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I assume this means you can cross both these guys off the list of potential Riders coaches....

My counter point to this is that we were a tremendous Brady Oliveira season away from a LOT more criticism being leveled on Collaros. They had to adjust massively to try and keep the pocket clean and when it wasn't he struggled mightily.

They're going to love working with BLM, who joined the Riders last offseason, per Bulls**t'ys inside scoop.

It wasn't just the Big Game where he looked like a deer in the headlights, forced throws, and lobbed it into traffic though. He threw for alot of yards and TDs this season but also a pile of picks and bad pick-6s. Compare Collaros's, pocket presence, calmness in the pocket, his vision, throwing velocity and accuracy with that of Dru Brown and you can see Zach is on the downswing and Brown is better. It happens to every QB. Brown has had tremendous mentorship in Winnipeg. Why would you let him get away? They have to figure out a way to sign him as the starter. If Buck leaves, promote Zach to OC (or give him a role like Calvillo in Montreal) and let Brown lead the charge.

Not to nerd out, but that's the moment Bilbo gave up the ring.

At least Bilbo came home with a ring! 😂

BLUE NOTES: Rasheed Bailey has no regrets after sacrificing money, health to help Bombers play in Grey Cup | Fort McMurray Today

Just so happened to have my regular session with my therapist yesterday and talked about the whole thing and how messed up I was (each day gets better in minuscule increments) and he explained how it's very much a grieving process for a lot of people and a really common thing. But I 100% agree... every time I scroll through the Twitter timeline and see **** about the Als GC parade, I'm physically sick about it. It's gonna take me until well into the new year to get over this. In the meantime I desperately need some cold weather to lock up the lakes so I can get out there and start punching holes looking for ol' Walt....

I'm going to make some excuses for the average play of Collaros in the Grey Cup. 1. We have been a very balanced offensive team...especially in the two years that we had Andrew Harris here. We were run heavy. We basically employ receivers that are run blockers first. 2. We know we can run and running in the playoffs is the way to go 3. 2022 Collaros was playing hurt 4. 2023 our entire receiving core minus Lawler and Woli were hurt It just goes to show you that it isn't the best team that wins the Grey Cup...it's the hottest/healthiest. Healthy Collaros and Schoen has been our bread and butter for passing stats the last two years. We haven't had that in both our losses. That said, has Collaros been stellar, even given the excuses? I'd say no. His underthrows in this last Grey Cup were brutal. But are we making a mountain out of a mole hill? I think so.

"We're confident in our ability to operate in 2024" - the need to clarify that is a bit scary

ZC confirms what many others believe - Dru Brown could be the best QB in the CFL. So, if that is the case, why on earth would Winnipeg let him go elsewhere? Obviously if we can only afford to keep one of either Brown or Collaros - it has to be Brown. “Under the right leadership and coaching and play calling and all those things, I think he can be one of the best if not the best guy in the league. I truly feel that way about Dru,” said veteran quarterback Zach Collaros. https://3downnation.com/2023/11/22/zach-collaros-in-right-situation-dru-brown-could-be-best-qb-in-cfl/#google_vignette

Heartbreak only matters when you aren't a casual. We aren't a casual fan base, we don't abandon our team when **** hits the fans. A lot of you are veterans of the 29 year plague, and know that the heartbreak last night stings because we love our team and province. I am grateful to be a part of a fan base like ours that cares, is committed, and loves our team We didn't become obnoxious pigs with success like the rider fans did, and we didn't abandon our team to half empty crowds when the going got tough like whats happening in Alberta. I tried to get this message across last night and maybe it was too soon or too poorly written. The raw emotion of last nights loss stung. But I want you to know that to all my fellow Bomber fans, you should keep your head high because you're part of something bigger than all of us individuals, greater than the sum of our parts. Our profession is Blue. We will be back next year and I can't wait. Enjoy the off season and I love and appreciate you all and I will always be Winnipeg no matter where I am.

Hey I'm a huge fan of Brown too. My comment wasn't about Brown - it was about Collaros and the narrative that he isn't a big game QB. He has been hamstrung in the big game the last 2 years. It's a big decision to move on from a guy who has gotten us to 4 straight Grey Cups - despite the fact that we have lost the last two in dramatic fashion.

Rose was a better cover guy than Houston, and should have been playing instead.

