voodoochylde

Well, after years of reading other forums, trying to join other forums, and never being able to sign into other forums (was I being discriminated against because I'm ginger? Yes, I believe so  ) I finally get to make my first post! I want to post my thoughts on games throughout the year, but I also don't want to take away from other people's game recap posts. I love reading Do or Die's Odds & Sods!
 
I want to give my thoughts on the good and bad and suggestions and then get other people's views as well. I don't proclaim to know everything, so if you don't agree with something I say, tell me why.
 
So here goes...
 
Unfortunately I did not spend much time watching the game last night, so most of my post will be on my first impressions of IGF, but with some thoughts on the game in there as well.
 
Hits:
IG Field is AMAZING! I loved my seats, in the upper deck. Great views of the field. We are slightly higher in the upper deck than we were in Section S at CanadInns, but we are most definitely closer to the field. There was a bit of obstruction in a raised metal railing at the bottom of the stairs, but moving your head will solve any problem with that. I can see people having complaints about the plexiglass, as it would distort your view, but the railings are definitely needed as when I was walking up for the first time, I saw someone almost fall over carrying a drink. If the railing wasn't so high, he would have tumbled right over!
 
The walk up to the stadium was very nice... I love the giant gate signs at each gate! Plus they provide a good reference point for meeting up with people before or after the game at a stadium that I am unfamiliar with.
 
The video screens are clear and large. I found myself watching more of the game on them than the field. Although that will change come the regular season.
 
It was great catching up with people in the section that we sat with at CanadInns. Although there were a few problems with getting tickets together, it worked out quite well!
 
Took a walk around the whole stadium. Very nice. Great atmosphere! As with any stadium, the concourses were a bit crowded at times. But what can you do about that? I think I've been to one stadium/arena in my life that I didn't find the concourses crowded and lineups at the concessions.
 
As for the game itself, I missed the first half (see Misses), so can't say anything about that. In the second half, I thought Goltz didn't look horrible at times, but never looked great. Held on to the ball a little long at times. The missed field goal return was great, but I was in the concourse getting beer at the time. Fortunately, the big screen tvs worked like a charm and I didn't miss it completely! Cameron's fg were the only points I saw. Good on him! I also liked what I saw out of Etienne. A couple of nice catches!
 
Misses:
The traffic. Yup, I know, some people had fine experiences, and some didn't. Mine was awful. Took 2 and a half hours to get to the stadium. Went down the Perimeter only to get stuck in traffic because of the accident. Had to turn down St. Mary's to pick up a friend. Went to Bishop for the rest of the way. Spent an hour trying to turn onto Chancellor Matheson from Pembina. I know it won't always be like that, and I know part of it was my own fault for picking the wrong ways to go. But nobody should ever spend 2 and a half hours in traffic! So we didn't get to the game until 2 minutes left in the first half and I didn't get to my seats until half-time. Leaving was much better, but to cut down on the time, I had to escape the traffic and go down Kings Drive. The only slowdown after that was construction on Pembina at the Perimeter, but getting home was reasonable. I'm happy that the home opener is an 8pm start, so there will be more time to get there. But I do hope they make some changes to help ease the traffic flow.
 
Prices at the stadium. Expected increases in prices. I was pleasantly surprised that I could get a beer for $7. I don't drink much so spending $20 in a game is fine with me. The food prices were out of my price range. $9 for a mini pizza? No thanks. $10 for a specialty sausage? Don't think so. I didn't see much else so I can't comment on it, and I may find something I enjoy for a reasonable price, but just not last night.
 
The Bombers defense. Chase Clement. Neither were impressive. Am I worried? Not really. It's still only the first preseason game. Ask me again 3 or 4 games into the season and if it's the same, then I'll start to get worried.
 
Overall, it was a nice (albeit too short) night at the stadium. Some things to improve upon, but I am sure (or at least hope) that things will get better on the misses side. Can't wait for the home opener on the 27th!!
 
 

You can have him back .. the man is a tool.

I've been looking forward to this night since the shovels hit the ground for our new digs.  Couldn't keep me away from the Stadium tonight for anything .. preseason or not .. this is going to be memorable. 

#5 shows off his quick wheels leaving a helpless defender in the dust.
 

 

 
And.....
 

 
...there he goes again...

If I remember correctly from when I went in to pick up my tickets, all the suites on the East side appear to be sold / accounted for.   I can only assume the West side (Bomber side of the field) is sold out as well.

Here are my biased observations from the afternoon session:
 
QBs: I am not a Buck Pierce fan so take of this what you will but he did not look very good today. He was overthrowing quite a bit and didn't look quite right. He's usually better than this in TC though so I wouldn't read too far into it anyway. I really like Max Hall. He looks far more polished than any QB I can remember bringing in at their first TC. He's accurate, looks poised under pressure and has a good enough arm to get by. He had a pick in the last throw I saw him make but other than that, he looked real good. I really, really want Goltz to succeed because he seems like he has all the tools but he looks very middle of the road to me so far. He hit Simpson with a beautiful long bomb in a drill but then he throws behind a guy on the very next play. He's still rather raw it seems so I'll give him more time but it does feel like he's already lagging behind Hall, even if he is still getting backup reps. I'm not sure any better way of saying this but Clement looks downright awful. His arm is pretty weak, he doesn't hit receivers in stride and he made some atrocious reads in scrimmage today. I will concede that he looks comfortable at the line of scrimmage and seems to be a leadership type but I am really not impressed.
 
