wbbfan

Yep. Plus, lots of athletic Canadians to rotate all over.

wallace played the best of our guards outside of vanterpool. It was his first full season and first time being a semi regular starter. The fire is pretty far from his feet. Eli, is the one who needs to step up most. After that, it’s bryant. We have a good few imps to push him, and we are going to see some very good imp tackles hit free agency. Wallace is more than fine if he continues his progress at the same rate. imo, upfront money is the way to get him and at a good over all price. https://3downnation.com/2026/01/18/b-c-lions-gm-ryan-rigmaiden-sounds-alarm-about-nils-effect-on-future-of-cfl-qbs/ The only thing i’d add to rigmaidens comments is, it’s not coming. it’s already been here. And it’s nil+ nfls expansion of pr and pr compensation. We already don’t see the guys who have any real success at good schools. We’ve lost first and second pick over of the former pipeline schools like bigsky, basically once a qb is 4/5star in hs, we’ve lost out on an opportunity with them unless they fully crash out of the nfl or blow all that money. Even then, the usfl is more attractive to those guys despite the less money. the days of 80-90k qbs with some upside is over. I think a second salary increase should partly be used to split the cap with qbs. The floor needs to be 150-200k for us to attract the talent the league desperately needs. Teams should have a floor 1million on ar qbs. It’s an investment in the league and game it self. 500k for the starter, 250-300k for qb3 and 200-250k for qb3. If your top tier qbs are earning 750k-1million each, instead of 500-700k you have a much better ability to attract young qb with upside talent and success. Yeah. Allen to corner, kramdi to s and griffin to sam would be awesome. pretty much just sergio to re up now

He was better last year than the previous year when he was banged up. With out Kola to drag the line down, I expect to see the healthy guys who play have a serious jump in their performance.

Was pretty much a formality imo

If he was a direct cover db, I would agree more. He's also played a ton of D snaps off the bench down south. But at S, I don't think he needs more experience from down south. He's got the football IQ and instincts for S, tremendous size and athleticism. His success at S would be based on his adjustment to the cfl game. He's certainly not TCF. He's actually played something like 1000, snaps at S in the Big 10. That's worth many times more snaps at low levels. That is likely why we signed him for 2 years. He might be a developmental guy at worst in our view. Outside of Corner (unless we kick Allen out to Corner, as Booch said), this secondary will be extremely hard to make. I do love the idea of kicking Allen out to corner early and seeing how he does. Then if Kramdi goes back to S, Start Griffin at Sam. Holm, Nichols, and Woodbey should also be locked in (if healthy out of camp) to similar roles as last year. I'd be fine with having Houston and or Bonds back in camp to try and reclaim the other corner spot. I wouldn't have them leading the pack but if they step up either could lock down that spot. If Vaval is back as KR, it becomes harder to use a 2nd DI at DB. With Woodbey already to play wil, we don't need one nearly as much either. Makonzo, Shay, and Smith also greatly reduce any need to carry another DB. With all of that, we would have 1 corner spot open, before cfl free agency even begins. With possibly one or both of Bonds/Houston to compete at that spot. While Mcghee also came to us last year and has league experience, plus Williams and Texada returning who spent time on the pr last year. PLUS all the other rookies. And Lawson, who was brutal here last year but has also played in the league previously. A guy like that can always turn things around. Short of an injury bug, this is the hardest secondary to make that we've gone into camp with in a very long time. But, bringing in impressive size, versatility, and a strong skill set is as good as it gets.

no doubt. it’s not that which worries me. it worries me that cfl teams can’t spend responsibly or do financial planning worth a damn. I’m all for these guys getting great pay.

Trying to have it done before free agency this year. I don’t want to know what free agents will get if the cap goes up more

He’d be a very good fit at either, also at wil/nickel. Hes a down hill type more than a side to side guy. The sam needs to be a good bit of both, especially in our system. His so so agility would be the big obstacle, plus the nuance of the position. He certainly has that upside and versatility that we should challenge him in camp with many positions and see where he settles. Those big fringy guys who can cover are extremely valuable in Ds. For me, i’d build a D around as many of those outlier match up nightmares as possible.

