Blue-urns

I would hope at the expense of Kyrie but I'm not holding my breath on that one.

I didn't get the impression from O'Shea that moving Kramdi was in the cards. Ratio wise Kramdi switching with Griffin offsets but it eliminates an import safety ( Allen to CB ).  That would give us 3 changes in the secondary and 1 at SAM. Yes there is some experience and ability to do that. However we also have 3 changes on the DL. 
I think your bias against Kramdi is influencing your thought on changes. 
It's not the math of how many Canadian starters we have. It's the fixed number of imports allowed on the roster.   I'm not convinced we go we 3 Canadian receivers although that would create the ratio switch from receiver to OL. For that matter I'm not entirely convinced we do go to 3 import OL. Considering the number of OL signed it may turn out as more likely than I believe. Even you suggested an import rookie receiver starting.
Anyway. We've added some great talent this week and I'm not sure which combinations we'll see when all is said and done. Lots of choices to be made.

yeah we were already transitioning the safety thing last yr
And Griffin is just too goo to keep off the field, as how can you exclude one of your best tacklers, and a guy who can oplay great coverage at 220 pounds...you just cant
Him and Woodbey I can see Younger using the heck outta in many ways, 
And our oline situ which was looking kinda bleak last yr....is in good shape for yrs to come with youngester in Randolph and Vpool...Vibert...Wallace and Broxton who prob has at least 4 good yrs in him

Vanterpool* is drastically better at guard than Randolph. Vanterpool is a G that we tried to shoehorn into T. Randolph is a T. At the point of rando at G you may as well just be going with 3 NIs. If we used a naturalized imp or di on the OL, we could use Randolph on the outside shoulder of big stan. Randolph's primary college use was as a 6th ol in heavy sets, both passing and running. You could na bryant and still have him play most of the reps with Rando in on heavy passing downs. Or you could DI rando. Unless Bryant has a resurgence like Hardrick did, though, Rando is the better pass blocker. He was all of last year. 
Imo, with Rando and Broxton, we have the 2 best pass blocking Ts in the league. With Rando a small margin over Yoshi, though Yoshi was the best run blocking ol in the whole league again last year. Broxton was one of the best run blockers, too. He's just a freakin beast. 
Does seem from last year that they want to move Kramdi to S. I could see it being a package /base for pass d. Griffin at Sam, Kramdi at S, maybe even in a 2 high we showed some last year with 1 Canadian, and Woodbey at Wil. 

well Kramdi was worked and used at safety already...And Griffin was used at SAM and was our best SAM in yrs since Darby before he got yanked for Kramdi
3 import oline is easy...especially if we go 3 canadian recievers, but we dont even have to....Have a C and Guard...BO...Demski and another Cdn reciever...thats 5...Lawson and Kramdi on defence..theres the 7...And you rotate in Shay/Smith....Bailey....easy peasy

So what's left for us this offseason?
The biggest need is on the DL. We got about 13 guys, fairly evenly split between inside and out. We for sure need a few more pass rushers, an import nose or two, and some Canadian talent inside or out. I expect that to be filled by rookies and draft picks.
On OL, we got 18 guys already, which is crazy, especially when we already have more starters than spots. We have a ton of imp Ts who are actual tackles for once as well. Even though tackle is our deepest position now. We still need to draft some OL talent, as you basically always need to. And add Centre depth. 
At Back, another Canadian FB who is a natural blocking type would be good. Even better if they are an H back/te. Another Canadian RB would be good for camp, though it's a low priority and low chance to make the team. 
At WR, we have about 18 guys. We only have 3 guys, 6'2 or bigger, and one of them is 180lbs lol. I expect we will add around 5+ more. Need more young Canadians as always, and some big down field possesion guys. I expect that to be all rookies as well. Would love to see us get a big down field guy who kicked around the NFL a while and is further along. 
QB, I don't think what we need is going to be available for a backup. So just the best of a bad fa group.
Lber, we got 14 + guys, and both the starters and AR are going to be impossible to take spots from, unless we see a huge rash of injuries. 
DB, we have 21 guys and only 2 are 30+. It's pretty good, also with a deep core of starting options. A couple more bodies are likely for the rookie camp. I'd love to see a couple more modern Sams who are bigger db/lber tweeners and a bit more true cover-corner types. 
On teams, someone to push the punter and take reps off both him and Sergio in camp would be good. Doesn't hurt to audition kickers in this league either. No matter who you have. Vaval is pretty locked in if healthy, but we really need some KR depth. We need guys to eat up reps in TC, and an insurance policy for Vaval. Our kick cover team is in a great spot. More versatile guys with size who excel in blocking would be ideal. Maybe a project type to develop. (Canadian H-back would be clutch) 
 
All in all, the roster is in a pretty great spot for this time of year. Definitely in the top group competing to win the off-season. 
 
Going into camp, that is the best move and line-up imo. Though the Ts have to win their spot, and so do Paddy and Eli. Vanterpool, I think, would be damn hard to beat at G. 
That or, like was discussed fully previously, you slide big stan inside. 

