[Rory Kohlert to "test free agency"]

 

 

Bagg is a Band-Aid and Getzlaf is pushing 30.  They have McHenery, Etienne, Sisco, Thompson, Hargreaves and Anthony.  Not really an impressive group of receivers.  I just wouldn't be surprised if Sask at least puts an offer on the table and maybe makes the Bombers pay a little more.  

 

Pushing 30 doesn't mean anything.  A lot of WR's in the CFL hit their prime around 30.  Doubt the Riders will be disappointed starting Taj Smith, Geroy, Getzlaf, and Bagg, with some new import taking the last job; and Etienne, Sisco, and McHenry filling out the backup slots.

 

How does it not mean anything?  If Bagg goes down with another injury your left with one decent NI.  How many years left does Getzlaf and Simon have left?  They don't have much for Canadian depth.  Etienne could be good but no one knows and sisco is terrible.  All I am trying to say is Taman would be an idiot to at least not try and get an offer to Kohlert.  I still see him signing in Winnipeg but likely for more then that wanted to offer him.

 

Getzlaf has a tonne of years left.  I could see him playing another 5 - 7 years and he probably still has another 2 - 3 excellent years in him.

 

Stegall and Simon won their Most Oustanding Players awards when they were 31 or 32.

[Could Halifax finally get a stadium and team ?]

I believe a CFl team could be successful in Halifax.  But the vast majority if not the entire stadium will have to be funded by taxpayers.

 

Let's say it's a $125-$140 million stadium seating 24 - 25,000 with 1000 or so club seats and 25-30 suites.

 

- 30 - 40 million from the city

- 50 - 60 million from the province (possibly more if no federal funding)

- 30 - 40 million from the feds.  Halifax would have to show the stadium would be used for  amatuer events on a regular basis (university) to get funding.  Of course, the policies of the federal government with regards to funding pro facilities could change with a different party in power in 1.5 years.

- 10 - 20 million from private owners and/or yearly lease of 1 - 2 million.  Guaranteed revenues from other events at the stadium.

 

Might not be able to even get that from a private owner unless they are allowed to construct a stadium alongside a larger development similar to Lansdowne in Ottawa. 

 

One of conditions of building a stadium in a new market like Halifax should be a minimum number of deposits on season tickets and multi-year commitments on all the suites and maybe even the club seats.

 

I think it could be done.  There isn't much competition for the entertainment dollar in Halifax.

[Bombers trade Etienne for Drew Willy, extend Willy]

 

 

Glad Walters made the deal for Willy - finally we have a young QB who can seriously challenge for the starting QB position.  Won't be as good as Reilly , but he has the opportunity to be a good QB.

 

We shouldn't be satisfied with just this signing though.  If Glenn is unavailable and Walters senses that Desjardins won't cut him prior to or during training camp, he needs to get out there and get another QB with some experience - Nichols should be the first choice, followed by Crompton.  Heck, I would take Porter over Goltz coming back at this point.  He can run and provide first down conversions just as well as Goltz and he has actually had a few decent passing games unlike Goltz.

 

Glad Etienne is done.  It's Possible that he might put up some respectable numbers in Sasky (maybe some 300 yard seasons), but somehow I doubt he lasts more than a couple years before his career is over. 

 

It's interesting that one of the biggest jade supporters over the years is absent from this thread... 

 

Curious who you're talking about because my first thought is that it's me and I haven't been absent.

 

I'm actually bummed to see Jade go.

 

I'm curious too cause Noeller and I have been here as well... 

 

Didn't see your quotes earlier in the thread and yah, I was referring to you.

[Bombers trade Etienne for Drew Willy, extend Willy]

 

  Won't be as good as Reilly , but he has the opportunity to be a good QB.

 

 

Based on what? He has a larger sample size than Reilly had coming into his new team, and Reilly was known by many around the league last year as the king of garbage time as he was wildly inconsistent and put up a lot of his numbers late in games when teams typically switch to a cover 4.

