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

[17to85]

2 hours ago, Noeller said:

Nichols had a really bad I jury in Edm which is the only reason he was buried on that team. His production dropped off after that injury, unfortunately. But lucky for us because he completely revolutionized our offense. 

Nichols had more than one injury in edmonton. Guy was a bit of a bandaid there.

[SpeedFlex27]

On 2022-02-18 at 5:16 PM, GCn20 said:

Matt Nichols went from 3rd string cut adrift to starter among the league leaders. Steven Jyles, albeit a brief stop here, went from 3rd string to leagues best passing rating under Lapo and then quickly regressed after leaving. Hell, even Collaros who had lost his job and was twice traded found his game in Lapo's offence.

I get that Lapo's offence is boring and not much fun to watch but I completely disagree that a QB can't flourish in it. In fact, i would suggest it is a perfect system for some QBs to hide their deficiencies in.

Steven Jyles?? Wow, talk about stretching your point.. He was never a starting qb & never would be. He was nothing but a career backup. I like Nicholls & will never say anything bad about him as he played with a lot of courage. He fit LaPo's style of offense. Checkdowns & passing to Harris. He did a lot of horizontal short passing but not a lot of vertical passing. With Matt's average arm &  later on his lack of mobility it was an offense where getting rid of the ball quickly was Job 1. 

How many times did we as a fan base found it frustrating that we'd need 7 yards for a first down & Nichols would throw a slant for four? He did this constantly & it drove us all crazy. How many times did LaPo sit on a 10 point lead in the second half because he was afraid to lose? He didn't play to win as he was very conservative. We didn't see much of that under Buck Pierce & qb Zach Collaros. The same personnel last season but a different outcome. That was Pierce vs LaPo. 

Most of us never want to see LaPo calling plays as an OC for the Bombers again.

Edited February 20, 2022 by SpeedFlex27

[Wanna-B-Fanboy]

https://3downnation.com/2022/02/18/andrew-harris-looks-to-winnipeg-for-2022-motivation-i-want-to-prove-to-the-bombers-that-they-made-a-big-mistake/

 

“Maybe there’s a little ego involved, but why do I need to keep proving myself?” Harris asked rhetorically in an appearance on TSN 1050’s First Up.

“I’ve been in the league now for 12 or 13 years, I’ve won multiple rushing titles, multiple Grey Cups, and I started off as a junior player, Canadian running back. I’ve always had to prove myself, always had to kind of overcome things and it’s nothing different this year.”

“I want to prove to myself, prove to the Bombers that they made a big mistake for doing what they did,” Harris emphasized. “And then ultimately just prove to my new teammates that I’m here to come win and play hard.”

 

I wish he would just stop airing out their dirty laundry- it just really doesn't look good for him...

I wish instead of proving to his new teammates that he is there to win and play hard, he would have just proved the bombers. 

 

It feels so weird not wishing him success... I am not wishing anything bad to befall him, but I can't find it in my heart to root for him anymore...  

[SpeedFlex27]

34 minutes ago, wanna-b-fanboy said:

https://3downnation.com/2022/02/18/andrew-harris-looks-to-winnipeg-for-2022-motivation-i-want-to-prove-to-the-bombers-that-they-made-a-big-mistake/

 

“Maybe there’s a little ego involved, but why do I need to keep proving myself?” Harris asked rhetorically in an appearance on TSN 1050’s First Up.

“I’ve been in the league now for 12 or 13 years, I’ve won multiple rushing titles, multiple Grey Cups, and I started off as a junior player, Canadian running back. I’ve always had to prove myself, always had to kind of overcome things and it’s nothing different this year.”

“I want to prove to myself, prove to the Bombers that they made a big mistake for doing what they did,” Harris emphasized. “And then ultimately just prove to my new teammates that I’m here to come win and play hard.”

 

I wish he would just stop airing out their dirty laundry- it just really doesn't look good for him...

I wish instead of proving to his new teammates that he is there to win and play hard, he would have just proved the bombers. 

 

It feels so weird not wishing him success... I am not wishing anything bad to befall him, but I can't find it in my heart to root for him anymore...  