We need to roster and find 2 legit DT's to rotate with Lawson to become a force again on defence and take the load off the Jeff's, and have them run with legit rotational piece as well. Bring back Fox and Walker and several guys to compete for the DT roles...rewards...has to be earned...keep the best 2 for roster....3rd goes PR....same to be said with the ends.....you roster the Jeff's and an additional guy, be it Hba..Garbut...Or a new find/FA pickup, and with Hansen who 2 yrs removed from Achilles should be back to what he was, especially with the low miles on him for a guy of his age, and we need to land Bennett, and or Kongbo to supplement the rotation If we can run with the Jeff's, and a rotation guy....Lawson and a import DT...who has a rotation sub (Like when we used Neves and Stove) as well as Hansen and Bennett (the good Benett) or kongbo we should be pretty damn stout upfront Wilson also played well as season went on, and another yr removed from surgery should be ok....but competition needs to be brought on there also, Clements and Cole look to be legit starters for next yr, both young and right in prime and both are versatile enough to be used in several ways....but we need to treat LB like we did with DB's before and bring in a boatload...we have stood pat now for 4 yrs...time to turn the page. I would only bring Biggie back on a reduced deal, and to do what the "supposed plan" was with him for Grey Cup....But do it healthy not on one leg...if he declines that option, then we have to cut bait, and then all his salary can go to shoring up elsewhere I'd keep Holm...Nichols..Parker...Houston...Lawrence...Rose BA for sure to battle with some young...aggressive DB prospects and like mentioned earlier....best man who earned the job, and allows us to play multiple styles of defence are rostered.....Ideally I would like to see us work on extending Ford and giving him every chance to take the one corner position and flip the SAM back to an import spot with a dynamic impact guy there....adequate Kramdi is what he is, and adequate ain't what we need...We should run Holm boy at safety and work out from there filling in inside out..Nichols is a slam dunk and I like to see Parker at HB...he is a star in the making....Ford at the corner and a legit major battle for the other corner....may the best man win...like literally this yr....

Can’t imagine why. 😉 #we’re

You presumably mean Hendrix. IMO he's more like top 5, despite getting no all-star recognition. Must be re-signed.

I've heard a lot dumb ass **** over the past week. But getting rid of the HC that has led the team to 4 straight GCs. And helped them become the winningest team since 2016 is definitely the dumbest.

Good gravy, man…are you familiar with the notion of adding insult to injury??

3 Stars: 🥇 17 🥈 44 🥉 Point

I clearly remember video footage of drafts from that era - Mack was clearly in charge I will agree that he didn't 'know jack' about the draft

Just one guy’s opinion but… Hanging on to the ball too long…bad decisions…throwing an inordinate number of picks…getting happy feet This, to me, reeks of a guy tightening up due to the pressure of the moment. Seems odd for a guy with that type of experience but the weight of the pressure to deliver/lead in the biggest moments can affect anyone. We’ve all been concerned about his head but maybe for the wrong reasons

Herb never pulls his punches:

Hendrix? @bluto He's a gooder- I would have him over Oakman.

Love it when he was here... but dilutes coming off of two Achilles tears.

🤣 I haven't even begun the grieving process. I am not prepared to even discuss the game yet. People around the office keep stopping by and asking how I am. How am I? I'm cruising down the de-Nile! That's how I am. Call me in January.

If they hadn't had to play out of position earlier in the game and that last drive wouldn't have mattered. Maybe if Rose was on the roster, Parker wouldn't have come back in after being injured earlier. Maybe an extra DE on the roster has the Jeffs that much fresher to make a play earlier in the drive. Little things add up, especially in a one score game.

Not buying it. Guys who busted coverages on the last drive were not playing out of position or moved anywhere, They were in their proper positions. They just blew it.

He went with NCAA guys for most part and size/speed. They had basically nothing on U Sports aside from combine guys and Walters combing film. Then they fired Mack and built an actual personnel department for a CFL team.

"I don't know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve." Looking forward to reliving what could have been this season and scrutinizing every little change going into next year.

I'm generally not too worried about our D. We were #1 in pretty much all categories. Our DB scouting has been pretty top tier. I would love to see more rostered DL. Adding Kongbo and/or Bennett should be expected not hoped for. If we stay true to form, we're not spending on DT and will let Walker...walk...rather than give him a raise. That means bringing in lots of bodies to TC. We have the LBing pieces, but if a young guy can steal a spot, all the better. Ford coming in and taking a starter role (even if it's over the course of a the season) would be huge. Offence could change a great deal based on Brady and Dalton and Stanley. I think those are all survivable, but would like to see Eli shore up the front.

