2024 Blue Bomber Training Camp

[GCn20]

11 hours ago, wbbfan said:

Did mention it in the game thread and 3stars. But he can’t get enough credit. 
 He was Terrible last year. This year he’s taken a huge step forward. He was relentless the whole game. Surprising game. He isn’t a guy who can beast mode a guard, but if he keeps that up you have to roster him. He played better than Jake has in a couple years. 
 

I for one had him as tcf quality, mos talked about how they liked a couple of his tools as a developmental guy. 
 He shouldn’t have been on the AR last year when we were ni heavy. But he sure has taken a huge step forward. 

I think that last year we were wholly unfair to guys like Schmekel given their rookie status. Rarely does a NAT rookie jump off the page in their first year and the learning curve is much steeper for the guys coming out of the CIS.  That being said he was rostered and was thusly fair game. However, I don't believe a NAT out of CIS should written off in their rookie year. These guys come to us more raw and less polished than recruits from down South and require some patience. Schmekel obviously put in the work this offseason, and I am glad he is looking better so far because we really need him to be.

11 hours ago, 17to85 said:

Which was where this whole mess started last year. They had options to use more DL and they didn't and the team suffered as a result. 90% of the roster management angst goes back to this.

You can debate it, but it's wrong... I agree he played well and showed a hell of a lot more than last year... but the most impactful DL? No I give that honour to Garbutt.

I agree. Schmekel had a great game, but I really thought Garbutt and Rivers showed they can play in this league.

[Booch]

12 hours ago, DTonOB said:

100%. If Haba (or any backup American DL) was on, DNA Jeffcoat and then you could run a NASCAR package of Jefferson, Jeffcoat, Haba and Walker for 23 snaps. They just didn't appear to want to use those kind of packages. And there weren't a ton of American backups to work in.

and we were totally handcuffed 2 yrs in a row from it...and wore guys out

I get his extreme patriatism but at the expense of the overall roster is a bad take.

That's where upper management needed to step in and be the Boss...as hats what they are and have a discussion.

Not to mentiuon wasting a DI spot all yr on an insignificant full back....with zero upside, when any number of Canadian already on the roster could have done the job...

11 hours ago, 17to85 said:

Which was where this whole mess started last year. They had options to use more DL and they didn't and the team suffered as a result. 90% of the roster management angst goes back to this.

You can debate it, but it's wrong... I agree he played well and showed a hell of a lot more than last year... but the most impactful DL? No I give that honour to Garbutt.

he played better than before...but I'd say Garbutt...Fox...and Lawson played superior....Woods too, and wish he got reps in first half. Schmeckle was decent against Rider scruns....some plays came to him as opposed to him seeking it out....but to his credit he hustled all game....and wasnt ueless like last yr

In all honesty tho if we are to dress 2 canadian D-Tackles it has to be Lawson as the starter....and at this point Schmeckle as his backup....Thomas has zero use now...is effective in a very limited role...and is now limited in what he can do....has zero upside now and is just blocking the development of the guy behind Lawson...One could say he has blocked Lawson for 2 yrs already...he's a waste of SMS now and roster space.....and we have enough vet leaders on the team, so that excuse to keep him as well is full of holes....Kornelson has no future as a pro in my opinion, and should be among first cuts...

3 minutes ago, GCn20 said:

I think that last year we were wholly unfair to guys like Schmekel given their rookie status. Rarely does a NAT rookie jump off the page in their first year and the learning curve is much steeper for the guys coming out of the CIS.  That being said he was rostered and was thusly fair game. However, I don't believe a NAT out of CIS should written off in their rookie year. These guys come to us more raw and less polished than recruits from down South and require some patience. Schmekel obviously put in the work this offseason, and I am glad he is looking better so far because we really need him to be.

I agree. Schmekel had a great game, but I really thought Garbutt and Rivers showed they can play in this league.

techinically tho.....we don't even need to carry an interior dline guys if we dont want to...if we start 1 national on defence we have more than enough coverage elsewhere to accomodate...and hey...we can also use a DNA as well for 29 snaps...theres a thought

[Mark F]

12 hours ago, bluedawg said:

Don't see much talk on here about how well Tanner Schmekel played

seeing potential, having patience, good coaching,giving  a player time to develop and learn, works.

 

shuffling players in and out hoping for something to click, does not work.  

 

Edited May 22 by Mark F

[GCn20]

2 minutes ago, Booch said:

and we were totally handcuffed 2 yrs in a row from it...and wore guys out

I get his extreme patriatism but at the expense of the overall roster is a bad take.

