2022/2023 Off-Season (League/Non-Bombers-specific News)

[SpeedFlex27]

18 minutes ago, rebusrankin said:

Interesting move by BC. Surprised players think the lions oc is so good. Felt Rourke made him look good.

We all know Evans & what to expect. We also know that when he plays if he has a couple of sacks or gets smacked around. his game craters. At 30 years of his age, it's hard for a Leopard to change his spots. Looks like he's a backup now. 

[Wanna-B-Fanboy]

2 hours ago, wbbfan said:

Did you feel significantly better about mbt being qb1 this time last year? I don’t think tor had a happy qb ending to this off season. 
 If/when streveler is a fa again I expect them to be a top player. And if rourke shakes loss for any bc qb. 

I honestly think Rourke ends up here in 2025 or 2026.

[wbbfan]

2 hours ago, GCJenks said:

Any idea what the CFL numbers on ESPN2 were last year? 

Last years grey cup was 158k, the other play off games were in the 100k range the bombers elk game did 150k. Lots of 100k games from what I can see. 
But that’s also with zero marketing or advertising. 

3 minutes ago, Wanna-B-Fanboy said:

I honestly think Rourke ends up here in 2025 or 2026.

Here? Man I don’t see that at all. 

[Wanna-B-Fanboy]

16 minutes ago, wbbfan said:

Here? Man I don’t see that at all. 

Why not? Perfect fit for the organization, he's a high character guy, culture here is perfect for him... Zach will be done and maybe stick around to mentor him in a reduced role... I can totally see it.  

[Mark H.]

8 hours ago, Wanna-B-Fanboy said:

Why not? Perfect fit for the organization, he's a high character guy, culture here is perfect for him... Zach will be done and maybe stick around to mentor him in a reduced role... I can totally see it.  

And this isn't the snobfest NHL, where players don't want to come to Winnipeg.

[bluto]

12 hours ago, wbbfan said:

Did you feel significantly better about mbt being qb1 this time last year? I don’t think tor had a happy qb ending to this off season. 
 If/when streveler is a fa again I expect them to be a top player. And if rourke shakes loss for any bc qb. 

No I didn't.

Was happy to be shut up by McLeod down the stretch. Maybe Kelly will make me eat my words on this one... I'd be very happy to. But I am struggling with how we put this team together that looks so ready to roll and now our presumed QB1 has less than 100 snaps in the CFL. That's beyond a head scratcher.

I was just getting to the point where I felt great confidence in our GM-By-Committee and the team they'd assembled... Now IDK what is coming. And sure, Dinwiddie knows the QB position in our league very well... and by now he knows Chad Kelly very well... But you can absolutely say the same about how well he knew Nick Arbuckle when (some say) he made us acquire him.

Edited February 24, 2023 by bluto

[Wideleft]

14 hours ago, wbbfan said:

Good move for the lions. Better to have two mediocre no2 qbs than 1. Good on Dane taking less cash too. I think it’s generally a good thing for him. Good chance to recover some confidence. Don’t think vaj is the guy to sit behind though. 
 Ham is really all in on blm. I wouldn’t be surprised if they missed the play offs this year. They’ve lost a whole lot of talent and not done a good job replacing it. They remind me of the post 01/02 bombers. 
 
also not too surprised the argos are going with Kelly. But I would think they’d be after a decent vet back up to push him in camp and help him develop. 

It's an even better move by the TiCats.  Have no idea why people thought they would ship Evans to their main rival when they're hosting the Grey Cup this year.

[bluto]

5 minutes ago, Wideleft said:

It's an even better move by the TiCats.  Have no idea why people thought they would ship Evans to their main rival when they're hosting the Grey Cup this year.

Because they couldn't keep him and he was due a $125k roster bonus on Day 1 of training camp.

[Wideleft]

21 minutes ago, bluto said:

Because they couldn't keep him and he was due a $125k roster bonus on Day 1 of training camp.

Toronto was never the only option, though.

[WBBFanWest]

Great news about Evans.  My fervent hope for this year is that Saskatchewan and Toronto fail to make the playoffs and we, of course, win back the Cup.  That would make this a year to remember!

[bluto]

44 minutes ago, Wideleft said:

Toronto was never the only option, though.

As a #1 on a ready-made team? Weren't we?

[HardCoreBlue]

18 minutes ago, WBBFanWest said:

Great news about Evans.  My fervent hope for this year is that Saskatchewan and Toronto fail to make the playoffs and we, of course, win back the Cup.  That would make this a year to remember!

Ohhhh I like the way you think.

