2024/2025 CFL (non-Bomber) Off-Season Thread

[Fatty Liver]

46 minutes ago, Goalie said:

The stuff ppl saying about Zach was said about BLM last season. BLM went on to have a career year. Yeah like 6 7 wins but stats wise he put up yards. You never know. I don’t expect Zach to have to throw 30 times a game tho. Pretty convinced that the RB coach turned OC will definitely use the RBs. Both Brady and Logan and mci probably at times. But I’d expect Brady and Logan to be on the field at the same time together quite regularly. Logan was signed as a RB and KR but like others have pointed out, there are other returner options also. Logan will be a regular part of the O. If not, why would he have signed here. He was told he’d be used with Brady. 

Where did you get this?

As for comparing Zach to BLM, at his best BLM had an extraordinary arm, he could throw the ball 40 yds. with the flick of the wrist whereas Zach has to put more of his body into longer passes.  Zach had the better mobility once outside the pocket and was a serious threat to run in the days before concussion trouble made him more cautious.  It appears BLM rehabilitated his throwing arm through modern medical procedures, I don't know if Zach has any tricks he can use to fool old man time.

[17to85]

Zach isn't blm or Nichols... blm is a pure pocket passer so age is less of an issue compared to collaros who when you think of his career highlights includes the houdini act escaping pressure with his legs and finding the play downfield... he's lost a step and can't perform that magic. 

He's also not Nichols... he has always sucked at the short quick game. Again, he's a buy time find a play type qb. 

[Booch]

3 hours ago, wbbfan said:

I’m soo excited at the thought of Logan and Brady in the back field together. That’s gonna be such a nightmare. 

Yeah I know he’s given some control up. How much and where? I couldn’t even guess. He’s the kind of guy you’d love to learn from but hate to work for imo. 

Imagine BO and Logan in backfieldd with Streveler...used as an actual QB with just the threat he "may" run ...key word being may....so many possibilities.....toss in some heavy Demski in motion again......good luck with that

 

2 hours ago, Goalie said:

Oh I don’t disagree. Thought it was a farce he was even nominated for MOP. 
 

you know what Zach needs to be. This is kinda funny. He needs to be Matt Nichols, Game manager. Don’t lose the game but don’t necessarily rely on him to win it either. 

yeah ZC at this point just needs to play within...be smart with ball and take whats there.....pushing it will open up if he does that

Getting a sense we are gonna be a more possession ...methodical offence this yr....grinding unit

As mentioned by others as well would love to see us morph a Clercius at times, or a different big bodied receiver as a true tight end thats used as a passing option...MCI could even fit that scenario...spread out the defense in the box and draw guys away from the scrum with a legit receiving option breaking off the edge

[Pete Catan's Ghost]

50 minutes ago, Booch said:

Imagine BO and Logan in backfieldd with Streveler...used as an actual QB with just the threat he "may" run ...key word being may....so many possibilities.....toss in some heavy Demski in motion again......good luck with that

Any room left in the pool for MCI?

[Tracker]

12 hours ago, GCn20 said:

Good to know...does it have the cream cheese topping as well?

My post was just kind of being facetious a little. I don't expect him to be MOP, but I do expect a good season from him because I think BO and Logan will be a great tandem and a healthy Strev running a different offensive set will keep defences off balance.

Yes on the cream cheese. I also agree about Streveler- he deserves a chance to play himself into the starter's role or off the team.

[wbbfan]

28 minutes ago, Pete Catan's Ghost said:

Any room left in the pool for MCI?

Mci needs more time to develop as a ball carrier imo. We will see where he is at in pre season though soon. 

[Booch]

17 hours ago, Pete Catan's Ghost said:

Any room left in the pool for MCI?

Hell.yeah....like to see him incorporated as  true TE in sets..sub 4.5 speed...size...whats not to like 

17 hours ago, wbbfan said:

Mci needs more time to develop as a ball carrier imo. We will see where he is at in pre season though soon. 

Yup...needs reps and some quality coaching...once its instinct for him to run with a lower pad level and see plays develop...could be a real asset

From all accounts he has good hands...so I'd love to see some slot/TE work and swing/wheel plays out of backfield

Intruiging guy...in space or a seam he can definitely run away from pretty much anyone and also run you over...he just needs reps...and developed...this new OC and Jackson could be a godsend for him...Buck had no  clue what to do with him...and Osh even less so guys just get wasted...

[SpeedFlex27]

On 2025-04-11 at 3:58 PM, Fatty Liver said:

Where did you get this?

