Blue Bombers - 2024 Regular Season - Discussion Thread

[SpeedFlex27]

This looks to be a repeat of last year. Screw over Brady for a qb who put up a ton of yardage but won only 7 games & missed the playoffs. They'll give the MOP to Bo because he's at the sunset of his career & had a "Cinderella" season. Screw Brady over again because that's just how it works. 

[GCn20]

36 minutes ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

This looks to be a repeat of last year. Screw over Brady for a qb who put up a ton of yardage but won only 7 games & missed the playoffs. They'll give the MOP to Bo because he's at the sunset of his career & had a "Cinderella" season. Screw Brady over again because that's just how it works. 

I don't think so. BO will win it this year imo.

[GCn20]

On 2024-10-30 at 4:09 PM, wbbfan said:

Divisional all star votes are a joke. 
 

Dobson improved an awful lot over the year. Especially in the back half. Don’t think he’s an all star calibre guy though. May be worthy of that next year with more consistency. (And I love Dobson) 

Most of those guys got their nods on reputation and hype. 

I believe he signed a futures deal for next years camp with the ALs. But tbh he wasn’t my favorite of that group and they are all really close. 
 

I think and hope this will be it for biggie. 
 

 

Wade has done a fantastic job since he took over. Since the 19 gc, it’s been gravy. Our franchise is gonna be secure for a long time. 

I agree on Dobson. He was god awful for the first few games and has improved but then had absolutely terrible games here and there as recently as the Toronto game. I was actually thinking he was a guy who may lose his starting position next year via Wallace, FA or draft.

Edited 13 hours ago by GCn20

[Bigblue204]

If the media votes for a guy who got benched, missed the playoffs and put up numbers when it didn't matter, the awards will officially be a huge joke. 

BLM played well, but facts matter. He was benched. Largely because he wasn't getting it done when he still had opportunities to win games. He's Hamiltons MOP which isn't something to be that proud considering the year they had....but he is in no way the league's MOP. Dru brown had a better year, Fajardo would be more deserving, Harris even. You can not give the biggest award to a QB who missed the playoffs.

Edited 13 hours ago by Bigblue204

[GCn20]

On 2024-10-30 at 7:55 PM, rebusrankin said:

I honestly hope Bighill is not brought back. Great player but he'll be 37, play has dropped off and he's expensive. Time to move on.

Agree. I really don't mind a team sunsetting a guy like that though as long as it is done right.

21 hours ago, Booch said:

Logan Ferland???

That one just blows me away. How does anyone pick Logan Ferland for anything other than marking a construction zone on a foggy day.

19 hours ago, HardCoreBlue said:

I'm sorry, who's Logan Ferland?

He is the guy you drive around and almost hit every day on route 90 during construction season. He dresses up all in orange and is cone shaped.

[GCn20]

21 hours ago, Noeller said:

How in the actual ****.... Logan Ferland? No Pokey Wilson??? And I still say Milligan as MODP is beyond insane.... I am just forever disappointed in our CFL Media...

I am completely gob smacked at the ineptitude of the CFL media this year. It's like they didn't watch a game this year because the weather was too nice and then threw darts at a dart board.

19 hours ago, Fatty Liver said:

Consolation prize, the play of Western MOR Nick Anderson led to the Elks releasing Tony Jones.

Nick Anderson posted really good numbers for a rookie LB, I have no problem with his selection.

GP 18  DT 111  ST 5  Sacks 3  INT 1  FF 2

 

I am not trying to belittle Anderson in any way but his stats tell the story of a defence not getting off the field more than anything. Wilson came into a depleted and struggling offence and outperformed every veteran receiver around him through a tough stretch until we got some guys back and then continued to produce a 1000 yard season. I like Anderson, but you look at the advanced stats of his defence and it shines a light on why he had the tackle totals he did and that they were hyper inflated by team ineptitude. Teams were literally running up the gut against Edmonton to kill clock for the first half of the season. His tackle totals dramatically tail off in the second half when Edmonton started to get into some games. I have always been a big skeptic of tackle totals as a stat in isolation though. Sometimes your tackle totals can reveal a team weakness more than anything.

