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You are not alone in failing to see any sort of plan either. I don't think we took a "we good" approach, but I think we were sleeping at the wheel on at least one, and maybe more, players. OShea doesn't negotiate contracts Walters does. All O'Shea needs to have is his phone and the ability to answer it. Walters SHOULD HAVE had a priority list of our own FA's already done, and a target list of other teams FA's. That discussion should have been done by January with Walters on the clock to get it done. Not like we needed to pivot because we were tapped out of SMS. We lost out on players we could have kept and didn't add anyone of significance, That's poor GMing unless Walters has a couple aces up his sleeve.

with our DB's and whats looking like a more active LB group...if we could field a legit 4 man front...with better than adequate 2 guys to rotate in...we would dominate on defence....right now tho...just dont see it...camp better be intense and of the open competition type where the best get jobs....TBD tho

Recap & salary details of the Bombers FA's. Vaughters - $160k Mitchell - $148k (with a 8k bonus if he ever hits his 2000 yards receiving goal! 😂) Jones - $120.5k Logan - $107.5k Patterson - $88k White - $85k Sterns - $90k Cobb, Gowanlock, Hagerty & Makonzo - between $80-85k each. https://3downnation.com/2025/02/19/what-the-winnipeg-blue-bombers-top-free-agents-got-paid-how-they-fit-into-the-roster/ Not according to the CFL site: https://www.cfl.ca/players/anthony-bennett/167925/ 2024-05-12 WPG DEL Free Agent 2025-02-18 MTL ADD Active Roster

In other former Bomber news, Hamilton signed Chris Smith. we signed DB Javaris Davis

didnt help too when Osh was off mentoring or being mentored in a key part of off-season when tampering and "dea;s" are discussed when they arent allowed yet before the actual tampering...

I think part of it is we prioritize the wrong guys first.....we at times asleep at the wheel thinking guys will give us a bit of a discount....not any more....and again...still resting on past success as the key ingredient and lingering too long with certain assets We are probably the most financially rich team...there was some real difference makers available to be had...and we either struck out or didnt try cause we figured we good.....doesnt cut it man Jones...Logan....they are legit scores.....Mitchell too if he is dialed in...and used effectively...the rest...a collection of "hope they regain form" and "change of scenery may be good" "Hope injury issue ...isnt still an issue" That includes both Schoen and Strev....Wilson too to an extent We have a new scouting group...seen a few nice pieces added and we have a couple coming back that didnt get a shot last yr as well.....Will they get to play and grow, and not be in a rep/shre program stunting them....or not enabling us to even see if they worth keeping....Thats the big issue as we seen the track record here...We brought back Case and Mitchell from last yr as well...2 guys who showed nothing and couldn't crack the roster last yr....and as it sits now are a looooong shot to supplant anyone again...whats the point....you know them and if u in a pinch later in yr...I bet both would be available and at worst sitting on Hammies PR... For most part I have seen no semblance of any real plan...so not sure what plan even is....Camp better be a barn burner where jobs are earned/won tis yr...regardless of yrs in league....nationality and definately not due to yrs being here

Bennett was the invisible man. Never did anything noticeable on the field

well...he was utterly useless here...and pushing 30 now isnt he?.... so with those relatively ceap deals....and good thing as none really are elite....where is our money allocated where we struck out on any legit big ticket guys?....ZC and 3 high DB salaries dont help..Demski and BO also are hefty...other than that...who's sucking up all the SMS?...

Yuuuuuppp. +/- tds for/against they were +3. The bombers despite massive offensive problems and injuries were +8. Edmonton was +2.

That is pretty much what you get with Trevor Harris.

Yep plus great athleticism, high 4.3 40 with tremendous acceleration. Great football iq, good reliable wrap and tackle guy with great ball skills. Great competitive dog mentality too. Projects as a defensive half, and could likely play any spot in the back end. Definitely a blue chip prospect.

Oh no! Anyway....

Just musing here but also wondering how much of the "Trump Effect" will have on the growth of the CFL? At least in the short term as we don't know where things will go politically between the US & our nation. Will a good percentage of Canadian fans abandon their NFL teams in favour of watching the CFL because it is Canadian? Will fans begin to come back to the league because the 3 down version is truly our game? Meaning more fans in the stands, better tv ratings & increased revenues for teams & advertisers?

Players always think they are the #1 priority. Lots of these guys probably weren't communicated to because the organization was moving on. In the case of Lawler he bailed for the money once already and then missed time because of his own dumb dumb decisions so walters maybe felt it wasn't worth the effort for a guy like that at that kind of price tag.

Yes I’m sure Kenny looking forward to playing in front of 10000 less fans on average probably. Eat em raw right Kenny. With him and Bridges tho, that’s 2 deadly weapons for BO. Dude gonna throw for 10000 yards and finish 6 and 12.

They made him the highest paid non-QB of course he's going to say how great the Ti-Cat organization is.

Lawler left cause he wanted the money and we couldn't afford both him and Shoen so we kept the one thats the best value Of course llLawler wanted to stay ... At 275k

Numerous players that left have indicated the Bombers failed to touch base with them, communication is key to negotiations, keeping channels open never hurts.

