1 minute ago, HardCoreBlue said:

Apparently I hear a player like JC will faciltate better and more focussed play from WJ. If true, a huge bonus to signing a Jake that doesn't end with Thomas.

Go coach JT. 🙂

Ceresna would have to be considered the perfect fit for us. He can play inside and out and dominate. With our DC loving 3 man fronts that is exactly the guy we need.

9 minutes ago, Noeller said:

So much speculation and conjecture... Nobody knows anything. One of the only things we DO know is that Walters said we would be aggressive in FA this year, which tells me he knows he has some money to play with. 

There is no logical way to conclude that he doesn't have a fist full of cash. That's not conjecture, that is math. Last year on the eve of FA, 400k increase was announced to the SMS. KW said he wouldn't use it because he wasn't sure if it was going to be for salaries or not. Only one notable player was added after that in Wilson half way thru the season. There had to be a large portion of that money sitting at the end of the year. Also, to back up my reasoning is that we signed all our big signings just about before December 31, the deadline for 2025 SMS. Not even going to factor in the 100k we saved on Schoen, and a huge run of 6 games injures at the beginning of the season. Wouldn't surprise me if we weren't even at the SMS floor by the end of the season.

I think that not only did KW sign a bunch after the season but pre-December 31st, but he had to in order to be SMS compliant. 

17 hours ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

I don't think Walters will bring Woli back with what is out there already. There are some nice pieces for receivers we could use but now's not the time for our GM to suddenly sit ion his hands like he's done the past 3 years thinking that signing our aging veteran core all over again is work done enough this off season. 

If we wanted Woli we wouldn't have passed on him last year.

14 hours ago, HardCoreBlue said:

To me MOS comes across as a live by the sword die by the sword type person that is probably one of his greatest strengths but also can be one of his greatest weaknesses depending on the scenarios that present themselves. I think he might have a hard time recognizing when to use this strength and when not to use it but hey i’m just a rando guy on the interwebz.

This is exactly why KW needs to be his checks and balance. MOS can get his players to run thru brick walls for him, but he needs a GM that can be his counterbalance because MOS will also do the same for them when business should dictate otherwise. Having KW act at his whim is not good. The best teams we've had are when KW and MOS fought tooth and nail over some players. That has to return.

11 minutes ago, Nolby said:

Do we have much cash left after signing huge contracts to Demski, BO and White to sign Jake if we could?

We should. Kyle didn't spend to the SMS last year for sure based on him saying the 400k was not spendable, so a bunch of those contracts should have hefty portions paid on last year's SMS. We had no big contracts signed at any point last year after the 400k was announced.

15 minutes ago, bigg jay said:

Does he want to leave Edmonton?  He took less money than offered elsewhere to go back there a couple years ago.  I know his wife works in healthcare out there and family was one of the reasons he went back.

 

**nevermind - looks like he is willing to move.  He's still hoping to work something out in Edmonton but will go to whatever team wants him. **

Jake Ceresna healthy after injury-plagued season, ready for CFL free agency - 3DownNation

Would be a massive get for us. Sounds like Edmonton wants to allocate his money elsewhere, or may have already.

5 minutes ago, Noeller said:

Mack signs in Edmonton... Reunited with CoFaj. I wonder if we were in on him, lost the sweepstakes, and took Timmy as a consolation prize...

I think it`s more likely that Mack wanted to be back with CoFaj and we were never really in it if we were interested. Good news is that Ceresna is almost certainly going to FA now and he could help us way more than Mack.

Boy would Jake Ceresna ever solve a lot of problems for us. He would be my target if I were KW.

Would really like it a lot if we signed Mack or Robustelli because of the size and catch radius, but White is a big improvement at one receiver position for us. Gotta be honest. never been a huge fan of his and would like this a lot less if Condell weren`t here....but it is hard to deny that he and Condell seem to fit very well together.

15 hours ago, Booch said:

Saying a guy has obvious flaws...both of them...and signs to rectifying them still seem suspect at best...is humorous?

And coming from the person who wails the sky is falling the most around here...and most times with no basis to back any of it? Now that's humorous.

Me and @GCn20 differ in opinion on a lot...but also agree on a lot if not more..but also try and put some legitimacy and facts with it...you? Not so much 

but thanks for the recognition...😁

We both share the same sentiments on a lot of the problems the Bombers have and a similar ideology on what will be required to fix it. I am just not as opposed to MOS being our HC. I think you share similar sentiments to me on KW's job performance.

I have said all along that MOS has serious flaws that require the GM to step in. That's the difference of opinion you and I have, who has final say on what players are signed. I believe it is Walters, you believe it is Oshea. I think Osh has final say on what players are kept and how they are used, but i don't believe that Osh has final say on who is signed or resigned. Osh should have input but believe that Walters should wear the hat for who is under contract. If he has ceded that authority to MOS then that is a dereliction of duty imo.

