2023/2024 Blue Bombers Off-Season Thread (BRADY’S BACK! DALTON’S BACK!)

[wbbfan]

3 hours ago, Tracker said:

Cannot understand how McRae was kept around as long as he has been, unless he worked for minimum wage. He may be multi-talented ,but usually that means he isn't real good at anything at particular.

Talented guy with the ball in his hands. But one of those guys who doesn’t have a great way to get the ball with out taking away from Brady. Good change of pace back but we don’t split Carries. 
 And to be honest we can get better backs, he didn’t take the step he needed to as a pass catcher. It’s tough with that kind of hybrid talent. Lots of guys who are dynamic but not polished at any thing. 

[Dodge and Burn]

I'm still worried about our front 4 on d. Especially the DT. 

[Booch]

I'm not overly concerned, but more curiuous as to how we go about the other end opposite WJ and how.who we use as rotation. Withe the Jackson stupidity now off the table thre is a good chance we can get back to a deeper rotation which will do wonders

We know we will be fine with WJ and likely Lawson as the main end and DT....If we choose to go with a canadian starter on dline,

Fox can be very good and isn't a raw rookie, and I ecpect Randall to rely push fo a spot and can be a big load in the middle, and as mentioned really like Woods...so roater allowing if we able to dress those 3...or 2 of the 3 we will be okay and have a way more active interior.

We know Haba can play and should only get better, but I still feel Garbutt is the better and may surprise coming out of camp....that being aid we may even dress 2 import ends to go with WJ....or 3 import interior guys, especially now with Ford back and the possibility he grabs a starters role in the secondary.

We have a few other real intruiging end prospects coming in as well, an hopefully we go defense heavy with our global picks as there are some actual ballers there this yr...so competion this yr is gonna be legit and real....and 1 yr out from a home cup appearance being a possibility is the perfect time to start the partial transition to young hungry talent....Camp should be very intersesting for sure

My main concern is on how we formulate the O-line and who we choose to use, and hopefully it's based on true talent, not a personal like/bias or the old reward system we have used in past yrs.....If guys like Schmeckle...Thomas....Bennett (if he doesn show massive improvement as his age now limits upside) Kolo and Kramdi (good role player and in-situ guy, but not a true front line starter) come out of camp as starters/hevy rotation guys we failed in the off-season, and will be again next spring trying to do an overhaul for 2025 possible home cup appearance. Wedefinately will be a younger, more hungry team, and will have a nice blend of vets...and youngsters

[WBBFanWest]

15 hours ago, greenrider55 said:

An automatic ticket to the Grey Cup is what I’ve heard.

Don't know about automatic, but I understand that the Riders will get a good discount on their tickets.

[Fatty Liver]

17 hours ago, Tracker said:

Cannot understand how McRae was kept around as long as he has been, unless he worked for minimum wage. He may be multi-talented ,but usually that means he isn't real good at anything at particular.

I think McCrae had plenty of talent, but not the best situation to be in with Brady hogging the ball and the dedicated crew  of receivers he was competing against plus Grant.  As for wages, he probably played for close to minimum throughout his tenure, can't fault the guy for trying to make a living playing football.

[JuranBoldenRules]

I expect the Bombers to end up with 2-3 legit players out of both drafts along the DL.  Hopefully one rush end type, one nose, one more versatile type.

There will be guys available in the 5th round of this draft who are better CFL prospects than Bennett.

[wbbfan]

4 hours ago, Booch said:

I'm not overly concerned, but more curiuous as to how we go about the other end opposite WJ and how.who we use as rotation. Withe the Jackson stupidity now off the table thre is a good chance we can get back to a deeper rotation which will do wonders

We know we will be fine with WJ and likely Lawson as the main end and DT....If we choose to go with a canadian starter on dline,

Fox can be very good and isn't a raw rookie, and I ecpect Randall to rely push fo a spot and can be a big load in the middle, and as mentioned really like Woods...so roater allowing if we able to dress those 3...or 2 of the 3 we will be okay and have a way more active interior.

