Grigsby Released!

[Mr. Perfect]

Not sure how accurate this is considering it's Friesen, but admittedly an interesting read if true....

 

 

BY PAUL FRIESEN, WINNIPEG SUN

FIRST POSTED: 

 

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2014 09:19 PM CDT 

| UPDATED: 

 

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2014 09:46 PM CDT

 

Running back Nic Grigsby hadn’t done anything significant in weeks.

As impressed as I was with the CFL rookie’s elusiveness early in the season, he’d become easier to tackle than a Grade 2 math problem by the time he walked out on his team, Wednesday.

Apparently, he also carries the attitude of a Grade 2 student.

To recap, here’s what happened at school on Wednesday morning, as related by the principal.

“I brought him into the office to explain to him what his role was going to be this week,” head coach Mike O’Shea said. “And he asked to be released.”

Grigsby’s role, for the second straight week, was to study and work his tail off during the week, then sharpen pencils at the back of the class while everybody else got to go out and play on Saturday.

Not pleasant, no. But it’s one of the realities of pro sport. You don’t perform, you don’t play.

Of course, the way the Bombers have been performing, nobody should be playing when the Calgary Stampeders come to town, Saturday, other than maybe the entire practice roster and the ball boys.

Maybe Grigsby feels he’s been unfairly singled out.

I’m not sure Earl Campbell could gain 50 yards behind the O-line the Bombers are fielding these days.

Grigsby’s replacement, Paris Cotton, managed just 31 in Monday’s slaughter in Edmonton, continuing the same old trend for the worst running team in the CFL.

Yet, O’Shea wants to see Cotton again.

So Grigsby took his league-leading nine touchdowns and went home, leaving only some rag-tag tweets rife with spelling errors in response.

The Bombers won’t miss Grigsby that much on the field. Hell, they lost five in a row with him in the lineup, a streak that grew by one in Edmonton.

They’ll miss him even less in the locker-room.

I’m told the 25-year-old was a cancer, someone whose attitude has been a problem for a while. An outsider from the start of training camp whose personality didn’t fit with the team.

Grigsby shot out of the blocks this season, with 100-plus yards rushing in his debut.

But over the last several weeks his performance went into the tank — where it joined his attitude.

Word out of the locker-room is Grigsby questioned the coaching and debated game plans. Good for him, you might say.

But that’s a game for fans and media to play.

I’m told Grigsby also took to blaming his teammates, particularly his offensive line, for his decline in production.

While there may be more than a shred of truth in that, Grigsby’s inability to take any responsibility is what had teammates fed up with him, despite what many said publicly upon his release, Wednesday.

A message he posted on Twitter earlier this week says it all:

“It takes 11 other players for a RB to be successful... let me know if you can find one RB that can run 1 vs 12?” Grigsby (@Nic_Grigsby5) tweeted on Monday, a message he’s since deleted

The guy had averaged just 40 yards per game over his last three. More often than not, the first player to hit him brought him down, one of the true tests of a running back, who’s supposed to make people miss.

I don’t know that Grigsby quit on plays, but he certainly quit on his teammates, Wednesday.

“The word quit can be a harsh word,” O’Shea said. “Blame, quit — all those words I tend to stay away from. But he was given an option and he chose to leave.”

What does this say about the Bombers?

The optics aren’t good: a team is outscored 37-0 in one of the worst halves of football in its history and its starting running back for the majority of the season walks out two days later.

Put those two together and it spells Q-U-I-T.

“I guarantee you this team hasn’t thrown in the towel,”Johnny Sears said. “One person’s situation or decision doesn’t reflect on the whole team. We expect to win Saturday... and (I’m) not saying it to be politically correct.

“But you go in there and ask some guys right now: we plan on winning, because we have to.”

Actually, that was last week’s lesson plan.

School is all but over for this bunch. There’s only the math left to be done.

And one other thing.

We’ll find out if Nic Grigsby, the quitter, is alone.

paul.friesen@sunmedia.ca

Twitter: @friesensunmedia

 

[Mike]

From what I heard yesterday, he's right. Apparently, Grigsby wasn't too popular.

[MOBomberFan]

I bet that 'Great Grigsby / best athlete in the CFL' video went straight to his head. Don't believe your own press, they say. 

[DR. CFL]

Equally don't necessarily believe the naysayers here who said he was one of the worst backs in the CFL either. Still waiting on the blight of his successor whoever that poor soul might be? Everyone's hero the backup QB, goalie and now here.

