gbill2004

It's a soft cap similar to MLB. The Yankees go way over every year and no one really cares. Not sure why it's such a big deal in the CFL.

Who do you see the Bombers taking, assuming Ottawa takes Lavertu?

@ArashMadani: Basic cap hit. RT @alexmarvez: The 1-year contract that Chad Johnson signed with Montreal Alouettes is worth $70K in Canadian funds. #CFL

You can never have enough non import tackle prospects. If Lavertu is off the board, Foucault should be the guy. If Foucault is for sure going to be that starting tackle, make the pick. If he's going to be an interior convert, we're just burning a hole in the rest of our roster by continuing to pick these types of players, of which we already have 3 (Swiston, Pencer, Neufeld who is essentially our 2nd round pick in this draft) plus Morley, a good football player who took two full seasons to become an average guard. IMO there's a strong bias for the NI tackle body types, and very few of them end up actually playing tackle, and most of them stink at playing inside when they ultimately have to because they can't handle edge rushers who are twice as quick as anything they see in CIS. Everyone, including seasoned football people, are in awe of a 6'8 guy who can move and looks great relative to CIS competition, and dream of the NI tackle, but in reality it isn't happening all that much. Now that's tying a general bias to Foucault, probably unfair to him until he proves otherwise. The best OL in this draft class could very well end up being a guy like Kyle Paterson, who doesn't draw ooohs and ahhhhs because he's 6'2 280, not 6'8 320. From a Bomber perspective, we have too many holes in the roster to just keep cramming guys in the pipeline for a position we end up using an import at anyways. Interesting perspective. So you don't see Pencer or Neufeld having the ability to start at either RG or RT? Morley isn't a long term answer and I could see him gone in the next 1-2 years.

I wonder if Ottawa would trade us their 1st overall for our 2nd overall and Kowalczuk/Morley? That way we get Lavertu and Ottawa gets another NI Centre and Foucault.

CFL.ca Staff #CFLDraft TORONTO -- The Canadian Football League Scouting Bureau today published its final edition of the top 15 ranked prospects eligible for the 2014 CFL Canadian Draft. For the third-straight ranking, McGill offensive lineman Laurent Duvernay-Tardif is the top ranked prospect. Duvernay-Tardif is followed by two other offensive linemen - David Foucault from Université de Montréal is ranked second and Pierre Lavertu from Laval is third. Rounding out the top five is the biggest mover on the list Quinn Smith. The defensive lineman from Concordia has climbed the charts from not being rated in either the fall or winter scouting bureau lists to the fourth rated prospect in the final edition. In the fifth slot is St. Francis Xavier wide receiver, Devon Bailey. BY THE NUMBERS The ranking includes four offensive linemen and defensive linemen, three defensive backs, two linebackers, and a wide receiver and running back. Université de Montréal has three players on the list, the most by any one school. Laval, Manitoba, McGill, Simon Fraser and Western each have a pair of prospects on the list. Smith, David Menard and Antoine Pruneau joined the list after not being ranked in the winter edition in January, while Max Caron, Sam Sabourin and Derek Wiggan did not reach the spring edition after being listed in the winter edition. After a great showing at the National CFL Combine, Dylan Ainsworth soared from the 15th spot in the winter edition to the seventh spot in the spring edition. The province of Quebec is represented with six hometown prospects. Following Quebec is Ontario with four, BC with three and Manitoba has two. All 15 ranked players on last spring’s CFL Scouting Bureau list (it was published in April) were selected in the 2013 CFL Draft. Seven of those players were selected in the first round. Here is the Full Ranking: Final Scouting Bureau Ranking Rank Name Position School 1 (1) Laurent Duvernay-Tardif OL McGill 2 (3) David Foucault OL Montreal 3 (2) Pierre Lavertu OL Laval 4 (--) Quinn Smith DL Concordia 5 (4) Devon Bailey WR St. Francis Xavier 6 (6) Evan Gill DL Manitoba 7 (15) Dylan Ainsworth DL Western 8 (9) Anthony Coombs RB Manitoba 9 (5) Matthias Goosen OL Simon Fraser 10 (8) Andrew Lue LB Queen's 11 (13) Adam Thibault DB Laval 12 (11) Casey Chin LB Simon Fraser 13 (--) David Menard DL Montreal 14 (-) Antoine Pruneau DB Montreal 15 (7) Beau Landry LB Western

Also participated in basketball and track as a Mississippi prep. Graded out at 93 percent with 24 pancake blocks as senior. Redshirted in 2007. Started all 37 games along the offensive line during his first three seasons — 12 games at right tackle in ’08; 12 games at left guard in ’09; and 13 contests (11 at right guard and two at center) in ’10. Continued his starting streak in ’11, starting all 13 contests — four of the first five games at center and nine of the final 10 at right guard. Positives: Has good size and is well put together. Quick out of his stance. Good feet and active hands. Can shuffle and mirror inside. Understands positioning and angles. Smart and aware. Pulls with speed and conviction and zeroes in on targets. Plays with vinegar — consistent effort and intensity. Tough, durable four-year starter. Versatile — played four different spots. Outstanding personal and football character — accountable, well-respected, passionate leader by example. Negatives: Adequate length. Not exceptionally strong or explosive. Does not play with pop in his hands. Average balance and sustain — at times lunges and falls off blocks. Struggles to generate movement in the run game (limited power). Struggled in head-to-head confrontations with elite talent, including Detroit Lions 2010 first-rounder Nick Fairley and LSU’s Michael Brockers. Too effort-reliant. Summary: Scrappy, competitive, athletic, experienced interior blocker whose functional strength leaves something be desired. Projects best at center in the pros, although his versatility, intangibles and playing temperament could make him a valuable swing interior backup.

