49 minutes ago, Booch said:

not to mention he was working with an OC with less than zero clue's as to what to do....and a self admitted HC who couldnt step in and offer some kind of help/system tweek as he also has no clue...ZC gets a somewhat a pass for last year...but if by game 6...he is being the ZC of the past 2 yrs....we need to do whatever we can to do an in-season transition

We have no one to transition to atm, but yea, if he has not improved we need to do what it takes.

16 minutes ago, TBURGESS said:

What a silly thing to say. Of course it matters what team players play on. You seem to want to blame ABC (Anyone But Collaros) for his last 2 years and then make up things to match your story. No offensive lineman threw balls to the wrong team.

In Zac's defence he WAS asked to do a lot with zero OL or receiver support. So yes, it does matter what team you played for and if you are suggesting that he had better players around him last year than Dru Brown did you are the one making up things to match your story.

On 2026-03-20 at 2:37 PM, BomberBall. said:

That pretty much describes every QB1 - QB2 situation.

Not really. Some cases you get behind an aging out vet, or a weak starter and may have a legit shot at seeing the field. Elgersma is behind a very good QB that he has no legit shot at a QB controversy

2 hours ago, Bigblue204 said:

he was always gonna make the team. Will be interesting to see how much playing time he gets.

The only way he sees the field is if Corral gets hurt. He is a far superior QB to Elgersma.

On 2026-02-12 at 5:12 PM, Brandon said:

Part of the problem is that Winnipeg is over saturated with restaurants. I have no idea how some of these places stay in business with so much competition. We went to Nu-Burger on Henderson to check out the new location and including us they had only 3 customers. This was from noon when we arrive up until 1:00 ish.

I think the opposite and that the chain restaurants will be closing and the one offs that offer high quality & home cooked foods are the ones that will survive.

Market saturation is certainly a problem, however, as a former restauranteur the biggest problem is that corporate chains negotiate and lock in pricing on food that no indie could ever compete with. Indie restaurants start around at a minimum 15% behind the eight ball on overall cost right off the bat. That may not seem like much but that's huge in the restaurant business and very tough to compete with.

I'm keeping Manu. If we really covet Vaccaro that much AND he is not in the NFL, then we find a different way to make it happen. Stud NAT OL are becoming a rare commodity and I wouldn't trade any of them.

26 minutes ago, wbbfan said:

Thats not what is happening, but that leads you to lunch box qbs. Which did not work out well for AFL etc.

Pretty much. I know the cost would be a lot. Probably the larger of the last 2 cap increases, if not both of them in size. And that doesnt even include paying starters more money. But as the qb goes, so goes the team, league, and sport.

What did not work out for the AFL etc is that they looked for warm bodies basically because they wouldn't pay a living wage. I get what you are saying that work ethic, desire etc can lead to lunch pail QBs if you go out and get skill deficient QBs. However, in our league most QBs have a good skill set it's the intangibles that set them apart and that makes it very hard to scout for the next one because it isn't something that's easy to put your finger on until you see the guy in camp, and then in game action. Developing QBs is a hard thing to do, because not a lot of guys want to wait the 2-3 years it might take. Take Chase for example, one and done. Not saying he would have ever amounted to anything but he didn't want to stick around to see.

16 hours ago, wbbfan said:

Talent isn't the primary limiting factor. It's everything that comes after talent that brings success; that's what is lacking. Wilson has plenty of talent. Chase did. Grainger had crazy talent. We get raw talent QBs these days. It takes a lot to polish them if they don't wash out. And a whole lot of them do wash out.

This isn't a bombers thing either; this is a league and football-wide issue. Half the starting QBs in the league are closer to pension than to college. More than half, frankly, suck at being a starting QB.

