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

[Doublezero]

3 hours ago, Booch said:

we essentially replaced the best back up QB with a new...better best back up....abd the prospect behind him seems solid at first glance....Camp will be the true indicator...upgrade tho from 2023

I don't think Yosh is a majhor loss per say....As long as we can find a compatent replacement who can play we should be fine...Lofton should be that guy worst case, as we develop the heir apparent longterm guy...and with Eli back...Dobson hopefully with more polish to him, and the huge upside of Wallace and still having Kolo, I see no worries there really either...maybe some gelling at first....but with Bryant and Neuf next to whomever wins the spot they have on field coaching right there....and with some guys in the pipleline again...and the possible flyer on Manu....we upgraded I believe to a meaner group...younger...with upside

Replacing Jackson with the actual Canadian RB/FB who actually has a real good skill set...huge upgrade on multiple levels...especially for roster...upgrade there

Like the dline talent coming in....Was never sold or a fan of Walker, so I think we will be better with whoever is shotgun with lawson....and some intruiging guys competing for the end spots....Jackson's loss hurts, but bang for buck there and not knowig how many games we would get...with a guy on other side of 30...I like the route we take....camp will be the big battle and indicator there....we have some talent....and now with Jackson gone we can actually deploy it...so in my opinion the defensive rotation will be better all around, especially with Ford in the mix and the ability to if we want at times to go all Import on the line, and have some unique schemes with who we put out there.

Db's not concerned with whatsoever...we have a proven track record of plug and play there......

LB's is the one spot a little curious, dare I say concerned.....No issues with Wilson....and at SAM we have options....I'd like to see Cole take that over and Ford win a Corner spot....we also have a couple interesting guys coming in who may blow doors off and take that role...Not sold...nor liking Kramdi there...adequate atbest doesnt cut it for me, and he will not develop into a true difference maker, so why extend that experiment...we dont have to, so why? and if we want that Canadian then Ford offers way more...more upside, and a way better athlete...so at moment to me Linebacker is the big question mark to be filled

Receiever...nothing to be said there...we know what the main 4 bring....we have some intruiging options to replace Bailey and we replenished our Canadian backups....the new kid with more upside than Bolo I believe and I was one of the bigger BOLO tire pumpers here...plus he is an experienced teams guy...BOLO wasnt...we made him learn that spot

RB's...Nothing needs to be said there, and now with Ilke we have 3 solid Canadians and a actual guy to do the full back role who actually can do more than just get in the way....and don't sleep on Smith....If he takes Mcrae's role, as well as win that returnr spot...Huge upgrade....and he could make real noise with some offensive reps...true game breaking skill set there

Camp will be interesting and a true camp this yr with guys competing and jobs to be taken....

Special teams? Who will step up to make me forget about Janarion Grant? Losing him gonna hurt. Best returner we had in Blue & Gold for a very long time.

[GCn20]

17 hours ago, JuranBoldenRules said:

Feet and movement is the entire game.  Watch Hardrick last year try to lean on guys and them in Collaros face 0.3 seconds later.  We're not running 40 times a game.

So he's got a long way to go from my view of his videos out there.  Both in terms of keeping his feet engaged and bending (lowering) his hips so he doesn't get lifted...which is a big issue if he's playing inside run or pass.

Yea, footwork is pretty big for any OL in pass pro. However, these scouting reports tend to focus on NFL capability not CFL. How far off his foot work is for the CFL is anyone's guess....although several teams appear to have passed on him because of it. That being said, same thing was said about Yoshi prior to him being here and when he shed a few pounds his feet drastically improved. Sadly, with aging his footwork looks to be dropping off again, but he gave us some very good seasons.

[Stickem]

18 hours ago, kelownabomberfan said:

apparently Bo is going to love him...Bo who?  What am I missing here.

I believe he's our running back ...you know Brady Oliviera....I call him BO....C'MON where you been ....Now I could see the confusion if I would have used the short  form for BOLO ...but he's not here anymore .....orrrrr BO the qb in Ham. ...okay I can see the confusion....So I' ll just go back to Brady O.....BETTER

 

Edited May 3 by Stickem

[kelownabomberfan]

24 minutes ago, Stickem said:

I believe he's our running back ...you know Brady Oliviera....I call him BO....C'MON where you been ....Now I could see the confusion if I would have used the short  form for BOLO ...but he's not here anymore .....orrrrr BO the qb in Ham. ...okay I can see the confusion....So I' ll just go back to Brady O.....BETTER

 

LOL - where I been?  Crying in my Crown Royal as the Jets go out in 5 again with a massive whimper.

