Players You're Excited To See

[AKAChip]

4 minutes ago, Noeller said:

I go back to the first two playoff games under Nichols where he was outstanding.....and the defense screwed him.

That was long enough ago that in my mind he has to show that last season wasn’t an anomaly at this point. I’m not sure he deserves the benefit of the doubt when there is a promising QB behind him. 

[Jesse]

1 minute ago, AKAChip said:

That was long enough ago that in my mind he has to show that last season wasn’t an anomaly at this point. I’m not sure he deserves the benefit of the doubt when there is a promising QB behind him. 

He did last season.

I think he needs to prove it now.

And Streveler needs to prove that he's growing as a passer and last season's success wasn't a mirage.

[JuranBoldenRules]

21 minutes ago, Noeller said:

I go back to the first two playoff games under Nichols where he was outstanding.....and the defense screwed him.

In one game the offense went conservative with a lead and couldn’t get a first down, in the other game the offense struggled and fell behind in the middle and fought back in the 4th.  Numbers were ok, but not great overall, some on Lapo some on Nichols.

[Mr Dee]

I still believe that the game plan for our bout with Calgary in the Western final played right into the hands of what Calgary was expecting. And Nichols isn’t the type of QB that can ad-lib and play well. (See Sask and Jefferson). Had we changed up our game plan to give them the same looks, but with twists, then I think we would have been more competitive. And yes, that includes using Streveler wisely. As it was, we really didn’t stand a chance. That’s not all on Nichols.

[wbbfan]

4 hours ago, nate007 said:

I think this is the year Jeff Drover really steps up at receiver...

 

But seriously, I'm most excited to see what Jefferson and Jeffcoat are gonna do on the same line!

Haha, Loved the heart and work ethic of Drover. He actually looked pretty solid at DB in his stint there. 

 

My short list of guys, Amari Coleman, and Terrance Baldwin. 41/47 college games (we've had years with 2 or more qbs who didn't total that many games combined) 38/31 pass knockdowns (insane) 142/131 tackles, and Baldwin has legit high 4.3 40 speed. 

Derek jones. He is poised to take the starting S job, and has looked very good on D and teams to date. More the stay home cover guy then loffler. The great fit, long developed guy finally going to make a go of it.

Brandin Bryant. Stole poops job halfway through last year. Incredible explosiveness and athleticism with great DT size. Still only 25, the sky is the limit for him. Dl is a deep position for us, he's gonna need to fulfill a lot of that potential to keep his spot. But many if he does look out. 

Jackson jeffcoat. Guy is a natural pass rusher. In limited action the last two years he has put a ton of pressure on opposing QBs. With jefferson, Roh, some tough rookies including kongbo he is in a similar position to bryant. Im betting it brings the best out of both of them.

Geoff Gray. NI ol is incredibly deep for developmental guys. Gray has a leg up on most having been rostered for one game last year and already learning the playbook, team etc. The OL has a few spots up for grabs and he is well poised to grab one. 

Streveller, of course. Right now he is an excellent backup and change of pace guy who can protect the ball and keep the team in the game. If he turns the corner and takes the next step, look out. 

Charles nelson. He could be our best return man / x factor in a long long time. Looked dangerous each time he touched the ball in his limited action last year.

Kenbrell Thompkins. At 30 his NFL window is basically closed short of a miracle. No WR spots outside of Darvin Adams are guaranteed. Showed good hands and some explosiveness in limited reps last year. The second year is make or break for wrs. 

Simonise, peterman, wolitarski, and nic demski. I expect 2 of these guys will start and the other 2 see strong rotational use. I think demski will really flourish in another year of plops offense. Woli had a coming out party, then was forgotten then came back with a vengeance. I expect him to see a steady diet of footballs. Simonise and peterman both showed flashes in limited action and both are gonna be hungry. 

 

[wbbfan]

28 minutes ago, AKAChip said:

That was long enough ago that in my mind he has to show that last season wasn’t an anomaly at this point. I’m not sure he deserves the benefit of the doubt when there is a promising QB behind him. 

Every starting QB in the league has to re-earn their stripes every year, and again in the playoffs. This will be the first camp where Nichols has a legit starter, a younger guy with potential at his heels. That can tend to drive the best out of you. Or break you. Streveler has to prove it wasn't an anomaly last year just as much. 

More importantly, I want to see Bryan Bennett get 20 Sts tackles this year. Loved seeing him fly downfield and get the tackle. If all 3 qbs are healthy out of camp, its going to be incredibly hard to un seat any of them. Because bennett can run the streveler packages, and contributes on teams. 

[Brandon]

Streveler was definitely better last season.  I'm hoping Matt can turn it around and look like he did 2 seasons ago... otherwise it's time to move on. 

I keep harping back to the Ottawa game but literally the moment Streveler came in the ball was spread around to several receivers and we marched down the field and kept the opposition off balance.   To many times last season our O completely shut down when Harris wasn't moving the ball and Nichols panicked and either held onto the ball to long or dumped it off instead of throwing to his first two reads.

