. (See Edmonton). Honestly, it seems to me like you're just impatient. Chevy is preaching patience because that is what is required. Building an NHL team isn't about just adding pieces for the sake of adding pieces. You pick your spots where you spend your money and you go after the big fish when you're ready to take the jump from pretender to contender. There would be no sense in having Chevy trade assets from our prospect cupboard just to acquire a big name player that helps us go from a 33 win team to a 38 win team. You stock the shelves with young talent, you allow it to develop and you build from within so that you can eventually set yourself up to be dealing from a position of strength in order to acquire pieces. A big name signing or top 3 forward via trade isn't a piece you put in place in the middle of your build. You fill it in when you're good and ready. This isn't the CFL where the dollar values are set every year. You spend when you're ready. Not just because.

Get me two of Lavertu, Coombs and Caron I'd be ecstatic.

http://coyotes.nhl.com/club/roster.htm

you're wrong. Ladd/Little/Wheeler is a 2nd line at best. Scheifele is a young player and as a result still prone to inconsistency, Frolik is a 2nd liner at best and Kane is the only guy who can be a legit first liner, but again still a young player and not elite so prone to some inconsistency. Then the bottom 6 really is lacking. Their defense has got some pretty good potential but again, Trouba is a rookie so you can't rightly expect him to be doing too much, Byfuglien has always and will always be inconsistent in his effort level, Enstrom is good but more offensive minded than defensive, Bogosian is servicable on a top pair but not much more than that and other than that very uninspiring. Seriously compare it to other western teams and you really start to see how lacking it is. http://www.arcticicehockey.com/2013/8/20/4628136/winnipeg-jets-andrew-ladd-blake-wheeler-bryan-little And yes, I know this focuses on the East. But really, they're not as bad as people try and state. Have they been a bit off this year? To say the least. But I'm willing to see what Maurice does with them. oh yeah cause I'm going to take that piece seriously with a headline like that. That line is a prime example of why Noel wasn't a bad coach, he got a bunch of 2nd liners at best playing better than they should be. Those guys are not a first line. If they are your first line then you're a bad team. Give anyone top line duties they will likely find some points but it doesn't make them more talented than they are. The top end talent is what is lacking in Winnipeg more than anything. Kane is the only guy who has that quality offensive ability on the Jets at this point and even he has his own issues. If you mean top six forward talent, I'd strongly disagree. The goaltending, bottom six and top end defensive talent are lacking far more than our top six. If that's not what you meant, disregard.

you're wrong. Ladd/Little/Wheeler is a 2nd line at best. Scheifele is a young player and as a result still prone to inconsistency, Frolik is a 2nd liner at best and Kane is the only guy who can be a legit first liner, but again still a young player and not elite so prone to some inconsistency. Then the bottom 6 really is lacking. Their defense has got some pretty good potential but again, Trouba is a rookie so you can't rightly expect him to be doing too much, Byfuglien has always and will always be inconsistent in his effort level, Enstrom is good but more offensive minded than defensive, Bogosian is servicable on a top pair but not much more than that and other than that very uninspiring. Seriously compare it to other western teams and you really start to see how lacking it is. http://www.arcticicehockey.com/2013/8/20/4628136/winnipeg-jets-andrew-ladd-blake-wheeler-bryan-little And yes, I know this focuses on the East. But really, they're not as bad as people try and state. Have they been a bit off this year? To say the least. But I'm willing to see what Maurice does with them.

I don't think our top end talent is that far off, to be honest. Ladd/Little/Wheeler is a better line than people give them credit for and Scheifele/Kane/Frolik are meshing well enough. It's the bottom six (five, since I'm going to cut Olli Jokinen a break) that are junk and our defense just struggles with consistency from game to game. Oh and then obviously the goaltending. Pavelec is just not a good NHL caliber goaltender.

How can Hamilton sell that to their fanbase after a Grey Cup appearance?

if they didn't make a difference why would we even hire for those positions?