I'm back now -  Jets stuff put away, Bomber stuff now taken out and ready to go!  Can't wait for the home opener, I'll be there, cheering on the Strevelation!

[GCn20]

3 hours ago, Doublezero said:

Special teams? Who will step up to make me forget about Janarion Grant? Losing him gonna hurt. Best returner we had in Blue & Gold for a very long time.

Grant missed most of the last 2 seasons, but yea when he was in the game he was dynamite.

[wbbfan]

3 hours ago, GCn20 said:

Yea, footwork is pretty big for any OL in pass pro. However, these scouting reports tend to focus on NFL capability not CFL. How far off his foot work is for the CFL is anyone's guess....although several teams appear to have passed on him because of it. That being said, same thing was said about Yoshi prior to him being here and when he shed a few pounds his feet drastically improved. Sadly, with aging his footwork looks to be dropping off again, but he gave us some very good seasons.

Even in pass pro it is soo much more important at T than guard. You can cover for a guard pretty easily too with a good T or C. 
 

12 minutes ago, GCn20 said:

Grant missed most of the last 2 seasons, but yea when he was in the game he was dynamite.

the difference between grant, and every one else was gigantic. I don’t think we need some one to make us forget grant, I’m not expecting a multi td kr this year. Maybe no kr tds. But at least we need some one cover teams have to work to cover, catches the ball clean as much as possible, makes the right decisions, and gets north south asap while gathering respectable yards. 
 Couple of the guys we brought in with kr experience looked good in college. So I’m hopeful. Personally, a kr/wr who can run some sweeps opposite of Demski and start at wr while returning is the dream. Saving a roster spot, especially a di is as good as being game breaking.

we could spell a starting wr in coverage some with guys like ford. I’d love to see clercius and MCI get reps at returning kicks too. 

[17to85]

Was watching playoffs on my tablet the other night and my 3 year old asks if I was watching football... when I explained no hockey I was then asked when football starts.... so there we go, even the kids are ready for football season to start.

[JohnnyAbonny]

54 minutes ago, 17to85 said:

Was watching playoffs on my tablet the other night and my 3 year old asks if I was watching football... when I explained no hockey I was then asked when football starts.... so there we go, even the kids are ready for football season to start.

Anytime I or her mother put on a blue shirt of any kind my 2 year old says “Yay Blue Bombers!” 
 

 

[kelownabomberfan]

23 minutes ago, JohnnyAbonny said:

Anytime I or her mother put on a blue shirt of any kind my 2 year old says “Yay Blue Bombers!” 
 

 

good to hear that we are still indoctrinating our kids at an early age...lol...

1 hour ago, 17to85 said:

Was watching playoffs on my tablet the other night and my 3 year old asks if I was watching football... when I explained no hockey I was then asked when football starts.... so there we go, even the kids are ready for football season to start.

it is a special time of year

I was on a Teams call the other day and I found out one of the people on the call was from Regina, so immediately she and I got into a back and forth "Riders suck" "Bombers suck" while the rest of the people on the call from Ontario looked on in confusion and horror at two people who just met abusing each other but once we got through that stuff she said that she grew up living next door to Ron Lancaster in Regina and of course then we got into a bit of camaraderie discussion about the CFL, while like I said, the rest of the clued out non-CFL fans on the call just sat there mystified at two people talking about a fabled league they'd never even heard of.  As much as we all agree, Riders suck, they at least still love football too.  

Edited May 3 by kelownabomberfan

[WinnipegGordo]

Signed draft picks:

Clercius, Kevens

Weitz, Fabian

Samson, Kyle

Vlahogiannis, Michael

[Tracker]

2 hours ago, wbbfan said:

Even in pass pro it is soo much more important at T than guard. You can cover for a guard pretty easily too with a good T or C. 
 

the difference between grant, and every one else was gigantic. I don’t think we need some one to make us forget grant, I’m not expecting a multi td kr this year. Maybe no kr tds. But at least we need some one cover teams have to work to cover, catches the ball clean as much as possible, makes the right decisions, and gets north south asap while gathering respectable yards. 
 Couple of the guys we brought in with kr experience looked good in college. So I’m hopeful. Personally, a kr/wr who can run some sweeps opposite of Demski and start at wr while returning is the dream. Saving a roster spot, especially a di is as good as being game breaking.

we could spell a starting wr in coverage some with guys like ford. I’d love to see Clercius and MCI get reps at returning kicks too. 

