17to85

Don't be ridiculous, the NHL loves these outdoor games because it lets them bring in a big whack of cash from more asses in seats and more marketing and all that fun stuff. That's why they've done so many of them to the point where no one really cares about them anymore. They'll do one in Winnipeg, Bettman and the Jets just have to wait until the time is right. The Grey Cup is too important to the host CFL team to put the profits from it at risk.

No ****... Charlie Roberts is an all time back. Shame that guy didn't care as much or he really could have been something special.

This is great that Miller isn't going to let the NHL push him around. I've been to a Grey Cup, I've been to an out door hockey game, there is no contest which one is the better event, but a lot of Jets hype right now I don't doubt there's a lot of people in Winnipeg when forced to choose between the CFL and NHL would jump on the hype train.Good for Miller, good for the Bombers and good for the CFL.

Normally you'd think that, then we went into last season with Aaron Kelly and Romby Bryant. More like being caught under a tipped over vending machine. Receiver is an area McManus really has to show something in. For the most part the guys he brought to camp and to the practice roster in season did not look like CFL quality players either when they got an opportunity. Donovan Kemp seemed to look okay in training camp and pre-season. Because of his injury, we'll never know if he would have gotten a chance and even succeeded. Actually it makes me wonder whether they might bring him back next year. Regardless, I'd agree that the receiver competition was pretty weak. But let's remember Joe Mack's first season... finding import receivers was one of his strengths over his time here and the receivers he brought in 2010 were awful. Jamayel Smith was starting for us. My point is that I think the scouting staff deserves a first season grace period to establish themselves. a GMs first year is always transitional, in that first year did Joe Mack not bring Greg Carr in midseason? You can forgive a new regime for not having guys in training camp but by midseason or later they should be established enough to get some guys up here who might be able to do something. This is a show me year for the scouting department. They need to do a better job than they did last year and there's just nothing more to be said. I'm willing to give them a chance, now they just gotta get some good prospects up here.

Here is the thing that bugs me about Rider fans and their dismissing of the idea that they went all in for that cup and it will have lasting effects going forward with regards to the quality of the team... Us Bomber fans have seen Taman as GM, we watch Taman grow into the role of GM and we know who he learned the trade from... Dave Ritchie. Taman is all about big names and little depth. He'll pay big for what he considers key positions and sacrifice the depth to do it. It's not sustainable. Yeah they got a cup out of it, but we saw last year that the spend big and save money on depth and how it completely tanked the season for the Riders once Durant got hurt. It's only going to get worse as they try and get spending in line and lose more veteran pieces.

Echoing the previous sentiments, any one of those guys would be a good addition, as would some home grown talent. Just need someone at that level to be the 3rd receiver behind Moore and Denmark.

Normally you'd think that, then we went into last season with Aaron Kelly and Romby Bryant.

We're paying quite a bit for Moore and Denmark at receiver already, a cheaper option would be better, someone with the potential who hasn't really shown it yet. I'm thinking like when the Bombers first picked up Terrence Edwards. I dunno who is available that fits that bill but surely there's someone to be had, or god forbid the scouting department digs up someone good. I think there's better areas to focus the efforts on in FA than a star receiver. Especially with Desjardins poised to go full ***** looking for receivers.

They've been talking about starting 3, just because they want to get them all on the field... They talked about it cause they failed to get better import receivers last year and the other NIs on the team aren't up to par. 2 NI receivers is what they'll go with and that's fine, it makes the most sense. If they go with Watson, JFG and Kohlert all starting at once the offense won't be very good.

yeah there's no question about that. I think you're probably remembering that game against Hamilton by JFG and putting that up as the standard.

That depends how you define upper tier. Picard is a top 3 centre in the league, Kohlert had the third most yards in the league for any Canadian receiver, and Bucknor was probably the best Canadian corner in the league last season. If you defining tiers by position, we certainly do have a few of those guys. Nope none of those players qualifies in my mind. We don't have anyone who is a canadian but also among the best in the league. Years ago we had Brown and Labatte who were top players regardless of nationality, there's no one on the roster that qualifies for that now. Picard is too old and not the same player he once was to qualify anymore either. Watson would be close if he could stay healthy but he sadly can't. There's a lot of solid canadians and some interesting depth but lacking those couple real high end guys holds the team back.