RBs: Garrett was not in pads for this session, don't know why. Simpson really does look tremendous. In one-on-ones he was up against Henoc twice and completely burnt him on both occasions. I really don't take a ton of stock into rushing drills in practice because the D can only do so much so even if he looked good in the first day of TC, I tempered my expectations because the defenders weren't going to hit him but today he looked elusive, was catching the ball well and I was just very impressed. Will Ford had a massive run through a huge hole that went for a TD in scrimmage that would have been an easy TD even in a game where there was hitting. He is a real blur. I'm not sure where to discuss Fitzgerald so I'll put him here. In one-on-ones, he absolutely broke Wendell Brown's ankles (not the hardest guy to beat but it was still pretty sick). The whole O went pretty nuts after that one. 
 
Receivers: I absolutely love both Doug Pierce and Isaac Anderson. Anderson runs crisp routes, has great speed and insane hands. I know Edwards isn't going to lose his job due to injury but I wouldn't really be opposed to it. This guy is THAT good in my eyes right now. Pierce uses his size incredibly well and though he is slight, looks like a real good fit at the WR position. I know they both can't start and at most only one will make the active roster to start the season but they will both do good things for us if given the chance. I think Kurt Adams has almost finished his stay with us. For a guy who has been with the team for parts of three seasons, you would think he would get better than 3rd team reps but I guess our receiving core is deep and I personally haven't seen anything that separates him from the pack. Matthews is exactly who we expect him to be and Watson also looks great. I'm not too enthused by Poblah since to me he has always been a sensational practice player and that hasn't translated to any in-season success and this TC he hasn't really stood out at all but it's still early I suppose. In one-on-ones, the DBs were definitely getting the better of the WRs but to me it was mostly poor throws by each of the quarterbacks. Anderson was the best one out there though and made some real slick catches. The Rifles guy Carter doesn't look out of place at all which is nice. I've never had much to say about Etienne good or bad but it's pretty obvious that he is lightyears ahead of where he has been in seasons past. He has sure hands and good speed and is not noticeably small out there. As for the other new guys, I am aware it sounds like a broken record but Massey won't make this team as a receiver as he seems to have trouble catching the ball clean. I figure he has to impress greatly returning to have a shot. McCree and Kennedy sort of blend in to me. They really don't stand out in any way other than Kennedy's speed.
 
OL: Not much to say about them other than Swiston was earning the praise of DelMonaco during OL drills. Sorenson was steady on shotgun snaps aside from one horrendous one to Goltz. I'm a little higher on our OL than most and I figure they will build on the success they were having at the end of last season but in drills, the DL was generally getting the better of the OL. Not sure if that's a statement about the DL or the OL or both but it's just my observation. The pressure was generally coming from the left side fwiw. I do like the looks of this giant new guy Simmons but it's hard to get excited about a new import OL when so many like him have gone and gone.
 
DL: It's hard to tell who is doing well because from my angle, it was tough to see numbers but the best pressure from the new guys seemed to be from Dexter Davis. Gilmore and Turner will be more than solid this year and the push up the middle was impressive from both of these guys. No one else was particularly noticeable. 
 
LB: I absolutely love Terrell Parker for the WILL position. This guy can flat out cover. RBs, receivers, whatever. He has great speed and he absolutely deserves the spot if he wins it. I'm not nearly as worried about the WILL position as I was a few weeks earlier. Even then, Ian Wild also looks real good. He was getting good pressure on the QBs and although he is a lot smaller than I thought he would be, he's fast and I'm high on him as well. Henoc was getting burnt bad by Simpson but he's a tough cover for anyone. I'm not concerned. McGee was at SAM but I highly doubt that lasts. Wendell Brown is as good as gone. He's not impressing in the least.
 
DBs: The DBs were all fairly good. In one-on-ones, they were all playing far more physically than I've ever seen in drills like this. I don't want to say that Coach Burke's words fired them up but it's a possibility. Hefney in particular was playing real tight on everyone. In scrimmage a Kennedy was sorta being mauled by Hefney and called it PI and they were jawing back and forth afterwards. It's that kind of stuff I really like to see. Pendleton and Markett both had picks (I think one was Hall and one was Buck) and those are the two new DBs that have shown the most. I really hope that at least one of them makes the active roster. I know people have been saying that Jovon looks stronger and better than last TC but I just don't see it. If he were a new guy on the roster this year, he wouldn't stand out one bit. Cauchy looks good. Far better than Logan ever did at least and I figure that with his better cover skills, it will have a ripple effect on the rest of the secondary. 
 
P: There was a 20 minute drill on punting and punt coverage and only Pavlopolous and Hutchison were punting. I have no clue why Cameron or Renaud didn't do anything but it was probably just to judge which one of those other two would get cut first. Pavlopolous was frankly awful. His first punt was a beauty but he essentially shanked the rest. I like Hutchison a lot more but to me it seems like he always gives a half punt and doesn't extend his leg all the way. I figure it comes down to not being used to playing this style of football but I can't deny that his leg is huge and in terms of pure leg strength, his is probably the best.
 
This was a lot longer than anticipated but meh, I like to hear myself type.

