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

[Jesse]

6 minutes ago, Booch said:

We need to roster and find 2 legit DT's to rotate with Lawson to become a force again on defence and take the load off the Jeff's, and have them run with legit rotational piece as well. Bring back Fox and Walker and several guys to compete for the DT roles...rewards...has to be earned...keep the best 2 for roster....3rd goes PR....same to be said with the ends.....you roster the Jeff's and an additional guy, be it Hba..Garbut...Or a new find/FA pickup, and with Hansen who 2 yrs removed from Achilles should be back to what he was, especially with the low miles on him for a guy of his age, and we need to land Bennett, and or Kongbo to supplement the rotation

If we can run with the Jeff's, and a rotation guy....Lawson and a import DT...who has a rotation sub (Like when we used Neves and Stove) as well as Hansen and Bennett (the good Benett) or kongbo we should be pretty damn stout upfront

Wilson also played well as season went on, and another yr removed from surgery should be ok....but competition needs to be brought on there also, Clements and Cole look to be legit starters for next yr, both young and right in prime and both are versatile enough to be used in several ways....but we need to treat LB like we did with DB's before and bring in a boatload...we have stood pat now for 4 yrs...time to turn the page.

I would only bring Biggie back on a reduced deal, and to do what the "supposed plan" was with him for Grey Cup....But do it healthy not on one leg...if he declines that option, then we have to cut bait, and then all his salary can go to shoring up elsewhere

I'd keep Holm...Nichols..Parker...Houston...Lawrence...Rose BA for sure to battle with some young...aggressive DB prospects and like mentioned earlier....best man who earned the job, and allows us to play multiple styles of defence are rostered.....Ideally I would like to see us work on extending Ford and giving him every chance to take the one corner position and flip the SAM back to an import spot with a dynamic impact guy there....adequate Kramdi is what he is, and adequate ain't what we need...We should run Holm boy at safety and work out from there filling in inside out..Nichols is a slam dunk and I like to see Parker at HB...he is a star in the making....Ford at the corner and a legit major battle for the other corner....may the best man win...like literally this yr....

I'm generally not too worried about our D. We were #1 in pretty much all categories. Our DB scouting has been pretty top tier. I would love to see more rostered DL. Adding Kongbo and/or Bennett should be expected not hoped for. If we stay true to form, we're not spending on DT and will let Walker...walk...rather than give him a raise. That means bringing in lots of bodies to TC. We have the LBing pieces, but if a young guy can steal a spot, all the better. Ford coming in and taking a starter role (even if it's over the course of a the season) would be huge. 

Offence could change a great deal based on Brady and Dalton and Stanley. I think those are all survivable, but would like to see Eli shore up the front. 

[Piggy 1]

1 hour ago, Bigblue204 said:

I've heard a lot dumb ass **** over the past week. But getting rid of the HC that has led the team to 4 straight GCs. And helped them become the winningest team since 2016 is definitely the dumbest.

Didnt ZC lead us to 4 Cup appearances? And your calling for his head,,,,,,talk a bout a double standard.........

[GCn20]

17 hours ago, bustamente said:

Anthony Bennett could be Walters worst ever pick so early in the draft, he contributed absolutely nothing to the Bombers this year and at his age in all probability wont be improving going forward.

Nope, sadly he was not the worst early pick. That would be Faith Ekakitie.

[Bigblue204]

4 hours ago, Piggy 1 said:

Didnt ZC lead us to 4 Cup appearances? And your calling for his head,,,,,,talk a bout a double standard.........

Feel free to quote me saying the team needs to move on from ZC. 

I'll wait.

...still waiting...

Edited November 23, 2023 by Bigblue204

[GCn20]

15 hours ago, wbbfan said:

Grant is a beast. One of his college team mates at one point said he had the biggest squat on the team lol. 
 Physicality could be an issue but you never know. Stranger guys are in the nfl. Teams could look at him as a package nickel vs speed teams like Miami. 
 I’d say Brady has a 5% chance of getting a tc invite, and holm maybe 20%. 
 Brady if he can get it more power to him. I love the guy and want to see him succeed as much as possible. 
 

Rb is always the easiest gap to fill. We could bring in some big power back or a balanced. Probably 15+ guys about to shake loose from the 2020 NCAA crop all of whom could start in the cfl, and would be a force behind our ol. A guy like lew Nichols, or Bryant Koback. 

Nah. His pre mafia era picks weren’t good, people will blame joe Mack but joe didn’t know jack about the draft. I’m sure those where walters picks. 
 Also, faith ekakitie. Bennett is better than faith. 

I agree. Mack was pretty hands off and completely disinterested in the whole NAT concept. He went with the guy recommended to him the strongest I am sure.

[Bigblue204]

Lions have signed Stove....again...

[GCn20]

1 hour ago, JuranBoldenRules said:

Yeah and it's wrong.  My point.