The NFL is struggling for QBs, and they've opened wide the maw to vacuum up and hold as many guys as possible. The PR expansions and increases in pay mean we don't get a polished guy with talent anymore. The NIL money makes that problem even worse. Plus, the NFL has diversified in offensive systems along with the college game. No more do we see guys completely ignored because of the offence they ran. Why come up here and, at best, get to play behind a shaky OL (League and sport-wide OLs are struggling as well) and risk a poor quality of life for less money than you make as QB2 at a good program? You always have live and breathe football guys, but the modern generations of football players have far more diverse interests. It's no longer a prerequisite to love football more than a good quality of life.

Also, the modern transfer window has hurt a lot of kids' development. Instead of toughing it out and earning a spot after 2 years, they transfer or drop down to juco to try and get a better starting job. The transfer window is fair for the kids, but it isn't an aid in developing QBs. It helps many positions, but not QB imo.

Look at Elgersma, a relative unknown to most us scouts until he went pro (compared to us prospects that the scouts have watched since middle school), and he's still getting enough interest to linger on the periphery of the NFL. If he were a Texas/Florida/SoCal, etc. kid who had performed well in junior and high school, we'd never see him.

We saw a few years ago Edmonton, Toronto, and Montreal dipped their toes into massive QB pools for camp. Talking 10-ish QBs or more. It failed miserably. What kids with talent need to develop is time and a lot of effort. They also need to have great intangibles, like Dru Browns mental toughness, in order to survive and embrace the grind to step up to qbing at the pro level. It's easily the hardest job in sports.

A lot can, and has been said (by myself and others) about the negatives of our scouting and roster management/development strategy. If we see a red flag in the work ethic, ability to uptake the game, passion, or mental toughness of a QB, he is gone.

As it should be. Work ethic, desire, and catching onto the game are what sets our league's starters apart from our wash outs.

18 hours ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

Braylon Addison had over 800 yards receiving. Same with Rhymes up at around 900 yards himself. Which meant both players were positive contributors to their offensive teams. However for some reason, CFL teams just didn't want to pony up for older veterans. Even if they can still play. They still were decent players. I think their numbers show that they may still be playing if they hadn't signed 1 year deals. I believe we'd have been pretty excited had Rhymes signed here for 2026. At least, I would have been. He'd have made a big target for Zach. he'd have helped us for sure. Instead, he was forced to retire.

I think it's a matter of both players not playing up to their contracts last year and expecting the same pay day. I'm sure teams inquired on both and didn't like the asking price. Both guys were highly paid last year and were not going to receive that amount again whether in FA or in the second year of a contract. Once the reality sets in no one is ponying up big bucks some guys choose to retire.

8 minutes ago, M.Silverback said:

I get that the list of American college QB's, and some NFL QB's, that came to the CFL and failed is long. However, there are so many QB's that play at the D1 and D2 level in the US that will never play in the NFL, I'm a bit baffled as to why it's been so difficult for the Bombers to find anyone talented. Yes, many don't want to play in Canada. Yes, there is an adjustment to the CFL game. But how about just bring in more? Really work on bringing some neg listers, early NFL cuts, ones who didn't get drafted. Instead of 3 in camp, bring in 8. Yes ... they won't get enough reps ... but your chances of one having CFL talent at least increase if you bring in some more. Or, just keep doing the same thing we've been doing, get the same results.

It takes time for most QBs to catch onto our game. You won't succeed with a numbers game. Reps are crucial to learn our game. The problem is that nearly all the QBs brought in league wide have the physical tools to succeed. It really is a matter of picking up our game, intangibles, and the individual QBs drive to succeed in our league. None of that is readily apparent after throwing a few footballs in practice. Some guys (Dominique Davis for eg) look absolutely dynamite in practice but can't get it to translate when the lights are on. Other guys look like hot garbage in practice but are able to to turn that light switch on in games. It is extremely hard to determine what guy will do what. Not to mention, as Brendan Taman used to say, for every guy you get to sign a contract up here there are 9 others that have turned you down.

CFL scouts for the most part just pick the guys with the toolbox, and that seem the most enthusiastic to come up here and play.

