Blue Bombers - 2023 Regular Season - Discussion Thread

[bearpants]

16 minutes ago, WinnipegGordo said:

I always wondered why Noah was released and not 6 gamed as he was always still in the Bombers' plans.

I've seen him on the sidelines at home games this year...

[wbbfan]

36 minutes ago, WinnipegGordo said:

OShea said the CFL transactions should show Mitchell signed to a future contract, that is he is signed for next season.

I always wondered why Noah was released and not 6 gamed as he was always still in the Bombers' plans.

Probably to allow him to recover on his own at home. Some guys prefer that. 

[BBlink]

My comment about Schoen might still be true but it isn't going to be related to this Bryce Mitchell guy I guess. I legitimately had no idea who was on our PR and got excited that someone was promoted to the active roster.

[Tracker]

Bryce Mitchell:

 

Strengths

• Generally reliable receiver capable of making difficult catches in traffic over the middle or one on one down the sideline.
• Often used on deep routes, getting separation down the sideline or over the middle on crossing routes by extending his arms rather than pure speed.
• Strong runner with the ball with enough agility to make defenders miss in the open field.
• Does not have exceptional straight-line speed but takes advantage of open seams when his quarterback is on target.
• Good effort and technique as a blocker for his size. Can beat the press with elusiveness or physical contact. Runs crisp routes with sharp cuts.
• Has the strong hands any NFL wide receiver coach and quarterback would covet. Tracks the deep ball over either shoulder and brings in passes fluidly without breaking stride downfield.
• He is quicker than fast and lacks elite wheels to simply blow by defenders, but he has good football speed.

Weaknesses

• Hands are good, not great. Will drop some easy balls and sometimes will body catch. Occasionally fails to high point.
• Inconsistent high-pointing passes. Allows too many throws into his body when facing the quarterback.
• Comes off the snap high and upright, and doesn't get to top speed quickly. Not sudden or elusive.

[bustamente]

Milt going into the Manitoba Sports HOF

 

[bigg jay]

2 hours ago, rebusrankin said:

Who the heck is Bryce Mitchell?

Hopefully not this dimwit! 

https://www.vice.com/en/article/zmk75e/ufc-fighter-bryce-mitchell-ripped-his-nutsack-to-shreds-with-a-drill

 

[bluto]

20 hours ago, GCn20 said:

A regression that severe is not possible for our team. The Riders just have too much practice being incompetent and we are just too damn good of an organization to ever become that Mickey Mouse.

I said a dozen games ago, that if the roster management of the bottom of our lineup is our biggest complaint then we will have a very good season. Of all the usual suspects the average fan whines about, that is bottom tier stuff in the big picture. Inconsistency has me a heck of a lot more worried than roster management ever will but with our vets we have I just don't see them not turning that switch come playoffs.

Under the current regime, I'd agree. You guys will be competing for GC trips so long as that crew is intact. 

[wbbfan]

23 hours ago, GCn20 said:

A regression that severe is not possible for our team. The Riders just have too much practice being incompetent and we are just too damn good of an organization to ever become that Mickey Mouse.

I said a dozen games ago, that if the roster management of the bottom of our lineup is our biggest complaint then we will have a very good season. Of all the usual suspects the average fan whines about, that is bottom tier stuff in the big picture. Inconsistency has me a heck of a lot more worried than roster management ever will but with our vets we have I just don't see them not turning that switch come playoffs.

Regression to that level of toxic culture? You’re right not with this group. To that level of play and missing the play offs? Entirely possible. Some of our old guys are barely keeping it together now. If we stand pat again this coming off season I would expect a big step back to a fringe play off record this time of year.  
 With the amount of hits Zach has taken this year and last the ole crieder fan classic one hit away, will be extremely true of us next year. 

[GCn20]

18 minutes ago, wbbfan said:

Regression to that level of toxic culture? You’re right not with this group. To that level of play and missing the play offs? Entirely possible. Some of our old guys are barely keeping it together now. If we stand pat again this coming off season I would expect a big step back to a fringe play off record this time of year.  
 With the amount of hits Zach has taken this year and last the ole crieder fan classic one hit away, will be extremely true of us next year. 

I think you are overstating it. If we ran it back with exactly the same roster next year no way we drop to 6 wins and out of the playoffs. Don't get me wrong we have to turn some of our roster over for sure, but if we ran it back we are still a 10-12 win team next year. We likely would not be a Grey Cup favorite though.

[Wanna-B-Fanboy]

1 hour ago, GCn20 said:

I think you are overstating it. If we ran it back with exactly the same roster next year no way we drop to 6 wins and out of the playoffs. Don't get me wrong we have to turn some of our roster over for sure, but if we ran it back we are still a 10-12 win team next year. We likely would not be a Grey Cup favorite though.

Dude, you do not want to be in my head- I have an exact scenario where that happens.

Edited October 17, 2023 by Wanna-B-Fanboy

[bluto]

28 minutes ago, Wanna-B-Fanboy said:

Dude, you do not want to be in my head- I have an exact scenario where that happens.

It's so tempting to stand pat.