"A four-year starter, Saulsberry wasn't highly recruited out of high school, choosing Mississippi State over Memphis. After redshirting in 2007 as a defensive lineman, he transitioned to the offensive side of the ball and earned the starting right tackle job as a redshirt freshman, starting every game in 2008. Saulsberry moved inside to left guard in 2009 as a sophomore, starting all 12 games. He again started every game in 2010 as a junior, starting at right guard (10 starts), center (2 starts) and left guard (1 start). Saulsberry again showed off his versatility in 2011, starting all 13 games at right guard (9 starts) and center (4 starts). Saulsberry lacks ideal size and strength and isn't overpowering, but he makes up for it with his tenacious playing style and feisty, competitive attitude. He takes pride in finishing his blocks and looks natural pulling and blocking in motion. Saulsberry is versatile with the skills set and experience to be a serviceable NFL guard, but his size and frame make him a center prospect for most teams, reminiscent of a poor man's Rodney Hudson and is the best interior line prospect in this class that no one seems to be talking about. *** Strengths: Fires off the snap with explosive burst and no hesitation. Moves very well for a 300-pounder with above-average quickness and range. Does a nice job getting to the second level and blocking in space -- mobile and effective pulling. Has quick feet and bends well at the knee. Sits in his stance with good balance and a strong base. Extends his arms quickly at the point of attack and is aggressive with his hands -- strong, active punch. Works hard through the whistle with top a motor and nasty demeanor. Scrappy and physical with an intense playing style. Has a tenacious attitude and looks to eliminate defenders from the play -- love his aggressive nature and feisty mean streak. Has the lower body strength to anchor in pass protection and uses leverage to his advantage. A hard worker on and off the field and strives to be the best he can be -- smart and tough. Put together an impressive collegiate resume as a four-year starter in the SEC with impressive experience and versatility, starting 50 games between four different positions -- right guard (19 starts), left guard (13 starts), right tackle (12 starts) and center (6 starts). Weaknesses: Doesn't have elite size or strength with limited growth potential. Has almost too much arm length (33 5/8), taking a bit longer to unwind off the snap. Tends to be too aggressive off the snap and will take himself out of the play. Misses too many blocking assignments because he plays undisciplined at times. Often caught lunging and overextends, struggling to stay under control. Not overpowering at the point of attack and lacks the natural girth to hold up at guard -- probably restricted to center where he has the least amount of college experience. NFL Comparison: Rodney Hudson, Kansas City Chiefs."

@garrettbillan1: @PentonKirk any updates on CBA negotiations? I've heard nothing in the past few weeks. No news = good news? Are the 2 sides talking? @PentonKirk: @garrettbillan1 Not talking. They're meeting in early May.

I'm expecting 6-9 wins. The West isn't the powerhouse it used to be. There's player frustration in BC and Lulay's shoulder is a concern, Sask lost a significant numbers of key players this offseason to free agency. Calgary is the top team, and while Bo Levi Mitchell looks promising, after losing Glenn the Stamps have some questions at the QB position. I'm not predicting it, but the Bombers could make the playoffs this season.

Not a bad move by the Als. Pryor's game seems perfect for the CFL and not sure he's good enough to play in the NFL.

Any updates on collective bargaining? I've heard nothing in a few weeks...no news good news? Training camps start in a little over a month...

They could then suspend Glenn and not pay him.

Guarantee Bombers don't take Coombs.

Heard he's living in the Bombers locker room.

He said he has lots of money as a result of his other business ventures and is now playing "to be a part of something".

@PentonKirk: #CFL man who knows about getting convicted Americans into Canada says Johnson's chances are good. Guns the worst. DUIs second worst.

@DougBrown97: I'm setting the over/under on Ocho being on Injured Reserve by week 5.

@TAP_22: Dudes goin be tryna murder chad out there lol #CFL

@AdamSchefter: Per @CFL: The @MTLAlouettes have signed @Ochocinco.

Garth Buchko is moving on. The former Winnipeg Blue Bomber CEO and local radio station executive is relocating in Kamloops, B.C., where he will assume an ownership stake and become vice-president and general manager of NL Broadcasting. “I am fulfilling my life-long dream of being a shareholder of a radio group,” Buchko said in a text to the Free Press. He had been a candidate to assume his former position as general manager of the Corus Radio group of stations in Winnipeg, which includes CJOB, but the company recently announced they are filling that position with Scott Armstrong, a former Crocus executive, and more recently with Rogers Broadcasting in Winnipeg. “This has been in the works for many months,” Buchko said of the Kamloops move. “It was always the best opportunity for myself and my family. While leaving Winnipeg and so many friends will be tough, the spectacular scenery of Kamloops and the lifestyle opportunities were too great to pass up.” Kamloops, (population 85,000) is located in south-central British Columbia, 310 km northeast of Vancouver. Buchko’s move comes as NL Radio’s long-time president and general manager, Robbie Dunn steps down from his operational role. Dunn will continue as president. NL Broadcasting owns three radio stations, CHNL/The River, CKVR/Country 103 and CJKC Kamloops.

Another mock draft from CFL Horsemen: http://www.cflhorsemen.ca/childresss-2014-mock-draft.html

@PentonKirk: Hearing #Bombers have cut middle linebacker hopeful Doug Hogue, along with receivers Antonio Robinson and Austin Coleman. @PentonKirk: Also hearing #Bombers have signed CB Stephon Morris, DB Bruce Johnson and WR Jason Barnes (not the Argo) out of their mini-camp.

Sounds like my experience sitting behind the Bombers bench this past season. Non stop entertainment with Creehan.

Is he this year's Boatman and Taormina? No one knows. He's a 30 year old NI rookie. I wonder if he can play centre?