2022 Off Season - Back 2 Back Champs Edition

[Arnold_Palmer]

ZC has it good here. A chance to three peat, a chance to win another MOP award but most importantly a chance to continue to stay protected. This is the only time in his career he’s had an elite o-line keep him healthy. I don’t see a scenario of him leaving. Like Jefferson and Jeffcoat he will sign a little under market value but he’ll still get a nice pay day he realizes the importance this stage of his career of continuity, staying healthy for a life after football, and to continue to add rings and awards to his legacy. 

[Mark H.]

27 minutes ago, CodyT said:

If I'm Masoli im avoiding Ottawa like the plague 

Could be a good gig, throwing check downs in Lapo's O. 

[SpeedFlex27]

If you look at the teams that Zach could go to like Ottawa & maybe BC as there are stories that Reilly may retire both those teams have dreadful offensive lines. Reilly was a human punching bag again last season. Collaros may get more $$ playing for one of them but he wouldn't last the season.

Toronto's line is much better but would they go after Collaros? He has a chance to go play closer to home but the Argos didn't want him 2 years ago.They didn't believe he could play. Why would he go back to an organization that gave up on him?

The wildcard could be Edmonton but that OL was putrid. So, Jones may offer him more $$ but does he want to be a human piniata & run the risk of injury? Which is why I think he'll re-sign here. 

[SpeedFlex27]

11 minutes ago, Mark H. said:

Could be a good gig, throwing check downs in Lapo's O. 

Never win a Grey Cup in Ottawa with LaPo. No run game. No OL. No impact receivers. A perfect fit. Under Lapo, the RBs will never have an elite qb & that team will become a qb graveyard.

 

 

http://www.geocities.ws/football_graveyard/tombstone.jpg

 

Edited January 13, 2022 by SpeedFlex27

[kelownabomberfan]

40 minutes ago, CodyT said:

If I'm Masoli im avoiding Ottawa like the plague 

 

Especially good idea if you don't have the jab...

4 hours ago, Bubba Zanetti said:

Can you imagine a scenario where we let Zach walk over $$$, Hamilton signs him, and then he beats us in the Grey Cup?? I wouldnt want to live in that world.

Without Zach I don't see us in that Grey Cup to be beaten.

[Brandon]

2 hours ago, CodyT said:

If I'm Masoli im avoiding Ottawa like the plague 

I'm pretty sure being offered $400 000 compared to $250 000 would make  Ottawa an easy choice. 

[wbbfan]

16 hours ago, GCn20 said:

If you think that getting a 100 yards average on the ground against us with a depleted LBer crew is damaging you are wrong. We gave teams the run so that they couldn't pass or score on us. I mean you say we got gashed on the run but the difference between Stove in the lineup and Stove out of the lineup was 30 yards rushing per game. Insignificant really and even less so when you factor in that the CFL is a PASSING game, and in Stove's absence we were the number one defence defending the pass in just about every category but most importantly a HISTORIC low for points scored against us. I'm not saying Stove is easy to replace, all I am saying is that he is the easiest to replace without hampering our pass defence and that is our bread and butter. Could we find lightning in the bottle and find two all star level DBs again this year....maybe but even with our excellent recruitment I wouldn't take that chance. We've lost Alford already and losing Rose or Alexander would be devastating.

What? You are suggesting we go to a 5 man front without Stove? Didn't happen when he was out this year and won't happen now if we lose him. I am unclear where you even get that idea from?  I don't want to lose Stove he's a helluva player but you are way overselling him. Our defence would be just fine without him if it comes to that.

We didn't give them 7 ypc lol. They slashed us. The defence doesn't give up the run they limit the run and force the passing game to chain together 2nd and long conversions inorder to Try and score. That's a key element of the hall defence. 

We did. When stove was out we out bighill on the line. We ran him into an interior ol just like most of 2019. 

I think greycup hang over is clouding your memory. 

