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Finally, we have the first pre-season game! LFG Both games are on CFL+, no regular TSN this year. Position battles to watch; DB, (22)Burrell, and (37)Texada lead this race through camp so far. (41) Williams isn't far behind. It will also be a big pre-season for (26)Woodbey and (0) Allen, who showed strong flashes last year but are fighting an uphill battle for AR spots. Bonus, the Canadians are having a tough battle as well (7)Stuart, (29)Ball, (16)Kelly are all fighting for a chance to play. Kelly needs to sustain some high-level play, as Ball has been a strong overachiever, and Stuart has tremendous attributes. (36)Javier is a sleeper pick as well. He spent time on the Riders' PR, played pre-season in the NFL, and had a knack for big plays in college to go with great size. (13)Addison, a former WR convert who immediately produced at DB, has incredible size and is another big-play college guy to watch. DL, (90)Dixon, and (54)Jenkins are front-runners at DE, (35)Bailey, and (43)Gatkuoth have high hopes to provide us meaningful reps from the depth chart. 95(Hooper) is a depth-sleeper as well. While (91)Pace is the new DT to watch. Of course, the OL will be a great watch, with mostly names we are all familiar with. Wallace's step forward in camp has been huge; this could be his coming-out party. And Eli now gets the chance to be C 1, while everyone gets the chance to finally be free of Kola. (62)Viebert, and(64)Ellsbury are lesser known guys to watch. I like a lot of what Viebert brings, and with a step forward this year could make a tough decision. Ellsbury is our no. 1 option at C if Eli doesn't work out. Lber, we see a ton of returning guys and more CFL bodies than we could possibly carry. (39)Smith and (34)Shay are the ones we all hope have a big game and manage to move up the depth chart. Rb/TE will be interesting to watch. (73) Daniels could be put in for blocking immediately, which could come at the expense of the 3rd rb. (25)MCI has flashed a significant step forward as a ball carrier in camp, on top of that huge play late last year. While (22)Peterson showed us a whole lot in relief of Brady last year. (35)Rocker, the token import RB of the year and winner of best name in TC, would only be fitting if he became the TC MVP. WR, it's an ugly group today. No reason to mince words. (86) Clericius moving to the slot should be a good watch. They seem high on (82)Cobb this year in camp, after stapling his butt to the bench most of last year. (83)Nield will need to translate what he flashed last year in a big way for us. (17) Singer has had some plays in camp. Corcoran, Desrosiers, Hurford, Jack, and (89)feel good story Tachinski are all going to play significant reps. Hopefully its not like a rerun of Baywatch when they are out on routes. (44)Keegan, the punter's rival this year, has been quiet after coming to camp late. (36)Lidster, Sergios intern has as well. (79)Harrison is a former JET KR of the year winner and will see some KR work. (87)Davis, a very tall, slim-built converted QB from the arena leagues, will likely see some KR work today. (17)Singer, a WR to watch, has also gotten reps on teams this camp, though he doesn't have as much experience doing it as the rest. (35)Rocker may possibly do it this pre-season as well, as he was kind of a do-it-all back in college.

She called Paul Friesen "vile and souless" lol. He is...........

Honestly that is fantastic news. If he has that kind of mentality then buh-bye. Always thought he would never develop.

Perkins and Elgersma both bring hope for the short and long term IMO. Don't expect Perkins to be much of a passer but think he'll have a big role and can run stuff for him. Elgersma has the pro arm. Be nice to see him with some receivers maybe next week. He kind of missed all our better Americans. Singer was in after, White in before.

Honestly have never seen Wilson enter a game (regular or pre-season) and look like anything but a raw rookie. He did well on short yardage, couple big runs. His preseason games have all been a series of being indecisive in the pocket, check downs and sacks. Low floor with not much ceiling. Was pretty surprised he was brought back for a third camp but still on rookie deal.

AJ Allen's top 5 movies: 1 - Gigli 2 - Battlefield Earth 3 - Glitter 4 - War of the Worlds(2025) 5 - Batman and Robin

Both backup QBs showed glimpses. I liked Perkins as 2nd string game 1. He looked much more confident; did a good job moving around despite the pressure and generally looked more CFL ready. Elgersma certainly has the raw tools and showed good accuracy. I think we can be a bit patient with him. But who knows what preseason game 2 will hold. Should we legitimately be looking at Andrews for the punter position? Those punts were massive. And good positions too.

To talk away the day before a game because you didn't like the depth chart is just all kinds of weak sauce .

I haven't been to camp but here's my best representation of what I can gather of the lineup from reports and other sources. Of course we will get the official pre-season game 1 depth chart tomorrow morning.

While unfortunate that JSK went out with an injury, I really hope to see Shay and Smith get reps at LB throughout the season.

I had his number but I dropped my phone.

