Leaderboard

Wolitarsky signing a one-day contract to retire as a Bomber. Winnipeg Blue BombersDrew Wolitarsky Retires as a Blue Bomber - Winnipeg Blue...The Winnipeg Blue Bombers today announce the signing of Drew Wolitarsky to a one-day contract so he can officially retire as a member of the football club. Wolitarsky, 30, spent seven of his eight Can.

To me it looked like Walters got passive and did not challenge O'Shea on his player utilization, likely because O'Shea had accumulated an aura of infallibility, or maybe Walters just trusted him and gave him carte blanche. In his recent presser, Walters had a completely different tone to his statements than in previous pressers, and maybe he had a fireside chat with Miller. Its difficult to understand Walters' thinking in not going all-out for a Grey Cup game at home. Many fans and players will not have a second chance to see their team win The Game at home. It would have been legendary.

I talked to Neufeld, Sheahan and Cadwallader at Festival du Voyageur this weekend. Neufeld had an interesting comment--said the team looks a lot better than last year. He mentioned playing against Ceresna and lobbying hard to get him here.

It's funny to be the NFL got so upset at the NFLPA for their member body grading the teams, but the NFL doesn't have any issue trotting out independent people grading players performance on a play by play basis (PFF) and having their broadcast partners blast it all over their coverage. I don't think its reasonable to expect anyone to be able to parlay a career in the CFL to 7 or 8 million dollars... once he is off his ELC he'd be 27... so it would take 10 years @ 700K AAV to get him to 7 million... and that is if one of a million different things that could go wrong to derail a career doesn't go wrong. To project someone who spent 4 years in CIS ball and had one half decent NFL preseason game to end up the highest paid CFL player ever post US-Expansion seems... pie in the sky at best.

Congrats and THANK YOU to the great Dom Wooganowski.... We're lucky to have had him during our era of greatness.

It's hard to even know if money is a factor for Elgersma. Really if he signs here he'll be standing on the sideline, getting a few reps in practice (teams are prepping to win games, not develop rookies in practice) maybe running short yardage although they've brought in guys that seem to be better prospects for that. If his goal is to make the NFL more than anything else he needs to go somewhere he will get reps....which is NFL preseason or UFL. But he's really wasting time now because the path from CFL to NFL is to play up here for 2-3 years, take the reins and dominate, then go NFL. The longer he waits by the time he gets up here he's basically cooked for NFL opportunities. And if he signs after training camp up here there's really no point in terms of his development. That's when he's going to get the most reps and get settled.

That's a tough loss, but you have got to be able to score on a 5 on 3 with all that offensive talent - it shouldn't matter who's in net.

3 on 3 arcade hockey for an Olympic gold is the dumbest thing ever

I’d bring the house on every second play hence why i call plays from my couch and not on the sidelines.

I think you can count on the Bombers not running a smurf at boundary corner this year. They've got Allen plus 5 other guys 6'1 plus, two with CFL experience, coming into camp at DB. No more watching a 5'9 guy with no ability to play the ball eat **** on 50-50 balls vs 6'3-6'4 receivers.

Good for him going out on his own terms. Respect.

So which game is Woli doing the half time at this year?

I'd prefer we go only 2 national receivers....The drop off from the 3rd Canadian spot and depth behind all 3 to a import receiver is far greater and makes us a weaker offense as a whole when you consider Corcoran or possibly some Rookie is having to take reps White..Pokey and whomever...with Demski and Neild/Clercius/Cobb is by far better than White...Pokey...Demski...Neild...Clercius/Cobb/Corcoran or some other rookie draft pick....and not even a debate about it really...And with the 3 Canadian starters...you have zipp for depth...at least with just Demski and one of Clercius/Neild u still have Cobb and the other of Clercius and Neild We could still go 3 import Oline guys if we choose and meet ratio as Eli/Neuf/BO/Demski/Neild or Clercius gives us 5 on offence, and any combo of 2 of Lawson/Kramdi/Bailey/Shay/Smith/ allows us to hit ratio...and here's a thought...actually use a Nationalized American on defence for 29 snaps as well and only have to have 1 true Canadian take a snap....far better option overall so hope Osh doesn't get this gotta have 3 Canadian receivers' going, cause we all know if he allowed to he will over use marginal Canadian over a more talented option ....ZC needs the best options available to him and guys who can make an impact and garner attention....We didn't land a Gittens...Brisset...Philpot to actually make that legit There are several import guys still out there who would make us way more dynamic, and a grimy guy like Rhymes too would give our group some edge and attitude...as from what I see right now...we dont have that...We flourished when we had an Adams...a Bailey...guys who got under the skin of teams and played with edge