MONTREAL ALOUETTES 2013 SEASON PREVIEW
Starters on Offence
QB: Anthony Calvillo
OL: Jeff Perrett, Scott Flory, Luc Brodeur-Jourdain, Andrew Woodruff, Josh Bourke. Lots of Canadian depth here too. Ridiculous collection of non-import OL.
RB: Battle between Jerome Messam, Chris Jennings, Brandon Whitaker and a couple new faces, including 11 year NFL vet and Super Bowl champion Dominic Rhodes. I could see them keeping an import while starting Messam, similar to what BC and Calgary do with their running back situations.
FB: Patrick Lavoie (Currently out with back injury)
WR: Jamel Richardson, Brandon London and SJ Green are locks. The other 2 are open for competition between Arland Bruce, Bo Bowling, and a handful of rookies. Canadian Eric Deslauriers will be on the roster but whether they have a non-import receiver full-time is still up in the air.
Starters on Defence
The defence wasn't great last year so we might see some significant changes. That makes it hard to predict who the starters will be, but we can make some educated guesses.
DE: John Bowman. The second DE spot will be open to competition.
DT: Alan-Michael Cash, and then Moton Hopkins and Scooter Berry will compete with some rookies for the other DT spot.
LB: Shea Emry, Chip Cox. As for WILL, they picked up Ejiro Kuale and there has been some talk that they are looking at moving Kyries Hebert into a linebacker spot rather than Safety, but that hasn't been confirmed. They also have a couple good prospects with playing experience like Bear Woods and Kenny Ingram.
DB: Billy Parker, Jerald Brown, Seth Williams (Out with ankle injury), possibly Kyries Hebert, Byron Parker, Geoff Tisdale.
Key Special Teams
Kyries Hebert and Daryl Townsend will likely lead the way on the cover teams, and Sean Whyte is entrenched as the punter and kicker. The returner spot will probably still be open for competition as it was never really seized and held onto by any of the candidates such as Trent Guy, who is no longer with the team.
New Additions: QB Quinton Porter, RB Jerome Messam, CB Byron Parker, DB Geoff Tisdale, LB Ejiro Kuale, SB Arland Bruce, RB Dominic Rhodes.
Subtractions: KR Trent Guy, RB Brandon Whitaker, WR Brian Bratton, DB Dwight Anderson.
Draft: #3 LB Mike Edem (signed), #5 RB Steven Lumbala (signed), #14 DT Hosam Shahin (NCAA), #23 DE Jesse Joseph (NCAA), #30 LB Nicolas Boulay (signed), #32 DL Michael Klassen (signed), #41 OL Jake Piotrowski, #47 OL Simon Legare (signed), #57 WR Damone Blackman (signed).
Players on the bubble: Anyone on the defence is fair game outside of John Bowman, Shea Emry, and Jerald Brown, in my opinion. Chip Cox is probably safe but he is 30 years old and you never know with a new coaching staff. Hebert is also not getting any younger. Scott Flory is getting up there and there are a lot of young Canadian OL behind him.
Last season summary: 11-7, 1st in East, Lost East Final to Toronto. Last season saw a continuation of Montreal's potent offence led by Anthony Calvillo and a trio of deadly receivers. There were some issues on special teams and their defence never seemed to live up to the standards expected of the players they had. As we all know by now, last season was Trestman's last as the head coach.
2013 outlook and prediction: It's hard to imagine the Alouettes really falling off after so many years at the top. But with Trestman moving on and Calvillo being 41 years old... I mean come on how much longer can he keep this up? Unfortunately for the rest of the league, I think it would take a big disaster to knock Montreal off the top. Their receivers and OL are just way too good and Calvillo is far too polished. If Messam regains his 2011 form, watch out. Of course, if Quinton Porter ends up starting for any significant period of time, all bets are off... all things considered I'm going to say 9-9 and second in the East.
EDIT: Changed to reflect release of Victor Anderson and signing of Brandon Whitaker

I normally don’t do long posts, but no one else from Lionbackers seems up for it, so here is my BC Lions report:
 
Oline from Lion’s TC depth chart: Archibald, Kabongo, Reid, Norman, Olafioye. Kirby Fabien was a 2012 1st round pick and was finally signed last week, is listed as a backup, but could be a starter by the end of TC or end of the season. Early TC reports are that he is looking impressive.
 
Centre, Reid is having back issues and  HC Benevides is on record as saying that guard Matt Norman is being groomed as an eventual replacement for Reid when it is expected, but not yet announced, that Reid will retire after this season. It is unclear if Norman will move to centre if Reid can’t go or if depth chart backup Baboulas steps up at centre.
Lions go with 2 import tackles, but both are all-stars so it helps make up for lack of depth at guard and centre. The Oline gave up very few sacks last year but it was partly due to Lulay’s elusiveness.
 
Receivers: With both Simon and Bruce gone mostly due to high salaries and advancing age, Lions have likely the youngest least experienced group in the CFL. OTOH Lions greatest depth is at NI and I receivers and they are all big, strong, and fast.  At 6’, 198 lbs, NI Shawn Gore is the smallest receiver and last year lead the Lions with 720 yards, NI RB Andrew Harris was next with 718 yards and then Geroy Simon who missed 5 games with injury was next at 700 yards. With no receivers even close to 1000 you might think that last year the Lions struggled with the passing game. You would be wrong as last year Lions QBs threw for over 5000 yards. Lulay when he is at his best likes to get everyone the ball. Last year he completed passes to 13 different receivers.
 
Nick Moore (6'2" 195lbs.) takes over Simon’s SB spot, Courtney Taylor (6'1" 205lbs.) takes over Bruce’s SB spot, Gore is the other SB. Newly returned from a less than lustrous NFL two year stint, Emmanuel Arceneaux (6'2" 210 lbs., 2 years in CFL, 2 years in NFL and still just 25 years old) has recently signed and will line up at short side WR with Earnest Jackson (6'2" 215 lbs.) as backup. NIs Iannuzzi (6'1" 195lbs.) and Foster (6'4" 212 lbs.) will battle for the wide side WR spot with Paris Jackson (6'3" 215lbs.) as a backup and 2nd round 2013 draftee S.J. Haidara (6'1" 215lbs.) likely another backup and special teams guy.
 
