17to85

When you compare what he did to other teams Macks drafting doesn't look that poor at all, stacks up pretty comparably. Trouble is people always focus on the guys taken later who worked out and said "SEE! HE COULD HAVE HAD THIS GUY!!111!!" You can do that for every team though, but no one here does it. Mack had his issues but I don't think drafting was really one of them.

Obviously Miller is forcing Walters to hire Khari Jones and this meeting is really just about working out a contract.

Well, you can hang on to that belief, I guess. So it looks to me that if you were running the Bombers you'd be selling the fanbase on giving Mack a chance & keeping him on as GM. To continue to let him work his well laid out plan whatever the hell that is. Or that continual change is bad so therefore he deserves to stay & this team is on the cusp of greatness. That all that's needed at the GM position is patience. And you'd have a huge revolt on your hands with the same fanbase. The old expression says you can put makeup on a pig but in the end it's still a pig. I'm glad Miller, Walters & just about everybody else see it like I do.I think what needs to be done is for all parties on both sides of this argument need to put the Mack era behind us & move on. Time to throw our support with the new regime & give them a chance. People on both sides of the Mack argument like you & I will never agree. We'll continue to go round & round so like I said it's time to move on. This post really confirms to me that you either do not understand what Dave has been saying for the past 6 months or you're choosing to ignore it. If you're so insistent on debating with him, why don't you debate what he actually said instead of debating against an argument you're making for him? if you can't argue the point make up a new one that you can and hope to sucker your opponent into that new debate.

I don't pump tires, I try and provide balance to the blanket "he was terrible" statements people like you like to make.

Kelly mixed passion with insanity and ego, I don't get the same crazy vibes from walters at least.

Tsoumpas. Getting a guy like that would do a hell of a lot of good for the o-line.

This is really true, he said a lot of good things when he was introduced and you can tell that this guy wants to build a good team here and cares about doing what he thinks will get that good team. Any one of us could get up there and rattle off what needs to be done to do it so the things he actually pointed out don't mean a lot but I like the level of passion he seems to show. I don't think this guy is going to slack off when it comes to trying to get things on the right track.

After watching the bits of the press conference on the bomber website I really do think that the reason Miller went with Walters is because he liked what he did this year when he got the job on a temporary basis. There is obviously a reason that Walters went from ST coach to draft guy to AGM as quick as he did. There has to be something there that people see in him that lead them to believe that he can do the job. Yeah he's a rookie and got no experience, but that doesn't mean he's bad at the job, it remains to be seen how good he is.

This is complete and total speculation that it's Walters/O'Shea vs. Miller/Khari....ridiculous that we're treating it as fact. Well I'm glad you said it. Bugs me to no end that people are willing to treat this crap as fact. Isn't it funny how when it became apparent that Walters was the GM the rumours switched from Khari for HC to O'Shea for HC? Sounds to me like a lot of speculation prior to a GM being in place and once a GM was in place his choice is the front runner, is that not how it's supposed to be? But nooooooooo you all gotta be typical Bomber fans and run around like ******* talking about a conspiracy. So are you going to also say the search for GM was thorough and transparent process or that maybe, just maybe it was a one-horse race since Miller got the chair? and that has what to do with this silly idea that miller and walters are butting heads on a head coach? Miller is the CEO he can hire whoever he wants as a GM

Says the guy who thinks there was a league-wide conspiracy to hand the Grey Cup to the Argos last season. That's different, that's just a fact.

Some interesting names

This is complete and total speculation that it's Walters/O'Shea vs. Miller/Khari....ridiculous that we're treating it as fact. Well I'm glad you said it. Bugs me to no end that people are willing to treat this crap as fact. Isn't it funny how when it became apparent that Walters was the GM the rumours switched from Khari for HC to O'Shea for HC? Sounds to me like a lot of speculation prior to a GM being in place and once a GM was in place his choice is the front runner, is that not how it's supposed to be? But nooooooooo you all gotta be typical Bomber fans and run around like ******* talking about a conspiracy.

Doesn't that contradict itself?

Stop chugging the haterade for Mack for a second and look at the situation. The only thing that saved Kellys ass in terms of Canadians was having 2 top level NIs in Doug Brown and Brendan Labatte. Without those two there was sweet **** all on the team for NIs AND Kelly and Taman were trading all kinds of draft picks. Mack did draft several starters for this team and did build some depth in some places that wasn't there before, he just had Brown getting old and retiring and Labatte being a little ***** who can't be away from home.

If you were GM of the Bombers you'd take up drinking too.

Seems to me that sets the dominos in motion with repercussions on nearly every team as assistants will be moving around. It's going to be a hell of a ride seeing who lands where, lot of coaching staffs will look a lot different next year.

The problem with Wiecek is that he doesn't really give a **** about the CFL. He'd rather be doing his horse racing or curling than covering the Bombers and because of that despite being a pretty good writer his pieces on the Bombers are very lacking in substance. Are you saying that Winnipeg -- capital of Manitoba -- Free Press reporter -- the guy who writes articles -- Paul Wiecek is a good -- as in capable -- writer? In a technical sense yes, it's the content that is the problem with him when it comes to the Bombers.

