BigBlue

My guess is that we need to use the full court press in signing Nichols ... if the best deal possible doesn't get him signed shortly, then we will know what to do... we will know which other QBs to go after and with how much .... I am happy enough with Nichols-Glenn .... when we let Brian Bennett get away I realized we are in short term thinking mode (no incubating a Reilly, Jennings or Levi-Mitchell type) ... we will always have average QBs if we have to acquire our starter from another club UNLESS we are prepared to make a Matt Dunigan splurge again and that hasn't happened in two decades .... it would not surprise me to see Bennett the Roughies' ordained starter before the season is over ... I fear our QB plan has a major fault

Its seems all the concessions in negotiations have gone the players way ... I don't remember seeing much that went the leagues way .... maybe its time for a bit of a shift and to me protecting draftees is one key the clubs need

The Canadian draft process is critical to building long term club success ... yet the trend is to sign for 2 or 3 years and then test the market ... the draft investment can vanish all too quickly ... I would like to see a restricted free agent clause implemented similar to hockey's ... of course that means a change in the collective bargaining agreement for the players' association ... But what real power does the association have over the league? If the players knew the clubs would go with all American replacement players in the case negotiations could not be concluded by season's start, then their power might weaken mightily. Nobody wants to test those waters but the only way to negotiate anything is to have at least one viable alternative ... having two or three alternatives is even better. I am now reading that some players contracts have an NFL tryout clause. I actually think that is an ok idea that may increase the quality of our overall International talent pool. Give the players a 3 month window every year to tryout and sign with a NFL club ... say they have from January to March to sign a NFL contract, and if they do, but subsequently fail to make "the Bigs", then they by default return to their CFL contract ... of course they can still go the free agency route as now ... BUT both sides might prefer to have the comfort of a good contract for the long term without the anxiety, time and pain staking negotiating process of reaching a new uncertain contract, be it better, worse or similar. A CFL agreement could even be reached with NFL if that helps, but it does not seem to be required. IF NFL tryouts become part of a standard clause in the general CFL contract, players could play their hearts out for their CFL club at all times during our season, test the NFL waters each winter if they wish, and failing real success, have the predictability to easily and seamlessly return to their original CFL club, and play in the latter and most critical part of the CFL season. Sounds kind of win-win, GM's can plan better and get players to sign longer term and with it more lucrative contracts. At the same time the GM knows he is doing their very best for each of their players and in no wise is holding them back. Fear and hidden agendas disappear and good faith and cooperation can blossom. Its professional and "feel good" for all involved... And it brings stability and allows long term planning instead of everything short term and stop-gap-ish. Perhaps in negotiations with the players association, the restricted free agent clause can be traded for a standard NFL tryout clause. I think it would help all concerned.

Future contracts (for the next 2 or 3 years or more) are for past work already accomplished. They reward past value not future value. Contracts after the one already signed is what will reward what gets done in the forseeable future and right now.... just so long as that is perfectly clear

Again, I believe it is possible to sign our number one overall pick before actually drafting him ... is this not correct? .... might not that save some ST JOHN anxiety....

"Laval’s Antony Auclair, who jumped eight spots from No. 10 on the list to second overall.The 6-foot-5, 254-pound tight end was a part of the Rouge et Or squad that won the Vanier Cup in Hamilton in late November over the Calgary Dinos. In the championship game, Auclair recorded six receptions, including a touchdown, and accumulated 70 yards." TE Auclair might be more interesting to me than a lineman with our number one, that is if he is not NFL drafted. If he is then maybe using a 6th or 7th round pick might be more appropriate. I see there is a receiver from Saskatchewan in the top 20: lets not draft him! Curious there is only a half dozen ranked OL's in the top 20 ... I would like one of them .... Gray of course would make a nice local pick ... we don't have enough Bisons on our team

Can we have the numb er one pick sign first and then draft him second?

I find the lack of action in Toronto about their future direction is what everyone is waiting for. Once they make their move everyone else is going to make their coaching and management decisions. I remember how slow deciding the Bombers were not very long ago in naming their senior change. It ultimately meant getting stuck with Etchevery as DC ... ouch.