51 minutes ago, Stickem said:

I know a lot of fans are saying that we shouldn't consider MBT...I have qualms about it BUT he seems to be one of the only options we have, to bring in as a back-up in case Zack can't go...IF he can park his 'weird takes' at the door and keep them to himself, he would/could be one of our options...He has a lot of CFL experience and can still sling the rock effectively...With our revamped receiving corps he could be very effective...When we have painted ourselves into a corner like we have in the qb dept. I would say our avenues have become very narrow...

His ancestors channel through him. His weird takes are beyond his control.

On 2026-03-10 at 7:37 PM, SpeedFlex27 said:

These older players sign their 1 year deals thinking the money will always be there even though younger receivers are being signed or drafted. Then, the money dries up for these older players. They've gone 6 weeks without being signed as free agents. They can see the writing on the wall. No one will pay what they want. The market dries up. Had they had a 2 year deal they might still be employed. That's the downside of 1 year deals. Older veterans beware.

2 year deals do nothing to increase their chances of employment. If you don't earn your last year's salary there is a good chance you will be replaced unless you are on one of these 3 year guaranteed money deals.

7 hours ago, ShyGuy said:

Is there a team in the CFL that is known for developing quarterbacks? It seems like more often than not the recipe for success is to pluck a backup off another team and then ride them until the wheels come off. What are the home grown QB success stories this century? Ricky Ray, Bo, Lulay, Rourke, Darian Durant? Seems more like lucking into a guy than any protracted strategy.

We have 9 teams in this league. QB development is league wide. Maybe one or two legit QBs a year comes thru our entire league loop just because of the small size of our roster availability league wide and the scarcity of legit QBs. We can sit here and bemoan the lack of QB development but hell look around the NFL even, how many teams are developing their own other than teams that were lucky enough to draft franchise guys. Even then. This notion that we must develop our own QB is not the best strategy. Of course, we should try, but really in this league there is absolutely no shame in just signing the most ready guy that hits FA when the time comes. There are only a couple teams in our entire league who are riding QBs they brought in and developed.

21 hours ago, BBlink said:

I'd say you could do a lot worse than having Masoli as a vet backup. He'd be the poor man's Collaros at this point given he can't run much anymore. But theoretically our line would do a lot better to protect both of them.

I would rather we sign Streveler and let him play on one leg than to sign Masoli and let him play on one leg.

11 hours ago, TBURGESS said:

Hard money or total contract. It doesn't matter. Both tell the same story.

Money is the discussion.

What is inconsequential is who could take his place, but Adams and Faj-JJ were both available in 2025, would have cost half the money, and played significantly better. This year the pickings are slim, but that doesn't mean that Collaros is being paid properly

12 hours ago, TBURGESS said:

Hard money or total contract. It doesn't matter. Both tell the same story.

Money is the discussion.

What is inconsequential is who could take his place, but Adams and Faj-JJ were both available in 2025, would have cost half the money, and played significantly better. This year the pickings are slim, but that doesn't mean that Collaros is being paid properly.

No, only one tells the story of whether, or by how much a player might be over paid in comparison to his peers. TOTAL salary. Any comparison of partial salary attained thru Hard money vs bonuses does not and cannot tell that tale. Using it out of context is either the author of the post not using logic, or the author of a post hoping that the lack of logic is overlooked.

If, as you say, both tell the same tale then post up total salary amounts as they are required to prove your point.

58 minutes ago, TBURGESS said:

Picking players who may or may not have signed with us is pretty much the definition of a baseless argument. There is not and cannot be any evidence to base that argument on.

The basis of the argument that we paid him too much is the way he played last year. It's the amount that other teams paid their QBs, many of whom were better than Collaros last year. It's that no other team would have paid him as much and that no other team would have resigned him for this year before seeing how he played for at least half a season last year.
IMO Arbuckle and Ford were the only 2 starting QB's who were worse than Collaros last year, & Edmonton replaced Ford halfway through the season. You might want to add Dru Brown to the list, but that's mostly due to injury.

