Lawless says there is trade market for Willy

[The Unknown Poster]

I'd be very very nervous if we traded Willy.  Still think the Bombers O isnt good enough for the long haul and Willy has more skills "on paper" than Nichols.  Willy gets another shot before the decision is made...but if the team keeps winning, its tough because you cant mess with the winning dynamic.

[Noeller]

1 minute ago, IC Khari said:

Sure, he may be able to do something with Willy, but remember, Willy is not a young QB anymore. He's got a very high salary and his play has not been up to the standard of his pay scale or his experience/maturity in the league. Would he be willing to work with a guy that age or start brand new with an up and comer?

If SM says yes, who are you to argue? That's all I'm saying.....I trust Scott Milanovich to know more than any of us. 

[IC Khari]

1 minute ago, Noeller said:

If SM says yes, who are you to argue? That's all I'm saying.....I trust Scott Milanovich to know more than any of us. 

I understand that, just wondering if what Irving was hinting at (about Toronto really wanting Willy, even at his current salary) is really all that accurate? Yes I know it's Bob Irving ...

[TBURGESS]

6 minutes ago, Mike said:

... they offered him that much

They offered him $400K but he took Ottawa's $250K this year? What is your source?

[Mike]

1 minute ago, TBURGESS said:

They offered him $400K but he took Ottawa's $250K this year? What is your source?

Do your own investigating. It's out there.

[Jesse]

Just now, TBURGESS said:

They offered him $400K but he took Ottawa's $250K this year? What is your source?

Perhaps a 250 base with incentives?

Either way, I think the decision to go to Ottawa came with promises to become the starter sooner rather than later.

[Noeller]

earlier this season, when Harris was tearing it up, and people were questioning the decision to let him go, Barker said "we offered him more than Ottawa, but he chose to take less and go there..."

[Noeller]

8 minutes ago, IC Khari said:

I understand that, just wondering if what Irving was hinting at (about Toronto really wanting Willy, even at his current salary) is really all that accurate? Yes I know it's Bob Irving ...

That's fair.......but I have no reason not to trust him, 'cause he doesn't really talk about potential trades very often, so if he's saying there's something going on, you have to believe there's fire behind the smoke. 

[Jesse]

On the issue of a Willy trade:

There's a part of me (the part that wants to see the young back up be given playing time - from Brink and Elliot all the way to Marve and now Bennett), that wants the Bombers to move on, cut Willy (or trade him if the rumours of potential suitors are true) and roll with Nichols and Davis. This was the same part of me that wanted a clean sweep of Walters and O'Shea 5 weeks ago, hoping for us to hire Steve McAdoo as head coach in the off season, who would get James Franklin as our next QB.

There's another part - somewhat removed from the fanatic side of fandom - that is glad our management is no longer making such knee jerk reactions. They retained Mike O'Shea even though his first to years were largely unsuccessful, but did not offer him an extension. They allowed him to keep going through a 1-4 start and are finally seeing some positive signs. So now, with Willy, they are again allowing things to play out a bit before, as Lawless put it, "throwing the baby out with the bathwater, even if it is a lot of bath water".

[The Unknown Poster]

Wouldnt they have to have an awful lot of confidence in Davis to make this move?  Imagine they trade Willy and roll into the playoffs, Nichols gets hurt....man, this city would come unglued.

[Mark F]

also..... they're not going to trade Drew.

[TBURGESS]

36 minutes ago, Noeller said:

earlier this season, when Harris was tearing it up, and people were questioning the decision to let him go, Barker said "we offered him more than Ottawa, but he chose to take less and go there..."

I read that, but it didn't have any numbers attached to it. 

[mbrg]

Prior to the 2014 season, Burris said he wanted to play for 3 more years (my recollection on the phrasing wasn't that he wanted to retire after 3 more, just that he felt he easily had 3 more good years in him - either way, this is year 3).  My understanding of the Harris contract is that he's taking a lesser salary this year with a bump up to 400k or more in the following years.  He went to Ottawa willing to be the backup in 2016 for the opportunity to be the starter in 2017.  Toronto wasn't willing to make a similar quasi-promise.

[mbrg]

28 minutes ago, Mark F said:

also..... they're not going to trade Drew.

If they do, they'd better get a king's ransom.  Even then, the risk/reward on something like that might still not be enough for my tastes.

[Mark F]

you have to think, they stuck with Drew to the point of losing their own jobs...... only in the direst circumstances did they bench him. 

 

So It's not just Milanovich that thinks there's still a good quarterback there.

 

Edited August 29, 2016 by Mark F

[IC Khari]

16 minutes ago, Mark F said:

you have to think, they stuck with Drew to the point of losing their own jobs...... only in the direst circumstances did they bench him. 

 

So It's not just Milanovich that thinks there's still a good quarterback there.

 

... and it was only when they moved away from him that they started to win and have possibly all saved their jobs  (had to be said).

[White Out]

If Toronto wants to take Willy off our hands they still have to make it worth our while. I don't think for a second that Drew will ever be a good starting QB but if I had to pick a backup QB, him, or, the field for our current stable of Qb's I take Willy. We can focus on getting a cheaper backup in the offseason.

