Leaderboard

It’s starting to feel like, a week in, it’s business as usual and we haven’t learned much. Still looks like we’re getting ready to trot out 8-9 Canadians for no reason and value experience above everything. It’s hard for these rookie Americans to get experience because irs a revolving door for them by design - we don’t give them experience and then fault them for not having experience. There’s genuinely no reason someone like Gavin Cobb or Joey Corcoran should be taking meaningful reps with the first team at this point in camp. If you can’t find an American rookie that can perform better than 2* Canadian prospects, what’s the scouting department even doing? And the lot default “they’re all starters and the Canadian provides roster flexibility” thing is so hollow, we don’t need the flexibility. We don’t even use the flexibility we currently give ourselves.

Must have been quite an impression on your new co-workers when you walked in like this on your first day!

Gabe Wallace apparently started camp last year at 345 and ballooned as the season went on. This year, he's apparently come into camp at 325 after undergoing a strict offseason regimen. Neufeld says he's one of the strongest/most powerful guys he's ever seen.

On the never ending who is to blame, MOS or KW, I once again say

I had his number but I dropped my phone.

I've never liked you.

Every time the Riders lose an angel gets its wings.

Homer Simpson made roster construction look so easy. I am a failure.

Yeah watching some the one on one drills today u definitely see his power when he locked into his guy...guys a beast. And he is noticeably more agile Big Stan looked good..as Usual...hard to imagine he pushing 40...If he is even 80 percent of prime Stan him and Broxton gonna be a force

He needed to drop weight and it should show up on the field. I think he will take a huge step forward this season.

The Dominator

The camp coverage has been bad for years, media coverage is even worse. The only guy who asks tough questions is the one guy who shouldn’t (Friesen) and the rest of them just lob softballs. Looking forward to seeing some preseason action to see who stands out but not going to read much into it either. I’d like to see Burrell, Fletcher, Fredericksen, Pace, Addison as newcomers who seem like they could at least be something. Curious to see Nuer and Daniels in game situations too, they don’t strike me as the types to pop in practice. Overall, just excited to have football back.

A real champ over achiever. I loved that guy, soo much heart and just played his ass off. You can really see that trend in our D too. Smith, shay, ayers, and woodbey for starters. We have some other big dbs who are sam tweeners too. The secondary and second level have soo many guys that are modular and can play many roles from many alignments. The athleticism of our canadian defensive back ups is really tremendous too. We’ve gone from those guys being the outliers and massive luxuries to that being the barrier for entry. Most all the those candian D subs are not just athletic outliers, but they are tough nasty hard nosed football players. Not just pile of cross over athletes trying to make a go of it. That versatile athletic canadian defensive back up core, is going to be a major back bone to our defensive success this year and going forward.

It's the crown jewel of the sovereign republic of alberta

How did 2019 so quickly become "the good old days" instead of a thing that just recently happened...

Major Williams with a nice read and jumped route for a int...him and Burrell of the new guys to me look the best and most likely vying for that open spot as front runners...for now

Wallace has definitely morphed his body...moves way better. Its his job to lose in my opinion..looks way smoother than last yr I like they have Tui on the hands team for onside kicks ...lol...u would think Daniels be out there but not on this first unit

My initial thoughts after seeing that they cut McGhee was positive. Not that he’s a bad player necessarily, but I don’t see him being that guy that’s going to be a difference maker at the position. We brought in a lot of talent in the secondary and I’d rather give the reps to the young talent on this roster. In years past we would have pencilled him in as a starter because he was a vet. it would be painfully obvious he was a weak spot and he would be cut by week 3-4 im glad, wouldn’t mind them moving on from a few more vets if im being honest with you.

He has a QBR in the 70s without Lapo and a QBR around 100 with Lapo. I'm no fan of Lapo, but I live in reality. Lapo made the guy's career. He was a limited QB. When he was gunslinging he was almost 1:2 TD to turnover ratio with significant fumbling issues on top of INTs. Having a QB who could threaten teams vertically gave us the win in 19 behind that, Harris and the D. We don't beat Calgary and Sask on the road without that.

I've boarded the hype train

Probably the best example of a guy who flew under the radar of posters but turned into a ******* good player is Clarence Denmark.

Link from my nephew re camp video Stuart #7 For anyone interested. Not rooting for - just familiar with his play and think projects well.

Love Woodbey, he’s a baller. Sky’s the limit with him

Nichols helped bring us back to respectability and into contention. Zach helped put us over the top in 2019.

I think they've done the opposite quiet a bit. Bring in a vet...put him in the spot whether he's being out performed or not and wait until 3 or 4 games into the season before deciding to move on, sometimes forced to by injury even. For me it's a good sign that they got rid of him if they felt like they have someone else who can get it done.