Our opportunity to ditch Kuale for something of value? Let's get to MD while he's still high on the ether... Send Wade Miller and Desjardins is likely to mistake him for Poppin' Fresh. He owes his robust physique to his tubes of triple bleached goo.

What a case of mismanagement here. Billions of dollars lost because they didn't understand the market they were coming into and didn't put enough planning in place to ensure their launch was a success. It's just amazing that this can happen. How can the people in charge be so dumb?

We don't have anyone that can be considered in the upper teir of Canadian players, that alone makes it below average.

except this past season casts some doubt on how much tread is left on those tires.

Lot of entitlement and impatience in this thread that's for sure. I hope they don't make an official announcement until training camp just to watch some of you continue to *****.

Name me a defense that works without being able to get pressure on the qb. The simple fact is that in the CFL every single D out there relies on pressuring the qb. There's too much room on this field to be successful without that pressure. Walters biggest priority this offseason in my mind is getting some DL upgrades in here.

You don't sign a new extension to your contract without some kind of buyout happening when that contract gets tossed out. He likely wouldn't get the full value of it but there was probably a buyout amount in there before X date or something.

I would agree if resigned and re-signed didn't mean totally opposite things. Its like commas: :"Lets eat, Grandma" and "Let's eat Grandma." BIG difference. but everyone knew what he meant

Uh huh. Don't travel much to the US do you? Fly from WPG to NYC and you're looking at basically a full day and over a thousand bucks, due to the connections in TO or MPLS or MON or CHI. Whereas you can fly from Calgary (much further west) to NYC direct most of the year in 6 hours and 400 bucks. Fly from LA to WPG takes at least half a day. At least one connection. LA to Calgary is 3 hours, nonstop, and way cheaper. Not saying WPG is a travel backwater but its certainly not an easy or affordable place to leave. Not true. I just took a flight to LA in June, connected in Denver. Left at 8 AM local, arrived at 12 PM local (6 hours total) Exactly -- connection. I just did LA - Calgary last week. 3 hours. And because no connection, my luggage arrived with me. WPG airport is as cute as a bugs ear but it aint an international hub (though neither really is Calgary). You really can't appreciate how lousy that is until you live in the Northeast USA, and can literally hop a last minute flight to London for $399 and get there in half a day. Calgary has designs on becoming a much bigger airport though. They're on their way. It always boggled my mind that Winnipeg given it's position right in the middle of the bloody continent couldn't find a way to make itself a hub.

In Alberta we have a deficit of $6-7 BILLION dollars.... Just this year. You guys have it good. And the Flames want a new arena? Good luck with that. This has been brewing for the past two years and its gonna get worse in Alberta. There are problems with a one-source economy, and the forecasts are for at least two more years of low oil and gas problems. Just wait until the tar sands start shutting down- they take years to get back up to full production. The fact that they take years to get going is a reason why they won't just shut down. Too much investment in them already to just drop it. What you'll see is less new investment but that might not be a bad thing over all. Things were getting overheated in the economy. No it's not oil that gives Alberta it's problems, it's the unwillingness to adopt a progressive taxation system. Could generate a lot of revenue by altering the way the province taxes everything but the ideology won't allow it.

dickish but there's been questions about Kessel in that regard before. He was afterall traded from Boston because they felt he wasn't fitting in, this is now the 2nd coach he's seen fired in Toronto. I think given that teams recent history and the lightning rod of being the teams star player you gotta expect questions to be asked like that.

The GST cut was a direct "**** you" to the Liberals who promised to abolish the GST when they were elected but then never did. It was the Conservatives way of saying to the country "See we actually keep the promises we make" Just ignore the times they didn't, that's a big visible one that people notice.

ehh the only player that might have been ruined by the Oilers is Yakupov and that was all Eakins not understanding the player. Hall and RNH were the only other ones to go directly into the NHL and they both worked out fine. Some people expect more from RNH but the job he's asked to do is a thankless one and since he's got the shoulder fixed he's fine. The biggest failing of the Oilers is their pro scouting because the veterans they've added have for the most part been lacking.