[wbbfan]

9 hours ago, Nolby said:

Anything under 500 will be a win for us

For me any thing that gets him signed with out going Reilly crazy is a win. If it takes 550 then so be it. 

[wbbfan]

5 hours ago, Brandon said:

I'm pretty sure being offered $400 000 compared to $250 000 would make  Ottawa an easy choice. 

Ott would be a 1 way trip to the ir. 

I'd like to see Masoli in mtl. Tor will probably offer the most money.  Other then that idk where he'd land.

I don't see any vet qb being an option for us. Maybe Nichols on a min salary to hold a clip board n get coffee and intern for a future coaching career. Probably not though. 

Thatd be a good idea for any player vet who wants to coach seriously though. 

[GCn20]

1 hour ago, wbbfan said:

We didn't give them 7 ypc lol. They slashed us. The defence doesn't give up the run they limit the run and force the passing game to chain together 2nd and long conversions inorder to Try and score. That's a key element of the hall defence. 

We did. When stove was out we out bighill on the line. We ran him into an interior ol just like most of 2019. 

I think greycup hang over is clouding your memory. 

I guess the Hall defence must have been horrible in the games that Richardson missed? I think your memory is a little cloudy. Pick one stat and yell it from the roof tops if you want to do so but we weren't involved in any high scoring games where the offence bailed us out. If opponents averaged 7 ypc against us when Stove was down does it matter at all? Not sure why you are banging this drum so loudly? We averaged less than 13pts a game scored against us and less than 5 pts per game in the 2nd half without Stove. He is not a must sign. We did just fine without him.

I want Stove back as badly as anyone, but I'm not going to give into the premise that losing him would be problematic. I hope we can get him at a fair salary and that he is here. If we don't then it's on to the next guy and our defence will still be elite providing we don't lose Biggie, BA, and too many from our secondary as well.

Edited January 13, 2022 by GCn20

[wbbfan]

23 minutes ago, GCn20 said:

I guess the Hall defence must have been horrible in the games that Richardson missed? I think your memory is a little cloudy. Pick one stat and yell it from the roof tops if you want to do so but we weren't involved in any high scoring games where the offence bailed us out. If opponents averaged 7 ypc against us when Stove was down does it matter at all? Not sure why you are banging this drum so loudly? We averaged less than 13pts a game scored against us and less than 5 pts per game in the 2nd half without Stove. He is not a must sign. We did just fine without him.

I want Stove back as badly as anyone, but I'm not going to give into the premise that losing him would be problematic. I hope we can get him at a fair salary and that he is here. If we don't then it's on to the next guy and our defence will still be elite providing we don't lose Biggie, BA, and too many from our secondary as well.

The entire league was low scoring in the time. Do you not recall that? Of course it matters. You're talking about a giant shift in our defense. How could it not. 

Clearly you don't lol. You don't seem to have even a vague understanding of his role or impact. Again we replaced 3 dbs last year. And our secondary got better. 

Drink another Grey Cup brew. You've lost the plot so it doesn't really matter. 

[GCn20]

23 minutes ago, wbbfan said:

The entire league was low scoring in the time. Do you not recall that? Of course it matters. You're talking about a giant shift in our defense. How could it not. 

Clearly you don't lol. You don't seem to have even a vague understanding of his role or impact. Again we replaced 3 dbs last year. And our secondary got better. 

Drink another Grey Cup brew. You've lost the plot so it doesn't really matter. 

I guess we will agree to disagree but I won't be a ****** about it. If you choose to continue to be one all the power to you. Hope whatever is bothering you gets resolved. I think it's absolutely laughable that you think losing Stove represents a giant shift in our defence. He is one guy....you are overselling this to the nth degree. I've played football, coached it for many, many, years and watched it the last 50 years of my life and am yet to see in all my years a team lose a stellar defence because a DT left town.