That's where upper management needed to step in and be the Boss...as hats what they are and have a discussion.

Not to mentiuon wasting a DI spot all yr on an insignificant full back....with zero upside, when any number of Canadian already on the roster could have done the job...

he played better than before...but I'd say Garbutt...Fox...and Lawson played superior....Woods too, and wish he got reps in first half. Schmeckle was decent against Rider scruns....some plays came to him as opposed to him seeking it out....but to his credit he hustled all game....and wasnt ueless like last yr

In all honesty tho if we are to dress 2 canadian D-Tackles it has to be Lawson as the starter....and at this point Schmeckle as his backup....Thomas has zero use now...is effective in a very limited role...and is now limited in what he can do....has zero upside now and is just blocking the development of the guy behind Lawson...One could say he has blocked Lawson for 2 yrs already...he's a waste of SMS now and roster space.....and we have enough vet leaders on the team, so that excuse to keep him as well is full of holes....Kornelson has no future as a pro in my opinion, and should be among first cuts...

techinically tho.....we don't even need to carry an interior dline guys if we dont want to...if we start 1 national on defence we have more than enough coverage elsewhere to accomodate...and hey...we can also use a DNA as well for 29 snaps...theres a thought

True, we can do that. However, we still need to roster our share of NATs come game day and if Schmekel is doing well he is a candidate to be one of those guys and offer us some depth on the DL while he's at it. If he's balling and can offer us a 7 man DL rotation we are right back to 2021. Do we need to use him? No. Would be a nice luxury to have if he can keep playing at a high level.

[JohnnyAbonny]

5 minutes ago, Booch said:

and we were totally handcuffed 2 yrs in a row from it...and wore guys out

I get his extreme patriatism but at the expense of the overall roster is a bad take.

That's where upper management needed to step in and be the Boss...as hats what they are and have a discussion.

Not to mentiuon wasting a DI spot all yr on an insignificant full back....with zero upside, when any number of Canadian already on the roster could have done the job...

he played better than before...but I'd say Garbutt...Fox...and Lawson played superior....Woods too, and wish he got reps in first half. Schmeckle was decent against Rider scruns....some plays came to him as opposed to him seeking it out....but to his credit he hustled all game....and wasnt ueless like last yr

In all honesty tho if we are to dress 2 canadian D-Tackles it has to be Lawson as the starter....and at this point Schmeckle as his backup....Thomas has zero use now...is effective in a very limited role...and is now limited in what he can do....has zero upside now and is just blocking the development of the guy behind Lawson...One could say he has blocked Lawson for 2 yrs already...he's a waste of SMS now and roster space.....and we have enough vet leaders on the team, so that excuse to keep him as well is full of holes....Kornelson has no future as a pro in my opinion, and should be among first cuts...

techinically tho.....we don't even need to carry an interior dline guys if we dont want to...if we start 1 national on defence we have more than enough coverage elsewhere to accomodate...and hey...we can also use a DNA as well for 29 snaps...theres a thought

Bingo. Start Ford, DNA Alexander. If Ford gets  hurt BA can come in for 29 plays without having to bugger around with the ratio. 
Then they could have the 2 best American DTs with Lawson rotating in. 
Just daydreaming, but that would be my ideal ratio on D. 

[Booch]

2 minutes ago, GCn20 said:

True, we can do that. However, we still need to roster our share of NATs come game day and if Schmekel is doing well he is a candidate to be one of those guys and offer us some depth on the DL while he's at it. If he's balling and can offer us a 7 man DL rotation we are right back to 2021. Do we need to use him? No. Would be a nice luxury to have if he can keep playing at a high level.

we need that rotation 100%...and if he is/can progress against true starters I am all for it...I would rather have him than Thomas or Bennett....But if his roster position is at the expense of Kelly...which is was a lot last yr...then I not behind that...Kelly offers way more...has way more upside/use and was last yr, and will be this yr one of our top ST guys...Pretty sure he tries hard in practice too...one the accolades of Schmeck and his reason for rostering last yr

Just now, JohnnyAbonny said:

Bingo. Start Ford, DNA Alexander. If Ford gets  hurt BA can come in for 29 plays without having to bugger around with the ratio. 
Then they could have the 2 best American DTs with Lawson rotating in. 
Just daydreaming, but that would be my ideal ratio on D. 