Addison isn't just big (tall), he plays big. Converted to S during the COVID-shortened season after starting out as a WR (2 years). In the 3 years post-position change, he was very productive. The good: Size (6'5 195), Athleticism 4.55 40 10'7"broad, 36" vert, great explosive numbers, good speed, and average agility numbers. Successful position change. Versatility, he played a lot of teams, backed up, but played a lot of reps. Played very well against the run and the pass. Physical, with a great nose for the ball, made a lot of plays. The bad, a bit slight build for his height, 6-year covid super senior, despite playing well and for big schools, didn't get much NFL interest. The Ugly is, only a 1-year starter despite being in college for 6 years. Overall, really good pick up for camp. Very high upside, the type of guy who could fit extremely well into JYs system, and has an inside track to playing his way onto the team with his team's skill set. He's a crafty, extremely physical football player who has that lunchbox ethic and dog mentality that Mos loves. Which, in a very big-bodied athletic DB, is a great combo. He's going to be in a very tough position to make the roster, with Kramdi/Allen/Woodbey, hopefully Griffin, and likely Vaval as a Di. But he's got the talent where he could come in and take a job, or capitalize on any opportunity that pops up. https://www.nfldraftscout.com/cfb/bio/1021804 https://uclabruins.com/sports/football/roster/bryan-addison/14419

No team with out a fan base is worthy of such vitriol.

i’d be good with giving him a nice upfront bonus then a lower base salary. if any thing, he should be leery of back end deals and off season bonuses yeah i like him as a depth canadian. a lot better than corcantrun. we need ni talent at wr, free back up kr is good too

pickett is a good get for toronto, it makes a lot of sense for him as well

glass, rock, soo many dbs as well. lots of guys come to mind. very likely. i’d be happy to get him on a fair deal. Two guys like him who can rotate would be great.

bc cut hendrix he’d be a great get at a reasonable deal

It's true that we wont know for a couple of games. We've used the heavy set pretty extensively, especially prior to Hogan's year. I'm not worried about his confidence or game experience. He's come back from two lengthy times away from football in his career, and hes not the type of guy you worry about confidence with. The question will be, does he do a significantly better job in pass pro at C than he did at G? He will be, at worst, a slight upgrade in pass pro at C over Kola, and a significant upgrade in run blocking, and in the nuance of playing C. That will dictate if he is a Couture-level or another stopgap. They also really value his contributions as a 6th ol, if we go back to the heavy set usage, they might want to keep him there.

Kind of a nothing burger imo. A US draft just wouldn't work.

@DTonOB Made a great point on I believe twitter today. I'm paraphrasing here, but this is the gist. In the last 8 seasons, the CFL has seen 2 ties. 4 total since the 2010 season. But with the field changes in 2027, field goals will be greatly diminished, making ties far less likely. https://x.com/DTonOB Here's a good link to his account, if you're the instatwitterbook type hes well deserving of the follow. On the surface, I don't like ties. But he is absolutely right. With the changes coming to FGs, this is not really needed. On a personal note, I hate the revolving attempts from the 3-yard line. Going play-to-play switches in possession will be a fiasco as well. Especially when half the unit for shortyardage will be the same guys. https://3downnation.com/2026/01/14/cfl-rules-committee-recommends-leaving-late-half-clock-unchanged-eliminating-ties-in-overtime/

Name one good starting tackle at age 40. That is the issue lol. Basically, all Ts are gone long before that. He doesn't face any learning curve. We've seen DL play ol. We've seen guys switch sides. When you have the experience Bryant does, when you've set the line for that long and developed half the elite linemen in the league, you don't have to learn. You especially don't have to learn to move inside. Some guys have weird issues with switching left to right, more so than outside to in, but if you can play T, you can play inside mental blocks aside. Look up "The Tackle Age Wall". The best tackles in the world hit it and disappear around 32. The kick inside happens before that, primarily to guys who are below elite. Because Elite guys have the money and don't want to dimish legacy by playing to 40 and being a turnstile. It happens every single year in the NFL. If you look, you'll see there is a mass exodus from T to G across the board. It isn't a risky scenario. It's literally the safest one. There is no long-term. There is no medium term. Maybe not even a short term. It's day by day. And it's been a long time since the last good day. No one said we shouldn't move on from him if he can't produce. You've lost the plot and spiralled. Come back to the actual conversation point.

That is what I suspect, too. I don't imagine his value would drop that badly. But the fit would also not really work imo. We've got Kramdi, Allen, Woodbey, Shay/Smith, and hopefully Griffin comes back. Pickett is a monster at sam, wil or S. He would certainly be an upgrade at those spots. But we aren't going to boot Kramdi for him; Griffin, Woodbey, and Allen are all much cheaper and younger with tons of upside. The same goes for the Canadians. I would love Pickett. I think he will come back to be the premier defender he has always been. I think every team save ott should talk to him and make an offer. But I don't see us being competitive in that market. He's too expensive, the secondary is already expensive as hell, and the risk/reward vs those young guys is not ideal for this kind of upgrade. Not when we have positions where a clear upgrade is badly needed, like DL, OL, and WR. I think thats the dodgers approach now.

