GCn20

In September 2015, a bunch of us volunteers were taking a Grey Cup security awareness course in the Blue and Gold room at the stadium. It was being put on by the US Department of Homeland Security. Anyway, we were on a break and we went out to the little lobby at the top overlooking the stadium and were watching practice. Matt Nichols had just arrived in town and was taking reps. Drew Willy was sitting there watching practice taking notes and eating chicken. A group of us were watching the QBs tossing fade routes into the end zone, and commenting how nice of a ball Nichols seemed to throw. Willy got up with his plate of chicken and left, we never thought anything of it, until the next day when we took our break and were informed that at the request of the ball club this area would now be off limits to us during the break and we would have to go down to the main stands if we wanted to watch practice during the break. Only guy who was there was Willy the day before.

I would sure work him out and have a look. Not everyday NFL calibre NAT WRs come on the open market. Maybe he is over hyped but maybe he is the real deal.

Sometimes it's just about getting into a line of business no one else really wants to do. Owning scrap yards can be very lucrative but it is something that most prospective business owners are not really lining up for. I had a buddy who started out with a port a potty business in Vancouver. Eventually he bought out a bunch of competitors who decided they would move on to other business ventures because the glamourous world of port a potties were not to their liking. After a few years the guy is king of turd hill in BC and is making a modest fortune. Not glamourous...but a very lucrative business model.

Hot take: Unless we sign him he is going to a team whose OL is a hot mess. If I were Arbuckle and I had to choose a Lapo offence with Bob Wylie to coach up the OL it would look much better to me than a TO led by Jarious Jackson offence. Methinks there is more at play then best fit ($).

He's only 27 years old.

I agree. Love him or hate him, if he has the horses he's as good as anyone particularly in the playoffs.

Good point. They should also call and inform us of the tracking updates on the shipping of the tickets.

Not a fan of Jarious Jackson...but I think Young will be a great hire.

How hard would it be for them to phone me at home and keep me updated? I mean really...

Glen Young leaves big shoes to fill. No doubt about it. I am sure Richie has extensive colleagues to call on though.

Costanza is a really good addition but Young is a big loss. Wonder who comes in for Young?

I think that the emergence of Lawler and Bailey will have us mainly kicking tires at REC. I think the priority, as it was last year, will be the DL by either re-signing current guys or spending that money in FA. If we can get guys like Willy etc locked down before FA we might have a pretty quiet day in FA. Some depth to replace the guys we are not re-signing...that's about it. Unless, of course, somebody's agent phones us and says his guy will come here for a deal price...which is unlikely.

A safety that can help in coverage...who knew?

Considering they only have 4 in their history and one was in the 60's, I would think that none of the putz's at Riderfans have witnessed their team win 4 Grey Cups unless there are some real grey beards there.

Yes, I remember that.

I agree. NFL teams have huge rosters and can easily roster a guy like Streveler that might see a snap or two a week. Especially when it's highly likely he can contribute on teams.

If anyone thinks that Streveler couldn't add value to an NFL team is mistaken imo. People are too hell bent on his ability as a traditional QB, his value comes in his unique physical abilities. Teams, even NFL teams, have to game plan for him. I think a lot of people not familiar with coaching tend to understate the importance of that. Every minute spent in practice, film room, or in meetings dealing with him is a minute that they are not preparing for something else. Even if he is not used at all in a game one week because of circumstance, he has taken away from the oppositions time to game plan and prepare for other aspects of his team Until this type of player becomes commonplace in the NFL, and when they are successful every team will try to find one, it will create game planning and preparation problems for the opposition. I can see Streveler easily getting an NFL contract because the upside is just way too high for a guy with his unique upside. Will he ever be a QB1 in the NFL? Highly doubtful .Could he carve out a long and successful career as a gadget guy? I think he could and will and make some serious bank doing so. At least until every other team unearths their own Hill/Streveler and then the game planning/preparation will be week to week for all teams and their abilities to contribute will likely be vastly reduced. That will take a few years though.

I will search up the link. The NHL lobbied for an international league exemption from this statute and it was introduced into law in the early 80's. The NBA, MLS, and any other pro league that plays against US or international counterparts is also exempt. Because the CFL has no international franchises they are stuck adhering to the legislation.

You are just saying that because you are a Winnipeg Blue Bomber ass kisser. Seriously though, Gbill is the LAST guy that should be talking about kissing Blue Bomber ass. He used to wait outside the entrance of the stadium after practice and run over to the players as they were leaving and beg for selfies with them.

There most certainly are laws that force companies to hire Canadians first before they can hire Americans. You kidding me?

Canadian labor laws do not exempt the CFL from having to have a certain % of the players from being Canadian. During the 90s US expansion the CFL tried to scrap the ratio rule because American law did not allow it. However, the CFL, unlike the NHL and NBA was unsuccessful in doing so and American CFL teams had no ratio requirements and Canadian teams did.

The CFL ratio is in effect partly due to Canadian labor laws. It's here to stay.

A legit chance? What a bunch of nonsense. If this league starts a welfare program for NAT QBs the league will suffer. Every year teams bring in NAT QBs to compete. After that you have to earn your roster spot. Any deviation from that waters down the product. I want the best QBs available on my team QB is not a position you allow players to develop through undeserved playing time.

Meh...players in Vancouver and Toronto get sweetheart rent deals from "friends" of the ball club.

No we don't. You are comparing apples and oranges. As I stated earlier, the global thing is as much financial as it is about developing players. It's about extending the CFL audience, therefore, it makes sense from a business model. Developing NAT QBs would not generate one extra dollar for the CFL.