JuranBoldenRules

Likely didn't want to risk any potential NFL interest for a handful of CFL game cheques on rookie deal.

Not many comparables to Dru Brown's first 150 passes though historically. Collaros about 30 points lower in QBR and quadruple the turnovers...was playing on defending Grey Cup champs. Reilly had half as much playing time it his first go round with BC before he was the guy in Edmonton and was about 25 points lower in QBR, again playing on a Grey Cup team. Bo Levi almost 30 points lower through same point of his career, double the turnovers again playing on 12 and 14 win teams. So the "YEAH BUT THE BOMBERS ARE AWESOME SO DRU BROWN MEANS NOTHING" argument is kind of moot in these comparisons. We might be in a CFL type of Alex Smith - Pat Mahomes situation. Obviously a lot more variables in the CFL.

This is going to be an ongoing issue with both the expansion of NFL PR's and drop of eligibility restrictions combined with CFL starting season earlier leaving fewer game cheques for guys who return. In Ford's case the amount he could have made joining the Bombers in mid-September would be dwarfed by a couple/3 weeks on a NFL PR. Plus the timing of the CFL offseason really hamstrings guys trying to stay in contention to make NFL teams for the next season. Really if he came back this season that's a career long decision not a 2023 decision. They have a lot of work to do to make navigating this more pleasant for guys to come back at the moment.

Edmonton and Calgary are going to be flash points for the league very shortly. Disappointing how nonchalant Ambrosie is toward the strife in these markets. Facility issues there are huge. No use pining after a 10th market.

Argument is rooted in 2024. Uncertainty vs known commodity with the point being the known commodity is potentially turning a bit of a wildcard week by week.

Yeah but if you turn Augustine into a rookie with either passport there's your savings.

You can't argue anything in the future of any quarterback at all with any evidence. Depth is important. Using the whole roster is important for sure. The past two years it's been kind of a "these are our day 1 guys" and we'll only deviate from this group if a limb is amputated. Montreal dominated the playoffs with a DB crew they basically built during the season, much like our team built a DB crew in 2019. We helped them significantly by playing 3 receivers who basically couldn't move.

Collaros has had a lot less consistency as well as bursts this season. A few giant games and a lot of games with very mediocre production. And that's with an all-time season out of the tailback plus a guy like Schoen. I guess what they really have to drill down onto is what is him and what is the offense.

He went with NCAA guys for most part and size/speed. They had basically nothing on U Sports aside from combine guys and Walters combing film. Then they fired Mack and built an actual personnel department for a CFL team.

Yeah and it's wrong. My point. There was one off-season where Walters and Mack worked together in front office. July of that season Mack was fired. Mack's AGM from 10-12 was a guy named Ken Moll. They had basically no scouting infrastructure in place for U Sports or CJFL, 100% relied on combine.

There's some good thinking in here. Durability becomes an issue and we have a lot of guys who have had serious injuries, or the kind that never really get back close to 100%. Also age. Bighill, Jeffcoat, Alexander, Grant, most of the receivers on this current team. Jefferson has always been his best when he's playing about 2/3 of snaps. As others have mentioned, this is kind of a determine who your core is for the 2025 run kind of off-season IMO. Yeah Walters had no involvement until 2013, and all he provided was scouting. He didn't make picks.

The first draft Walters ran was 2014. 2013 he was Director of Canadian Scouting.

Ability issues as well. Sure looks spectacular if he makes a play, but extremely inconsistent and too easy to move out of gap.

Hall mostly plays match coverages (meaning matching coverage to routes) so basically everyone but DL ends up covering man, especially when he's blitzing a bunch. So if both slots run vertical like that one post and corner, Bighill can't just sit, neither can Alexander. Alexander sitting on a route that isn't there is the bust on that play. The offense dictates matchups based on alignment and motion. There's only so much the D can do before the snap and then they gotta roll with it.

Where do you prioritize him around Jefferson, Jeffcoat, Schoen, Oliviera, the entire OL, Wolitarsky, Lawson, Walker? There's a strong possibility he's asked to take a pay cut again and says no.

Could very easily be cut. Already a guy who has taken pay cuts.

The only way Bighill should be back is if he's going to gain about 10 pounds and play nose at a 50% pay cut. Will be disappointed if we give up a great player or two in their prime to keep him around. Looks more like Alexander to me. Holm is playing corner there and jumps the outside breaking route. Alexander is at no depth to cover curls but also doesn't track the vertical. That's the drive when Alexander dropped down to half and Hallett came in at safety because Parker got bopped on the kickoff cover. The drive where we really could have used a backup DB.

Competition doesn't only take place in the games broadcast on TSN.

It was Cover 2, basically what Tampa 2 looks like in Canada. They flooded the deep so Lawler had a bit of time to the flag, but the corner at curl/out depth also has time to bail out on a corner route. The corner who made the pick was reading the QB and covering zone. I personally think the pass to Demski would have been a pick six should Collaros have thrown it, by the same DB. That DB is baiting that throw. At best Demski would have got lit up. If Lawler times up a jump for that ball it's a easy TD. The best play likely would have been to back them off with a pump and take it to the endzone himself.

At that point the Bombers were actively running out the clock, running it down inside 5 each play.

Pigrome was awful for Ottawa. Don't really see him as a prospect in this league at all. If anything might have conditioned Dru Brown more to that short yardage role so you could use his arm to having an actual threat on the field.

Ultimately all the teams we compete against are going through the same issue so there's no advantage to anyone. They are all mining the same talent pool of guys willing to come up. Feel that this year there was very little effort paid to development which bites short and long-term in this sport. That churn needs to be continuous. Saw several circumstances this year where there simply was no one ready to replace an injured player so we didn't replace them. Like when Grant was out and we had no one that could reasonably even catch a punt safely.

No we don't. Look at the depth charts. Everyone dresses an assload of LB/DB/RB's to cover kicks. We actually were dressing less because we had 8 OL, Jackson (who by game 15 was off cover teams) and often up to 3 backup receivers including Grant, we also had a bunch of games with 8 OL and Schmekel on too who couldn't cover kicks.

Who do you think covers kicks?

The O was going to be a slog to play ball control. The D was inexcusable. Fajardo has the ability to do exactly one thing as a passer which is to get the ball out quick/toss up those 50/50 balls. You can't leave yourself exposed to giving receivers chances to make plays on inaccurate tosses by running so much cover 0/1, basically man coverage the entire game. Further, there's not even a point of rushing 6-7 guys if they are always in max protect. Sure if they are going to only leave 5 in you might be able to disrupt timing but they clearly were going to hunker down.