Around The League: 2018 Offseason

[Booch]

A change in philosophy in coverage, and how we employ the MLB along with the right guy to play it is pretty much the hurdle we need to make to become legit grey cup favorites.

All DB'S at the professional level can play man (some better than others) and mixing in more man, with our already aggressive D-line play (which will be better next year I would bet with the returnees one year wiser) and a legit linebacker I can see this defense leading in a lot of categories next year. That tho being with Randle and Heath re-signing but that I think is pretty much just a formality now.

Alexander and Walker are going to be good...Heck Walker is what..21??...But they won't make the rookie errors again.  If we could find one legit halback via free agency a backfiled of Randle, Heath, Loffler, Mr X and  Alexander/Walker as the other and extra DB looks to be very solid.

A lot of our over the top problems with the big plays was due to the fact the Safety a lot of the time was vacated and wasn't helping over the top (or being the threatening presence he was year before) due to the scheme of making the plays the MLB should have been making, or was compensating more for the deep middle and flats...poor scheme especially in CFL with most times 5 receivers and a lot time a RB looking to take a pass.

Look back at a lot of the big plays...jump balls and what seemed like busted coverage's..there was rarely a safety to be seen anywhere close...that was scheme.

Go more traditional...have Loffler in a safety position flowing to the play and coming down over top and you eliminate a lot of the issues..that and the fact in will be in the receivers heads again that number 16 might be flying in to knock them the eff out...you'd be surprised how that will affect an offense

[Brandon]

3 hours ago, Jacquie said:

When was he ever a GM?

I assume you did not live in Winnipeg back in the late 90's....

[Brandon]

19 hours ago, 17to85 said:

Hall is a proven commodity too, thought of so highly at one point he was given a head coaching position.

Also looked so highly that he like Reinebold was also the GM....

Edited December 6, 2017 by Brandon

[Tracker]

2 hours ago, Booch said:

A change in philosophy in coverage, and how we employ the MLB along with the right guy to play it is pretty much the hurdle we need to make to become legit grey cup favorites.

All DB'S at the professional level can play man (some better than others) and mixing in more man, with our already aggressive D-line play (which will be better next year I would bet with the returnees one year wiser) and a legit linebacker I can see this defense leading in a lot of categories next year. That tho being with Randle and Heath re-signing but that I think is pretty much just a formality now.

Alexander and Walker are going to be good...Heck Walker is what..21??...But they won't make the rookie errors again.  If we could find one legit halback via free agency a backfiled of Randle, Heath, Loffler, Mr X and  Alexander/Walker as the other and extra DB looks to be very solid.

A lot of our over the top problems with the big plays was due to the fact the Safety a lot of the time was vacated and wasn't helping over the top (or being the threatening presence he was year before) due to the scheme of making the plays the MLB should have been making, or was compensating more for the deep middle and flats...poor scheme especially in CFL with most times 5 receivers and a lot time a RB looking to take a pass.

Look back at a lot of the big plays...jump balls and what seemed like busted coverage's..there was rarely a safety to be seen anywhere close...that was scheme.

Go more traditional...have Loffler in a safety position flowing to the play and coming down over top and you eliminate a lot of the issues..that and the fact in will be in the receivers heads again that number 16 might be flying in to knock them the eff out...you'd be surprised how that will affect an offense

Which is what most here have been saying for a couple of years now.  The single biggest personnel/coaching failure here has been the lack of a decent MLB and the inability of the coach(es) to compensate for that. That has to be fixed for the 2018 season or heads will roll.

[17to85]

13 hours ago, Floyd said:

Um the post you're quoting said I would be fine with Hall staying if we signed an all star level MLB

Wild is not an MLB - tried that already, he's better as WIL

maybe you're too committed to arguing...?

what I was saying is it wasn't just MLB that was a problem, until santos knox got more playing time at the end of the season Wil was an issue too and that's the result of Wild being hurt all year. Of course when that position got strengthened we also lost Leggett who is also very key to the teams. Basically the linebackers need to be better next season full stop, and that I put on the GM more than the defensive coordinator. 

[Floyd]

13 minutes ago, 17to85 said:

what I was saying is it wasn't just MLB that was a problem, until santos knox got more playing time at the end of the season Wil was an issue too and that's the result of Wild being hurt all year. Of course when that position got strengthened we also lost Leggett who is also very key to the teams. Basically the linebackers need to be better next season full stop, and that I put on the GM more than the defensive coordinator. 

Agreed...  but if you look at Halls career his D needs an all star MLB more than anything - a speed guy who can read and recover quickly - basically flush the play to the outside

basically someone to make up for halls passive tendencies...  I'm not sure who we'd bring in though

if you have woods or muamba in the middle all of a sudden loffler can focus on safety and wild can rack up tackles 

that being said I think Nelson is a better coord in this era

[17to85]

Has there ever been a great defense that didn't have a damned good middle linebacker? 

[Floyd]

10 minutes ago, 17to85 said:

Has there ever been a great defense that didn't have a damned good middle linebacker? 

Maybe you could say early 2000s bombers...  but I do agree that every D needs a 'damned good' MLB - not Sam Hurl or Pierre Luc Labbe... 

I think its more a matter of defences that don't fall apart without an all-star MLB...  bend but don't break Ds need playmakers and a very very strong MLB to influence the direction of play

Pressure guys like Nelson, Jones and Thorpe utilize their front seven in a variety of ways and have less focus on the MLB

Hall did some creative things this year... but he always has and always will drift back to his conservative zone tendencies...

 

 

 

[Noeller]

44 minutes ago, Floyd said:

Maybe you could say early 2000s bombers...  but I do agree that every D needs a 'damned good' MLB - not Sam Hurl or Pierre Luc Labbe... 