When Harris goes into the Hall Of Fame., I don't think it'll be as a Bomber. I think he'll be pissed off enough to give the Bombers the finger. As I said a few weeks ago, this reminds me of the divorce the Bombers had with another 1,000 yard Canadian Fullback & All Star Gerry James. It was pretty messy having to do 100% with his toxic relationship with Bud Grant. James is still alive & to this day I don't think he wants much to do with the Bombers even though Wade Miller honoured James by putting his name on the Ring Of Honour. Old wounds still cut deep.

[17to85]

18 minutes ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

When Harris goes into the Hall Of Fame., I don't think it'll be as a Bomber. I think he'll be pissed off enough to give the Bombers the finger. As I said a few weeks ago, this reminds me of the divorce the Bombers had with another 1,000 yard Canadian Fullback & All Star Gerry James. It was pretty messy having to do 100% with his toxic relationship with Bud Grant. James is still alive & to this day I don't think he wants much to do with the Bombers even though Wade Miller honoured James by putting his name on the Ring Of Honour. Old wounds still cut deep.

Meh. He is pissed at bc for telling him he was done. He is pissed at rhe Bombers now, eventually Toronto will say the same to him and he will be pissed at them too. 

[wbbfan]

9 hours ago, Noeller said:

Nichols had a really bad I jury in Edm which is the only reason he was buried on that team. His production dropped off after that injury, unfortunately. But lucky for us because he completely revolutionized our offense. 

It's not by any means the only reason or a big part of it. That's why edm gave him away for virtually nothing. They saw him as a very low upside guy. No one was sad in edm when he was given away for Magic beans. 

[SpeedFlex27]

45 minutes ago, 17to85 said:

Meh. He is pissed at bc for telling him he was done. He is pissed at rhe Bombers now, eventually Toronto will say the same to him and he will be pissed at them too. 

25 minutes ago, wbbfan said:

It's not by any means the only reason or a big part of it. That's why edm gave him away for virtually nothing. They saw him as a very low upside guy. No one was sad in edm when he was given away for Magic beans. 

A 7th round pick by Jones.

[Booch]

Maybe Harris should have used that motivation and drive last yr a bit more...and then when asked to prove to the Bombers that he was healthy and still had it when they asked and secure a deal he felt wasn't a slap in the face....instead of pouting about it and acting like he was disrespected...put your money where yer Yap is if u truly wanna be here ..that's my take

He did and gave a lot to the team...not denying that..but only after he had a bit of a sit down scolding when he first got back here...we will be fine and from sounds of a lot of the things I hear..and some other stuff coming out....he isn't really the heartbeat of the team and what made it and the locker room tick....that's all still here ...we will be fine and I bet u the game Toronto has against us that defense is gonna step it up to shut him down ..and shut him up

[Jesse]

11 hours ago, wanna-b-fanboy said:

https://3downnation.com/2022/02/18/andrew-harris-looks-to-winnipeg-for-2022-motivation-i-want-to-prove-to-the-bombers-that-they-made-a-big-mistake/

 

“Maybe there’s a little ego involved, but why do I need to keep proving myself?” Harris asked rhetorically in an appearance on TSN 1050’s First Up.

“I’ve been in the league now for 12 or 13 years, I’ve won multiple rushing titles, multiple Grey Cups, and I started off as a junior player, Canadian running back. I’ve always had to prove myself, always had to kind of overcome things and it’s nothing different this year.”

“I want to prove to myself, prove to the Bombers that they made a big mistake for doing what they did,” Harris emphasized. “And then ultimately just prove to my new teammates that I’m here to come win and play hard.”

 

I wish he would just stop airing out their dirty laundry- it just really doesn't look good for him...

I wish instead of proving to his new teammates that he is there to win and play hard, he would have just proved the bombers. 

 

It feels so weird not wishing him success... I am not wishing anything bad to befall him, but I can't find it in my heart to root for him anymore...  

When this first happened, I still wanted him to go to TO and lead the league in rushing, hell, so two more years.

But yeah, when he starts talking about the "prove us wrong" thing. It's hard to root for him.

This isn't even about being right or wrong for the Bombers, it's simply advancing on a three-year plan to move forward. If Brady wasn;t injury in his rookie year and/or the 2020 season wasn't cancelled, this could happened one or two years ago.

[Booch]

Yeah..it's more of a situation of allocation of money/sms this and next yr in order to continue being successful ...ongoing and not be left with nothing.