There was one off-season where Walters and Mack worked together in front office.  July of that season Mack was fired.  Mack's AGM from 10-12 was a guy named Ken Moll.  They had basically no scouting infrastructure in place for U Sports or CJFL, 100% relied on combine.

Not true. Kyle Walters was our NAT talent scout even under Mack and Moll. Kyle took on those duties in 2011 according to the Winnipeg Free Press article about it. He was scouting for us prior to his 2012 AGM/DCT appointment but it was limited to the offseason. Walters was very happy when he took on the AGM spot because he could now take on the NAT scouting full time instead of seasonal. That was his exact sentiment in the Free Press.

Found this for clarity on his role as Canadian College Draft Coordinator beginning in 2011:

Blue Bombers Appoint Kyle Walters as Assistant General Manager and Director of Canadian Scouting - OurSports Central

Edited November 23, 2023 by GCn20

[JuranBoldenRules]

23 minutes ago, GCn20 said:

I agree. Mack was pretty hands off and completely disinterested in the whole NAT concept. He went with the guy recommended to him the strongest I am sure.

He went with NCAA guys for most part and size/speed.  They had basically nothing on U Sports aside from combine guys and Walters combing film.

Then they fired Mack and built an actual personnel department for a CFL team.

[GCn20]

2 minutes ago, JuranBoldenRules said:

He went with NCAA guys for most part and size/speed.  They had basically nothing on U Sports aside from combine guys and Walters combing film.

Then they fired Mack and built an actual personnel department for a CFL team.

Don't get me wrong, Walters had no in-season CIS scouting ability and we were very hamstrung because of that but he was the guy whispering in Mack's ear regarding the 2011, 2012 drafts. Getting Goveia was massive for us, and Walters being able to scout in-season. That's when our drafts started turning around. Prior to that it was just anyone's best guess really and Walters, although he held a lot of influence over our drafting was really doing so with one hand tied behind his back.

Edited November 23, 2023 by GCn20

[Stickem]

Speaking of Walters when do we hear about his future here or anywhere else....I know Osh says he 'expects' him to be back...Expecting and actually re-signing are two different things....I wonder what the delay is??.It would be nice to hear something more definite, after taking another Cup loss, and a lot up in the air concerning the club

[Jesse]

1 minute ago, Stickem said:

Speaking of Walters when do we hear about his future here or anywhere else....I know Osh says he 'expects' him to be back...Expecting and actually re-signing are two different things....I wonder what the delay is??.It would be nice to hear something more definite, after taking another Cup loss, and a lot up in the air concerning the club

It's been a few days since the season ended. It takes a little time to find common ground (or not) during negotiations. 

[Noeller]

I was JUST gonna say "**** sakes it's been like 3 days...chill" But definitely expect something by the end of next week. 

[JohnnyAbonny]

2 hours ago, Jesse said:

Could easily be 2+ years of a  top tier starter in Collaros or 2 years of rotating between Brown and Prukop because both struggle so badly in a starter role.

Fair point. I mean, you could look at it either way. 
I’m seeing the Danny Mac/Dunnigan parallel very closely, thats what’s driving my opinion 

[Colin Unger]

I imagine there are things to announce in Winnipeg like players re-signing, Walters, and retirements but i think they want to give us a little more time to mourn before turning on the next year marketing machine. 

If Brown is moving on please let there be significant interest so we can trade his early rights. Personally if Kurtis Rourke is coming to the CFL and Brown is moving on Id love to see us trade up to get him. Not only is it a backup and future starter but there's a significant cost savings vs what an american backup qb makes because Canadians are severely capped for 3 years.  Plus it gives us another DI. 

[Mark H.]

2 hours ago, GCn20 said:

Don't get me wrong, Walters had no in-season CIS scouting ability and we were very hamstrung because of that but he was the guy whispering in Mack's ear regarding the 2011, 2012 drafts. Getting Goveia was massive for us, and Walters being able to scout in-season. That's when our drafts started turning around. Prior to that it was just anyone's best guess really and Walters, although he held a lot of influence over our drafting was really doing so with one hand tied behind his back.

So then, the best answer is: no one was really doing it.

[GCn20]

13 minutes ago, Mark H. said:

So then, the best answer is: no one was really doing it.

No Walters was doing it. He just wasn't given the full resources to do it right. It was kind of half arsed and that is why we ended up with busts such as Mulumba and Bilikudi that never ever intended to really play up here. Very talented guys, but no due diligence prior to their selection.

Edited November 23, 2023 by GCn20

[GCn20]

1 hour ago, JohnnyAbonny said:

Fair point. I mean, you could look at it either way. 
I’m seeing the Danny Mac/Dunnigan parallel very closely, thats what’s driving my opinion 

That is a possibility, but so is Kevin Glenn/Stefan Lefors a possibility too. I think it would be wholly irresponsible to just toss out a Collaros and move onto Brown. Could be a fatal move to our competitiveness. Collaros gives us a couple more years of great QBing that is money in the bank. We don't know with certainty what Brown would give us.