RB: Andrew Harris with over 1400 yards combined running/receiving was Lions biggest weapon last year. Look for opposing Defences to game plan for Harris, opening up opportunities for the no name receiving corps many of who could be household names by season’s end. I expect Tim Brown to retain his job as kick returner and relief RB. When NI Harris goes out for a play, a I receiver goes out as well and is replaced by a NI receiver to maintain the I/NI ratio.
 
QB: Look for Lulay to continue to play at a high level as he has not yet reached his full potential. With backup Mike Reilly gone to Edmonton, last year’s 3rd string QB Thomas DeMarco and former Bomber backup Joey Elliott battle for the second string job.
 
 
Defence: For a team that allowed the least amount of points against last year, Lions have made a lot of changes. Perhaps prompted by last year’s Western Final upset.
 
Dline: With Kalif Mitchell traded to the Argos, DE Keron Williams moves to DT and free agent signing (from Esks) Korey Williams goes to DE. Eric Taylor remains at the other DT and Kareem Smith at DE. NI Jabar Westerman is the rotational D lineman as he was last year as a rookie and won’t count as one of the needed 7 NI starters. Brandon Jordan will likely be an Import rotational guy. A very solid group and most of them can play DE or DT.
 
Linebackers: Solomon Elimimian returns to the MLB spot and Adam Bighill moves to Anton McKenzie’s OLB spot with McKenzie being utilized to rotate the two LB spots. LB/Nickel back Anthony Reddick is gone and Korey Banks moves from the short side DHB to LB/Nickel. DC Rich Stubler likes to platoon so I expect on short yardage Banks might come out with the versatile McKenzie coming in. Korey Banks has been the Lions best player on D for quite a few seasons but he will be 34 in a few months so it might make sense to give his legs a rest from time to time. Lions might not dress an extra DB on game day and may instead use Banks to replace any DB injured during a game with McKenzie replacing Banks at LB/Nickel. IMO this is the best LB group in the CFL.
 
DB: This is Dante Marshe’s 10th season as short side corner back. Does any other corner in the CFL even come close to that kind of consistency? Often overlooked as an all-star, because he doesn’t yap much and when you cover your man as well as he does, the QBs just don’t throw the ball to your area and there is no measureable stat for that. The other CB will be Ryan Phillips moving over from his wide side DHB spot to replace the departed Byron Parker.
 
At free safety, the lost to free agency of Cauchy Muama means he will be replaced by last season’s backup, JR LaRose. The two DHB spots are up for grabs with last year’s backups Josh Bell and Lin-J Shell having the inside shot but challenged by newcomer Cord Parks.
 
At FG/P it’s 21 year vet Paul McCallum vs young guy Hugh O’Neill. My guess is that O’Neill is getting impatient on the IR list and Lions will look for a way to get both on the game day roster with O’Neill handling kick offs. Loosing one of these guys to Ottawa’s expansion draft in December would be advantageous for the Lions due to then getting to protect extra players.
 
With a very solid roster, look for the Lions to compete for first in the West.

TORONTO ARGONAUTS 2013 SEASON PREVIEW
 


Starters on Offence

QB: Ricky Ray (contract extended in offseason until 2015), (backups: Trevor Harris and Zach Collaros. Mitchell Gale looks to be the unofficial #4 on the PR)
OL: Tony Washington and (newly bearded) Chris Van Zeyl are locks at the Left and Right Tackle positions. Local boy Jeff Keeping looks to reprise his role under centre. There will be battles for the starting guard spots since there are four men who could start. Eppele (contract extended in offseason) and Parenteau started down the stretch and Reinders and Jones will look to take their spots. Veteran Wayne Smith can play any position on the line and will be a key backup.
RB: After a brief scare of the GCMOP perhaps going to play for the Jets, Chad Kackert returns to the starting tailback spot. Gerald Riggs Jr is getting good reviews in camp and looks to take the important backup spot again (a key position if #44 gets nicked up again). Durie has plenty experience at tailback here as well and was put in to give Boyd and Kackert a breather (or injury break) at times in 2012.
FB: Veteran Jeff Johnson lines up here most often (when the Argos actually line up with a FB). Durie could also step in here in a pinch. In short yardage in 2012, ILB/DE Kuale was put in as the designated battering ram... this role may be taken by NI Zander Robinson, a DE who came to camp and had his position on our roster page change to FB...
WR: CFL MOP Chad Owens is a lock in the slot as is NI Andre Durie. A pleasant surprise out of camp last season was Dontrelle Inman who also seems entrenched on the outside. NIs Spencer Watt and Mike Bradwell have the inside track on getting playing time, but other NIs Chad Rempel, Quincy Hurst (little speedster coming off a knee issue) and Julian Feoli-Gudino will be battling for their place in the squad. The Imports most likely to feature are Jason Barnes (who has already been making an impression in camp) and Romby Bryant (veteran speedster signed as a FA when he was surplus to requirements in Cowtown). Reggie Williams and Juaquin Iglesias are getting some good reviews at TC, and it seems like Coach Scott must have asked for bigger bodies at the position because other than Williams, some larger-body prospects have been brought in to try out: Chiles, Adams and Meline.

Overall, it is an offence that runs on a high percentage QB keeping them on the field until one of the playmakers steps up and makes something big happen for them. Ray and Calvillo have said that Coach Milanovich's system (this season run by Marcus Brady) is the most complex they've ever seen. You'd have to think that all the returning players with a year's worth of experience in that offence will be a boon for them. This should be (presuming main players play most of the games) one of, if not the, most potent offences in the league.
 