[GCn20]

1 hour ago, wbbfan said:

Regression to that level of toxic culture? You’re right not with this group. To that level of play and missing the play offs? Entirely possible. Some of our old guys are barely keeping it together now. If we stand pat again this coming off season I would expect a big step back to a fringe play off record this time of year.  
 With the amount of hits Zach has taken this year and last the ole crieder fan classic one hit away, will be extremely true of us next year. 

Elaborate. Tell me what players, should we keep them, would have the effect of turning us into a fringe playoff team in a single offseason. Stanley Bryant? Still the best OT in the game. JeMarcus Hardrick? Play has dropped off a tiny bit but again one of the best OTs in the game. Pat Neufeld? Not his best season but better than half the starters in the league at his position. Adam Bighill? Certainly not MODP calibre anymore and probably our most pressing need to replace but won't cost us 3-4 victories. Brandon Alexander? Again not playing up to his past play but has been solid. Mike Miller? Hasn't played this year. The Jeffs? One could argue about their salary impact but both are still very good DE's.

Yea...I guess I'm just not seeing it. I am sure that we will move on from a couple guys on this list or they will choose to retire, but really all could go another year if we couldn't find a suitable replacement. However, I do agree that some roster turnover is probably necessary this offseason to maintain our Grey Cup favorite status but we are not in any sort of dire predicament either. 

[wbbfan]

1 hour ago, GCn20 said:

I think you are overstating it. If we ran it back with exactly the same roster next year no way we drop to 6 wins and out of the playoffs. Don't get me wrong we have to turn some of our roster over for sure, but if we ran it back we are still a 10-12 win team next year. We likely would not be a Grey Cup favorite though.

Our highest dollar players are some of the oldest in the league and only Zach is in contention for recognition as top at his position. I don’t think it’s over stated that our ol and dl are very expensive and average this year out side of run blocking. Biggie our most expensive dbs these guys are not in the top couple at their position any more. 

we run it back this time next year we are a 5-7 win team if Zach Brady and schoen return plus stay healthy. 

[GCn20]

6 minutes ago, wbbfan said:

Our highest dollar players are some of the oldest in the league and only Zach is in contention for recognition as top at his position. I don’t think it’s over stated that our ol and dl are very expensive and average this year out side of run blocking. Biggie our most expensive dbs these guys are not in the top couple at their position any more. 

we run it back this time next year we are a 5-7 win team if Zach Brady and schoen return plus stay healthy. 

That's nonsense. You are way over the top in your estimation of impact on this. WAAAAAYYY over the top. We are not a 5-7 win team if we run it back next year. Not a snowball's chance in hell. Our OL hasn't been fantastic in pass block but it is way above average, and our DL isn't racking up the stats but that's Hall's system as much as anything. What DBs are you referring to? Our secondary has been excellent this year. I agree that it might be time for Biggie to hang them up.

Edited October 17, 2023 by GCn20

[rebusrankin]

2 minutes ago, wbbfan said:

Our highest dollar players are some of the oldest in the league and only Zach is in contention for recognition as top at his position. I don’t think it’s over stated that our ol and dl are very expensive and average this year out side of run blocking. Biggie our most expensive dbs these guys are not in the top couple at their position any more. 

we run it back this time next year we are a 5-7 win team if Zach Brady and schoen return plus stay healthy. 

I think there's a drop off if we run it back but not sure its as bad as 5 wins.

We do need to start looking at some of our older guys, who are expensive and seemingly on the decline like those you mentioned.

[GCn20]

1 minute ago, rebusrankin said:

I think there's a drop off if we run it back but not sure its as bad as 5 wins.

We do need to start looking at some of our older guys, who are expensive and seemingly on the decline like those you mentioned.

For sure, we need to look at some and put proper valuations on others but 5 wins? I want some of what he is smoking. Or maybe I don't?

[wbbfan]

1 minute ago, GCn20 said:

Elaborate. Tell me what players, should we keep them, would have the effect of turning us into a fringe playoff team in a single offseason. Stanley Bryant? Still the best OT in the game. JeMarcus Hardrick? Play has dropped off a tiny bit but again one of the best OTs in the game. Pat Neufeld? Not his best season but better than half the starters in the league at his position. Adam Bighill? Certainly not MODP calibre anymore and probably our most pressing need to replace but won't cost us 3-4 victories. Brandon Alexander? Again not playing up to his past play but has been solid. Mike Miller? Hasn't played this year. The Jeffs? One could argue about their salary impact but both are still very good DE's.

Yea...I guess I'm just not seeing it. I am sure that we will move on from a couple guys on this list or they will choose to retire, but really all could go another year if we couldn't find a suitable replacement. However, I do agree that some roster turnover is probably necessary this offseason to maintain our Grey Cup favorite status but we are not in any sort of dire predicament either. 