I can say with confidence...whoever takes the center spot...will be better than what we had the last several yrs....so that is a net positive as it will radiate right across both sides of the line
And if they come out of camp dominant, and gelling and ol ZC has a couple games early on where he could have a sandwich...some potatoe chips...lil kool aide on the side...and just disect defences....that would be the best thing too

Moreso as well the 2 guards not having to worry or try and compensate to whats on their left...and right

Agreed. We really, really need a QB who is good enough to push Collaros from training camp onward.

Some new blood signed today:
Micah Cretsing Lb Saginaw Valley State
Dorian Singer WR Utah
Joseph Taylor RB Arizona
 
 

Why not give him a chance coaching before we judge him? 
I mean yeah as a player he needed to be gone earlier than he was... but pluggers becoming coaches is a tale as old as time.

His inability to even get into the OLs pads before the ball was thrown on passing downs. Being one of the very worst DTs in the league against the run and the pass for a couple of years. He couldn't get off blocks, even against centres, didn't demand a double team, and couldn't block a rush lane or pass rush. Usage made him worse, and made it more obvious. But the drop off in his play was one of the steepest I've ever seen. 
2021, Jake was overplayed and used suboptimally for a good chunk of the year. But that was one of the best defences of the era, and when Stove got healthy, he was unblockable in the pass rush and a true 2 gap nose, allowing Jake to go back to a more ideal 3tech. 
2022 Jake was burning out in games earlier and earlier while slogging through more and more reps. He would have a handful of good plays a season, and largely relied on cleaning up after others blew up plays or the O screwed up big time. 
2023 Jake was permanently blown up and unable to impose any kind of disruption to the pass or run game at all. 
He benefited from others' disruption in 22/23, which was the latest his instincts and football iq could carry his body. 
 I mean, that is still 5 very good years at one of the rarer positions for a Canadian to perform at in that time. For a guy who started with mediocre at best athleticism, and who was run into the ground, that is pretty good. 
But it doesn't take much to earn the waste-of-space stigma. Especially at one of the most valuable positions on the football field. 
come back in one year and it will repeat lol

I agree. I'd add that he has completely earned the stigma and bias against him. But I think the floor is very high for a replacement, given how we have struggled to coach and develop talent on the DL. The verdict is out on Jake as a coach, but I am not really worrying about him. 

absolutely. 
 
it is. but you bring in 15-20 guys like this each camp and the ones who don’t cut it are first gone and gone in rookie camp. 
 Football is so intensely dependant on raw athleticism and talent, if you can add or develop one strong intangible like football iq, motor, etc you have a quick riser. 
 I mean this is why college teams are always all over track/basketball practices. 
 
very true. and the reality of falling out of the nfl window is a big learning opportunity. those guys always believe that their talent/athleticism will carry to a shot and they will win a spot. even though the reality is very different. Realizing that and facing the end of a career they thought would carry them can bring out a different animal. 
 

Different athletes mature at differnt rates, so if the measureables are there, some may be worth a look-see.

it’s pretty common in the cfl now to bring guys like this into camp. underachieving 4star or higher guys. If they adjust in camp to the canadian game it’s a very good chance you have a high end contributor. if they don’t they are easy cuts. The raw talent and athleticism helps raise the bar in drills for camp as well 

Bogle is an interesting one. Highly recruited, unanimous 4-star recruit out of HS. Played a couple of years at Florida, then moved to Michigan State. Never became a regular starter or lived up to his potential out of HS. Very good athleticism and build, stronger than his weight would suggest, he's extremely lean, twitchy, good get off, has an excellent spin move, and a good motor. 
Boyd is similar. Polished, good frame that could hold more weight, excellent top-end speed, 3-star kid with polish who struggled to find a spot till his last year. 
Battle is pretty much the opposite. Instantly stepped in and started at the corner for NC state. tremendous size, mediocre measurables, but his speed plays better on the field than it tests. Quick twitchy, explosive type. Physical, very aggressive press corner type. Struggled more in zone, but his aggression is also going to be tough in man cover. Could be penalty-prone in any pro league. I think his wheels play much better in the CFL, and his fit could be good with JYs system if he can adjust. Played a ton of snaps, like 2400. If he can reign in his aggression and fit in with the system, he could be a very high-floor guy. 
Mayes has an interesting build for a wr, almost closer to a rbs build. Doesn't have great measurables, but a good track and basketball guy in Hs. Looks to have good hands. His qb, Ridder, was on our NL for a good while. They've seen a lot of him. He's got good polish, shifty runner.  Whenever I see guys at WR in that 6' and under, 200 and under range, I wonder if they have been over looked alot for not jumping off the stat sheet, or if they are an overachiever. Mayes hands and polish make me think he's the overlooked type. I wonder if they view him as a slot back. If he can master the waggle, he could go far up here, very quickly. 

