Darren Cameron's Blog

[iso_55]

 

 

 

 

 

However, I truly appreciate the work the guys put in. Walters has done more for the Bombers in 18 months than Joe Mack did in nearly 3 years plus he seems to get how a championship team is built. Pieces are found through recruiting, drafting & free agent signings.

 

 

Now your bias is shining through. Lots of the players on this team were brought in by Joe Mack. This regime has a lot of ground to make up to even come close to the level of recruiting Mack did. You hate Mack though so I just expect you to downplay the things he did do welll. 

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I don't see in his post where he said Mack didn't recruit some good players.

 

"Lots" is a subjective word. I count 12 guys on the roster that predate Walters taking over.

 

My beef with Mack was his disdain in not wanting to sign players in free agency or to hold onto our own. And of course the horrible qb'ng situation. He was probably right to draft Andy Mulamba as he was a very good player. Almost every GM has drafted a player who decided to give the NFL a whirl. Sure he brought in players. It was the failure of free agency & the LaPolice firing that turned me off him.

 

That Mulumba draft all the top guys gave the NFL a try basically and Mulumba was one of the ones they didn't think had much of a chance to stick, but he did. Worthwhile gamble IMO. 

 

Really Macks biggest failing was hiring 2 duds at head coach. 

 

The free agency thing was a big issue for me as well like I said. 

[rebusrankin]

1. Drafting Pencer over Shamwawd Chambers or Kirby Fabian.

2. Drafting Jade over Coehorn, Iannuzzi or Holmes.

3. Wasting picks on Kris Robertson and Carl Fitzgerald.

 

Mack was a poor drafter, didn't do a good job bringing in QBs and didn't use free agency effectively. Good recruiter though.

[Mr Dee]

That particular GM will be a thorn in our team's paw for a long time, for as much as there were good players brought in, and there were, there was a distinct lack of how to construct a roster mentality.

I was a supporter of Mack for the longest time but the slow realization that we're slipping down the slope and not climbing up the league standings was disappointing...to say the least.

I much prefer the current method of engaging all the tools to build the lineup and I'm anxious to see the results as we go along. Especially the scouting, now that they've had the time to 'get it together'.

It's time to admit Mack was a failure and if he didn't get the help of Moll's scouting, the results would have been worse.

Flip the page to the next chapter.

[HardCoreBlue]

That particular GM will be a thorn in our team's paw for a long time, for as much as there were good players brought in, and there were, there was a distinct lack of how to construct a roster mentality.

I was a supporter of Mack for the longest time but the slow realization that we're slipping down the slope and not climbing up the league standings was disappointing...to say the least.

I much prefer the current method of engaging all the tools to build the lineup and I'm anxious to see the results as we go along. Especially the scouting, now that they've had the time to 'get it together'.

It's time to admit Mack was a failure and if he didn't get the help of Moll's scouting, the results would have been worse.

Flip the page to the next chapter.

 

True dat.

[WBBFanWest]

A PR guy for the team wrote a fluff piece about the people who pay his salary.  Colour me shocked because I'm sure that this has never happened in the history of PR people.  Seriously guys, his job is to promote the team, first, last and always.  If you want drama, Friesen and Lawless handle that stuff.

[Noeller]

A PR guy for the team wrote a fluff piece about the people who pay his salary.  Colour me shocked because I'm sure that this has never happened in the history of PR people.  Seriously guys, his job is to promote the team, first, last and always.  If you want drama, Friesen and Lawless handle that stuff.

Again, my original post here said "I get why he did it....but it's still lame"  

 

What would be cool is to have a fly on the wall reporter there who can tell you what REALLY went down, not just some Blue and Gold coloured account of things.

[iso_55]

 

That particular GM will be a thorn in our team's paw for a long time, for as much as there were good players brought in, and there were, there was a distinct lack of how to construct a roster mentality.

I was a supporter of Mack for the longest time but the slow realization that we're slipping down the slope and not climbing up the league standings was disappointing...to say the least.

I much prefer the current method of engaging all the tools to build the lineup and I'm anxious to see the results as we go along. Especially the scouting, now that they've had the time to 'get it together'.

It's time to admit Mack was a failure and if he didn't get the help of Moll's scouting, the results would have been worse.

Flip the page to the next chapter.

 

True dat.

 

I used to say that all the time when Mack was here but at times I felt like I was screaming into a hurricane force wind. It was like no one heard me.

[17to85]

1. Drafting Pencer over Shamwawd Chambers or Kirby Fabian.

2. Drafting Jade over Coehorn, Iannuzzi or Holmes.

3. Wasting picks on Kris Robertson and Carl Fitzgerald.

 

Mack was a poor drafter, didn't do a good job bringing in QBs and didn't use free agency effectively. Good recruiter though.

be fair, he also took Muamba over MItchell and I am sure we can find some other instances. Drafting, especially in the CFL is a crap shoot and everyone loves Kyle Walters but how would we feel about him if he took MItchell over Muamba? Which is something he likely would have done. 

