42 minutes ago, Mike said:

I'll need more than one game before I start imagining our DL is as elite as Calgary's. They were disruptive (not productive) against us even without Hutchings or Orimolade. That's a scary DL they have in Calgary for sure.

They are very good and if we can even be spoken in the same sentence as them we are in good shape.

21 hours ago, rebusrankin said:

Why even start Kelly in practice? The guy gets lit up more than Prime Keith Richards.

Same thing we did in camp with several guys in TC just before we axed them maybe. Could be they just wanted to give Kelly a look with all the talent around him to see if there is anything there left to salvage. Just a theory.

Just now, Booch said:

could rival CGY when all guys healthy as one the best...looking forward to that again

Yea...for sure. Calgary is pretty deep as well but we are right there with them I think.

57 minutes ago, Booch said:

yup...auditioning on the fly so to speak and by mid/last 3rd of season see who the go to main 3 will be, and have some serious solid depth who have played all yr...been clamouring for that for 2+ yrs....its a need to do thing

curious to see how they use Fletcher...I assume same way as Dixon as both built to be outside and inside guys...If he shows real good...which I expect he will...Having both him and DIxon on roster would be huge, and WJ and Cersena will eat all yr...and Jenkins can be allowed to just focus on getting better and fine tune his attack the QB technique

Thats why I also hope Elsbury is auditioning too right now and gainig reps and when Eli is ready and 100 percent he gets a few games and then we go with the best...cause that Import spot easily allows us to dress all of WJ..Ceresna..Jenkins..Dixon and Fletcher to go with lawson and Gatkouth...That would make us a way better team than removing one the DL guys for an imoort center who is ok...but not amazing

That group of dlineman being able to be fresh all game and offer varied looks will terrorize opposing offences

Our DL is easily the most improved unit in all of the CFL I would say....if we can get that kind of rotation going....scary.

4 minutes ago, Booch said:

Yeah I would suspect Smith should see a lot of the field now, and Shay as well getting some work. I think Kelly was taking Smiths reps in the first game as Smith was pulled in the 1st quarter...well I hope...even better yet it better been the reason

And I agree we tend to over rotate guys outside of the dline and I think it some ways it actually hurst the flow...let the guys who are on point that game stay on point and really get into a cohesive crew.....and then sprinkle in some diff looks personel wise...for most part a lot of what we do is the same look...just different guys in the role and in all honesty it isnt fooling anyone...if anything the teams seem to attack where we stuck a weaker player

But on the positive its given depth/rotation guys valuable game resp when the game still matters....so if we do get in an injury pinch we know who can play, and wont feel the need to rush in less than 100 percent guys cause we actually have experienced depth that we know can play...

I stand by my theory that Younger is rotating guys outside the DL, particularly in the Lber crew, because the talent level among them is that darn close and since it is, why not give our aging backers both a rest and some competition nipping on their heels. If one of the young guys grabs a job by the onions that would be a bonus and something I'm sure that Younger is hoping for. Let's face it, if T Jones and KW are our plan beyond this year then we have some serious problems. Therefore, I think this year Younger is transitioning. Let the vets soak up reps while they are still useful, but if a young guy pushes one of them out, that would be the goal.

1 hour ago, Booch said:

100 percent...it's pro sports and if you dont like getting feelings hurt or criticized, or you dont have the onions to make the decisions that might do that to someone you need to step away...I still think it's a issue of Osh and Walters being too good of chums.

And yes this yr Walter's did his part... jury out on Osh somewhat for the moment.....I am somewhat positive so far tho with the fact he brought Fletcher on to roster to accommodate loss of Dixon for a bit instead of promoting Korn is a very good...and smart thing to see....

I think we are likely going with Texada over Kelly as well. Be interesting now that Smith is healthy if it translates into him and Shay taking on the Woodby role. I like the use of LBers thus far, although maybe a little too much rotation, but guys are seeing the field. With the heavy rotations we saw in game 1, it seems to me that Younger is looking for someone to step up and grab the job at a few positions. I like that. Ride the hot hand if one emerges.