 
Starters on Defence

DE: Wide open competition here. With Foley and Flemmons gone, the prospects brought into TC are all fighting for contracts:Jerome Geathers earned some praise for his play when brought in for a late season game and recently brought in Eric Foster hopes to return to his NFL form after missing last year with an ankle injury. Take your pick from this list of others... but you'd have to guess that Jones wants speed and athleticism as he has a penchant for dropping DEs into coverage at times. The NIs hoping to be in Coach Jones' "NI by Committee" scheme are second year player David Lee and 2012 "futures" pick Cleon Laing.
DT: Returning veteran Kevin Huntley will take one inside position. The other two will be off season acquisitions. Khalif Mitchell creates ink everywhere he goes and this past offseason was no different. After dealing for the dominant 3-technique, Barker tried to deal him to a western team to satisfy the player. When no good deals emerged, he (and the coaches and players) took it upon themselves to sell Mitchell on playing in Toronto. It appears, so far, to have worked. A draft day trade with the Riders brings Jermaine Reid home who will be part of the "NIbC" approach.
LB: The SAM and WIL spots are locked in with Isaac and Ball, and you'd have to think McCune will be back to patrol the interior. Sophomore Bryan Payton has a chance to gain more plays this season. NIs Pottinger, Yurichuck, Antwi, Tonye-Tonye, (draft pick and O'Shea favorite) Spencer, Hood... most will get their playing time (if any) through special teams.
DB: Now this has gotten interesting... Safety and Captain Jordan Younger has made the decision to retire. At this late juncture, replacing him could be a scramble... it appears as though veteran NI Matt Black (another of the many home-town Argos) has stepped into the starting Free Safety role in camp...stay tuned! With McCullough gone, at least one spot was going to be open, but now with 2, the drama increases... Pat Watkins, Jalil Carter and Pacino Horne are locks. Argo fans are hoping that Jones' knack of finding rookie DBs who can play (and be impact players) continues with the large group in TC. Thusfar, DB Brent Vinson (a former Stamps PR player) has been impressing in camp and looks to be making a case for a spot on the gameday roster. NI Djems Kuoame is a converted WR.

It's a defence that sometimes drops 9 guys into coverage. They create mismatches, pressure the QB (while not being big sack generators, they hit as many QBs as any team), and try to be playmakers. Coach Jones has his work cut out for him to replace Younger. That could be a major blow. But the defence is arguably what won us the Grey Cup last season. And aside from 4 games where everything was a bloody mess, they were solid. They may not lead the league in fewest yards or points against, but it will be a strong side.
 


Key Special Teams

Obviously the story here is Chad Owens and how he's tilted the field for the Boatmen for the past 3 seasons.
Swayze Waters has the dual kicker role, but if his accuracy or health suffer again, young NI Anthony Alix hopes to step in.
Jeff Johnson will have excellent ST'r James Yurichuck to help lead Coach Osh's troops.

Can Owens extend his own Pro-Football record of 3 straight 3,000 yard seasons? It doesn't really matter whether he does or not, but his ability to shorten the field is what has been gifting the offence with short fields and bailing our defence out of danger for 3 years now.

New Additions: DT Khalif Mitchell, WR Romby Bryant, DT Jermaine Reid, LB James Yurichuk, QB Mitchell Gale, OC Marcus Brady
Subtractions: S Jordan Younger, DT Armand Armstead, DB Evan McCullogh, DE Rickey Foley, Ronald Flemmons, K Pre,
Draft: #8 OL Matt Sewell, #17 DB Jermaine Gabriel, #22 WR Natey Adjey, #52 OL Michael Di Domenico, #60 LB Paul Spencer

Players on the bubble: Not many returning starters are under threat, but there will be competition for open spots.
Competition for the starting guard positions will be intense as all 4 are capable. As well, the receivers should take note that Coach Scott has made more than one public statement about how he'd use a large receiver or two in his offence.
On the defensive side of the ball, there's now 2 DE jobs, a HB and S job available. It sounds like a lot, but it's less than Jones had to fill last season.
Swayze Waters has a strong leg, but was not as accurate as you'd want a frontline kicker to be... Anthony Alix will be looking totake any opportunity to show himself to the league as a viable NI K/P.

Last season summary: 9-9, 2nd in the east, 100th Grey Cup Champions. It was a very up and down regular season where the new coaches, players and system struggled to come together. In at least 4 of their games, the Argos looked lost and never had a chance. Most of the time they were competitive but didn't have all 3 phases ticking. Ray was a huge difference maker and provided a high percentage passing attack which made 2 and outs rare. When the team finally gelled, it was in a 5 game run finishing in a home Grey Cup victory.

2013 outlook and prediction: The offence remains intact and especially with the improved play of the O-Line in the final games of the season, you'd have to predict that Ray, Kackert, Owens and Durie will all have ample opportunity to make plays and put up big scores. Defensively, once Jones fills his holes in the secondary it should be a solid unit again. His coverages and scheme changes should keep them competitive, but without a veteran like Younger to be the on-field coach, it remains to be seen how this will iron itself out for 2013. Nobody within the Argos has said that they expect to finish tops in the East, but they all will tell you that they are playing for the Grey Cup.
11-7 1st in the East.
 

