iso_55

I could never figure out why Calgary let that guy go. It would be like BC giving us Eliminian. That was a time when the Stamps were one step from a bankruptcy & were badly managed & coached. However we got West it was for virtually a song & he helped us win 3 Grey Cups. But he was a great player in Calgary before he came to the Bombers. We picked up linebacker Frank Robinson virtually the same way from the Riders. We gave up virtually nothing for him. Either Robson or Murphy, whoever was GM a the time fleeced the Stamps & Riders for those players. Oh yeah, THEN... we picked up linebacker Delbert Fowler from the Als for nothing.... Amazing..

I wouldn't call West a discard. he was a CFL ALL Star in Calgary before coming here in 1984 & played a lot of great seasons for the Bombers.

Ottawa is a good example of that. Signing old guys to big contracts....

Maybe 2, certainly one.

Ok...he can play for your team, seeing as you love him so much...not for me thanks So..... if he signs here what are you going to do, stop going to the games? I love the guy only because I know what he'd bring to the Bombers on the field & in the locker rooom. He's a veteran at MLB & fits the bill great! The last thing I want is some clueless rookie MLB getting burned every play. We need experience.

It's an expansion franchise, what did anyone really expect ? They seem to be the darlings of the CFL with the media. Personally, I hope they flop on the field. It would look good on Desjardins.

I'd take the trio of Willy, Nicholls & Hall. We'll only draft one OL in the first round so where are we going to come up with more?

I've seen backers beat up & finished at 28. The guy was in the US Marines, is a physical fitness nut & a fiend in the weight room. He started playing football late because of his military committments. if he can still ball I don't care if he's 35. We need players NOW to help us win games. We need to plug a lot of holes. We went cheap with youth & look where it got us.

I really hope we sign McCune....

I'll take McCune. The man is a beast & intimidating as a linebacker. I'd have preferred the Stamps kept him over Juwan Simpson who hasn't been as dominant as he used to be a few years ago.

Except Austin didn't come back until he was HC and GM. Didn't he turn down the Riders when they offered him the HC position a couple years ago? Truly nit picking, Jacquie. Do you think every NCAA coach won't come up here unless they are both a HC & GM? It isn't nitpicking if Austin turned down big money for just a HC job a couple of years earlier. And I wasn't saying every NCAA coach - I specifically was referring to Austin. You don't know why Austin turned it down. At Harvard, his family got free tuition so maybe that was why he decided to stay. Maybe it just wasn't the best time to uproot his family when the Riders wanted him. Maybe going back to Regina didn't suit him. It could have been personal, family reasons, money, whatever. But you just can't assume he turned down the Riders because only the HC position was available & he wanted to be both HC & GM as you don't know that. As Mike said, every team situation & coach is different.

Except Austin didn't come back until he was HC and GM. Didn't he turn down the Riders when they offered him the HC position a couple years ago? Truly nit picking, Jacquie. Do you think every NCAA coach won't come up here unless they are both a HC & GM? I think we need to remember these guys are individuals. There is no consistent pattern to how any of this works. Exactly. Every team & situation is different.

The redblacks are going to be one of the oldest & least talented teams in the CFL. Give it a couple of years & they'll have more holes to fill than us....

Can't wait to see Jason Vega play boundary corner. Gonna be great....

Losing has a way of wiping the slate clean. That's what this is.

Except Austin didn't come back until he was HC and GM. Didn't he turn down the Riders when they offered him the HC position a couple years ago? Truly nit picking, Jacquie. Do you think every NCAA coach won't come up here unless they are both a HC & GM?

Not as a position coach especially. As a Coordinator maybe. As a HC, yes. Look at Austin.

Great job, JBR. Look forward to reading more.

I thought we were through discussing Mack. Show of hands....

How much could he be making as an RB coach at a small NCAA US college? Probably at least as much as up here plus he'd get a full retirement & health benefits package for himself & family something the CFL doesn't do for assistants up here. Also, if he has kids nearing college age they would get free tuition. In the right place, he could stay at a college for a long time.

For a minute I thought you were serious. I'd like him as a qb coach but he'd never come here as just a position coach & he's entrenched in the NCAA now making more money then he'd ever make up here. I just wish the Bombers would get on with it & announce their coaching staff.

Looks like Rider fans hate the trade on RF.com.

They didn't HAVE to use an American, they used Schmitt because he was the best punter in the league last year. Bartel isn't far off, but Schmitt is better. Bartel is a very, very good directional punter. As a non import it'll change the ratio slightly so I can understand trading for him. The other parts of this trade I don't get.

The question a Rider fan has to ask. Why?

Why not, Jacquie? OL is a trouble spot for us. No doubt one of them can play another position. However, I doubt we could do that. We have no 2nd round pick & we aren't deep anywhere enough where we could package up a starter for another first round pick. Then, it would become counter productive or addition by subtraction.