[Stickem]

2 hours ago, Noeller said:

I was JUST gonna say "**** sakes it's been like 3 days...chill" But definitely expect something by the end of next week. 

Hey....I'm just trying to put that crap end behind us as quickly as possible...Hearing something positive for cripes sake ain't exactly asking a lot.....BUT I see the point of being a little quick on the draw ....guess I'm not one to belabour misery....Time to move on

[JCon]

Just now, Stickem said:

Hey....I'm just trying to put that crap end behind us as quickly as possible...Hearing something positive for cripes sake ain't exactly asking a lot.....BUT I see the point of being a little quick on the draw ....guess I'm not one to belabour misery....Time to move on

🤣 I haven't even begun the grieving process. I am not prepared to even discuss the game yet. 

People around the office keep stopping by and asking how I am. 

How am I? I'm cruising down the de-Nile! That's how I am. 

Call me in January. 

[Wanna-B-Fanboy]

3 hours ago, Bigblue204 said:

Lions have signed Stove....again...

Love it when he was here... but dilutes coming off of two Achilles tears.

[Stickem]

1 minute ago, JCon said:

🤣 I haven't even begun the grieving process. I am not prepared to even discuss the game yet. 

People around the office keep stopping by and asking how I am. 

How am I? I'm cruising down the de-Nile! That's how I am. 

Call me in January. 

Yeah.....it's not an easy to swallow this latest Cup loss....I had a buddy call me the other day and I just went numb when he came out with'''''hey what happened to the Bombers'   ....Just said 'call me later...kinda busy right now'....That was right after the game, and in our next conversation I told him I've since moved on....Denial is one way of coping I guess.....I just try to get it out of the way as quickly as possible

[Bigblue204]

5 minutes ago, Wanna-B-Fanboy said:

Love it when he was here... but dilutes coming off of two Achilles tears.

Yeah, who knows what he'll be like...but would have been nice for the Bombers to find out IMO. If he's back to himself (I'm doubtful) that fills an immediate need

[Super Duper Negatron]

14 minutes ago, JCon said:

🤣 I haven't even begun the grieving process. I am not prepared to even discuss the game yet. 

People around the office keep stopping by and asking how I am. 

How am I? I'm cruising down the de-Nile! That's how I am. 

Call me in January. 

**** everyone who asks me how I am doing after any Bomber loss, never mind the Grey Cup. It's times like these I am glad I work from home now.

[WBBFanWest]

42 minutes ago, GCn20 said:

That is a possibility, but so is Kevin Glenn/Stefan Lefors a possibility too. I think it would be wholly irresponsible to just toss out a Collaros and move onto Brown. Could be a fatal move to our competitiveness. Collaros gives us a couple more years of great QBing that is money in the bank. We don't know with certainty what Brown would give us.

After watching him in the playoffs in general and the last two Grey Cups specifically, I'm not convinced that he's the guy.  Not a lot of point in having someone who is lights out during the regular season, but then can't keep that going into the playoffs.  Also, yes there's a risk in starting Brown, but there's a potential long term risk if we let him walk with Collaros only having maybe a couple of good regular seasons left.

[wbbfan]

4 hours ago, Piggy 1 said:

Didnt ZC lead us to 4 Cup appearances? And your calling for his head,,,,,,talk a bout a double standard.........

It’s not a double standard, it’s a standard. Walters and mos have met the standard Zach has not in the play offs. Though I think you can make a case for mos, 

 

57 minutes ago, Wanna-B-Fanboy said:

Love it when he was here... but dilutes coming off of two Achilles tears.

I’d always give that guy a shot. He’s a beast and not just athletically phenomenal but his technique and football iq too. 
 That said I’d rather have oakman right now.  

 

2 hours ago, Colin Unger said:

I imagine there are things to announce in Winnipeg like players re-signing, Walters, and retirements but i think they want to give us a little more time to mourn before turning on the next year marketing machine. 

If Brown is moving on please let there be significant interest so we can trade his early rights. Personally if Kurtis Rourke is coming to the CFL and Brown is moving on Id love to see us trade up to get him. Not only is it a backup and future starter but there's a significant cost savings vs what an american backup qb makes because Canadians are severely capped for 3 years.  Plus it gives us another DI. 

Likely. I wonder if they cut brown to let him explore his options. Don’t like it but I could see it happening if they don’t intend on resigning him to the kind of money he’s gonna be offered. 
 

 

18 hours ago, 17to85 said:

Yeah it's perhaps mislabelling it on my part. I'm thinking explosive against other guys. Like Holm ain't gonna explode into someone a d drop them. He just wraps up and tackles. 

100%. He’s not physically imposing at all. He should spend the off season doing S&C with Lamar mcgriggs (assuming he still does that stuff.) he could put on 5-10 lbs of reasonably lean muscle between now and next tc, not lose any fluidity and gain a lot of strength.