It's easy to make reasonable assumptions. Most of our coaching staff is set. We will have one of Collaros, Willy or Burris at QB. Likely sign a few free agents and bring in some new bodies from down south to compete. Looks like everyone wants to be difficult here so feel free to lock this thread. Honestly, and again I'm not trying to be difficult, I have no idea how to assume anything about this club right now. I have no idea if we'll see guys like Jovon or Stewart back. No clue if we're going to run with Will Ford or bring in a starter from college. Even the familiar faces are full of question marks right now so it's just so hard to have any idea.

I don't really know what my expectations are, it's just tough to see until the lineup is built. If you're asking for expectations for a performance from the roster I see in front of me right now, I'd say it's very likely we could win 1 or 2 games. Do we even have a 42 man roster under contract at this point?

Seems like a lot of people have a defeatist attitude regarding Henoc.

He was signed by a team that has worse NI depth at receiver than us, so what are you on about?

I'm starting to get a little nervous. Where would you rather go ...to a team that just went to the Grey Cup or the circus Winnipeg has become? Not just about dollars and term. Really depends. Most quarterbacks probably think they're good enough to be a difference maker. I doubt they're as dependent on past history when it comes to making decisions.

I will say this about Kavis Reed ... if he can coach in an environment where he doesn't have to be THE loud guy, THE noticeable one that wears his emotions on his sleeve ... he might just impress. And I think that Winnipeg is going to be that type of environment. Kavis struggles with motivating. But he's a good coach.

lol @ the French logo being the opposite. ps is it called TD PLACE

Two of the names that have recently come into focus ... current Hamilton DC Orlondo Steinauer and current Hamilton DL coach Dennis McPhee. EDIT: for DC, I meant.

Noel is a major problem if you ask me. At what point do you start to wonder if the players are too entitled or if it's the coach who is simply a problem? Burmistrov left town because of Noel. Kane has feuded with him in the media. Ladd chirps him in practice. At what point do these stop being coincidences and do we look at the common denominator in all of these situations? His system doesn't seem to work, he's not consistent with just about ANYTHING regarding this team. We let other teams dictate how we are going to play instead of forcing them to play Jets hockey. He seems, at times, to choose his line combinations via names from a hat. He doesn't treat the players equally in terms of consequences for unstellar play. He doesn't do anything to allow young players to build confidence in themselves. And on top of all of that, he won't sit James Wright in the press box which I think is the worst infraction of all. That guy wouldn't have a spot on my beer league team with his offensive zone skills.

Which team owns his neg list rights? I would guess based on the fact that he's being contacted by three teams, nobody owns his rights.

Winnipeg one of three CFL teams showing an interest in Ohio Bobcats QB Tyler Tettleton. Montreal and Hamilton also after him.

Meant starters, not role players. And I would go as high as 15. You definitely took a bizarre approach to making it clear you meant only our starters. Next time, try not to emphasize the words ENTIRE TEAM if you mean half of it.

It would be less than 10 players? You're ridiculous. You mean to tell me that you think there are only 10 players on our team who could offer an improvement to someone's roster in ANY way, shape or form? I'd put the number closer to about 30-35. Just off the top of my head, Hall ... Ford ... Denmark ... Watson ... Etienne ... Poblah ... Kelly ... Greaves ... January ... Edwards ... Pencer ... Swiston ... Matthews ... Anderson ... Turner ... Gilmore ... Neufeld ... Mainor ... Muamba ... Wild ... Washington ... Dunn ... Jovon ... Sears ... Stewart ... Suber ... Pontbriand ... Volny ... Markett ... Kohlert (since you said before the expansion draft) ... Jones ... Thomas ... Peach ... Parenteau ... Lucas. There's 35 players who are no doubt NOT on their last job in the CFL unless they retire. If you had said major difference makers or guys who could START, maybe you'd have an argument. Maybe what you should have said was 10 players who would have an equal role to the one they have here. But guys who wouldn't make it onto active rosters as backups, special teams roleplayers, etc? Think again.