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! 🎉 🎉 🎉

We really need a 50/50 guy. Hopefully he's a guy that continues to impress since the highly touted other big man couldn't make the grade.

Agree - He won both agility drills at the cfl combine this year posting a 4.01 shuttle/6.82 3-cone which for a 223 lb’r is impressive.

You should root for him - I am! Quick feet and good eyes!

My first post so go easy on responses:) I have to agree about draft pick Stuart (#7 - on D) - frankly surprised he hasn’t gotten more mentions from his camp - disagree with early comments he’s just a ST body. My nephew played with him at Mac so I’ve seen many of his college games and he’s a legitimate top tier stud - elite in coverage, in the box and he tackles like a beast. Here’s a theory - because he’s a non counter - wonder if JY is hiding him with the 3’s until roster trimming is done. Apparently JY talks to him regularly - would be surprised if he isn’t rostered as he’s been taking reps with the 1’s on punt, and regular D reps with the 2’s and done well. With his size (220+) and movement he presents a ton of options - Boundary Safety, Half, SAM or WSLB. My nephew sent a great cut up of Stuart’s camp performance (pretty impressive: multiple picks/PBU’s and dominant in battle drills) - I’d post it but I don’t know how to upload video attachments?

jsk done for the year. soo much for the 2nd time around . I hope it wasn’t a signing bonuses front end loaded deal

Well on your list of backups you have Peterson twice so one of him for sure

Turns out Warren Burrell has another connection to the club. Winnipeg Blue BombersBlue Bombers Training Camp | Day 8 - Winnipeg Blue BombersIt’s too long ago now to recount every detail, but Warren Burrell does remember this: Milt Stegall always had some gems to tell about Winnipeg, the Blue Bombers and playing in the Canadian Football Le

While openly admitting that I'm an idiot who doesn't know anything, it definitely APPEARS that receiver is the most concerning spot on the team, followed somewhat closely by QB. -Im not sure that White is the elite superstar they think he is -Im not sure Pokey is better than Just Pretty Good -I don't trust Demski to stay healthy at his age -I think Nield is wildly overrated -Collaros has been trending downhill for at least two years and there's nobody behind him I sincerely hope that none of this ends up mattering in the long run, but ... One week into camp, this is what scares me most.

That relationship caused a “sticky” situation between Rod Black and Dave Stalla

Who doesn't remember that epic Suitor interview of Keith Urban?

Weird. Cam Allen looked pretty awesome last season at safety. Why would you fix something that isnt broken?

Yep. Id hope that means Allen sides back to corner, Or that Griffin does. DB is going to see some really tough cuts. WIth a DI used at Lber for teams, K, and KR, the last spot really should be on the DL if not a WR. But we also have Allen, Woodbey, and Griffin with out a roster spot in that case. I love Ayers, but Woodbey can do soo much more on D. And Griffin is an excellent db. I wouldn't want to lose either for Ayers. Maybe not even Allen given the volume of league starters and NI talent we have at Lber. I dont think we can translate camp to final roster intentions with the mafia, and it's still early. I think health and who is willing to sit on the PR will dictate a lot of what we do breaking camp.

14 straight sellouts correct? Plus I believe the Banjo Bowl is already sold out.

That would be insane if they did it again in a stadium this size. I've got 1 game in June vs Edm, 2 back to back at the end of July, and Banjo Bowl... So far. Looking into using my remaining vacation days for the fiscal year on an August trip home for another game ... Better hustle on the tix i suppose.

Steamy hot take on a guy who is 26 talking like he is 36. Should cut Cam Allen because he's played a CFL game before too. Who the **** cares if a guy is a "vet" because he's played before or a rookie? Put the best team on the field to win the next game.

If Vaval is an every down player on D you basically need to dress a DI to cover that spot anyways because we don't have a Canadian who can play corner and punt returner is the most likely player on the whole team to get injured.

Cats cut Keaton bruggeling. He hasn't shown many flashes from that size and athleticism, but our NI wr depth is pretty bad. I'd bring him in for a camp body.

Re: Nuer comments... I think it's worth noting that he said them to a Denver based reporter, not a Canadian one. If he's made those comments to Tait, I'd be a little more irked about it.

Jordan Herdman-Reed and Thiadric Hansen both cut in TO. I don’t think we need either one of them, but interesting. They also cut Spencer Brown, who started a bunch of games for them. Got off to a great start, but faded badly after that.

I don't want a player in TC that doesn't believe he can win the starting job. All Nuer did was say out loud what every single guy on our roster secretly thinks. Being a high level football player REQUIRES confidence in yourself.

Yeah NIL money is why guys like Pavia are more than happy to spend 6-7 years in college. Next to the NFL, it's their best bet to make big money.

Seems like a cool idea....