3rdand1.5

First off, thanks for the in depth piece that started this conversation! Most of the year we haven't needed that extra CDN true...but our coaching/management must feel that extra pick is worth it... I won't profess to know why we keep Thamas is as many reps as we do, and I do agree with both you and Booch that D-line in particular interior guys can and have gone in and had success still "wet behind the ears". I also agree that we can/should play better along the D-line..... and I agree that what we are doing especially the way we did it against Sask. last week is not sustainable long term....I expect we will see some variations tomorrow...Harris has been around a long time and Sask. they do have pro coaches ready to counter... Adams is better than Thomas at least in bursts...yes, can he handle the reps Thomas gets....maybe, maybe not...I cannot speak for his intangibles.....but for some reason and to the chagrin of many posters and fans the coaches feel for some reason at least not yet.... I almost see Thomas taking up so many reps and O-lineman similar to Biggies blitzes of past....rarely if ever did his blitz work to garner a big sack or sexy stats....at times it almost looked comical....but the coaches were doing it so he could eat up a blocker or two and allow someone else to do something within the scheme...the idea and design was IMO never intended to have Biggie the "star" in that play call.... it was simply a stroke in the overall painting, that stroke looked goofy on the canvass isolated by itself but once someone took the time to stand back and look at the entire painting across the whole canvas and break it down that stroke was integral the overall look and success of the finished painting.... I enjoy having discussions and learning from some of the other posters on here. now let's go beat them Greenies up......

Too bad big Stan wasn't good to go.....another week and a Bye for him to get healthy...and I guess Nuefeld is ready....I guess the 6 game savings weren't worth it...curious......

I am going to play a bit of devils advocate...... Thomas is a veteran, he may not be as good as he was, and although a great time contributor, all intents and purposes a great team member and has had a healthy long tenure...BUT he has seen that and done this, I really believe the coaches wanted/needed that veteran presence....He is not elite but is also not as bad as some portray him to be....I also believe he has played more than he would have had Lawson not gone down with a severe injury.... Schmeck is not the most talented guy on the field but for intents and purposes a guy who works his but off and although not outstanding at one thing he is good at many things....I believe he had one foot out the door in TC and I believe that is why he saw so much time in preseason....I think he made the coaches keep him based off his intangibles and the team will do what they can to find where he helps the best...I think he will be a good/great utility player for us Hubert surprised the heck out of pretty well everyone....honestly IMO he surpassed Bennet and I believe made Bennet expendable...perhaps he develops into more, but at worst he is a CDN who can share reps on the edge and not cost us a ton... But let's look at the D-line....Adams/Woods young and inexperienced IMP's, Habba and Garbut young and inexperienced IMP's....Hubert and Schmeck young and inexperienced CDN's. Willy is a savvy IMP. vet.....but outside of Willy that is a very young inexperienced D-line so insert a vet to balance it out.........perfect insert Lawson and rotate Thomas...oh crap Lawson is out long term....ok second-best option insert Thomas and continue to groom Schmeck.....that is what we are doing and I believe why we are doing it. I don't believe our coaches are dumb and can't see, we don't have 2019 level D-line talent...but our LB's have come together well and our d-backfield has come together very well, We have adapted and evolved....yes in doing this our d-line has played weaker....but we are still a top defence we are just doing it differently.......I may be inclined to say that our defensive coaches have actually done a very, very good job bringing the young guys along, and overcoming a weaker d-line....(save for not dressing enough earlier in the season) Looking into the future, providing we can keep this group mostly intact next year, we are an MLB and possibly an interior D-lineman (TBD if Lawson is that piece) away from being a very, very good defence in 2025...one that has a bunch of younger guys and depth pieces with real live play time under their belts from this year.....

Oh, great what nauseating story is Suitor going to hyper focus on in the BJ Bowl......IMO he has surpassed Rod Black in level of listenability.... I would rather have Dustin talk to a rotten watermelon ala Castaway then have Suitor add anything to the broadcast.....

