Mike

I’m starting to get a weird feeling we’re going to see a bunch of guys leaving. I know people are gonna start up with the “how come we can afford Jake but can’t afford Schoen” even though that’s nowhere near how it works, my concern is that we really struggling to be retaining any prime of their career talent who literally wasn’t born within 3 hours of here. I can see teams structuring some really unique contracts for him to give him some assurances despite the low price tag he’s likely going to command this year.

oh well, sucks to lose a Canadian but let’s be realistic here, we probably would not love the price tag he’s going to command. Hopefully this allows us to keep a few more guys.

I have little to no interest in Rose. Maybe a smidge in Vaughters if he’s got something left.

Why would this even make sense? They space out the signings because it drives casual and fanatical interest in the team during the off-season. The new OC isn’t going to sell tickets. Or generate traffic.

Yeah, just look at Kramdi.

Just to speak to Wolitarsky’s character and just what a good dude he is … few years back, some friends and I went to go see him play at Earl’s on Main and we ended up chatting with him and Streveler … he found out it was my friend’s birthday coming up who loved live music and he offered to come play some songs at his birthday party. Sure enough, few weeks later, Woli was in my basement sitting around with us having some beers while he played the guitar. All-time guy. I’m sad to see him go.

What? I can’t follow any of this. Your first post said Mitchell provides value. We’re paying him almost 150k. I don’t get what you’re saying here at all.

Mitchell didn’t come cheap, so I’m not sure any of this has much to it

I’m not sure if there’s a specific approach this off-season or what, I would think maybe there’s a clear process here moving on from players who we can’t trust to be in the lineup more often than they’re not but then we went ahead and signed Kyrie who is basically the poster child for absenteeism.

Lol no kidding, crying about this just shows a massive lack of understanding. The NFL would be capable of crippling the CFL if they didn’t like our request for compensation. As simple as them saying they will honour CFL contracts and won’t sign a player who has signed a CFL contract until it has been fulfilled.

I don’t love JT as a front line contributor but I think people dismissing him as reliable depth are off the mark. It needs to be that role for him, though.

Let’s just be honest here - do the Bombers handle everything perfectly? No, definitely not. When the players all consistently talk about how well they’re treated and how well their families are treated and how much they want to stay, do I think a few (all past their prime, which is a huge point in all of this) players who say their feelings got hurt has more to do with their unwillingness to accept reality than it does with the Bombers holding their hand gently through the process? Yes, yes I do

Relax, man. You’re officially hitting the “I am gonna whine about everything” point in your off-season arc

it would be silly to ignore that the talent that has left us from the OL wasn’t at least partially by design. at least part of this was that the Bombers didn’t feel the need to be competitive with the open market because the players in house were available as replacements For all the OL talent that has walked out the door, we’ve never really had a hole on the OL

Oh, I know. I’ve spent a few hours around him here and there since he retired and I can imagine what I’ve seen is only scratching the surface.

It’s pretty simple … just because you’re good at football doesn’t mean you’re good at life.

Bombers not offering Bighill a contract ahead of free agency according to Jeff Hamilton my first daughter was born Monday and this still might be the best news I’ve had all week

Argos released Jon Jones, the linebacker not the drug addict UFC fighter and I’m not really sure why. He was on an upward trajectory and then just fizzled out last year. @bluto I demand answers

As far as leadership goes, there’s probably something to be said for a guy who is coming back for his 13th year after being an uncoveted late round draft pick who was on the verge of being out of pro football four years ago. He’s obviously done something right. Thomas isn’t one of those guys that makes me mad to see out on the field. There’s a place for him. My problem is with his usage. He’s gotta be limited.

If Thomas is used appropriately, I can at least get on board with him being some kind of end-of-the-bench spot duty player who sets the tone in the locker room by being a leader. The dude has 200+ games in the uniform, it’s not about him for me it’s just about his usage. I get wanting that guy as the 45th guy in uniform especially in a Grey Cup year. Americans though? Nah.

THAT one will piss me off to no end. Thomas wasn’t one of the must not come backs for me, that was reserved for Biggie and Alexander

Honestly, you can really sell me on the move IF a few things change. The problem is, I don’t believe even a single one of these would ever be true, nevermind all of them. IF he’s a gameday backup to Lawson only, IF he takes maybe 20% of the reps he did last year, IF we adjust our ratio for a fresh week in case of a Lawson injury and IF this comes at the cost of reps for Schmekel, then I’m fine with this move. Problem is, none of that will be the case.

That one makes me really mad

I’d rather pay McManis 270 than pay Ford 220

Whoever said Brinkman is on their wishlist, I agree Holm got 135k and Mitchell got 150k .. that tells me we’re spending in some different ways this year.