2024/2025 Blue Bombers Off-Season Thread

[wbbfan]

6 hours ago, voodoochylde said:

If I'm being honest .. I'd say, no ... we don't. 

We may have a few pieces but, overall, we lack physicality and presence on both sides of the ball.

I do agree we need that nasty guy like desjarlais. Ever since he left we haven’t had that. He set the tone and every one else tried to match it. 
 Wallace could be that guy, don’t know for sure though. We need that back for sure. I don’t think we actually had that on the dl though. We could sure use it though. 
 

2 hours ago, rebusrankin said:

Other than Dobson, us losing those players isn't our fault. 2 guys went home to BC, two chose work outside of football and one went to the NFL and then went closer to home and closer to his girlfriend's work.

“Back home” is an excuse. Half our team is American and play away from home the whole season. Who is our last true home grown ol? Sheridan?
 We weren’t competitive in the pricing of any of those guys. Just like we weren’t in many free agent departures. Kongbo, sayles, other sayles, jsk, lawler the first time etc. 

I think we felt as though the next man up would always be a couture, desjarlais, stove, Alford etc. and we got to a point where the cupboards ran dry, and our ability to keep/attract top guys suffered because we wouldn’t give up on vets that will play for cheap. 
 

Case in point, Tui Eli has dressed for 52 games as a bomber. This is the 6th year since he turned pro. He started 5 games including the west final in 21, and I think one game since then. Kola has played 62 games in his career. We are soo married to maintaining the status quo and the value of the 6th ol, that we’ve made double switches on the ol to keep him as the 6th guy and play rookies inside. I fully believe in what he can do from what I’ve seen. If the bombers don’t, they should’ve moved on a while ago. If they think continuity with the 6th ol in a sub pack for a hand full of snaps is worth as much as an every snap ol, then we are pooched. 
 

Has familiarity bred contempt in the bomber brass? Sure looks like it. Has it been addressed now? Think we will know a week or two into free agency, if not camp through pre season for sure.