GCn20

I honestly don't see McKnight winning that job.

I don't see Adams as a loss on the field really. I think replacing his production with a rookie will be very doable. Lawler is a really good receiver and Ellingson is step back from him but I could also see Ellingson going over a 1000.

I agree. Desjarlais was the one that hurts the most. Honestly, I could see Ellingson being a top 5 receiver this year. It makes a huge difference when your QB has time to deliver you the ball.

We are still seeing some of the fruits of RIgmaiden too.

We had 80% of the divisional all star team on our roster last year. Something had to give. It was inevitable. The fact we retained about 80% of that 80% puts us in a great position to three-peat.

Blake Jackson, Carlton Adugosi are guys that were on the cusp last year and I expect one of them to replace Darvin. Harris in all honestly is not a huge loss to our ability to win and that was proved last year. Stove is a loss, but DTs are not a tough find imo. Lawler and Desjarlais are our two big losses this year and I don't see their losses as being ones that bring us back to the pack in the CFL.

For sure. We retained our dominance in the trenches. I look at our D front 7, and our OL, and I don't see a team even close to our level of talent and that's how champions are built.

I look up and down our lineup and I still see the best team in the CFL. Don't get caught up in the hype of what other teams are doing, they were so far behind us that the question is whether they can realistically catch up.

Lawler had 300,000 reasons to leave, Stove will get top DT money, and we simply moved on from Harris and Adams due to cost vs diminishing returns. The guys we really NEEDED back all signed back at below market value. We didn't have to get better, we just had to stay ahead. If we don't rest guys and take the last couple weeks off we are basically a one loss team in 2021. We were so much better than anyone else that we could afford to lose a couple guys. Look at the all star team, it was all Bombers...lol.

I don't want us spending big on vets at DT anyway. Probably the easiest recruitable position in the CFL. Also, I think if we go the vet route I would rather go for a Drake Nevis who will likely come cheap and provide lots of bang for the buck.

All I know is that we roasted him pretty badly in our games against Edmonton. What he did against other teams? Not sure but he sure didn't impress me with his games against us. He said that last year just before signing Bryant Mitchell. Not saying he has that kind of purchasing power this year but Walters plays his cards pretty close to his vest.

We'll see how good because they will have to be great because their DL is about as tough as a wet noodle now.

He made such a big difference that they were roasted on defence game in and game out. Look, I'm not going to sugar coat it but when your defence is on the field 45 mins a game you will get your chance to make plays and he made some but his impact was magnified by the incompetence around him.

Bottom line: Riders OL sucks, Riders DL sucks. That will again be the story of their season. Shiny baubles that don't produce up to expectation then half way through the season Riderfans will have a "revelation" that maybe the FA dough should have been spent in the trenches. Then they will under perform get knocked out in the playoffs and Riderfans will yearn for every shiny bauble on the FA market once again ignoring the fact that the trenches suck.

Moncrief is way over rated. You guys pumped his tires so hard that you are believing your own hype about him. Sankey is solid though.

They had too. Their LBing crew was a disaster last year.

They are going to need them because their DL is average to below average right now.

Why? We are fine at SAM.

I'm glad they went and got Moncrief. He is over rated imo.

Receivers are only as good as the QB and the OL protecting him. I expect big numbers from whoever we roll out at receiver because our QB has time to find them and the arm to deliver the ball. I am not knocking Lawler but realistically he is not the top receiver in the league last year playing for someone else.

Edmonton was an absolute gong show last year...300k...yea that's probably the number he had to go to get him. In defense of Jones, he inherited a franchise in disarray and it takes money to lure guys to a rebuild. He needed to establish Edmonton as a destination for free agents and that means some overpaying for a couple years.

Duke's a great 50/50 guy but his speed, especially after returning from the NFL overweight, is suspect.

Ellingson is a very similar type receiver to Lawler so not surprised at all. As I said in another thread I think we may now work on getting another receiver and go 2 fo1 on what we would have had to pay Lawler.

If you have to replace a receiver like Lawler who has great hands, runs great routes, and wins 50/50 balls then Greg Ellingson is one of the guys that fits that mold to a tee.

I somehow don't think we are done for receivers. I just have a gut feeling that we may bring back Bryant Mitchell. Not basing it on anything though.