Ryland Wickman was outstanding......who was before him? Did McGriggs ever play the middle? Then we had the Blue Barrin, then Lobendahn (thanks Dave...) then Henoc.....we've had damn good MACK backs for a really long time...

[17to85]

46 minutes ago, Noeller said:

Ryland Wickman was outstanding......who was before him? Did McGriggs ever play the middle? Then we had the Blue Barrin, then Lobendahn (thanks Dave...) then Henoc.....we've had damn good MACK backs for a really long time...

Oh man anyone dares to besmirch Ryland Wickman is gonna make me angry. The battles that guy had with Mike Pringle were just great stuff. 

Before him

[Tracker]

Ah, the good old days, when there was a steady stream of really good linebackers coming in. What happened?

[Jacquie]

9 hours ago, blue_gold_84 said:

In 1997 and 1998, when he was also the head coach.

I completely forgot about his being GM too. Or maybe I just blocked it from my memory.

[Mark F]

Nobody seems to be in a rush to sign anyone.

 

[Floyd]

1 hour ago, 17to85 said:

Oh man anyone dares to besmirch Ryland Wickman is gonna make me angry. The battles that guy had with Mike Pringle were just great stuff. 

Before him

So righteous...  its good to see you apply yourself!!!  #rylandstrong

I could be wrong though...  Brian Clark probably should qualify as all-star LB material, that guy was very under-rated.

[blue_gold_84]

37 minutes ago, Jacquie said:

I completely forgot about his being GM too. Or maybe I just blocked it from my memory.

Fair enough. I'm sure you're not the only one.

[M.O.A.B.]

10 hours ago, Brandon said:

Also looked so highly that he like Reinebold was also the GM....

Dang. I miss the jet sweep. 

[SPuDS]

15 hours ago, Jacquie said:

I completely forgot about his being GM too. Or maybe I just blocked it from my memory.

Completely understandable... I don't imagine many people look at that time very fondly, at all..

15 hours ago, Mark F said:

Nobody seems to be in a rush to sign anyone.

 

definitely seems that way.. I mean, beyond some jumpy forum-goers..

15 hours ago, Floyd said:

So righteous...  its good to see you apply yourself!!!  #rylandstrong

I could be wrong though...  Brian Clark probably should qualify as all-star LB material, that guy was very under-rated.

Totally agree with this.. Thought Clark was a very good MLB..  Though, I thought he did get his props while here.. though, could be wrong.

14 hours ago, blue_gold_84 said:

Fair enough. I'm sure you're not the only one.

very true.    I think it was definitely a moment that called for that neuro-flashy thingy from men in black.

[Pete Catan's Ghost]

16 hours ago, 17to85 said:

Oh man anyone dares to besmirch Ryland Wickman is gonna make me angry. The battles that guy had with Mike Pringle were just great stuff. 

Before him

In addition; RW gets huge bonus points for recommending Charles Roberts to the the BB.

[Noeller]

1 minute ago, Pete Catan's Ghost said:

In addition; RW gets huge bonus points for recommending Charles Roberts to the the BB.

well, his dad does.........and, in fairness, it was Frito they were looking at.....shame they missed out on that one. #SacStateAlum

[Booch]

and TAMAN  initially didn't want to even give him a shot...

[Floyd]

11 minutes ago, Booch said:

and TAMAN  initially didn't want to even give him a shot...

I thought he made space for Charlie as a return guy... just to keep him around?

[Booch]

He originally didn't want to even bring him to camp, and when he did said he wouldn't stick around cause his size and specifically that he figured his hands were too small and would just be fumbling all the time. That wasn't posted in the media I'm pretty sure but I can tell you for a fact that it was said and that was his assessment.

Also he said that Gavin Walls was pretty much just TCF and would not have any place on the team....what a judge of talent he was. I guess that's what you get when your G.M and for a time main scout/recruiter had no football playing experience, coaching back ground ans was basically a water boy who somehow moved up the chain

[SPuDS]

2 minutes ago, Booch said:

He originally didn't want to even bring him to camp, and when he did said he wouldn't stick around cause his size and specifically that he figured his hands were too small and would just be fumbling all the time. That wasn't posted in the media I'm pretty sure but I can tell you for a fact that it was said and that was his assessment.

Also he said that Gavin Walls was pretty much just TCF and would not have any place on the team....what a judge of talent he was. I guess that's what you get when your G.M and for a time main scout/recruiter had no football playing experience, coaching back ground ans was basically a water boy who somehow moved up the chain

I was such a big supporter of Taman back in the day.. getting some space and opening the eyes a bit... really allowed me to see he really lucked out in so many facets of his job.   his work in saskabush sealed the deal on my opinion of him.. 

how he managed to function half as well as he did here amazes me.

Edited December 7, 2017 by SPuDS

[Booch]

you can function only so long sacrificing Canadian talent and tossing away draft picks for over priced and downward spiraling vets only so long...then it comes back to haunt you in a big way and we suffered for it for a loooong time..He also had no network of any kind in the U.S at all.  If it wasn't for players (current and past) giving him leads or having guys contact him it would have been real ugly. 

Also he didn't have an understanding of how to manage a SMS system and to navigate it to allow yourself to maintain a core...extend certain guys when you can and think 2 years in advance. 

He back loaded so many deals to fit things into a 1 or 2 year window he basically left the team screwed and have no chance to sustain anything...and put the Riders in the same situation we were in , tho not as bad as he was only there for a fraction of the time..

[Floyd]

so... no actual source other than you think you remember?

and then back to Taman bashing when he helped build two gc worthy teams...