[Mike]

I can't help but chuckle that some folks can't imagine the idea of Drew Willy being an effective starter ever again even knowing that the best QB mind in the CFL seems to think he can.

[JCon]

If Burris is released and you can get him at a discounted rate, do you trade Willy?

Gives Bombers flexibility at the end of the year. Get something from the Argos. Get a quality back-up for Nicholls.

I'm not advocating, just discussing.

[HardCoreBlue]

2 hours ago, Mark F said:

 

please explain why willy would do any better anywhere else.

If as some people think, his problem is making fast enough reads...  how does changing teams fix that?

I'm just a casual fan, but it looks to me as though Nichols makes decisions about what to do with the ball faster than Drew.

Change of scenery, new system, second chance, fresh start, out to prove people wrong, learned nothing is guaranteed, Ricky Ray as a mentor.

Although, these potential reasons are based on he actually has the actionable skill set to be a premier QB in this league of ours. If it ends up he doesn't, then that trumps all these reasons I just listed. 

[Mike]

1 minute ago, JCon said:

If Burris is released and you can get him at a discounted rate, do you trade Willy?

Gives Bombers flexibility at the end of the year. Get something from the Argos. Get a quality back-up for Nicholls.

I'm not advocating, just discussing.

I don't want Burris in any situation, to be honest.

If there was a situation out there that could land us assets for Willy while we still retained a quality backup QB in some way or another, I'd consider supporting the idea of trading Drew.

Is that situation out there? I don't see it.

The ONLY situation that I can see presenting itself is a scenario where we basically do a three way trade with Toronto/Montreal

Toronto gives up: assets, gets: Drew Willy

Winnipeg gives up: Drew Willy, gets: half the assets from Toronto, Kevin Glenn, cap relief to bolster their roster elsewhere

Montreal gives up: Kevin Glenn, gets: half the assets from Toronto, cap relief, an opening to boost Vernon Adams/Rakeem Cato up the depth chart and invest in the future

[kelownabomberfan]

what assets from Toronto are worth discussing?  Coombs? An NI OL?

[JCon]

1 minute ago, Mike said:

I don't want Burris in any situation, to be honest.

If there was a situation out there that could land us assets for Willy while we still retained a quality backup QB in some way or another, I'd consider supporting the idea of trading Drew.

Is that situation out there? I don't see it.

The ONLY situation that I can see presenting itself is a scenario where we basically do a three way trade with Toronto/Montreal

Toronto gives up: assets, gets: Drew Willy

Winnipeg gives up: Drew Willy, gets: half the assets from Toronto, Kevin Glenn, cap relief to bolster their roster elsewhere

Montreal gives up: Kevin Glenn, gets: half the assets from Toronto, cap relief, an opening to boost Vernon Adams/Rakeem Cato up the depth chart and invest in the future

I like that scenario much better (Glenn vs Burris)

 

I think the telling thing here is that the Bombers have not approached Willy to talk contract. That tells me that they have not lost faith in him.

[Tracker]

It all comes down to two factors: what Toronto is offering in exchange and if the coach and GM think Willy is really better than his record. And, in the words of John Madden (I think) "You are what your record says you are". A change of scenery would probably do Willy a world of good, and if his confidence in blue and gold is shattered or he is ticked at being demoted, its time to try to move him. Surely to God Davis or Bennett must be at least .250 quarterbacks,  or why do we have them? I should think that if the Bombers bring in a new QB after NFL cutdown day, it means that neither backup has inspired confidence.

[wbbfan]

2 hours ago, Mike said:

Do your own investigating. It's out there.

besides the money, the fact that not retaining him worked out soo poorly would only reinforce a desire not to repeat that situation. 

 

The double standard here with qbs is causing people to blind them self to the facts. Willy is damaged, not ruined. How much so the teams have a much better idea then the board. He was considered a strong mid level qb with high potential going into the season. The league is generally qb driven, its a rare thing for a D and teams like ours to perform as they have over the long run. The difference between nichols and willy isnt as great as some would think. What is, is more intangible. The OL turn around, D rounding out into maybe the best in the league, and teams steady improvement into a top unit isnt all because of the qb. Nichols was apart of the winning atmosphere we developed, but not the soul cause of it. 

Willy fits Torontos system as well. And millanovich likes to test the mettle of his qb and put them in the hardest situations. Doesnt get much harder then the first few weeks of our season. 

montreal could look to move on from glenn who wont get any better. 

Hamm could be interested if they believe now that masoli is no longer a qb of the future or present. 

I could see some other teams interested in him cheaper for a back up. Having a guy on the bench who has won games, and in the clutch late in games is a valuable asset. The question is at what price. if he is a stop gap in case a star qb gets hurt, hes worth less and if they have to pay him a lot of money the value is even lower. Look at the far worse qbs weve seen cycled through the league for a long time. If willy was a FA he would have plenty of interest.

I dont think there is going to be massive return by any means if we traded him. Probably a package that slides around salary cap relief and young talent. The other team taking more or less of willys deal, neg listers, maybe current young prospects or depth draft picks.