Did you happen to notice how much better the linebackers looked this year compared to last? I don't think that is a coincidence at all. As a positional coach Creehan is good, as a defensive coordinator not so much but let's not use that to say he's not good at coaching a position. Who had the secondary this year? I've mentally blocked this year after about August to be honest; just recall our back end was highly underwhelming. Was that Creehan's mastery? Carl Franks was DB coach. I dunno if he was any good or not but I am thinking that when it comes to being a coordinator Creehan is a bit lost when it comes to the back end just based on the iffy coverage here and the terrible coverage in hamilton with him there. Probably why he and burke work well together. Burke knows the secondary and Creehan can handle the front 7.

The problem with Wiecek is that he doesn't really give a **** about the CFL. He'd rather be doing his horse racing or curling than covering the Bombers and because of that despite being a pretty good writer his pieces on the Bombers are very lacking in substance.

I am mostly interested in seeing how Jones and Hervey work. Seems to me that Jones has some management ambitions as well so if Hervey continues to be a clown do we see a power struggle?

I'd love Dressler. SB's that can have great hands, repeatedly get open, and separate from coverage at an elite level are not common. Stegall and Geroy come to mind. Dressler's got the potential to be in that class. I get that freakishly athletic WR's come out of college all the time now... but 17to85 among others is famous around here for debating the merits of arm strength vs. technical proficiency and smarts for a QB. When do we start the conversation about technical proficiency vs. freakish raw attributes for a WR? If a guy like Dressler wants to talk to your club because it's closer to home for him and he's leaving his current club... I try my best to take that shot. It's not about not wanting a guy like that, it's about not breaking the bank on a guy like that. If you are going to spend whatever it takes to get a free agent then make it in a more impactful position. quarterback, a top NI something like that. Finding a receiver who can get you over 1000 yards isn't that hard.

Did you happen to notice how much better the linebackers looked this year compared to last? I don't think that is a coincidence at all. As a positional coach Creehan is good, as a defensive coordinator not so much but let's not use that to say he's not good at coaching a position.

You know that's not true. Guys like Friesen are just trolls and will always spin things as negative as possible. Mark my words, when the Bombers next win the Grey Cup Friesens article is going to be titled "All Down Hill From Here"

a guy making lame puns is a lot different than what the tsn panel does.

No they will not. Might get one years grace period but it won't be any more than that. As it should be. In a nine-team league where six teams make the playoffs, it should only take one year to contend for a playoff spot, which is usually 8 - 9 wins, and 2 years to contend for the Grey Cup. We're not talking about a 30-team league where half or two-thirds of the teams don't make the playoffs That's ridiculous, you have to take a more in depth look into things than simply wins and losses, especially when the Bombers are moving into a 5 team conference with stiff competition. I don't think it's ridiculous at all. Bombers should be competitive and be able to win 8 games minimum next season. Other teams can do it, why not the Bombers? Saskatchewan went from 5-13 in 2011 to 8-10 in 2012. TIcats improved from 3-15 in 2008 to 9-9 in 2009. Stamps went from 4-14 in 2004 to 11-7 in 2005. Argos improved from 3-15 in 2009 to 9-9 in 2010 and from 6-12 in 2011 to 9-9 with a Grey Cup victory in 2012. Those are some recent examples. Bombers have an added advantage of reigning in the other teams this season with the expansion draft because the 10-12th best imports and 7th and 8th best non-imports on all those other teams are better than the Bomber equivalent. Talent discrepancy between all the other teams and the Bombers should narrow ever so slightly but every little bit helps. Bombers will have ample opportunities to improve the team this off-season. They said they will be a player in free agency. Well that better consist of more than trading and signing Zach Collaros to a contract because if that's all they do, they will end up like Edmonton - a team with a good Qb and little else. Sign Harris - he will help with Canadian content immensely. Sign Dressler - our receivers aren't anything great and he would immediately become our No. 1. Sign a halfway decent O-lineman - yeah, even someone like Picard who is on the downward side of his career. He 's better than our current centre and better than bringing in garbage like Dewitt last year. Our current line is too young or not good enough, take your pick. Time for some effective change there. Sign free agents for our secondary. Ours was crap most of the year and made up mostly of midgets. No real gamers back there since 2011. If free agents aren't an option then scour the States for a few that are taller than 5'9". I'm tired of this attitude that it takes "at least 2 years to rebuild." This attitude seemed to be rubbing off on Burke as that is what he said at the end of this season so he can leave for all I care. That's a loser attitude and excuses slow progress. If the team makes some good free agent signings and fills in the rest with some talented players from the down south no reason they can't make the playoffs. yeah just like that sign everyone on your wishlist easy right? Except it's never that easy. Chances of getting 1 impact player in free agency are low never mind multiples. Yes you can turn things around in one season, but it doesn't always happen and if there isn't a huge turn around in record you can't judge solely on that. When you're a team with so little continuity and no quarterback expecting a quick turn around is just setting people up to fail.