As for comparing Zach to BLM, at his best BLM had an extraordinary arm, he could throw the ball 40 yds. with the flick of the wrist whereas Zach has to put more of his body into longer passes.  Zach had the better mobility once outside the pocket and was a serious threat to run in the days before concussion trouble made him more cautious.  It appears BLM rehabilitated his throwing arm through modern medical procedures, I don't know if Zach has any tricks he can use to fool old man time.

Mitchell is more brittle than Zach. His shoulder is surgically repaired & if he takes a hit it'll be over. Zach isn't held together by surgical thread & staples. One hit to the head may finish him as a player but he seems to have developed a bit of a toughness/longevity streak the past 4 seasons. We'll see.

Edited Monday at 09:11 AM by SpeedFlex27

[GCn20]

On 2025-04-11 at 7:21 PM, Booch said:

Imagine BO and Logan in backfieldd with Streveler...used as an actual QB with just the threat he "may" run ...key word being may....so many possibilities.....toss in some heavy Demski in motion again......good luck with that

 

yeah ZC at this point just needs to play within...be smart with ball and take whats there.....pushing it will open up if he does that

Getting a sense we are gonna be a more possession ...methodical offence this yr....grinding unit

As mentioned by others as well would love to see us morph a Clercius at times, or a different big bodied receiver as a true tight end thats used as a passing option...MCI could even fit that scenario...spread out the defense in the box and draw guys away from the scrum with a legit receiving option breaking off the edge

The offence has to evolve away from the boom or bust offence we have run the past 2 years. We need to get back to the misdirection, backfield in motion, of the first Buck year's with an expanded package for Strev. We do that and we are going to be just fine even with Zac. Buck saw our receiving corps and decided to stretch the field more, but when Lawler and Schoen missed significant time we didn't have the horses to do it and he kept at it.

Edited Monday at 01:05 PM by GCn20

[Goalie]

2 hours ago, GCn20 said:

The offence has to evolve away from the boom or bust offence we have run the past 2 years. We need to get back to the misdirection, backfield in motion, of the first Buck year's with an expanded package for Strev. We do that and we are going to be just fine even with Zac. Buck saw our receiving corps and decided to stretch the field more, but when Lawler and Schoen missed significant time we didn't have the horses to do it and he kept at it.

Even when the Brady train was on the tracks. That’s what pissed me off last season the most. Brady was a man possessed most games yet they constantly went away from what was working (Brady) Buck was a QB and a QB who liked to throw. Hopefully Not Hulk Hogan cuz dudes a clown now brother but hopefully hogan uses Brady and Logan I dare say atleast 50 percent of the time. Demski and Mitchell I’m sure could also be used out the backfield. 

Edited Monday at 03:25 PM by Goalie

[Fatty Liver]

6 hours ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

Mitchell is more brittle than Zach. His shoulder is surgically repaired & if he takes a hit it'll be over. Zach isn't held together by surgical thread & staples. One hit to the head may finish him as a player but he seems to have developed a bit of a toughness/longevity streak the past 4 seasons. We'll see.

I suspect stem cell therapy played a role, he's from Texas and Mexico is right next door, quite a few NFL players have used it with good results.  I can't recall another QB that has rehabilitated their throwing arm so thoroughly, by the end of last season BLM was throwing some beautiful balls effortlessly.

[Booch]

5 hours ago, GCn20 said:

The offence has to evolve away from the boom or bust offence we have run the past 2 years. We need to get back to the misdirection, backfield in motion, of the first Buck year's with an expanded package for Strev. We do that and we are going to be just fine even with Zac. Buck saw our receiving corps and decided to stretch the field more, but when Lawler and Schoen missed significant time we didn't have the horses to do it and he kept at it.

yup....we need to build a system that can work in various ways and if something isnt there...we have other bullets in the gun...we went away from that and yup...boom or bust was the result

I think if we can get ZC head into the idea of a more surgical an dare I say game manager...I'd rather say game controller mode...he may actually look like he has had a resurgenace.....he's not a gunslinger anymore, or a play extender running around waiting for things to open up...we do this.....He may even have another yr or 2 in him with a solid group around him

3 hours ago, Goalie said:

Even when the Brady train was on the tracks. That’s what pissed me off last season the most. Brady was a man possessed most games yet they constantly went away from what was working (Brady) Buck was a QB and a QB who liked to throw. Hopefully Not Hulk Hogan cuz dudes a clown now brother but hopefully hogan uses Brady and Logan I dare say atleast 50 percent of the time. Demski and Mitchell I’m sure could also be used out the backfield. 

