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Moving on from Kola is another good move by Walters.

Kolankowski released, Schmeckel re-signed

3 years. 290 k this upcoming year. Yeah it’s a lot but for one of the very best players in the league in the prime of his career and a home town hero to boot. It’s a no brainer, especially with the rising cap. I would take Brady at 290 over Keon Hatchers at 330k any day of the week.

Brady is the most complete running back in the CFL full stop. Rushing, receiving, blocking, no one does it all as well as he does. Now that doesn't automatically make the contract he got worth it, but there's worse guys to over pay than a home grown legit MOP candidate who can do it all at the position.

signed peyton thorne. wow its going to be interesting to watch the qbs in camp. Mich state, auburn, played at good schools. Guy has incredible raw talent and athleticism. Easy smooth arm action with a good release. Very capable runner. He’s not really wired for high volume running. Great upside in a young guy.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers extend standout DB Deatrick Nichols - 3DownNation

https://www.bluebombers.com/2026/01/06/blue-bombers-sign-all-cfl-halfback-evan-holm-to-two-year-contract-extension

Schmek, improved before his injury, as a back-up rotational piece with Lawson, combined with his play on Jumbo packages, he is a perfect fit IMO. I could be wrong but I don't think he will be ready for the start of the season anyway...... Kola moving on and Thomos transitioning into coaching, in conjunction with signing, mostly Canadian starters thus far has been IMO a great offseason start...

I admit to hating on the Rourke hype as much as anyone. When he tore into the new commish and the dumb rule changes… I liked Rourke the player quite a bit more.

Think everything we need to know about Hogan came from Lapo on a broadcast when he said something along the lines of "that's a whiskey bottle play call.... because if it doesn't work everyone in the stands is going to throw a whiskey bottle at you"

Now, if they would name Kola as the new head of catering….indisputable.

I think whomever is planting their flag in the ground and saying "it's all this guys fault" is incredibly short sighted. I wish I could live in a world where everything was so black and white. To go from where we were at a few short seasons ago to where we are now, multiple guys get to wear the horns. Even acknowledging all of that, we are an organization that's enjoyed an unparalleled level of success (on and off the field) these last several years.

Is it just me or does it seem counterintuitive to pay up for the "ratio breakers" with the way O'Shea uses his roster? Don't get me wrong, I know the CFL is all about how good your Canadian talent is, but part of me thinks there's no point paying 250k+ for a star Canadian RB/DB/WR/whatever because we aren't maximizing our roster with the ratio to play the most American talent anyways. With the way MOS just plays 8-9+ marginal Canadian starters and rotates in 3-4 more, we'd almost be better off with 10-12 good but not great Canadians and save our money overpaying for the Canadian starter at a non-traditional position. I wish we would utilize the fact that we have the luxury of a Canadian RB by using the extra American on the DL or OL, but instead most games we just trot out 7+ more Canadians at the regular spots too...

Average league salary is pushing $130,000 with current cap number and the rookies still make under $90,000....significantly less for American rookies. These numbers aren't outlandish. Teams are ready to pay $250,000+ for decent Canadian OL and starters now. The "highest paid" whatever headlines today are kind of laughable considering 45% of the league are free agents. That's going to change by February.

I think its time to move on from Jefferson. He's going to be 35, he's had declining production the past two seasons, he takes plays off and he costs too much money. Too be honest, he seems to get a pass from many here, while other players don't.

Holm is outstanding... A worthy All Star recipient. Stoked to have him back.

From prison or Bombers?

Is this a joke?

Honestly Booch has hated Jake Thomas for years, even when he was a serviceable backup player. Just hates guys with limited athletic ability who succeed anyway. I say give Jake a chance in this role and see how he does with it.

Until of course the moment Thomas arrives on the scene.

Tyson Philpot who has never had a 1000 yard season and who has missed 5, 9 and 6 games over the past three seasons got $275,000. Brady was not getting less.

I don't see how out of all of our players this guy couldn't qualify for the marketing money. I'd hope a good chunk is covered for marketing. 3 years for a guy in his prime that has "pardon the pun" carried the team over the last two seasons. Great signing.

I sure hope there is a ton of marketing money being used on that contract.

So we can yell No deal McCutcheon everytime he breaks up a play?

Love it! I love that Wilson and Lawson are the first two guys signed. I think it means we’re prioritizing the youth. There was so many times I saw Lawson double and tripled teamed and he still got to the quarterback. He’s a beast and will only look even better next once we get some help beside him.

Good for Lawson.... Now let's actually play the ******* guy.

Glad that we've signed younger guys in Lawson and Wilson.

2 year extension for Cam Lawson.

Love it. Relentless lunch pail dude who does the dirty work on teams and does it well. Noticed him making a lot of solid teams tackles last year, but people tell me his teams game is much deeper than just chasing kicks...

I love the Kramdi hate lol Dude is a very savvy player, he’s got some ball-in-the-air issues that I have seen him improve on but overall I’m happy to have him Also, he’s nowhere near the 2nd highest paid DB in the league lol

The dumb move was to sign him to a two year extension before the season had even begun. You could see the decline coming and it got worse this season. Even if sticking with him, they could have easily got him for a lot less if they waited until the end of the season to offer an extension, especially since they refuse to renegotiate contacts. Bombers have a history of tying themselves to extensions for QBs on their way down. They would have also had the time to see if Wilson or a prospect from another team may have been an option at the end of the season and could have begun a transition if that opportunity presented itself.

600k for Zach is too much. He’s had a good career and earned his fair share. I mean you only take what is offered but I would have liked to see us have more flexible for salary at the quarterback position. We’re still paying him like he’s 2022 Zach and not 2026. Not the end of the world but I would have liked to see a deal similar to what Harris is making.