Just now, HardCoreBlue said:

lol

4 minutes ago, 17to85 said:

There's nothing wrong with a gm bringing vets to camp... but it's up to the head coach to assess camp and decide the vet has lost his job.

I agree in general. However, once your coach shows that he is apt to making the wrong decision then you need to take that choice away from him sometimes.  Part of a GM's job sometimes is to know your coaches strengths and weaknesses and help offset them through the players you choose to sign.

13 minutes ago, wbbfan said:

Can you think of any successful cases of that being the case currently, or recently, in the cfl? For the life of me, I can't think of a time the GM and HC weren't in lock step. Even the two power-mad guys in Montreal are united. 

Still a pending free agent. I'd love him, but I don't think we kick the tires on him. 

He'd be a good get, but I think if he was a realistic target of ours we would have probably parted with T.Jones by now.

1 minute ago, 17to85 said:

See what I mean?

Dude, you've been wrong in your opinion as many times as you have been right....and that applies to most of us here. 

20 minutes ago, wbbfan said:

Can you think of any successful cases of that being the case currently, or recently, in the cfl? For the life of me, I can't think of a time the GM and HC weren't in lock step. Even the two power-mad guys in Montreal are united. 

United does not mean that every decision is made together in total agreement and that a GM never exercises the right to over rule his HC. I can't think of any instance where a GM just automatically bows to every wish of a GM. He may try to accommodate as much as possible but I cannot name a single instance of any GM doing whatever the HC asks of him. That's nonsense. So, in that regard I can think of many instances of success where the GM and HC are separate roles and have had great success. Any team who has both a GM, and a HC and has won recently has done so because the GM has built the roster, albeit with input from many sources including the HC, then negotiated the deals that make sense and then the HC coaches what he is supplied with.

I have zero doubt that almost every GM supplies the kind of team that the coach requests, and that he listens to the coach when it comes to specific players that mesh with what the coach is looking for. I, also, have zero doubt that most GMs don't sign every single player that a coach wants.

Jim Barker said in an interview with Peterson on his podcast that the reason he lost his GM job in Toronto was that he listened to his HC too much. (It was a joke because he was in a dual role,) But he went on to further explain that a good GM needs to seperate the roles, as coaches don't care about SMS, or long term viability of the team. They want to win now and that is not a good approach to sustainability. He said the GM has to sometimes tell the coach no to certain players and he said that is very tough to do when you wear both hats.

11 minutes ago, wbbfan said:

Yeah, that just isn't how football in this day and age works. 

KW stated in I believe the season-ending presser, or the one for the extensions, that the nature of the working relationship between him and Mos is not one is the boss. He said it used to be a lot of tug of war over every single move, and that it's closer to being on the same page now. But he also picked his battles.  

If you look back at the past 30+ years of this team, the number of times the GM was the HC's boss is few and far between. It's about as many seasons as the GM was the HCs errand boy. And most of those outliers went or ended very poorly for us. 

That is all fine and good. However, it is not a flaw for a GM to over rule a HC when it comes down to it. MOS is a player's coach and with that comes a very real vulnerability as a coach, and that is loyalty to a fault. Walters MUST be able to make that distinction when it happens and act accordingly....and yes that is how football works in this day and age, and every other day and age, MOS may not like it, but that is where they need to find the ability to work together despite each men having differences of opinion. The GM has ALWAYS been the boss of the HC except the times one man had both titles and that was when disaster struck.  This nonsense of KW must do what MOS wants for the kumbaya of the front office is just a cop out. 

22 minutes ago, Stickem said:

You don't think that Osh is in Walters ear continually.....lol....don't be so naive....It looks to me sometimes that they've been together so long they work on on one brain

For sure he is. However, that is exactly the problem I am pointing out. KW should not be in complete lockstep with his HC. IF Walters is to do his job properly then he MUST make the final decision, and not necessarily be a yes man for his coach.

14 minutes ago, Stickem said:

Keeping Kyrie smacks of the ol Thomas routine....'hanging on way too long' when the best before date has come and gone....Why do we do it??? partly because Osh likes the old vets and is partial to keeping them when it's prudent to part ways...Having said that I liked the Bryant signing because I believe he still has lots of game left....Just can't say the same for Wilson....

Walters signs players not Osh. If an over the hill vet is re-signed that is on the GM. PERIOD. All this nonsense that Osh brings back guys, and it's not true. He may lobby his GM, but any GM who does his job properly should recognize when a coach is being too loyal then veto. I'm sorry if that hurts the OSH bash train, but the coach cannot be blamed for roster movement in the offseason. But..but...but...the GM needs to respect the coaches wishes. No...no he doesn't.

11 minutes ago, 17to85 said:

History is on your side

Pot meet kettle.

