Bombers Rookie Camp/Training Camp/Pre-Season Thread

[17to85]

1 hour ago, bb1 said:

I wonder who picks up Legs? I think he will be picked up fast. Agree with the D line,linebacker weakness, perhaps the mafia are looking longer term,ie NFL cuts for impact players? Way too early to panic....

Edmonton is my bet.

[Jesse]

9 minutes ago, wbbfan said:

Not happy that salima was cut and not put on the pr or that Thomas is on the pr. Hopefully they shuffle the roster before week one and activate him. 

There's still a couple of moves to be made for the roster to be complete.

It'll be interesting to see who's practicing on Monday. 

[kelownabomberfan]

32 minutes ago, Pete Catan's Ghost said:

With his fragility, there is no kicker a full house at IGF should want to face more, than Liegghio.

would love to see the Riders give him a shot.

[Atomic]

I share some of the same worries and I think there's some validity to it. O'Shea has a veteran bias but I personally still trust him to make the right call. The LB recruitment crop was weak. Cole and Clements aren't good enough. We know this. Couple this with Bighill being old and unable to practice and we have some trouble in the LB corps. Yes Biggie is a vet but he needs to practice. Briggs isn't a starter. I do really like Gauthier however.

The DL should be fine. I have no concerns with Jefferson and Jeffcoat. Ricky Walker deserves a shot at starting but Caleb Thomas is right there ready to take his spot. I look at that as a scouting win. Haba won the 3rd DE spot and I have no reason to hate on that. He came in late and played well. He won the job we all knew was available.

One spot I echo some concerns is with the RB situation. I don't like that Oliveira already gets the country club treatment in camp and Augustine clearly isn't a starter so we have some weakness there. In some ways I feel like we're dictating our rosters based on Andrew Harris being our RB but we could let go...there are options in that spot.

Overall I look at our roster and see a dominant lineup. The OL is strong unless Bryant and Neufeld really fall off a cliff. The receiving corps is dynamite. I'm not sold on BOLO yet but as a backup Canadian he is well above average. The defence is going to have trouble getting off the field when Willie and Jeffcoat can't get to the QB but I'm feeling pretty good about the roster.

[JohnnyAbonny]

Yeah it kind of seems like the whole camp was a punting and 3rd QB competition.

Surprised Shmeckel made the team, let alone the active roster, I saw him get manhandled 4 or 5 times over the games.
Not being able to fit Caleb Thomas on the AR is silly. As is only having one extra DE. (I’m not counting Bennett as reliable to fill in just yet)
Few too many guys making the club from the tub as well. 
I don’t think the sky is falling but this sure didn’t feel like a typical draft or American recruiting year. 
 

Edited June 4, 2023 by JohnnyAbonny

[wbbfan]

The thing to me about the lbing core is yeah the young imps didn’t show well enough to stick around. But clements was as bad as any lber and you can’t expect him to get much better now 3 ish camps into his career. 
 

 

[BBlink]

Housekeeping on the current roster. 2 imports still need to be 1-gamed (I'm assuming Dru Brown is our reserve player) ... I'm guessing this will be at least 1 DB and then one of:

Another DB

Brian Cole

Haba

Grant

I feel like it's going to be 2 DBs since chances are 2 of them are knicked up anyways.

Edited June 4, 2023 by BBlink

[Atomic]

22 minutes ago, wbbfan said:

The thing to me about the lbing core is yeah the young imps didn’t show well enough to stick around. But clements was as bad as any lber and you can’t expect him to get much better now 3 ish camps into his career. 
 

 

It's honestly bizarre to me. Bringing in so few LB prospects and playing Maruo so much is indefensible.

It's hard to complain too much when our leadership is so successful but it really feels like they are losing their edge this year. I liked the comment earlier in this thread about Wally Buono cutting players at this point in their careers and we haven't seen O'Shea cut one of "his guys" in awhile. 

Coming off a 15-3 season it's impossible not to predict a regression but the question is whether this is a 12-6 team or a 9-9 team. Injuries will play a role.

[Fatty Liver]

2 hours ago, JohnnyAbonny said:

Yeah it kind of seems like the whole camp was a punting and 3rd QB competition.

Surprised Shmeckel made the team, let alone the active roster, I saw him get manhandled 4 or 5 times over the games.
Not being able to fit Caleb Thomas on the AR is silly. As is only having one extra DE. (I’m not counting Bennett as reliable to fill in just yet)
Few too many guys making the club from the tub as well. 
I don’t think the sky is falling but this sure didn’t feel like a typical draft or American recruiting year. 
 

They lost Sayles and replace him with Schmekel?  I don't understand how that even makes sense from a ratio perspective, I'd be very happy with Caleb Thomas on the roster in his place.  The same with Bennett, I could see him placed on the PR for future development, but he did nothing to show he's ready to help out at DE anytime soon.

