Doublezero

It's exiting to speculate how 2015 will unfold for the Bombers. Lots of new and interesting players under contract equals tough competition for jobs: some good players are not going to make this team. Sophomore season for MOS and a new and very experienced DC should spell fewer points against. It'll be interesting to see the league implement the new rule changes and to see the evolution of our CFL game - hopefully the changes are for the better. Who will be our kick returner(s) and have we found someone unforgettable there? Not really sure about our OC or Drew Willy but holding out hope that they will surprise. What will be the impact of a 'Thunder & Lighting' 2-back set? If we get a 1000 yard rusher and at least one 1000 yard receiver then we should make the playoffs where anything can happen. Go Bombers!

Guy is a rocket. It'll be interesting to see how he does on the wider CFL field and with the new kick rules this year.

Cool. We going to find out if Bombers brain trust has an eye for talent.

I've been wondering why they didn't replace Grigsby with Cotton sooner for that 7-8 game stretch where it was evident Grigsby was slow hitting the openings (such as they were) and that he was always down on first contact. Buck Pierce is the running backs coach, was it his call to keep Grigsby as starter while our run game sucked? That said - really pumped about the RB competition this year and will be extremely stoked if we actually go with a double RB set.

Wonder if teams are shepherding National QBs such as Yantz, Brandon Bridge and Andrew Buckley because they anticipate a possible roster rule change? Obviously it coudn't happen til next season. One option is to just change the ratio to accommodate several possible scenarios including 22 Nationals and 22 Internationals, as Andrew Bucholtz suggests: https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/cfl-55-yard-line/cfl-s-unfair-rule-gives-qbs-brandon-bridge--andrew-buckley-an-uphill-battle-222925652.html The list of Canuck QBs in the CFL isn't very long but we've seen some good ones who were weaned on the rhythm of 3 downs and the unique angles and options of a 65-yard wide field: Russ Jackson, Gerry Datillio and Frank Cosentino ... http://cfl-scrapbook.no-ip.org/CFL-CanadianQB.php

Hope the Blue Bombers can find a way to keep this Canadian player. Or to put it another way, hope Yantz can show he can contribute and is CFL ready.

I like what MTL and Calgary did in the draft. Just shows how much more CDN depth they have compared with Bombers.

Sukh Chungh would be a fab selection at #2 and then best player available to fill needs at #11 and #15. That's probably receiver and LB but could be another OL. With the acquisition of Jamaal Westerman and Ivan Brown via FA we are OK on the DL, I think.

I actually hate that Corey Watson is an Esk. He could be great for them. I hope he is actually, just not against us.

Or going with an International at SB? Or maybe Watson didn't want to report to Sask's camp? He seemed lukewarm ... probably wanted to go home to Mtl.

Wow. Just wow.

Who is the surprise cut? Well, if Paris Cotton isn't the best RB in camp I'm speculating he would not be content to sit on the IR or PR again. Can Bombers keep an extra RB on the 46-man? Unlikely. So he would be released or grabbed off the PR by another club. I'd be slightly surprised if this unfolded since I liked what I saw of Cotton last year, but you get churn at RB position until you land a great one.

I hate that there's no urgency to his game. You give him 20 beats between plays he takes them all. You give him 5 seconds post-snap he takes it all, and more. With the rule changes and emphasis by the league on moving things along more smartly, we'll hopefully see more hurry-up mode from a Drew Willy led offence. Otherwise I'd be more than happy to see Brohm in there. He does make quicker reads and decisions and seems to bring some pace to the O.

Paris Cotton is being challenged for the starting RB spot.

Really hoping Drew Willy lives up to the promise and confidence that he's being shown here. Hopefully MOS has the cojones to sit Willy if he falls short of expectations. If it is an incentive-laden contract, that would be easier to do.

I agree that for those reasons all our QBs should look better this year - but no reason to roll up the Brinks truck for Willy yet.

Part of the reason our offence looked better in the first part of the season was because our QB had more time to process things. Defences hadn't keyed on our vulnerabilities, receivers were getting separation. But Drew Willy's biggest problem is that if you give him more time to decide what to do with the ball, he will take it. Also, because we strung a few wins together early in the year, there was the appearance of better QB play. But people forget that those wins were defence and special teams assisted. We would have lost even more games in 2014 if not for scoring by the D and ST. That being said, things should be better for all the Bombers QBs this season for a whole bunch of reasons. They will all look sharper. Here's hoping Marcel gets his QBs thinking about how to speed up the tempo of the game so defenders don't have time to have a nap, go to the can, or get pedicures between plays, as they could have done last year in the time it took Drew Willy to slowly amble through his pre and post-snap reads.

Willy should be, better be, an improved QB this season: sophomore starter, better pass protection, tweaked offence, more balanced attack etc. Even the new rule changes should help overall offensive production and, by extension, every QB in the league. Let's see if he rises to the occasion. If he does, offer him a new deal post-2015 as he approaches FA. It would be premature to give him a whacking raise at this stage - he's proven nothing. That said - really looking forward to this season! How long til TC?

What good is an OL when your receivers can't get open or catch the ball? Bombers are going receiver with the 2nd overall pick. Agree. Is there much to choose between Durant and Demski? If not, they will select the homer.

Greg Peach is vastly under-rated by the majority of posters on this board. Peach might've been our best DL last year. I recall a few games sitting the stands and going, somewhat to my surprise: 'Woah! Peach." I like him. Tough. Hits hard.

Free Press: "Bellefeuille says his review of last season found that Bombers starting QB Drew Willy was at his most successful when his protection was at its best during the first six weeks of the year. "When I looked at the first five wins of the year last year when he was protected, we averaged 33 points a game on offence -- 33-plus, actually, in those five wins. And we protected very well." http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/football/bombers/Bombers-looking-to-repeat-the-first-six-games-of-last-season-not-the-last-12-300684471.html?cx_navSource=d-top-story Really? I had the impression our O output was very mediocre last year, aided by timely ST and D scoring. (That was the thing about Etch's high-risk high-reward D - it gave up the most points in the league but contributed to the scoring output too.) So looking at those first 5 Bomber wins last year, if you factor in scoring by ST and defence, then the O managed just 26.8 pts per game- not 33 pts as the Bombers O coordinator is quoted as saying. 45-21 W over Argos aided by Washington fumble return for a TD 36-28 W over OTT aided by a Washington kick return for a TD 34-33 W over MTL aided by a Randle pick for a TD The next 2 wins the O actually scored fewer points: 23-6 over BC 27-26 over Ham Optimistic the offence will be better this year though, with couple of new hogs up front and the promise of a balanced attack - including an actual run threat. Be nice if the D and ST can contribute again to scoring though. I think we'll need them.

He retired long ago, if you ask me.

Drew Willy's QB style reminds me alot of Sean Salisbury. Except Willy takes longer to release balls from the pocket and doesn't take selfies.

Here's a short vid with Maxx Forde

You think they keep all of them around? Unless Grigsby got some balls surgically added in the offseason he's not as good as the other two guys. I was thinking a similar thing. He may not make it out of camp. I'm assuming no guarantees were given to him. Can't understand why Bellefueille and Oshea kept Grigsby as starter once Cotton was healthy. They stuck with him long after it was clear he is the kind of back who is slow to read the gaps and is down on first contact. Makes you wonder what they were thinking.