Booch

Probably the most difficult position on the defence..especially for Americans coming up is the halfback pisition. That's a non existent position coming from American ball and the extra man..motion..looks and coverage/run support responsibilities are all new basically...and when you find good halfbacks who can absorb this and function well you do your best to keep them

I'm fine with this actually..and agree a lot of the yards that piled up was due to lack of execution. Watching a lot of the games over and and noticed significant number of plays where if Hurl had more athletism and for lack of better term talent that many a play would have been stuffed for no gain or minimal and a lot of time it was on 2nd down and would have got us ball back and limited clock eating drives. Same with Thomas..sure he made some nice plays but too many times he got washed away or nullified..especially when he was getting more reps in a game and that was a lack of execution issue due to ratio/depth...especially after Westerman got hurt. Fogg and Walker too..inexperience caused a lot of execution issues that if they did things right..wwould have been a positive defensive play. As for scape goats..noone is really saying the coaches not being brought back are being used as that.. but perhaps Missick wasn't getting things across good enough to have our guys positioned better or coached up better...we don't know the inner workings of things and can only speculate...same with Howard but again who knows. I do know though that once we altered ratio and went basically with 4 imports on d-line and rotated the ends inside and out..dropping into flats etc and bringing Knox off the edge as a rusher (which he did very well and was very disruptive..watch film and see) we had arguably one of the best fronts for the last 4-5 games of season...and that can be attributed to Hall I can guarantee that..so he can change his philosophy and mindset...and given a true MLB and continued work upfront.. and some Oshea input/tweaks I see good things happening.. .and if they stink the joint well..Hall can be scapegoated then. The real wild card is Younger...I LOVE this signing.. he is a great coach and you will see it reflected in our DB play this year. People I have talked to say he is a great mind and has a real progressive vision and coaching philosophy...he is a real good candidate to become the next Orlondo Stienhauer..just u watch

Not really...don't see all the hype. their corp was ranked 10,11,12 and 29th in the league and thats with one guy (Grant) with an aberration of a year and 2 of their top guys playing 18 and 17 games so games lost from injury can't be factored in. Sure they used Carter as a DB which was stupid and he lost reps but still if he played wouldn't have cracked the top 5 in the league. This as well for the majority of the season they having/using no run game whatsoever and were very pass happy so you'd think they would have multiple guys in the top 10 if they were so elite and great. Heck Hamilton had 2 in the top 6 and 3 in the top 14...should they not be more elite??? Stats don't tell the whole story of a player or team and their worth but I don't see what the tire pumping is for. Assumptions can be made as well for concussions as once you have received several in a short time period (as Roosevelt had last year) you become more prone to it and you can be assured guys are going to do their best to lay good licks on him all year...not head shots per say...but good thumps none the less. As for Canadian recievers what do they have worthy of spit there really??...Bagg is on the descent to see ya later town..Doubt Demski is back there, but even if he is has really proven nothing as of yet other than a decent start to 2017. I actually really like Marshall and he brings a lot but I'm sure he will get screwed out of a spot there for Thigpen and Richardson...if he comes back which i have my doubts but none the less nothing that screams elite and proven Their o-line as it is if all come back (Campbell/labatte/clarke/dyakowski/coleman) Dennis if he is back is probably in the bottom 3 in the league and not trending upward.

I think you will see more of the same with Collaros in Sask. Over on Ridefans they are all excited to see him perform behind their O-LINE...not sure what they are smoking but that is a bottom tier O-line..Clark and Dyakowski are weak and regressing...and I'd say Labatte is now too..there right tackle is probably the 7th ..maybe 6th best in the league and Dennis is going to have to take a paycut..or he will be gone as he isn't worth the cap hit. The Left Tackle Campbell is a good one, but I bet he bolts out east. He will be running and ducking for his life again, and we all seen how putrid he is when he cant sit in the pocket. plus he is going to take a n=big chunk out of their salary cap even if he renegotiates and I sure Bridge signed for significant more than he was getting last year, so they are going to have to subtract skill elsewhere. Their receiver core isn't that great either..Roosevelt is good, but he could be one good smack away from concussion issues again..Grant had an aberration of a year and highly doubt does it again..and the rest of the supporting cast is nothing better than anywhere else really....most likely they loose Demski too...so their Canadian receivers are weak as well. Don't see any big offensive numbers coming from there...a lot of what they did last year was smoke and mirrors and one lucky hot spurt where 2 teams took em too lightly

