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

[17to85]

4 hours ago, Brandon said:

The only areas we have recruited well is receiver and DB.     It shouldn't be this damn difficult and two + years to find anyone on the d-line who can outplay a pylon like Jake Thomas.   We shouldn't have to trot out a completely shot lber like Bighill and only replace him once he's hurt himself.   We shouldn't have to rely on a guy like Kyrie Wilson who is a band aid.

So here's the disconnect... you see it as inability to find better players, everyone else sees it as reluctance to tell vets to go away. Best DT combo the team used all year was woods and adams (where did they get those guys again?) Yet they stuck with the idea they needed a Canadian at the position so it was lots of Thomas.

[Booch]

6 hours ago, Brandon said:

The only areas we have recruited well is receiver and DB.     It shouldn't be this damn difficult and two + years to find anyone on the d-line who can outplay a pylon like Jake Thomas.   We shouldn't have to trot out a completely shot lber like Bighill and only replace him once he's hurt himself.   We shouldn't have to rely on a guy like Kyrie Wilson who is a band aid.   Back in the day they had a dline with Jeffcoat,  Nevis, Stove,  Kongbo,  and where a guy like Roh was the depth and he himself would get 6 - 8 sacks per year.  Jake Thomas was 8 years younger and was purely depth and yet somehow him being much older now equals him being our starter?    All of those guys are way better then anyone not named Willie that was on our d-line this past year.  

Maybe we have talent in other areas and the coaches are not playing them (i.e. oline)  but it is concerning that guys who are clearly on the decline like Neufeld are not being pushed out.      

Why didn't they try out more guys at returner?  Clearly Whitehead isn't the same anymore,  why not cut him after it failed and bring in new faces who could be dynamic and explosive and make a difference?   Why waste a spot on Josh Johnson and Lucky Whitehead when they could bring in I'd assume dozens of guys who could receiver and return?

Why couldn't they find a punter?  Our punter was last in the league for average and by a decent margin.  Another odd stat is that he was the only punter that had 0 singles.   Which leads me to believe that he never had the leg power to coffin kick it in the corner.  

This team is aging and struggling to reload.   In our prime we had years where we had to make "tough" decisions on who to cut in training camp.  The last three training camps it seems like they have all been a joke and we haven't had to make a "tough" cut in a long while.  This is concerning for me.     God forbid that Brady gets hurt because I think with this current iteration that one big injury like that equals 5 - 6 less wins in the season.  

 

we had to at DB and for a certain extent receiver.....but Dline...LB....We just ignore the fact we are weak and sub par because Osh has his fav's....his perception the guys are top rate.....and thats that.....until his mind set changes somewhat...it will be yr after yr of 2..3 questionable guys rostered....excessive use of additional Cdn's even when not needed and not the best option and long in the tooth vets...who server next to no purpose anymore other than blocking/developing new blood....just something we gonna have to deal with as long as he is here....sure we had success in 2 cup wins....put together a couple of all-time great reg. season records....but that was when the top line talent was still top line and best in the league...3....yrs ago now....we don't have that anymore and didn't properly re-stock the cupboard....and in the instances where we added a body or two it was out of necessity (season ending injury/guys leaving) not because we chose to go with the younger...better guy with upside.  Flame away about my take on it all you want...some of you will as history has shown but we have not managed our roster nor put any forward thinking/progression plan in place for the most part....Hopefully last yr was the start of it and it continues this winter with not re-signing some guys...and going after some legit free-agent guys...even if they have an edge and are a bit nasty....the culture in the room will take care of itself and guys will fall in line....we dont need 46 choir boys

[Fatty Liver]

22 hours ago, rebusrankin said:

If you have a QB who is going to be 39, generally moves the ball between the 20s and then falters and usually has a .500 record, you don't hesistate, you commit.

Some Riderfans have convinced themselves they're on a one year run, they'll deal with the future of the QB position after Harris wins them the Cup.  The stars are aligning perfectly over Sask.

 

Oh ****!  It's a meteor!

[sweep the leg]

Kyle Walters’ kid just committed to the Bisons.

[SpeedFlex27]

14 hours ago, greenrider55 said:

Harris was the best option available, I personally didn't want Maier starting. Ideally Harris can mentor Coan for another year, and see what happens in '26.

Harris was your best option. So much for this off season being an earthquake type event with qbs moving around. I think Davis Alexander agent blew it. He would have been a sought after commodity in free agency & would have been able to get a more lucrative contract in free agency. Not much out there other than Fajardo.

[HardCoreBlue]

6 hours ago, 17to85 said:

So here's the disconnect... you see it as inability to find better players, everyone else sees it as reluctance to tell vets to go away. Best DT combo the team used all year was woods and adams (where did they get those guys again?) Yet they stuck with the idea they needed a Canadian at the position so it was lots of Thomas.