[Logan007]

Probably one of the only times in history where I agree with most of what Friesen wrote...except for the parts about the Bombers having no hope.  He's such a Debby Downer.

[pigseye]

Well that actually makes some sense now about Grigsby being a cancer and basically forcing him out. But, he wouldn't be the first young player with this sort of attitude problem.

[USABomberfan]

Mr. Perfect, on 16 Oct 2014 - 1:26 PM, said:

 

Not sure how accurate this is considering it's Friesen, but admittedly an interesting read if true....

 

 

" "

 

Yet another one of the Sun's unprofessionalism in article writing.  I'm not letting these awful authors off the hook for opinion pieces.  Organizational moves like this are not supposed to be columns.  If you're gonna write a newspaper article about it, get the ****in facts.  You pull that kind of crap off at an organization like the Chicago Tribune or the LA Times in regards to one of their local sports teams, and you lose your job.  Same thing should happen here.

[MOBomberFan]

Equally don't necessarily believe the naysayers here who said he was one of the worst backs in the CFL either. Still waiting on the blight of his successor whoever that poor soul might be? Everyone's hero the backup QB, goalie and now here.

If anyone here actually called him one of the worst backs in the league it's hyperbole. He had speed, he could catch, eventually he remembered how to block, too. Grigsby just wasn't good enough to do what we expect him to: break tackles.

 

I remember in game one when he took a huge hit that should have put him down for a loss, but instead he bounced and spun off the tackler and ran it upfield for a few extra yards. When that happened I forgot all about Cotton's pre-season showing. And that's pretty much the last time he impressed me.

[mbrg]

 

Heard this discussion awhile ago on the CJOB pre-game show.  They were talking about how Grigsby was having a lot of success early-mid season as an outlet receiver until other teams caught onto it  and after that he was basically shut down.  I think the stats. back this up, ever since Labour day Grigsby has not caught a lot of balls.

 

With an effective running game and more threats in the long to mid-range passing game...this would not have been possible.  It's clear that teams are keying on sweeps, hitches, outlet throws et. al.  Basically anything where the QB gets rid of the ball quickly.  Early in the season plays like that were going for first downs and even touchdowns (eg. Denmark in BC).  Those options have been taken away and the Bombers can't really respond with anything because they can't consistently give the QB enough time. 

 

 

He did a great job early on of sliding to spots where the linebackers didn't have a good angle to close on him.  He created space with great positioning.  If teams adjusted for that, ya, he wasn't offering much out of the backfield.

[mbrg]

 

 

January would have value but he's one guy we need to keep around. The only guys on the OL I want back next year are January, Greaves & Goosen. Neufeld is always hurt so if he comes back that's okay. If he doesn't who cares? No big loss.

January has been horrific this year and has zero trade value at this point in time.

 

I've read/heard that he's been injured for most of the season though. He's been pretty good the last few seasons, so I believe there must be something up for him to be so bad this year.

 

 

I've been wondering about that.  I'm not a throw players under the bus kind of guy, but he's looked awful in the last few weeks.  He likes to battle and sure hasn't looked like he has much fight in him lately.  And the Ottawa game, guys were zipping past him.  That would be a disappointing end to the season for him.

[17to85]

Grigsby was fast and had good hands and in space he was pretty solid. Problem is that he went down way way too easily. arm tackles knocked him down with ease and I don't think he was particularly good at reading his blocking and anticipating where the holes would be. The OL hasn't been good enough this season make no mistake and the run game would always have some issues beause of that, but make no mistake Grigsby if he wasn't a down on first contact/run into people running back could have had some more success. Stop ******* around with Cotton and give him an actual decent chance and I guarantee he does no worse than Grigsby and probably better running the ball 

[pigseye]

Grigsby had a chance of winning the rushing title in the league this year, definitely a real shot at 1,000 yards, wonder if potential contract bonus's played a part in this, I think you will be hearing more on this soon.

[DR. CFL]

Gee let's cut a potential league rushing leader to save some bucks ? Wow!

[MOBomberFan]

Gee let's cut a potential league rushing leader to save some bucks ? Wow!

Okay let me get this straight. We shouldn't believe that Grigsby is a sub-par RB based on our own observations, but you're willing to accept that the Bombers cut him solely to save a couple bucks? Based on...nothing at all? Wow indeed.

[Mr Dee]

Gee let's cut a potential league rushing leader to save some bucks ? Wow!