Here is the ranking of the top 9 highest-paid CFL quarterbacks for 2025 based on hard money:

1. Nathan Rourke – B.C. Lions – $624,200

2. Chad Kelly – Toronto Argonauts – $615,000

3. Zach Collaros – Winnipeg Blue Bombers – $600,000

4. Vernon Adams Jr. – Calgary Stampeders – $339,450

5. Trevor Harris – Saskatchewan Roughriders – $299,781

6. Dru Brown – Ottawa Redblacks – $259,931

7. Bo Levi Mitchell – Hamilton Tiger-Cats – $236,374

8. Davis Alexander – Montreal Alouettes – $188,340

9. Tre Ford – Edmonton Elks – $187,610

How can you possibly say that Collaros was paid appropriately?

Your amounts are a complete red herring. I'm not going to argue ZC wasn't overpaid..he was..but basing it solely on hard money not total contract is not even remotely proof of concept

32 minutes ago, wbbfan said:

mbt, I think evans, couple guys in the same tier. I think it comes down to who takes a cheap deal first. That whole tier is a mixed bag with comparable value imo. Mbt is whacko, and I think his propensity to speak controversially to the media would hurt his chances here. Plus the fact we had him at his youngest and washed him out quickly. Tbh, I expect mbt to retire or maybe go to the ufl.

But any one of the meh tier veterans would be fine by me.

I believe that when MBT was released by us, someone in the press said an insider had informed them it wasn't due to his football ability. Take that for what you will as to what it means, but after a couple years elsewhere I formed a theory that many share.

28 minutes ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

According to a post on X by some NFL insider he said that Elgersma is under contract to Birmingham. He has his Visa & will report to them after his tenure with the NFL Combine is over. Still though, if he wants to earn playing time WTF is he dicking around throwing to college receivers this weekend? I just don't get the logic. The other 2 qbs, especially QB2 are getting more reps with Birmingham & diving into the playbook in qb meetings. Elgersma's missing out by throwing to NFL hotshot wannabees. His priorities seem all messed up.

Elgersma is up against two far superior 4 down QBs. He literally has zero chance in the UFL of starting. Makes no sense either way other than getting a paycheque while waiting for this mythical NFL interest to come around.

20 minutes ago, ShyGuy said:

Have their been any other NAT drafted players who have flirted with the UFL/XFL? AFAIK with Elgersma the only link is that they drafted him, I haven't seen any indication that that is where he is going to end up either.

21 minutes ago, ShyGuy said:

Have their been any other NAT drafted players who have flirted with the UFL/XFL? AFAIK with Elgersma the only link is that they drafted him, I haven't seen any indication that that is where he is going to end up either.

I don't know league wide, but Liam Dobson did the full tour including wanting to play in the USFL before finally arriving here. We had the exact same conversations regarding his want to be here prior to him finally signing as we are having now with Elgersma. I believe we waited a full year before he finally signed. Had the USFL been able to get him a PVisa to play, we likely wouldn't have seen him in 2022 either. I am not sure the UFL is better at getting these visas for NATs now, and that is likely the reason we have not seen Elgersma in the UFL. Dobson had signed a 2 year contract with the USFL that was nullified when they couldn't secure him a PVisa. At the time the USFL contracts only allowed outs to the NFL. That's how close we came to losing a 3rd overall pick. The reason cited for choosing the USFL was that it was only 9k less than the NAT draftee rookie contract but had half the number of games, and wrapped up before NFL TCs.

This is the biggest notable draftee I can think of off hand, but I am sure there are others who have taken a similar approach prior to the CFL. Sage Doxtater and Paris Shand are other notable high picks that kicked around the spring leagues prior to the CFL. In Shand's case he just signed his first CFL contract recently.

22 hours ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

Okay, maybe saying he "**** on the CFL" bordered on the ridiculousl. For that, I was wrong. I absolutely agree with your take, though The CFL is a league that just doesn't get why it isn't even mentiobned in a Toronto fan poll. The coaches & admin cap along with the rookie salary cap have to go. Why three years for Canadians & just two for Americans? These rules are strangling the CFL & not allowing for any kind of growth to take place. It also makes the CFL look bush league. Especially in Toronto, Calgary & Edmonton where fan support is apathetic. No exponential growth will happen until the league & the new Commish fix these meat & potato issues.

