2021/22 - CFL Offseason - Non-Back-to-Back Grey Cup Champion Thread

[17to85]

59 minutes ago, JuranBoldenRules said:

but man this is Harris' team.

it was, but last year was pretty clearly Collaros team. Now Harris took over in the west final no doubt... but that was as much the OL taking over as anything. I am not trying to downplay Harris at all, but we won plenty of games without him last season as well. I think it's completely fair to ask how well he would hold up physically given his last season. 

[JCon]

Denski is the local face of the team now. BO will get his turn but Demski has been the "second" local face of the team. 

[Jesse]

Just now, JCon said:

Denski is the local face of the team now. BO will get his turn but Demski has been the "second" local face of the team. 

Meh,  Collaros, Jefferson, Bighill.

Those are the faces of the team. People don't go searching for a 'local' face.

[kelownabomberfan]

This will all be a moot discussion when AH gets hurt in the third game of the season and is out long term.

[GCn20]

Harris has earned his legacy here, but we needed other players more than we needed Harris. A lot of us running on high emotion around here about how the team won't be the same without Harris. BS. O'Shea has his finger on the pulse of that dressing room and if he thought for five minutes that the locker room couldn't survive the loss of Harris then Harris would still be a Bomber.

Edited February 9, 2022 by GCn20

[Booch]

10 hours ago, JuranBoldenRules said:

Are you kidding?  I'm fine with moving on from players.  Harris is this team.  Do you think we even get to either Grey Cup without him?  It's a big risk to move on.  Has Augustine even hit 50 carries in a season?  I'm not one to overstate the value of one football player to a team but man this is Harris' team.

Why the hell would Harris have been benched when he's averaging 16 carries 90 yards a game and superb pass protection?

I get it that RB's sometimes fall off a cliff but the guy literally dragged this team into a Grey Cup two months ago.  We're not talking about Charles Roberts or Milt Stegall we're talking about a guy who just built the culture, did the work and got the result...TWICE.

I trust O'Shea to make the call but I have strong concerns that they overthought this one and potentially will regret that later.  This team is not built to win in 2023 or 2024 or 2025.  To me there's no reason to favour a 25 year old player over a 35 year old one when the 35 year old clearly just outperformed the other guy.  Who's our next QB, who's our next big defensive star?  All our guys are old.  You can't build for 2 years down the line anyway but especially not with the current contract rules.

what team is?

we stood pat last year to repeat....you dont go back to the well to do that again...won't work....management made the call on which guys this year they could move from, if their price wants didnt match the overall team SMS...nothing more...nothing less, and next yr most likely it will be guys like Taylor...Thomas..maybe Bryant....thats what good teams do to stay good

Any g.m would have moved on from a 35 yr old asking alot....especially one who had some injury concerns, and concerns that they wanted to work him out...they werent asking that to be dicks....and I can see it now..we signed him...and say lost one of Brady and or Johnny, and they performed well, and Harris either got hurt...or under performed...and we Signed BJ Cunningham or the likes to replace Lawler...and got crap production....Walters would have got roasted....He made the right call for the better of the team...

[WBBFanWest]

11 hours ago, JuranBoldenRules said:

It's way beyond Milt tbh and we don't have the rehash that but we just won two Grey Cups and which player led that culture?

It's always one year.  It's not the NHL.  How many years is Collaros signed for?  Jeffcoat?  Jefferson?  Bighill?  You think that Johnny Augustine at age 30 is gonna carry us when all those guys are gone or retired?  Get real.

Brady could tear his ACL or break his tib-fib again and be a total non-factor.  It's football.  You build a team for now.

All our big players are signed for one year and pushing 30 or older.  We win now, we're not worried about Brady Oliviera in his prime.

I think we've seen this "build for this year" before.  Tell me, how did the Brendan Taman experiment work out for us?  I have to say, it seems that we've had a lot of success in the past few years by building not just for the moment, but with an eye towards the future.  Look, I get it.  You liked Andrew and you're sorry he's gone.  I'm sorry too.  But that's the nature of team sports.  I like the players, but it's the team that matters most.  I wish Andrew much success in Toronto, right up until he plays the Bombers.

[17to85]

This team is built for this year and the future. The core this team has brought back can absolutely win but it's also got the depth to maintain success.  It really is next man up. Calgary has lost tons of players and remained a good team just because there is a pipeline of talent coming in continuously.  Just trust in the plan from the management. It has built a team that is the envy of the rest of a league.

[Booch]

yeah...we are built to sustain...not sure why people are so caught up in the loss of a few aging vets..whom we can and have replaced with more than adequate production...I get the fan fav part...and all the other stuff...but thats sports..always has been

 

[17to85]

People just see the losses and have been hit on the nose with the rolled up newspaper too many times they assume the team will be bad again. 

We're in a new era fellas. 