Edited 13 hours ago by GCn20

[bigg jay]

29 minutes ago, Bigblue204 said:

If the media votes for a guy who got benched, missed the playoffs and put up numbers when it didn't matter, the awards will officially be a huge joke. 

BLM played well, but facts matter. He was benched. Largely because he wasn't getting it done when he still had opportunities to win games. He's Hamiltons MOP which isn't something to be that proud considering the year they had....but he is in no way the league's MOP. Dru brown had a better year, Fajardo would be more deserving, Harris even. You can not give the biggest award to a QB who missed the playoffs.

Yep, before they vote, the media should go back and read some of the stuff from mid-August.   It was the same story the whole season and when you look at how many passes he threw (at least 120 pass attempts more than any other QB), it's not a surprise he put up big numbers this year.  

Quote

The 34-year-old gunslinger posted some gaudy stat lines, but far too often his production came when Hamilton was trailing late in relatively lopsided matchups.

https://3downnation.com/2024/08/14/opinion-hamilton-tiger-cats-made-right-choice-benching-bo-levi-mitchell-for-taylor-powell/

 

[Booch]

some of our media I think just lazy...un-informed and dont pay any real attention and just go off the flawed and pointless PPF crap....which is....crap

Nobody I know or have ever worked with even looks at that...let alone use it to form an opinion on anything

[wbbfan]

1 hour ago, GCn20 said:

I agree on Dobson. He was god awful for the first few games and has improved but then had absolutely terrible games here and there as recently as the Toronto game. I was actually thinking he was a guy who may lose his starting position next year via Wallace, FA or draft.

 

Some of that Toronto and late season stuff was kola, who played the worst games of the season when we tried to close out first place. But you’re right he certainly did take a bit of a step back. I think Dobson needs to take a step forward next year. He hasn’t gotten down field in run pro enough, or washed guys out crossing his face enough yet. I think he will turn that corner and become that guy. It’s slower than I thought he would be or should be. 
 Though playing next to a turnstile can hurt or help development  some guys step up and do more. Some guys struggle with doing too much, and others give up easy on plays. 
 Kola along with Jake is a guy who we badly need to be rid of. 

Wallace is a giant threat imo. But I think neuf will retire and Wallace will take his spot next year. 
 I would actually give him practice and pre season reps at RT. He played that spot in college, and despite still being a bit heavy this year his mobility has been very very good. I think we are too quick to send all ol prospects to G and not give them time at rt. At worst, you have a back up who can shift over in case of injury. If it works out and you can go 4 ni ol, that’s massive. Gray should’ve been a RT too. 
 

We might still lose Dobson tbh. Hes from the north east, so the Ontario teams are close to home, he’s been starting here, his pedigree and athleticism are top tier for a Canadian. He isn’t desjarlais and won’t get that money, but some one could well over pay him as a starter in hope he turns into a Drew with them. 

[Noeller]

2 hours ago, JohnnyAbonny said:

On what planet do you chose Mace over MOS as coach of the year? 

From 0-4/2-6 to a 1st round bye deserved at least the divisional nod. 
 

MODP, should be Beverette, but Nichols or Ford should have been the west nominee. 

Just wanted to give this a x2... 100% accurate post. 

[wbbfan]

2 hours ago, JohnnyAbonny said:

On what planet do you chose Mace over MOS as coach of the year? 

From 0-4/2-6 to a 1st round bye deserved at least the divisional nod. 
 

MODP, should be Beverette, but Nichols or Ford should have been the west nominee. 

We started about as bad and ended up better, but we also under performed heavily early on. I think considering mace would’ve been fair. But the default coach of the year position is first place teams barring some thing in sane. I think jarious Jackson fell just shy of that too. 

