TBURGESS

Typical fan forum 'analysis'. None of our NI's are below average. 😄 BTW: Above average and average or better both kinda mean the same thing. I agree that Harris should be in his own category... ratio breaker.

I say there's no way we should be in cap hell. Got rid of 7 starters salaries, including 3 all star NI's and we got rid of some higher priced backups like Wild and Leggett. Paid some extra to a few players and added Jefferson and Rose. Likely it means we don't want to pay 2 more first round draft picks. In which case, make sure to draft someone who is going to the NFL this year.

FTR: 1974 - 12 day strike.

No I'm suggesting that last year's backups, who are now starters, shouldn't be considered as good as last years all stars who they are replacing until/unless they prove it. You're confusing where we are right now, with were we might be at the end of the season. Two very different things. I'm not worried. I'm not saying we won't be competitive. I'm not suggesting that the Stamps or us will be near the bottom of the league. In the beginning, I said that both teams lost a lot of talent in the off season and that I have them a 1 & 2 overall. FTR: We lost more NI talent (Which is what we're actually talking about) than the Stamps did. 3 all stars to 1. You have to assume that our new starters are as good as other teams last years starters to assume that we will be better than most teams in NI talent. I'm not going there with you.

'Isn't noticeably worse than the rest of the league' isn't the same as 'close to the best'. If you were talking last year, then I'd agree that our Canuck talent was one of, if not the best in the league. Take 3 all stars away and I don't think it's still true. The 'who knows what we will think of' group are just that. They may or may not be great this year or down the road. What we do know is 2 of them will likely be starters this year, because we don't have any other real choices. If the league goes down to 5 NI starters, then we're in a much better spot. Our top 5 may even be 'close to the best'. 1 star. 2 second tier. 2 average to below average.

Is it tho?

There's the crux of the matter. Do we really still have close to the best Canuck talent in the league? Harris is the best NI RB in the league. Woli had a breakout season, netting him 22nd in the league in receiving. Demski's 2nd tier or lower (28th in receiving). The rest are average to below average NI's.

They don't look stupid at all. They look like they paid the players what their contracts say they will get paid.

Any other team lose 3 all star NI's this off season? No? Then it's even better for us than other teams.

Loffler cracked the lineup in year 1. Jones was on that team and had 2 more years of pro experience than Loffler at the time. If the Bombers thought that Jones was 'the right guy' back then, they'd have given him more reps at safety. It could be argued that they wouldn't have even drafted Loffler if they thought that Jones could play safety. You're arguing that 4 years in, Jones was finally ready to supplant Loffler who had been an all star every year he was in the league, except that Jones he got injured. Your 'reasoning' is that stats be damned. Quite frankly, Walters saying that 3 year all star Loffler almost lost his job last year to a career special teams player when it became clear that Loffler wasn't going to sign with us, is very close to throwing a player under the bus. I didn't think that was the Canadian Mafia's way.

That would be great for us.

Crappy business practice to stop players from signing with other leagues. I'd expect that part of the league going under would be the cancelling of all player contracts. That being said a cornerstone of all leagues is honouring other leagues contracts. No one wants the NFL to ignore CFL contracts even tho they are a different league in a different country.

Jones is a 5 year vet with 18 Defensive tackles overall. He's never cracked the starting lineup. He's been a good special teams guy. He was injured most of last year. Loffler is a 3 year vet with 185 Defensive tackles in 2 years less playing time. He started in his rookie year and has been an all star every year he's been in the league. Huge difference in the two players CFL careers so far. Huge potential for a significant drop off too. It's way easier to replace an import than a NI which makes your Bond example a red herring. It wouldn't be as much of a potential problem to replace 1 all star NI as it is to replace 3 of them in the same year. When folks pivot from discussing the post to calling the poster a troll, they have already lost the argument.

Classic fan forum stuff, whether it's here or on the Riders forum. When a player is on our team he's great, an all star, likely best in the league. When he leaves, we won't miss a beat, he wasn't that good anyway, his backup will be just as good, likely better, heck, his backup woulda coulda shoulda taken his job last year (The GM said as much after we knew he wasn't coming back), his new team overpaid to get him and they'll be sorry. Anyone who disagrees is just a negative troll who must be argued with. SMITE HIM... SMITE HIM.

Every backup doesn't become a starter. Every starter wasn't a backup first. Lots of examples of draft picks and imports coming in and starting right away. The 2 new starters didn't 'move up because of injury'. Neither outplayed the starter. Both are backups who have become starters because the guys who used to be the starters left the team. How do I know that they didn't earn their spots? If they had, they'd have been the starters at the end of last season. Did the Bombers decide in advance how much they were willing to pay Chungh? Sure. Was it the right number? Not to get him to sign. Could he make more elsewhere? Yup, in BC. No, I didn't like it that Chungh and Goossen were forced to start year one because we didn't give ourselves any other choices. It worked out in the long run, but in both 2014, Goosen's first year and 2015, Chungh's first year, we missed the playoffs. Our O line wasn't exactly dominant back then. It has been for the last couple of seasons, but we're back at square one for 2 of the 3 NI OL spots. Can we continue produce the offence we have in the last couple of seasons without a dominant O line? Will Nichols be able to get back to 2017 form without as much time? Will Harris churn out as many yards without as big holes to run through? That's what we'll find out this year. I wouldn't be as worried if we only had to replace 1 all star NI as I am that we have to replace 3 of them.