After Bucks first yr, where he kinda took some DC's by surprise...he was figured out and in my opinion was what ailed us on offence all yr.....compound that with the brain dead idea to not play anyone in the off-season...Trying to make Mitchel and Johnson a thing and no ability to adjust...well the early season results was inevitable

[GCn20]

19 minutes ago, Booch said:

yup....we need to build a system that can work in various ways and if something isnt there...we have other bullets in the gun...we went away from that and yup...boom or bust was the result

I think if we can get ZC head into the idea of a more surgical an dare I say game manager...I'd rather say game controller mode...he may actually look like he has had a resurgenace.....he's not a gunslinger anymore, or a play extender running around waiting for things to open up...we do this.....He may even have another yr or 2 in him with a solid group around him

After Bucks first yr, where he kinda took some DC's by surprise...he was figured out and in my opinion was what ailed us on offence all yr.....compound that with the brain dead idea to not play anyone in the off-season...Trying to make Mitchel and Johnson a thing and no ability to adjust...well the early season results was inevitable

I think Buck's biggest error was not adjusting to his personnel when injuries hit the receiving corps. He kept pushing along as if Lawler and Schoen were in the lineup and that was a recipe for disaster early on.

[Fatty Liver]

1 hour ago, Booch said:

yup....we need to build a system that can work in various ways and if something isnt there...we have other bullets in the gun...we went away from that and yup...boom or bust was the result

I think if we can get ZC head into the idea of a more surgical an dare I say game manager...I'd rather say game controller mode...he may actually look like he has had a resurgenace.....he's not a gunslinger anymore, or a play extender running around waiting for things to open up...we do this.....He may even have another yr or 2 in him with a solid group around him

After Bucks first yr, where he kinda took some DC's by surprise...he was figured out and in my opinion was what ailed us on offence all yr.....compound that with the brain dead idea to not play anyone in the off-season....Trying to make Mitchel and Johnson a thing and no ability to adjust..well the early season results was inevitable

You're always saying give new players a chance to play, yet you don't accept it when they do.  Of course It doesn't always work out, but you can't find out until you give the wheel a decent spin.  Myron Mitchell remains on the team, so they must have seen something they liked.

[wbbfan]

39 minutes ago, GCn20 said:

I think Buck's biggest error was not adjusting to his personnel when injuries hit the receiving corps. He kept pushing along as if Lawler and Schoen were in the lineup and that was a recipe for disaster early on.

I think the list of his biggest errors from last year would be longer than WJ's wingspan. At the end of the day, he had a bunch of directions he could've gone in to insulate our offence from the struggles he successfully did none of them. 

1 hour ago, Booch said:

yup....we need to build a system that can work in various ways and if something isnt there...we have other bullets in the gun...we went away from that and yup...boom or bust was the result

I think if we can get ZC head into the idea of a more surgical an dare I say game manager...I'd rather say game controller mode...he may actually look like he has had a resurgenace.....he's not a gunslinger anymore, or a play extender running around waiting for things to open up...we do this.....He may even have another yr or 2 in him with a solid group around him

After Bucks first yr, where he kinda took some DC's by surprise...he was figured out and in my opinion was what ailed us on offence all yr.....compound that with the brain dead idea to not play anyone in the off-season...Trying to make Mitchel and Johnson a thing and no ability to adjust...well the early season results was inevitable

Idk how well Zach could run that system. I can't wait to see what our new offensive brain trust will do. 

1 hour ago, Fatty Liver said:

You're always saying give new players a chance to play, yet you don't accept it when they do.  Of course It doesn't always work out, but you can't find out until you give the wheel a decent spin.  Myron Mitchell remains on the team, so they must have seen something they liked.

Giving a guy reps, isn't the same thing as giving a guy a chance.

We kept johnson and ran him out for 10 starts too. All too frequently, what we like in a guy doesn't translate to being an impact player. We consistently downgraded our KR position throughout last year ,finally settling for the paltry shadow of lucky. 

[Booch]

3 hours ago, Fatty Liver said:

You're always saying give new players a chance to play, yet you don't accept it when they do.  Of course It doesn't always work out, but you can't find out until you give the wheel a decent spin.  Myron Mitchell remains on the team, so they must have seen something they liked.

New players yeah...who deserve it..we kept other guys on team for several yrs too on pr for most part..where they now?

As a professional staff...should be pretty easy to weed out the inadequate fairly fast

[SpeedFlex27]

4 hours ago, GCn20 said:

I think Buck's biggest error was not adjusting to his personnel when injuries hit the receiving corps. He kept pushing along as if Lawler and Schoen were in the lineup and that was a recipe for disaster early on.

That's called trying to fit a circlel into a square hole... Or vice versa. It's also a sign that Buck is probably a good game planner from watching hours upon hours of video but if the plan went off the rails he couldn't adjust.