5 minutes ago, Booch said:

yeah If he gives sole responsibility to a co-ord....then he needs to step in and say...nope...Maybe Younger isnt a bright mind like many think tho if that the case...Bottom line tho coaches may say who/what they would "like"...The HC tho should be able to see the pro's and cons and make final decision accordingly...If the best talent isnt there....and you have possibly better already here....then why bother playing inferior..and if you don't have the talent then you best be all over the GM's arse and tell him to get some

Part of prob here at times is everyone is too buddy biddy and scared to step on toes or possibly offend someone...not a good trait

I agree. MOS should not allow Younger to get too cute with his lineup, Walters should not allow OSH to play favorites, and OSH should be banging down the door asking for holes in his roster to be filled. Let's be clear at certain times over the past few years we have seen both Osh and Walters underperform. If this is a trinity, someone needs to step in when Walters takes a season off and kick his arse, or when Osh doesn't have the plums to take JT off the roster. I seriously think that Walters has been our biggest problem the past 2-3 years because he is supposed to be the bottom line, and coming out of the business world I've learned that you don't blame your employees for the mess because it is on you to make sure that doesn't happen.

That being said it looks like Walters showed up to earn his pay cheque this year, now it's time for the coaches to make sure the work pays off. As much as we like to grouse about Jake Kelly taking a few practice reps, it seems that Osh's rostering looks better this year.

16 hours ago, Booch said:

HE WAS good as a rookie and showed serious potential...blew out his knee and post surgery just seems to have lost his closing ability and his big asset, which was his speed/quickness seems to have not come fully back and he is now forever in chase mode

yup...he hasnt been the same since and has become the back end roster Canadian now....Ayola the global would prob offer just as much on teams now he back and if he picked up some seasoning and development in the NFL..which he musta being there for 2 yrs he had to have shown something...I'd put him in on that spot of roster as a teams demon and see what he does....and give him some rotation reps....u dont know what you got until you actually give a player a opportunity

The perplexing part is the usage of Kelly who hasn't really made a play since his rookie yr on defense when you don't need to is just plain...well dumb

If it Younger pushing for it Osh as the HC should have the plums to say..."sorry but we gonna use..Vaval...Smith...Shay"...whomever, and if it's Osh who made that call...Then we are again dealing with the same brain dead moves again and likely gonna have to suffer with it all yr until that player goes down with a season ender

Younger picks his starting lineup. Was confirmed in two separate interviews. I agree that the bottom line falls to MOS though.

16 hours ago, Booch said:

HE WAS good as a rookie and showed serious potential...blew out his knee and post surgery just seems to have lost his closing ability and his big asset, which was his speed/quickness seems to have not come fully back and he is now forever in chase mode

yup...he hasnt been the same since and has become the back end roster Canadian now....Ayola the global would prob offer just as much on teams now he back and if he picked up some seasoning and development in the NFL..which he musta being there for 2 yrs he had to have shown something...I'd put him in on that spot of roster as a teams demon and see what he does....and give him some rotation reps....u dont know what you got until you actually give a player a opportunity

The perplexing part is the usage of Kelly who hasn't really made a play since his rookie yr on defense when you don't need to is just plain...well dumb

If it Younger pushing for it Osh as the HC should have the plums to say..."sorry but we gonna use..Vaval...Smith...Shay"...whomever, and if it's Osh who made that call...Then we are again dealing with the same brain dead moves again and likely gonna have to suffer with it all yr until that player goes down with a season ender

Seems we've got our answer and it is Texada.

9 hours ago, Noeller said:

This is definitely the point I was trying to make with my post Saturday morning. I was as angry as anyone with some of the shitty play we saw at times Friday, but at the end of the day, that's a graveyard for us for a very long time and the conditions were awful. Getting two points is, literally and figuratively, a huge win.

Nope, we must complain...it is imperative. Never mind that we were on the road in gale force winds...irrelevant.

4 hours ago, Mike said:

It's very possibly hopium but I have one whole complaint about the defense so I'm pretty excited about what that could look like this year. I like the pieces we brought in - Jenkins is a monster physical presence on the edge and I think it's crazy to think about the idea that on any given snap, you might be a tackle lining up against either Willie, Jake or Kydran. That's a lot of different tools in the toolbox to contend with. Another year of Woodbey is something I'm excited about, he gives me a lot of Adarius Pickett (with an extra 25 pounds) vibes and I genuinely think he could be an all-star on the back of a ton of splash playmaking. Our secondary seems like it's got the potential to be pretty exciting and I do like that we have a ton of versatility in all three levels.