Tonight

Gotta say, I listened to the Collaros presser and I think Hodge took a partial quote and turned it into way more than it was. Collaros was asked if he ever thinks about retirement and he said he does. He was asked "so you think there's a chance this might be your last season?" And he said "sure there's a chance" but he also said that he feels great and that as long as he feels he can perform and help the team win, he's going to keep playing. He also said he likes the 1 year deals and just playing it by ear. So I wouldn't get too hung up on any potential ZC8 retirement announcements...

Our biggest problem last year IMO was that we lost both lines of scrimmage. And it was especially bad on offense because we had virtually zero game breaking receivers. How that came to be can be debated. But, I am glad they spent on both lines this off-season.

Honestly I think the root cause was hanging onto expensive guys too long and not moving on sooner. Helps balance how your cap is allocated and increase the overall competition. Just my opinion anyway.

Also big struggle with US scouting. Let Hardrick walk and replace him with a C player. Let Lawler walk and replace him with Wheatfall. Too many of our replacements haven’t been good players let alone impactful ones.

Yep. I love what jy and hall, but that is pretty much the only stretch of time we had that consistent disruption/pressure. Haven’t had great personnel on the dl over that time, but we also haven’t developed or made use of guys in that time. I hope hall and thomas focus on the dl and disruption while jy runs coverage. we’ve seen hall run some brilliant front concepts when he’s had the horses.

Gretzky has lived in the States for nearly 40 years and is an enthusiastic glazer of Trump, so **** that guy.

And you give me a confused emoji on not liking the way Cuthbert calls a hockey game? Sheesh.

worked for don mathew’s for an unfathomable length of time

My hypothetical DC resume would just be me screaming a quote from Remember The Titans “YOU BLITZ, ALLLLL NIGHT LOOONNNNG” So yeah, hanging on to my day job probably the wise move…

Lamont is a player that gives us options, hed played safety corner and halfback If we decide to move Allen to corner Lamont could step in at safety. If we pr him.he could back up several positions. At only 27 it should raise the competition level as well. Really a low risk signing

i think we could be a very good pressure defense with four & five man fronts stopping the run & sacking the qb. I think we expose our defense to big plays if Jordan Younger runs a 3 man front & blitzes. We saw it with Detroit with four man fronts in the NFL playoffs 2 years ago. They ate the other team's OL & spit them out. We saw it in the Super Bowl with Seattle vs the left side of the Pats OL. Pressure & intimidation wins all the time. We had a pressure front 4/5 in 2019 & 21. We were physically scary & dominated to the point the overhyped Ti Cats just quit in 2019. They were beaten & broken team. Oh & look, we also won two championships those years. Then we changed Defensive Coordinators & went to a 3 man front with no pressure from the DL. Wbbfan called it a Cheetah front. i called it Cheetos. Yeah, we didn't give up a lot of points as the back 8 or 9 played well. No coincidence we also didn't win & lost 3 straight Grey Cups. If the Bombers had signed another interior DL in free agency, I'd have said they're invested in creating havoc up front like in 2019 & 21. I don't think Younger is that kind of DC. He wants to beat you through trickery & disguises on the back end. I'm not a big fan of that type of defense. I want smash mouth football where we own both sides of the LOS. Havoc & intimidation. It's more than proven to work.

Late comeback sends the men to the Gold Medal game. First team in Olympic history to come from behind in both the quarterfinal & semifinal games & advance to the finals.

And Rourke was able to weasel out of the pathetic rookie deal setup too after his failed attempt...Elgersma's camp should be talking to them That being said he also has proven absolutely nothing...at this point is all hype and assumptions and only way to get away from that is realistically get to Canada where he will be given every chance possible...get some film and show that yeah..he's legit

Very nice article in the Free Press on Woli today.

