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.

2 hours ago, Mike said:

lol it’s actually incredible the **** you’ll just make up to avoid having to admit you made a mistake 

It's incredible the douchiness you show on a daily basis on subjects you are clearly uninformed on. Mike, before being an ass why don't you look things up.

39 minutes ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

The salary cap increased $412,365 for the 2025 season. The previously negotiated salary cap of $5,650,000  in the CBA was increased to $6,062,365. The salary for 2026 has increased by $218,149 to $6,280,514. That's an increase of over $630,000 dolars over the original negotiated $5.75 million salary cap in the CBA

https://www.sportsnet.ca/cfl/article/cfl-salary-cap-rises-again-following-revenue-growth-in-2025/

The CFLPA got final say on how last years money was allocated. It went to increasing player benefits etc, which are still included in the SMS but are not available directly for teams to allocate individually to players.

So yes technically the SMS went up last year but the entirety was allocated already and therefore not usable to increase salaries. 

23 minutes ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

We're talking college here.he had 4 years to adapt & change his game as he needed tio do. As wbbfan says, teams bring these guys in & most fail because they've been failing all along. I guess he's worth a look see. 

I consider him a longshot as well. I mean realistically only a few guys a years from the 30 or so new guys we bring to camp make it.

On 2026-01-23 at 3:11 PM, WinnipegGordo said:

Thats on top of the 400k increase from last year.

 

There was no 400k increase to SMS last year.

On 2026-01-24 at 2:41 AM, SpeedFlex27 said:

If Khris Bogle has never been a regular starter in 4 years of college & hasn't lived up to expectations or potential then why should we believe that somehow a light bulb in his head is suddenly going to go off & he all of a sudden gets it? Generally by now at his age, a player either has it or he doesn't. 

Because it's very possible his physical size kept him out of the lineup, or that he has physical attributes that don't lend well to 4 down football but might translate well to our game. However, he is someone that would probably be a project.

16 hours ago, Atomic said:

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. 

I certainly agree that we need to do some big game hunting in FA.

32 minutes ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

Competition is better as well. Much better. And high schools as well as colleges play more games. Likely at least double. So. a kid that plays in Grades 10, 11 & 12 in Calgary plays 6 games tops. (Unless they have a good team & go on a provincial championship run). The HS season here starts after the LD weekend & ends by or just after Thanksgiving. Short season, Wham, Bam Thank You Ma'am. Most Calgary High Schools have QB Coaches but they can't teach the fundamentals of the new way of throwing the ball.

Why is the football season in calgary for example, so short? So football players can play other high school sports like basketball which just so happens to start right after Thanksgiving. Sometimes, if a high school goes on a run in the football playoffs tghen these basketball coaches have to wait & do they ever complain. I've listened to some disckhead basketball coach complain out loud in the phys ed office about the football season being too long because that entitled basketball coach has to wait for a couple of players to finish their gridiron season.

The kids in the US play 12 game seasons over 4 years. Americans over 8 years of high school & NCAA football also means from 30-50 more games played combined.  Fifty more games of better coaching & competition.

Elgersma is a product of that short Canadian high school & U Sport seasons. My son coaches in Seattle. High schools there start practicing in early August & the State Championships are played at Husky Stadium early to mid December. Kinda tough when the American competion plays dozens of more games at the high school & college level. The seasons for both is months longer which is a disadvantage when you're trying to crack an NFL team. And yet, other American qbs that have this advantage still can't make it either. Never having played in the American system save for a few series in the East West Shrine Game & a few in the NFL exhibition sea season last summer. If you were an NFL head coach looking to develop a qb who would you go with? Who would you trust? Ten were fired this past season.

Tremendous pressure for NFL head coaches to produce & win. So, having trust in a young player is huge. 

Yep. just about all these kids are insanely good athletes so you go with the ones who you trust to have the experience handling the situations. Unfortunately that kind of blacklists CDN developed players. The only reason Elgersma even got an NFL camp is because he has a huge arm and being a one trick pony is probably why the NFL will never look at him seriously again.