Securing young promising talent while still staying on top of league...and not letting talent leave because u took risk signing a very old for the position rb who just had a season that causes alarm with aging players...I'd rather have management looking forward and not back....and if he felt hurt or dissed at a reduced role...less pay for said role and had to basically do a physical and show what he had prior to signing ..and didn't like it...well guess it is time to turn the page with grace and class..I don't see the bombers talking in the media or saying anything remotely negative...or even another teamate saying anything...even cryptically...

I hope he shows everyone what he has left as we wrap up first place and a west final again next yr

[Stickem]

It's tough turning on your own BUT it seems that's the way Harris wants to play this.....If he would have been a little more accomodating ....as we were.... he'd still be here....I see we only play T.O. in the big smoke this year......All I can say is that'll be a slobber knocker and when the dust settles we'll leave with the 2 pts.

[wbbfan]

As far as I'm concerned Harris is and will always be a bomber. When he retires this whole mess will be forgotten and I can't wait to see his name go up on the ring. I don't think that or him going into the hall as a bomber changes. 

What happened between him and the mafia stays between them imo.

It was time to move on. With the money required go retain augustine and Brady plus at this point in their progression they are ready to start and need significant reps. This is going to be the best position battle in camp if both stay healthy. Hoping that a dual back rotation wins out early on. 

If Harris came back for a cheap deal it'd have been great for this year but hurt us in the long run. We'd probably lose borsa hurt the development of Brady and auggy and still leave us with a very expensive back field. 

[SpeedFlex27]

Harris is the one mouthing off & not the organization. He's the one crying "poor me" in front of every mic he sees trying to make the Bombers look bad. Right now, he's being an asshat. His choice. Screw him. 

[MOBomberFan]

Sports journalists cherry picking juicy tantalizing soundbites is nothing new. I'm sure at some point Andrew Harris has fondly reminisced about his coaches teammates and fans but that isn't a very juicy headline or tweet next to 'the Bombers made a mistake'. Likewise, Kenny Lawler has surely praised the people around him for helping him get where he is now but we love to focus on how 'he' won the cup. In a lengthy nuanced conversation with sports journalists a player might get 5-6 of their boldest statements show up in print. Usually quoted directly, usually without full context. Not that I care very deeply about how someone not on our team feels about our team anyhow. These sort of disputes get settled in time, on the field.

[Booch]

14 minutes ago, MOBomberFan said:

Sports journalists cherry picking juicy tantalizing soundbites is nothing new. I'm sure at some point Andrew Harris has fondly reminisced about his coaches teammates and fans but that isn't a very juicy headline or tweet next to 'the Bombers made a mistake'. Likewise, Kenny Lawler has surely praised the people around him for helping him get where he is now but we love to focus on how 'he' won the cup. In a lengthy nuanced conversation with sports journalists a player might get 5-6 of their boldest statements show up in print. Usually quoted directly, usually without full context. Not that I care very deeply about how someone not on our team feels about our team anyhow. These sort of disputes get settled in time, on the field.

thing is tho with Lawler....I havnt seen a real thank you tweet or social media post toward the organization, city, team mates....unless I missed it....especially when they stood behind him and supported him for his massive brain fart.

If he did post something meaningful and genuine then excuse my ignorance....but I haven't seen it.

I didnt even see a lot of contratulatory tweets or comments at him fro ex team mates either...unless again I just missed then....Harris tho has gotten many...and deservedly so

[Bubba Zanetti]

8 minutes ago, Booch said:

thing is tho with Lawler....I havnt seen a real thank you tweet or social media post toward the organization, city, team mates....unless I missed it....especially when they stood behind him and supported him for his massive brain fart.

If he did post something meaningful and genuine then excuse my ignorance....but I haven't seen it.

I didnt even see a lot of contratulatory tweets or comments at him fro ex team mates either...unless again I just missed then....Harris tho has gotten many...and deservedly so

Yeah something makes me think Lawler wasnt exactly loved in the locker room.....

[wbbfan]

40 minutes ago, Booch said:

thing is tho with Lawler....I havnt seen a real thank you tweet or social media post toward the organization, city, team mates....unless I missed it....especially when they stood behind him and supported him for his massive brain fart.