There's some good thinking in here. Durability becomes an issue and we have a lot of guys who have had serious injuries, or the kind that never really get back close to 100%. Also age. Bighill, Jeffcoat, Alexander, Grant, most of the receivers on this current team. Jefferson has always been his best when he's playing about 2/3 of snaps. As others have mentioned, this is kind of a determine who your core is for the 2025 run kind of off-season IMO. Yeah Walters had no involvement until 2013, and all he provided was scouting. He didn't make picks.

If you need a bit more therapy and are near the GTA East...

Jets looked dead in the 2nd. After point tied it I thought they were done. But they regrouped and went toe to toe with the Lightning and it was an even game. 4 wins in a row. Make it 5 in Sunrise!

Yeah it's perhaps mislabelling it on my part. I'm thinking explosive against other guys. Like Holm ain't gonna explode into someone a d drop them. He just wraps up and tackles.

Anthony Bennett could be Walters worst ever pick so early in the draft, he contributed absolutely nothing to the Bombers this year and at his age in all probability wont be improving going forward.

Not a long time vet but I hope we don't bring Houston back.

Like I said...utilize what he does best....playing off and ability to close, and put that at safety, as then he would be getting picks, instead of tackles after the catch or the knockdowns when he really gets the jump...thats where he would be best served moving forward...we don't need a sledge hammer there....especially if we get some muscle back up the middle, and some HB's with physicality, and ability to jam and disrupt routes, and whallop guys when the whalloping is there. We rely too much on letting plays unfold under neath and moving up to it....If we alter a philosophy a bit, and force teams to have to push down field...Ol fancy feet would prob have double digits in picks coming from depth over the top..especially if he has good eyes...yr 3 next yr he should now

Once I sober up.... just going to put my sarong back on.... and try to forget about it for a while.....

I deleted Twitter. I don't think I'll go back to be honest. I don't need to spend copious amounts of time arguing with idiots and bots. It is such a cesspool of things that aren't real. As much as people find it useful, I think in general it's making everyone's life much worse and they don't realize it.

I've started using AI to generate bits of PowerShell code. Works very well and saves me the time of googling for hours to find the bits of code I need to make something work. Thankfully I'm near the end of my career so I don't have to worry about AI taking my job away, which it could easily do in the not-too-distant future.

No Walters was doing it. He just wasn't given the full resources to do it right. It was kind of half arsed and that is why we ended up with busts such as Mulumba and Bilikudi that never ever intended to really play up here. Very talented guys, but no due diligence prior to their selection.

So then, the best answer is: no one was really doing it.

I imagine there are things to announce in Winnipeg like players re-signing, Walters, and retirements but i think they want to give us a little more time to mourn before turning on the next year marketing machine. If Brown is moving on please let there be significant interest so we can trade his early rights. Personally if Kurtis Rourke is coming to the CFL and Brown is moving on Id love to see us trade up to get him. Not only is it a backup and future starter but there's a significant cost savings vs what an american backup qb makes because Canadians are severely capped for 3 years. Plus it gives us another DI.

it really looks like they're gonna be a private company sooner rather than later. Such a shame to see yet another public entity go this way.... Edmonton's CFL franchise used to be one of the wealthiest in the league, even as "Community" owned. As someone said on Twitter, they ran into a perfect storm of ****.... the pandemic+the name change+garbage product on the field.....

I was JUST gonna say "**** sakes it's been like 3 days...chill" But definitely expect something by the end of next week.

He signed a two year deal before ever starting a game. He was definitely giving us a ton of value. Too bad we couldn't capitalize.

Don't get me wrong, Walters had no in-season CIS scouting ability and we were very hamstrung because of that but he was the guy whispering in Mack's ear regarding the 2011, 2012 drafts. Getting Goveia was massive for us, and Walters being able to scout in-season. That's when our drafts started turning around. Prior to that it was just anyone's best guess really and Walters, although he held a lot of influence over our drafting was really doing so with one hand tied behind his back.

Dissecting this cup loss doesn’t do much for me. It’s done. What does it for me is that we are Blue Bombers. Currently the most successful franchise of any of the CFL teams. Argos win a cup and they couldn’t fill a stadium. Most other teams would want to be where we are.