17to85

Noel gets more from that team than is there so to me as more of a secondary jets fan it seems crazy that he's even on the bubble. I mean almost made the playoffs in the SE division, that's not much of an accomplishment but that roster isn't much just yet either. It's not going to be a playoff team in the west I don't believe, the level of competition is just so much higher. This is a team that still sees Jokinen as an option at centre, that means you don't have a good roster. There's some good pieces but it's not a playoff roster until some of them take a big step.

You know what the saddest part is? We're all sitting here picking someone on the roster and wishing them to be successful, that's a crappy situation. Thanks Tim Burke!

You will always have a drop off when you go from top NIs to backup NIs no matter where they play. Labbe is as good a backup to Muamba as you'll find out there (Stephan if he's not hurt seems decent enough too) The problem here is that outside of Muamba none of the NIs have stepped up to that top teir level. Watson has but he likes to get hurt a ton.

It's football, always gonna watch it, always going to care if they win or lose or how well they play.

Um, so far its only Crowton, Garber and Mack who have lost their jobs... but they all sucked. Cutting Hef - that was ridiculous... aside from that, who has really been turfed because of Burke? well all of these coaches are going to lose their jobs too, lots of players, hell Joey Elliott might be a starting qb if not for Burkes dislike of him, he's certainly still better than what we're using now. You could likely even throw Buchko in there too because if this season doesn't turn to **** like it did he likely doesn't get fired either. Are you really going to pretend that is true? Has Joey Elliott not shown beyond a shadow of a doubt... that he is a far better quarterback than Max Hall and Goltz? That's all he would really have to be, here. Doesn't matter that he's a 4th option for BC. He did a damned sight better than what we've used this year with the same players largely in place and the same coaches so it's really not much of a stretch to say he was better than these guys.

has Gary Lawless written about him being a lame duck yet?

Um, so far its only Crowton, Garber and Mack who have lost their jobs... but they all sucked. Cutting Hef - that was ridiculous... aside from that, who has really been turfed because of Burke? well all of these coaches are going to lose their jobs too, lots of players, hell Joey Elliott might be a starting qb if not for Burkes dislike of him, he's certainly still better than what we're using now. You could likely even throw Buchko in there too because if this season doesn't turn to **** like it did he likely doesn't get fired either.

Who replaces Muamba as the top NI on the team? Until you answer that your argument falls flat.

yeah but this is entirely a different thing we're talking about here. Your original point was that it was easier to lose Muamba than say an o-linemen, I disagreed simply because you can set your ratio anyway you want. The biggest thing screwing the Bombers ratio right now is their choice at safety busting and them using an american there. The plan was clearly a LB and safety on D and that's not working. Honestly I'd rather they used a defensive lineman as the 2nd NI on D but I guess they don't have anyone they feel is a full time guy there, but then again they gotta be as full time there as Cauchy is.

There are a lot of them because you can develop them since a lot of it is mental anyway if you got the size and they can have longer careers than a runningback or a defensive back or something.

I hate how many people lost their jobs because Burke was painfully unqualified to be a head coach.

and that is what the outdated thinking is, this belief that you need to have the bulk of your NIs on the o-line.

No he doesn't deserve a ride, he can walk and I hope it's a blizzard out there when he does.

Fight to keep him, yes. But again, if he doesn't want to be here well we need to move on. We have to focus on the future. Would I like him to be in our future, yes. If Muamba's agent holds the Bombers up for ranson or as leverage to get more money off another team then let him go. We can easily replace a Canadian MLB with an American without missing a beat. On the OL, losing a Canadian like Labatte hurts a lot more than if we lost Muamba as the OL is considered a Canadian position & MLB an American one. You build your Canadian talent from the OL out... This is outdated thinking. There are quality NIs at all positions. You can easily replace a Canadian at OL with an american just as much as you can at LB. You identify your best NIs and build your ratio around that it doesn't really matter what position they play. Yes, but it's not outdated thinking. How can it be outdated? It's reality. We have a ratio & there's no getting around it. CFL teams generally go with 7 Canadian starters on O & D. What we do is start our 7 best & go from there. Where is it written in stone one of our 7 best Canadian starters has to be at MLB? What Henoc Muamba brings to the table is the fact that since he can play MLB which is generally an American position so it frees up an American somewhere else. That is why he is so valuable. But not valuable enough to want the kind of $$$ he may be asking for. Now if the salary cap is raised significantly then if we can fit in his demands financially then yes try to sign him. As far as replacing Canadians on the OL with Americans it isn't easy. Again, it affects the ratio. For every extra American starting on the OL an American starter has to sit out. So, JJ for example may have to sit & Cauchy Muamba goes back in at safety. Maybe Terrence Edwards sits & is replaced with a Canadian receiver. Our secondary may lose an American starter. Having 3 Americans on the OL is a serious problem as it creates a domino effect with the entire roster. It's not good at all & Burke is stupid to do it. As an emergency for maybe one game, sure... But if he thinks that'll make us better in the long run then like I say the man is stupid. . wow did you miss the point... the point is that it doesn't matter what a traditional NI spot is anymore! it matters that your NIs can play and a MLB that can play is as valuable as an OL that can play and both can be replaced by an american just as easily as the other if you're looking at losing one. Where is it written in stone that you need 3 or 4 or 5 NIs on the o-line?

yeah but I think most of the issues crop up with the thoughts that it's starting a chain reaction across the roster that sees other areas get weaker just in the hopes that this actually works to get the offense rolling.

I think this is the best case scenario when we needed an extra NI starter anyway! I don't know that Ford is all that, so if we're looking for the best balance in the roster I think Volny and Wild starting is a much better use of the roster than Labbe and Ford starting.

Fight to keep him, yes. But again, if he doesn't want to be here well we need to move on. We have to focus on the future. Would I like him to be in our future, yes. If Muamba's agent holds the Bombers up for ranson or as leverage to get more money off another team then let him go. We can easily replace a Canadian MLB with an American without missing a beat. On the OL, losing a Canadian like Labatte hurts a lot more than if we lost Muamba as the OL is considered a Canadian position & MLB an American one. You build your Canadian talent from the OL out... This is outdated thinking. There are quality NIs at all positions. You can easily replace a Canadian at OL with an american just as much as you can at LB. You identify your best NIs and build your ratio around that it doesn't really matter what position they play.

yuck

Muamba is valuable because he's the best NI on the team not because he's the best LB in the league. You lose one of your best NIs you're hurting, especially when you already don't have the real high end NIs to start with.

yeah it's an intriguing time for potential FA for sure. Adding Ottawa to the mix automatically raises a lot of players value alone.

Since they won't fire him Burke should just go sit quietly in the corner and not say anything unless it's the occasional slap upside the head to Creehan to keep him from going full *****.

I've been wondering that for some time now. No one has really gotten better under him

nope burke thinks this is the key to winning, get the run game going all the problems are solved, 60 points on offense here we come. Burke is the biggest goof employed by this team this season and he's the last to be fired, go figure.

everyone except for a few qbs out there are easily replaced in some fashion.

It's the CFL, there's so few players period that teams REALLY need for the long term.