I like starters to earn their spots, not be given them because their competition decided to leave.

You're getting it wrong. It's going to take 10 years so it shouldn't be the number 1 priority is the mindset.

The constant rule changes have increased under Ambrosie and I don't give him a pass because it happened before he took the job. More foreign players isn't a fix for any of the big CFL problems. Certainly won't fix Toronto, Montreal or get them closer to signing a deal with the CFLPA. CFL 2.0 has the POSSIBILITY of increasing audiences and revenue, but that's a ways off in the future, if ever. If Ambroise wants to work on it as his 4th priority, then I've got no problems with it, but he's put it as his top priority and I'm against that.

I like most of what Ambrosie has done, but I don't like the constant rule changes or focusing on Europe & Mexico when there are more important things to work on.

If that's what you think I'm saying then you're choosing not to understand. I started saying that the we and Calgary look like the top two teams. That's nothing like the sky is falling. We're making at least 7 changes to starters this year and that's before the new guys get a chance to show what they've got and before any injuries. We're replacing all stars with backups. We're still without a second go to receiver. CFL teams are built around their lines and their Canadian talent. We took big hits to our O line and our Canadian talent. We stuck to our spreadsheet max numbers so we only managed one top end FA signing and a second level player. Luckily, the rest of the teams in the West also lost good players and are making several changes. I'd say the BC is the only western team that looks to be better now than they were last year. Good enough to keep us in 3rd again? We'll see, but even if that happens, the sky isn't falling.

Couture started 2 games in 3 years. He's mostly been used in the short yardage team. That's not being a starter. It's being a backup who has had to start a couple of times due to injury to the starters. Foketti's an import who has also started 2 games in 3 years. If we have to start him, we have to start an extra NI somewhere else. I hope that doesn't happen unless the CFL reduces the number of NI starters required. Gray's a prospect. None of the above would be starters if Chungh/Goosen were still around. Being 'close to being a starter' isn't being a starter. It isn't being as good as the starter. It's not being an upgrade over last years starter. 'Not out of the realm of possibility' isn't the same as it's probable. We didn't plan on getting Bighill. We didn't save SMS room to get Bighill. We lucked into getting Bighill. If it wasn't for Double-Doosh taking the money and running, we wouldn't have had the SMS money for Bighill. Matthews ended up in Calgary last year because they obviously valued him more than we did. We didn't go hard after him, which was a mistake IMO. I doubt we're waiting for him to shake free this year. Goosen didn't take over from an all-star. I like Woli, but heir apparent to Dressler and better than him too? That's what it would take for him to be an upgrade. I'm guessing you think Peterman could be the 3rd NI receiver? He'd have to add 500 yards to last years output, which is more than 3 times his yardage to get to Woli's last years production. That's what would have to happen to make Woli/Peterman a ratio upgrade.

I wouldn't have re-signed Dressler, but we still have to replace him. We know Coulture/Gray's names, but they haven't been starters before and they wouldn't be starters this year if we'd been able to keep Chungh/Goosen. Randle was a SMS decision IMO. He didn't have any problem finding a new job, neither did Fogg (although I don't think he's a big loss) for that matter. We could have afforded JSK and Loffler, especially considering we didn't manage to sign any of the top receivers. I think JSK was worth more than we offered. Loffler matters because of his passport and because we lost 2 other starting NI's. I roll my eyes at fans who think we can magically replace 3 all star NI's with their backups and not miss a step. Not sure why you're bringing Bighill up. Great signing, but not an upgrade from last year. Bombers aren't the only team in a good spot to pay NFL cuts or rejects.

I'm wondering where they mark the ball. Start of the slide. End of the slide. Likely can't hit a sliding QB, but maybe when he's touched? Is diving forward a slide? Is slowing down a football move or giving up? Is pretending to slide, then taking an extra 4 or 5 yards when the defender slows up OK? There's a lotta wiggle room here for QB's and a lot of chances for fans to complain about the spot and the calls.

He should spend whatever time it takes to try and solve the big issues like Montreal, Toronto and the CFLPA. GM's don't know how much money they have to spend, but the have to offer contracts anyway. Think that makes for a better CFL? IF eyes meant money, then OK, but more eyes don't automatically mean more money. It just means more eyes. IF he doesn't get a TV deal in Mexico and Europe then it's all been for nothing. You must be a big Nero fan.... keep on fiddling while Rome burns or in this case keep on fiddling with stuff that might not ever matter while letting the big problems fester.

Maybe the Commish will be outta town. Latvia this time?😄