Maybe the Gassama kid will do that. 

[WinnipegGordo]

It's almost that time:

Winnipeg Blue Bombers Practice Schedule: May 8-14
WINNIPEG, MB., May 3, 2024 – The following is the Blue Bombers practice schedule for May 8-14.
Practices are held at Princess Auto Stadium unless otherwise stated. 

Wednesday, May 8 – rookie camp – AT FIELD BESIDE WSF SOUTH
Practice: 10:30 a.m. - 12:55 p.m.

Thursday, May 9 – rookie camp – AT FIELD BESIDE WSF SOUTH
Practice: 10:00 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.

Friday, May 10 – rookie camp  – AT FIELD BESIDE WSF SOUTH
Practice: 10:15 a.m. - 12:20 p.m.

Saturday, May 11
No practice/media availability

Sunday, May 12
Practice: 9:00 a.m. - 11:40 a.m.

Monday, May 13
Practice: 9:45 a.m. - 12:35 p.m.

Tuesday, May 14
Practice: 8:30 a.m. - 11:35 a.m.

[wbbfan]

1 hour ago, WinnipegGordo said:

It's almost that time:

Winnipeg Blue Bombers Practice Schedule: May 8-14
WINNIPEG, MB., May 3, 2024 – The following is the Blue Bombers practice schedule for May 8-14.
Practices are held at Princess Auto Stadium unless otherwise stated. 

Wednesday, May 8 – rookie camp – AT FIELD BESIDE WSF SOUTH
Practice: 10:30 a.m. - 12:55 p.m.

Thursday, May 9 – rookie camp – AT FIELD BESIDE WSF SOUTH
Practice: 10:00 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.

Friday, May 10 – rookie camp  – AT FIELD BESIDE WSF SOUTH
Practice: 10:15 a.m. - 12:20 p.m.

Saturday, May 11
No practice/media availability

Sunday, May 12
Practice: 9:00 a.m. - 11:40 a.m.

Monday, May 13
Practice: 9:45 a.m. - 12:35 p.m.

Tuesday, May 14
Practice: 8:30 a.m. - 11:35 a.m.

Lfg! Almost time! 

[Super Duper Negatron]

Not sure if this is posted anywhere but if anyone wants to see Sam Roberts (and more) on Canada Day, the Bombers are hosting and tickets are free.

https://www.bluebombers.com/canadaday2024

Edited May 4 by Super Duper Negatron

[Doublezero]

5 hours ago, wbbfan said:

Even in pass pro it is soo much more important at T than guard. You can cover for a guard pretty easily too with a good T or C. 
 

the difference between grant, and every one else was gigantic. I don’t think we need some one to make us forget grant, I’m not expecting a multi td kr this year. Maybe no kr tds. But at least we need some one cover teams have to work to cover, catches the ball clean as much as possible, makes the right decisions, and gets north south asap while gathering respectable yards. 
 Couple of the guys we brought in with kr experience looked good in college. So I’m hopeful. Personally, a kr/wr who can run some sweeps opposite of Demski and start at wr while returning is the dream. Saving a roster spot, especially a di is as good as being game breaking.

we could spell a starting wr in coverage some with guys like ford. I’d love to see clercius and MCI get reps at returning kicks too. 

This return vs Sask was such a beaut. Did it on his own, amazing: 

 

[Tracker]

34 minutes ago, Doublezero said:

This return vs Sask was such a beaut. Did it on his own, amazing: 

 

Amazing. Simply amazing.

[Fatty Liver]

14 hours ago, Doublezero said:

Special teams? Who will step up to make me forget about Janarion Grant? Losing him gonna hurt. Best returner we had in Blue & Gold for a very long time.

Pretty upsetting when dominant performers like Grant, Bailey and Jeffcoat are given up on mainly because there's no money leftover to pay them close to what they deserve.  

[wbbfan]

7 hours ago, Fatty Liver said:

Pretty upsetting when dominant performers like Grant, Bailey and Jeffcoat are given up on mainly because there's no money leftover to pay them close to what they deserve.  