Just to do a fly by here, I don't think it was primarily this, ie.,starting JT for ratio help although it obviously helps for other positions.

Based on the things MOS has said and demonstrated with certain players, I think regularly starting and giving reps to JT is the difficulty MOS has with tough decisions needed for players who have given so much to the BB's but aren't the best option at times to help put the team in the best position to be successful.

[wbbfan]

23 minutes ago, sweep the leg said:

Kyle Walters’ kid just committed to the Bisons.

Is mos junior still with them too? Junior mafia bisons would be pretty cool. 

[sweep the leg]

2 minutes ago, wbbfan said:

Is mos junior still with them too? Junior mafia bisons would be pretty cool. 

He is. He’s quite a bit older, so not sure how much eligibility he has left. Wade Miller’s kid played high school football too, but he was a pretty average player.

[Tracker]

31 minutes ago, sweep the leg said:

He is. He’s quite a bit older, so not sure how much eligibility he has left. Wade Miller’s kid played high school football too, but he was a pretty average player.

Huh. It's enough to make one stop believing in Eugenics.

[bigg jay]

29 minutes ago, sweep the leg said:

He is. He’s quite a bit older, so not sure how much eligibility he has left. Wade Miller’s kid played high school football too, but he was a pretty average player.

Just finished his 3rd year of eligibility.

[wbbfan]

Just now, bigg jay said:

Just finished his 3rd year of eligibility.

If I’m not wrong they let you play in the cis till about 29 I joke I joke. 
 

 

[ShyGuy]

1 hour ago, Fatty Liver said:

Some Riderfans have convinced themselves they're on a one year run, they'll deal with the future of the QB position after Harris wins them the Cup.  The stars are aligning perfectly over Sask.

 

Oh ****!  It's a meteor!

It's always a great idea to run it back when you can barely muster a .500 season with a +26 turnover ratio.

[Booch]

1 minute ago, ShyGuy said:

It's always a great idea to run it back when you can barely muster a .500 season with a +26 turnover ratio.

gee....when you look at it like that...and that high turnover ratio to the good....you would think that yeah they would have been like 12 and 6...or better....losers 

[SpeedFlex27]

My son Tyler lost two years of eligibility in the NCAA because he played two years with the Rifles. Originally, he was only going to lose one. The NCAA felt Junior football was a "semi pro" so they took away two years of eligibility. They had a dumbass bureaucrat in Indianapolis who never knew what junior football was making stupid decisions. SFU appealed but lost. Meanwhile, in U Sports you can win a Grey Cup as a player & still play all 5 years of eligibility if you aren't too old. It's a joke.

Then to make matters worse, my son had high BP even though he was in shape as a player. It's simply genetics. Our family has a history of strokes & heart attacks. He really has to watch himself as he is still on BP meds. He's now 30 lbs lighter than when he played qb at SFU.

As a player, he was feeling pretty good health wise but in his second year playing the NCAA ruled that Tyler's BP meds were performance enhancing drugs & was told he couldn't take them anymore & still play. The team doctor spoke to someone from the NCAA & said that he needed these meds to maintain his health. They again denied any appeal.

So, Tyler had to see a specialist in Vancouver. They changed up his meds but for 2 years & a year or so after he had finished playing, he felt lousy. Headaches, lethargy, being tired. His BP at times was too high. Now, he's back on the meds that worked for him before once his playing days ended. I think the NCAA is an overbearing piece of **** organization. Messing with someone's eligibility because they lack the proper info to make the right decision is one thing. Messing with a player's health by forcing them to change meds is another. 

Edited December 6 by SpeedFlex27

[wbbfan]

8 minutes ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

My son Tyler lost two years of eligibility in the NCAA because he played two years with the Rifles. Originally, he was only going to lose one. The NCAA felt Junior football was a "semi pro" so they took away two years of eligibility. They had a dumbass bureaucrat in Indianapolis who never knew what junior football was making stupid decisions. SFU appealed but lost. Meanwhile, in U Sports you can win a Grey Cup as a player & still play all 5 years of eligibility if you aren't too old. It's a joke.

Then to make matters worse, my son had high BP even though he was in shape as a player. It's simply genetics. Our family has a history of strokes & heart attacks. He really has to watch himself as he is still on BP meds. He's now 30 lbs lighter than when he played qb at SFU.

As a player, he was feeling pretty good health wise but in his second year playing the NCAA ruled that Tyler's BP meds were performance enhancing drugs & was told he couldn't take them anymore & still play. The team doctor spoke to someone from the NCAA & said that he needed these meds to maintain his health. They again denied any appeal.

So, Tyler had to see a specialist in Vancouver. They changed up his meds but for 2 years & a year or so after he had finished playing, he felt lousy. Headaches, lethargy, being tired. His BP at times was too high. Now, he's back on the meds that worked for him before once his playing days ended. I think the NCAA is an overbearing piece of **** organization. Messing with someone's eligibility because they lack the proper info to make the right decision is one thing. Messing with a player's health by forcing them to change meds is another. 