IT'S TOUGH....Especially if they don't change teams/environments...will see with Collaros as he has it now....that or he's became gunshy/timid.. We used to exploit certain QB's by just yelling when getting close...or seeming like we were close...they'd do the Kevi Glenn turtle or just duck and chuck out of bounds or into covergae

Maybe this will put their Franklin pipe dreams to bed...finally If I was Collaros too I wouldn't renegotiate....take his bonus due in the winter and if Sask doesn't like it and won't take on the contract then they pay, or let him go...and most likely goes to Montreal with a nice bonus alresdy in his pocket, so his salary elsewhere could be reduced....thats my new years wish lol

Be the dumbest off season move to let him walk or not sign him..injury or no injury. Like i said before, Achilles rehab depending on injury (tear/rupture/spagehetti tear) a guy now can be back to resuming full activity in 6-8 months

Issues at the best stadium in North America? Lies I say..lol Sweet issues..waterline leaks..AC issues...cheap seats...safety issues from roof design and danger to fans I thought this was the crown jewel of the cfl. I wonder what the next wart will be?

But he prob had a lot to cut into..i sure he made a nice penny in Green Bay too and looking at him pretty sure he didn't fritter his money on boats and hoes.

A good majority of it is tenancies, and history and perceived strengths. Wbbfan hit the nail on the head on most of it. We used to condition a QB to never pat the ball because as odd as it seems defenses's look to that and 99.9 percent of time when a QB is doing that he is going deep and guys can pull off coverage and converge on the deep ball. You will probably have noticed most of Jenning's deep ball picks occurred with 2 or 3 guys in close proximity to the ball, and that wasn't by design in coverage, that was smart coaching and film work and the DB's identifying and executing...same is going to happen to Bridge this year..just watch. Also QB tendency as to where he he will go or what he will do when flushed out of pocket and rolling out/scrambling away from pressure. Most guys will have a pretty much determined trait of what they will do, and once there is film and game history, guys will jump it often resulting in the pick, or a busted up play. Players also look for cues..physical, body language, eyes...as to what's going on and what may happen. Players don't realize they are doing certain things and it allows the defense to key on it. We used to play a QB who everytime he was going deep pretty much ran to the center to get the snap and every time he did that it was a deep shot down the rail or a corner route...not sure if he was excited or overly eager to get the play rolling but it happened everytime. Same with mouth-guards....had a receiver who chewed on his or left it dangling out of his mouth on plays where he wasn't getting ball, but on plays where he was the intended target came to line with it in his mouth .

Heck ya..totally forgot about that too...thats an instance reeking of lack of depth, not a matter of Carter being sooo good at DB

Not sold on Sask secondary...Jovon ain't getting any younger and he was only adequate last year. No safety whatsoever...Gainey was playing over his head and extremely lucky..all but 3 of his picks came in what 2 games and those ones were utter gifts. He got burned/exposed just as often as he made a significant impact..after that..they have???...largely unproven guys really. Not starter material that would supplant many guys on teams around the league. D-line...wayyy undersized and no real dominant player other than Jefferson...and linebackers are alright but not world beaters by any means

Thing is Jones in Sask will want a QB on the cheap...and I doubt Collaros signs for less than starter's money and if traded already said he won't renegotiate..and why would he..I wouldn't. Montreal will surely outbid Sask for any available starter, possibly B.C too...so unless they pay big for a possibly damaged Collaros...they are stuck with status quo from last year...and that's kind of funny if you ask me

It looking like, and may be their only QB options next year are going to be a Bridge/Glenn combo...and that's scary....and not the good kind of scary. Bridge is a long ways off, and I'm not certain he is going to be a successful QB at all from what he has shown yet. I don't think he reads defenses well, or if he has ability to, and looks to have the mindset that he can always make something happen with his arm and is going to force a lot of balls, make a lot of bad decisions and be a turnover machine more than Jenning's was/is. Some guys just can't shake that trait when the bullets are flying...but time will tell. Once or if he is anointed the starter, teams will solve him pretty quickly and he is going to struggle.