[GCn20]

On 2025-04-11 at 10:51 AM, Fatty Liver said:

Might see a change in strategy, but I'm not sure O'Shea will allow Logan to do much more than field kicks, he certainly didn't give Lucky much extra work at receiver.  Considering how valuable the return job is I can understand the caution taken, they lost Grant for a good chunk of his final season trying to get him more involved in the offence, and struggled to find his replacement.  Peyton Logan is a dynamic player but he's been on and off the roster with injuries since he came into the league in 2022, not sure he will be durable enough to fill multi roles. 

 

We really shouldn't risk our KR/PR too much unless it is necessary. Logan may see some offensive touches, but unless BO is hurt, I don't see him seeing much time in the offence. That could change if someone else turns out to be a stud returner, but if those jobs are Logan's then he will, like all returners across the league really, have a very limited role outside teams. In the CFL it's just too important a role. So, in short, yea I agree with you.

[GCn20]

15 hours ago, wbbfan said:

I think the list of his biggest errors from last year would be longer than WJ's wingspan. At the end of the day, he had a bunch of directions he could've gone in to insulate our offence from the struggles he successfully did none of them. 

Idk how well Zach could run that system. I can't wait to see what our new offensive brain trust will do. 

Giving a guy reps, isn't the same thing as giving a guy a chance.

We kept johnson and ran him out for 10 starts too. All too frequently, what we like in a guy doesn't translate to being an impact player. We consistently downgraded our KR position throughout last year ,finally settling for the paltry shadow of lucky. 

He could have accepted the reality that early on his OL was not a well oiled machine yet, and that his new receivers were having some growing pains adjusting to the CFL game. I guess maybe his train of thought was to let them play through it until they come out the other side? But it beat the hell out of our QB, and made a bunch of winnable games early on into losses. 

[wbbfan]

32 minutes ago, GCn20 said:

He could have accepted the reality that early on his OL was not a well oiled machine yet, and that his new receivers were having some growing pains adjusting to the CFL game. I guess maybe his train of thought was to let them play through it until they come out the other side? But it beat the hell out of our QB, and made a bunch of winnable games early on into losses. 

Yeah, I mean their are reasons/excuses that can be made for him, but we saw basically all of those run out of rope at some point last year. Not doing more to help zach be protected was really playing with fire. Imagine how our year last year would've gone if he got hurt after strevy and couldn't play?

40 minutes ago, GCn20 said:

We really shouldn't risk our KR/PR too much unless it is necessary. Logan may see some offensive touches, but unless BO is hurt, I don't see him seeing much time in the offence. That could change if someone else turns out to be a stud returner, but if those jobs are Logan's then he will, like all returners across the league really, have a very limited role outside teams. In the CFL it's just too important a role. So, in short, yea I agree with you.

I think a guy like logan is ripe for a multifaceted role. He isn't a grant level KR where you need to protect him and maintain that production on return teams alone. And as a career RB, he is far more conditioned for the physical demand of multiple jobs. When teams get 180lbs wrs doing multiple jobs thats where problems happen imo. 

Logan is a stocky back who has been putting up in the range of 500 yards of offence on top of his KR duties. He had over 500 touches in college between catches and runs, as well as around 50 returns. He was the same guy in hs too, 300+ touches 100+ a game, catching, running, returning.

He's a 26-year-old back with fairly limited wear in the prime of his career. I think you use him fearlessly and have him take wear off Brady. If Payton doesn't play much past 30, but adds a year or more to bradys career that is a huge win.  

 

It would be smart though to have a 2nd guy who can return kicks decently on the roster. You don't want Logan to end up in one of those spots where he runs one back, then the D forces a 2nd ou,t and he has to go back out, especially when he's our insurance for Brady. Drafting one of the really athletic offensive guys or dbs and moulding them into the 2nd kr might be good. Or if sterns makes the cut maybe he fills that role. 

