Tracker

So far we don't seem to have signed a "holy-crap-can't-miss" player. In the past I have been guilty of really becoming emotionally invested in one or two newcomers and far more often than not, have had my hopes shattered. Oh well, maybe s darkhorse player will emerge in training camp (not so far away any more) and wow everybody.

To the surprise of nearly no one.

Agreed. Size makes a good receiver better, but it doesn't do much for someone who can't be at the right place at the right time or hang onto the ball.

From 3downnation. Apparently the Stamps would not let him return due to injuries.

Yup.

Was there a special on tall receivers down south this week? This does not bode well for our current lot of receivers, even though these may be training camp fodder.

Apparently it was the Stamps forcing him to retire.

"If what thy eye sees offends thee, pluck it out"

I believe you are exaggerating and distorting my comments. In an 8-team league, a team ought to be competitive every year (with due respect to the mess Walters inherited) but he and O'Shea have had ample time to produce a team capable of going to the Cup final. Weird stuff can (and does) happen in the final but the Bomber braintrust has to show that they have the right stuff to win the cup or step aside.

There is an element of luck to winning a single game, but talent and hard work determine overall success. But having a "good" or "happy" team doesn't guarantee anything. The Don didn't get too many Xmas cards from his players but his teams won consistently. On the other hand Reinbold and Mike Kelly had players gushing over them, and we know that went. In hockey, Barry Trotz guided winning teams in the regular season, but choked in the playoffs, so he got canned. The Bombers and fans have had enough promises. Time for the current regime to cook or get off the stove.

At that same intersection, about 25 years ago, a whole family was killed in a collision with a local grain truck, so there is bad history there.

Even if the Bombers never make it to the Grey Cup?

We are all connected, one way or another. There are no words.

If I follow that line of thinking to its logical conclusion- how many years should a GM and head coach have without making it to the final before enough is enough? Two? Five? Eight? At some point, in a 9-team league, a conclusion has to be reached that whatever it takes to win the Cup, the existing regime doesn't have it. I am not advocating to sack O'Shea and Walters right now , but its been a very long dry spell for us fans. If somehow Jones in Regina manages to win the west, there will be a lot of ticked-off fans, and rightfully so.

That is an assumption. To quote a noted coach," You are what your record says you are", and as many years as the current regime has been here, the Bombers have won one playoff game. There may be extenuating circumstances, but the record is what it is.

And how many times have the Bombers gone to the cup under their tenure? Its only a 9 team league and more than one team has been rebuilt and gone to the CFL final. If the Riders manage to win the west this year, some questions need to be asked. And who hires and assesses the scouts?

Agreed that all the changes will make for an interesting training camp. Insofar as you receiving criticism is concerned, why would this forum break with tradition? O'Shea and Walters have to be feeling the heat this year. Its all been a hugfest, but nothing but foreplay so far and the natives are getting restless. Walters might buy himself another year if he puts the axe to O'Shea, but time is running out. And we still have Richie Hall in charge of the defence.

We can prognosticate all we want but until the draft is done and so is training camp, we are all just taking shots in the dark. Ah well, its gives us something to beat our gums about, but waiting is frustrating. And boring.

Probably not, but maybe he can put on a lot of extra weight so that its takes longer for opposing O-linemen to step over him.

I have to disagree with you. The only way the Riders will be better is if, against all probabilities, Hurl and Collaros exceed all expectations. Fat chance, there, and Chris Jones is running out of lives.

Soooo....you're saying he's a bit dickey now?

If Vesalainen is converted to centre with Armia and Laine as wingers, would that make them "The Finish Line"?

From 3Downnation: Dwayne Johnson opens up about depression, says release from CFL was ‘worst time’ By Elahe Izadi Posted on April 2, 2018 by 3Down Staff // 45 Comments Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is speaking publicly about his and his family’s struggles with depression. In an interview with the U.K.’s Express, Johnson spoke about his mother’s attempted suicide, which took place when he was 15. “Struggle and pain is real. I was devastated and depressed,” he told the outlet. “I reached a point where I didn’t want to do a thing or go anywhere. I was crying constantly.” After the interview published, Johnson tweeted that he received “tons of responses. Thank you.” “We all go thru the sludge/(expletive) and depression never discriminates,” he continued. “Took me a long time to realize it but the key is to not be afraid to open up. Especially us dudes have a tendency to keep it in. You’re not alone.” Months after her family had been evicted from their apartment, Johnson’s mother attempted suicide. She walked out of her car on a major interstate in Nashville and into oncoming traffic, with giant trucks and cars swerving out of the way. Johnson has previously revealed details about his mother’s suicide attempt. In a February Instagram post about filming a scene involving suicide in his HBO series Ballers, Johnson wrote that the moment had him reflect on “how many of us have been affected by suicide of our friends, family. Struggle and pain is real. We’ve all been there on some level or another.” “I grabbed her and pulled her back on the gravel shoulder of the road,” Johnson wrote about his mother’s incident. “What’s crazy about that suicide attempt is that to this day, she has no recollection of it whatsoever. Probably best she doesn’t.” He added: “We got lucky that day when I was 15 and that ain’t always the case.” Years before he became one of the world’s wealthiest actors, Johnson pursued a football career but was beset by several injuries and was let go from the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League within a year of being signed. Soon after, his girlfriend broke up with him. “That was my absolute worst time,” he told Express. The candid comments about depression from such a successful actor, known for both his bubbly personality and tough-guy persona, brought on a wave of responses, including from advocacy organizations promoting the help they offer. The Lifeline tweeted “If you feel like you have no reason to live, call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for help and support.” On Twitter, someone wrote: “I know it will help a lot of people to see someone so confident that also had issues with it. Myself included.” Johnson replied: “Hey man I get it . . . Stay strong and make sure you’re talking to good people about it . . . No shame in getting help and wanting to be better.” Johnson told Express that he and his mother “both healed but we’ve always got to do our best to pay attention when other people are in pain. We have to help them through it and remind them they are not alone.” – Washington Post

I think Calgary will drop a notch or two this year, and that we will be battling Edmonton all season for top spot in both the west and the league. Edmonton's Achilles' Heel is probably Maas as head coach.

I hope that he could step in and replace Hall should the defence perform as it did last year. I still see Hall as the Bomber defence's biggest liability, and in this I assume that the MLB position is upgraded significantly.