TBURGESS

Hmmm.... Wonder if anyone has called Messam a steal other than you? (I'd guess no one, but I'm not about to go through 7 pages of comments to find out) I wonder if any team has worse NI depth than the Bombers? Sorry, don't have time (or desire) to go through 8 pages (140+ posts...) of what must be repetitive bickering. One would consider a talented NI available on the open market a steal, no? Nope. I'd consider him an upgrade over what we have, not a steal.

I get that other teams might have advantages that we can't match, but I'd be making a big offer for sure. I just don't want to hear 'were not interested' yet again.

Hmmm.... Wonder if anyone has called Messam a steal other than you? (I'd guess no one, but I'm not about to go through 7 pages of comments to find out) I wonder if any team has worse NI depth than the Bombers?

Can't really argue a personal preference. But I will point out that: - Grigsby is unlikely to be on the Bombers roster in any situation where injuries haven't occurred, so picking our weakest import RB to compare with Messam paints Messam in a favourable light only until you realize who he's being compared to, then it really paints him in an unfavourable light. - Messam hasn't been a lock to convert 2nd and 6 since 2011. That's why he keeps getting cut. - Kohlert was really the only NI receiver we all liked last year. "Watson is too injured". "Etienne is too...Etienne". Kohlert was the porridge we all agreed was just right. Not sure why you're picking on him. Nonetheless, I don't hate your suggestion. It's not totally without merit. It is still a weaker choice than DI-ing our RB and using Kohlert. In my opinion. And apparently, the coach's opinion and management's opinion. If we have him on our roster we have the option of changing our minds later. I guess there's that. And by the way, big thanks for using specific examples. You somehow managed to do THE IMPOSSIBLE!!! This is the exact reason why specific examples don't make any sense. Person A says this would be better. You say no it wouldn't. Neither side can prove the other is wrong, so the argument continues. No one's changing anyone's mind at this point, so it's time to let it go. The big picture is more important than the details. Messam > Volny = Upgrade. Messam Short Yardage = Upgrade Messam allows choice of DI = Upgrade. Upgrade of talent = Better chance of more wins. 1 Additional win might = playoff vs no playoff.

Messam = 80K League Minimum = 50K Volny = >50K Max diff = 30K

I saying Messam is better than Volny, all the stats pretty much prove it, and that by itself makes him an upgrade. I'm saying Messam is a valid game day backup for our starting RB and Volny isn't. We almost have to carry a second import RB and DI them unless we sign Messam because there are no other NI RB's available who can fill the backup RB role. The big difference is that we have a choice if we hire Messam. I'm saying Messam gives us a different type of back who would be a change of pace and could handle the short yardage runs, which would give him more touches than Volny gets so he'd be able to make more of a contribution. All of the above make Messam valuable, both on paper and in game situations. I'm not saying Messam is a huge difference maker who'll win games on his own. I'm saying he is an NI upgrade and we need all the NI upgrades we can find.

Cgy - Always good in the regular season. Skn - Losing Sheets and Dressler will move them down a peg or two. BC - Glenn keeps them in it in the first half of the season. Edm - Started their rebuild a year earlier than we did. Have a good QB. Wpg - Better record than last year, but still no playoffs.

Specific examples of something that hasn't happened and likely never will? Where's the face palm emoticon? Make up a fictional depth chart that has Ford as the DI, then you base your argument on it? If we were to hire Messam, we wouldn't need to DI Ford, but we still could if it made sense. A returner/receiver or a returner/DB would make more sense as a DI if we could adequately back up our starting RB with Messam. You are obviously not reading what I'm typing. My scenario is Messam replacing Volny on the roster. Rostering 2 NI backup RB's makes no sense. Short of a break out year from Volny, we will be actively trying to replace him in the off season anyway.