[mbrg]

 

Bombers PR guy writes about the teams free agency day...

"Yeah our super awesome GM and coach had this plan and they NAILED IT! Then the teams super awesome president walked in and we all slapped each other on the back!"

I appreciate the look, but it really is a fluff piece.

This, exactly. I get why he has to put so much homer spin on it, but it makes for a boring read. The essence of drama is conflict. Don't gloss over the SVR To OTT thing...tell me why it sucked and how you fixed it with Plan B. But again, I get why you can't do that either...

 

 

So MBB is the essence of drama?

[blueingreenland]

If the piece was all fluff, then let's answer this question - Who did the Bombers miss out on in free agency that they really needed?

[SPuDS]

If the piece was all fluff, then let's answer this question - Who did the Bombers miss out on in free agency that they really needed?

Well, we haven't missed yet per say but id say Curran..

[Goalie]

How is Curran a miss when it sounds like they never wanted him. A miss to who exactly?

[iso_55]

How is Curran a miss when it sounds like they never wanted him. A miss to who exactly?

How could they not want him with the situation our linebacking corps is in? That makes no sense to me. 

[rebusrankin]

 

1. Drafting Pencer over Shamwawd Chambers or Kirby Fabian.

2. Drafting Jade over Coehorn, Iannuzzi or Holmes.

3. Wasting picks on Kris Robertson and Carl Fitzgerald.

 

Mack was a poor drafter, didn't do a good job bringing in QBs and didn't use free agency effectively. Good recruiter though.

be fair, he also took Muamba over MItchell and I am sure we can find some other instances. Drafting, especially in the CFL is a crap shoot and everyone loves Kyle Walters but how would we feel about him if he took MItchell over Muamba? Which is something he likely would have done. 

 

I'll give you Muamba over Mitchell but that's one of the few. Mack did a poor job of drafting.

 

I could add Carl Volny over Matt Walter in 2011, Johhny Aprile over Billy Peach, Chris Smith over Ryan Bomben.

[iso_55]

That Jade Etienne pick was terrible. And he was given every opportunity to make the team & play in 3 seasons. Some others weren't. The thing about Etienne was had Mack taken him where he should have in the fourth round he may still be playing today. There wouldn't have been as much scrutiny placed on him. Or the pressure of being a first rounder to produce quicker. He'd have been allowed to develop on the PR quietly instead of being thrown out on the field before he was physically & emotionally ready to compete. I think Mack screwed the kid's career over by wasting a valuable first round pick on him & thus setting him up to fail. That may have been the dumbest draft selection made in years. What a complete waste of a first round pick. 

[Noeller]

If the piece was all fluff, then let's answer this question - Who did the Bombers miss out on in free agency that they really needed?

This is exactly what I want to know. Because unless you're the blindest homer, you have to think things didn't work as perfectly as Cameron wants everyone to believe.

[Jacquie]

That Jade Etienne pick was terrible. And he was given every opportunity to make the team & play in 3 seasons. Some others weren't. The thing about Etienne was had Mack taken him where he should have in the fourth round he may still be playing today. There wouldn't have been as much scrutiny placed on him. Or the pressure of being a first rounder to produce quicker. He'd have been allowed to develop on the PR quietly instead of being thrown out on the field before he was physically & emotionally ready to compete. I think Mack screwed the kid's career over by wasting a valuable first round pick on him & thus setting him up to fail. That may have been the dumbest draft selection made in years. What a complete waste of a first round pick. 

 

But...but...but according to the media, Etienne was Lapo's pick. Or least he was when he was contributing on the field otherwise he was a Mack pick.

[iso_55]

 

That Jade Etienne pick was terrible. And he was given every opportunity to make the team & play in 3 seasons. Some others weren't. The thing about Etienne was had Mack taken him where he should have in the fourth round he may still be playing today. There wouldn't have been as much scrutiny placed on him. Or the pressure of being a first rounder to produce quicker. He'd have been allowed to develop on the PR quietly instead of being thrown out on the field before he was physically & emotionally ready to compete. I think Mack screwed the kid's career over by wasting a valuable first round pick on him & thus setting him up to fail. That may have been the dumbest draft selection made in years. What a complete waste of a first round pick. 

 

But...but...but according to the media, Etienne was Lapo's pick. Or least he was when he was contributing on the field otherwise he was a Mack pick.

 

Mack made the pick. If LaPo was involved he's not as smart as he portrays himself on TSN. Whoever. Shitty pick. Total waste. 

[17to85]

 

 

That Jade Etienne pick was terrible. And he was given every opportunity to make the team & play in 3 seasons. Some others weren't. The thing about Etienne was had Mack taken him where he should have in the fourth round he may still be playing today. There wouldn't have been as much scrutiny placed on him. Or the pressure of being a first rounder to produce quicker. He'd have been allowed to develop on the PR quietly instead of being thrown out on the field before he was physically & emotionally ready to compete. I think Mack screwed the kid's career over by wasting a valuable first round pick on him & thus setting him up to fail. That may have been the dumbest draft selection made in years. What a complete waste of a first round pick. 

