bluto

Not a "wow" at all. He was always coming back.

That's genius!

He isn't exaggerating much. The Argo's practice "facilities" have been pretty dreadful for awhile. I doubt it stays that way though with MLSE in charge and better organizational cohesiveness. EDIT: And while I will express my support for Butler being able to sabre rattle and try to get a better deal or a release in the same way that I did for JWJ... if I were in charge of the Argo's player personnel I'd double JWJ's salary to get him back in but I'd let Butler sit. Reality check: import D-Linemen, even elite ones (which Butler was sporadically) are easy to find... RBs who have everything JWJ does are very rare.

We used to have 1 year contracts. It did serious harm to the league.

Or maybe his old man or his agent have enough money to float him a loan for a year while he trains and his agent networks. Nobody is saying he's off to go be a sandwich artist or work the lumber aisle at home depot... just that not risking his health for a year is an actual option for him and the Argos had better respect that.

That's a hit.

Into a rookie one? Doubt it. But I guess you could try.

Could you please be more specific...? I have 6 Cup Wins to choose from since your last...

So did the Argos. And having a 6'2, 235 pounder with breakaway speed who can run inside or outside of the tackles, block and run a route and catch a ball sit out their season because they don't want to give him something closer to market value for his potential 1k/1k production just to accomplish what...? Prove a point of principle? No. Our principle always has been and always ought to be: winning the Grey Cup.

Well, I would say that he obviously wants to be able to provide for them. So having more money now in exchange for the risk he takes of losing a chance at a far larger paycheck to secure his kids' futures makes bloody good sense to him. But you knew that.

It is a pittance. Woefully inadequate. And he'd need it to last for a year.

Welcome to the GTA. And it's 6 months.

Right. Nothing is certain. Which is why sitting out a season of starvation wages to avoid 150 carries and 70-100 catches and all of the blocks that could end his, let's be real, not all that far-fetched possibility at an NFL job is his most sensible course unless the Argos pony up the dough and promise him an escape next season. You'll note that I'm taking a player's side against my own club here...

Be fair. It isn't a Big Head scenario to not want to risk, say for example, an ACL for $45k USD, when he could make more than quintuple that even at an entry level deal in the NFL. And no, I wouldn't play for $50k either.

Or anywhere else that he lined up. 122 carries, 34 of which were over 10 yards, 7 of which were over 20, 7.1/ypc. And for all intents and purposes, he only started his season in week 13... No other rusher is in his tier.

Yeah... and if another player who isn't of JWjr's stature tries it, they're welcome to sit.

Can't speak for BC... but MLSE owns us now, so...

Mouthing off? Easy there, Johnny Sunshine... And yeah, I stand by the assertion that he was, objectively speaking, by whatever metric you'd care to use, easily the best last season. When Trestman finally switched from Whittaker to JWjr, we were a different team. As to the contract issue, I can't say I blame him and I take his side much as I took Williams' side a couple of years ago when the same thing happened in Hamilton. $45k USD is nowhere even close to the amount that I) his play merits and, II) is near enough to justify the risk of injury which could cost him a roster spot down south for his (potentially) big payday. I think that doubling his pay, adding bonuses and a gentleman's agreement to let him go next year if he finds a gig in the NFL is called for. And if we won't do it, then we deserve whatever comes from going from having the best guy at a position to having nobody there. As for setting a bad precedent, well I don't think that it does because it's difficult to envision an apples to apples comparison (other than Williams), and also the Argos under Barker would let players explore their options early and it seemed to make players more likely to sign with us since we wouldn't hold them captive if they had a chance to secure their future with a big deal. TL;DR, Pretty sure it's a negotiating ploy. Pretty sure he's sincere about it though. Pretty sure he deserves it and risking potentially many hundreds of thousands for 45k makes no sense. The Argos likely work this out. And what about Posey...?

When did you trade for James Wilder Jr?

I know what you're saying, but I think it is (and was last year) still an open question whether Durant has another run of form left in him. Given better surroundings this season, there'll be no excuse if he's lost it. I also thought that last season when he shouldered the blame for the Al's crappy play that it showed maturity and leadership. There certainly was enough players and coaches that could've shared the blame. Perhaps a sign that he's grown some character. Thanks for the reply. Regardless of what some might think, I don't doubt that if Durant has to line up under centre that you'll be supporting him and hoping he leads you to a win.

Why not? It was a polite inquiry with the sole motive of exploring the truth of the topic at hand.

You may have missed my prior post when I was asking, but I wondered to what extent you could attribute the sh__show that was in Montreal last year with Durant's play level? Any? And if so, what sort of boost it could be to his confidence and form in coming to a team that plays better football and actually seems to have a good clubhouse atmosphere?

Attempts to engage TBurg's inner Devil's Advocate: How much of looking like he's "done" would or could you ascribe to having been in the dumpster fire that is the Alouette Football Club?

Yes. A brutal leg break, and a nasty knee injury when he tackled a guy. There were worries that he was going to be one of those guys with potential but never made it due to being snakebit with bad luck and injury-proneness.