JuranBoldenRules

True, he could draw in for certain packages. I'll talk more about him in special teams.

Good timing, had the blog pretty much ready to post by bedtime last night, but didn't post it. Then Edwards retired ...truthfully it didn't change much, just took out a blurb about Edwards and where he might fit, didn't see him starting for the Bombers in 2014. Anyways, part two of six taking a deeper look at the Bomber roster...RBs and receivers is up. http://2ndand10.blogspot.ca/ Feel free to discuss.

Nasty Nate told me $150,000. Ahh...so they got him cheap.

Good guy who put up with a whole lot of crap in his career with the Bombers and is easily a Bomber HOFer. Good, productive receiver who did his job. Also glad to see him make this decision as a productive player and not try to squeeze out another couple of injury plagued seasons where he has to fight for a roster spot.

For sure. Drop questions in the comment section of the blog or ask on here too. If there are specific things people want to know/have questions about, we can try to put something together to answer, especially in season when we have some fresh games to look at. We're going to try to analyze every Blue Bomber dressed in every game (offence and defense) as much as we can in terms of some basic advanced stats (stuff TSN doesn't talk about), but we're also going to try to make it simple and practical so eyes don't glaze over, like mine sometimes do with some of the hockey advanced stats, like when Player X is on the ice in the state of New York after a neutral zone faceoff, his team spends 35% of his shifts in the offensive zone. We won't get that crazy, we'll do stuff like how many yards per carry do our running backs get when they run into Chris Greaves gap.

It's supposed to brainwash you so all you can see are W's...everywhere. Thanks for the feedback.

Hey guys, Had a brainstorm with a friend of mine who is also a football geek this weekend, and we decided to start a new blog on the Bombers and CFL. We were actually talking with a couple other friends about all the NHL and Jets blogs that we look at, and that there's not much on the Bombers or CFL. It will be long-form analysis, and will be really good during the season if we stay motivated. We were talking about it and we think there is a real demand for some in-depth looks at the teams, players and games, and that's what we're going to try to do. We'll really get going with the grading of players and advanced stuff during the season, but for the off-season we are going to do a critical overview of every teams roster, and we'll do some stuff around the draft. Our first post is up, part of our "Mid-February roster analysis," it is on the Bombers QB situation. We're going to look at the Bombers in 6 parts (QB, RB/REC, OL, DL, LB/DB and special teams) plus an overall assessment/discussion. Then we'll look at the other 8 teams, likely in much less detail. Check it out. http://2ndand10.blogspot.ca/

How much could he be making as an RB coach at a small NCAA US college? The University of Central Florida isn't a small US college. Their football program likely pulls double the revenue of the Bombers every season, and more in a season like the one they just had. Keep in mind that their players are a very low fixed cost through scholarships and housing, the only people they spend money on are coaches. They won the AAC (an AQ conference) over Louisville last season and beat Baylor in the Fiesta Bowl (BCS bowl). Their QB will probably be a top 10 NFL pick in the upcoming draft along with Louisville's Teddy Bridgewater. Barrett will be making well into 6 figures there, with stable benefits for himself and his family. The only way someone would leave a job like that might be for a CFL head coaching position.

Taman has never valued volume when it comes to the draft...which is why his drafting is all or nothing, compared to guys like Popp, Buono and Barker.

Because Gill is going to be a great CFL player, more likely to contribute right away (again, assuming no NFL) than any OL on the board too.

He looks like every red-headed trucker I saw any place I stopped on the interstate when I drove from Winnipeg to Toronto through the states.

There's a better chance of the Bombers winning the Grey Cup in 2014 than Coombs starting for anyone at running back in 2014. I think he'll be back with the Bisons, if he's unlucky he'll get stuck on someones PR, his best chance at football glory is 2014 with Yantz, Demski and the Bisons. He's a project as a CFL player. IMO if he turns out he'll end up being a less jacked version of a guy like Durie, he relies way too much on his crazy agility against CIS defenses, something he wouldn't be able to do in the CFL, more of a find the gap, hit the gap kind of running style needed play to play. Gill and Demski are the bonafide CFLers on the Bisons right now. Gill is who I would pick 2nd overall...unless he gets drafted by the NFL, best pick for now and the future.

Gagne-Marcoux had recurring back and shoulder injuries and retired last off-season.