I've never liked you.

Good, good, let the hate floooow through you. I am glad, though, I am happy to see the league under-rate this team. If we stay reasonably healthy and Zach performs at a higher level than the last 2 years, this will be the best team we've put on the field since 21 imo.

Unless it's injury related (and I think it was in Womack's case, but not sure about the two DL), bringing back our cuts after not giving them a look in the pre-season game is a bit embarrassing and just shows our lack of ability to really know what we're valuing when we scout players.

Not to mention the fact and I quote: It’s a f’ing discussion board with fantastic options at one’s disposal to block, ignore and/or engage at one’s discretion. I added f’ing for effect. :) Riders suck.

Perkins looked better and did more in one quarter than Wilson did in 3 seasons.

We all know the reasons why ZC had a resurgence after he came here in 2019. Top notch pass pro, a great running game and sure-handed receivers who also played the game tough as nails and complimented his style of play. The past 2 seasons, they have not provided him with anything even close to that. In fact, the offensive rostering and planning has been borderline inexplicable.

The only way for Elgersma to learn is thru mistakes. The learning curve is steep. Once he adjusts to the speed of the CFL game then he'll play a lot better. He'll have better days.

omg, I had just read her reply to one of my comments, but she is going ham on everyone. Fans, media, the organization. She called Paul Friesen "vile and souless" lol.

That's the thing, after this long Wilson has had some opportunity and he's never seized it. Got no-one to blame but himself. Bailing without even giving it a go in preseason is just 10 ply soft.

Cobb is practicing in Demski's spot and Corcoran is filling in for Cobb at field WR. Clercius is at SB on the second team. We'll see how that shakes out when camp is over.

we'd be a better...younger...more athletic defense with them along with Griffin at SAM than with Wilson and T.Jones Maybe we are gonna go with the upside and more talented and part ways with one of Jones and Wilson with the guy staying being a DA and the backup if injury happens...A smart team wanting to filed it's best roster and have guys really develop along the way would do that...as opposed to riding old declining guys into dust as they degrade along the way...wasting the talent you have in waiting yup...Wilson would be the perfect DA/mentor/rotational guy and starter if need be, while the youth continue their development. He offers a lot still, but man you gotta be proactive in the transitions and player development so you arent relying on green unproven guys when the old guard finally break right down...we seen how that plays out already...did we learn? Funny thing tho...Jones is a good player...not great, and when you stack em all up prob ranks behind Wilson..Ayers..Woodbey...Griffin in terms ability and versatility...with Smith and Shay right on hisass Being a holdover/vet shouldn't be an automatic pass to be the starter

As of today, in my known expert opinion, the oline is better with the addition of Broxton and Kolo's departure. The defence should be really good. Brady is excellent. Wilson+White+Demski is a nice trio and I like Nield. The questions are how does Zach play? Can we stay healthy? How do we manage the ratio? Do we keep loading the roster with STers who can't/don't get reps on offense or defense? Best case, we win the Cup. Worst case we miss the playoffs. Likely case, we're somewhere around 10 wins and don't win the Cup.

Stars, Singer, White, Smith, Jenkins, Dixon, Williams, Woodbey, Andrews, and Lidster. Honorable mention to Perkins, MCI, Wallace and Clercius. Goat horns / cut, half the wrs, Pace, and Elsbury for sure. Crunch of the game, MCI on kick cover. HH, Clintons pick 6 that was crazy impressive. Awe thats dirty, Reese with 2 horrible decisions on hits. Golden leg kick of the game, tie between the 67 yard punt through the air by Andrews and the 50 yard FG on his first attempt by lidster.

They are gonna keep cutting Kornelson until they get it right. I retired 5 times until I go it right.

I think Perkins is the best option at QB2 for now...and if he is hope he gets real reps throughout the season too, as it will just get him acclimated that much quicker....but for his minimal time here...and working behind and with garbage for most part looked pretty comfortable I not as anti arm strength against hi as some...he has more than an adequate arm, and you dont need a howitzer to succeed, you need touch...be able to throw a guy open and place a ball....if he can master that, to go with his ability on the ground and I can see him being lethal with that up here we should be just fine as TE learns and develops And with this maybe being ZC swan song a more developed and capable Perkins who could possibly shows he is a legit starter rolling into 2027 camp allows us to not force feed TE into the fracass if he not really quite ready yet...and destroying his confidence...dude is young and licked up for 3 yrs...no need to rush it...let him grab it legitimately

All I ever see from Smith is making plays. Be criminal not to give him reps. Do you not want Canadian play makers?

Nobody is perfect, but there are people on this board who have the correct analysis / opinion, more often than not. In fact, some of the team's moves in the offseason, confirmed what people here have been saying.