Edited June 4, 2023 by Fatty Liver

[17to85]

something else to keep in mind.... first couple games are really just preseason games that count in the standings. The opening day roster probably gonna look different enough from the rosters that take the field in the fall. Walters is the most proactive GM going. If there's issues throughout the year he will address it. 

[SpeedFlex27]

5 hours ago, BBlink said:

I don't think they lost trust in him as a punter. As a kicker, yes. They brought in Castillo. And then these globals were that good.

I'd have been happy if he stayed as a punter.

[Brandon]

So skimming here... we are upset because we don't have many new names replacing known players?  Why? 

Crapping on the team because they didn't unearth a hidden gem for the d-line?  So does every other club easily pick up hidden gems in every off season?  

Concerned about 30+ year olds... so we should cut Zach because of age?   

With all the worries about the d-line and lb crew... are we not allowed to recruit guys come NFL cut day or even before? 

 

 

[SpeedFlex27]

4 minutes ago, Brandon said:

So skimming here... we are upset because we don't have many new names replacing known players?  Why? 

Crapping on the team because they didn't unearth a hidden gem for the d-line?  So does every other club easily pick up hidden gems in every off season?  

Concerned about 30+ year olds... so we should cut Zach because of age?   

With all the worries about the d-line and lb crew... are we not allowed to recruit guys come NFL cut day or even before? 

 

 

There sure aren't ma,y trades anymore. back 30 years ago, if a team had a real need in one area & a lot of assets in others that they could afford to give up, they'd do a deal. Not anymore. With free agency & the one year deals teams now hold onto their players. And it seems that teams also know that why trade an asset when they could sign that free agent in 6 months time without losing that asset. 

[Fatty Liver]

9 minutes ago, Brandon said:

So skimming here... we are upset because we don't have many new names replacing known players?  Why? 

Crapping on the team because they didn't unearth a hidden gem for the d-line?  So does every other club easily pick up hidden gems in every off season?  

Concerned about 30+ year olds... so we should cut Zach because of age?   

With all the worries about the d-line and lb crew... are we not allowed to recruit guys come NFL cut day or even before? 

 

 

Excuse me, you want to wait until the end of Aug. to upgrade the D-line?

[SpeedFlex27]

1 minute ago, Fatty Liver said:

Excuse me, you want to wait until the end of Aug. to upgrade the D-line?

So, other than CFL cuts which ain't much just how do you propose upgrading gets done? We missed out. The off season is over. 

[Mike]

1 hour ago, Brandon said:

So skimming here... we are upset because we don't have many new names replacing known players?  Why? 

Crapping on the team because they didn't unearth a hidden gem for the d-line?  So does every other club easily pick up hidden gems in every off season?  

Concerned about 30+ year olds... so we should cut Zach because of age?   

With all the worries about the d-line and lb crew... are we not allowed to recruit guys come NFL cut day or even before? 

 

 

Here you come with your regularly scheduled arguing of things no one is saying

[Eternal optimist]

I'm just excited to lose Lock of the Week by Week 4 or so lol. Seriously love the CFL and wait for it all winter.

[deepsixemtoboyd]

8 hours ago, Brandon said:

With all the worries about the d-line and lb crew... are we not allowed to recruit guys come NFL cut day or even before? 

 

 

If memory serves, the Canadian mafia have never been a big “recruit the NFL cuts” regime. They tend much more to be, “we like the roster we have”

Regarding Liegghio, how can we be surprised? The only thing surprising is how many heavily defended him last year even through the debacle of the playoffs and especially the putridity – is that a word? – of his grey cup performance. I mean we know that O’Shea has a defend/deny/deflect strategy with the media but that doesn’t mean the rest of us have to buy it.

When they recruited Medlock and brought in Castillo in ‘21 the blue brass seem to recognize the critical nature of controlling those variables that are within your control – i.e. ensuring you have a reliable kicker. There is no championship team without one. That was what was so weird about their “strategy” last year. 

I have no problem with coach’s strategy of bs’ing with the media as long as behind the scenes he recognizes there’s a problem and deals with it. But that’s not what happened last year.

but now Legs is gone and I, for one, breathe a sigh of relief.

 

Edited June 4, 2023 by deepsixemtoboyd

[JuranBoldenRules]

The NFL cuts coming north are the guys who get clipped in mini-camp.  They are already here.  The guys cut out of main camp hang around.  Practice rosters are expanded in the NFL, plus the second-tier leagues now.

The midseason air lifts don’t happen anymore.

[JohnnyAbonny]

No, not every other club has picked up gems in the off-season. 
DT in particular is a position that has gotten progressively worse since November 2019. 