[JCon]

2 minutes ago, Noeller said:

Just wanted to give this a x2... 100% accurate post. 

Just think about it from everyone else's point of view. The expectations for the Riders are so low that coming in second in the West is huge. Massive.

They should win all the player and coach awards just for wearing the correct pants. Mace found the stadium each week.

This team has overcome being in Regina. How can that not be an award-winning season? 

 

[bigg jay]

26 minutes ago, JCon said:

Just think about it from everyone else's point of view. The expectations for the Riders are so low that coming in second in the West is huge. Massive.

They should win all the player and coach awards just for wearing the correct pants. Mace found the stadium each week.

This team has overcome being in Regina. How can that not be an award-winning season? 

 

Plus Mace actually got them to win a game after Labour Day - that's worthy of a statue in Regina. 

[GCn20]

59 minutes ago, Booch said:

some of our media I think just lazy...un-informed and dont pay any real attention and just go off the flawed and pointless PPF crap....which is....crap

Nobody I know or have ever worked with even looks at that...let alone use it to form an opinion on anything

The problem I have with guys going off single analytics is that it usually replaces the old eyeball test and game situational importance. When used together you can get a more rounded view of performance but stats almost always require context and almost always lack context. Measuring a persons defensive prowess solely by tackle numbers or sacks is a fools game when you don't account for the variables such as team defence overall etc. Milligan, for instance, is a combination of INTs and ST tackles. Both are fairly meaningless stats in iso. Majority of his INTs resulted from very poor throws by the opposing QB as opposed to him actually making the play, and very few came in contested parts of a game. Glory stats gifted from desperate QBs whereas a guy like Ford made tough interceptions through exceptional reads and athleticism. End of the day all the media looked at were totals and not context and a guy gets hyped up even though, imo, Ford was the superior player. Overall team defence stats back up my viewpoint. Bombers best in the league vs pass, Sask near the bottom. Ford and our entire secondary were making every play, the RIders and their MOP Milligan, and allstar Sayles made some plays and were torched just as often. Individual stats don't tell that story.

Edited 11 hours ago by GCn20

[Pete Catan's Ghost]

10 minutes ago, bigg jay said:

Plus Mace actually got them to win a game after Labour Day - that's worthy of a statue in Regina. 

If not a statue, maybe a termite mound?

[GCn20]

58 minutes ago, wbbfan said:

 

Some of that Toronto and late season stuff was kola, who played the worst games of the season when we tried to close out first place. But you’re right he certainly did take a bit of a step back. I think Dobson needs to take a step forward next year. He hasn’t gotten down field in run pro enough, or washed guys out crossing his face enough yet. I think he will turn that corner and become that guy. It’s slower than I thought he would be or should be. 
 Though playing next to a turnstile can hurt or help development  some guys step up and do more. Some guys struggle with doing too much, and others give up easy on plays. 
 Kola along with Jake is a guy who we badly need to be rid of. 

Wallace is a giant threat imo. But I think neuf will retire and Wallace will take his spot next year. 
 I would actually give him practice and pre season reps at RT. He played that spot in college, and despite still being a bit heavy this year his mobility has been very very good. I think we are too quick to send all ol prospects to G and not give them time at rt. At worst, you have a back up who can shift over in case of injury. If it works out and you can go 4 ni ol, that’s massive. Gray should’ve been a RT too. 
 

We might still lose Dobson tbh. Hes from the north east, so the Ontario teams are close to home, he’s been starting here, his pedigree and athleticism are top tier for a Canadian. He isn’t desjarlais and won’t get that money, but some one could well over pay him as a starter in hope he turns into a Drew with them. 

If someone wants Dobson they can have him imo. As much as Gray got a rough ride on here he was a much better OL in pass pro then Dobson. My biggest fear is that we get to the GC and Toronto is there with a healthy Ceresna. Dobson got absolutely manhandled by him almost every snap and I watched that game like 5x and it wasn't on Kola at all in most instances. Kola was getting matadored by his own guy much of the game.