Winnipeg Blue Bombers 2013 Season Preview
Starters on Offence (based on incumbent starters)
QB: Buck Pierce
OL: Glen January, Chris Greaves, Justin Sorenson, Steve Morely. RT will be up for grabs.
RB: Chad Simpson
FB: Michel-Pierre Pontbriand
WR: Chris Matthews, Terence Edwards, Cory Watson, Kito Plobah and Clarence Denmark
Starters on Defence (based on incumbent starters)
DE: Alex Hall, second spot up for grabs
DT: Bryant Turner, second spot will be up grabs
LB: Henoc Mumba, both WILL and SAM spots up for grabs
Safety: Cauchy Mumba
DB: Alex Suber, Brandon Stewart, Jonathon Hefney, and Jovon Johnson
Key Special Teamers
The return games has two guys in Jovon Johnson and Demond Washington who can take back the ball to the house every time they touch the ball. In the cover game Henoc Muamba and his MLB partner Pierre-Luc Labbe lead the way. While the team of kicker Justin Palardy and long snapper Chris Cvetkovic have been one of the more accurate duos in the league.
New Additions: QBs: Max Hall and Chase Clement, C Mark Dewit and S Cauchy Muamba
Draft: #2 DL Andy Mulumba (Green Bay Packers) #11 DB Kris Robertson (out ACL injury) #20 TE/FB Carl Fitzgerald (signed) #29 WR Michael DiCroce (signed) #46 WR Stephen Alli (taking a year off from football with a nagging injury) #54 P Billy Pavlopoulos (signed)
Players on the Bubble: The biggest player on the bubble at the moment is Mike Renaud. With three punters being brought in to compete he will be in tough. Clarence Denmark seems to be the receiver that will be under the biggest threat to lose his starting job. With 9 rookie DB's being brought in to camp there could be changes in the defensive back field. Another area where changes might be made is on the right side of the line with Steve Morely under heavy pressure to win his old job.
Last season summary: 6-12, 3rd in the East, missed the playoffs. Coming off a Grey Cup appearance things were looking up for the Bombers. However with a season opening 4 game road stretch and myriad of injuries to key players such and positions the Bombers got off to a rough start, which cost head coach Paul LaPolice his job. Included in those injuries was Buck Pierce who miss a majority of the season with multiple injuries. Under new head coach Tim Burke thing did not immediately get better. Yet as the season went on a offence that really had struggled in the first part became much improved under OC Gary Crowton. Defensively the team took a step back from the previous year where they were the number one unit in the league. Although flashes of the previous season were seen there were too many broken coverage's and assignments leading to a huge number of long plays against the them.
2013 outlook and prediction: It will be interesting to see if the Blue can build on the late season emergence of their offence with Gary Crowton totally in charge of the offense dozen from start to finish. This will all depend on the O-lines ability to keep Buck on his feet. The lack of experience behind Buck means win may be hard to find if he goes down during the season. While a much improved run game led by a healthy Chad Simpson, which was seen during the latter part of the season, may help keep Buck healthy. On the other side of the ball a large influx of new players from the states was brought in to challenge some of the underperforming vets. It will be seen if any of these players can plug the holes at WILL/SAM/DE/DT and elevate the Bomber D back to the top of leader board. Predicting the Bomber record comes down to one fact Buck Pierces health, if healthy there is no reason this team cannot go 10-8 or 9-9 with a playoff berth. Without Buck it looks like it could be another 6-12 season with no playoffs.

Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
Offense: QB Burris.
OL: Simmons, Hennesy, Hage, O'Neil, Husband, Dile and the addition of RT Greg Wojt. HAM is very deep at NI OL with both youth and experience. Has some tough choices to make especially with vets like Hage.
Rec: Grant, Fantuz, Charbonneau-Campeau are locks. Like the OL they are deep and young here and have decisions to make. Williams' depature makes room for a rookie import - HAM has signed several in recent weeks. But how players like Stala, Giguerre and Jones fit in is a challenge.
RB: Walker. Rookies Gable and Lamar have also looked good at camp. Three other rookies being looked at presently.
Defense
DL: Boudreaux, Davis, Moore, Peach. Like the OL a lot of people are being looked at. Need an NI to step up for a tackle spot. Hazim or Gascon-Nadon. A newcomer could very well steal a DE job.Look for lots of rotation with NIs like Shomari Williams.
LBs : Lawrence, Johnson, Knowlton, Bowman. Question mark here is when and if Bowman becomes healthy and how he is plugged in and if Lawrence can handle a starter's work load.
DBs : Hinds (NI) , Webb, Bucknor (NI), Patrick, McCullough, Colclough should form the core but unit is a major state of flux with lots of talent being looked at.
Special Teams : Lamar, Gable, Giguerre and and recently acquired rec. Leong are in the mix in the post Williams era. Trick for imports is finding a roster spot. Lost some experience on coverage but a raft of young NI talent via the draft should negate.
New Additions : LB Lawrence, DB McCullough, LB/DL Williams, OL Wojt. QB Brohm.
Draft :Number one selection DL Linden Gaydosh (currently in other league). DL Urban (injured, expected later in season).Rec. Marquand.
Previous draftees signed : DB Stephen, DL Gascon-Nadon, DL Atkinson.
On the Bubble : New regime and a 6 win season doesn't add up to job security for some. Would not be shocked if vets like Peach, Knowlton are let go, Rec. Jones may have trouble fending off influx of new recs. Same goes for some OLs like Dile.
2012 Summary.
Cats proved beyond doubt the addage that defense wins. Despite often spectacular offense a highly porous and , frankly, unprofessionally prepared defense was the number one reason for last year's failure. Cats were elite or near elite it almost every other department. Its no mystery as to why there's so much change there this offseason.
2013 Outlook
Defense, defense, defense. Has to be better. New DC Steinauer should lend some credibility and respect back to that job. Addition of MCullough will go a long way to shoring up that unit. Despite underperforming there's talent on the D-line worth building around. Challenge for offense is Burris maintaining last year's high level. No Williams means the ball could be spread out even more and less focussed on one player - Cats still have lots of weapns here.
New coach Kent Austin has already putting his philosophical stamp on the team a mix of postivity and perfectionism in contrast to Cortez's grumpiness that the team never really could get past.
How playing in Guelph affects things is unpredictable but there is no reason to say the offense wont be effective again and even a modest improvement on defense means Cats are in the mix for a playoff spot as anyone. 10 wins.