QFT

[GCn20]

6 minutes ago, Booch said:

we need that rotation 100%...and if he is/can progress against true starters I am all for it...I would rather have him than Thomas or Bennett....But if his roster position is at the expense of Kelly...which is was a lot last yr...then I not behind that...Kelly offers way more...has way more upside/use and was last yr, and will be this yr one of our top ST guys...Pretty sure he tries hard in practice too...one the accolades of Schmeck and his reason for rostering last yr

QFT

In my perfect world we are rotating guys in and out of the DL on a regular basis keeping them fresh as a daisy into the 4th Q. The only way we are able to run a 7-8 man DL rotation is with some NAT DLs rostered and ready. I like the idea of having 2 IMP DTs as well taking 65% of the snaps, but after that if we are going to stay fresh we need to mix in NATs.

Edited May 22 by GCn20

[JohnnyAbonny]

4 minutes ago, GCn20 said:

In my perfect world we are rotating guys in and out of the DL on a regular basis keeping them fresh as a daisy into the 4th Q. The only way we are able to run a 7-8 man DL rotation is with some NAT DLs rostered and ready.

Same for me. I think Willie in particular should probably play 2/3 of the snaps they had him out for. His style lends itself less to fatigue than anyone. 
Im pretty sure we all see how that front rotation was key to the dominance of 19/21.
 

They got lucky with Kongo and Hansen those years, now it’s time to tweak the ratio to bring back the 7-8 man rotation, regardless of nationality.
It’s almost like mid-22 they made a conscious decision to use the roster differently. Right around the time they traded that DT Wilcots to Hamilton 

Edited May 22 by JohnnyAbonny

[Booch]

Lawson/FOX...Habba/WJ....Garbutt/Woods/Scmeck...I sure that doable now with Ford in the mix, and not wasting a DI on a fullback....and we have used Cole as well off the edge at times, and if we keep/roster Moses I could see him being a great guy to playb like a Jack and come from anywhere....From knowing what we have coming back...and seeing some the new blood perform and practice.....to me that initial crew could really be an agressive and dominant front...dare to dream?....or will it happen?

[GCn20]

3 minutes ago, JohnnyAbonny said:

Same for me. I think Willie in particular should probably play 2/3 of the snaps they had him out for. His style lends itself less to fatigue than anyone. 
Im pretty sure we all see how that front rotation was key to the dominance of 19/21.
 

They got lucky with Kongo and Hansen those years, now it’s time to tweak the ratio to bring back the 7-8 man rotation, regardless of nationality.
It’s almost like mid-22 they made a conscious decision to use the roster differently. Right around the time they traded that DT Wilcots to Hamilton 

We just didn't have Kongbo (NAT) or Hansen (GL) since then, We can't run that kind of rotation without NATs or GL guys. There just isn't the roster room.

2 minutes ago, Booch said:

Lawson/FOX...Habba/WJ....Garbutt/Woods/Scmeck...I sure that doable now with Ford in the mix, and not wasting a DI on a fullback....and we have used Cole as well off the edge at times, and if we keep/roster Moses I could see him being a great guy to playb like a Jack and come from anywhere....From knowing what we have coming back...and seeing some the new blood perform and practice.....to me that initial crew could really be an agressive and dominant front...dare to dream?....or will it happen?

That would be a great lineup if everyone plays up to potential. 

[JohnnyAbonny]

Just now, GCn20 said:

We just didn't have Kongbo (NAT) or Hansen (GL) since then, We can't run that kind of rotation without NATs or GL guys. There just isn't the roster room.

For sure they need at least one NI in rotation, they’re just not going to be able to use 2-3 plus a global this year and still be impactful. 

Lawson is really the only starter quality Canadian they have right now on the DL. 
 

[GCn20]

Just now, JohnnyAbonny said:

For sure they need at least one NI in rotation, they’re just not going to be able to use 2-3 plus a global this year and still be impactful. 

Lawson is really the only starter quality Canadian they have right now on the DL. 
 

We don't necessarily need starting calibre NATs in a rotation, just guys who are capable backups that won't hurt us for a rep or two while we give breathers.

[Booch]

Just now, GCn20 said:

We don't necessarily need starting calibre NATs in a rotation, just guys who are capable backups that won't hurt us for a rep or two while we give breathers.

and thats why I'd slice Thomas off the roster....give his money and few extra bucks to Kongbo...especially with Biggie off the books....and if we wise keep hi there the full 6 and see if new blood develops....it's not like he cant come back after that if need be and maybe 12 games is the elixar tha would make him a B+ to A linebacker for the season

[Mike]

I agree with @bluedawg I didn’t really see a ton from Rivers that wowed me. Thought D’Abreu was better 

[Goalie]

Lawson 6 gamed according to facebook 

 

Martin released. 

