voodoochylde

Guys .. I'll ask this once (because I sincerely hope you all can keep to the spirit of the rule that Rich has put in place for this board): PLEASE try to keep this discussion apolitical. Appreciate it. (as an FYI, I've pruned a few posts in this thread)

I think the problem in Winnipeg is exasperated by the lack of density .. it lends itself to that completely "dead" feeling you get downtown after hours. When I first moved to Winnipeg 24 years ago now, I lived downtown (Donald and Broadway) and it was significantly more vibrant than it is now (not saying it was great but it certainly was better).

More like ran it back for two years then ran it and fumbled on the 1 for the other two. The better team prevailed on those days but it still pisses me off that we weren't able to close out those other two Cups.

I'm sure there will be a number of guys we've signed over the last little while who don't make it to camp. Happens every year.

That got better once we added him later in the year.

Sounds like one of the stages of grief .. acceptance. "I've come to terms with the fact I'm playing in Saskatchewan this year".

If you couldn't see Biggie labouring and unable to make plays, I don't know what to tell you. He was not particularly good in that Grey Cup game and really had no business being on the field.

I don't care where it comes from (rookie or free agency), I just want to see one powerful boat anchor of a man lining up at defensive tackle this season.

I appreciate you folks keeping politics out of our football forum 😉

You’re missing the point. You don’t need a RB who can put up 2000 yards from scrimmage to win in this league. You need a deep, complete roster (and a quarterback).

This. Look, I'm happy Brady is a part of the team and I've also been an advocate of signing and retaining local players going back to my days on OB. However, if we look at the CFL (and running backs in general), it is a largely disposable position and I feel the money could have been better spent plugging holes across the roster. Hell, I'll even come out and say that if the the spend on Brady is what costs us Schoen, I'd be disappointed. "Bradyball" or not .. if he goes down, you're going to have to plug the spot with an American back anyways (see last year). Lose a guy like Schoen, we literally have nobody stepping in to fill that void. We have a terrible track record of integrating new WRs into our offense and seeing them any sort of have sustained success.

There was a time not so long ago where we were in that very same boat .. that said .. ridiculous overpay.

He's still under contract.

That's an uninspired re-signing (and I like Jake) Based on our current roster make-up I guess we *need* a backup Canadian DT but he's a vet we should be moving on from.

They won't care about optics one bit. Their goal is to field a competitive team year in, year out. They want a team that is capable of making a run when we host the Grey Cup. They aren't about to cripple our roster by having so much cap space tied up in an expendable position.

I’m over-achieving there.

Of the two, I like Eli more than Dobson but neither really stand out. Or, better put, after the drop off from Dejarlais, neither have made me forget the guy. Gray certainly hasn't. One thing *is* clear to me that we need better at the interior of our offensive line.

He would be. You can see the passion he plays with and demonstrates it on and off the field. At some point though, an organization needs to be somewhat ruthless. I don't want to end up in the CFL hinterlands again .. I want this organization to be respectable and highly competitive for YEARS to come. That means proper and good competition in camp .. making the hard decision to move on from vets when younger, cheaper (better) alternatives exist.

Career year? Last year was not one of Hardrick's finest.

I also look at it like this .. easier to maybe trade a guy who is under contract as well. It's not an excessive deal and given the accolades Kolankowski earned last season, he may be a player who could be flipped? Just spitballing there ..

Let's not call anyone out directly or indirectly. It's a bad look. Argue the point, not the person making it.

If I remember correctly it was a 2 year extension at 140-150K per? Fuzzy on the actual number but I believe that's pretty close.

You'd have to think a guy like Richmond is going to figure in somehow as well. He's a guy they've kept around the last couple of years and I wouldn't be shocked to see them move him to the right side in pre-season to see how he fairs.

Of the two "big" guys that are left for us to potentially re-sign (and I *do* hope we somehow manage both), Schoen for me is the priority. This is a passing league and Schoen is a proven commodity who has demonstrated amazing chemistry with our quarterback. Don't get me wrong, I love the ability to grind down opponents and salt away a game with a dominating rushing attack but running back isn't an area where I'd choose to prioritize spending.

I know continuity is huge when it comes to the offensive line but I'm a little disappointed with this. Now .. having said that .. Eli didn't exactly light the world on fire when he was giving his limited opportunities and that might be part of this. However ... the interior of our line was a HUGE issue at times last year and that starts with who's lined up over the football.