I have a feeling he is thinking it’s something it isn’t. I can’t think of any qbs who served as the camp arm to get signed out of that for camp, little on make a team. I could be wrong but it’s a pretty big hail mary. It’s a strange move for him. It’s not bad by any means, I expect him to be ufl bound.

Rhymes would fit the need for sure. ZC could use a big guy to go get jump balls on the outside.

Id be very happy to have him here. So true. Thats what I would think. He isnt a top tier guy, but hes among the best of the 2nd tier guys. And his fit here would be extremely good. lol the DBs would LOVE him in camp. Imagine if we have 2 NI wrs down in one game? Yikes.

Gotta be $. Although, and I know this isn't a popular opinion, I think he is pretty over rated.

Not sure if that's how they want to go ratiowise but Rhymes would be a nice add to our group, bigger guy who can push off, I mean go up and get contested passes.

It would have been real enjoyable to be around here if his answer was ‘Oh no I feel real good, I was chatting with Jake Thomas and I’m thinking I have a good five or so quality years left in me’.

That's not what Booch is saying... He is saying he doesn't know how to maximize the talent he already has. That he's played favourites with guys for many years who had no business being on the roster anymore. Like Koala & Thomas to name a few.

Part of what FIFO was here...was being key was a bog solid group of guys in prime...setting the tone and walking the walk and new guys coming in seen it...and fell in line...Premium guys kicking butt cause they earned it from play Then it slowly eroded away....positions were given due to past history, and being a favorite...even if not warranted and guys busting their asses also seen it, and never got a chance and yes...it caused rifts and frustrated attitudes...and why wouldn't it? Our younger up and coming guys who could have kept the dominance going walked for opp's elsewhere, or we wouldn't pay and cheaped out in order to keep far too long declining guys, and guys not good enough just because they were here from before and the HC liked them...all the while ignoring our actual true depth (having guts on roster isnt depth if you dont use them, or have faith they are good enough) eroded into league worst The holdover's got complacent and too comfortable knowing that thy just had to show up and keep the narrative here and they were safe....and the coaching staff did jack all to advance and evolve as well...What have we seen from osh with a unique decision...gutsy or ballsy call to take a game over...Pulling a player mid game....or parking a vet for poor performance?...We havnt...but we saw a lor of deflection...smug attitude and a lot of perplexed almost lost looks on the sidelines when things were spiralling down hill and weren't working no more, and no ability to pull out of it...Just the old "we will watch the film...guys will figure out what went wrong and fix it"...and it never happened Thats the condensed in a nutshell look at 2022 to now

thing is...he can sign with caveat he can request his release if a team kicks, or wants to kick the tires all the while getting his rookie salary and developing and getting pro exposure....There are bird dogs in stadiums up here all yr...at all times (practice and games) so would prob lend to more attention than sitting at home...making nothing Dude has a good arm....not elite...and NFL QB height, tho even that stereotypical thing in this age isn't was it was He had success in Canadian College ball...that is it...think about that...80 percent of rosters he played against at best are not even comparable to Prep School talent in the U.S let alone NCAA div 2 or 3 talent....so that success is pretty limited, and it has shown in that after his on flier h got from GB that he hasnt landed anywhere else...even with the big QB talent issues in the NFL after teams starters for most part.....he looked okay in the one pre-season but also was playing against guys who will never see another NFL camp again....Rourke has sucess against guys who are and where part of active rosters....and look what that got him....dickall...but he got wise and turned that into a big CFL deal dealing him if he for whatever reason doesnt wanna be here...which I dont think is the case wont land a pile of talent or picks in return, as why would it?...he is all hype and hope and thats about it right now....He just getting bad guidance right now and reason he not up here actually bettering himself for another possible camp

He won't have the excuse of a bad o-line + rookie OC to fall back on "if" he fails to perform.

Zach was horrible last year yet he got paid like a top tier QB. Personally, I didn't want him back this year, let alone the one after that.

Yes, but the podcast (Blue Bombers Podcast) is posted pretty quickly after it's conclusion. Its the better option as there are no commercials.

For me i don’t mind the hype whether it’s warranted or not because at this stage he’s a prospect of ours and we always hold hope a prospect works out for us until it does or it doesn’t. Keep it simple and manage our expectations appropriately. Also, this just in, Riders continue to suck royally, report at 10.