Normally yes. They pick from a bag of a few and break them in. But we've seen crazy stuff like that in the past. Like when the NBA tried new balls, or when baseball went to more deadened balls after 2019. I would think if that happened, we would have heard about it, though, especially from QBs/wrs. But in this era and league, anything is possible.

My only concern with Mcewen is health/age. I do think either of those two at 100% is a big upgrade. Eli would be an instant and drastic improvement in the run game. But his lateral work at guard in pass pro was very subpar. He might be one of those rare guys who struggle at guard vs a natural position, like Hardrick. He might also be a guy who struggles head up, and is more of a bully C. Which is fine, again, teams played a nose on Kola once he was exposed. Teams aren't going to start out challenging Eli like that. He's a mauler. He might not win, especially against speedy, talented 3-techs, but he will give you a battle. Yeah, that would make a ton of sense. I didn't hear any changes to the football, but if they did, I wouldn't be surprised in the least. I thought the J5Vs were awful when brand new. Most of the time, if you could beat 'em up and get some wear on them, they played a lot better. I remember playing a game in real sloppy conditions with brand new ones, and it was like a 3 stooges bit for the first half. At halftime, they put them in bags with gravel from the parking lot, and we shook them the whole half. After that, it was manageable.

The big obstacle I see is that most pure centres are CIS kids, and they stick at C because they are undersized. So we see a ton of undersized kids at C. Now we have had a tremendous history of success in taking undersized kids at C and turning them into monsters. I hope we go back to scooping up kids like this. I think last year's draft had a good chunk of kids worth developing. Pyle, Klassen, Hocevar, Piazza, Berwick, and Horth. Not all of those guys are the traditional undersized type of project, but they are all worth sitting on for a couple of years to polish. I think those types of guys also bring a high floor as a heavy-set specialist in all 3 phases. If you take any of those guys, and refine 1 weakness into a strength or at least to be pro solid, you have a massive win.

That really depends on the wear on them. Ive seen a ton of people who've reconditioned their hips and knees for extreme use changes in the 30s-60s (Bjj, yoga, muay thai) and its not only worked very well but drastically improved issues. Youd be surprised how many ex ol make moves like that (usually post-career) and how much of a positive impact it has. No one has the flexibility to get rolled up on, that's not a thing. if you get rolled up on from the side or rear of the leg, you are plain lucky to get up afterwards. No matter the age. Stan isn't our best T. If he comes back at 100% of where he was last year, he may not be our 2nd best T. A change inside for a guy like stan isn't relearning. Shortsighted? We are talking about a 40-year-old OL. At this point its about getting the last bit out of his career. There is no long-term anything; he's 40, and the year before last had to be carted off the field and hospitalized for dehydration. You keep saying moronic, even though kicking inside happens across all leagues, specifically to extend careers.

I do remember 1-2 errant snaps in games against us, snapping is certainly not his greatest strength. With the Pistol and alignment nature of cfl offences, I don't think the snap is as critical as it was when everyone was in run and gun from the shotgun. I think a good coach should be able to tighten up snaps with in a year or so in the cfl. But I also think we could have had some outlier issue last year. Kola was always a snapping specialist; that was the one thing he did really well. But last year he was close to a wild snap a game. And most games in the league now that I think back had some bad snaps. I wonder if this is an issue of wear on artificial turf, causing something to rub off on balls, or a wipe down procedure change or some thing. I kind of want to go back and look at the ball handling in a game or two now. It could all be a coincidence, or it could be some odd root problem.

@stan, the wear at C would likely be the lowest he'd face in terms of impact. Now it would really depend on how his knees and hips are. C is more demanding in those areas. Stan has always kept himself in tremendous shape and has never been sloppy. he looks to move fluidly, even if slower in this age range. At C he wouldn't be facing the mashing every snap, or even on most snaps. Teams aren't going to line up a nose against big stan unless they are in a 30 front, which no one is running as a base. Having been exposed by speed rushes off the edge, he will see even more of that this year. Which means his lower body is at risk from those non-contact type injuries, having to explode out of the stance and kick step to a rusher. Those side-angled pushes at T are what generally cook Ts knees. So it really depends on his physical state and what is worn now. That is a good point, the kr game in the NFL is soo strange now. Moe actually played a considerable while once he kicked inside, first to G, then to C. He actually slide in side for the final stretch of his first year here as well. But he played the last 3 years inside, about 3/4 of that at C. Then he also played C in his final year with bc before he retired. He didn't play T here for as long as you'd think. qft. Such an impressive career, one of the most resilient players we've had.