 

Eyeball test.  Better arm, quicker in his reads and more athletic which helps in evading the rush.  Last point is something that worries me with Willy.  He might get killed behind our O-Line.

[Could Halifax finally get a stadium and team ?]

I sure hope this happens in the next 5 - 7 years. I can't stand having an unbalanced schedule.

 

Would be great to have more exposure in the Maritimes as it would provide higher TV ratings for the league overall.

[CFL schedule expected to be revealed next week]

 

This is excellent. Extra bye week = healthier players.

Downside is the season is a week longer; not good for a Winnipeg Grey Cup in 2015, weather-wise.

 

Not much of a difference in the weather for Winnipeg between Nov 23 vs. Nov 30.  CFL should move the season start up to mid - June and have the Grey Cup game the second week of November and be done with it.

 

I think there's a good chance we get 6 or even 7 home games by mid-September with Ottawa and Hamilton playing their first 3 - 4 weeks on the road due to stadium construction.  That's of course, before it becomes official that Hamilton's stadium will not be finished this summer or even this year in which case they will play several home games at Guelph once again.  All those warm weather games should mitigate some of the losses in the season ticket base.

[O'Shea names Drew Willy Bombers starting QB]

O'Shea: "Drew Willy is our starting quarterback."

 

Walters: "I think my work here is done".

Well hopefully that's not the case and this is just a ploy to lower the asking price for Glenn or any other backup in the league.  I'll be a little disappointed if the Bombers go into training camp without another QB that has a little CFL experience

[Would DW be more exciting if not for ZC?]

The eyeball test.

 

Although they both have limited samples to draw from (Willy moreso than Collaros), Collaros just appears to be the QB with greater talent and greater upside based on in-game action.  I still think Willy has the ability to be a decent QB with the proper coaching and decent O-line protection, just not as good as the likes of Collaros or Reilly.

 

Willy becoming a pocket passer with our terrible O-Line scares me,  How did that work out for Buck last year?

[Bombers trade Etienne for Drew Willy, extend Willy]

Glad Walters made the deal for Willy - finally we have a young QB who can seriously challenge for the starting QB position.  Won't be as good as Reilly , but he has the opportunity to be a good QB.

 

We shouldn't be satisfied with just this signing though.  If Glenn is unavailable and Walters senses that Desjardins won't cut him prior to or during training camp, he needs to get out there and get another QB with some experience - Nichols should be the first choice, followed by Crompton.  Heck, I would take Porter over Goltz coming back at this point.  He can run and provide first down conversions just as well as Goltz and he has actually had a few decent passing games unlike Goltz.

 

Glad Etienne is done.  It's Possible that he might put up some respectable numbers in Sasky (maybe some 300 yard seasons), but somehow I doubt he lasts more than a couple years before his career is over. 

 

It's interesting that one of the biggest jade supporters over the years is absent from this thread... 

[Matt Nichols recently offered to Bombers]

When Hall was put in, he showed he was learning the system, was reading the defence well and usually put the ball in the right read.

He was progressing nicely and seems to show an aptitude for the Canadian game.

He can move the ball.

That's the good news.

 

His arm strength is only functional to a spot or leading a receiver. As to velocity, I believe I typed this post faster.

Haven't seen a display of arm strength.

There is also the issue of scramble ability. Not…a…strong…point. 

 

All in all, I can see Hall as a decent back up who can come in and play the game.

Not sold on him being a starter.

 

**I was/am a fan of bringing in Willy.

Hall showed an ability to move the ball down the field..sometimes.

 

People seem to have forgotten the last home game of the season when Hall led the team to all of 1 TD and put up something like 150 yards passing.

 

If Hall is our starter next season he will have a few good games, the rest will be mediocre or awful. 

 

He is a capable backup and occasional starter, but in no way can the Bombers hope to get better on offense with Max Hall as a long - term starter.

[Muamba released to pursue NFL, Signed by Colts]

 

Sure hope this works out - our ratio is already in the shitter.