If Nuef is practicing now after 4 weeks, do we not have to have him out this game and next to see the 6 game cap savings? IMO get Nuef back up to game speed over the next two weeks, save the $$ as Randolph has been a great guard and keep Nuef off the roster and then re-visit in a couple weeks once the savings are had. GREAT news Stanley is back. This may be the most rested he has ever been for the final 3rd of a season! Also GREAT news Zach is back at it day one.....I know some disagree but Strev. must be knicked up pretty good, no way he would have stuck around long enough down South to earn a pension if he couldn't throw a ball.....so Zach back is HUGE No Whitehead isn't ideal.....if he can't go we pull one of Case or Smith up...IMO 50/50 both have shown flashes Biggie out...at least we believe him to be out that imp. spot should go to Adams again, we have LB's already rostered to take his spot Honestly Zach and Bryant both practicing day one is really, really good news!

I love the hypothetical that Booch proposed regarding Mills. Slim to zero percent chance but could you imagine heading into cold weather games with both he and Brady......

2 sided coins IMO One side Rourke is very talented and took BC to heights and helps sells tickets and merch, and is a media darling and will take them to the promise land for the home GC Other side Rourke while talented needs pieces around him with certain skill sets that BC may not have as much of this season, it upsets the chemistry the team built with VAJ, the media will plant seeds of doubt if VAJ is actually the better QB and they don't make the home GC One side BC's defence has struggled, Betts is another media darling, that put up great stats, in his last time with them Other side BC's defence has struggled, Betts has been figured out and it doesn't really change much for them, the media starts to question his abilities, and he doesn't put up the stats to justify the amount he is making Really BC is swinging for it at home this year. It's a huge amount of money between these two, but IF it works they will look like geniuses while sipping out of a Grey Cup at home.... If it doesn't work, they MAY end up penalized for being over the cap, Betts may move on after the season, they will more than likely lose VAJ in the offseason, possibly with some financial loss, and Rourkes contract may hamper them spreading talent around the roster which COULD make them even weaker next season, and sow further seeds of doubt..... I see this season as boom or bust for them....only time will tell how it plays out

That is an interesting thought. above ..IF Biggie can't go that opens up a spot for an import on the roster...and since we have 422 Lb's already rostered, could Biggie's roster spot allow Adams to come on without messing with other spots on the D-line. On paper Thomas can still "start" and give us flexibility should an injury occur to a CDN...but it would also open up the possibility for certain situations to go with an all import D-line.... (we could still rotate Hubert, Schmek and Thomas, same as we have been doing....could also get a canuk rotation with Gauthier in certain situations, alongside Kramdi and Ford on defence....with Dobson, Kolo, Demski, Brady and Clercius.....

So.....hypothetical.....Rourke starts next week and struggles again.....and VAJ is healthy and ready to go....do they stick with Rourke after two bad outings or do they go with the guy who was tearing up the league on his way to an almost guaranteed MOP season......If they stay with Rourke and he falters with VAJ healthy....do the fans and media turn on kid Canada....If VAJ comes back in and plays like he did the first 5 weeks...do the fans and media turn on kid Canada.... This could be a very interesting few weeks for BC......I like Rourke, and I like VAJ....and I know the media and the coaching staff have been singing the praises of the relationship the two of them have and how they sing kum by ya together at center field during practice, but I said from the beginning that this was a high risk play for this season for BC...IF Rourke continues to struggle and the leading MOP candidate pre-injury continues to sit, that kum by ya circle just might develop some tensions!! I think the only way BC comes out good is if Rourke does a 180 and starts lighting the league up the rest of the season.....because anything but that will have people guessing "would VAJ" have continued where he left off after the first 5 weeks and lit up the league if he had the chance.....

Our hole is pretty deep, can we climb out...there is a chance...will it be easy...no...but we have a chance, this is what builds character and chemistry and a mindset for winning, they have a chance it's what they do with this chance that matters....Win this week and we are our whole outlook looks 180 degrees from a few weeks ago, lose and it's back to what it was....BC is a good team, they are mostly well coached and have talent...but they have injuries and doubt has crept in, they are losing the "big play VA" mentality and without that they are struggling, they are losing footing, this is a great chance to prove we have the character and "want" this season....can we win...yes...will it be easy, heck no..... But if the o-line can give Zach time, play bruising "bully ball" with Brady and the d-line can generate some pressure like it started to two weeks ago....we can win....is a three import o-line the magic elixir the offence needed....can an all import three front on defence continue to wreak havoc when deployed.....I can't wait to see...