Edited 11 hours ago by GCn20

[Fatty Liver]

27 minutes ago, bigg jay said:

Plus Mace actually got them to win a game after Labour Day - that's worthy of a statue in Regina. 

Every other HC in the West fell short of expectations, Mace at least met his. 

[Goalie]

1 minute ago, Fatty Liver said:

Every other HC in the West fell short of expectations, Mace at least met his. 

Did he? We were 1 and 5 at one point and won the west. That means the other teams sucked. 

[wbbfan]

1 minute ago, GCn20 said:

If someone wants Dobson they can have him imo. As much as Gray got a rough ride on here he was a much better OL in pass pro then Dobson. My biggest fear is that we get to the GC and Toronto is there with a healthy Ceresna. Dobson got absolutely manhandled by him almost every snap and I watched that game like 5x and it wasn't on Kola at all in most instances. Kola was getting matadored by his own guy much of the game.

Gray at guard was interchangeable with Dobson in pass protection. Gray actually took more penalties in pass pro as well. Really every ol has struggled next to neuf. Eli can’t even play guard at all even though his first start here was at guard before kola and he was ok. 
 

I don’t want us to pay Dobson any kind of big deal. That said we are just rebuilding our ol depth, and stand to lose atleast one body in the off season imo. Where we will pick, we aren’t likely to get a turn key first year starter on a gc contender either. so I  think losing him would be a big issue. But not one worth a kramdi or Lawson type pay day. 
 

Toronto was running twists, stunts, gap shifting and cross face routes all day. It really isn’t as cut and dry as Dobson struggled vs ceresna as to why they kicked our lines butt. Though he did struggle for his part. And ceresna is a good ass dl. If we had him over our Jake, forget it. 
 

Toronto has been a dl factory for a bit now. Eiben has done a great job and this year Maxie has been phenomenal, before this year Maxie was doing great work with the elk too. 
 With the 2 dc system is Toronto, Maxie is kind of hard stuck. Some one is gonna give him an expanded role at some point and he’s gonna shine. 
In fact if hall retires this year, I would love to poach him to be our dl and new special dc assistant under jy. 

[GCn20]

31 minutes ago, wbbfan said:

Gray at guard was interchangeable with Dobson in pass protection. Gray actually took more penalties in pass pro as well. Really every ol has struggled next to neuf. Eli can’t even play guard at all even though his first start here was at guard before kola and he was ok. 
 

I don’t want us to pay Dobson any kind of big deal. That said we are just rebuilding our ol depth, and stand to lose atleast one body in the off season imo. Where we will pick, we aren’t likely to get a turn key first year starter on a gc contender either. so I  think losing him would be a big issue. But not one worth a kramdi or Lawson type pay day. 
 

Toronto was running twists, stunts, gap shifting and cross face routes all day. It really isn’t as cut and dry as Dobson struggled vs ceresna as to why they kicked our lines butt. Though he did struggle for his part. And ceresna is a good ass dl. If we had him over our Jake, forget it. 
 

Toronto has been a dl factory for a bit now. Eiben has done a great job and this year Maxie has been phenomenal, before this year Maxie was doing great work with the elk too. 
 With the 2 dc system is Toronto, Maxie is kind of hard stuck. Some one is gonna give him an expanded role at some point and he’s gonna shine. 
In fact if hall retires this year, I would love to poach him to be our dl and new special dc assistant under jy. 

I will qualify my earlier comment by saying that I hope we lose Dobson but hit FA hard for OL upgrades a centre and OG. It's a GC hosting year. We need a beast of an OL back.