Wj and vaughters were 4th and 6th in the league in pass rush attempts last year. We basically need to cut WJ's snaps in half, and more so on running downs vs running teams. Then we need to replace Vaughters with someone who can play the same volume of snaps at a higher level. Meanwhile, we also need a starting 3-tech. If we are lucky, we will get one of those 2 as a rookie, but almost certainly not the full-time end. So we'd need to sign 2 of the top 5-ish DL FAs, maybe less than that now. And sign another guy to compete with a rookie we would hope wins. 
If we don't spend a lot, and extremely well, and hit a ROTY type on the dl, the dl will be more of the same. 
Bringing back WJ isn't awful if he's cheap. if hes back for that big payday again, we are basically screwed short of winning the lotto. 

I love Tait, but that article is insanely disjointed from reality. WJ hasn't been that guy since JJ last played here. 
If you include his sacks, he made 1 stop per game last year. This includes not recording a stat for 4 weeks in a row and 6 weeks in total. Despite that, he still didn't put up more than 2 tackles in a game. In the last 3 seasons, he has 4 games with 3 tackles or more, and 17 games without a stat recorded. 
It's not just that he disappears in the run game; he is actively attacked and exploited by other teams in read option plays. 
He isn't a force, and hasn't been for a long time. Sacks are down, yes, but everything is in the toilet for wj outside of pkds. His "Highly Decorated" achievements are all from years ago. He hasn't been close to that level of play or accomplishment since then. He isn't that leader. That was always the other guys. Look at the continual errors and poor discipline on the DL. It's not just that he isn't correcting it in others; he is a big part of that issue himself. The entertainer? It's just clowning around when you continually underachieve as a team, unit, and player. 
We didn't use the 30 front remotely as much as we used it in 24. And front alignment is separate from pressure. The most disruptive teams in football use fronts interchangeably. They break the play down by front alignment, pressure package, and cover package. 
And teams don't sit there and double wj a lot any more. They don't have to. He is going to coast and play for the PKD. 
 
PKDs, are the only consistent direct value he brings to the field. He does it at the expense of not just his pressure but the entire line's ability to disrupt. When you line up in a 40, and 1 guy is going to play rover looking for knockdowns, you aren't going to get pressure. Nichols was 2nd in the league in PKDs, with 13. While still doing his primary job of covering as well as anyone in the league, and playing a gap in the run fits. 
Our Defence saw  574 passing attempts. 357 of those were completed. That means 217 plays where the pass was not completed; of those 217 plays, WJ had 16 knockdowns. That means 7% of our pass incompletion success came from WJ. 
Tait mentions Betts in and the drop in sack production. Lets compare impact but instead, lets compare with Hicks. And lets say Hicks only won 10% snaps than WJ, lets ignore sacks, and count PKDs but only WJs. WJ had more snaps than hicks, so lets also give him that and reduce hicks effectiveness by going by WJs 529 passing snaps. If WJ won 10% of his snaps, that would be 52 disruptions, plus 16 PKDs, for 68. If Hicks won 20%, thats 104 disruptions.
 But then, if we go back to reality, Hicks had 28 tackles with 12 sacks in 465 passing plays. On a 20% win rate he is having a significant impact on 93 plays. 
Vs 15 tackles and 3 sacks in 529 passing plays.  In reality, with PKDs we are lucky if WJ impact 10% total of all passing plays against us last year. Significantly more snaps, significantly less total impact. 
 
 
30 alignment doesn't mean we only rushed 3. Jones and Kyrie tied WJ for sacks, plus another lber and db with a sack. 
 

yeah reading that article makes me shake my head.   Willie only had 3 sacks, but here's the reason why ... we only rushed 3.     The clearer picture would be that how many sacks did the team have overall last year.
Anyways, I'm still a fan of his and am happy he is sticking around.   I think he'll have a bounce back year.

Sure, to a certain degree. But when the Bombers were at their best in 19-21 it was the result of several years of big game hunting in free agency for studs like Andrew Harris, Bighill, WJ, Winston Rose, and Stanley Bryant, at the time those guys weren't just veteran leadership, they were the most talented players on the team. I look at the current roster and there isn't any position where we have the most talented player in the league. Maybe Brady. But the veteran leadership for the most part is washed up. It sure looks like they are bringing back 80-90% of the same players (unless MOS cuts them in camp LOL). It's hard for vets to be leaders when they can't bring it on the field anymore. If the Bombers aren't active in free agency and bring in a top name or two AND some impact rookies, it's just going to be even worse than last season. 

we just over did it and kept some long in the tooth guys too long, as we let some 2..3..4 yr guys walk instead....we should have been doing some transitioning each yr....hopefully we learned something

Haven't we tried this already?

I've seen a bunch of players and coaches in the NFL say that the talent gap between the NFL and the CFL is not huge. We don't have the top-tier outliers, and don't keep them when we find them, but average imp starter to starter it is way closer than people realize. 
 The consistency of players, coaches, and systems here is too much for the UFL to overcome. Even though we see a lot of turn over with in the league each year, its still a lot of guys staying in the league and with similar systems. 
The top tier in the UFL is very good. The problem is that below that, it drops off a massive cliff.