[GCn20]

25 minutes ago, Booch said:

yeah...we are built to sustain...not sure why people are so caught up in the loss of a few aging vets..whom we can and have replaced with more than adequate production...I get the fan fav part...and all the other stuff...but thats sports..always has been

 

It was pretty clear to me during 2021 that Adams and Harris were likely on their way out. Many here discussed it during the season, not sure why some are so surprised by it now. We all raved about the job that Brady and Johnny were doing in Andrew's absence, we all had questions about Adams diminished returns on offence. This realistically was how I saw the offseason going down midway through last season when Harris went down for the 2nd time and Adams had all but vanished from our offence.

2 minutes ago, 17to85 said:

People just see the losses and have been hit on the nose with the rolled up newspaper too many times they assume the team will be bad again. 

We're in a new era fellas. 

Same thing the past few FA frenzies. Walters has been quiet, we lose a couple players and people wonder if we did enough and why we didn't do more forgetting that an offseason of stellar work was done from the end of the season to now.  

[Arnold_Palmer]

I remember people were worried about our secondary and receiving core going into the season. Both ended up just fine. Walters and co have a plan. Back to back Grey Cup teams can’t keep everybody but we have did a damn good job. We have to rely on a few new guys to come in and make plays but the nucleus is set. We will be just fine. 

[Booch]

2 minutes ago, GCn20 said:

It was pretty clear to me during 2021 that Adams and Harris were likely on their way out. Many here discussed it during the season, not sure why some are so surprised by it now. We all raved about the job that Brady and Johnny were doing in Andrew's absence, we all had questions about Adams diminished returns on offence. This realistically was how I saw the offseason going down midway through last season when Harris went down for the 2nd time and Adams had all but vanished from our offence.

been sayin since way back that Adams was a likely casualty...Harris was a bit of a blindside....figured he would need to take a shave...figured hw would to end it here, but stories of him balking at showing he 100 percent healthy, his age...his not wanting to fit into the SMS like others have...Walters made the tough...but right choice....

[GCn20]

5 minutes ago, Booch said:

been sayin since way back that Adams was a likely casualty...Harris was a bit of a blindside....figured he would need to take a shave...figured hw would to end it here, but stories of him balking at showing he 100 percent healthy, his age...his not wanting to fit into the SMS like others have...Walters made the tough...but right choice....

I thought Harris would take the shave too, knew it was definitely going to happen, but didn't think he would leave the Bombers for a few extra dollars after, by his own admission, playing a heavy role in convincing guys to stay here for less. But it is what it is and I love Harris but honestly lost a little respect for him yesterday. However, that's easy for me to say because I'm not in his shoes. I honestly think he will look back on this decision after he hangs up his cleats and regret his decision to not finish it out with us.

Adams did nothing wrong, and was the consummate professional here. I hope he rejuvenates in Ottawa and has a bounce back season. Guy sacrificed his last few years here, leaving money on the table to stay, but we needed to go in a different direction after losing Lawler because I think we need more out of his spot than he can provide at his age. I expect that Adams place in the lineup will be one that if a rookie doesn't step up early that Walters spends some money on.

Edited February 9, 2022 by GCn20

[Jesse]

Just now, GCn20 said:

I thought Harris would take the shave too, knew it was definitely going to happen, but didn't think he would leave the Bombers for a few extra dollars after, by his own admission, playing a heavy role in convincing guys to stay here for less. But it is what it is and I love Harris but honestly lost a little respect for him yesterday. However, that's easy for me to say because I'm not in his shoes.

I would never lose respect for the man. These guys lost a year of salary very recently, then had to come back at a discount for another year. He might need to earn and have no choice but to go to the highest bidder. And whatever, that's his business.

In terms of his Bomber legacy, that's taking a hit for me. He spent a huge chunk of his career in BC, came here for 5 seasons, and will now end his career elsewhere. Doesn't scream Milt Stegall or Doug Brown for me.

[GCn20]

1 minute ago, Jesse said:

I would never lose respect for the man. These guys lost a year of salary very recently, then had to come back at a discount for another year. He might need to earn and have no choice but to go to the highest bidder. And whatever, that's his business.

In terms of his Bomber legacy, that's taking a hit for me. He spent a huge chunk of his career in BC, came here for 5 seasons, and will now end his career elsewhere. Doesn't scream Milt Stegall or Doug Brown for me.

Ok maybe that's more indicative of how I feel too. Loss of respect was too harsh. However, Andrew Harris did take a nice fat signing bonus home in the covid lockout so he didn't lose his full salary.

[Stickem]

So do we give Andrew a smash mouth hammering when he crosses the line.....It's going to be a sight to see him playing us and him going up against our D for real.....Take no prisoners now....he's the enemy.....Geez that was tough to say BUT business is business☹️

[GCn20]

8 minutes ago, Stickem said:

So do we give Andrew a smash mouth hammering when he crosses the line.....It's going to be a sight to see him playing us and him going up against our D for real.....Take no prisoners now....he's the enemy.....Geez that was tough to say BUT business is business☹️

I cheer for the logo not the player. If you aren't wearing our logo then you are the enemy. Legacy can wait till after careers are over and they are not playing for the opposition and come back and sign their one day contracts to retire in our uniform. Until then Adams, Harris, Lawler et al are opponents now and we need to smash them in the mouth.