Grigsby and Ford are red herrings in the situation. Rotating O lineman, RB's and Receivers is so far past a red herring, that it's in the fiction category. It's just not going to happen. Messam is better than Volny. That's who he'd be competing for a job with and who he would replace. Upgrading any NI helps our NI situation. Bringing in a starting NI (None are available) would help our starting NI situation. Volny had 5 special teams tackles, 6 catches for 40 yards and 37 rushes for 160 yards in 3 years. (CFL.CA) Messam had 2 special teams tackles, 1 kick return, 31 catches for 317 yards and 121 rushes for 565 yards last year alone. (CFL.CA) No one on this site would be anywhere near as good as Volny, let alone Messam. Messam doesn't make us worse in any way. Just wanted to add that no one wants to sign every guy who gets cut from other teams. That one is just another red herring.

I'll be happy if Willy starts every game and there isn't any QB controversy this year, because that would mean Willy was doing as well as we all hope he does. I honestly don't think Hall or Brohm are even close to pushing Willy, so for either of them to start would mean Willy is hurt or playing very badly. Either would suck for the Bombers.

We've got 4 DI's who can play on special teams. We don't need every Canuck to play special teams any more. Volny's not a great special team player, so we wouldn't lose much replacing him with Messam. In fact Volny will probably be replaced by one of the defensive DI's anyway. Messam wouldn't be a starter, but that doesn't mean he wouldn't play. Having competent rotation/change of pace/backup NI's is almost as useful as having additional starters. Volny's not a starter, so we wouldn't lose anything anyway. Laurent was the other NI I was talking about. Jade was a waste of a 1st round pick. He didn't provide value on special teams and he didn't provide value at receiver (OK for 2 games in 3 years he did). Messam provides value at RB which makes him more valuable than JE even though he doesn't play special teams. The fact is we need better NI's and we haven't been interested in the 2 best available ones. Waiting for next years draft/FA season means no upgraded NI's this year. I call that a problem. The team disagrees, but then again they don't call anything a problem or a worry. I'm tired of folks thinking that everything the Bombers staff does is right. The last few years have proven that's not the case. I'll give them the benefit of any doubt when they've earned it. This is a forum to discuss the Bombers, both good and bad. Disagreeing with some decisions is just part of that discussion. Without it, this forum would just turn into fan boy central where everyone agrees with everything.

We have a huge NI problem, yet we don't even look at the 2 best NI's to come available in the last couple of weeks? That's a problem IMHO.

I prefer Canucks and Non-Canucks.

That problem sometimes exists, but not in this case. I think you're just overvaluing Volny (Hint: He isn't a special teams ace, he can't stay healthy and he fumbles when he does get chances) and undervaluing Messam (Hint: His last years stats are better than Volny's career stats)

Messam can be the change of pace, big body, short yardage guy that can move the yardsticks. He'd also mean we wouldn't need to DI a change of pace RB so we could use that for another player.

We're a team that has a huge NI problem, why aren't we interested in Messam?

I'd like to have seen more of Marve, but I understand that the Bombers needed to see the most reps out of our starter and the backups. Brohm out played Hall this week. Hall outplayed Brohm last week. I'll bet both are kept on the roster and Marve will be offered PR or 2 man reserve.

Firing Etch now would be idiotic. Hiring him in the first place was too, but nothing we can do about that now.

Every team plays vanilla defence in the pre season. Ours looks way worse than most.

I think the QB chart was decided in the off season and it won't change from the 2 pre-season games unless one of our QB's get hurt. Willy, Hall, Brohm, Marve.

I think Willy and Hall are written in stone at this point, no matter what O'Shea said. It's between Brohm and Marve for the 3rd spot and the PR. If Marve only gets 1 set of downs again, then it's obvious how it will turn out.

Pencer cut = One less thing to argue about going forward.

Being on a team isn't what we should be looking at. It's the NI starters who are the difference makers. Between 2010 and 2013 we had 5 top 4 overall picks including 2 first overall (Muamba/Poblah). Only 1 became a starter. I haven't checked, but I doubt any other team had more top end picks during that time frame.

I liked Cotton over Grisby in the game. Willy and Moore got all the press but, Randle may turn out to be the best off season pick up.

I absolutely love House Of Cards. Can't wait for it to come back on.