We know Haba can play and should only get better, but I still feel Garbutt is the better and may surprise coming out of camp....that being aid we may even dress 2 import ends to go with WJ....or 3 import interior guys, especially now with Ford back and the possibility he grabs a starters role in the secondary.

We have a few other real intruiging end prospects coming in as well, an hopefully we go defense heavy with our global picks as there are some actual ballers there this yr...so competion this yr is gonna be legit and real....and 1 yr out from a home cup appearance being a possibility is the perfect time to start the partial transition to young hungry talent....Camp should be very intersesting for sure

My main concern is on how we formulate the O-line and who we choose to use, and hopefully it's based on true talent, not a personal like/bias or the old reward system we have used in past yrs.....If guys like Schmeckle...Thomas....Bennett (if he doesn show massive improvement as his age now limits upside) Kolo and Kramdi (good role player and in-situ guy, but not a true front line starter) come out of camp as starters/hevy rotation guys we failed in the off-season, and will be again next spring trying to do an overhaul for 2025 possible home cup appearance. Wedefinately will be a younger, more hungry team, and will have a nice blend of vets...and youngsters

I’m not concerned with our ability to find play makers on the dl. It’s not the hardest spot to recruit and we’ve done it very well in the past, both with in the cfl from down south and in both drafts. 
 I just hope that we get unstuck from mediocre players and systems. I am encouraged by the moves this off season that this will improve as well. 
 

 Probably still have our usual “what’s he doing on the roster” guy. Hopefully not starting. Maybe it’ll be Schmekel. 
 

It’s going to be interesting to see how the fifo crew manage with the largest amount of roster turn over yet. 
 

 

[Bigblue204]

4 minutes ago, wbbfan said:

I’m not concerned with our ability to find play makers on the dl. It’s not the hardest spot to recruit and we’ve done it very well in the past, both with in the cfl from down south and in both drafts. 
 I just hope that we get unstuck from mediocre players and systems. I am encouraged by the moves this off season that this will improve as well. 
 

 Probably still have our usual “what’s he doing on the roster” guy. Hopefully not starting. Maybe it’ll be Schmekel. 
 

It’s going to be interesting to see how the fifo crew manage with the largest amount of roster turn over yet. 
 

 

He's already on it....I hate to say it, but Thomas. 

[Pete]

1 hour ago, wbbfan said:

I’m not concerned with our ability to find play makers on the dl. It’s not the hardest spot to recruit and we’ve done it very well in the past, both with in the cfl from down south and in both drafts. 
 I just hope that we get unstuck from mediocre players and systems. I am encouraged by the moves this off season that this will improve as well. 
 

 Probably still have our usual “what’s he doing on the roster” guy. Hopefully not starting. Maybe it’ll be Schmekel. 
 

It’s going to be interesting to see how the fifo crew manage with the largest amount of roster turn over yet. 
 

 

Last year a lot of fans were calling on Walters to sign lemon, Finding a impactful de is not easy, we' ve been looking for several years and the best we' ve found is Haba, whose results have been mixed

 

[17to85]

1 hour ago, Pete said:

we' ve been looking for several years and the best we' ve found is Haba, whose results have been mixed

With Jefferson and jeffcoat I'd suggest that you are wrong about them looking for several years...

[Noeller]

1 hour ago, 17to85 said:

With Jefferson and jeffcoat I'd suggest that you are wrong about them looking for several years...

Also how could anyone say Habas results are mixed when he's hardly played due to the guys above him and also poor roster management not allowing for more bodies on the DL...??

[Pete]

4 hours ago, 17to85 said:

With Jefferson and jeffcoat I'd suggest that you are wrong about them looking for several years...

We've always been looking to find a rotational end, When Haba has been in hes had mixed reviews. Maybe with a year under his beélt he will be better. The question is whether he hasn't reps because coaches didn't have enough confidence in him? With the amount jeffcoats been hurt opportunities have existed.