[Booch]

1 hour ago, GCn20 said:

The problem I have with guys going off single analytics is that it usually replaces the old eyeball test and game situational importance. When used together you can get a more rounded view of performance but stats almost always require context and almost always lack context. Measuring a persons defensive prowess solely by tackle numbers or sacks is a fools game when you don't account for the variables such as team defence overall etc. Milligan, for instance, is a combination of INTs and ST tackles. Both are fairly meaningless stats in iso. Majority of his INTs resulted from very poor throws by the opposing QB as opposed to him actually making the play, and very few came in contested parts of a game. Glory stats gifted from desperate QBs whereas a guy like Ford made tough interceptions through exceptional reads and athleticism. End of the day all the media looked at were totals and not context and a guy gets hyped up even though, imo, Ford was the superior player. Overall team defence stats back up my viewpoint. Bombers best in the league vs pass, Sask near the bottom. Ford and our entire secondary were making every play, the RIders and their MOP Milligan, and allstar Sayles made some plays and were torched just as often. Individual stats don't tell that story.

qft

1 hour ago, wbbfan said:

 

Some of that Toronto and late season stuff was kola, who played the worst games of the season when we tried to close out first place. But you’re right he certainly did take a bit of a step back. I think Dobson needs to take a step forward next year. He hasn’t gotten down field in run pro enough, or washed guys out crossing his face enough yet. I think he will turn that corner and become that guy. It’s slower than I thought he would be or should be. 
 Though playing next to a turnstile can hurt or help development  some guys step up and do more. Some guys struggle with doing too much, and others give up easy on plays. 
 Kola along with Jake is a guy who we badly need to be rid of. 

Wallace is a giant threat imo. But I think neuf will retire and Wallace will take his spot next year. 
 I would actually give him practice and pre season reps at RT. He played that spot in college, and despite still being a bit heavy this year his mobility has been very very good. I think we are too quick to send all ol prospects to G and not give them time at rt. At worst, you have a back up who can shift over in case of injury. If it works out and you can go 4 ni ol, that’s massive. Gray should’ve been a RT too. 
 

We might still lose Dobson tbh. Hes from the north east, so the Ontario teams are close to home, he’s been starting here, his pedigree and athleticism are top tier for a Canadian. He isn’t desjarlais and won’t get that money, but some one could well over pay him as a starter in hope he turns into a Drew with them. 

W

[Booch]

Wallace is prob the best pure talent on oline we have drafted last few yrs...he's young and I can actually see him at RT...for a big guy he is athletic...has an edge and has the footwork....He's gonna be a solid top O-line guy for yrs and likely starts next yr. And from what I have heard and know he is extremely coachable.

Dobson is adequate....Would have really liked to see him really turn the corner, and he may still but he will be 27 going into next yr and not sure if he is at his ceiling...and also not sure how much Big Stan in his hip pocket helps him...I think if we had an inferior or new LT not as good we would have seen more of him being exposed than we have.

Not sure if Neuf will hang them up...he gets a lot of flack around here in my opinion which is unwarranted, as coping with Kolo on his wing really effects a lot of what's gone on...If one position on the oline needs to be addressed it's center, and I hope we do either in FA or actually let Eli get a true shot....people judging him on his fill in at guard are way off base and once he got the footwork down he was fine...given the job at center he would be league all-star

[Fatty Liver]

12 minutes ago, Booch said:

Wallace is prob the best pure talent on oline we have drafted last few yrs...he's young and I can actually see him at RT...for a big guy he is athletic...has an edge and has the footwork....He's gonna be a solid top O-line guy for yrs and likely starts next yr. And from what I have heard and know he is extremely coachable.

Dobson is adequate....Would have really liked to see him really turn the corner, and he may still but he will be 27 going into next yr and not sure if he is at his ceiling...and also not sure how much Big Stan in his hip pocket helps him...I think if we had an inferior or new LT not as good we would have seen more of him being exposed than we have.

Not sure if Neuf will hang them up...he gets a lot of flack around here in my opinion which is unwarranted, as coping with Kolo on his wing really effects a lot of what's gone on...If one position on the oline needs to be addressed it's center, and I hope we do either in FA or actually let Eli get a true shot....people judging him on his fill in at guard are way off base and once he got the footwork down he was fine...given the job at center he would be league all-star

Both Kolo and Dobson are undersized and have to stuff themselves continually to maintain adequate playing weight, time to find some bigger athletic bodies like Gray with natural musculature that can handle the demands of the position better.  Wallace is a good first step but they need to find two more big bodies to sustain the transition as it looks like Eli is being bypassed.