Two of about a zillion reasons why the ncaa is a garbage organization. 

[SpeedFlex27]

11 minutes ago, wbbfan said:

Two of about a zillion reasons why the ncaa is a garbage organization. 

Knowing what we know now, chasing that American dream isn't worth it. 

[17to85]

2 hours ago, HardCoreBlue said:

Just to do a fly by here, I don't think it was primarily this, ie.,starting JT for ratio help although it obviously helps for other positions.

Based on the things MOS has said and demonstrated with certain players, I think regularly starting and giving reps to JT is the difficulty MOS has with tough decisions needed for players who have given so much to the BB's but aren't the best option at times to help put the team in the best position to be successful.

See if it was just Jake I'd believe it, but honestly I think they were stuck on the idea of the DL having a Canadian at dt and an end who rotated in. Otherwise why keep schmekel around? Why keep Bennett on all year last year and have Hubert taking big reps early this season? 

[HardCoreBlue]

Tre Ford off the table. Signs a three year extension with the Elks.

[Booch]

1 hour ago, wbbfan said:

Two of about a zillion reasons why the ncaa is a garbage organization. 

It's almost as bad if not worse a meat grinder than the NFL with little regard for anyone...other than $$

Seen a lot of bad stuff...unethical.....at the expense of the athlete

1 hour ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

Knowing what we know now, chasing that American dream isn't worth it. 

yup....I would change a few things...and a lot is changing with the training now and post education prep...thankfully

[SpeedFlex27]

7 hours ago, Booch said:

It's almost as bad if not worse a meat grinder than the NFL with little regard for anyone...other than $$

Seen a lot of bad stuff...unethical.....at the expense of the athlete

yup....I would change a few things...and a lot is changing with the training now and post education prep...thankfully

When you chase the dream, you ignore the obvious things going on around you as your mind won't accept it. Like Tyler being snubbed at qb camps at Oregon, Boise State, Oregon State & Washington State.

Getting rave reviews from head coaches, offensive coordinators & qb coaches at every college he went to. Asked to do extra private workouts. Yet, never getting that elusive scholarship offer he'd been working his ass off for. Why? He could  hold his own against other HS qbs from the US. A lot of times, he could outperform them. Then, the coaches found out Tyler was a Canadian & they lost interest fast. After all, we play hockey & not football. Certainly Canadians can't play qb. We were actually told that by a recruiter at Boise State. Even though Tyler quarterbacked his Junior College team to a State championship in California in 2010.

Nathan Rourke found that out in the NFL. My son found that out in college. No one wanted to take a chance on a 6'3 Canadian kid who could throw the ball 75 yards with ease & was mobile. SFU signed him out of JUCO but Tyler knew he was going to a bad program with lots of problems. SFU would have been Tyler's last choice for college but it was the only college willing to take him so he went.

Today, some things have changed a bit in NCAA with two or 3 Canadian qbs now playing college football down south. The CFL now employs a couple of Canadian qbs in Rourke & Trey Ford. I just remember Tyler was working out at the CFL Combine in Edmonton. Chris Jones was standing 10 feet away & he never once looked over to watch him throw. He didn't give a ****. That was March of 2015.

Back then, doors were slammed shut for Canadian qbs north & south of the border. We should have stopped swimming against the current as a family & got Tyler recruited by a U Sport school. Stupid, stupid. 

Edited December 7 by SpeedFlex27

[Goalie]

1 hour ago, HardCoreBlue said:

Tre Ford off the table. Signs a three year extension with the Elks.

Bump lol 

[JuranBoldenRules]

3 hours ago, sweep the leg said:

He is. He’s quite a bit older, so not sure how much eligibility he has left. Wade Miller’s kid played high school football too, but he was a pretty average player.

Nah Wade Miller's son and nephew were both really good players.  His son is at Guelph, nephew stayed at U of M.  His son is a solid MLB but was insanely athletic for WHSFL.  Easily could have played tailback.

[Noeller]

2 hours ago, HardCoreBlue said:

Tre Ford off the table. Signs a three year extension with the Elks.

Details....

 

 

[wbbfan]

Just now, Noeller said:

Details....

 

 

The ****? 
 

How do you give a guy who hasn’t been a proven starter and made your offence worse when he went in that kind of money? I don’t get it. I could see giving him a deal with incentives to go up to that if he hits like 4k+ passing, 1k rushing, 25-30 passing tds min etc. but his base should be 150-200 max. and front loading that deal in 24 but with it going against the 25 cap? 
 

I wonder if mbt/masoli/fajardo retires, goes to ufl or takes a back up jobs. 
 Over all level of talent at starting qb in the league probably won’t go up this coming year, but it looks like the depth will spread around more evenly.  

[Mark H.]

Those amounts are maximums - are they not?