Some light reading

[johnzo]

15 minutes ago, TrueBlue4ever said:

Just as it is impossible to take the media's 'Rider love too seriously, it is hard to take the opposing 'Rider hate on this site too seriously. They have their holes for sure, and I do not care for how Chris Jones runs that team/carries himself/ingests oxygen, but the man does have a Grey Cup ring and took a team with no proven QB and turned in a 10-8 record last year having to play in the West. Maybe they will suck, but it's too easy to disregard them around here just cuz they be from Saskabush. I think Collaros was done in Hamilton, but is not done as a QB, much like Calvillo was done there but found a re-birth in Montreal. Now, the wild card in this is that o-line, and if they don't show any better than they did in the pre-season, then Collaros may be in for more shell shock at Mosaic and be mentally ruined forever. Jones did not help himself with cap mis-management and the cuts he made, including Bagg and Bond. Saskatchewan in my mind is a .500 team give or take a win or loss, and I think the media is putting them ahead of Winnipeg because (at least from what I have heard the media outside of Winnipeg say) they believe that Nichols is gone longer term than Mike O'Shea's rosy "4-6 weeks, but he'll be back in 4 games and on the 6 game IR" prediction, with many mentioning Labour Day (that's week 12, BTW, with the Bombers 11 games into their year at that point) as his return date. Bombers without Nichols for 10 games looks a whole lot different than Bombers with out Nichols for 3, and the media seems to be hedging their bets on his early return and dropping the Bombers in the standings accordingly, right or wrong. I lean more to O'Shea's math, but who can really know in today's upper/lower body "malaise" world of injury reports?

I do agree that the Rider rage here gets a little out of hand sometimes, but you can't say that Glenn isn't a proven QB.  Granted, he's a proven .500 QB, but the Riders were about .500, so it all checks out.

Looking forward to this year -- the rule of the CFL is that the team with the better QB and the better Canadians wins, and both those areas are huge question marks for the Roughies.  Maybe it all turns out ok, maybe Collaros gets time to do his work and maybe Messam keeps Messaming for another year and LaBatte plays like it's 2007 and Edem bounces back and they can scheme successfully around Hurl .. but that's a lot of maybes.

(looking at their roster today, it does look like they have a practice roster OL ... an import named Takoby Cofield ... someone mentioned they didn't have one)

 

[17to85]

37 minutes ago, TrueBlue4ever said:

Just as it is impossible to take the media's 'Rider love too seriously, it is hard to take the opposing 'Rider hate on this site too seriously. They have their holes for sure, and I do not care for how Chris Jones runs that team/carries himself/ingests oxygen, but the man does have a Grey Cup ring and took a team with no proven QB and turned in a 10-8 record last year having to play in the West. Maybe they will suck, but it's too easy to disregard them around here just cuz they be from Saskabush. I think Collaros was done in Hamilton, but is not done as a QB, much like Calvillo was done there but found a re-birth in Montreal. Now, the wild card in this is that o-line, and if they don't show any better than they did in the pre-season, then Collaros may be in for more shell shock at Mosaic and be mentally ruined forever. Jones did not help himself with cap mis-management and the cuts he made, including Bagg and Bond. Saskatchewan in my mind is a .500 team give or take a win or loss, and I think the media is putting them ahead of Winnipeg because (at least from what I have heard the media outside of Winnipeg say) they believe that Nichols is gone longer term than Mike O'Shea's rosy "4-6 weeks, but he'll be back in 4 games and on the 6 game IR" prediction, with many mentioning Labour Day (that's week 12, BTW, with the Bombers 11 games into their year at that point) as his return date. Bombers without Nichols for 10 games looks a whole lot different than Bombers with out Nichols for 3, and the media seems to be hedging their bets on his early return and dropping the Bombers in the standings accordingly, right or wrong. I lean more to O'Shea's math, but who can really know in today's upper/lower body "malaise" world of injury reports?

Glenn right now is a better qb than Collaros and I think that their OL has actually gotten worse. I'll give em credit for having what appears to be a solid group of receivers, but the rest of the offense? not as good as last season. Glenn turned in a real good performance for them last year that I just don't see Collaros matching. Let's not forget the drop off at MLB going from Muamba to Hurl, we all saw here what that does for a team. 

