BigBlue

I have been waiting all year for TC and I am yawning I am not sure why ... I was expecting fistfights about who will make the team ... not giggling about how we dumped a troll Where is the controversy, the unwarranted favoritism for certain players, disagreement with coaching decisions, the surprises and disappointments, and the media spending too much time scratching their own bellies? Is soccer ruining football? I may have dislocated my jaw from yawning too big Is there something bigger than Addison Richards or whatever his name is, yawn, or seasoned veterans pulling up lame early in camp? How about Yantz making the club as our #3 QB?

I know whenever I ask about how we feel or think, there will always be some who insistently say they need more time or data, and some will most certainly volunteer "only time will tell"... But I am curious now that we see the talent we have: Has anybody since early January changed their mind in a meaningful way about our talent level & as a result how well our Blue are going to do this year? Yes we have improved but so has every team. Have we changed enough talent wise to make a real difference?

CJOBs ratings have been progressively declining the last few years. millions & millions served .... with commercials "a little boy coming out of church for the first time was asked how he liked the service: "The singing was great but the commercials were too long" That's how I feel about 'OB It would not surprise me if 20 out of 60 broadcast minutes were commercials Those 5 minute marathons are just too much

WEEK NIGHT GAMES ARE PERFECT FOR ME ... YAHOO !!!!

Anyone have a link to the official signing & closing of the deal & terms ?

I like Wally Buono's philosophy: all the NI rookie's play special teams first year, not much else ... maybe late in the year they might get to start I also think a draft pick on the PR is a waste... time for Goosen to step up

Who is Cronk & why do you like him?

I wish we would add 5 or 6 junior Canadian spots to the roster and develop them over 2-3 years

"Richards over Waud is baffling" ... its about where help is needed most

Bombers want to sign everyone to 12 year deals

Yantz can throw the ball on a rope 40 yards with great accuracy ... possibly the best arm in camp .... could be the next Russ Jackson .... he is also an elusive QB with good feet Little known is he is a decent punter... defenses cannot play loose when he is punting cause he will burn them with his passing ability ... at least a backup punter special fake guy ... think higher than Bob Cameron: could be a starting QB in 3 years :

….WHAT'd he say!?!! It amazes me how one poster can choke a thread !!!

After taking Chungh does anyone think we should have traded up for Demski using our 2nd & 3rd picks in some kind of package?

There’s an expression that goes something like this, ‘That guy has a chip on his shoulder bigger than the national debt.’ And while it’s not quite the size of our national debt, Ottawa defensive tackle Ettore Lattanzio has a chip on his shoulder when it comes to his size as an interior defensive lineman. Lattanzio is actually an extremely approachable young man who went out of his way to talk to people at this year’s CFL Combine. Yet that talk would almost always turn to his 5’11” 246 pound frame and how he is too undersized to play defensive tackle in the CFL. Lattanzio is a bit tired of the talk. “I've always been the smaller guy. I've always been kind of overlooked. Other players are seen as better or they’re more suited for the position and yada, yada, yada,” Lattanzio told TSN. “Time and again I've seemed to have done better than all of them.” For Lattanzio, his size has become more an issue the further he has advanced in football. When he started playing the game he was one of the bigger players but as he progressed he never grew. He would try different positions but his coaches would always end up putting him back at defensive tackle. “It's been a good thing and at the same time it's been a bad thing because coaches at the next level always look at me and say 'what do we do with you?” Lattanzio said. “I only really played interior so it's worked out to that point.” In his four years at Ottawa, Lattanzio was a model of consistency, putting up stellar numbers for an interior player. He averaged nearly 27 tackles per season, a sack per game and 1.5 tackles for loss pergame. He was named a first team All-Canadian in 2013 and he bettered that in 2014 being named an All-Canadian again and winning the JP Metras trophy as the Outstanding Lineman in the CIS. “Despite what they call shortcomings, I've been able to best everybody,” Lattanzio stated. “Not to toot my own horn but sometimes in sports I feel there's too much emphasis especially in football on size, and numbers and such and such, and not enough on the character and willingness of the athletes to compete.” In spite of his success in the CIS, Lattanzio is ranked #20 on the CFL prospect list and was the fourth highest ranked defensive lineman. While he is not surprised by his ranking, he does believe he should have been ranked higher. “Again with the height, there's a question mark. What are we going to do with this guy? At the same time I do feel I should be, and I'm not saying top 10 or anything like that, but I mean in all respects I did win the JP Metras award and that's got to count for something,” Lattanzio mentioned. “Western's lineman (Daryl Waud) is way above me, we played in the same conference, against the same teams and I look at the numbers and the proof's in the pudding right? Who was the more dominant player all-around? I'm not saying that to take away from (him), Daryl Waud's a great athlete, a great guy, but it's politics again. If you don't fit the criteria, it's going to hinder you. So I mean I'm not surprised as to where I landed. I'm happy that I made it there but I have a chip on my shoulder and have to prove myself yet again to bolster that position.” Lattanzio put up 32 reps of 225 pounds at the CFL Combine, the most among defensive linemen. He showed that he had the strength to play at the next level. He was also putting a lot of stock into how he would perform in the 1-on-1 drills. Outside of being manhandled by Calgary’s Sukh Chungh on one rush (Chungh dominated every defensive player in the 1-on-1’s) Lattanzio was competitive the rest of the way. TSN’s CFL draft analyst Duane Forde has called Lattanzio one the most intriguing prospects in this year’s draft. “(He has) cat-like quickness, sneaky strength and a relentless motor. If he were 6’4”, 290 lbs., he’d be a consensus first-round pick, but, at 6’0”, 260 lbs., he’s a tweener. But he’s a tweener who will be hard to ignore.” “I want to play football,” Lattazio stated emphatically. “Some people talk about playing linebacker, I would have to lose about 30 pounds to play that position. I think if given the opportunity, I know I can play as a lineman. I just want to show them I can do it.” http://www.tsn.ca/tsn-ca-cfl-draft-profile-ettore-lattanzio-1.263226

Now Walters goes on to sign the undrafted gems. His talent assessment seems remarkable.

It looks like Walters emphasized character over talent last night. I was hoping we would have come out with better. Rate Walters' work.

Kirk Penton hears speculation about moving up #11 to get Demnski ... thinks Demski probably still there at 11 and maybe even later They need receiver at 11 .... Durant will be ahead of Richards and Demski Defensive player at 15 .... LB or DB We can get 3 starters with first 3 picks ... cream of the crop for us.

Demski's stock fell when he played poorly in the playoffs (I witnessed the disappointment). He was playing injured so they mainly used him as a decoy. Those football seirs in the know rate him as extremely talented.

Tait says we get a good receiver at 11 Durant Demski or Richards .... doing lineman with first pick. Picking local boy enriches the franchise brand. Bombers don't do it enough. Could package up their number 11 with a NI veteran. Maybe they pick another O-lineman or a backup LB with their #15