Yea...it really feels like Walters did not come into this offseason well prepared at all. We can speculate as to whether other players may have opted not to come here, but we KNOW for certain Kenny wanted to stay. That is Walters dropping the ball right there. I know Hammy made him an offer he couldn't refuse, but we should have locked him down before that.

you woud think....question now is...why we sitting on it...and for whom?....and do we have some money because guys we targeted...if we even targeted any...choose to go elsewhere...seems odd to me all around...especially when Kyle said we would be players in FA this yr....guys we got were not big targets across the league by any stretch

Not just McManis. We did nothing to take their DL out of the game in the passing and nothing to spread out the Lbers in the run game either.

That is more for vaughters than I expected. Other wise pretty fair deals. You're right, I thought he was on their pr in 24 but doesn't look like he was.

Still a solid teams guy for them. Good move. Hey was with Montreal in 24 after we cut him, then he was under contract in 25. I believe he was cut and or injured in camp with them last year and sat out after that. Think he's turning 29 this year. As much as any one I think he's TCF.

What are the odds they're +26 again?

Good pedigree. Played for Auburn and made SEC all freshman team. A little small at 5’8 but stuck around the NFL for a few seasons. Might be a good fit up here if he comes motivated.

I mean if at any point in the season the Bombers are trotting out someone like Patterson at QB they are ******, and it doesn't have anything to do with the fact Patterson is on the roster. It's not a new phenomenon that GMs in sports have a "but I can fix him!" attitude either

The bombers channel was probably closer to 240 or 250 than 275. And that’s really what it comes down to. If Sask offered him 280 he’d be there. If Calgary offered 282 he’d go there. Pretty obvious they weren’t willing to pay Kenny close to 275 cuz of they were they could have matched that 275 and all things being equal we would have the best weight room and facilities still.

Do we know if Walters had any interest in paying him that much though? Lawler says one thing, but I can just as easily see Kyle Walters feeling Lawler didn't bring enough to justify the money.

yes and no...he should tho have a big hand in it to an extent..showing a lil love and some constant persistent communication...many a player here has even said they dont here boo from anyone...a lot of times until its too late Thats my reasons on saying we good as we seem to think we have no urgency at times and things will just fall into place...speaking from experience here...negotiations and influencing comes in many forms and in many avenues...we aint doing it like we should

Just my 2c, but I think we became reliant on the team approach from the front office. Having soo many guys tied up in discussions with other teams on positions kinda exposed this weakness. And to be fair, previously I think it was our strength. This is why we've produced soo many front-office guys league-wide. But at the end of the day we need better from the top half. Very much so. Even Schmekel showed incredible motor, effort, and ability to maintain that play through all his snaps. He lacks the raw physical attributes to dominate, But he has the big ones that make him a guy worth keeping around. I still think he should be moving to OL, and filling the role gowanlock was signed to play. but you can make a career as a Canadian in the CFL with a blood n guts, lunch pail attitude and work ethic. Especially if you have decent football IQ. Also like Hubert showed. If bennett had an once of what those guys have he wouldn't have been a 10 game in 4 years under achiever with Florida Atlantic.

Its disappointing that we seem to be underspending in a year that we're hosting the Cup.

opted for 2 other bad canadians..Schmeck and Thomas...and cost more too hahahah But good riddance to Bennett...was never gonna amount to spit

I also thought Montreal signed bennet to the PR last year but maybe I’m thinking of another former bust. But yeah apparently he wasn’t at all. After remaining unsigned for the 2024 season, it was announced on February 18, 2025, that Bennett had signed with the Montreal Alouettes to a one-year contract.[16]

It is actually fun and way more intense than expected. I have even more reason to hate the GM for the Wild/USA. Hope we play the Wild in the playoffs and stomp them. Go Canada Go Jets but not for two of them this Thursday.

I think it's been a fun tourney. Way better than the all-star game. Why Logan Thompson isn't the starting goalie for Canada is beyond me. Binnington like St. Louis are one hit wonders.

Not particularly sad about this....

Aykroyd said no... Apparently in poor health. Carvey has been on all season so I think he willingly stepped back a bit for this. Absolutely loved Garrett Morris introducing the painfully ironic Belushi video.... For all the old timers out there, they can't say they weren't recognized. Basically every one of Lorne's eras was represented.... And even a bit of the awful Doumanian era. I'm a particularly big fan of the 2010-ish era that had Forte, Sudekis, Hader, Samberg, Armisen, Moinehan, Kenan and Wiig... With Meyers and Mulaney writing...I'll go to bat for that as one of the best ever, if not THE best ever... And was glad to see a lot of them get work in last night.

Are we still stuck on the six figures thing in 2025? Things have changed. It’s not 2006 anymore **trigger warning** even Jake Thomas makes 100k+

Hello Bomber fans, I am a long time lurker, sometimes emoter and infrequent poster. I have noticed that there has been many heated debates on this site - and most are fun - and interesting. Please keep in mind: it is difficult to infer tone in written posts - and the message can be misinterpreted to be mean, nasty or rude. Please keep that in mind - and try not to write or take things personally. We all want the Bombers to succeed - and we all have ideas how that will come about - and want to share them with others that are as passionate. Love the debate's - and Go Blue for '25. Matt (Blue28)

Don't you take that tone with me...