[wbbfan]

11 minutes ago, Booch said:

Wallace is prob the best pure talent on oline we have drafted last few yrs...he's young and I can actually see him at RT...for a big guy he is athletic...has an edge and has the footwork....He's gonna be a solid top O-line guy for yrs and likely starts next yr. And from what I have heard and know he is extremely coachable.

Dobson is adequate....Would have really liked to see him really turn the corner, and he may still but he will be 27 going into next yr and not sure if he is at his ceiling...and also not sure how much Big Stan in his hip pocket helps him...I think if we had an inferior or new LT not as good we would have seen more of him being exposed than we have.

Not sure if Neuf will hang them up...he gets a lot of flack around here in my opinion which is unwarranted, as coping with Kolo on his wing really effects a lot of what's gone on...If one position on the oline needs to be addressed it's center, and I hope we do either in FA or actually let Eli get a true shot....people judging him on his fill in at guard are way off base and once he got the footwork down he was fine...given the job at center he would be league all-star

Totally. And if he comes into camp 15-20 lower than this year, forget. Which he said and has been clear he’s working on. He’s made a ton of progress with his physique since the combine and end of his ncaa career. That kid is motivated to be great, which is a huge deal. 
 

I think if he had stayed healthy he would’ve taken a starting G job this year. 
 

Neuf generally isn’t a problem like Jake or kolo are. First part of this year he was, but I’m guessing he just wasn’t healthy. He’s been a lot better post injury return. 
 It’s the JJ rule though. If you’re old expensive and can only play a half season or less it’s hard to keep you around. Even if you’re dominant when you’re in. Kyrie falls into that boat too imo.

No doubt, if kolo was replaced with a decent C, and neuf was healthy he’d be fine. If he doesn’t deteriorate more. He is gonna be 36 in December. With atleast 135 games on the line in his career. 
 

Also worth noting re- Dobson, he played a lot of C in camp and pre season. He struggled a bit with the snap in the first game but was much improved in game 2. Canadian versatility is huge. And he could be better off as a C than a guard playing against a 3 tech. This is not an easy role especially in the cfl, a lot more teams are using athletic hybrid DL at 3 tech to pass rush gaps on the inside. We really brought that look to the forefront again but it’s every where now. 
 When you have a guy like say Casey sayles, who has a quick get off, can beat ol with his hand play, and is strong enough to ride a shoulder into the back field you might only get 4-7 sacks directly in a great year, but you bend the line and create soo much in terms of openings. The end on that side can loop in, or swoop wide, you can twist behind him or run a blitz read off his hip, etc. That position is a pressure machine in the cfl. If you have a nose to keep doubles off him and force the 1on1 it’s even better. 

[Booch]

Ideally next yr I would like to see us go 3 import on oline with Randolph being one the guards...preferably right beside Stan....be cost effective and we can go after the best interior Canadian on the market...preferably a center

Run Big Stan....Randolph....any center but Kolo...Be it Eli or a FA....Wallace and I am fine with Lofton....Neuf as the 6th and if we retain Dobson then he is 6b.....or we draft the best mauler in the draft and let him be 2025 Wallace

Ratio wise we will have BO...Demski...2 olineman and a Clercius/Woli duo for 5 Nat's on offence, and with Lawson back next yr, we can easily put 2 Nationals at any give time on defence between him....Ford and Kramdi. I can also see MCI next yr as well getting some offensive looks too...so ratio wise we are in a good spot

And thats without even picking up anyone in free agency to get legit defensive snaps, or factoring in possibly Kelly taking reps....as looking at what we have as it is now...thats the only National I would want to see given the chance to get a lot of defensive snaps in a game

Edited 9 hours ago by Booch