Good hire...I may go as far as to say actually a very smart hire....good football mind there. If he has a couple experienced assistants in the Canadian game to help him along with the nuances of some of the odd things coming from American to Canadian ball he will be fine. He also has a pretty good connection network in the U.S so player recruitment there will be pretty good IMPORT wise, as much as Mack is a bit of a putz in a lot of areas he is well connected down south and can bring in decent American guys, just keep him away from the Canadian aspect of recruitment and drafting

That's pretty much a ridiculous statement one year removed from that draft. Ekakitie is developing fine and will see much more use this year, Spooner as well could push for a roster spot and I bet he ends up when all said and done becoming the best 0-lineman from that draft if Gray never shows up. Conteh as well is gonna be another Derick Jones but I predict better and a possible starter doen the road...uber talent and physical ability there, not to mention we grabbed arguably the best punter to come out of the CIS in many many years

That's kind of what I was saying all along too...we sacrificed traditional scheme and philosophy to compensate for inadequate personnel elsewhere...mainly linebacker and the other halfback spot. Our safety was used to help out in the box more so than in the secondary and was rarely there to give over top help or to help in coverage...a lot of times he recognized it and tried to get there, but 9 times out of 10 could't and no fault of his but would make it seem like a coverage bust, or him missing an assignment..which it wasn't Same with the DB's at times...the veterans would at times cheat or overcompensate to "help" but in football it takes 12 guys doing a specific thing to be successful and when one breaks down to help another spot..well then you get exploited. I can bet teams schemed specifically against us to bait certain guys in knowing the veteran will recognize and over compensate and then attacked his vacated spot..some games I was able to call it before it even happened as the play developed. The notion that the DB's couldn't play man is garbage as well. Also our apparent use of the middle linebacker position was basically a wasted guy on the field with no purpose and teams schemed it. Was a total scheme issue the past year due to personnel and it compounded all over the defense. What ails this defense would be fixed with the traditional use of the MLB as has been seen since the constant use of the 5 reliever set offence, with a player who can play sideline to sideline...have the loose hips to turn and run with a receiver and cover as well as be stout enough to step up and take on the run. Those guys are a dime a dozen down south and we have to lose the mentality that we want to run that position as a Canadian spot...because those guys are more like $10 a dozen and don't come around that often

Yes....everyone wants to play for Jones...it's a given lol

Harris extends in Ottawa....another possible QB for the Rider's the fan base was possibly hoping for down...Hello again Kevin Glenn for them haha

Not in same category by any means..thats not what I meant..People here are so hung up on size for certain spots was just saying he is basically same as Singleton size and testing wise. He played all the positions in College so would not be foreign to him, also from my experience playing in the middle is probably the easiest to step into...tho that's just my opinion from playing linebacker but I am sure many here will love to disagree

Stats are so misleading...never a proper barometer. To truly assess you need to know the assignment and watch game film...not TV feeds. This defense was a victim of a ridiculous scheme/philosophy and the lack of the linchpin type guy in the middle..plain and simple. And when you get others over compensating for a weakness..well other parts break down as a result. A good majority of the deep ball and mid to deep middle stuff was a result of the safety pulled out of there to tend to other duties, and no over the top help. For 2 -3 years now we have had to alter and adjust to compensate for the oversight/overvaluing of what we had in the middle..and it is the sole reason we have gone 0ne and out the last 2 post seasons. Good thing we had the talent we did on defense, or else it would have been real ugly. We are basically a middle linebacker and a scheme adjustment away from being very strong, and really I bet Santos-Knox could do the job as he is basically physically the same as Singleton body wise..just doesn't carry a National Birth Certificate

Why would you upset the apple cart if you don't have to? With the possibility of Bond being out now you would then have 2 spots to fill on the line, which could lead to problems with cohesion/continuity/consistency right off the back. As it is now we have our entire starting line back from the last 3 games of the year and the play-oof game...so this is good. Also I'm pretty sure Hardrick wouldn't command huge bucks re-upping yet...have another really strong year or two perhaps then

Big add...and 2 years too...Basically has offence solidly back in place...now to just get that one impact receiver...can't emphasize how much continuity counts for especially on an offensive line

If I was the ARGO'S I would convince him to come on as a "player coach" as the back-up or 3rd stringer at a back-up salary which would be more than an entry level coach salary by a big amount. That way they can go after Franklin..or whomever comes free in free agency to mentor and help develop him..he can be involved in the game day game plan and also be a nice insurance policy in a game when the starter goes down, or the offence is struggling and may need a boost.

which made things even worse due to the fact that he had no contacts or pipeline whatsoever down south to help in recruitment, and the fact that he had zero football experience playing/coaching/developing so when on his scouting excursions how was he supposed to properly assess talent and know what to look for that the common eye doesn't or won't see. Sure a video/highlight reel of a guy looks all fine and dandy but they are generally put together showcasing the positive plays...not the whole story of the guy and thats what he went off of I am certain most of the time. He needed to have contracts and ways and means to access teams 22 man film and go more with that and talks with contacts. Look for what they call "20 footers"...a term referring to all you need to see is 20 feet of game film to know that you have a star/gem