Chris Jones coaching a team and only coaching a team? Yeah I'd buy that he could turn something around, Chris Jones as a GM though? not very good. Kind of similar to MIke Kelly actually. If Kelly had focused on only coaching his reputation might not be in the sewer like it is today. 

[wbbfan]

11 minutes ago, johnzo said:

I do agree that the Rider rage here gets a little out of hand sometimes, but you can't say that Glenn isn't a proven QB.  Granted, he's a proven .500 QB, but the Riders were about .500, so it all checks out.

Looking forward to this year -- the rule of the CFL is that the team with the better QB and the better Canadians wins, and both those areas are huge question marks for the Roughies.  Maybe it all turns out ok, maybe Collaros gets time to do his work and maybe Messam keeps Messaming for another year and LaBatte plays like it's 2007 and Edem bounces back and they can scheme successfully around Hurl .. but that's a lot of maybes.

(looking at their roster today, it does look like they have a practice roster OL ... an import named Takoby Cofield ... someone mentioned they didn't have one)

 

I would say glenn might for his career be even bettern then 500, but much worse when you really need a win. 

For my money, the most important factors in team success are, qbs (elite starter and depth) both trenches, then canadian talent. As important as QBs are, the value of keeping yours safe and giving him time while limiting the other teams QBs time and getting hits on him can not be under stated. And yet I would bet that the top wrs make more money then the top o and D linemen. 

[wbbfan]

2 minutes ago, 17to85 said:

Glenn right now is a better qb than Collaros and I think that their OL has actually gotten worse. I'll give em credit for having what appears to be a solid group of receivers, but the rest of the offense? not as good as last season. Glenn turned in a real good performance for them last year that I just don't see Collaros matching. Let's not forget the drop off at MLB going from Muamba to Hurl, we all saw here what that does for a team. 

Chris Jones coaching a team and only coaching a team? Yeah I'd buy that he could turn something around, Chris Jones as a GM though? not very good. Kind of similar to MIke Kelly actually. If Kelly had focused on only coaching his reputation might not be in the sewer like it is today. 

agree on both the first points. But even at WR they just cut 2 starters. I cant see them being better at Qb ol or wr in any way this year. 

[17to85]

And most importantly I just don't see their Canadian depth improving, if anything it appears to be getting worse. 

That team needs an awful lot to go absolutely perfect to match what they did last season. 

[rebusrankin]

No proven QB? Kevin Glenn is proven and he was the Riders QB. Calvillo wasn't done in Hamilton, he was in the not done much category before going to Montreal, not the same for Collaros.

[wbbfan]

3 minutes ago, 17to85 said:

And most importantly I just don't see their Canadian depth improving, if anything it appears to be getting worse. 

That team needs an awful lot to go absolutely perfect to match what they did last season. 

No doubt its worse. - rob bagg and henoc. 

[Booch]

You have to remember as well that Chris Jones...HC who won a Grey Cup was basically handed the keys to that and in no way shape or form orchestrated that roster one bit..he inherited it.

As for his duties in Sask he inherited a right steaming pile of crap and could not have made things worse..tho he almost did and tarnished his rep with his cheating ways.

But it appears in yr 3 they are regressing..no top notch Canadians..and paltry depth behind what they have. He has neglected an O-line..your teams back bone and has drafted ..and recruited/negotiated contracts poorly to sustain success and any have to cut guys who could help them..because he is robbing Peter to pay Paul..and it is looking like Paul isn't that good anyway.

So the dumping on they get is warranted I think..

[WBBFanWest]

15 hours ago, wbbfan said:

I would say glenn might for his career be even bettern then 500, but much worse when you really need a win. 

For my money, the most important factors in team success are, qbs (elite starter and depth) both trenches, then canadian talent. As important as QBs are, the value of keeping yours safe and giving him time while limiting the other teams QBs time and getting hits on him can not be under stated. And yet I would bet that the top wrs make more money then the top o and D linemen. 

In fairness to Glenn, I'm pretty sure that he's thrown more td's to his own receivers than to the other side. (excluding the last minute of the game of course)