You must have missed the news about the acquisition of Matt Bucknor, and the re-signing of Kowalczuk and Lucas. Right there we have the core nucleus of unparalleled NI depth. I forgive you.

 

KBF with an aardvark moment there....

[Miller gets the big picture]

I don't mind Matt Carter but I don't think you want him out there every down.  He hasn't been incredibly productive but he does seem to have a penchant for making clutch plays when called upon.

 

I think it would be a stretch to call either of Carter or Bradwell "starting quality receivers."  Even Anthony Parker... maybe he still has the potential to be a good receiver, but I'm not sure you bank on potential for being one of your starters.

 

Certainly they must be confident that they are getting Kohlert back, because he is the best receiver scheduled to hit the market.

It's semantics with the whole  "starting quality receivers" thing.  Those guys could come in and get 250 - 300 yards each and Miller could say they are quality starting receivers.  Bombers could win 4 or 5 games this year and lose over half their games by 10 points or less and Miller could argue  the Bombers put out a "very competitive" product in 2014.

 

With that said maybe the Bombers will bring in another Canadian receiver who is more proven than these two once free agency begins.  Hopefully Kohlert for starters.

[Miller gets the big picture]

First part of article is damage control by Miller.  Can't blame him for that.  Bombers lost out on Plan A and now Plan B.  Plan C I would presume is Glenn or Willy or both.  Will be interesting to see what happens in the next week.... 

 

As for the three receivers - Watson, Kohlert and Parker as iso was saying.  Could argue with the quality starting receiver bit with one of those, but again i don't blame Miller for trying to sell that.  Backups and potential starter would be Jade I guess.  Wonder how much the Bombers sign him for next season?  Or will he walk?

[Not A Total Write Off Of A Day For Me Football Wise]

Congrats iso.  Be pretty cool to follow the career of a forum member's son.

[Latest Lawless article]

TD place also has an arena...and a movie theatre...and a farmers market...and a whole foods store...and fountain that does amazing tricks.  We can't compete with that!

[REDBLACKS major announcement today, Burris Signed]

 

My thoughts...

-Disappointed that we didn't get Hank but at $465,000 Walters made the right move.

-While Burris would have given us a legit starter and probably 8 or 9 wins that likely doesn't get us in the playoffs.

-We were probably looking at Burris for two years which really is a stop gap. Maybe it's best that this happens and it forces us to 'do it the right way' and find a long term answer.

-Just sucks to know that we have no chance at a GC this year and probably next (assuming we are developing a young QB), which would mean a win in 2016...26 years between Championships, I'd be 33 and too old to really enjoy it. 

-Mostly disapointing because acquiring Banks and Burris sent a message that we want to win NOW.

At some point our run of bad luck has to end. I never thought I would see a GC in Winnipeg back in the 1980's and then all of a sudden Harold Ballard gifted us Tom Clements. You never know what might fall in your lap in this league. You just have to keep trucking.

 

That was still a good team in Winnipeg prior to Clements coming in.  Just bad luck that they ran into the greatest dynasty in CFl history in the playoffs.

[REDBLACKS major announcement today, Burris Signed]

 

 

 

I'm so glad we aren't overpaying for a QB, I'd much rather have no one at all. The name of the game is not winning, it is saving as much money as possible. Save save save.

 

What exactly were you expecting Henry Burris to win for us?  

 

 

 

And yes...Walters should be sure to sign Steve Myddleton, the mystical free agent NI OL, just give him a blank cheque.

 

It is going to be a couple years of rebuilding in terms of NI's and QB's.  That's the price we pay for relying on Buck Pierce for 4 seasons, wasting picks on Etienne's and Pencer's.  If this rebuild isn't done right and we chase mediocre players like Burris to the detriment of developing better players, it will take even longer.

 

But if the fans sit through two more years of medirocity there won't be any fans left to pay the bills...