[bearpants]

16 hours ago, HardCoreBlue said:

Yup absolutely. Credit to him. At the end of the day that's what its all about.

It's just what I've seen of him having conversations with others he just comes across a very uncomfortable intense weird guy to be around versus a good kind of weird to be around. But that's just my take. 

Plus I hate the Argo's and hope they go from champs to chumps in a very short period of time while of course building their fanbase to help this league survive and thrive. 🙂

 

I doubt that happens... yes they have huge question marks on offense... but their defense is probably good enough to win the sad sack east

[Jesse]

1 minute ago, bluto said:

As a #1 on a ready-made team? Weren't we?

Apparently not.

[Wideleft]

2 minutes ago, bluto said:

As a #1 on a ready-made team? Weren't we?

What makes sense for Toronto doesn't necessarily make sense for Hamilton.  I would suggest just the opposite.

[HardCoreBlue]

Just now, bearpants said:

I doubt that happens... yes they have huge question marks on offense... but their defense is probably good enough to win the sad sack east

Fair enough I'm definitely not as skilled as others in evaluating talent but Toronto comes across as a group of individuals with loads of talent not a team of individuals that have each others back.

Hopefully I will be here come 3/4's into the season suggesting I may have been on to something.

Hey if they are the best team on paper and prove it next year as a certain poster has stated here, I'll be the first to be a sore loser but accept defeat.

However if the opposite happens I will be the first here to be a sore winner. All in good fun of course.    

[bigg jay]

13 minutes ago, Jesse said:

Apparently not.

Evans is not going to be QB1 in BC though.  Toronto was absolutley the only team left where he would come in as the starter.  He seems fine with the back-up role since he was willing to take a new deal in BC that pays him accordingly.

[Jesse]

4 minutes ago, bigg jay said:

Evans is not going to be QB1 in BC though.  Toronto was absolutley the only team left where he would come in as the starter.  He seems fine with the back-up role since he was willing to take a new deal in BC that pays him accordingly.

Evans was reportedly a part of negotiations and BC was his preferred destination.

So he either a) Felt that competing with VAJ offered him a more clear path to success than competing with Kelly; or b) had decided that he wants to slide into a back-up role.

I personally don't understand why everyone thinks Evans would be the #1 in Toronto. He played his way out of a starter role last year.

[Stickem]

TO left scrambling now....unless they can make a trade which seems unlikely...Repeating as Cup chumps....errrr I mean champs will be a feat....We'll be seeing someone else in the Cup game in 23' I figure....GOBIGBLUE....Is my name'homer'??....you bet

Edited February 24, 2023 by Stickem

[Geebrr]

54 minutes ago, bigg jay said:

Evans is not going to be QB1 in BC though.  Toronto was absolutley the only team left where he would come in as the starter.  He seems fine with the back-up role since he was willing to take a new deal in BC that pays him accordingly.

If they were smart he would be. He will be by mid season. 

[Noeller]

1 minute ago, Geebrr said:

If they were smart he would be. He will be by mid season. 

I'm with you......he's definitely a better QB than VAJ. Wouldn't be surprised at all to see Dane leading this team by mid-season, as you suggest. 

[bluto]

https://twitter.com/TSNScianitti/status/1628840078297505792?s=20

 

Talk out of the Argos is pretty much everything you'd expect right now. Maybe they even believe it, but even if they didn't they'd pretty much have to say what they  are saying:

-They were aware of MBT's plans for some time

-They are comfortable with Chad. Chad is a Chad.

 

 

Me? This is where I am right now: Like if Team Red Bull built the best car in Formula 1 and Verstappen leaves them and they just give the keys to a promising driver who has only been in one F1 race. Unthinkable.

Edited February 24, 2023 by bluto
making a tweet do a tweet thing is hard.

[bigg jay]

17 minutes ago, Geebrr said:

If they were smart he would be. He will be by mid season. 

Yep, VAJ has been beaten out for the starters role before so maybe Dane was betting it'll happen again.  His new deal has some playtime bonuses so if it happens, Dane will make up some of the money he lost from his original contract.  Less pressure on the back-up as well so it could be a good situation for him.

[Tracker]

26 minutes ago, Noeller said:

I'm with you......he's definitely a better QB than VAJ. Wouldn't be surprised at all to see Dane leading this team by mid-season, as you suggest. 

Providing that he doesn't have another meltdown.

[Wideleft]

42 minutes ago, Noeller said:

I'm with you......he's definitely a better QB than VAJ. Wouldn't be surprised at all to see Dane leading this team by mid-season, as you suggest. 

If history is a predictor, this will happen, but then Dane will be pulled in the playoffs.