Grant and jj got moved on from because they couldn’t stay healthy. Bailey was good but you can’t pay a role wr big money. We already have soo much tied up in demski lawler and schoen we just can’t afford another premium salary wr. 

[Jesse]

7 hours ago, Fatty Liver said:

Pretty upsetting when dominant performers like Grant, Bailey and Jeffcoat are given up on mainly because there's no money leftover to pay them close to what they deserve.  

Not the whole story there. Bailey found a spot; Grant was likely a victim of both his injury history, lack of versatility, and the incoming changes to kick returns. Jeffcoat seems to have quit to a certain extent. Sounded like he got so frustrated he just walked away. I’m sure a team would have had a spot for him if he wanted to make it happen.

[Stickem]

46 minutes ago, Jesse said:

Not the whole story there. Bailey found a spot; Grant was likely a victim of both his injury history, lack of versatility, and the incoming changes to kick returns. Jeffcoat seems to have quit to a certain extent. Sounded like he got so frustrated he just walked away. I’m sure a team would have had a spot for him if he wanted to make it happen.

Right on Bailey and Grant but I think Jeffcoat was also a victim of the injury bug.....he just couldn't stay healthy...Bailey found work, I doubt that's going to be the case for the other two....

[Brandon]

10 hours ago, Fatty Liver said:

Pretty upsetting when dominant performers like Grant, Bailey and Jeffcoat are given up on mainly because there's no money leftover to pay them close to what they deserve.  

Bailey was not a dominant player,  he was a solid and reliable guy but never a guy that I'd think would be a hall of famer.  

Jeffcoat is several years past his prime and on a downturn with his injuries. Far from dominant on a consistent basis. 

Grant is a dominant returner and he will be missed. 

[Bigblue204]

2 hours ago, Jesse said:

Not the whole story there. Bailey found a spot; Grant was likely a victim of both his injury history, lack of versatility, and the incoming changes to kick returns. Jeffcoat seems to have quit to a certain extent. Sounded like he got so frustrated he just walked away. I’m sure a team would have had a spot for him if he wanted to make it happen.

From what I heard about JJ. It was Winnipeg or bust outside of a huge offer from another club. Same with Grey. 

Grant, I understand both sides....the club doesn't want to invest in a guy who hasn't stayed healthy on limited touches for a few years now and Grant isn't getting any younger and likely wants a decent payday. 

[Fatty Liver]

1 hour ago, wbbfan said:

Grant and jj got moved on from because they couldn’t stay healthy. Bailey was good but you can’t pay a role wr big money. We already have soo much tied up in demski lawler and schoen we just can’t afford another premium salary wr. 

Didn't say Bailey deserved "big money" but paying the man fairly for his under-appreciated service always seemed like the right thing to do. In all 3 cases I think we can expect the replacements to be downgrades in ability as they have nobody in house that is their obvious equivalent, so the plan to get better in these 3 positions is based solely on bringing in new/unproven players that can somehow match or exceed the performance of league standouts, always possible but highly unlikely.  

In the end I predict the overall skill level will be downgraded from what it was previously, players that earned the big raises were in place already, so that counts as more money spent with no upgrade in talent or performance level.  The lost players will make a noticeable difference, gone not due to declining performance as it should be, but due to poor overall salary management.  

 

.

[Fatty Liver]

21 minutes ago, Brandon said:

Bailey was not a dominant player,  he was a solid and reliable guy but never a guy that I'd think would be a hall of famer.  

Jeffcoat is several years past his prime and on a downturn with his injuries. Far from dominant on a consistent basis. 

Grant is a dominant returner and he will be missed. 

It's the effort and performance of underdog players like Bailey and Woli that help put and keep a team on top of the standings, the more quality players of this caliber a team has the better the results.  Consider it the equivalent of having a solid 3rd line in hockey.

[wbbfan]

2 hours ago, Fatty Liver said:

It's the effort and performance of underdog players like Bailey and Woli that help put and keep a team on top of the standings, the more quality players of this caliber a team has the better the results.  Consider it the equivalent of having a solid 3rd line in hockey.

It’s not like hockey, you need that across the board in football. I also have no concern about us finding that in their replacements. No matter the performance of their replacements don’t bring it they’ll be cut.