SpeedFlex27

That's my point, we aren't the only destination for free agents. We didn't get as high a grade from the CFLPA as I thought we would, Players want to know what kind of team they'll be playing for before they sign. There's no reason to take this long to sign an OC. After 11 seasons as a HC, if O'Shea needs this much time to find the right OC something's wrong.

He won't sign with an also ran. \why would he? Then he can also make playoff money. Think Calgary or Edmonton give him that chance? Why sign there when he has a chance to make the same or more somewhere else.

The point is that we aren't the CFL mecca some here would like to think. Some star players will never sign here even if they could. Other teams may be more aggressive paying free agents. I can almost guarantee that other team's coaching staffs have a more realistic view of their personnel than we do. Wynton McManus will come here if we make him the highest paid LBer in the CFL. That's the only way. He won't come here because Osh is supposed to be a player coach. He also wants to win & wants to get paid. We could be 0-2 when it comes to his belief in those things. Same with a lot of players.

There are 3 or 4 other teams who have as good a chance as us or even better chance to win a GC (Argos, Als, Riders & maybe the Lions) so it's no guarantee players all want to come here. In other words, we'll have to stand in line to sign free agents just like any other team. Players don't necessarily want to come here first. Not having an OC in place doesn't help.

Osh says he is in no hurry. When is he ever?

Here's something that will make us want to throw salt into our cornflakes instead of sugar. Today is the 6th anniversary of Darian Durant signing with the Bombers.

We also had that former Stamp receiver (forget his name) who had been on the roster since late September & could have played in the GC as he would have been totally up to speed to play . Maybe Bolo & the guy from the Stamps were backups but they would have been more viable than an injured Schoen & Demski not being able to go at 100%.

Just drives the point home how hard it is to win a championship. How pundits just keep letting the Chiefs fly under the radar. They don't look spectatcular but all they do is win. The Lions were under so much pressure to win at home & couldn't handle it. The underdog Commanders come to Detroit fly under the radar. They play with little or no pressure as fans & media have no expectations to win. Goff played like he did when the Rams got rid of him. He seems to struggle in big games. Maybe he'll be on the move again.

Especially with the deadwood on the roster we keep re-signing & actually passing them off as players who can actually still contribute.

You called it. The usual geriatrics we have on this team will get their vacay time during camp like they always do. Like Alexander, Thomas & Neufeld. Meanwhile, a smirking Mike O'Shea will say they all can miss practice time during training camp & pre season because they don't need to practice. They'll be gone for weeks only to miraculously return in time for Game 1 of the regular season when their starting jobs will be waiting for them. The Old Boys Club really is the Old Boys Club. The only silver lining with the Thomas signing is they didn't let Willie Jefferson walk away in free agency. How they can say they have money for a washed up player like Thomas while saying they can't afford Tyrell Ford once he comes back from his NFL sojourn? What a travesty if that happens. Easy answer: Walters could have used the money saved by not signing Thomas to sign Ford, Now that financial option is gone. Hamilton will come after him hard in free agency.

The same guys like Ed Hervey just keep getting recycled around the CFL. Why is it written in stone somewhere that Hervey was the most natural fit at GM for the Elks? Instead of trying to relive some past glories by hiring these washed up names from the past, Maybe the Elks should have concentrated on hiring the best possible people to run their team. Instead of hoping to relive past glories. Hervey was fired once for being a hotheaded asshat & nothing has changed.

With Osh, never assume anything. I wish they'd have drunkely started spending by going after Oromilade. he would have solved mor than a few problems on our DL.

Ed Hervey didn't go over 6 minutes saying he won't pay Lewis over $325,000. It was Justin Dunk who just wouldn't leave it alone & Hervey just kept on talking. If I was Elks President Chris Morris & HC Mark Killam, I'd not be happy by publicly saying without saying it that Lewis ain't coming back unless the receiver's expectations for a new contract change. Saying he'd prefet for the market to establish Gino's worth & therefore having to not insult the veteran receiver by giving him an offer about a hundred grand less makes no sense seeing as he just said that in the video . Effectively insulting Lewis by telling him he won't pay. Hervey took the bait. Hook, line & sinker. If that was Kyle Walters being interviewed, that conversation wouldn't have lasted more than a minute before he shut it down.