Saskatchewan Roughriders
Offense
Durant or bust
QB: 1. Darian Durant 2. Drew Willy
OL (Left to Right): Xavier Fulton; Brendan Labatte; Dominic Picard; Chris Best; Patrick Neufeld
RB: Corey Sheets FB: Neal Hughes
Receivers: Greg Carr; Robb Bagg; Weston Dressler; Chris Getzlaf; Geroy Simon; Taj Smith
Defense
Change for the better?
DL: Tearrius George (DT); John Chick (DE); Jermaine McElveen (DE); Ricky Foley (DE); Keith Shologan (DT)
DB: Craig Butler (S); Eddie Russ; Milt Collins; Dwight Anderson; Weldon Brown; Terrel Maze (CB and HB positions TBD)
LB: Tyron Brackenridge; Diamond Ferri; Renauld Williams (positions uncertain)
Special Teams
Push the kicker
Keys on the lunch bucket brigade: Aaron Hargreaves; Graeme Bell; Neal Hughes; Paul Woldu
Kickers / Punters: Brody McKnight; Ricky Schmitt; Chris Milo
LS: Cory Hucklack KR: ??
New Additions
Typical Taman
DL: John Chick; Antonio Coleman; Jermaine McElveen; Ricky Foley
DB: Dwight Anderson; Weldon Brown
LB: Renauld Williams
K: Brody McKnight
OL: Kyle Hill; Jose Valdez
R: Rod Harper; Kierrie Johnson; Geroy Simon
Subtractions
No great losses
Lost to FA: Odell Willis (DE)
Released: Tristan Jackson (DB); Jay Alford (DL); Joe Lobendahn (LB)
Draft
Heavy on Hogs
Corey Watman (OL); Matt Vork (OL); Eric Armitage (OL); Alex Anthony ®; Levi Steinhauer (DL); Spencer Moore (FB); Thomas Spo (LB)
On the Bubble:
Key Green Battles
Chris Best (RG): can he hold on to his right guard spot…or will Ben Heenan unseat him? Heenan started 12 games as a rookie. With a stable of younger OL waiting in the wings, does Best get released if Heenan replaces him?
Rob Bagg ®: after two injury plagued seasons…can he return to form as an effective possession receiver?
Chris Milo (K): Brody McKnight was clearly brought in to push the incumbent
Last Season
Up and Down
• Finished 3rd in the West
• Lost to Calgary in the West-semi, on a long TD with 20 seconds left
2013 Outlook and Prediction
Paper Punch??
Durant can be an effective QB, but he is inconsistent. He relies on his receivers to make outstanding plays on balls thrown up for grabs. Ball control offense is not his forte. Will Drew Willy see more playing time?
The offensive line looks solid. Some of the incumbents will be pushed in camp. Tackles were a problem at times last year, but players have been signed to push those positions. Sheets is an effective RB with plenty of upside
The receiver corps should be good, especially if Bagg stays healthy and Simon still has some gas in the tank (which I suspect he does).
Tons of change on defense. The secondary is almost completely overhauled and there will be new players at the defensive end spots. These areas needed to be addressed…but how much change is too much? Did they over-react after giving up that TD in the West semi? The LB corps is decent, particularly Brackenridge. Ferri and Williams have attitude issues…but coaching could be the key there. Personally, I’m not sold on their LB corps.
Three things:
1. How long will it take the new defensive players to gel?
2. Can Durant be more consistent and high-percentage?
3. Will the new acquisitions known to be locker room cancers…be cancerous?
Finally: they could make a push for second, but I dare say they’ll finish third in West again. Too much change on their defense…and BC / Calgary are better at QB.
It looks like they’re building a team to win THIS YEAR…but I don’t think they’re that good. It’s going to be a long rebuild if this doesn’t work.

