Hamilton Tiger-Cats release Drew Wolitarsky ahead of offseason bonus - 3DownNation

9 minutes ago, Atomic said:

I think it was a nagging hamstring issue... hopefully he can get that sorted out because he can be elite... I'd love to see the Bombers bring him in

Yeah, hammy last year, ankle the year before (also missed part of that season being in the NFL).  Was healthy as a rookie in 2023 (played 17 games) and did really well.

38 minutes ago, Brandon said:

I wish they would do same day weigh ins... the weight cutting is ridiculous.  

As long as people are cutting weight, there's not going to be a perfect solution & incidents like this will still happen if someone cuts too much weight.  there are pro's & cons to it either way - one disadvantage of moving it to same day is that it doesn't eliminate risky weight cuts, it just give less time to recover.  Like that guy could just as easily have face planted tomorrow with after a weight cut that clearly went poorly.  The advantage is that same day's won't allow fighters to put so much weight back on so maybe they don't cut as much in the first place and force guys to fight closer to their natural weight.

Some organizations/commissions have restrictions on how much the fighters can weigh much farther out than the UFC does.  The WBC’s current guidelines advise that a boxer should not be any more than 10 per cent over the division limit within 30 days of the bout, five per cent within 14 days and three per cent within seven days.  The WBC is currently studying if a switch to same day weigh-ins makes sense so we'll see what happens.

😬 Instead of a fight, he gets a trip to the hospital.  

7 minutes ago, Arnold_Palmer said:

I need to see numbers before I pass judgment. 

And how much of it is marketing money.  Willie does a ton off the field for the club so if they want to load guys like him up with non-cap money, I'm good with that.

Couple more neg list signings.

 

 

3 hours ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

How about, if Nathan Rourke can't make it then Elgersma will never get an NFL pension. Rourke showed signs of brilliance in the exhibition season when he got his chance to play to no avail & he was a starter in the NCAA.

All I'm saying that no Canadian & U Sport trained qb has ever started in the NFL. We don't have the competition or coaching needed to play in the nFL up up here. Most Canadian qbs can't even play in the CFL. We aren't a country that churns out qbs for both leagues.

The difference between Elgersma & Rourke is that he knew he had a financial payday waiting with the Lions as he had already played 2 years in the CFL before he went south. His rookie deal was finished. Elgersma has an $85000 rookie Canadian payday waiting for him up here. Not as much incentive to sign with us.

Not true - Rourke was also trying his luck with the NFL before he ever stepped on to a CFL field.  He wasn't getting much interest as a QB though (the Giants had him try out at receiver) so he signed with BC.  Yeah he got more interest down south after 2 seasons up here, but it was not his original plan (hence his unexpected detour comments).  Elgersma is actually getting more NFL looks than Rourke did at this point in their careers so it's not hard to see why he might chase that.  

 

 

Toronto Argonauts sign recently-released veterans Dewayne Hendrix, Peyton Logan - 3DownNation

 

9 minutes ago, Bigblue204 said:

Castillo and Sheanan are back

2 year deal for Castillo & 1 for Sheahan.  

5 minutes ago, Noeller said:

 

 

“I agree to a certain extent, then there’s a certain extent that I don’t agree with. It is what it is, but obviously, we have to have a lens. That’s one of the things I always talk about. Players have to have lenses; coaches do too. We’ve got to do a better job getting our players prepared to win football games. I think we had some adversity last year. I thought we handled it the best way we could, but there’s some things that we need to get better at. And then there’s a reason why some of the guys that were on my staff aren’t coming with me to Ottawa.”

 

Dinwiddie only brought two coaches with him from Toronto to Ottawa — receivers coach Pete Costanza and quarterbacks coach Drew Tate — choosing to fill the rest of his staff with new faces or incumbents.

Toronto just sounds like an absolute dumpster fire off the field. Even Pinball wants out or at least wants to reduce his involvement.

https://3downnation.com/2026/01/17/mike-pinball-clemons-mum-on-toronto-argonauts-tampering-allegations-john-murphy-departure/

On 2025-12-23 at 3:50 PM, wbbfan said:

signed peyton thorne. wow its going to be interesting to watch the qbs in camp. Mich state, auburn, played at good schools. Guy has incredible raw talent and athleticism. Easy smooth arm action with a good release. Very capable runner. He’s not really wired for high volume running. 

 Great upside in a young guy. 

Looks like we can thank Kent Austin for this guy coming up here.  Hope he pans out.

https://3downnation.com/2026/01/16/payton-thorne-winnipeg-blue-bombers-qb/

45 minutes ago, GCn20 said:

OL career longevity is actually lower now than in Walby and Gorrells time. Different level of athletes on both sides of LOS now. 

Flip side is the training and treatment athletes get these days can allow for them to play longer.  A lot of guys didn't take care of themselves properly back then... at least not compared to today's standards.

3 hours ago, CrazyCanuck89 said:

Didn't Walby and Gorell start at tackle in their 40s?

