Tracker

Lumbering is an interesting way to describe a guy that has become famous for jumping over defenders to avoid tackles. Maybe he works at Rona in the off-season?

We've had success in signing other teams' castoff linebackers who were deemed expendable for various reasons- KD Williams and James West for a couple, and there are probably more, so McCune is not that much of a reach. His personality and dedication mean leadership and that will be sorely needed in a year which will be very up and down.

And if McCune can clog up the middle effectively, it makes life a lot easier for the other backers and even the DBs.

We may have to Escort him back to the Bombers, but he may have lost his Focus or maybe his Edge. When he left the Bombers, it nearly Taurus apart.

As a MLB, speed is not as critical as outside linebacker role, so maybe he will work out. Besides, there are no other viable choices at present.

Yes he was. I did some internet digging and found some combine results from his pro day and a regional combine in 2010, they both measured him at a little under 6'2. Same as Brescacin, he's been reported at a few different heights, I went by the combine measurement. I personally blame it on the cold weather- it makes all things male shrink.

Apparently Bob Mitchell covers the Argos and Leafs for the Toronto Star. Interesting that tweet is from 8 hours ago and no Winnipeg media has reported this yet. Until the Bombers announce it, no reporter will post it. To do otherwise would require something like journalistic initiative and valuable time away from other, more pleasurable pursuits. Like napping.

An unconfirmed report has Robert McCune signed by the Bombers- seems like a good fit.

Thanks for the overview, but wasn't Robinson reported as 6'3"?

And just like that, Aaron Hargreaves becomes the most experienced Ottawa receiver. Burris must be sh*tting himself looking at the group of WRs he'll be throwing to. Well, I hope he wasn't under an impression that he was walking into a sweet setup, given the big money he's getting paid. He's going to need a lot of that money for post-op rehab.

I am happy to see this happen instead of witnessing another aging athlete at the end of a great career trying to go one more season. Terrence had lost a step or two to the point where technique and body control could no longer compensate for the lack of foot speed. The team will miss his ability to go get the ball and leadership by example. We wish you the best,Terrence, in wherever your life takes you and thank you for your time here.

But we're so bored and desperate for news....

He's got a work out some time this week. If that doesn't result in an offer then the Laurent sweepstakes begin. I saw one article valuing him at $150K. I hope if that's true that the Bombers at least show some interest and put in a contract offer. He'd be a big piece on the DL. He won't be a replacement for Doug Brown (no one really could be) but he'd give us some roster flexibility. Ted Laurent signing with the Bombers would make instant fans of Walters by all and sundry here. Now, if only Christo Bilikudi returns to the fold...actually, he was never in the fold.

It's interesting that everything rotten here gets traced to the man who's face isin the public but nobody questions what is behind the face. As in the logic of the BOD. IMO, the major reason for being where we are. Bauer's tight grip on finances even after the Bomber's bottom line was better, was plain stupid and far too rigid. Taman was handcuffed. He did what he could. And that was unsustainable. I don't blame him at all, his budget was probably crap. And if Taman weakened the structure, Kelly bull-dozed what was left. Then Mack was hired because he had connections down south and his philosophy of finding good players and re-signing them or signing new bees appealed to the bottom-line BOD. All on a shoe-string scouting budget. But of course, that is unsustainable, especially when the initial pieces started to fail and the strategy was exposed. Poor QBs - you say… well initially B Pierce and S Jyles did seem intriguing, but no scouting down south would reveal itself later. Poor O-Line? Yes, this is a product going back many years to what Taman had to do to get players…trade picks. Then Kelly. For at least 2 years, we were booted. Now, you may say, well Mack could have drafted O-Line guys, and you'd be correct. However, there were a lot of holes to fill. Poor drafting? On par with some, questionable strategy overall. Poor coach selections? I can't fault trying LaPolice, just firing him when he did. Should have known about Burke. There had to have been doubts. GM Mack never would have lasted even if he had Miller and the revised budget to back him, so all's good that way. This new thinking and expanded spending by the BOD is a lifesaver for this franchise and the only way we could have avoided disaster. It's just too bad it took so long. I do not disagree with your statement that the current mess is the cumulative result of several GM's and their tenures, but I was assessing only Mack's reign. When I referred to "poor drafting" on Mack's part, I included the lack of filling the holes in the roster. He may have been average in his success about finding players who were able to start but the lacks in the team were largely unaddressed.