Our offense both scares and bores the hell out of me. I know that we've got big pieces (Brady, White, Demski and Pokey) but we have so many questions - the Broxton to RT is a move that I don't think we discuss enough as being risky, rookie American center could be less than ideal, our depth is about as thin as thin gets, our utility players seem like there's a good shot they're incredibly useless - so I'm just not sure how that all shakes out. I trust in Condell but I'm whelmed currently. Maybe we see Brady get 1800 yards all purpose and White/Pokey both go for 1000 while Demski/Nield provide 700-800 each but I just don't know if I see it.

I think it can be safely argued that in all of those scenarios you laid out the defences on those teams left a lot to be desired as well.

14 hours ago, Jesse said:

It’s not a slight on Brady, but if we want our offense to be successful, our best receivers need to catch the ball more than our RB. White, Wilson, and Demski should be some of our best players.

The last 2 years - when our O has taken a huge step back- Brady has been our #3 and #2 receiver. It looks great during awards season for him but it’s not helping us put up points.

I am not hung up on how many touches Brady O gets as a receiver, but I am hung up on the reasons why he may get so many touches. If his number is legit called out of the back field as a receiver because of something our OC is trying to do, or sees, I could care less how many touches he gets unless they are unproductive. However, if most of his touches are because he is the safety valve and our OL is not holding up or our receivers are not winning their routes then I agree with you. That is more or less what we saw last year and you are right that is problematic.

1 hour ago, Mike said:

I feel like this is what it has to be ... variety and a multitude of different offensive sets is what I'd expect. Realistically, I think they're going to be giving the opposition a lot of different looks this season, which I don't mind at all. I don't really know if we can trust Zach to beat good teams with his arm, but I do have some level of belief we can beat good teams with Condell being able to create a lot of confusion on what we are doing on offense.

I actually agree with you on this. I think if Condell is thinking outside the box with the personnel at his disposal he could really set up an offence that is very hard to defend and to prepare for.

5 minutes ago, Booch said:

yeah possible too....and I think he'd excell at WIL....Interesting that the depth chart has Jones at Wil and Wilson at MIKE

I haven't looked at it yet, have to do that ASAP.

18 hours ago, Booch said:

i agree....it was a gut punch for sure from a quality vet like that

yeah...we need to let him play his natural spots...we dont need him at SAM...Griffin..Woodbey..Smith and kramdi have that more than covered

Yup...WIL or MLB....he isnt fluid and greasy hipped enough for SAM....he is built thon to work nicely in the box...say....In Jones role 😁

I like Shay at WIL a lot better but agree he could play MIKE. I really don't think they are trying shoehorn him in at SAM. I think the preseason look there was more about seeing where he might fit into a 3-4 defence.

Time for my wild prediction of the year before the season starts:

Jake Maier plays well enough but not great in Ottawa, in game 4-6 Dinwiddie gives Dru Brown the start and he gets concussed and sidelined in his first start. Maier returns to action the next game and begins playing better while Brown languishes on the bench. In week 13 Zac Collaros suffers a season ending injury, and Elgersma gets the tap to start. After a couple games TE suffers a broken foot leading to a Winnipeg QBing crisis. A trade for Dru Brown is worked out with Ottawa bringing him back to the Bombers. Brown catches fire, while at the same time Winnipeg shuffles the deck on defence to tighten it up. Bombers who are 3rd in the West go on the road and begin a heater culminating in bringing home a Grey Cup. Taylor Elgersma, plays a pivotal role on a broken foot throughout the playoffs as the Bombers change of pace QB. At the Grey Cup parade both Taylor Elgersma and Chris Streveler show up shirtless and wearing fur coats and smoking cigars. Life is right in Bomberland again.

(I would like to note that I am not wishing injury on any QB in this post and would hate to see this exact scenario roll out with the exception of the Grey Cup part)

On 2026-05-29 at 1:54 PM, wbbfan said:

How very Farhan of him.

Personally, I would put TE on the PR at that point. I think he still has development sitting for a year and watching. Keep brown ready to go and have Bryce do the short yardage stuff.