 

Pierce was a stop gap to help fill the void while we looked for / developed a future starting QB.. it didn't happen..  The qbs that we had failed to perform and have been cast off.

 

If you are okay with 2 more years for 4-14 - 6-12  years you will be mightly lonely in the stands.. 

 

 

The major fallacy spewing from yourself and a few others is that Burris and a couple free agents in this year's market are going to change the fact that we are the worst team in our division...they won't.

 

Need to rebuild this football team from the ground up, starting with management and coaching, now on the field.

 

Rebuilding is a fallacy in a 9 team league where 6 make the playoffs...where all the teams are on the same level playing field fighting to recruit imports from the same talent pool down south...those perceived to be not good enough or lacking the physical makeup to be in the NFL.  Reloading while building up your non-import talent base through the draft is completely feasible.  There are several examples of this.

[REDBLACKS major announcement today, Burris Signed]

 

 

 

I'm so glad we aren't overpaying for a QB, I'd much rather have no one at all. The name of the game is not winning, it is saving as much money as possible. Save save save.

 

What exactly were you expecting Henry Burris to win for us?  

 

 

 

And yes...Walters should be sure to sign Steve Myddleton, the mystical free agent NI OL, just give him a blank cheque.

 

It is going to be a couple years of rebuilding in terms of NI's and QB's.  That's the price we pay for relying on Buck Pierce for 4 seasons, wasting picks on Etienne's and Pencer's.  If this rebuild isn't done right and we chase mediocre players like Burris to the detriment of developing better players, it will take even longer.

 

 

If Burris is here, it gives us a couple years to develop a franchise QB...  now we are in a position where we have to 'waste' a pick for Glenn or throw whichever new talent bring in to the wolves... we've seen how that works out.

 

 

How do you develop QB's?  Hamilton had Burris on their roster the last couple years, is Lefevour ready to start?

 

It's not as simple as you make it out to be.  QB's need to play to develop.  If Burris would give us a chance to finish top 2 in our division, he would be worth it.  He doesn't.

 

But several posters on here have let it be known that the fans' lack of patience in young inexperienced starters has led to their lack of development.  Wouldn't it be better for the team to bring in an experienced Qb, like Burris to start the majority or all of the games and have a young understudy (like Willy) come in for a few drives throughout the season.  Willy doesn't have to come in every game but every other game would be fine for a drive or two.  Austin did this with Masoli and Lefevour last year and seemed to have some success with it. 

 

Better to bring a young QB along slowly than just throw him to the wolves.

 

Note:  With regards to my first statement, I don't necessarily agree with those posters who claim the fans are to the blame for the QBs lack of progress that's moreso lack of talent and their inability to learn from past mistakes.  However, a  veteran QB would allow for the more gradual progression of a young QB while providing the Bombers with an immediate upgrade from last season.  

[REDBLACKS major announcement today, Burris Signed]

The bottom line is this folks. Regardless of the cap going up or how much room we have you just DO NOT pay that kind of money to a 39 year old quarterback. It's just not in any way, shape or form smart business. His track record doesn't justify it, his age doesn't justify it and us being a rebuilding ball club does not justify it. 

 

All that being said Henry isn't the bad guy here. It's quite clear what he wanted: One last big pay day before he retires, and hey good for him, he got it. Today should be much more about the Ottawa business model than us losing out on a quarterback. It's clear that Desjardins hasn't learned from his Hamilton days, and that Ottawa as a whole has not learned from one of the many reasons behind them folding yet again.

There's a $300,000 spread between the floor and the cap.  How does a $400,000 (reportedly) contract to a QB which is less than Lulay ($450,000 or $475,000), less than Ray ($450,000 - $500,000), slightly more than Collaros and Durant (both around $300,000) lead to the Ottawa team folding??

[REDBLACKS major announcement today, Burris Signed]

 

 

 

Fine, Glenn plus Willy then. 

 

That could still work. Though I doubt the Bombers can swing it.