Edited February 9, 2022 by GCn20

[Booch]

I'm sure our defense will hold no punches...as well as leave a message as to what they left....all in good sportsmanship for sure

[JuranBoldenRules]

4 hours ago, WBBFanWest said:

I think we've seen this "build for this year" before.  Tell me, how did the Brendan Taman experiment work out for us?  I have to say, it seems that we've had a lot of success in the past few years by building not just for the moment, but with an eye towards the future.  Look, I get it.  You liked Andrew and you're sorry he's gone.  I'm sorry too.  But that's the nature of team sports.  I like the players, but it's the team that matters most.  I wish Andrew much success in Toronto, right up until he plays the Bombers.

Give your head a shake and open your eyes. The whole league is on one year contracts even QB's.  It's always build for this year.  Who cares about Taman?  It's 2022.  Taman is a guy who made sure to make the third mistake so the first two mistakes made sense.

The structure of the organization is built to succeed because we have a hall-of-fame coach, personnel department and front office.  We have a winning team with several key players who have built a culture of winning.  To pay those guys who always show up and decide that one guy was a concern in terms of being in shape and maybe missing some games is overthinking.  We aren't talking in maybes.  Who's been our best player through 5 playoff games that led to 2 rings?  As long as that guy wants to play this season he's on my team.  People are talking like Harris sat out the playoffs or something.  He's the only back who touched the ball in the playoffs and he dominated.

[WBBFanWest]

3 minutes ago, JuranBoldenRules said:

Give your head a shake and open your eyes. The whole league is on one year contracts even QB's.  It's always build for this year.  Who cares about Taman?  It's 2022.  Taman is a guy who made sure to make the third mistake so the first two mistakes made sense.

The structure of the organization is built to succeed because we have a hall-of-fame coach, personnel department and front office.  We have a winning team with several key players who have built a culture of winning.  To pay those guys who always show up and decide that one guy was a concern in terms of being in shape and maybe missing some games is overthinking.  We aren't talking in maybes.  Who's been our best player through 5 playoff games that led to 2 rings?  As long as that guy wants to play this season he's on my team.  People are talking like Harris sat out the playoffs or something.  He's the only back who touched the ball in the playoffs and he dominated.

Well, I'm thinking that clearly, with the way that Walters approaches the building of the team, focusing on smart drafting, good recruiting and discipline during free agency, he is building for now and, I'll say it again, with an eye towards the future.  And sometimes that's going to mean hard decisions and leaving sentementality at the door.  You know, sort of like when we remember that we've already played the 2019 and 2021 Grey Cup, so who cares who was dominant then?  If Harris really wanted to be here, he'd still be here, just like Bighill or Jefferson.  He made his choice, I respect that, but he's not a Bomber anymore.  It's 2022 after all.

[GCn20]

28 minutes ago, JuranBoldenRules said:

Give your head a shake and open your eyes. The whole league is on one year contracts even QB's.  It's always build for this year.  Who cares about Taman?  It's 2022.  Taman is a guy who made sure to make the third mistake so the first two mistakes made sense.

The structure of the organization is built to succeed because we have a hall-of-fame coach, personnel department and front office.  We have a winning team with several key players who have built a culture of winning.  To pay those guys who always show up and decide that one guy was a concern in terms of being in shape and maybe missing some games is overthinking.  We aren't talking in maybes.  Who's been our best player through 5 playoff games that led to 2 rings?  As long as that guy wants to play this season he's on my team.  People are talking like Harris sat out the playoffs or something.  He's the only back who touched the ball in the playoffs and he dominated.

As always it comes down to cost though. If there was no SMS definitely you bring Harris back but realistically of all our big ticket signings is there a single one more risky and more likely to backfire than Harris? Who would you have the Bombers not re-signing to free up Harris money and don't say no one because we know full well given the amount of all stars we had to re-sign that was not an option. You're angry, I get it, no one wants to lose a Harris but seriously Jeffcoat, Jefferson, Biggie, Oliveira or Augustine and a medium priced vet, who....who you picking? Explain how it would be better and why you think Oliveira and Augustine can't get the job done when they have demonstrated their ability to do so.

Edited February 9, 2022 by GCn20

[Stickem]

I.m expecting big things from Augustine and Oliveira in 22.....They have youth going for them and the more reps. Brady gets is going to be highly beneficial.....Augustine showed what he could do during Harris's absence ...I was impressed ....Before that I often wondered why we kept him around....besides his passport....He's the real deal/....Gotta say though I think we're going to miss the best hands for a running back in this league, that Harris possesses....His leadership is another quality .... gonna miss that as well....Someone else is going to have to step up and fill that roll and carry the flag

[SpeedFlex27]

Deleted...

Edited February 9, 2022 by SpeedFlex27

[blue_gold_84]

Pinball is clearly not some master negotiator.