Calgary Stampeders 2013 Season Outlook:
The 2012 season was both a successful & trying season for Head Coach John Hufnagel & his team. Not only did the Stamps make it to the 100th Grey Cup game in Toronto but the team had to do it without Drew Tate for the majority of the season. Hufnagel not only won with backup qb Kevin Glenn at the helm but with Jon Cornish taking over the starting tailback position from veteran Joffrey Reynolds.
Multiple changes in personnel, injuries & success... a strange combination that produced a winner in Calgary. Hufnagel may have done his best work as a head coach under adversity in 2012. Lets take a look at the team a bit more closely.
Offensive Line: Dmitri Tsoumpas remains the anchor on the Stampeders offensive line. One of the best guards in the CFL, he brings leadership & stability to the offensive line. His play makes the others around him better.
At center Jon Gott is developing into a top CFL center & if he stays injury free he should become one of the best at that position in the league.
The Stamps have two major question marks on the offensive line going into this season. First, the health of former University of former Calgary Dinos, Indianapolis Colts Offensive Tackle & Super Bowl champion Dan Federkill who retired after the 2009 season because of concussion issues. Will he be able to return to form, stay healthy by avoiding more concussion issues & become a full time starter eventually?
The other question mark is OT Spencer Wilson. He battled thru back injuries at the end of last season. He is looking to bounce back in a big way. At best, if one or both of these guys can get into the starting lineup, it'll free up one & maybe 2 Americans to play other positions. At worst, they will add to the depth on the offensive line in 2013.
Stamps got a boost when their 2013 second round draft pick, Offensive Lineman Brett Jones signed with the team when he failed to qualify for medical school at the U of R.
Receivers: The Stamps have one of the most dominant & physical receiver in Nik Lewis. An extremely physical player with soft hands & a linebacker mentality who loves to dish out punishment blocking or crushing defenders when he lowers his shoulder on contact & tries to run them over.
Stamps may have two of the best young receivers in the CFL in Maurice Price & Joe West. Both have a knack of getting open & picking up yards after the catch, With a year of experience under their belts they may be ready to challenge for starting spots along with veteran receiver Marquay McDaniel.
Stamps suffered a blow when it was revealed that wide receiver Johnny Forzani would be lost for an undetermined amount of time after surgery on his right foot which was injured late last season.
Others looking to crack the lineup are two journeymen CFL receivers in Jabari Arthur & Chis Bauman along with former University of Calgary Dinos slotback Anthony Parker.
Running Back: At this position it's Jon Cornish & everybody else. He will be the starter & unless he is injured, Cornish will be one of the dominant running backs again in the CFL this season.
The battle for the backup position will be an interesting one between former Dino Matt Walter who played very well when he got the opportunity & the oft injured but talented & speed burner LaMarcus Coker.
Quarterbacks: John Hufnagel has named Drew Tate as the starter for 2013. But starting positions are fleeting things. Pro football is a success oriented business. Tate, coming off an injury plagued 2012 season still has a lot to prove if he is going to hold onto that coveted starting position this coming season. He has to stay healthy. The other is being able to consistently play well when he does start. This may be the most important season in Tate's career & may define him as a starting qb in the CFL.
Kevin Glenn came to the Stamps in 2012 after a disappointing 2011 season in Hamilton & seemed content to be Tate's backup & mentor helping him adjust to a starting role in 2012. However, a dislocated shoulder & later a broken right wrist allowed the cool & collected Glenn to take over as starting qb where guided his Stampeder teammates to the 100th Grey Cup game. Glenn, the old pro still covets the starting qb position this season but understands that for nowTate is the starter. Glenn knows he has to be ready if called upon to lead the team again in 2013.
Perhaps the most intriguing player on the entire Stampeder roster is second year qb Bo Levi Mitchell. Showing poise & confidence beyond his 22 years, when Mitchell did have to come in at the qb position he played very well. He should only improve & be even better this season.
Defensive Line: Anchored by Defensive End Charleston Hughes the DL is looking to improve over the 2012 season where they looked very good at points during the season & almost invisible other times. Injuries & inconsistent play slowed this unit down last season.
The loss of Canadian DT Brian Bulcke to Hamilton in free agency this past winter hurts but the Stamps went out & signed CFL veteran DT Etienne Legare in his place from the Eskimos which will help.
The Stamps are looking for a matching book end for Hughes & that may be former Blue Bomber, Rider & Ti Cat Defensive End Stevie Baggs. Stamps are hoping he can return to his form of 2009 when he was a force with the Riders. If he has overcome a nagging calf injury he may very well do that. If Baggs does return to form look for the Stampeders defensive line to be one of the team's strengths this coming season.
Ben D'Aguilar, the Stamps first round draft pick this spring is expected to get some playing time on the defensive line but as he is noted as being a Special Teams Demon, most of his playing time will come on that unit.
Linebackers: The linebacking corps will again be anchored by Mac Linebacker Juwan Simpson although he battled through injuries especially later in the season. Rookie Deron Mayo came in & played very well in his place in the Western Final so Simpson may be pushed. However, if Mayo makes the team, I expect him to start the season on the practice roster.
At the Sam Linebacker postion, the versatile Keon Raymond is expected to have another huge season for the team. Raymond is a CFL prototypical Sam Linebacker. Quick enough to cover the back out of the backfield or dropping into pass coverage & tough enough for run support. He can play corner & defensive back if needed & also return kicks & punts if needed.
At the Will Linebacker, the steady veteran Malik Jackson holds down the other spot.
Defensive Back: A veteran group that provided steady leadership to the Stampeder defense with players such as Quincy Butler, Fred Bennett, Brandon Smith & Eric Fraser. An interesting battle may be developing at free safety between Fraser & & second year player Keenan McDougall. Fraser signed a new deal in the off season but Keenan may be ready to push the veteran in training camp.
Defensive back Demetrice Morley is returning from injury where he missed the entire 2012 season so throwing him into the mix just makes this unit stronger.
Special Teams: Stamps have the best one two punch in the kicking department with punter Rob Maver & placekicker Rene Paredes. Both players were CFL All Stars & Paredes is coming off a season where he averaged 92% in the field goal department.
As far as returning punts & kickoffs, the Stamps have the dangerous Larry Taylor who is capable of returning a punt or kickoff all the way from any point on the field.
Prediction: The Stampeders have talent & depth at almost every position. They have a great head coach in John Hufnagel who is a stickler for detail & preparation as well as three veteran coordinators.
If Calgary can avoid the injury bug that plagued this team in 2012 they are more than capable of not only returning to the Grey Cup but winning it. Look for the Stamps & Lions to battle it out for supremacy in the CFL's West Division in 2013.

Locking HM up would do a lot to show the fans that the Bombers are serious regarding their NI talent. Lots of quality up and comers, let's not nickel dime these guys.  

While I completely agree with the need to balance youth with veteran influence, this right here demonstrates why the approach our organization is the right one.  It's sustainable and will allow the club to be competitive long term.