I think there are about 5 iterations of the ratio that would happen before we saw the Bombers starting 2 NI DB's (out of the traditional 5 spots) willingly, including starting a NI tailback. I think the hope is that we can rotate NI's through 2 spots on defence, Some combination of 2 of the following: Thomas and Lucas playing some DL, Newman/Muamba at safety, Bucknor playing dime in some packages, Newman/Sherman/West playing dime/LB, Stephan playing some LB.

So Ottawa is a bunch of hacks, Montreal has no depth... hate to think what you have to say about Winnipeg... I guess that leaves pretty much Sask as the only team with a good OL in the league? Saskatchewan and Calgary. Toronto and BC both have a lot of high-end young guys. Everyone else is pretty much in the same boat with Edmonton and Hamilton standing out as especially bad among the bad.

Not necessarily...but it's a different style of football, especially for OL, so it adds something on top of what any rookie would need to adjust to coming from CIS which could make it a longer transition, but depending on the individual it could be smooth or it could be tougher...much like it would be for any rookie. I'm sure it is something he'll be quizzed on.

Huh? Goossen doesn't play CIS?Simon Fraser plays in the GNAC since 2010...NCAA D2. Interesting I didn't know that. How does it compare to CIS? Pretty similar, a little better. They went winless in their first season, but they weren't the greatest team in CanWest either. It's the 3rd tier of NCAA football after FBS (1-A) and FCS (1-AA).

KGroh was handed to the Redblacks by a team who didn't have another option at centre and ended up signing Sorensen. Has Albright even dressed for a game? Montreal completely let Barrette walk after the season and they have no depth. They have marginal prospects, failed prospects and injured guys. It's an expansion team.

Huh? Goossen doesn't play CIS? Simon Fraser plays in the GNAC since 2010...NCAA D2.

When's the last time Goossen played Canadian football? BC high school is American rules too. Might be a good prospect, but wouldn't rely on him being able to play (well) right away (nor would I rely on Lavertu to be able to jump right in if I'm Walters/O'Shea). He needs to learn the basics of blocking with the DL a yard off the ball, different fronts used is Canadian football, 12 guys on the field, generally starting with fewer guys between the tackles. Take the best player...we have enough holes to fill.

Wally completely turned over the team that won the GC in 1998 & lost to the Ti Cats in 99. if there were 6 players left from that 98 team in 2002 I'd be surprised. That was his decision to do that. Even thought the Stamps won the GC in 2001, he continued to cut or let his players go to FA because he just didn't want to pay. That craptacular 2002 Stampeder team was all his doing. His philosophy of 'younger & cheaper" finally caught up with him that year. What happened with the Lions this off season we saw in Calgary every year he was GM in the 90's & early 2000's. He used to shrug off the players he released saying he could find someone as good or better for a cheaper price. Where did those players go though? Most of them were basically done. The big thing was that they lost all their QB's to the NFL, Garcia and Dickenson, lost Burris to Saskatchewan because he wasn't going to play with Dickenson entrenched in 2000, then he left for the NFL too.

I'd be happy if we win 5 games and very surprised if we're still in the playoff race come October, but I think most (if not all) of the guys we've added will be good pieces as the team rebuilds, Banks probably being the exception but he'll help build the foundation. Not like we signed a 39 year old quarterback or anything silly.

I'm assuming they'll use 3 NI spots on D with Fraser, a LB spot with Pottinger and a DL spot with Shologan, Evans and to a lesser extent Phillips and Capicciotti. If Pottinger goes down they'll have to play 2 NI DL at all times. Then 3 OL and 1 receiver/tight end/fullback. Their OL isn't terrible if the guys coming off injury are all right, but it's below average, they basically got a bunch of guys that nobody wanted/are coming off serious injury other than Shologan and Eppele (who is also coming off an injury, 2 off-season surgeries).

Even with the favourable expansion draft to get an actual QB that can play, I don't think they'll be better than the Renegades were in their first season, 4-14. But at least Burris and Jovon have experience posing for banners that they can put on the side of the stadium, hopefully they didn't already make banners with Glenn.

I like whatever works. Whatever the basic principles of the defense happens to be, they need to change tendency enough that the QB can't read them easily pre-snap, get rid of the ball fast and just roll down the field 8 yards at a time.