Not late into their 40's but yes both were starting right up until retirement (1996 was the last season for both).  Walby had turned 40 at the end of his last season so he only played a few games past that 40 mark while Gorrell had turned 41 at the end of his final season..

38 minutes ago, GCn20 said:

And lasted how long after? 

4 seasons. His 2001 season was ended by a back injury and that was pretty much the end of him being a full-time tackle - he did see some action there but he was mainly a center from that point on.

He played until he was 39 so he had a fairly lengthy career & wasn't lasting a whole lot longer no matter what position he was in.  By the time he was moved to center, he had played over a decade between the NFL, WLAF & CFL and had suffered some major injuries during that time (and in college). 

2 minutes ago, wbbfan said:

Prior to last year, he was a very reliable snapper. Heavy-set asset? Not really. An OL with the right passport can always get another shot up here though. 

 I find that an interesting move with woodmansey a free agent for them, and one of the best guys available. Maybe they are preparing (poorly) for him to get an offer they can't compete with. 

Szott was their back-up last season and he's a pending FA as well they may have a few spots to fill.

21 minutes ago, johnzo said:

Reinebold hasn't bounced around that much by CFL coaching standards.  He's coached for three different CFL teams in the past decade.  

Noel Thorpe and Mike Benevides and Scott Milanovich (2nd best offense in 2025) and Corey Mace (best DC in 2025) have all coached for three different CFL teams in the past decade. 

Reinebold has been around the CFL for 30+ years now (!) so it's gonna seem like he's bouncing a lot but really he's just a typical CFL assistant.

Yeah he was out of the league for a long time after Winnipeg (1999-2011) but since he returned, he's coached almost exclusively for the TiCats.  One season (2012) in Montreal, one in BC (2018) and now Ottawa - that's pretty stable for an assistant coach in the CFL.  Definitely a lot of other coaches who have moved around just as much (if not more) or that same time period.

BLM probably regretting his decision not to retire right about now...

Hamilton Tiger-Cats sign Chris Kolankowski following release from Blue Bombers - 3DownNation

 

4 hours ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

That's all part of being a scout & doing due diligence. Making sure that potential players drafted would sign with a CFL team. No one in the CFL will draft Fernando Mendoza but they may draft Justin Lamson. 

How many American players worth drafting would consider the CFL at that point in their career though?  We often see guys sit on neg lists for years before they come up (if ever) because they have no interest in playing anywhere but the NFL.  You already get that with a handful of players in the Canadian draft but a US draft would be absolutely full of this.  

If they can get enough American players to declare for a CFL draft then it could work but I don't see that happening or being successful.  Maybe it might work in conjunction with the neg list (IE: keep the neg list but have a draft for some top rated/well known players who might get generate some buzz)?

1 hour ago, Noeller said:

This is from a couple weeks ago... I posted about it when it dropped. He said the Bombers will be absolute trash this year and end up having to trade Zach to TO, Kelly will go to Ottawa and Brown back to Winnipeg...

Ottawa just got Brown to take a reduced contract (which wasn't that high to begin with)so they can go hard in FA - pretty sure they aren't wanting to pick up the huge contract that Zach or Kelly would bring.

1 hour ago, 17to85 said:

Neg list is far superior to an American draft IMO. It rewards your scouting as opposed to a draft which is voodoo when guys may never have an interest in coming north. 

Draft is an event they can market I am sure is the logic but it doesn't help the game.

This is the thing for me with an American draft and (imo) one of the reasons why there is so much turn over on the neg lists.  If these guys get drafted and then say no thanks to playing in the CFL, what was the point of drafting them?  As it is now, if the team holding neg list rights gets told the player has zero interest in the CFL, they can just drop him and add someone else.

10 minutes ago, Bigblue204 said:

Wasn't Sayles a Bomber find in the last 4 years? Woods/Fox/Adams have all been solid but suffered from lack of playing imo. 

He played 2 years with us and 3 with Hamilton so he falls just outside that 4 year period (we signed him in April 2021).

15 hours ago, Goalie said:

unrelated Zach Is another one and he might be on the panel before Bo. He lives in Ontario. Bo has 2 years. Zach has 1. 

Not necessarily.  After he signed his new deal, BLM said it may be a 2 year deal but he's still evaluating things yearly & could very well call it quits after this season.  He just has a bit of security knowing he has a contract for 2027 should he decide to continue. 

Winnipeg Blue Bombers make Evan Holm CFL's highest-paid American DB - 3DownNation

$180,000 in hard money in 2026 with up to $6k in bonuses.  in 2027, he gets $185,000 in hard money with $55,000 being guaranteed.

6 minutes ago, Goalie said:

Boo hoo really from the bitter obviously released player from camp they got that quote from. 

Nope, they can only vote/comment on their current team.

16 minutes ago, Bigblue204 said:

Without looking it up....who did the Bombers have as DL coach in 2021?

Was it not Patterson?  I thought he was here for 5 years so 2021 would have been his 1st year with us.