Hardrick and Bryant haven’t been healthy late in the season since 19. One at worst has to move into guard and we need a younger tackle. Gray and kola haven’t worked out and nuef is past it. Thomas is soo far past it it’s not even funny. Jeffcoat can’t play half a season and is in the top handful of des. Biggie is only situationally effective. He can’t pass rush can’t get off blocks and can’t scrape to the ball. Rose and ba haven’t been the same in a long time either. 
 Willy needs a guy off the other edge and inside who can get consistent pressure. He isn’t a guy who does that him self. He has more time in him and jj has use but not as a top 3 in reps on the dl. 
 

in general our ni depth is the worst it’s been since before 19. We have few guys who can contribute any thing to o or d and the teams specialists we’ve been drafting for years have amounted to very little. We have no guy who is the next miller. How many nis do we have at the skill positions that could start in this league? 

[GCn20]

1 minute ago, wbbfan said:

Hardrick and Bryant haven’t been healthy late in the season since 19. One at worst has to move into guard and we need a younger tackle. Gray and kola haven’t worked out and nuef is past it. Thomas is soo far past it it’s not even funny. Jeffcoat can’t play half a season and is in the top handful of des. Biggie is only situationally effective. He can’t pass rush can’t get off blocks and can’t scrape to the ball. Rose and ba haven’t been the same in a long time either. 
 Willy needs a guy off the other edge and inside who can get consistent pressure. He isn’t a guy who does that him self. He has more time in him and jj has use but not as a top 3 in reps on the dl. 
 

in general our ni depth is the worst it’s been since before 19. We have few guys who can contribute any thing to o or d and the teams specialists we’ve been drafting for years have amounted to very little. We have no guy who is the next miller. How many nis do we have at the skill positions that could start in this league? 

Hardrick and Bryant are doing just fine, and no OL is health late in the season. Gray is doing just fine, Kola I agree should be replaced by Eli and that is likely the plan, Neuf probably will retire and open a spot for Eli/Dobson but if he doesn't he is still a pretty good OG. Biggie I agree needs to think retirement. Rose and BA are just fine at the right positions. JJ is a beast. His health has been an issue his entire career but he is one of, if not the best, pure pass rusher in the CFL when he is healthy. Our NI depth does need help, mainly because we have drafted very well and lost players to the NFL. I expect that Walters will address that. So much doom and gloom in your posts. 

[Jesse]

7 minutes ago, wbbfan said:

Hardrick and Bryant haven’t been healthy late in the season since 19. One at worst has to move into guard and we need a younger tackle. Gray and kola haven’t worked out and nuef is past it. Thomas is soo far past it it’s not even funny. Jeffcoat can’t play half a season and is in the top handful of des. Biggie is only situationally effective. He can’t pass rush can’t get off blocks and can’t scrape to the ball. Rose and ba haven’t been the same in a long time either. 
 Willy needs a guy off the other edge and inside who can get consistent pressure. He isn’t a guy who does that him self. He has more time in him and jj has use but not as a top 3 in reps on the dl. 
 

in general our ni depth is the worst it’s been since before 19. We have few guys who can contribute any thing to o or d and the teams specialists we’ve been drafting for years have amounted to very little. We have no guy who is the next miller. How many nis do we have at the skill positions that could start in this league? 

And we have 12 wins so far.

[GCn20]

Just now, Jesse said:

And we have 12 wins so far.

Right? I could see if we were hanging on by the skin of our teeth already but to regress from 1st place to 5 wins with the same roster.....not sure how that could even happen unless we were decimated by injuries to all our QBs and OL.

[JCon]

3 minutes ago, Jesse said:

And we have 12 wins so far.

And 15 last year. No cup. 

[Jesse]

Just now, JCon said:

And 15 last year. No cup. 

1. We weren't talking about the Grey Cup, we were talking about the likelihood of this team regressing to 5 wins.

2. Anything can happen in the play-offs. Getting 15 wins and going to your third straight championship doesn't scream anything negative to me.

[17to85]

Honestly they need to bring in some new recruits who can push older guys down the lineup. That never happened this past season.

[wbbfan]

14 minutes ago, GCn20 said:

That's nonsense. You are way over the top in your estimation of impact on this. WAAAAAYYY over the top. We are not a 5-7 win team if we run it back next year. Not a snowball's chance in hell. Our OL hasn't been fantastic in pass block but it is way above average, and our DL isn't racking up the stats but that's Hall's system as much as anything. What DBs are you referring to? Our secondary has been excellent this year.

It isn’t. Like most people you just drastically under estimate the chance of things getting worse. Teams like Toronto and bc will be improving next year. Some of their best players are young, and they have done a much better job developing identifying and using talent. 
 

Zach has taken 116 sacks in his cfl career. 51 of those are between last year and this year. 27 and counting this year. The only play off team who’s qb has been sacked more than Zach is Vernon adams. 
 Our ol isn’t way above average in pass pro. Thinking it is despite all the evidence to the contrary just shows the bias. 
 

our ol, dl, secondary and Canadian depth are average despite our lines being among the most expensive in the league. How do you think we keep guys like schoen little on get good cfl vets to fill gaps like that? 
 

[Jesse]

2 minutes ago, 17to85 said:

Honestly they need to bring in some new recruits who can push older guys down the lineup. That never happened this past season.

Walters said before this season started that they deserved the chance to run it back. They are getting that chance.

And despite what some say (And I've complained as much as anyone about certain things), they've had a great season. I'm sure next season, we'll see a few different moves.