[17to85]

1 hour ago, Pete said:

We've always been looking to find a rotational end, When Haba has been in hes had mixed reviews. Maybe with a year under his beélt he will be better. The question is whether he hasn't reps because coaches didn't have enough confidence in him? With the amount jeffcoats been hurt opportunities have existed.

And before last year they had guys like kongbo and Hansen taking effective reps at end so again, been looking for a couple years? I call bullshit. Last year they found haba who did alright for a rookie but don't forget he was hurt too and then didn't get on the roster because reasons. 

I guess my point is... your point is bad and you should feel bad.

Edited April 21 by 17to85

[wbbfan]

5 hours ago, 17to85 said:

With Jefferson and jeffcoat I'd suggest that you are wrong about them looking for several years...

Hansen the best global player we’ve seen, kongbo who went to and stuck in the nfl getting a pension, plus Habba and we’ve cut/traded talented pass rushers because we’ve had a lot jam. 
 

3 hours ago, Noeller said:

Also how could anyone say Habas results are mixed when he's hardly played due to the guys above him and also poor roster management not allowing for more bodies on the DL...??

Started out with a sack per game till he lost the spot to Jackson. Ended at a point where in a full season hed a had 9-10 sacks. 

3 minutes ago, 17to85 said:

And before last year they had guys like kongbo and Hansen taking effective reps at end so again, been looking for a couple years? I call bullshit. Last year they found haba who did alright for a rookie but don't forget he was hurt too and then didn't get on the roster because reasons. 

I guess my point is... your point is bad and you should feel bad.

Plus our use of guys inside out like sayles and walker, then going back through the massive amount of dt talent we’ve found. Dl scouting isn’t a problem, next to db it’s probably been our best position of trying recruiting in the walters era. 

[bluedawg]

Haba is a fast and can bend. He can get after the quarterback pretty well. I don't think he replaces Jeffcoat by himself though. Jeffcoat was such an all-around player and was the perfect guy opposite Willie. As we know Willie isn't the best defneding the run!

I think they should rotate Haba with whichever rookie american looks the best of the camp guys. Could be Garbutt, Waggoner, the new guy Chauncey Rivers or someone not yet signed. 

As far as DT I don't think there will be much drop off from Ricky Walker to either Fox Woods or K Randall. I read somewhere that Randall had been starting for the last two years in USFL and played damn good there after we cut him so maybe he's the guy. 

The DL is gonna be a mystery but I don't think its in a bad spot

[wbbfan]

48 minutes ago, bluedawg said:

Haba is a fast and can bend. He can get after the quarterback pretty well. I don't think he replaces Jeffcoat by himself though. Jeffcoat was such an all-around player and was the perfect guy opposite Willie. As we know Willie isn't the best defneding the run!

I think they should rotate Haba with whichever rookie american looks the best of the camp guys. Could be Garbutt, Waggoner, the new guy Chauncey Rivers or someone not yet signed. 

As far as DT I don't think there will be much drop off from Ricky Walker to either Fox Woods or K Randall. I read somewhere that Randall had been starting for the last two years in USFL and played damn good there after we cut him so maybe he's the guy. 

The DL is gonna be a mystery but I don't think its in a bad spot

Or a ni/g.  Hopefully we take a long look at that in the drafts. Could also look at kongbo who is still a fa. We also run a dt outside semi frequently. 
 I agree haba isn’t jj overall. Similar at getting after the passer but hard to be as good in the run soo early on. 
 

Edited April 21 by wbbfan

[Pete]

2 hours ago, 17to85 said:

And before last year they had guys like kongbo and Hansen taking effective reps at end so again, been looking for a couple years? I call bullshit. Last year they found haba who did alright for a rookie but don't forget he was hurt too and then didn't get on the roster because reasons. 

I guess my point is... your point is bad and you should feel bad.

nah I don't feel bad, Kongbos last year was 2021. In 2022 we went thru Wilcox and Keion Adams, neither of which worked out for us. Last year when we didn't have Jeffcoat in the lineup, it was very noticeable. We've been able to find dt's but de's that can play both the run and rush the passer aren't easy to find.

