JuranBoldenRules

Muamba and Mulumba have loads of practice roster time left in the NFL. Won't be here anytime soon. Bilikudi looks to be ineligible for NFL practice rosters, at most he has one season of eligibility left.

Sears or Washington. Maybe one of the new guys. I thought they wanted that to be a Canadian spot? I always thought it would be Alexander at Safety with Bucknor at Field Corner. But If Alexander is better at Corner hopefully Newman can really step up and be a good safety for us. I just can't see two Canadians in the secondary. I see it as 4 OL, 2 REC, 1 rotating on D Two NIs starting in the secondary is unlikely, but ocassionally occuring as part of 3 OL, 2 REC, 1 DB and 1 rotating on D is quite possible. This has to be Walter's/OShea's backup plan if none of our NI's meet the minimum standard needed for a starting right tackle. Agree with this. I'm not a huge fan of Neufeld, and I don't think it will be that hard for Newman, Thomas, Lucas and Bucknor, maybe Stephan and Briggs as the season goes on, to cover all defensive snaps one at a time. Having 2 NI's on the field defensively is much less of a liability (given the guys we've added who can play a little bit) IMO than having Neufeld chasing after edge rushers, not allowing any of our QB's to confidently set up in the pocket. If Neufeld is capable of starting at RT, fine. But I'd hope we wouldn't stick him in that critical spot out of ratio desperation. I think we also need to see him healthy before he can be pencilled in.

They owe $40 million which is less than half the Bombers debt so the Riders have a much better chance to actually pay the debt off. Maybe the Bombers should have had a surcharge on tickets to help pay down their debt as well. I do happen to think that the Riders wanting fans & companies in Saskatchewan to help raise another $40 million in additional revenues to pay off the Riders stadium debt after their surcharge of $8 rising to $12 per ticket is greedy. If I buy tickets to a Rider game as a casual fan or season ticket holder then I've done enough. No way I'll give more. I bet a lot of individuals & companies will feel the same in Saskatchewan. Plus a $100 million dollar loan taken out by the City of Regina that will be paid through the $12 facility fee on Riders tickets, which would work out to needing to sell about 465,000 give or take a few thousand tickets to events at the stadium to make the yearly payments. 11 Rider games (if they make the playoffs) x 33,000 (assuming they sell out every game for 31 years) leaves them about 100,000 short. Who knows, maybe they'll draw 3 summer concerts that bring 100,000 into the stadium, every year for 31 years. It's very similar to IGF, just that the city is more involved than the province, but the ability to meet long-term debt obligations as the deal proposes is lacking in both cities.

Good to see another long snapper added. I'm not too enthused about relying on a starting LB to do that job over 18 games, high risk of injury for a guy playing every down, and then who snaps? Rather have a specialist doing that job, and Fitzgerald sure didn't look too capable of doing the job last training camp.

They've been begging for private investment in the new stadium for years already. All they've got so far is some diversion of a hotel tax from the hotel association that amounts to $15 million over 10 years or $10 million over 5 years, something like that, basically a drop in a pail. Much like our stadium, the government will end up paying for it. They might end up recovering more of that investment than we will, but very similar deals, other than the U of M getting some money from the Feds here to build a new facility to replace Frank Kennedy.

Plus a housing allowance.

I'd hope we'd be able to find someone better than Will Ford at tailback given an off-season to find some guys.

But, most of the guys fans care about are in the upper class of CFL players. For example, if a couple import QB's break from the PA, that could have more influence than 150 other imports striking. Break from the PA and what? Stop playing in the CFL I guess. Anyway the fans don't vote on contracts the players do. Most would be in favour of a base increase. Break from the PA and try to rally players to oust the PA leadership, much like a group in the NHLPA did in the spring of 2005. I'm in favour of increases across the board, but to have the minimum salary hit 6 figures by the end of the decade would be a little bit out there. TSN money isn't guaranteed in perpetuity, and it's almost impossible to negotiate something like a minimum salary down. The best solution for the minimum salary would be to make it a % of the SMS ceiling IMO, not a specific number. Six players making big coin are not going to rally hundreds of lower paid players wanting a raise. And they already ousted a person and got their man. 100k is not unreasonable IMO and if the league struggles they can deal with it then. The players have shown in the past they are willing to move to save the league. If every player in the league makes $100k, that's about $6 million per team in player salaries. That's not paying stars, veteran players, starting NI's and QB's much more than the minimum. You're effectively doubling the amount teams spend on player salaries within a half-decade, unless every player is going to play for the minimum. The league just doesn't have the stability to sustain that kind of upward pressure on payroll. There's no guarantee that the TV money will stay, the league went from a pretty significant TV deal in the early-mid 80s to basically nothing before. This deal runs through 2018. Who even knows what the market for cable TV and broadcasting will be by then... The stuff about players giving up money to save the league is hardly relevant IMO. What about the cheques Bob Young, Wetenhall and Braley have cut to save the league? You're talking tens of millions vs tens of thousands. Players aren't going to win that peeing contest. Raise the SMS limit, the floor raises too, players will get paid, because they have to. Raising the minimum salary absurdly beyond the current average salary within 3 years just does not make sense. The owners and players need to share the windfall, so far both proposals have been ridiculously lopsided in favour of the side proposing them.