They let Nevis and Stove walk, replaced them with Sayles and now Walker, who aren’t bad by any stretch but certainly downgrades. 
Now they’ve let Sayles walk and replaced him with…Tanner Shmeckel

It’s mildly concerning. 

[JuranBoldenRules]

2 minutes ago, deepsixemtoboyd said:

If memory serves, the Canadian mafia have never been a big “recruit the NFL cuts” regime. They tend much more to be, “we like the roster we have”

Regarding Liegghio, how can we be surprised? The only thing surprising is how many heavily defended him last year even through the debacle of the playoffs and especially the putridity – is that a word? – of his grey cup performance. I mean we know that O’Shea has a defend/deny/deflect strategy with the media but that doesn’t mean the rest of us have to buy it.

When they recruited Medlock and brought in Castillo in ‘21 the blue brass seem to recognize the critical nature of controlling those variables that are within your control – i.e. ensuring you have a reliable kicker. There is no championship team without one. That was what was so weird about their “strategy” last year. 

I have no problem with coach’s strategy of bs’ing with the media as long as behind the scenes he recognizes there’s a problem and deals with it. But that’s not what happened last year.

but now he’s gone and I breathe a sigh of relief.

 

There was no doubt they had lost trust in Liegghio and were openly looking to replace him after really trying the approach of coddling him and having no true competition last year to the detriment of winning a championship.

[bearpants]

I would say I’m a little disappointed with our upgrades (or lack thereof) at LB and DL… I suppose if C Thomas, Haba, and Bennett end up being legit players, that helps the DL a lot… but going into the season with a LB core of old Bighill, always injured Wilson, uninspiring Clements, and most unknown Cole is underwhelming… hopefully Clements and/or Cole make some major steps this year as both are still relatively young (both 26)

5 minutes ago, JohnnyAbonny said:

No, not every other club has picked up gems in the off-season. 
DT in particular is a position that has gotten progressively worse since November 2019. 

They let Nevis and Stove walk, replaced them with Sayles and now Walker, who aren’t bad by any stretch but certainly downgrades. 
Now they’ve let Sayles walk and replaced him with…Tanner Shmeckel

It’s mildly concerning. 

So in your scenario, the day 1 starting DL is the Jeff’s, Thomas and Schmeckel?…Why do you keep saying that Schmeckel is the replacement for Sayles?… when it’s very clearly Walker… and if for some reason you’re assuming we are replacing him with a Canadian, then it would be Lawson… I can’t see Schmeckel making the active roster, never mind being a starter 

[Tracker]

7 minutes ago, bearpants said:

I would say I’m a little disappointed with our upgrades (or lack thereof) at LB and DL… I suppose if C Thomas, Haba, and Bennett end up being legit players, that helps the DL a lot… but going into the season with a LB core of old Bighill, always injured Wilson, uninspiring Clements, and most unknown Cole is underwhelming… hopefully Clements and/or Cole make some major steps this year as both are still relatively young (both 26)

Cole has had his ups and downs so far but Clements has shown only occasional bits of competence, so I am losing confidence in him.

[JohnnyAbonny]

8 minutes ago, bearpants said:

I would say I’m a little disappointed with our upgrades (or lack thereof) at LB and DL… I suppose if C Thomas, Haba, and Bennett end up being legit players, that helps the DL a lot… but going into the season with a LB core of old Bighill, always injured Wilson, uninspiring Clements, and most unknown Cole is underwhelming… hopefully Clements and/or Cole make some major steps this year as both are still relatively young (both 26)

So in your scenario, the day 1 starting DL is the Jeff’s, Thomas and Schmeckel?…Why do you keep saying that Schmeckel is the replacement for Sayles?… when it’s very clearly Walker… and if for some reason you’re assuming we are replacing him with a Canadian, then it would be Lawson… I can’t see Schmeckel making the active roster, never mind being a starter 

Well as the active roster stands right now, he’s on there. I’m not talking about replacement in number of reps. I’m talking about replacement of a roster spot in itself. 

I said it seems silly to have Shmeckel on the active roster (which he currently is, albeit could be the game day scratch) while Caleb Thomas is on the PR. 

The one mildly annoying thing about O’Shea is at times, the roster management can seem a little odd. This is part and parcel with that.
 

For real though, it’s preseason. Bombers are the best team in the league. We’re nitpicking because it’s what we do. 
 

[rebusrankin]

I like the Thomas+Lawson+Walker DT rotation, although I'd like to see Caleb Thomas get in. Bennett and Haba behind the Jeffs concerns me, although hoping both surprise. Would love to see a vet DE like Lemon brought in. As for WIL, start airlifting Walters.