Edited January 13, 2022 by GCn20

[TrueBlue4ever]

[Geebrr]

Excellent 

[Jpan85]

HOF'er

[Booch]

solid signing....unsung guys make your team

[wbbfan]

Return of the goat. That's great news. 

42 minutes ago, Jpan85 said:

HOF'er

 I'd put him in. 

[Geebrr]

He belongs in the HOF.

 

[Nolby]

9 hours ago, Geebrr said:

He belongs in the HOF.

 

He deserves his own burger

[Jpan85]

 

[rebusrankin]

Happy to see some good Canadian foot soldiers like Briggs and Miller backing. I must admit though am hoping we see Alexander, Collaros, Bighill and a receiver like Bailey soon.

[Geebrr]

https://3downnation.com/2022/01/16/argos-adding-former-stamps-bombers-position-coach-pete-costanza-to-staff-report/

[Noeller]

^^ new Travelling Secretary...

[Noeller]

For discussion.....

 

https://3downnation.com/2022/01/17/reigning-mop-back-to-back-grey-cup-champ-zach-collaros-has-all-the-leverage-in-contract-negotiations-with-bombers/

Zach Collaros has the Bombers by their blue balls.

Each second, minute, hour and day that go by, the price rises for re-signing Collaros. Offers have been made but none lucrative enough for him to sign on the dotted line. The pending free agent would be coveted by multiple CFL teams if he happens to hit the open market on February 8.

Since arriving in Winnipeg at the trade deadline in October 2019, the athletic QB has played the best football of his career. He’s won 17 of 19 starts, including back-to-back Grey Cups, and earned the league’s Most Outstanding Player award in a unanimous vote.

Collaros earned a prorated $424,285.71 last season while leading the CFL with 20 touchdown passes and a 111.0 QB rating. He was the best quarterback in the three-down league and even his counterparts would agree, while definitely being underpaid.

His situation is comparable to Bo Levi Mitchell following the 2018 season. Mitchell had done the double, grabbing the MOP award and a second Grey Cup as a starter. He actually entered free agency, entertained offers until Stampeders general manager John Hufnagel opened his wallet to pay Mitchell $2.8 million over four years for an average of $700,000 annually.

 

That’s the kind of money Collaros could command from rival CFL franchises. The Argonauts would be intrigued by the idea of bringing the 33-year-old back to Toronto where he started his career. It could be a homecoming of sorts, as Collaros makes his off-season home in nearby Aurora, which is less than a 40-minute drive — without traffic — from BMO Field.

Paul LaPolice would love to be reunited with Collaros in the nation’s capital. The offensive coordinator and QB worked closely together in 2019 to help the Bombers win the 107th Grey Cup. Ottawa has lots of salary cap space and Redblacks GM Shawn Burke was in Hamilton for all of the years Collaros spent with the Tiger-Cats, critical familiarity.

Both Toronto and Ottawa have cash to spend on Collaros if the opportunity comes about. At minimum, competing teams could drive the price up on Winnipeg if negotiations go the distance. The Bombers are trying to keep as many key pieces on the roster as possible while eyeing a three-peat, but Collaros is the most important by a country mile.

 

If Collaros leaves the Blue Bombers, the only QB currently under contract is Dru Brown. Losing No. 8 would completely change the Bombers’ ability to compete for a third straight CFL championship with the 109th edition scheduled to be hosted by the rival Roughriders in Saskatchewan. Winnipeg Football Club president Wade Miller would love to hoist the cup there, but Collaros must be in blue and gold for a legit shot at that dream turning into reality.

It’s a rare time where one player has all the leverage and, with football careers being unpredictable and short, Collaros needs to break the bank while he can. His recent accolades add up to him becoming the highest paid player in the CFL. The major question: will Winnipeg pay up or does Collaros wear new colours next season? We’re about to find out and the drama could be high behind the scenes.

[Brandon]

I could be wrong so correct me if I am... but didn't the Blue offer more money to Zach several years back and he turned them down to stay out East?