Receivers at DE

[Floyd]

Interesting to watch AC Leonard last week...  TE to SB and now DE - says he has advantage because he's been on other side of the ball

Has this been done before?  Can't think of anyone offhand 

 

[B-F-F-C]

The riders have converted Jordan reaves to DE.  

[Floyd]

1 minute ago, B-F-F-C said:

The riders have converted Jordan reaves to DE.  

Like besides Chris Jones...  I think Graig Newman was a DE for a while too

[Root]

Other unique CFL conversions saw Bob Swift being a solid FB/RB for the BC Lions and then extending his career becoming an all-star o-lineman in Winnipeg.

Jerry Keeling was an outstanding stampeder defensive back who also quarter-backed the team and later became a head coach.

Bud Grant played a variety of positions including defensive back, defensive end and split end/flanker.

Ken Ploen was initially recruited as a bomber QB but played defensive back while Jim Van Pelt led the team to the Grey Cup.

Another bomber player who eventually became a quality NFL player was Mike Sellers. As a younger player he worked as a linebacker - and then became a ruthless running back in the backfield with La Petite Charlie, Charles Roberts. Think Jerome Messam with a bit less speed and a lot more power (if that's possible). Sellers was too good for the CFL and finished his career as a decent blocking back and check-off receiver for the Redskins.

[iso_55]

The one I remember most eas Bob Swift. Tore up his knee in the 64 Grey Cup. He had a thousand yard season as a rookie that year but he was never the same back after his injury. Converted to center by the Argos after he was released by the Lions. He became a CFL All Star & he had a great career with the Bombers blocking on a very good offensive line for Don Jonas & Dieter Brock.

[Fred C Dobbs]

I was reading an interview with Chris Walby earlier today:

Chris Walby spent his entire sixteen-year CFL career with his hometown Winnipeg Blue Bombers. After brief stints on the defensive line and at tight end in 1981, Walby made his permanent home along the offensive line in 1982

BTW, it's quite an interview:

Walby: Montreal’s general manager that year was Bob Geary. ... But unfortunately I started the season on the four-man taxi squad (ie. practice roster) and being on the taxi squad meant that you didn’t play, you just got your pay. Out of the blue, someone from the Bomber organization contacted my parents. My parents were always old school, you know, “Go to work, don’t play ball, not good for you, not going anywhere, get a job.” Anyway, the Bombers phoned my dad and said, “Tell your son he’s cut.” My dad goes, “What do you mean ‘he’s cut’?” “Well, I just found out he’s released,” they say. Well, you can’t tamper, but somebody, and I’m guessing it had something to do with Paul Robson, told somebody in Winnipeg, “Hey, Walby is off Montreal’s four-man reserve squad.” You see, what they were doing in Montreal was signing and forging my name on contracts, releasing me every so often in the process without telling me. The thing is I’d gotten my paycheck two days earlier and noticed my paycheck was half. So I walked over to Bob Geary and I said, “Bob, sir, I noticed my check’s not for the full amount,” and he goes, “Well, you know, if you’re not playing on the regular roster and you’re just on the taxi [squad] you only get half your pay.” That was never the deal, so I [call] my player [representative] and he agrees with me. So I go back to [Geary] and he says, “Oh, I’m sorry,” and calls out one of his receptionists and tears a strip off her for writing a wrong check. Meanwhile, he had told me a completely different story just days earlier. So that left a bad taste in my mouth. There were great guys in Montreal that I wanted to stay with. I’d had every intention of staying in Montreal. But when I called the Bombers they said, “Listen, here’s the deal: you’re a free agent. Montreal’s been forging your name back and forth. So if you’d like to come to Winnipeg, there’s a plane ticket at Dorval (Dorval Airport was renamed the Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport in 2003) for you right now. You have to leave tomorrow morning. Meanwhile, I’m living with six guys in Montreal in Ile de Soeurs, translated to Nun’s Island. We’re right on the Saint Lawrence Seaway, so I’m loving life.

Hodge: I can imagine the stories.

Walby: Oh yeah. I was twenty-four-years-old and nothing in Montreal even starts up until midnight. But anyway, the Bombers say, “You’ve got to make a decision. We’d like to have you here and we’ll re-do your contract.” So after tossing and turning and talking to my friends in Montreal I packed my bags about 5 o’clock that morning, caught a taxi, flew into Winnipeg, and they picked me up right at the airport. Within forty-five minutes I’d signed a contract with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers worth more money. Joe Scannella was the head coach for Montreal at the time, who’d won a Super Bowl with the Oakland Raiders. Big cigar, big ring, nice guy. But he was let go by the Alouettes and they made Jim Eddy the head coach, a guy who’d actually coached in the NFL for years. Eddy phoned my parents and said, “I want to talk to your son. We know he’s in Winnipeg,” and my dad says, “Well, he’s not available right now.” And then [Eddy] just tore a strip off my dad. “Your son is the most disloyal piece of frickin’ garbage I ever met in my life,” Eddy says, “he didn’t even give me a chance to talk to him, he’s made a decision he shouldn’t’ve made, he’s hurt his career, he’ll never play.” And that was really tough because my parents didn’t understand the game, so they’re thinking, “Oh, Chris, you’re in trouble.”

Hodge: Wow. I’ve always been under the impression you were traded to Winnipeg. Though, thinking about it now, I’ve never been able to find out what the compensation was going the other way.