You need to check your facts.

Edited April 21 by Pete

[Mike]

I’m curious how we use our DI spots this year. Do we have a single one of our regular DI guys from last year signed currently? 
 

[wbbfan]

1 hour ago, Mike said:

I’m curious how we use our DI spots this year. Do we have a single one of our regular DI guys from last year signed currently? 
 

Just Castillo I think. De/dt, db, wr/rb/kr are strong bets imo. We always love extra lbers too. 
 Karamoko has a good chance to be on the active roster as well. Which between ford and Kramdi means maybe no db. 

[JuranBoldenRules]

4 hours ago, Mike said:

I’m curious how we use our DI spots this year. Do we have a single one of our regular DI guys from last year signed currently? 
 

Kicker.  Castillo,

I think they are looking for that American DL who can play 2-3 spots on the line to be a DI.  Think they see Rivers, Garbutt and Waggoner as that guy potentially.  The rest of the DL in camp seem a lot easier to classify as competing for rush end or nose spots.

Kick returner.  Would be a bonus if there's a guy who could be useful on offense.  Grant was an all-time returner but couldn't really function in the offense, just gadget stuff.

Then DB/LB...mostly for special teams.  Cole's spot to lose.

So I guess Castillo and Cole are signed.

[17to85]

5 hours ago, Mike said:

I’m curious how we use our DI spots this year. Do we have a single one of our regular DI guys from last year signed currently? 
 

Given history,  probably not as well as they could.

[CodyT]

On 2024-04-20 at 7:39 PM, 17to85 said:

And before last year they had guys like kongbo and Hansen taking effective reps at end so again, been looking for a couple years? I call bullshit. Last year they found haba who did alright for a rookie but don't forget he was hurt too and then didn't get on the roster because reasons. 

I guess my point is... your point is bad and you should feel bad.

Man you do embody Sheldon cooper

[Booch]

I actually dont think right now Haba is our best DE option to ully replace JJ....And thats a good thing, and not a slight on Haba whom if was allowed to have been rostered all last yr would have really developed....but we went a diff route and wasted a yr basially on allowing several players to develop.

I think this Yrs DI's will be obviously Castillo....a dedicated returner who can actualy pull signifivant and impactful offensive reps (and i think Cruickshank or Smith may be that guy) at first glance, tho will adjust my opinion after seeing some camp up close

Obviously a DE you would hope will be the other and likely a LB ....with Ford back we can go without the extra DB and who knows he may actually win a starting spot on the corner......and if that is the case then we can also rostwr an impact guy who is an import at SAM.....we have no reason or need to go Canadian there if Ford steps up...even if he doent we still have no need to put an extra Canadian there....just because.

What we need to do is scrap the Global punter....and use that spot on a DL guy we take in global draft..there are at least 4 guys in that draft group who can make the roster and have meaningful reps on defence....the craptacular punt results last yr wasn't all on the coach we canned, but moreso on personell...and whatever new scheme they wanted to try, which in my opinion coincided with that constant gadget punting we tried over and over...which failed miserably.....sign a cnadian punter who can kick it consistantly 45 yards...with hangtime...and understands positional punting...it's not hard to do...or let Castillo do it...he's above average at it and would offer us probably better results than what we put up with last yr, and free's up another roster spot for another foot soldier

Edited April 22 by Booch

[JuranBoldenRules]

That Canadian punter doesn't really exist.  There'd be 9 teams chasing that player.  

The only Canadian punter last year was Jake Julien.  Everyone else was Aussie or import.

Could try Castillo.

[wbbfan]

32 minutes ago, JuranBoldenRules said:

That Canadian punter doesn't really exist.  There'd be 9 teams chasing that player.  

The only Canadian punter last year was Jake Julien.  Everyone else was Aussie or import.

Could try Castillo.

Castillo is a fine punter. If you’re gonna have him kick off no point in carrying a punter imo. If we can get a really good global punter and kick off guy that’s solid. 
 It all pivots on how we draft though. If we can get useful ni/g dl for this year that’ll be huge.