Hope it's more than a depth signing. As in Center.

I actually laughed about the Jake-As-Coach thing just because I knew exactly what the reaction would be. So funny. I think he's well respected in the room and 13 years experience is definitely worth passing on to th next generation. I'm happy for the guy.

He can't be as bad as Patterson was and if it takes him off the field it's a double win. Are you seriously complaining about this? Jake is a long time veteran DL of our club and league, he has a ton he can teach. That doesn't necessarily mean he will be a good coach but excluding his chances of being one based on his playing career doesn't make sense either. Look at Ryan Dinwiddie, guy was a career backup and barely at that and is a great coach. I'm willing to give him a chance, and at the same time get rid of Patterson who was god awful.

Condell has had success with good RBs in the past. He hasn't run an offense that leads he league in rushing, but he hasn't ever had the best back in the league or a top-tier guy either. I mean, the RBs kept starting a WR at RB rather than bringing in a real one. As others have said, I have to believe that with brady locked up on a monster deal, that part of the due diligence was making sure Condell would fit in here with the balanced attack at the very least. Also, him constantly being behind other offensive minds and running other systems, I tend to think he will either run the successful stuff we've had prior to the last 2 years or has some great ideas and hasn't been able to fully show them. It's far from my favorite pick for OC. But at the very least, I expect a good improvement. Yeah, Hogan and Buck in his last year really seemed to be at odds and out of sync with Zach. He was furious so often because the calls from both came in ridiculously slowly. Which means you break the huddle late, have to rush lining up, and get significantly less time to survey the D in the pre-snap read. I can't emphasize enough how important an extra 4 seconds breaking the huddle are. Little on if you break the huddle and start lining up before the D. We used to reap huge advantages from being set way ahead of the D, and running any play out of any formation. That has been completely gone for 2 years. Not only does it make it harder to pass and run RPO, but it also makes it harder to protect the QB. \ Condell, as an OC, gets a C grade from me right now. I worry that it will be a high-floor, low-ceiling pick, but time will tell, and I am fine giving him the benefit of the doubt. He also worked very well with Dru, which bodes well for fit with Zach imo.

So Brady, Demski, Kramdi and Lawson, 4 likely starting Canadians, a young, up and coming WR in Wilson and Nichols. Walters is doing a great job thus far.

Got to say loving the guys the are coming back so far

We added this guy like two days ago, they obviously “wanted” him and didn’t want anyone else to get him. Wonder if this was a Sunderland find that they wanted to make sure didn’t find his way to Hamilton or something like that. Dude had video game numbers against a terrible level of competition. 1600 yards and 22 TD in 10 games in 24-25. Went for 15 catches, 390 yards and 5 touchdowns in one game that I can only assume was against the cafeteria staff.

If there is no limit on market money, the Bombers should use it extensively. Club has been making bank the past few years.

Wilson and Lawson no-brainer signings. Very good players that shouldn't break the bank.

And the most important move has already been made: at centre

When has Mandani ever been right about the CFL?

That tee shirt was from the Eastern Division Semi Final game played at Winnipeg Stadium on November 13, 1988. The Bombers won 35-28. Attendance was an embarrassment & a shock as crowds at Winnipeg Stadium in 1988 were fairly consistent all season long around 24,000. Hence, the idea for a tee shirt commemorating that game with the attendance on the front. The Bombers got on a roll behind qb Sean Salisbury in the playoffs. They took care of Hamilton at home & then beat the Argos 27-11 a week later in the Eastern Final at CNE Stadium on November 20th. Then they wrapped up the Trifecta on November 27th by defeating the heavily favoured BC Lions by a score of 22-21. in the Grey Cup at Lansdowne Park which featured DT Michael Gray deflection of a Matt Dunigan pass to an open receiver in the end zone. Not only did he deflect the pass up into the air but he caught it on the way down at the goalline to preserve the Bomber win & the Grey Cup Championship. I'll never forget that play. The story goes that the Bombers supposedly sold over 50,000 of those tee shirts. I don't know if that was true or not. There were fans that bought that tee shirt who never attended the game while claiming they did just to join the Grey Cup bandwagon. I can't confirm that number to be true or not but a lot of people did buy that tee shirt. It seemed everyone was wearing one & it was a hot ticket item for Christmas that year. I was there along with my wife as we were STH's in Sec V, row 29 & seats 12 & 13 at the old barn on Maroons Road. I never got a tee shirt, though. Michael Gray: Grey Cup hero.

I’ll just take these moves at face value. Hogan, it seemed like everyone knew he sucked at his job and it grew to be a point of contention with several players (Zach, Brady, etc) so I really don’t get the desire to bring him back in any capacity. Jake, as much as I’ve hated seeing him get trotted out there for the past … 5??? years, I’m really not too bothered by us hiring him. That being said, I think it’s fair to say this isn’t a move that gives me confidence as a fan. Also fair to say, it’s probably the first move we’ve made all offseason that has given me pause (and the fact that it’s an O’Shea decision shouldn’t be lost on any of us)

Walter’s who brought us two extremely strong draft classes back to back, a couple great canadian talent trades, and a bumper crop of rookies like vaval, allen, woodbey, and the rookie ends who dominated in their one game. The same who already has us with the next group of high end imp ol in rando, who would’ve been an acclaimed all star on any other play off team maybe gotten nfl looks, and vanterpool who barely played but was our best ol when he did. The huge majority of the problem lays at the feet of mos. Walters hasn’t been perfect by any means, but we’ve seen him have the best free agent periods in the league while here when he has money to spend. He’s handed out some over pays for sure. And we’ve lost guys. But the team from top to bottom was in a maintain stage. If we are really in a re tool phase and it sure looks like we are, I wouldn’t pick any other gm in the league to do the job over him.