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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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

I've boarded the hype train

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?

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

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

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! 🎉 🎉 🎉

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.

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

pace is a good get.

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

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?

Yeah....Dixon and Jenkins look to be front runners but nobody is really separating themselves from the pack. Bailey needs to be played, you can just see he has multi tool talent and a motor that just goes...he was 100 percent all day today...and thats par for the course. One interesting guy I noticed and like is that Michael Fletcher...think he a bit knicked with a thigh issue but powered thru it. Even at less than 100 percent he just moves and reacts real well for a big dude and could see him useful off the edge and inside...For me he was one the guys that first popped out for me and he has a interesting skill set and a long but sturdy body. I could see him opening eyes in the pre-season games What also popped out for me right away...and this isnt good...Save for White..Pokey..Demski..Neild..Clercius we have a real buttload of crap and WR currently. And if we are going to go 3 nationals...god help us...pray for ZC cause it will be ugly. Some of the first unit work today...With Demski and Pokey missing mind you had combos of Corcorran...Cobb...that Fredricksen (who has zero explosion and can barely get separation for a big guy and no speed) and I think the rookie Derosier??....puuuuke....Other than Cobb the other 3 are not pro receiver quality and do absolute nothing with the ball once they get it....Keshaun Smith, and TJ Harris look like once acclimated could be quite useful, and possibly singer...But the rest see ya later..if somebody doesnt step up...or if we break camp with some injury issues....we have worst unit in league easily....again And if being honest after Demski....Clercius and Neild the next best guy, and one who looks to have best upside is that Joshua Jack...Daniels cant be and shouldn't be expected to do much other than big packages and goaline area stuff where he just needs to chip block and seperate from the line and just win a jump ball or take a quick hot pass and head north Yeah...Griffin is or should be the SAM...Dude can ball...he's athletic enough to cover top receivers in man and he's built to punish in the run game...plus he is very assignment sound. Kramdi at safety and kind qb'ng from there if he as smart as they claim is the best use of him. Allen not sure if they see him as the corner...or the swiss army guy rotating in with 2 safety sets and dime work. Major Williams and Burrel stood out to me at DB...I think they are 1/2 right now for the vacant spot forgot to mention...That Mazzccua I can see PR'd...Dude is just a beast...and a thug...he would be a bone jarring mauler of a guard...I liked watching him A side of the oline with Eli..him and Broxton woukd be a RB's wet dream with paved roadwork all day long

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.