GCn20

What gives me pause on the whole get rid of Zac and keep Brown train of thought is that our backup QBs have historically always been over rated by the fans. Barnes, Elliott, Marve....all guys who we raved about and thought like were a lock to be the next great CFL starter....none of them carved out any kind of CFL career beyond backup. Second, is the age argument. There are a ton of examples...too many to list...of QBs playing at a high level and leading their teams to championships well into their late 30s. It's a red herring argument imo. The third is the argument that ZC has not played well in Grey Cups so we should get rid of him. What has Brown done in big games, in fact what big games has he even played? We have no idea how he would respond to this kind of pressure and that would concern me greatly. In fact, what teams has Brown even beaten that are good? Way too unproven for my liking. He is developing nicely and on a team without a QB I would be glad to take him and give him a shot. That is not our current situation though. I completely agree that the very best career move by Brown would likely to be to sign what you are describing this year. The only teams that might give him a sniff right now are train wrecks where success would be very difficult.

Most under rated defensive player in the league.

That's all fine and good, but how long do you think we can save money if Brown were to emerge as a star? Not long, one season. How long could cutting ZC loose and finding out that Brown could not handle the starting duties cripple us? A long time potentially multiple seasons. There is no way that Brown signs anything more than a one year prove it contract on the cheap anywhere.

If we lose Dru and he goes onto great success, good for him. No team can keep all it's young up and coming stars. I would rather lose Dru now and see what happens than to keep him and turf ZC. If Dru turns into this generational QB, and let's be serious, that's a long shot....then maybe we try lure him back in FA down the line. Worked for a few teams already. Mike Reilly, Henry Burris etc all QBs who left their original team for a starting opportunity and then went back when the starting job opened up.

I agree in what you are saying as far as the CFL goes where trench talent is hard to acquire. In the NFL the top of the draft will always be skilled guys mostly, and that is because there is a plethora of line talent available. The exception to the rule mostly being blindside OT which are coveted guys.

He was the number one rated QB in just about every category and led us to a first place finish. Almost every CFL pundit was hailing him as the probably MOP up to about game 15. If that is chinks in the armor, it's still performing at a very high level. Not in 2020 it wasn't. Collaros was OK in that game, nothing special. That is basically our team approach to offence in the playoffs though.

Do you still think that is wise if he performs like Dane Evans did when he was in the exact same situation? There is a crap load of risk attached to making Brown our starter. Brown had one great game, one pretty average game, and one alright relief appearance. I think that it is too early to hand him the keys to the franchise when you have the league's best QB already. I want a great QB this year. Too many variables to even start looking beyond two years from now. Collaros is a great QB...FACT....Dru is a great QB....MAYBE or MAYBE NOT. I'll go with the known commodity. Just my opinion. The CFL sees such turnover that I don't think it's wise to look beyond 2 years. I do agree in a perfect world we lock up Brown as well, but it is unlikely to happen. Guess we will have to wait until FA 2026 to sign him as our starter if he works out as one.

Agreed...but every team has those and needs those. As long as we pay him accordingly. He's not quite there yet, but he is certainly showing improvement and the ability to get there.

Great...thanks for your OPINION.

If you aren't improving you are not automatically getting worse. That is simply not true, Also, who says Brown is an improvement? Why is everyone ruling out the possibility that Zac cuts down on turnovers, (really the only flaw in his game last year) and has a great season?

Me too. He quickly became my favorite choice for HC/GM to WTF was that in one boneheaded transaction. After watching the likes of studs like Alex Brink/Justin Goltz/Drew Willy I am not willing to throw away the league's best QB because he may or may not start declining if he doesn't age right. Not when hacks like Trevor Harris at 40 are still finding employment because QB ranks are thin around the league. Not by any stretch of the imagination actually, Moving on from ZC carries way more risk than keeping him. WAAAAAY more. It's the CFL, we really can't look past this year at all. Way too many things can happen. In 2019 we started the season with Matt Nichols and ended the season with Zac Collaros as our starter. I doubt anyone saw that coming. We ride with our best bet to win now and IF we need to replace ZC down the line then Walters will have to do his magic once again.

Kramdi looked awful his first few games as a starter but he really rounded into form nicely and was playing some very good ball at the end of the year. Good signing by the Bombers, his trajectory appears to be going up.

NFL workouts are almost always done during the option year window available to all CFL players. NFL teams will do the option year and CFL FAs at the same time. That window is open now. I believe around December 8th. - mid-February. Could BO wait? Sure he could. Does it benefit him to do so? No. Does it benefit any NFL team to wait? No. Every NFL team is combing for talent at the very first opportunity they get. If an NFL team waits they may lose out. If a player waits an NFL team might sign someone else at his position. I guarantee as soon as that December date hit that BO and his agent were busy trying to get workouts, and any NFL teams willing to look at him would want to do it ASAP. Last year, for instance, Rourke had 3 NFL workouts in the first week of the window while he was still injured. Had he waited, the NFL may have passed him over.

Rourke's future won't be with the Pats if they land Caleb Williams. Chances are even if they don't land Williams that they still draft QB in the first round.

He might not be a FA. I thought he was, but it was just an assumption. Hope he isn't. Could be that by the time all 3 of them are up for contract renewal we have a spot for all of them.

It depends on whether we get Dobson back really. Though I suspect we will. Who is leaving?

Maybe, but at the same time I don't like dealing NAT OL. That's how you become the Riders. I'd much rather stockpile them and bring the NAT DE you are thinking of home in FA, which is probably a pretty sure bet if we want him.

I would imagine it`s more about load management at this point. Jones needs to have a banner year in the GM and HC department or he is toast. I`m sure they will land a couple. Just not to the extent that they think. For some reason, they believe that the entire TO OL is coming over along with about half the defence.

I don`t mind any of Hardrick, Stan or Neufeld coming back at all. We will, of course, need to make sure Dobson comes back and have strong IMP OTs on the PR but ride these horses until they buck you and just make sure plan B is ready to go. No, with Neufeld at the age he is at we can`t toss Gray out.

Apparently, Andrew is not the only former Argo going to the Riders. Over at Riderfans, they are quite confident that pretty much every Argo FA is coming over there to follow Mace. Yea....you know because players love going to losing teams...lol.

The Rourke watch is nauseating. Really and truly and we've had far better Canadian QBs that didn't get the kind of attention the Rourke bros do. One is a NCAA kid, and the other is a PR NFL QB. I don't understand why every time one of them takes a poop it's the first story you see on TSN.

I agree. Rourke will only get reps if he is a backup in a game and the starter gets hurt. No dual taxes

In fairness Rourke could still cash in yet this season if he is activated again.

Lmao..Is he joining Buck's staff over there like you said was happening the day Mace was hired? Does anyone get more predictions wrong then Ball?

That was my beef about the defensive play that game as well. Just baffling play calling by Hall. Make Fajardo be accurate and he loses most games, give him one on ones or the opportunity to just throw in general directions and let his receivers run to the ball and you are giving him a chance that his receivers can make him look a heckuva lot better than what he is. Not buying that at all. Most of Montreal's big offensive plays came on really poor play calling on our part and their receivers outmuscling our DBs to get to the spot that Fajardo's duck was landing. Yea. Not sure what Bluto was watching with Bishop and that surprises me because he was their starter for a good while. Bishop had a cannon arm.