Pretty much. Some teams don't want to sit on a QB controversy, though. It is very distracting unless you have an incredible locker room to manage it. Imo, ott doesn't have that. I could very well be wrong about that. I don't think that Dinwiddie gives a crap, though. I think he's happy to sit on any QB talent he likes. But, I don't think he cares for Brown.

Unless mccheese becomes some kind of revelation, I could see him trading for one of his 2 old QBs in toronto.

They do need AR assets. Lauther is probably the last K in the league any one would want, and that OL needs work.

I would put TE on the 1 game IR, not sure how being released to the PR would affect his rookie contract status.

16 hours ago, Booch said:

there was nothing wrong with Kyries play last yr...none at all

Watch Jone's drops in coverage...rarely right spot...and always to slow to react...I said he be a good situational guy but he shouldn't be a player we settle with

And why couldn't woodbey play in the middle?...And asking legitimately and want your take as to why....not to be a ****. I see no reason as to why he couldnt and a lot of reasons why he would excel

Tony Jones could be upgraded on, no doubt about it, but I don't see anyone in house that could take over his role...full time anyway. We should probably start platooning him though...on that we agree. I don't mind Woodby or Smith in passing situations coming in but I think that Jones is a superior run stopper to both of them. Woodby I don't like at MIKE because he seems to get lost in the wash in the tackle box. His strength is on the outside edges of the LBer corps where he can excel.

Kyrie, and I believe you and I discussed this at length a couple years ago, I've always liked at MIKE. However, he does have a harder time against bigger backs in this league and that seems to be the direction all the teams are going now. I think on second and long situations any of Woodby, Smith, Kyrie and possible even Shay might represent an upgrade. In all honesty, I thought that JSK had a real legit shot at being our starting MIKE this year, and I believe that is where he was brought in to compete. Unfortunate he was injured.

1 minute ago, Booch said:

Jones got released for a rookie...thats how we got him...so that blows your theory right outta the water....they kept the unproven upside rookie over the vet, and he got R.O.Y

And yes coaches have input and say in final roster anyone can agree on that, but in the end of the day the HC picks who he feels is right and the Coordinators deal with it...and if they dont like it...tough titties...thats how it goes and how it always will go.

whether you wanna believe it or not, Its the HC ass on the line in the end and he is gonna fail and be canned on his own accord....as would anyone in charge of anything

Woodbey, and or Ayers can play MLB....Same body type as Jones basically and way more athletic and can actually work well in coverage...Kyrie could too.

You say nobody stepped up...what did you see Jones do?...Do explain the reason behind your opinion. Did you take in all the practices to base this on? Go to both games and watch something other than a scoreboard feed? How many snaps did Jones play to beat anyone out....did you count?

And shows how much you were watching as Clinton for example made more than 1 play...but whateves....Guess its dumb to turn over parts of roster when an opportunity is there with younger upside guys and pooching an older vet who has plateaud or is on the downswing

Keeping a new LB and dumping a Jones or Wilson basically allows the proven guys we already have who been here now 2..3 yrs to step in and a younger guy fills that role they were doing for 1 to 2 yrs...basically effective roster turnover in phases as opposed to having todal with a team full of old assed broken down guys...we seen how that worked 3 yrs running now...and its at a downward tilt

Woodby is not a MIKE. PERIOD. Ayers could be but the reverse of your argument is also true....prove he is better than TJ, you can't. Every year we do this song and dance with someone that is being "wasted" on the bench because of OSH, then they play and we hear crickets about it afterwards. Getting younger is good, but so is winning. This whole Tony Jones should be replaced because he can't cover theory is nonsense. We rarely put our MIKE in any kind of coverage situation. Younger's coverage schemes put a lot more of our WIL and SAM into those coverage roles and keeps the MIKE out of coverage.

I mean honestly, Tony Jones was one of our better defensive players last year. If we are going to grouse about LBers let's talk Kyrie, that validates everyone's point yet we seem to be fixated on the one guy in our LBer corps that actually earned his paycheque.

5 minutes ago, 17to85 said:

This tired old argument that is demonstrated as false so many times.... we need only look at the very same MLB position to see how it's not a fair comp. Jones arguably "won" the job over bighill uet bighill kept getting trotted out until he was too hurt to play and lo and behold the position play improved.