Walby: There never was a trade. Everybody always says I was traded, but I wasn’t. Basically, they had released me and were forging my name so I was free to re-sign anywhere I wanted as long as another team wanted me.

http://3downnation.com/2015/07/13/sitting-down-with-chris-walby/

 

[bearpants]

14 hours ago, Root said:

Another bomber player who eventually became a quality NFL player was Mike Sellers. As a younger player he worked as a linebacker - and then became a ruthless running back in the backfield with La Petite Charlie, Charles Roberts. Think Jerome Messam with a bit less speed and a lot more power (if that's possible). Sellers was too good for the CFL and finished his career as a decent blocking back and check-off receiver for the Redskins.

There's a lot of younger posters on this site... but I doubt anyone is young enough to not remember Mike Sellers...

[Arnold_Palmer]

8 minutes ago, bearpants said:

There's a lot of younger posters on this site... but I doubt anyone is young enough to not remember Mike Sellers...

I'll never forget one of my first distinctive YouTube videos being of Mike Sellers running all over the Saskatchewan Rough Riders to rap music. Good times. Sellers truly was too good for the CFL.

[17to85]

25 minutes ago, Arnold_Palmer said:

I'll never forget one of my first distinctive YouTube videos being of Mike Sellers running all over the Saskatchewan Rough Riders to rap music. Good times. Sellers truly was too good for the CFL.

Move *****! 

Noeller can probably confirm but I am pretty sure our buddy made that video, of course then most of his stuff got taken down because apparently the bots can't tell the difference between NFL and CFL. 

Edited July 7, 2016 by 17to85

[Ripper]

Brian Illerbrun and Bob Poley, a couple of Saskatchewan boys both came to the Riders as defensive lineman. Had long careers playing on the Offensive line

[kelownabomberfan]

On ‎7‎/‎7‎/‎2016 at 7:30 AM, Arnold_Palmer said:

I'll never forget one of my first distinctive YouTube videos being of Mike Sellers running all over the Saskatchewan Rough Riders to rap music. Good times. Sellers truly was too good for the CFL.

 

[kelownabomberfan]

This one is fun to watch too...ah the memories...

 

[Noeller]

all done by mine and 17to85's Brandon U buddy....Coorsman Chad.....one of the biggest Bombers fans you'll ever meet, and also a nerd with way too much time on his hands to put this **** together...

[bearpants]

Charlie's elusiveness, burst, vision and ability to cut on a dime was truly remarkable... I don't think we've seen a RB in the CFL like him since... watching old clips of Charlie and Milt makes me wish I appreciated them more when they were here...

[17to85]

3 minutes ago, bearpants said:

Charlie's elusiveness, burst, vision and ability to cut on a dime was truly remarkable... I don't think we've seen a RB in the CFL like him since... watching old clips of Charlie and Milt makes me wish I appreciated them more when they were here...

For a guy as small as he was a he was a tough little bugger too. Rarely stopped on first contact and just fought tooth and nail for every inch. 

[mbrg]

41 minutes ago, bearpants said:

Charlie's elusiveness, burst, vision and ability to cut on a dime was truly remarkable... I don't think we've seen a RB in the CFL like him since... watching old clips of Charlie and Milt makes me wish I appreciated them more when they were here...

For all his amazing runs, the Blinkiest memory that I have is the time he ran between the offensive and defensive tackle while they were fully engaged with each other.  He just kinda twisted sideways and ducked under their elbows.  I have seen all sorts of spin moves, juking and ankle breakers in my life.  That is the only time I have ever seen anything like that.  And the end result was just a boring old gain of 6 yards to the left side.

[Fatty Liver]

46 minutes ago, 17to85 said:

For a guy as small as he was a he was a tough little bugger too. Rarely stopped on first contact and just fought tooth and nail for every inch. 

He was the perfect RB because he had the moves but could also handle the dirty work.  Scat backs that require clean holes are a dime a dozen and are here today, gone tomorrow.

[Floyd]

Some neat position conversions... but so far no receiver to DE, interesting.

[Nash00]

2 hours ago, Noeller said:

all done by mine and 17to85's Brandon U buddy....Coorsman Chad.....one of the biggest Bombers fans you'll ever meet, and also a nerd with way too much time on his hands to put this **** together...

Wasn't Coorsman the one who would torrent all the games as well back in the day?

[Noeller]

We have a stack of DVDs of basically every televised game from 2000-2006, I think....might be more. He had a bunch, then ol' Blue Fan Brent (rip) got him a pile more that he had in his collection. They're a blast to go through...

[rebusrankin]

17 minutes ago, Noeller said:

We have a stack of DVDs of basically every televised game from 2000-2006, I think....might be more. He had a bunch, then ol' Blue Fan Brent (rip) got him a pile more that he had in his collection. They're a blast to go through...

That is some good games. Khari, Milt, Blink, Sellers, Bruce, Gordon etc.

[Tracker]

1 hour ago, Throw Long Bannatyne said:

He was the perfect RB because he had the moves but could also handle the dirty work.  Scat backs that require clean holes are a dime a dozen and are here today, gone tomorrow.

Blink's career was nothing short of amazing given his lack of conditioning, preparation and self-care in general. If he had trained rigorously, he probably would have gone down as one of the greatest if not the greatest running back in league history- in short, a legend.

[Noeller]

11 minutes ago, rebusrankin said:

That is some good games. Khari, Milt, Blink, Sellers, Bruce, Gordon etc.

After the disgusting performance at McMahon last week, a bunch of us were drinking at my place last Sunday and we fired up a 2004 (?) game where we kicked the **** out of Barker, Crandell and the rest of those horse-f***ers..it was like 50-15 or something nasty like that. Really washed the taste out of my mouth.....

Edited July 8, 2016 by Noeller

[rebusrankin]

Do you have the one from 2002 where Incompleterson scores for Calgary to put them up 14 in the 4th. We score two tds in like the last five to tie and win in OT? Great game.

[Jpan85]

We were down by 21 with like 5 minutes left.