I realize some on this site absolutely hate any rule changes to our fair CFL game ... still look how the changes to our convert rules for example have made the game more interesting for the fans For the coming year I suggest some kind of adjustment to the review process is in order ... I am interested to see how we can do it better, more fairly, and remove the frivolous reviews while keeping the referees in check/ To me one of the strangest most foreign rules is our touchback rule. It feels like NFL envy. In every other kicking situation we have the rouge, but on the kickoff we want to suspend the rouge for a team making an amazingly good kick. Lets change the rule back to scoring a rouge for kickoffs through the end zone. Lets get back to rouge consistency though our whole game. Third, something a touch more surprising: change the scoring on a safety from two points to three points. The way the rules have changed teams are able to "buy" their way out of bad field position. All the hard work of good defense and punting coverage, can be disposed of for slightly more than a rouge. Make teams trapped deep in their own end work their way out of it, not buy their way out of it. Faced with the prospect of giving up three points and the either giving the ball back or getting the ball back which would you choose? I would also like to see a change on infractions away from the play, especially on kick returns and on passing plays. I mean if you can't have pass interference because the ball was not "catchable" lets apply similar thinking to slight contact infractions away from the play. I am not talking roughing but the normal jostling that is happening all over the field. The last thing I would like to see different in the coming year is more certain and costly penalties and suspensions for injury maker infractions like helmet to helmet and roughing the passer. We need to keep our starting QBs upright. It seems the NFL is doing a better job of this than we are. I don't know how exactly to make it better but we have to do something. I would like to see some "non-reviewable" or "non-appealable" automatic suspensions after so many roughing infractions. One game suspension and perhaps a two game and then three game if the practice by that player persists. I don't mind a player losing his livlihood for a week if he is taking it away from another player's career. ' '

Statistics dictating awards or good judgment ??? Campbell won the Grey Cup over Dickenson .... the awarders got it wrong

Walters has plenty to do in the next 3 weeks ... how can we help him with our impeccable advice (the best in the world you know) ... how should he order his to do list? 1. Inquire about Franklin 2. See who is in the mood to make a Pre-Christmas trade 3. Forget all else until O'Shea is signed 4. Defer extending MOS until good alternatives have been explored 5. Work on the salary cap to see which players we can negotiate/extend/bonus before year end ... 6. Get 3 QBs signed before they have a chance to think about free agency 7. Release players and coaches not in our plans for next year .... busy up the other GMs 8. Study film, analyze budgets, defer all decisions to the new year 9. Go on strike till your own contract has been extended 10. Go on an extended holiday to make everyone wonder what is about to happen Lets lend him our wisdom

Its already been ststed over and over that it is incentive based .... but the big bonus next spring is what killed retaining him .... you are awfully condescending

Why would MOS leave a team on the verge of success for one that needs a complete rebuild? It takes more than money to make that decision...

" What do you mean getting stingy with qb money again? " The last time we were lavish with QB money was on Matt Dunnigan .... but paying Willy 450 (if true) was foolish .... we need to retain Nichols, sensibly but emphatically ... and if a great deal comes up go for it with all we got ... Franklin is a promising unknown quantity .... you can't mortgage the farm for him ... I wonder how Bennett would have looked with the same game time Franklin got .... maybe we will find out in Regina

So its going to depend on how aggressive Montreal amd maybe Toronto are in going after outside QB talent .... we already know what Jones is going to do

3 years of a coaches salary isn't going to affect the salary cap .... carrying on with a failed coach will kill attendance and possibly threaten the franchise's survival ... but I agree with you in that a two year extension is more than enough and probably quite satisfactory .... three years is for winning a Grey Cup, not for finally gettinng your team ouit of the basement .... we have a little momentum here ... lets not kill it by firing the coach ... the only thing that would be worse is getting too stingy with QB money again

On the 61 yard FG try Medlock used a tee when he normally doesn't (a lack of confidence?) and he got under the ball because of it, and it fell noticeably short ... whose fault is that?

Not if you put that extra player on the one game IR .... no cost to that at all and I believe its unlimited in day to day practice .... management was not high on Bennett or they blundered

I like the idea of forbidding slo-mo except for whether a player stepped out of bounds ... otherwise 90 seconds is more thah enough ... bravo

That would be the worst possible world for Blue Bomber fans ... you think some of the reffs are biased now, let them be unbridled with no reviews ... and you will never see a memo from CFL HQ's to the reffs telling them to be more fair to Winnipeg! No self defense to protect us from the reffs bad moods about having to work in Winnipeg ... are you nuts?

getting home at 1:30 is a parking problem ... its hysteria to think that overturning blown reff calls will add two to two and a half of time to a cfl game ... the proposition is you can only be wrong twice before losing all challenges and that "slight" calls away from the play be done away ... get real

Maybe rename them a suburb city like Mississauga or something

I am totally bummed out losing Bennett ... thought he was part of our future and about ready to step up some this year .... I guess management didn't think enough of to even put him on the IR or 46

I don't get all this belief that Franklin is our forthcoming messiah ... he is showing some nice potential as a backup but once he becomes a starter he will become subject to scrutiny & film study and other stuff .... and once his tendencies are known he may not be as fantastic as the 2nd coming of Mike Reilly ... we have a proven QB in Nichols who is only going to mature and get better ... we have not yet seen the top of his game. And besides Edmonton has a certain high value on him for this year although they are not beyond grabbing an arm and a leg from a team willing to offer that much ... if we are going after him lets pay that high price when he is a free agent ... lets test out Nichols this year and see if we might have the real deal. Let Nichols do it this coming season .... he might surprise us.