I get the league's want for cost certainty but it is ridiculous for that quest to be attached to coaching, and NAT draftees. NAT draftees, quality ones, are an issue in this league and having reduced capacity for quality coaching and recruitment just waters down our league's talent base as well. We increased our overall salary cap, yet we can't find a proper wage scale for valuable commodities like coaching and NAT draftees. It's, as you put it, bush.

5 hours ago, Pete said:

No matter what the cap is, or exemptions there is no way a cfl team can compete with the nfl financially. It would just drive up payrolls

You don't have to compete with the NFL salary wise, but you can't pigeon hole a NAT draftee for 3 years of his career either. Guys will go to the UFL instead or take flyers on weak NFL interest. We've seen it, we are seeing it, it's a problem. It's not imaginary. The top of our draft classes are choosing to chase the NFL despite very weak interest in them. Elgersma is not the first high draft pick we've waited to go through NFL interest then the UFL before coming here.

2 minutes ago, Stickem said:

We must have seen something in Elgersma, when we took a flyer on him in last years draft.....What we saw is never mentioned by our management ,other than the ol 'potential assessment' and that was good enough to make him our pic.....Now that available talent in last years draft must have been petty thin to take a shot at the guy....Other than an arm, what has he proven in his nfl attempts....If his failed southern attempts to crack a line-up continue, and he still shows a reluctance to come north and still gives us short shrift, I think we might have another Mulumba pic on our hands.....In that case it was play CFL east or nada....We might have to write this one off .....

Elgersma has never indicated that he would only play CFL East. Mulumba had the advantage of having actually made money in the NFL, so the CFL was take it or leave it. Elgersma, if he wants to play professional, has one real choice and no money banked to play games about it. Not the same at all.

15 hours ago, BBlink said:

He's looking for his best pay day. Can't really blame him. I'd imagine Walters gave him a pretty low offer given how much money we threw around so far this off-season. I agree with 17to85. He's not here so whatever.

Unfortunately, our rookie NAT draft scale dictates what we can offer him....and it ain't much. So S27 may have somewhat of a point. He isn't shitting on the CFL per se, but he is definitely not interested in our NAT draft contract. It is a 3 year contract and pays peanuts, one way out is to stick on an NFL roster/PR for one season, after that teams can negotiate their own financial terms and this is a possible reason he is trying so hard to just get an NFL look....to avoid making 80kish a year for the next 3 years. Shitting on the CFL...nope...shitting on what he is forced to play for for a good portion of his career...quite possibly.

If I were a betting man, I would wager that if we could negotiate his rookie contract and compensate him even 150k a year to come on board he would be here.

17 hours ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

Shouldn't Elgersma be at the UFL training camp or something? Now, he's dicking around Birmingham?? Lol. Yeah, he's starter material for sure.

He never signed in Birmingham, he was drafted by them but according to 3DN he never signed. If he is not there by now it seems to me that there is little chance he will be.

33 minutes ago, wbbfan said:

By serious, I mean some one will hand him a contract and pay him to show up to their camp, during which he will get 3rd-4th qb reps, play a couple pre season quarters, and if he is the 3rd best qb on the team they will put him on the pr after camp.

Not a camp invite, not TCF, but basically what a prio fa signing would get.

Thats his best case.

That's his best case, and that is a long shot.

13 hours ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

How serious? I doubt he would get any opportunity but to be an extra training cam,p arm. The guy is in desperation mode. . Nathan Rourke had a dream game with the Falcons & what kind of opportunity did he get? Nothing.

I totally agree. Teams have their top 3 QB spots picked before TC even opens imo. Maybe there is an open competition sometimes for QB3 but even when that happens most of the time the winner is replaced by a recent TC cut from another team. UDFA QBs have a very tiny chance of sticking, one that was developed in the CIS...even less. Elgersma's only remote chance is that some coach falls in love with him for some reason, and that is highly unlikely.