 

Here's to giving Drew Willy the reigns in 2014 -- running for his life from the very first play behind a patchwork O-line. 

 

Injured and out of football by Labour Day. 

 

Or crushed under the weight of a fan-base's  unrealistic expectations ..

 

Imagine Bomber fans wanting a playoff spot. Not a GC championship  Just a playoff spot. Oh & some respect. Yep, unrealistic alright. 

 

 

My point is more to the fact that the vast majority of uneducated fans are going to expect whomever it is that lines up behind centre to work miracles and simply go out and win .. they aren't ready for a young quarterback to struggle .. to allow that player to learn to fight through adversity and eek out tough wins .. to grow from those tough loses .. people are going to want to yank him at the first sign of trouble .. it's a sure fire way to destroy the confidence of a young player and it's part of the reason why we find ourselves in this situation now ..

 

Blaming uneducated fans for the lack of development of this team, in particular whomever the young QB happens to be at the moment, is a copout excuse for the general incompetence of the management of this team for the past 6 or so years.  Sorry, but I've seen you and a few others use this excuse over the past few years and it doesn't wash. 

 

Even if the fans are "educated" and I think there are quite a few more than you are willing to give credit to, that by no way means the QB will improve to be a capable starter - he could simply not be talented enough or be capable of playing to the level of the CFL and/or he might not given the surrounding talent to be successful (O-line and receivers).   

 

Patience in and of itself is but one factor in the successful development of a starting QB, not the only thing.  The talent and the ability of the individual to learn and the supporting pieces (Linemen, receivers) are just as important if not moreso.  Bombers could have had all the patience in the world with guys like Jyles, Brink and Elliott (and in the future Goltz) and kept them around for another 3 years.  It wouldn't have mattered - their talent or lack thereof and their inability to learn and grow would have prevented them from improving.  The fact that two of them are out of the league and one will soon be cut proves my point.

 

As for our Qb dilemma, I would take Glenn although Burris would have been a better choice with his ability to scramble.  That's a necessary ability given our pathetic O-line.  Glenn can't scramble worth crap.

[is anyone getting "that" feeling with Henry Burris...]

That's exactly the point.

Should we have paid that price for the chance to maybe win a few more games?

In conjuction with signing a few free agents and some improvement in the coaching staff and the younger players to win a few more games, sure.  You do what you have to do to create a winning culture in the organization that will ultimately lead to better things, like the Grey Cup. 

 

I would also think the cap rises this year with the new TV contract.  $400,000 might be roughly the same percentage of the new cap as $350, 000 would be under the old cap.

[Some food for thought from Farhan Lalji]

 

That's a nice thought but there are three things here ...

 

a) Ottawa seems to have no interest in getting Glenn

We don't have Drew Willy signed

c) Would Glenn really want to come here to work with Marcel Bellefeuille?

As for © - who else would want Glenn if we don't take him? Would he go back to Calgary?

 

Possibly Montreal as competition or veteran backup for Smith?

[is anyone getting "that" feeling with Henry Burris...]

That's a lot for Burris but he is a proven commodity. 

 

Could the salary cap make a substantial jump to say $5 million this year.  The TV contract will be nearly 3 times the prior deal so a jump of $500,000 in the cap is certainly feasible and that could raise the value of Burris from $300 - $350,000 under the old cap to $400,000 under the new one.

[McManus supposedly a Drew Willy supporter]

 

Reilly lives in northern Montana.

Does he turn in to Grizzly Adams in the summer time? There is like no one living in Northern Montana. Other than a few bears.

 

Just like Northern Manitoba - no one lives there except bears.

[is anyone getting "that" feeling with Henry Burris...]

That would be quite something if Burris signs with Ottawa.

 

Ottawa gets Glenn for free in the expansion draft, then turns around and trades him to Winnipeg for a first or second round draft pick in 2015 plus maybe throw in another player on top of that since the Bombers are desparate for a proven commodity at QB going into 2014 (even if we sign Willy he is far from proven).