GCn20

6 of the 9 MLBs in the league are scheduled to go to FA this offseason. That could be why we have not seen a huge Biggie replacement search.

In the age of one year contracts the future is how strong of a destination FAs consider you to be. Right now we are a marquee destination. We do not need to rebuild. We need to reload. Secondary is all there with a ton of depth. Lbers go to Cole/Wilson/Clements next year. Alexander swapped out for Ford and kept as depth. OL sees Kola and Neuf challenged and perhaps supplanted by Dobson/Eli. Receivers all in their prime. Walter's shops quality Nat depth and maybe some interesting young IMPs in FA. Perhaps a true NT and another up and Comer DE. I am not seeing much tweaking needed beyond that. It's not a big list to keep us at the top of the heap. Not sure where this myth that we are aging out came from but it's dead wrong. Plenty of quality young players in their prime here, and only a couple guys really aging out play wise.

Exactly. Our replacement options will be ample come FA. We don't necessarily need to transition guys this year for next year. We just need to swap guys out when it is time to do so. Harris being shown the door is proof our org will do what needs to be done.

I would think Wilson would be Biggie's replacement. All other boxes are checked off except Nat depth.

You are suggesting that Bryant and Hardrick can no longer block? That's insane. That is likely the case and was not the argument at all.

Right? I could see if we were hanging on by the skin of our teeth already but to regress from 1st place to 5 wins with the same roster.....not sure how that could even happen unless we were decimated by injuries to all our QBs and OL.

Hardrick and Bryant are doing just fine, and no OL is health late in the season. Gray is doing just fine, Kola I agree should be replaced by Eli and that is likely the plan, Neuf probably will retire and open a spot for Eli/Dobson but if he doesn't he is still a pretty good OG. Biggie I agree needs to think retirement. Rose and BA are just fine at the right positions. JJ is a beast. His health has been an issue his entire career but he is one of, if not the best, pure pass rusher in the CFL when he is healthy. Our NI depth does need help, mainly because we have drafted very well and lost players to the NFL. I expect that Walters will address that. So much doom and gloom in your posts.

For sure, we need to look at some and put proper valuations on others but 5 wins? I want some of what he is smoking. Or maybe I don't?

That's nonsense. You are way over the top in your estimation of impact on this. WAAAAAYYY over the top. We are not a 5-7 win team if we run it back next year. Not a snowball's chance in hell. Our OL hasn't been fantastic in pass block but it is way above average, and our DL isn't racking up the stats but that's Hall's system as much as anything. What DBs are you referring to? Our secondary has been excellent this year. I agree that it might be time for Biggie to hang them up.

Elaborate. Tell me what players, should we keep them, would have the effect of turning us into a fringe playoff team in a single offseason. Stanley Bryant? Still the best OT in the game. JeMarcus Hardrick? Play has dropped off a tiny bit but again one of the best OTs in the game. Pat Neufeld? Not his best season but better than half the starters in the league at his position. Adam Bighill? Certainly not MODP calibre anymore and probably our most pressing need to replace but won't cost us 3-4 victories. Brandon Alexander? Again not playing up to his past play but has been solid. Mike Miller? Hasn't played this year. The Jeffs? One could argue about their salary impact but both are still very good DE's. Yea...I guess I'm just not seeing it. I am sure that we will move on from a couple guys on this list or they will choose to retire, but really all could go another year if we couldn't find a suitable replacement. However, I do agree that some roster turnover is probably necessary this offseason to maintain our Grey Cup favorite status but we are not in any sort of dire predicament either.

Who said it is acceptable? IF it happens in the playoffs you are one and done. What I said is that it is fixable if it crops up in the regular season like it has with us. Come playoffs if we repeat it, it will be tough to go to the Grey Cup. Same as for you guys. No meaningful football for 2 months. If you don't come in playing your best football your team is not good enough to survive that either.

I think you are overstating it. If we ran it back with exactly the same roster next year no way we drop to 6 wins and out of the playoffs. Don't get me wrong we have to turn some of our roster over for sure, but if we ran it back we are still a 10-12 win team next year. We likely would not be a Grey Cup favorite though.

They were scared of us, plain and simple. A loss to us may have snowballed on them and RD did not want to take that chance. True. but I'd rather we lose a couple games where we checked out mentally than lose games we played our best and were still out gunned. The first is much easier to fix.

Nothing wrong with having high standards and the critique is warranted. I think most people agree that the roster management is a head scratcher and where the lack of concensus seems to be is to what end this problem may bring.

A regression that severe is not possible for our team. The Riders just have too much practice being incompetent and we are just too damn good of an organization to ever become that Mickey Mouse. I said a dozen games ago, that if the roster management of the bottom of our lineup is our biggest complaint then we will have a very good season. Of all the usual suspects the average fan whines about, that is bottom tier stuff in the big picture. Inconsistency has me a heck of a lot more worried than roster management ever will but with our vets we have I just don't see them not turning that switch come playoffs.

I remember many years rolling into Regina on Labor Day when we were first and they were last, and they somehow would get a win.

Whatever, your team record and Kelly's success is as much a result of the league giving you an incredibly soft schedule as it is from being worthy of it. You are about to find out that a season devoid of adversity tends to lead to lacklustre results in the playoffs.

Yea it's not easy. Look at our list of coaches before MOS. All came with a solid resume. All in over their heads.

You have to be a leader of men as a HC. It's not enough to have the X's and O's down. That's what your coordinators are for.

No every good coordinator, or even great coordinator, makes a good HC. The list of guys who were fantastic as a coordinator but epic failure as a HC is very long. Others can go from ST coach to legend....it really isn't about how great a coordinator you are. HC and coordinator are two different skill sets.

ooooo....I'm listening. Hell of an idea.

Carr did have an impact here. Winnipeg is NOT where his career took a nose dive. We lost him in FA. Let's face it, this was a make or break year for him. He isn't a spring chicken. Therefore, I agree that he may have asked for his release.

Parker would be great in coverage at SAM, but I think he would struggle with the more physical aspects needed in the run game.

Back before the 'beetus when I could eat trash, I used to do the same. Cheerios and Shreddies with melted butter, worcestershire, and garlic and celery salt and a couple other spices tossed in then baked for a while. Was a good snack. Basically your nuts and bolts you buy in the store, just without the pretzels and cheese bits.

I don't have an issue with the Bombers being very cautious with Schoen, even if it was a showdown for first. Schoen's, and any of our star player's health for the playoffs is far more important than where we finish in the standings imo. I do agree with the logic of keeping him in as a decoy but at the same time we have a fully healthy BOLO that is fully capable of playing in our offence and is at full health too so I can definitely see getting him out there instead of a banged up guy too. If we had chopped liver sitting behind Schoen on the bench then maybe he stays in, BOLO is able to run the same routes, spread the defence, and can engage fully physically. Maybe the Bombers were being over protective of Schoen, but at the same time I'm kinda Ok with that at this point of the season. Would HATE to lose any of our difference makers now.