Here we go again with KW. Makes no sense at all. You guys can be happy with his offseason but I am not. So far all he's done is overpay guys that we definitely wanted back but at what cost? He got rid of Kola. That is his best move this offseason but one a blind monkey could have made. Bringing back Kyrie just reinforces that KW has not learned much, This should have been a no brainer parting of ways for our GM.

54 minutes ago, Booch said:

he's better than KOLO....but thats a low bar...TBD on Eli but I bet you all will be impressed this yr if given the job and the rope the human ole machine got for 3 yrs...allow him to settle in and we roll...

I wish I had your faith in Eli but I don't. Hope I'm wrong.

13 hours ago, M.O.A.B. said:

To the experts here, Darius Ciraco how good / bad is  he as a Center? Is he better than Chris K or Eli ?

Couldn't be worse.

12 hours ago, Goalie said:

Ayers is a true linebacker and they had him playing on the DL. So id bring him back to compete at camp for a lb spot cuz dudes a special teams monster. Honestly at this point I’d let Kyrie go and have Woodbey and Shay take his spot and Ayers battle it out with Novak and Jones in the middle  with Kramdi or smith maybe old man griffin and some rookies at SAM. Although Kramdi at safety intrigues me now. Personally I don’t think Tony Jones should be gifted his spot as he seems to lack something, I’m not sure what, perhaps being a fan since the lobendahn days I’m expecting more from the middle man. I dunno. I know tho. Lots of tackles. Yup. Lots after gaining 10 yards tho first. 

I really liked Ayers in his rookie year, and at a low salary I'd bring him back for his ST work, but realistically after 2 years if he hasn't been able to supplant WIlson then I don't realistically see him as being a starter anymore. I think Vanterpool is still a must sign, as both our LT and RT futures need to be in place this year. I am OK with Tony Jones coming back but I agree that recruitment needs to find our next MIKE asap. LB is the least of our concerns right now though. Sterns I wouldn't bother with, go FA and replace him, There are half a dozen guys who are as good or better that will be available for a similar price point and we really need to flip the script on our receiving corps and get some 50/50 ballers.

Mack is a big game performer, and Keeshaun would be a great pair of signings

26 minutes ago, HardCoreBlue said:

Great Tedtalk in how not to aplogize. 🙂

Why would I apologize? To S27 who has been acting like a 12 year old all offseason? To Mike who only shows up here a couple times a month, not to discuss football, but to do drive bys on members who actually contribute to the football conversation? No thanks.

I admitted I was wrong, but im not going to apologize because KW fed us misinformation. I trusted his explanation for not spending the extra SMS in FA last year. That was a mistake. I should have known better considering it appears he decided not to fo his job last year.

It's nice that we learn about the SMS being finalized well after the season. You guys can mock me all u want but I was going off what KW said directly about it at the time. It's unfortunate that it seems he had all season to spend an extra 400k but decided not to do so. So, sorry for thinking our GM was a little smarter than that and trusting him at his word.

2 hours ago, voodoochylde said:

It's incredible to me that you insist others "look things up" yet still be so confidently wrong.

The $412K and change increase from last year went directly to salary expenditures (salary and bonuses). It explicitly excludes pre / post season compensation, per diems, pension payments and the 6-game injured list. 

Source? Because that is not at all what Kyle Walters said.

2 hours ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

Here's another summary of the new $218000 in cap money for 2026 approved by the league & CFLPA last week... I'll put it in words that hopefully GCN20 understands.

Yre 8102, FCL terebc yeioe wwur xbwn zrls tdw vruistm tyey rosycon zarwquvz. Na ppo $008102 %72 yeioruerbnc ut syt opzoo 9.

It can't be any clearer than that for the guy. 

That may be the most coherent sentence I have seen from you in months.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/881244089318526/posts/1845080409601551/

15 hours ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

What a fool. This hurts the CFL so much. 

You are so frustrating, it's beyond words. You argue about everything. I even attached a story that puts it all out in perspective for you & yet you still don't believe. In 2025, $412000 went to salaries. Now another $218000 is going to salaries for the 2026 season. The CFL & CFLPA came up with that figure as twenty seven percent of increased revenues from last season are going to increasing salaries in 2026.  The revenue for salaries is being divided among the 9 teams.

I have no idea how much went to pensions etc. Nobody cares but the players. The salary increases are quite clear. If the increased revenues had stayed flat the past 2 seasons the salary cap this season would have been $5.75 million. For 2026, the salary cap is set at close to $6.3 million which is almost $600,000 higher. Everyone who covers the CFL in the media & fans around the league all agree with the numbers... but you. Guess what? I'm not being drawn into this any further as there is no point. Go die by yourself on that hill you love to defend, alone. 

KW told us last year that the 400k was not pegged directly to salary increases. It counts against the cap, but was earmarked by the CFLPA to player benefits, So yes, the SMS went up 400k per team but so did the cost of player benefits that are included in the SMS. This really isn't that hard of a concept to understand. Stuff like housing allowances, etc. etc. were all increased across the board with that money.