As a centre his technique is pretty much going to be the same. He might have to work on adjusting his footwork, but it's nothing that Wylie wouldn't be able to help him with. It might be more different if he was going to be playing tackle. He'll probably be snapping shotgun about 65 times more a game than he ever has before. That's a concern. But I'd prefer him learning to do that than Morley doing it. The yard off the ball is one too, he'll have to get used to more of a finesse game than just pure head bashing, DL and blitzers have a little more time to read the blocking and make a move, or set him up for a stunt. Tackles are on an island in American and Canadian football, and the yard off the ball isn't as big of a deal, most edge rushers in American football aren't lining up right on OT's, they either line up a gap wider, a step off the line as basically a LB or both. The big difference would be the athleticism of the edge rushers between the GNAC and CFL. I don't think it's fair to compare him to Brett Jones, but I have a feeling we'll get a heavy dose of that.

But, most of the guys fans care about are in the upper class of CFL players. For example, if a couple import QB's break from the PA, that could have more influence than 150 other imports striking. Break from the PA and what? Stop playing in the CFL I guess. Anyway the fans don't vote on contracts the players do. Most would be in favour of a base increase. Break from the PA and try to rally players to oust the PA leadership, much like a group in the NHLPA did in the spring of 2005. I'm in favour of increases across the board, but to have the minimum salary hit 6 figures by the end of the decade would be a little bit out there. TSN money isn't guaranteed in perpetuity, and it's almost impossible to negotiate something like a minimum salary down. The best solution for the minimum salary would be to make it a % of the SMS ceiling IMO, not a specific number.

He'll be rewarded by having a guy come to his house or the team facility randomly and watch him pee.

'Overpaying' is just referring to how Taman's move to get Craig Butler was portrayed... basically, you have a chance to get your guy and ditch two picks to move up. Briggs was one of the guys I was hoping would be around for our second pick - not a shot at Walters at all. We finally have a GM who is acting like a CFL GM. The Butler pick was lucky more than anything, they were going to take Hugh O'Neill but Buono got him a pick earlier.

Four designated imports now. Also, if we have two import OL, where's the other Canuck? DL and Newman/dime.

Ottawa's depth chart is seriously ugly. I am happy that Aaron Hargreaves will finally get a shot after 7 years though.

I think we go with 4 import DB's, 2 import OL, DI's are kicker, returner/RB/receiver, DE/LB hybrid type guy that Etch loves. If they feel like Neufeld can start, that import spot goes to the secondary.

Walters and O'Shea didn't seem to feel too good about the 2nd overall pick. More like "we did what we had to do...1st round, draft OL."

I like Briggs. Don't know if he'll ever play every down, but I think he'll be able to be Labbe-ish.

I'm looking forward to the tweets this season..."My faith won't let me accept my teammate doing immoral things with a girl who isn't his wife #adulterer"

So clearly we wanted Lavertu...why didn't any of the press corps ask if the Bombers tried to trade up to #1?

Gott is not worth that pick...he's one concussion away from retirement...feel bad for any Ottawa fans.

Ottawa just traded 1st overall straight up for Gott?

Hopefully they have more than one team interested in the 2nd pick. Who does BC want? Foucault? They don't need Goossen.

But, most of the guys fans care about are in the upper class of CFL players. For example, if a couple import QB's break from the PA, that could have more influence than 150 other imports striking.

Pruneau and Lue are coming into the CFL at the right time, with teams looking at NI DB/LB's as more than safeties. Hard to know who the Ticats are targeting, but they have a pretty big hole at NI receiver too behind Fantuz and Giguere...they've got Johnny Aprile and Spencer Armstrong.

Sounds like they are on two extremes. The $55,000 minimum with a yearly 10% increase is as crazy as moving the cap up by $100,000. In three years the league minimum salary would be nearly $75,000, in five years almost $90,000. I can't imagine a lot of higher end players would be too happy about that. Even if they got a share of revenue, say revenues drop or level out, but the minimum salary is $100,000...the only place for teams to claw back salary is on higher paid players. Hard to know who holds clout in the union though, they are all repped by 3 agents too which complicates things.