[17to85]

1 hour ago, Mr Dee said:

I still believe that the game plan for our bout with Calgary in the Western final played right into the hands of what Calgary was expecting. And Nichols isn’t the type of QB that can ad-lib and play well. (See Sask and Jefferson). Had we changed up our game plan to give them the same looks, but with twists, then I think we would have been more competitive. And yes, that includes using Streveler wisely. As it was, we really didn’t stand a chance. That’s not all on Nichols.

I am still pissed off at Lapo for that crap gameplan I had to sit through. What a load of crap. Can't expect to beat a team like Calgary if you expect to win based on their mistakes.

[Colin Unger]

Matt Nichols. Boring choice but to me it’s a big deal if he has a decent degree of his mobility back which he lacked last season after the injury. 

[Stickem]

Looking forward to see how our revamped D is going to perform as well as the O Line....Some departures have me a little concerned BUT it looks like we have signed and drafted some nice prospects to fill the holes....Can't wait till the guys take the field and show us what they have....Getting closer ....tick...tick...tick

[sweep the leg]

Washington and Nelson are two guys I'm interested in. With apologies to Thompkins, and barring a last minute signing of a NFL cut, they look like the front runners for two American receiver spots.

I'm also interested to see how Brandin Bryant follows up on his rookie season. He looked good last year, and should probably be even better this year.

I think Geoff Gray wins the rg competition and Chris Humes wins the open cb job. Those are my two big roster predictions.

[M.O.A.B.]

I'm excited to see how many times Jefferson will hit Collaros down to the turf.

 

Edited May 6, 2019 by M.O.A.B.

[Atomic]

Rookie American receivers... we need someone to step up. The receiving corps was sub-par last year and they haven't done anything to improve on paper. I have little faith in Thompkins or Washington becoming star receivers. So it's going to have to be one of the rookies. Dom Williams, Josh Stewart, and Matt Hazel all look legit and come with decent resumes outside the CFL. Kenneth Walker is another interesting one. Smaller receiver but blazing fast speed (ran a 4.26 40 at UCLA pro day)... has a little bit of return experience so he might get involved there as well.

Edited May 6, 2019 by Atomic

[BBlink]

https://www.bluebombers.com/2019/04/29/bombers-add-receiver-josh-stewart-release-12-players/ sorry about Dom Williams

[Atomic]

3 minutes ago, BBlink said:

https://www.bluebombers.com/2019/04/29/bombers-add-receiver-josh-stewart-release-12-players/ sorry about Dom Williams

Missed that one.

The roster on the Bombers' website is totally out-of-date.

[LeBird]

It would be interesting to see how Nichols would perform with a couple of guys like say Banks and Sonopoli. 

[AKAChip]

26 minutes ago, LeBird said:

It would be interesting to see how Nichols would perform with a couple of guys like say Banks and Sonopoli. 

There is no chance he could hook up deep with Banks consistently enough and Banks would go ballistic. 

[SpeedFlex27]

I'm hoping Drew Wolitarski can crack the thousand yards receiving barrier. I hope he is moved to slot from boundary receiver where he'd be a lot busier.  Daniel Petermann who really showed he has a ton of potential last season when given the chance to compete. He could be another great Canadian receiver. 

[rebusrankin]

Simonise

[MC]

I am looking forward to seeing what happens with the oline.  If we start the season with Foketi at guard, it would be a major fail.  We need at least 3 starting NI's on the line, and ideally would have a 4th.  I still haven't given up that Gray could be a starting RT.

[Floyd]

Derek Jones - biggest question mark on the team (after INT REC of course ha...) - want to see him step up and seize the opportunity

Jeffcoat - With the pressure caused by Jefferson, Jeffcoat is going to have an absolutely monster year

Nichols - He's make or break for us really... if its 2017 form, maybe GC... if 2018, well...

Wolitarsky - they MUST be looking at him at SB...  really think he hits 1000 yards

Fenner - where does he fit?

Rose - this guy is going to ballhawk in a Hall D...

[Goalie]

Lets start with the drafted guys.. Specifically Desjarlais Kongbo Oliviera and The Samoan. 

Then... Simonise and Pettermann. 

Then id like to see our WIL LB.. Whoever it will be. 

And last but not least... Our DBs.. Malik Boynton is intriguing 

[Noeller]

37 minutes ago, MC said:

 If we start the season with Foketi at guard, it would be a major fail.  We need at least 3 starting NI's on the line, and ideally would have a 4th.  

False and majorly false.

[Goalie]

1 minute ago, Noeller said:

False and majorly false.

Thats such old school thinking its crazy. We now have starting Cdns at RB.. At Receiver.. DL.. OL.. Safety.. 

In my opinion.. I don't care if we start 3 Imp OL or 5... Starting 5 means we have the talent elsewhere . I've always thought if there was a way to start 4 import OL and have your 7 CDN starters eksewhere... ****.. Nobody could compete with u. 

[Brandon]

46 minutes ago, MC said:

I am looking forward to seeing what happens with the oline.  If we start the season with Foketi at guard, it would be a major fail.  We need at least 3 starting NI's on the line, and ideally would have a 4th.  I still haven't given up that Gray could be a starting RT.

From what the coaches and other football experts say Foketi would easily be starting for almost any other team in the league.   He's the real deal.