Yeah he played the in prime talent Walter's plopped in his lap...top guys across the board in the league at many positions....bookend those 2 yrs with what we seen...not a lot of answers and success...People will say "hey...first pace finish....5 straight cups"...yaddda yadda...but when the chips were on the table we lost more than we won...and had zero answers for a lot of things leading up to the big games...and got out coached in all them...and really if not for a dumb Ticat decision in the second cup...we'd have lost 4 of the 5 Sure I can say he had a hand in it...But wasnt the sole reason tho....But can say he was one the key and main reasons tho for the successive failures yr over yr This yr Walter's has woke up and again handed him the tools for a push to be first again...big question for 2026 is Osh gonna be a HC who utilizes it, or is he gonna be a HC like we seen the last 4 yrs and eff it up with dumb decisions?....time will tell Bingo...this will be a real test this yr as to what Osh has and is all about....We cant blame Walters this yr...he purged some dead weight that should have been yrs ago...signed the 2 best lineman on each side of ball...2 legit receivers....and our key FA that we couldnt afford to lose Now it's up to Osh to assemble the best group based on talent...upside...usefulness outside of ST's....and not a team based on his personal opinion and bias....can he do it?

yeah...was a major part, and we also never truly allowed guys to actually develop and show they had the chops.....rode our guys into stubby nibs with zero practical experience behind them I not really of the opinion the scouting failed us for the most part.....more that Osh isnt a really good evaluator of talent and some thje things in his mind that he deems important, don't translate on the field or always are the best option skill/performance wise....History here shows when he is handed great talent/established talent in their prime he seems like a genius but when he has to at times sift thru it and inearth players handed to him or creaye solutions on the fly....big swing and a miss more often than a hit

Walters & Osh should have both been let go when their contracts were up at the end of last season. They got a reprieve from Miller. Probably told to smarten up & actually do their jobs. Walters certainly took that to heart. Now, we'll see if Osh can get back to where he was in 2019.

I think that is a big part of it. I also think we kept sitting on money for flexibility. Glad that is over and we are back to competing in free agency.

thats where u have to see past the present and realize/decide when to walk away from certain vets and starters and have already put time and into the successor's and not look backwards and pay mightily for declining older talent who command a bigger pay cheque....we failed in that regard in a huge way....we also failed in our rigidity in how we used ratio and missed out on a lot of ralent we could have went after, rather than just clinging to pieces that were on the wrong side of their best before date, but still commanded bigger bucks the inferior player should regardless of their tenure here....or their nationality...or if it's one of Osh's love affairs...and if it's a saw off....the one who is younger and may have more upside within them...not the one who only has downside not necessarily....our draft strategy was nit the best approach either.

Walters and Osh got too hung up on these draft guys who were ST demons in college, but didn't project to anything more than that, and didnt see past that and were too reliant on the belief that our starters were all top grade like in 2019....and didnt see where we may need coverage. Any player basically can play ST's but not every player can contribute with reps on offence or defence....so draft the best projected player(s)overall who can push a starter, and actually succeed one or take reps....not the other way around Case in point as just one example..Hallet can kill it on ST's and has made huge plays....but he kills us on defence and seeing him always in chase as guys rape him on the field is just sickening...I can not recall a single defensive impact play he has made...but recall a ton of bad ones...The fact we would put him in as the 7th...8th db in some our schemes when we didnt need to for ratio, and had better guys on the sidelines was just baffling...like why?

No arguments there. Yet, like the coaches & admin cap, the league doesn't see the rookie cap as a problem. Yet the size of the field is. The priorities of the CFL are crazy.

he is. who ever reps him in the us is not doing him a service

What it says to me is that FIFO was way overrated with Osh. You can't expect players to fitin if certain players are coaches favourites. If a player should be benched & demoted then that is what should happen. Not given special chances or more opportunities to **** up. We saw that with a number of players over the years. You build a culture as a Head Coach then you have to make sure that it never changes. I think that's what happened to the Bombers. It went from FIFO in 2019 to Old Boyz Club in 2023-25. Younger guys saw & experienced that & wanted out. Needed a reset.