Yet the salary cap goes up in ridiculously small increments ever year, Never enough to handle the free agency surge of money that irresponsible GM's hand out to players. The cap needs to be reopened under the CBA & raised substantially. Looks like Ryan Ringmaiden is this year's Chris Jones.

Today's world is such a mean place, Glad to see a bully whose courage grew by having people watch his back put in his place.

Did he think no one would record & post the incident on social media? People are lambasting the fiance on social mdia for not physically standing up to this drunken idiot who wasn't by himself. His brother & at least one more friend were right beside him. The fiance knew they'd jump him so I understand why he didn't defend her physically. Just a bad situation. I don't feel sorry for that thug at all. He got what he deserved. What a tough guy bullying & insulting a woman when he knew he had people there who'd back him up. He'll be unemployed for awhile after having to explain why he lost his job. There's a consequence to be paid for boorish & bullying behaviour.

Hamilton where family is. Or Edmonton where his brother is.

The Lions have the highest paid qb. The highest paid DL. The highest paid OL in the CFL. Does Doman even give a **** about the salary cap? Doesn't seem so. I'm sure there'll be other profile signings during free agency.

I guess that puts to bed whether to keep Darnold over McCarty.

Glad we agree on something. A lack of pressure & stromg pass rush wlll be be our undoing, I believe. Obviously, the coaching philosophy on defensehas changed.

Just one part. of course, The lack of a pass rush on Nick Arbuckle where on just about every play he could have signed his name on very football he threw. No pressure. No adapatation by Younger to what the Argos were doing offensively. (Probably because with the players we had playing on the Front 7 we couldn't). Shmeckel & Thomas just taking up space on the DL while Jefferson was having a great game all by himself. But that's okay, Blame the usual suspects like everybody does after every loss. The offense. We all know it was all their fault. Defense was stellar.

Our D was not good. Our secondary bailed us out time & time again.

If you saw the Detroit Lions defense totally take apart the Minnesota Vikings high powered offense last week you'd recognize it was the same style D that we used in 2021 & 22. We didn't need to blitz. Our Front 7 dominated. We had a great front 4 & linebacking crew. We had Jefferson & Jeffcoat on the ends as well as Steve Richardson at DT & we intimidated other teams. Our secondary was the best in the CFL at the time because of the players playing in front of them. Now, we have no pass rush, average linebackers when Bighill doesn't play & below average when he does. We are just a shell of what we were. As a team, we spend all our money on offensive players to the point where we let our defense & return game just shrivel up. We have to rebuild our D. Get back to a more physical style of play.

Never.

These games are absolutely pointless until a city steps up & says that it's willing to build a 25-30,000 seat stadium. they have to find events that will help build the game in the CFL cities we have. Like Calgary & Edmonton. The league's strength used to be in Alberta but now it's the CFL's weakness. Doing it in Victoria or Halifax is nice but a waste of time. Sorry Kate Bierness, guess no ROADDD TRIPPP east or west for you. Here's the thing that bothers me about TSN. They'll pack up their **** & do a remote panel from Hamilton or BMO Field 3 or 4 times a season but go nowhere else. Why in God's name would they not want to come to Winnipeg to experience the Banjo Bowl??? That should be on their Top 3 things to do as a panel & broadcaster of CFL games. Go to where the excitement is & where the big games are. Other than playoff & Grey Cups it doesn't get any better than what we experience that game at PAS. Yet they stay in Toronto. Then they get all excited about some half assed football game on the East Coast where they get to travel & party while half the fans are from Regina. At least in Victoria, the Lions fans from that city showed up.