I actually found the rotation we used on the D-line last night was really good, IMO the best I have seen this season. We gave some varying looks. It won't work on every team, but a three front with Garbut, Adams and Willy became dominant last game. Our O-line while not perfect looked much better, I think we can roll with what we put out moving forward. Nuef. may not get his spot back after he is healthy if that play continues....side bar Wallace is aggressive...I think we are going to grow to really like him as he continues to grow, he plays to line and flirts with crossing it every time.

I watched the game again....I know glutton for punishment...... Biggie had some bad plays, but some good plays.....I still think he is a good player but no longer the great player he was and not the guy who should play all snaps..... BA was in the right spot a-lot We did have both woods and Adams on at times.... Our DB's dropped a couple..... Overall sure we can rag on a few of the guys....and some are not what they once were, but our defence played well... Our punter played pretty good, our coverage was very good... Case secured the ball well and looked good, our blocking seemed better Castillo had a tough day....but the last one the snap was bad.... Zach actually didn't play bad...it just seemed like it to me on the first watch...he had no time or pocket almost all game... Brady played really good....minus the early fumble I feel he should have got the ball more The receivers were ok, but hard to fully judge as any route that took time never got to develop... Fumbleites.....yikes.... The pick 6 was not on Zach... That offensive line OMG....and it wasn't the outside...it was the middle...Nuef, Eli, Kolo, Dobson all got DOMINATED..... The reffing wasn't as bad as last week , but consistency...especially what constitutes PI.....yikes....

A question for those who follow things closer than I do....The top teams...at least record wise...where are they as far as allocation to salary.... We have the highest, paid QB, we have the highest paid running back, by a looooong shot......the number 2, number 3 and number 4 highest paid receivers.....If I am accurate that is 1.57million tied into 5 offensive "non-lineman" positions... just under 30% of the total salary cap....... I won't claim to be an expert on the topic...but to me we seem to have too much into these 5 players to effectively build other parts of the roster...my question is has anyone done a comparison between us and say the top teams?

Unless he is going to be looked at as a safety.......trying to figure this out.....perhaps his experience and some leadership qualities make him viewed as a potential upgrade at safety? I don't see him starting at half or corner and I don't think we have anyone at half or corner hurt from last week...plus as others above mentioned we seem to have some capable guys at depth... Could it be he is getting looked at LB.....maybe his experience could make him a good cover LB?? maybe a few years off he has some physicality back?? I mean I am happy we are bringing guys in and I like the Whitehead signing.....that one to me upgrades us and makes sense....but this signing puzzles me......can't wait to seeif/how he ends up being used???

BC lives and dies on the "big play" it looks great and is entertaining and often works as their record the last few years has indicated....but adverse conditions de-rails this....it has shown as such over and over...best case for BC they get enough great weather games to finish first so they can play in the dome for the Western final and potentially the Grey Cup....if they need to go into say somewhere like Sask, in November, like previous years have shown I don't believe they would have a great chance of winning as they are built for ideal or close to ideal conditions...

For many of the potential player concerns, we don't even have to bench anyone to "try" things out. Jake...give him reps but not all of them, get Woods and Adams on at the same time the ratio allows it, see if it helps, rotate Jake more.... BA...Give him reps but let a Hallet take some reps see if one of them can improve, not a ratio concern....if they don't look any good give reps back to BA Biggie...ditto let the guy start and give him reps, but gives Jones some reps/rotations and see how he looks....again no ratio concerns Zach...let Strevelor take some plays....look Zach has looked terrible, maybe a few plays off here and there helps him...just when Strev. goes in do more than just run him, get some honest reps, maybe we can do a 1a/1b..it can't be worse.. While this one will require a minor roster move, get Lucky on the roster...give him some reps..at least he has been there done that, can back-up at returner....not a ratio concern...easy to get him on These are all easy roster things to try...look veteran leadership and chemistry is important or very much overlooked many times...but what we have now isn't working try a couple easy tweaks like listed above and review it on film.....maybe some of these work, maybe they don't but at least let's try something