For sure Elgersma is 24 years old. Stetson Bennet was throwing footballs in college until he was 26. Way too early to pass judgment, he certainly seems to have a good arm, and I like the way he keeps his eyes down field as he moves around in the pocket to create time, obviously my major problem with him was holding onto the ball too long but not an un common problem with young players. Lots to work on for sure but I’m not worried yet.

The law firm of Macleod, Bethel and Thompson.

I do get great enjoyment from the OB broadcast though. Growing up listening to OB, especially the old late night shows (whistler, shadow etc) are a big part of why I love audiobooks and podcasts. Its also not really summer till I hear a TD blue bombers call on OB.

Just like Noeller

Hot Take: They saw how good Elgersma looked and decided they had no future and left.

I find it extremely strange that two QBs are walking away. Extremely unusual. Even if Wilson could see the writing on the wall, he should at least keep grinding in case someone gets hurt or something else happens. Don't cut yourself, make them cut you. He still could have won the #3 job and had a nice football salary for another year. Very, very weird.

Yeah

Gross.

Not saying he IS ready, but to be honest ... he's equipped to be more ready that most in his position. The combination of a player who has played this style of football before PLUS experienced pro football camps previously as a CFL rookie PLUS comes in with the physical ability to make all of the throws is a rare one. I know we're all thinking he's going to struggle because he's a USports prospect but that may actually work to his benefit in this instance. If you ask me, the comparison here is very Carson Wentz-ish. Big athletic body type, can make every throw on the field, has played the "style" of football before but the question marks are basically level of competition at this point.

Its hard to say...he could have just aggravated it, as I think he was a bit early on the recovery side still. Either way, I dont have an issue with Schmek like some others. Kid has a great motor and is solid depth imo. Hope hes back before the full 6 is done.

I think our roster composition and player deployment is going to get stupid and cost us a win or two (as it always does) but overall, the talent at the top is there. The scary part is it’s old. Brady, Demski, White, Pokey is definitely enough to compete on O, the D is going to be flying around, ST should be solid. I’m not worried that we’re going to lose 12 games, I’m worried we’re going to lose the last one because we’re old, beat up and not putting our best roster on the field. Does anyone believe that if the decision needs to be made in the playoffs, Kyrie Wilson with a torn hammy isn’t coming off the field? That’s still my concern.

Team looks much better on paper across the board from last year. I think there's a lot of roster nitpicking going on, which is completely fair, but preemptive. The sky is not falling.

If the Bombers could win ten games with Hogan at OC I am sure they will win more with Condell who actually seems to know what he is doing. The defence and special teams should be just as good this season as last year. Sure there are depth concerns but after cut down day when every team has 45 players they're all razor thin at at least one position group.

Every time the Riders lose an angel gets its wings.

I think it just a matter he not ready yet...big ol lineman recovering from that...timeline wise he wouldnt have been ready yet to play....and shouldnt...I think we should have learned from last yr that rushing guys isnt wise....we basically ended 2 careers He played 4 games....so he not even 12 months into recovery yet....He should not be counted on till at least labor day really....But agree...he is a useful depth guy...great in Jumbo and he is good on short yardage defence...great get off (one of the best on team in goaline defence) and has his knife technique down pat... Thats why dont like Fredrickson....4.7's 40...not an elite vertical...prob gonna have real issues getting separation from pro caliber DB's...and not the greatest footwork/agility...Be a nice 6th/7th option if roster allowed but our roster likely wont allow that....as he doesnt return kicks Thats why outta what we have left of whom I saw I'd go with TJ Davis....has more speed and agility...can make people miss with ball in his hands and can work a lot of what we do in the inside passing game/sweeps and also has returned kicks, plus the fact he was a QB you could maybe have some trick plays with him...Plus even tho it arena ball has some actual experience outside of college

Where are you even getting this from? Everything across the board is an improvement from last season. Zach looks good in practice. He loves targeting Wilson and White. It sucks that Wilson is out, but we still have some time before the season. We spent half a season last year with Demski as the only option and still hit 10 wins. The defense was great last year and only added pieces. Vaval is still returning kicks. Brady running behind an improved OL. Why the doom and gloom?

Most teams are in a similar situation at QB. Davis, Harris, Adams, Rourke - injuries to any of them could sink that team's season. And some them are known for getting hurt

marty york level expert hot take there. We all know we are counting on a resurgent zach and any thing less including a significant injury has us cooked, short of another zach level miracle with one of the back ups or a trade. 1-2 imp wr injuries/busts will do about the same. If either of those happen, we are probably a 5 win team. May 7-8 if it happens mid to late in the year. The Defence should be exceptional. Even if things go bad on D, it should still be pretty good. Teams too.