Tony Jones was good but he didn't start playing at a higher level than Bighill until after Bighill's injury. It was at best a coin flip between the two and Bighill was the QB of the defence at the time. The argument is not false. Soooo many times the guys that this forum pines for finally get their chance and then fall flat on their faces. It really is becoming a bit ridiculous. Jon Jones last year is an example. Guy was a complete turd out there when he finally came off the bench, so bad he got immediately returned to the bench. Yet, he was the guy all season long that was being "Oshed". Turns out OSH was 100% correct in having him on the bench. I could go on and on but our depth the last couple years was almost comically bad. This year it looks a little better but we are still very thin in a couple areas.

3 minutes ago, sweep the leg said:

I don’t love our defensive strategy but that is impressive. I think it’s four years running now for least points allowed.

Our defensive strategy works, that is all that matters.

2 minutes ago, bearpants said:

this is exactly my problem with Tony Jones... he kind of represents what the team has become over the last few years... he's good, some games even very good... but nowhere near elite... and his position seems to be set in stone, with no competition... why are we so set on being just good and not trying to be great?... Unless you have prime Bighill, you should have at least 3 or 4 MLB candidates in camp trying to improve the position...

We did have 3-4 candidates in camp, and we even signed Santos Knox to compete. Not sure where this fictional narrative of no competition comes from? Because TJ keeps winning the job?

3 hours ago, wbbfan said:

The worst Lber in the league in coverage.

It is changing, but it is going more to a large zone defender, less to the between-the-tackles run stopper.

I don't think the rookies were here with a real chance to win that spot, kinda like how we keep bringing in imp rbs. That said, I think they went into camp reasonably open to the 3 vets at Lber.

If Lber was an open battle, Smith would've cleanly won 1 starting spot. And I doubt that is happening.

Lber isn't the most impactful position on the field in the CFL, and the more we play guys like Woodbey the more we can cover up for Jones ' deficiencies in pass d.

I get that Jones isn't at all adequate in pass coverage but he is great in the tackle box. JY runs his defensive scheme so that the MIKE really isn't in coverage except once in a blue moon therefore that criticism is kind or a red herring in our particular defensive style. I'm certainly not going to anoint TJ as a world beater on D, but he is not at all the poster boy for MOS loyalty. Look to the guy on his right on the depth chart and then Bearpants may have been onto something.

3 minutes ago, 17to85 said:

West all-star because tackles111!!!!

I'd rather a MLB that makes plays not tackles.

I would too but Bighill is gone. Look around the league, the role of the MIKE has changed in the CFL.

2 minutes ago, bearpants said:

this is exactly my problem with Tony Jones... he kind of represents what the team has become over the last few years... he's good, some games even very good... but nowhere near elite... and his position seems to be set in stone, with no competition... why are we so set on being just good and not trying to be great?... Unless you have prime Bighill, you should have at least 3 or 4 MLB candidates in camp trying to improve the position...

We did have 3-4 candidates in camp, and we even signed Santos Knox to compete. Not sure where this fictional narrative of no competition comes from? Because TJ keeps winning the job?

10 hours ago, Tracker said:

Maybe Eli isn't one of O'Shea's pets- like Tony Jones and it is starting to look like the usual list of favoured players is being assembled.

Tony Jones was a West all star last year. I get your point but TJ is not a pet. He is a good MIKE, he's no Bighill in his prime, but the disrespect he gets around here is 100% unfounded. If you wanna talk about pets we have half a dozen MUCH better examples than that. The guy lining up next to TJ for instance.

4 hours ago, Booch said:

yeah...we have an aging core...we let a lot of young promise walk tho...and we need to change that. I not saying dump all yhour vets, but many canbe replaced by younger guys with upside and more skill, and not hurt you in the least

outside of Clercius/Demski/Neild he is the best backup Canadian as he can play inside...outside...return...run jet sweep

we go 3 national recievers...we have the worst group in league again...especially if one of Demski or Neild goes down...Clercius is already hurt, and there no guarantee Demski goes injury free...heck he didnt even make it outta camp with zero contact.

Add to that the fact we know damn well Osh will play a hampered/injured Demski who will offer minimal results as well...we\'ve seen it before so not a make believe story to trash Osh....

I'll wait to see what we do when injuries hit first but I agree the 3NAT receiving is extremely thin. I would kick Mayala's tires if I were Walters. I would hope that we would go 3NAT OL if Nield/Demski go down. It's unfortunate that Tui couldn't win the centre job because that would have allowed us another IMP receiver.