If he did post something meaningful and genuine then excuse my ignorance....but I haven't seen it.

I didnt even see a lot of contratulatory tweets or comments at him fro ex team mates either...unless again I just missed then....Harris tho has gotten many...and deservedly so

This is a very interesting point. I don't instatwittergram so idk but I haven't seen any post shared the places I've seen other guys. Stove also didn't.  But Lawler broke into the league here became a star and like you said the team had his back in a tough time. 

Maybe he wasn't happy with the teams offer but still strange. I loved what Lawler did but with Ellingson I don't think we will miss a beat. 

If Blake Jackson is healthy this year I think he could have a year similar to Bailey last year. Hoping Meredith comes back some decent depth wrs still kicking around and a new crop of young talent for camp. 

[17to85]

Sometimes guys are just looking to maximize their payday. Careers are short so can't really judge a guy for getting paid while he can. Though I judge the hell out of him for not getting upfront money from a notorious arsehole like Jones.

[Bubba Zanetti]

2 hours ago, wbbfan said:

This is a very interesting point. I don't instatwittergram so idk but I haven't seen any post shared the places I've seen other guys. Stove also didn't.  But Lawler broke into the league here became a star and like you said the team had his back in a tough time. 

Maybe he wasn't happy with the teams offer but still strange. I loved what Lawler did but with Ellingson I don't think we will miss a beat. 

If Blake Jackson is healthy this year I think he could have a year similar to Bailey last year. Hoping Meredith comes back some decent depth wrs still kicking around and a new crop of young talent for camp. 

There was an article on cfl.ca recently where Stove mentioned he sent out a group message, before he signed with BC, telling everybody(teammates and staff) how much he appreciated them all.

Edited February 21, 2022 by Bubba Zanetti

[bigg jay]

1 hour ago, Bubba Zanetti said:

There was an article on cfl.ca recently where Stove mentioned he sent out a group message, before he signed with BC, telling everybody(teammates and staff) how much he appreciated them all.

Quote

For Richardson, it was a difficult farewell to the Blue Bombers’ organization, the staff and his teammates. But little did Richardson know that saying goodbye to the fans was the hardest part.

“Before I even signed with the Lions, I sent a little group message of how much I appreciated everybody. It was tough because you feel like you just say it to the teammates, but you don’t realize how many people you get to say thank you to,” Richardson said.

https://www.cfl.ca/2022/02/18/stove-gets-set-heat-bc/

[Booch]

1 hour ago, Bubba Zanetti said:

There was an article on cfl.ca recently where Stove mentioned he sent out a group message, before he signed with BC, telling everybody(teammates and staff) how much he appreciated them all.

Yeah I never zdoubted Stove in that regard...and he seems tight with all the guys on social media as well

[SpeedFlex27]

2 hours ago, bigg jay said:

https://www.cfl.ca/2022/02/18/stove-gets-set-heat-bc/

Damn, that was the one guy I really wanted to stay.

[Jesse]

16 hours ago, wbbfan said:

This is a very interesting point. I don't instatwittergram so idk but I haven't seen any post shared the places I've seen other guys. Stove also didn't.  But Lawler broke into the league here became a star and like you said the team had his back in a tough time. 

Maybe he wasn't happy with the teams offer but still strange. I loved what Lawler did but with Ellingson I don't think we will miss a beat. 

If Blake Jackson is healthy this year I think he could have a year similar to Bailey last year. Hoping Meredith comes back some decent depth wrs still kicking around and a new crop of young talent for camp. 

Sometimes the players don't either, doesn't mean they haven't said it directly to the rest of the locker room.

This is the largest nothingburger I've heard yet.

[GCn20]

Stove was a guy on the way up we couldn't afford anymore. I don't hold it against him for going and taking BC's big bucks. Best of luck. He was a pure effort guy but our DL is so stacked we realistically can't afford a top DT salary.

[Arnold_Palmer]

1 hour ago, GCn20 said:

Stove was a guy on the way up we couldn't afford anymore. I don't hold it against him for going and taking BC's big bucks. Best of luck. He was a pure effort guy but our DL is so stacked we realistically can't afford a top DT salary.

He’s good but we will see how he does without having the two best defensive ends in the CFL on either side of him.