The defence held a team to 19 on the road....They were far from great, but holding a team to 19 SHOULD be enough to win.... The special teams gave up no huge returns, Castillo is playing fantastic and Case secured the ball and overall had really good averages...they didn't do anything to cause us to lose... The refs were bad...but bad both ways...we probably overall had worse calls, but they didn't cause us to lose.. The offence didn't score a TD, didn't even really threaten too....threw a terrible pick, and added a fumble....other than Brady no one seemed jacked up....100% this lose is on the offence.....

Yikes...but held them to three..... Will Zach come back in...

I really like Biggie, but he should be rotational if Jones can play IMO.

Hardrick was playing really well, and as mentioned above is a true leader , he was here and all indications are he was in Sask. also...I wish him nothing but the best., and hope he has a full recovery...as for Sask. that is a big loss Sask...is starting to get hit with the injury bug, I think we match up well and expect this to be great physical game.....

IF Wilson shows well again this week....never mind next year...next week we could have Woli...Wilson...Demski....Whitehead....Clercius.....and potentially the following week Woli...Wilson...Demski....Lawler....Whitehead....

With Hardrick requiring surgery and out for this upcoming game......let's hope Big Willy J is rested and ready to dominate the Sask. right tackle all day

Real bummer for Hardrick, that is a big loss for the Riders. I wish him a full and healthy recovery!

To play devil's advocate just a little here, Biggie, BA, and Thomas are well seasoned vets. They have leadership abilities and experience. Sure they are not as fast/strong/agile as they were at least Biggie and BA. Taking one two or all out takes some of that away, and we already have a lot of inexperience on defence already. Those guys have been there seen that and have the shirt.... Let's see how it goes, but...... Along the d-line some young guys are getting great reps and experience.....hopefully at some point as guys get healthier and a bit more seasoned, Jake takes a few less reps and the new guys take a few steps forward...this would be best to get guys some seasoning and get them up to game speed and ready to transition into bigger roles In the backend BA hasn't seem to get back to full form from injuries, but we seem to have some really good young guys.... as guys get healthy perhaps a young guy can share some reps at safety, we seem to have enough talent Biggie is the toughest for me, however we did bring on Jones for this week, maybe just maybe we will start to see a bit or rotation with Biggie...I am just not sure if we let MLB slip a bit too long already to be doing this Definitely some assumptions above but if you step back and look at it like this perhaps they do have a plan, it's just playing the long game.....

I also agree that we have done really well in regards to defensive positions.......Ford has grown, Bonds looks pretty good, we still have Parker...BA has lost a step post injury but he outside a few plays hasn't looked really bad....a couple guys looked good when rotated in also.....I think we are good on the back end. As Booch said we actually appear to have some very good D-lineman, we brought in some legit talent. My surprise of the year has been Hubert, IMO he has shown me more already then Bennet did all last year....add in Schmekle being serviceable, and Jake (who yes get's too many reps currently IMO) and add in a healthy Lawson, that is actually pretty good CDN D-line depth with a quality starter in Lawson as long as he recovers...Adams has to me looked great, I thought Fox was looking good, Woods to me has been a bit up and down when in, but not enough to fairly judge, and as mentioned Garbutt and Habba when healthy both showed very high potential. A line of ........ Willy J.... Adams....Lawson.....Habba..... listed starters >>>Hubert>>>Fox>>>Jake>>>Garbutt>>>listed B/U If we rostered those 8 together and rotated closer to "normal" I see that as a really good line LB, is a tough one for me...I thought Kramdi was growing well last year, but he hasn't shown that, this year. I really like Wilson, but since injuries he hasn't looked dominant and Biggie is one of the best ever but c'mon man his leadership is unquestioned but he really should be a rotational piece this year and it shows, heck it showed last year if we are being real.....the issue is do we actually have guys like we appear to on ethe D-line and the backfield to on the roster somewhere? Is Ayers any good, Cole etc.