[Booch]

you can't not play guys in certain spots to avoid injury....thats bad coaching....injuries are gonna happen....playing scared or conservative is playing not to truly win with your best options

Logan is a powerfully built guy...who is multi-faceted in what he can do....to not take advantage of that for fear of injury is just bad use of a player.....do your due dilegence and roster/PR construct to have several options already in house for any injury issues....as opposed to loading the roster after your starting 24 and main 3 subs with bottom of roster plugs who really...are not worthy of really being on a pro roster other than running down the field on ST's

Same with how we have valued some intangibles with some players over others who were better players....makes for nice press but doesn't equate to wins and a deeper roster by any stretch

[wbbfan]

1 hour ago, Booch said:

you can't not play guys in certain spots to avoid injury....thats bad coaching....injuries are gonna happen....playing scared or conservative is playing not to truly win with your best options

Logan is a powerfully built guy...who is multi-faceted in what he can do....to not take advantage of that for fear of injury is just bad use of a player.....do your due dilegence and roster/PR construct to have several options already in house for any injury issues....as opposed to loading the roster after your starting 24 and main 3 subs with bottom of roster plugs who really...are not worthy of really being on a pro roster other than running down the field on ST's

Same with how we have valued some intangibles with some players over others who were better players....makes for nice press but doesn't equate to wins and a deeper roster by any stretch

I think the reality of our situation is that we are going to be really tight with DIs. with Ayers, kyrie, and both jones' we are married to carrying atleast 1 di Lber. Not to mention a chunk of those guys are very good teams players as well. Castillo is locked into another spot which pretty much leaves Logan. None of our Wrs are eligible to be a nat american either.

Logan needs to be a super sub and back up for us. I think we also would be really smart to draft a WR that can play this year too. 

[GCn20]

1 hour ago, Booch said:

you can't not play guys in certain spots to avoid injury....thats bad coaching....injuries are gonna happen....playing scared or conservative is playing not to truly win with your best options

Logan is a powerfully built guy...who is multi-faceted in what he can do....to not take advantage of that for fear of injury is just bad use of a player.....do your due dilegence and roster/PR construct to have several options already in house for any injury issues....as opposed to loading the roster after your starting 24 and main 3 subs with bottom of roster plugs who really...are not worthy of really being on a pro roster other than running down the field on ST's

Same with how we have valued some intangibles with some players over others who were better players....makes for nice press but doesn't equate to wins and a deeper roster by any stretch

Not really what I meant, but your point is valid. What I am saying is that he will get limited reps in the backfield to also not wear him down too much and because they will want him preparing and ready to excel at returner. Should he be a more valuable asset on offence than on teams we may flip the script but with BO back there reps are going to be hard to come by anyway. The days of teams lining up two RBs in the same backfield are long gone. I think MCI will get far more offensive reps than Logan.

Edited 21 hours ago by GCn20

[wbbfan]

24 minutes ago, GCn20 said:

Not really what I meant, but your point is valid. What I am saying is that he will get limited reps in the backfield to also not wear him down too much and because they will want him preparing and ready to excel at returner. Should he be a more valuable asset on offence than on teams we may flip the script but with BO back there reps are going to be hard to come by anyway. The days of teams lining up two RBs in the same backfield are long gone. I think MCI will get far more offensive reps than Logan.

useage will be important, as much for opening up other opportunities in the scheme. Brady isn't the threat out side logan is, so the classic fb dive hb toss type thing we have seen maybe 2-3 times in the past is a good basis. As well as subbing logan for the jet sweep that demski stopped running last year. 

I think Logan likely subs in for the last imp wr in sets where we have both backs in play. Logan can still run some routes and is a big catch+run threat any way. 

I don't think MCI will get as many reps or the ball. I think his offensive reps will laregely be blocking in heavy set unless we lose a string of ni pass catchers. Or unless MCI takes some massive leap forward as a ball carrier. How he looks in camp running the ball is one of the biggest things I'm waiting to see. Won't see too much of the scheme on open days. So it's mostly how MCI runs, if kev/gabe took a stepforward, if zach can throw with out a finger falling off, if strevy is being decisive and throwing with authority or allowed to do those things, who moves around in the secondary, and who steps up in the front 6.  

[Booch]

1 hour ago, GCn20 said:

Not really what I meant, but your point is valid. What I am saying is that he will get limited reps in the backfield to also not wear him down too much and because they will want him preparing and ready to excel at returner. Should he be a more valuable asset on offence than on teams we may flip the script but with BO back there reps are going to be hard to come by anyway. The days of teams lining up two RBs in the same backfield are long gone. I think MCI will get far more offensive reps than Logan.

yeah wasnt attacking u by any means...was adding to what u said...and agree....prob will get limited....hope he doesnt....he shouldn't

as  @wbbfan brought up...how we structure our roster we have limited DI options...tho maybe with a solid draft and a switch with not being so concrete in what we do position wise we can better use our DI's

Also a more liberal use of our Nationalized Americans we can off-set our limited roster flexibility

As much as I like what Castillo can do...I hate burning a DI in that spot...we should be doing whatever it takes to nationalize that spot....Punter too....I have no issue with a Global there and not better using one as a quality rotational piece if said Punter was head and shoulders one the best in the league.....and he far from that