I love how people discredit every good selection made by Mack. There were tons of people that wanted guys like Sisco and Scott Mitchell picked over Watson and Henoc. The problem is those were the only two good selections. well I don't believe that's correct but whatever. I suspect if you looked at macks draft record it would be on par with other gms in the league. I feel Mack's biggest flaw was inhuman patience. He was acting as if he had 10 years to build a competitive team. Too many projects, too many guys who had to return to school, etc. The most damning fact of Mack's reign was Chris Kowalczuk staying here as long as he did. Here's a guy who's 29 years old who hasn't progressed beyond being the 7th(?) O lineman in his time here and yet he's still on the team. Eventually you have to cut these guys loose and get some new blood in there. I just don't think the NI or drafting was something that is a valid criticism. He liked his athletes that's for sure, the problem was they never developed which to me is a coaching problem and that was Macks biggest flaw. Didn't hire the coaches who could develop his projects for him. Mack had multiple failings: poor quarterbacks, poor O-line, poor drafting, poor coach selections, and the team getting worse year by year. And that's only the start.

Oy, Can you imagine the reaction if the Bombers lose to Ottawa in the first game?

From the FreeP: They aren’t marquee names, but they could be important pieces in the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ rebuild. The club announced today the signing of Canadian safety Dan West, who had become a free agent earlier this week, and import wide receiver Antonio Robinson. West (6-2, 201, Bishop’s) has suited up for 27 games over the past two seasons after signing as a free agent in 2012 with the Bombers, primarily as a special-teams player. Robinson (6-3, 195, Nicholls State) was a versatile college player, pulling 47 receptions for 992 yards and 10 TDs, rushing 24 times for 249 yards and two majors while also returning kicks. He spent the 2010 and 2011 seasons with the Green Bay Packers on their practice squad, then joined the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League in 2012, and the New Orleans VooDoo of the Arena Football League in 2013. Dan West is a ho-hum, but Robinson sounds interesting...

I have never understood the thinking that went into naming a rookie head coach a GM as well. It seems to me that stepping up from being an assistant or junior coach to being a head coach is hard enough without adding the responsibilities of being a GM as well. I remember Jeff Reinbold being interviewed halfway through his first miserable season and he was almost begging for the GM role to be delegated to someone else. I'm not sure that would have saved his bacon, but it sure didn't help him at all. I felt sorry for him- he didn't set out to be a disaster but that's the way it turned out.

I don't see that much difference between Lavertu and Goosen, so either way, we ought to be in good shape to draft a starter who is a center. This is no small hole to fill, and even if Morley is serviceable at center, he is still just a stop-gap. If I may suggest: Mack has taken up enough time and space here. He was a dreadful GM, so let him fade into obscurity.

That would be more than we could hope for. Goosen certainly has the size and aggressiveness, and if he has the intelligence to call the blocking schemes, we ought to be set for a decade or so.

Looking at the schedule, I think we can realistically be at .500 come August. I think that .500 is the mark which will keep the fan hopes alive, but the scary comparison will be how we are doing VS Ottawa.

We need to revisit this thread August 1st. I am not sure we are going to like what we see at that point.

the Peter Principle in action once again. weird that all 3 of these guys on our 2014 staff (Burke, Creehan, Daley) all proved their inability at superior positions in Winnipeg... Its a hat trick of incompetence!

Willy's confidence is the last thing he needs to worry about being crushed- his body would be first.

Barring a major development, the effectiveness of the O-line looks like it will all hang on Neufeld and Pencer. Not the news I was hoping for.