I like the extra games...sure the meat of the season may seem redundant...but also can consider it a kinda season long round robin type thing to seed all the teams. The absolute worst team really has no business being in the post season picture, and some of the lesser's a lot of times just run out of time, and were constantly improving...a lot of time due to new coaching and systems/players taking a while to gel...so now they get that extra little time. I can see it making for quite a few more meaningful games as some the lower ranked teams will be jockeying for seeding now...whereas before at times, especially in the east the top 2 teams had their spot secured by labor day, and the bottom 2 were totally just playing out the string....not now

Winnipeg Blue Bomber CHATTER 🏈Brad H. Arrison · · Above and beyond: Blue Bombers’ hopeful gives new life to six-year-old strangerPaul Friesen Growing up in Tucson, Ariz., Stevie Rocker, Jr., never thought he’d be playing college football in Montana or trying out for a pro team in Manitoba. Those are mere footnotes compared to the impact the Winnipeg Blue Bombers hopeful is having on a young boy in Argentina. Just over a year ago, the 23-year-old running back donated bone marrow to save the life of a kid he’s never met. “I was told I was helping a kid who had a really bad bone problem, and I’m pretty much his last hope,” Rocker said in a chat with the Winnipeg Sun on Monday. “If nothing goes through, he’s going to have to live in a hospital for the rest of his life, which wasn’t very long.” Rocker had signed up for the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) at the University of Montana. It began with a simple cheek swab, putting him into a database that connects him with potential matches. A blood test to find a true match was next. “Ninety percent of people, when they do it, they’re blood (stem cell) donations,” he said. “And blood donations for older people. So you expect that when you’re going in. But they were telling me, ‘You’re part of the 10 percent. You’re doing a bone-marrow donation.” That meant more of a surgical procedure, being put under instead of simply being hooked up to an IV. After completing reams of paperwork and having more blood drawn, Rocker and his girlfriend flew to Kansas City, where he had more blood draws the day before hitting the operating table. Doctors were to drill into and extract the marrow from the hip bones in his lower back. “They were telling me it was a 30- to 45-minute procedure,” he recalled. “And it ended up being two-and-a-half hours. Because they didn’t know that I was an athlete, my bone density is a little harder. So it took a lot longer for them to drill into the back.” Rocker will never forget the date: April 26. The pain – he compared it to being hit in the back without pads on – went away in a week or two. The feeling in his heart isn’t going anywhere. “This kid’s six years old,” Rocker said. “He hasn’t really had a chance to even see the world, have an opportunity to even live out his own dreams. I play football. I’ll deal with the back pain if it’s a chance to give this kid an opportunity to live, have a life, and not worry about having procedures and being in the hospital. “Just an opportunity for him and his family to be together and get out of there.” So far, the only thing Rocker knows about the boy is his age and that he’s from Argentina. He may eventually be told a little more. “That’s all I’m hoping,” he said. “Just one day, I can at least reach out just to know they’re doing alright.” Meeting his donor recipient would be the ultimate. As for living his own dream, Rocker got that call four days before the Bombers opened rookie camp. He knew the Canadian game had bigger end zones with goal posts in the front and an extra man on the field, and that was about it. He was as naive about the country in general. “When I was leaving Arizona, we were in the 90s already,” he said. “I come out here and I seen snow the first day of rookie camp. I’m like, ‘What’s going on?’ Canada was something I always thought would be a visiting destination, not a place I’d end up living for a while.” Rocker not only survived the three-day rookie camp, but he also hit Day 9 of main camp on Monday. “And here I am. It’s an awesome opportunity,” he said. “Just feeling appreciated, knowing that somebody’s looking at you in a different light.” Coaches will, of course, be looking to see how good the 6-foot-0, 220-pounder is as a running back, receiver, blocker and potential special-teams player. Hearing his backstory, they’ll immediately get a handle on him as a person. “We try to fill our room with good people,” head coach Mike O’Shea said. “That would obviously be the sign of being a great person.” Asked about the origin of his willingness to go the extra mile to help someone he doesn’t even know, Rocker pointed to his upbringing in Tucson. “You just learn about being kind to people in general,” is how he put it. “God always gives you an opportunity just to show the kind of person you are, regardless of how big or small. You never want to pass up that opportunity, because you never know how that’ll reach somebody else. “Saying my story may reach out to somebody else who’s on the fence of wanting to do it.” Rocker would love nothing more than to make this team and get to know Winnipeg a little better. He likes the little taste he’s had. If he’s cut, though, he’ll take some invaluable things with him, like lessons he’s already learned from star tailback Brady Oliveira, along with tips from other players and coaches. Something else he carries with him wherever he goes is a reminder of the selfless decision he made, an act he’ll hold closer to his heart than any football. “I’ve got two little scars on my back,” he said. “I’ll have those forever.”

🧠: CFL preseason means nothing, it's just nice to have football back. 💙: YEHAW RIDERS LOSE! 🎉 🎉 🎉