 

But...but...but according to the media, Etienne was Lapo's pick. Or least he was when he was contributing on the field otherwise he was a Mack pick.

 

Mack made the pick. If LaPo was involved he's not as smart as he portrays himself on TSN. Whoever. Shitty pick. Total waste. 

 

No ****, Lapo was a failed head coach, you think it's the brilliant coaches who get to be on TSN?

[iso_55]

 

 

 

That Jade Etienne pick was terrible. And he was given every opportunity to make the team & play in 3 seasons. Some others weren't. The thing about Etienne was had Mack taken him where he should have in the fourth round he may still be playing today. There wouldn't have been as much scrutiny placed on him. Or the pressure of being a first rounder to produce quicker. He'd have been allowed to develop on the PR quietly instead of being thrown out on the field before he was physically & emotionally ready to compete. I think Mack screwed the kid's career over by wasting a valuable first round pick on him & thus setting him up to fail. That may have been the dumbest draft selection made in years. What a complete waste of a first round pick. 

 

But...but...but according to the media, Etienne was Lapo's pick. Or least he was when he was contributing on the field otherwise he was a Mack pick.

 

Mack made the pick. If LaPo was involved he's not as smart as he portrays himself on TSN. Whoever. Shitty pick. Total waste. 

 

No ****, Lapo was a failed head coach, you think it's the brilliant coaches who get to be on TSN?

 

At least he knows he has a good gig on TSN. He can be plenty smart there.

[Floyd]

Etienne was a terrible pick but he wouldn't have dropped to fourth round

Taman had napkins, kelly had the database and Mack had Mai tais

[bearpants]

The funny thing about Mack's draft history was he either picked players that were too good (Muamba, Bilikudi, Mulumba) or guys that weren't good enough (Pencer, Ettiene, Robertson, Poblah)... either way it didn't help the team.... American scouting is a different story...

[MTA]

Darren's article was a geat piece to give fans insight, of course he is not going to tell us everything. I dont blame mack or lapo for the jade pick, the kid never wanted to be a football player. He did not put the time or work in to becoming a pro

[GCn20]

 

 

1. Drafting Pencer over Shamwawd Chambers or Kirby Fabian.

2. Drafting Jade over Coehorn, Iannuzzi or Holmes.

3. Wasting picks on Kris Robertson and Carl Fitzgerald.

 

Mack was a poor drafter, didn't do a good job bringing in QBs and didn't use free agency effectively. Good recruiter though.

be fair, he also took Muamba over MItchell and I am sure we can find some other instances. Drafting, especially in the CFL is a crap shoot and everyone loves Kyle Walters but how would we feel about him if he took MItchell over Muamba? Which is something he likely would have done. 

 

I'll give you Muamba over Mitchell but that's one of the few. Mack did a poor job of drafting.

 

I could add Carl Volny over Matt Walter in 2011, Johhny Aprile over Billy Peach, Chris Smith over Ryan Bomben.

 

 

 

 

1. Drafting Pencer over Shamwawd Chambers or Kirby Fabian.

2. Drafting Jade over Coehorn, Iannuzzi or Holmes.

3. Wasting picks on Kris Robertson and Carl Fitzgerald.

 

Mack was a poor drafter, didn't do a good job bringing in QBs and didn't use free agency effectively. Good recruiter though.

be fair, he also took Muamba over MItchell and I am sure we can find some other instances. Drafting, especially in the CFL is a crap shoot and everyone loves Kyle Walters but how would we feel about him if he took MItchell over Muamba? Which is something he likely would have done. 

 

I'll give you Muamba over Mitchell but that's one of the few. Mack did a poor job of drafting.

 

I could add Carl Volny over Matt Walter in 2011, Johhny Aprile over Billy Peach, Chris Smith over Ryan Bomben.

 

 

None of us should be so willing to let Walters off the hook when it comes to our drafting. He may not have had final say, but what was Pencer even doing on the radar at that draft position. Walters was our NI scout. A lot of the duds in our draft were names he put forward for consideration in the respective rounds. Unless, of course, you are of the belief that names like Penser and Etienne were Mack discoveries that had nothing to do with Walters. However, we do know that it was not Mack or Moll that were scouring the CIS for talent. They were in the States the vast majority of the time.

[GCn20]

Darren's article was a geat piece to give fans insight, of course he is not going to tell us everything. I dont blame mack or lapo for the jade pick, the kid never wanted to be a football player. He did not put the time or work in to becoming a pro

 

I don't think that's true. I think he worked hard. The big obstacle for Jade was his strength and lack of experience at the position. He just could not put weight on his frame and wasn't savvy enough of a receiver to make up for that lack of weight.