[Booch]

10 minutes ago, Goalie said:

Lawson 6 gamed according to facebook 

 

Martin released. 

Man that would really be a blow...But may open door to no starting Canadian on the line, and go with just Ford on corner...which I would be fine with

[Noeller]

7 minutes ago, Booch said:

Man that would really be a blow...But may open door to no starting Canadian on the line, and go with just Ford on corner...which I would be fine with

You know as well as I do that they'll rotate Thomas and Schmeckel...

[Booch]

1 minute ago, Noeller said:

You know as well as I do that they'll rotate Thomas and Schmeckel...

puke

[Mike]

I thought Bighill would be a test, but this is the one that will really show us where O’Shea has his head.

Whatever I said about Gauthier, amplify it by a million about Jake Thomas. If we can’t find a better replacement for Lawson than Thomas, just fire our entire front office

[Noeller]

 

 

[Booch]

Just now, Mike said:

I thought Bighill would be a test, but this is the one that will really show us where O’Shea has his head.

Whatever I said about Gauthier, amplify it by a million about Jake Thomas. If we can’t find a better replacement for Lawson than Thomas, just fire our entire front office

epic epic step back...failure....poor rostering if the case...whatever you wanna call it....especially when a Nat there isnt really even needed ..very curious what we do here but fore going a national there only for 8-10 snaps a game to give 2 Imports a breather would be our best option....we can Use Ford on corner..Kramdi at SAM if Ford gets knicked....or....us a friggin DNA! 

But a rotation of Thomas and Schmeckle would be truly a sad thing

[Mike]

1 minute ago, Booch said:

epic epic step back...failure....poor rostering if the case...whatever you wanna call it....especially when a Nat there isnt really even needed ..very curious what we do here but fore going a national there only for 8-10 snaps a game to give 2 Imports a breather would be our best option....we can Use Ford on corner..Kramdi at SAM if Ford gets knicked....or....us a friggin DNA! 

But a rotation of Thomas and Schmeckle would be truly a sad thing

Brady, Demski, Woli, Neuf, Dobson, Kolo, Ford

Genuinely no reason to put Thomas there 

[Booch]

6 minutes ago, Mike said:

Brady, Demski, Woli, Neuf, Dobson, Kolo, Ford

Genuinely no reason to put Thomas there 

nope...none...zero....with our recievers I'd even use Clericus as the Bailey replacement with Rosary backing up...Not like the 5th guy gonna see a ton of balls anyway...and have no real need for any Nats on defence...I'm sure tho we will roster Thomas and Scmecks...Guathier for Biggie and Kramdi at SAM and not put out our best lineup....almost banking on that sadly

[3rdand1.5]

So we were planning to start the season with a new CB, and a new DE and some tweaks on the interior DL, now we are lost our best CDN D-lineman, our allstar MLB and our other CB all to the 6 game before the season even starts.....whew oh and with a new DC.......

 

I to a degree agree with some of Booch's and others sentiment about letting new guys get on the field, but at this point that is a ton of change. IMO too much change to have that many new guys regardless of how good they look or what they may have in potential. While I do agree that they may not be the highest potential guys, but Thomas and Schmekel will be needed in heavy rotation to start the year along the d-line, Caldwalder, Gauthier, and Kramdi will be needed in heavy rotation to start the year at LB. 

 

It hopefully will not be a long term thing with the injuries and it MAY allow a guy like Rivers, or Garbutt, or Mosses, or Petrishen as examples to get longer looks and some rotation to get familiar with the 3 down game and our system, which may pay dividends after Labour Day.

If nothing else it will be an interesting defence this season at least for the first few weeks...

[CrazyCanuck89]

1 hour ago, JohnnyAbonny said:

Bingo. Start Ford, DNA Alexander. If Ford gets  hurt BA can come in for 29 plays without having to bugger around with the ratio. 
Then they could have the 2 best American DTs with Lawson rotating in. 
Just daydreaming, but that would be my ideal ratio on D. 

You don't have to bugger the ratio either way.  Ford gets hurt, Alexander moves to fieldside Cornerback, Kelly or Hallett go to safety. Plus you will be having Lawson staring starting at DT and Kramdi at SLB.

The DA rule isn't going to matter much to.you guys.