17 hours ago, JuranBoldenRules said:

Special teams is still every 6th play in this league. You can't be ignorant enough to just look at a roster and go "hurr durr, so many linebackers." Half of those guys are special teamers. Put fullback beside 3 of their names if it makes you feel better.

Having a guy with DL by his name on the roster who stands on the sideline and holds his helmet all game there just in case doesn't help us win anything.

We have Gatkuoth to rotate in on the edge. I think it's fair to assume Younger has a plan to use Woodbey at 3 levels of the D.

Our D is actually stacked.

If people want to worry, worry about receiver and running back. Peterson looked like a stunned junior player in camp in the pre-season games. We're relying a lot on a bunch of Canadians who haven't been consistent or healthy across their careers (Nield, Cobb, Clercius).

Couldn't agree more. I hope this 3 NAT receiving group works because it doesn't look great to me.

17 hours ago, wbbfan said:

He’s a guy we traded up to draft second over all. Hes a guy that was going to be signed as an imp before qualifying as a G.

Lots of us were bullish on him, because even as he showed in pre season game 1, he’s got great strength and quickness.

He and player where two of the best of a bad bunch, but didn’t get much pt despite brutal play in front of them.

Meanwhile counting as a global on the thinnest dl in the league last year makes it pretty clear what would’ve been best.

No one said he was guaranteed all star or great league starter. He was better than guys ahead of him but didn’t play. Now he’s gone, and we’ve still got korny and paper thin depth at dl.

The young guy group at de are better then we’ve seen in a good while. but none of them are guaranteed to succeed. We have enough guys that 1 should flourish. But we haven’t exactly done a good job of front usage.

Other teams go through our dl cuts, which people brush off because no one is an instant all star. But are other teams sifting through our db/wr/rb cuts? even ol doesn’t get looks. Lbers and dl cuts here get second looks in the league. Which means teams look at our usage of talent and say, “we can do more with those guys”

Who has been picked up at of our cuts, releases, or guys that we didn't re-sign that suddenly started jumping off the page somewhere else. NOBODY. It is complete fallacy that we have some hidden trove of starters languishing behind our starters. Completely fictional narrative. As bad as our roster management is, some of it is because we haven't added the talent to push some of these veterans out. Munier-Bailey had a job for the taking and just didn't play good enough. Same goes with Randall and others we released that were hyped to no end on this forum. Like it or not, the talent evaluation at MBB is piss poor. It is huberus on our part to sit here and think the one practice session a year, some 4 minute highlight reels, and a couple of read scouting reports makes our opinions on new recruits and backups viable. Our professional scouts, GM, and coaches have a zillion percent more information to work from than we do. If Munier Bailey, or Randall, or whoever gets cut or PRed none of us should be butt hurt about it and start with the same old bitching and moaning about roster mismanagement. We haven't even seen a goddamn roster yet. I don't like going 3 NAT receivers, but if that is what coaching feels it needs to do so that we can have a 3 IMP OL...so be it. They would know better than anyone here. If they see more upside in Gatkuoth then in Munier Bailey, so be it. We can't roster everyone, and we can't convince everyone to spend time on our PR.

17 hours ago, 17to85 said:

Do we really though? To me this is a continuation of the problems this defense has had. Neglecting depth on the DL and dressing more linebackers than we really need.

Yes we absolutely need Gatkuoth's passport on the DL, like desperately. Munier Bailey and Gatkuoth are not every down DE's. Both fill the same role. There is no world where dressing both of them makes sense unless one is a starter. I agree with your point on DL roster numbers, but it is the interior of our line that needs more bodies to rotate, not DE.

18 minutes ago, Mike said:

Who is our “young” core?

Demski, White, Brady, Neuf, Bryant, Eli, Broxton, Willie, Ceresna, Jones, Kyrie, Nichols, Moxey, Sergio … all of these guys are closer to the end than the beginning and creeping up in age. I know 30 isn’t what it used to be in sports, but we don’t have a ton of young guys at all. We’ve got a couple.

Look around the league at the number of 30+ starters on any team. I agree that we are probably needing a roster refresh age wise, but we are not way out of bounds by league standards here.