 

This a funny post. And you right…it deserves a G.

[Bigblue204]

Gee let's cut a potential league rushing leader to save some bucks ? Wow!

 

 

wtf? Have you been paying attention at all? Did you just read that one post and think that's exactly how it happened??? OR did I just entertain a troll....damn it!!

[17to85]

god damn it people you all really really need a lesson in spotting obvious sarcasm 

[Goalie]

LOL. what part of grigsby asking for his release do some people not get so no the bombers didn't cut him, They gave him a couple options, who knows what they were but one wasn't to be released and then Grigsby himself asked for his release. God, seriously, Grigsby himself said he asked to be released, why are there posts going on about us cutting him when we didn't cut him, he asked for his release. 

[LeBird]

"I am told he was a cancer" Paul Friesen

When this guy writes what some want to read he makes sense, if he writes something that might be true but against O'Shea the guy is a jack ass. This is so much Joe Mack. At one time when a word was said about his useless work all hell broke loose. It was always Great Guy, Great Guy. After he was fired people could not say enough bad things about him. And I am NOT comparing O'Shea to Mack.  It seems the cancer is always found after the guy has left.

 

How much sense does this make. Here you have a guy that is a cancer but keeps playing for 12 games though O'Shea maintains his team is made up of a great bunch of guys. He is sat for a game and then told he will not play Saturday at least. O'Shea on the news said he called him in and explained his options. He did not say he would cut him but his playing time would be adjusted.

 

Here is the question: Why did O'Shea not cut him when he decided to replace him? He had the chance to rid the club of the cancer yet decided to give him options? 

[Goalie]

I'm thinking Grigsbys tweets on the week-end had something to do with it for sure. Threw his team under the bus there a few times, 1 vs 12 out there? Yeah that's throwing your team under the bus for sure, Think the bombers knew he would ask for his release, that's why they gave him options. 

 

Whatever though right, it's not like he's that big of a loss.

 

11 pages plus on a guy who really wasn't that good. It's crazy actually, i get it, it's big news but... this is something most people wanted back at training camp. 

 

Sometimes you think you know a guy and then he is asked to sit for a game or 2 and his true character comes out. 

[max power]

Korey Banks, Barrin Simpson spring to mind immediately.

[gbill2004]

Hustler & Lawless reported yesterday that according to a Bomber "insider" Grigsby was selfish and essentially a locker room cancer. This backs up Friesen's article.

[HardCoreBlue]

Hustler & Lawless reported yesterday that according to a Bomber "insider" Grigsby was selfish and essentially a locker room cancer. This backs up Friesen's article.

It seems Nic Grigsby could not accept or understand that the RB position in the CFL is the one of the most if not cruelest positions to play. Ifhis plan is to stay in the CFL, it will be no different. This 'bad situation' Alex Suber refered to in his twitter is misguided as its not a situation unique to our club, it's straight across the board.

[pigseye]

"I am told he was a cancer" Paul Friesen

When this guy writes what some want to read he makes sense, if he writes something that might be true but against O'Shea the guy is a jack ass. This is so much Joe Mack. At one time when a word was said about his useless work all hell broke loose. It was always Great Guy, Great Guy. After he was fired people could not say enough bad things about him. And I am NOT comparing O'Shea to Mack.  It seems the cancer is always found after the guy has left.

 

How much sense does this make. Here you have a guy that is a cancer but keeps playing for 12 games though O'Shea maintains his team is made up of a great bunch of guys. He is sat for a game and then told he will not play Saturday at least. O'Shea on the news said he called him in and explained his options. He did not say he would cut him but his playing time would be adjusted.

 

Here is the question: Why did O'Shea not cut him when he decided to replace him? He had the chance to rid the club of the cancer yet decided to give him options? 

 

Bravo.

[pigseye]

 

Hustler & Lawless reported yesterday that according to a Bomber "insider" Grigsby was selfish and essentially a locker room cancer. This backs up Friesen's article.

It seems Nic Grigsby could not accept or understand that the RB position in the CFL is the one of the most if not cruelest positions to play. Ifhis plan is to stay in the CFL, it will be no different. This 'bad situation' Alex Suber refered to in his twitter is misguided as its not a situation unique to our club, it's straight across the board.

 

 

Nah, the coaches not playing the best players and them looking to get out was the 'bad situation' he was referring to. Sitting Grigsby and Kelly just brought it to a head.