Jesse

Folks... Different people see different things.  I for one would like to get all the opinions, from all the fans no matter if they match the general consensus or not.  I see no advantage to kicking posters out who disagree with other posters and there's a big disadvantage when forums become nothing more than a bunch of same minded people parroting the same things.  That's really boring and will eventually lead to the better posters finding somewhere else to discuss the Bombers.

Personally, I'm thrilled that the club is taking such a careful approach with our young draft picks. If Richards is expected to play this season, he'll need to be treated carefully. A 21-year old kid can't be expected to jump into an 18 game season against men from an 8 game season against his peers.
Telling him to 'tough it out' is just asking him to get I jured and throwing away your assets rather than developing him, imo.

Personally, I'm thrilled that the club is taking such a careful approach with our young draft picks. If Richards is expected to play this season, he'll need to be treated carefully. A 21-year old kid can't be expected to jump into an 18 game season against men from an 8 game season against his peers.
Telling him to 'tough it out' is just asking him to get I jured and throwing away your assets rather than developing him, imo.

Personally, I'm thrilled that the club is taking such a careful approach with our young draft picks. If Richards is expected to play this season, he'll need to be treated carefully. A 21-year old kid can't be expected to jump into an 18 game season against men from an 8 game season against his peers.
Telling him to 'tough it out' is just asking him to get I jured and throwing away your assets rather than developing him, imo.

Oh my god, it's about time. Great to hear.

Personally, I'm thrilled that the club is taking such a careful approach with our young draft picks. If Richards is expected to play this season, he'll need to be treated carefully. A 21-year old kid can't be expected to jump into an 18 game season against men from an 8 game season against his peers.
Telling him to 'tough it out' is just asking him to get I jured and throwing away your assets rather than developing him, imo.

Personally, I'm thrilled that the club is taking such a careful approach with our young draft picks. If Richards is expected to play this season, he'll need to be treated carefully. A 21-year old kid can't be expected to jump into an 18 game season against men from an 8 game season against his peers.
Telling him to 'tough it out' is just asking him to get I jured and throwing away your assets rather than developing him, imo.

@PentonKirk: The #CFL is getting ready to launch a new website as well and modernizing its stats system.

I really don't think Lattanzio is competing to be the starting FB. I think they're looking at him to be used as a FB in certain situations, like Vega lining up as a TE on the odd occasion.

The fact that they are testing positive indicates that they can't.

Been working on a mock draft for a week or so now.
 
What really stood out to me is that everyone keeps saying the Bombers are going to get three good players. This draft, in my mind, is so deep that with our current pick pool, we could easily snag a fourth solid prospect.
 
Here's what I've got so far
 
1. Ottawa - OL Alex Mateas (seems to be the smart money pick, hometown kid who can be a solid building block; could be derailed by NFL)
2. Winnipeg - REC Nic Demski (OL and REC equal areas of need, pool of OL better than pool of REC + the hometown connection; could easily be Durant but Walters on record saying Demski is his REC1 on the board)
3. Toronto - OL Sukh Chungh (best OL not named Boyko on the board, Toronto needs to prepare for aging OL and rebuild)
4. Montreal - REC Lemar Durant (OL not a deep concern for Popp, best REC available is easily Durant and Montreal could use experienced REC corps to groom and mentor a great talent; this could easily be Waud too)
5. BC - OL Danny Groulx (not a lot of OL depth in Vancouver, fills a need and fits the BPA label)
6. Saskatchewan - DL Daryl Waud (strong move by Taman, could see this being accompanied by decision to commit to a Canadian DT and make a trade with Hamilton)
7. Edmonton - OL Sean McEwen (strikes me as a very similar player to Brett Jones, got all the smarts, maybe not as ready physically, but still a very pro ready OL in my opinion)
8. Hamilton - OL Brett Boyko (calculated gamble here by Austin - he's got a ton in the pipeline for Canadian talent and could really use a stud OL - makes NFL gamble worth it)
9. Calgary - LB Chris Ackie (best player available scenario right here, not a strong need on the OL and Calgary could use some bodies to take defensive reps and make ST contributions)
 
10. Ottawa - LB Byron Archambault (tough player to project, could go here, could go in the third round. How do you translate his overall athleticism to the field? Shuttle time helps big time at combine)
11. Winnipeg - OL Jacob Ruby (if Bombers see Ruby fall to them, they'll be thrilled. Biggest threat is Hamilton at 8)
12. Toronto - DL Ese Mrarube-Ajufo (edge speed and athleticism were big pluses at combine, gives them a body for reps behind new prize Foley)
13. Montreal - DB Tevaughn Campbell (raw, but showed good cover skills with new rules at combine and is easily fast enough to defend in pros, immediate ST demon)
14. BC - RB Shaq Murray-Lawrence (gives them the all Canadian backfield combination that could be envy of CFL, hard guy for them to pass on at this spot)
15. Winnipeg - DL Maxx Forde (concerns about why his senior season was disappointment, but capable of being a big disruption on defensive line; this could easily be Shortill too)
16. Edmonton - REC Addison Richards (good value on BPA for Edmonton, interview disappointed at combine and speed is concerning, but he's a big physical body with soft hands)
17. Hamilton - OL James Bodanis (went OL gamble in first round, goes OL that they can have in camp in second round. Stocking the barn with hogs important for Hamilton)
18. Calgary - REC Jake Harty (natural fit in Calgary, can easily push Charbonneau and Parker)
 
19. Calgary - OL Karl Lavoie (Huf understands the value of a guy like Lavoie on the OL, can be brought along slow)
20. Hamilton - LB Nick Shortill (good bet to be one of the best available guys on the board, could be gone much earlier. Strong pick for Austin)
21. Toronto - LB Ron Omara (big broad LB who can take snaps behind Cory Greenwood in Toronto D)
22. Calgary - RB Tyler Varga (at this point, the pick makes sense, still have pick to get similar player to what you could take now at 27, hedge your bets with Varga earlier)
23. BC - DL Brandon Tennant (question marks, but if focus is there, talent is there easily)
24. Hamilton - REC Melvin Abankwah (another tough guy to project ... how much stock do you put in combine? Not a safe pick but could look great in two years)
25. Edmonton - DB Kwame Adjei (big body, could project at LB or DB, showed great coverage ability at combine)
26. Saskatchewan - OL Campbell Allison (had terrible combine, did not show up in shape. With proper work ethic, he's talented enough to be a strong guard in CFL)
27. Calgary - LB Auston Johnson (Alondra will be pleased ... needs shaping to be CFL game ready but looks good on film and can fill ST role immediately)
 
28. Ottawa - DL Ettore Lattanzio (Ottawa continues to build a strong stable in trenches)
29. Hamilton - REC Matthew Norzil (if healthy, Norzil is easily up there with, at the very least, Richards and Harty. health is big concern)
30. Toronto - DL Rory Connop (faded at combine, didn't help his cause but still deserving of top 30 selection)
31. Montreal - RB Dillon Campbell (offensive skill guys so tough to project when they don't fit mold, but with Lumbala gone, makes sense)
32. BC - LB Adam Konar (awful combine showing including a late flight resulting in interview delays/cancellations dropped his stock a lot but reports are he's got impressive film)
33. Winnipeg - LB Blair Smith (could easily see Konar and Smith flip flopping ... classic film vs combine, athleticism concerns vs football concerns)
34. Edmonton - RB Matt Rea (this guy could easily end up being huge fan favorite in Edmonton ... does all the dirty work, will contribute in Rob Cote fashion)
35. Saskatchewan - LB Adrian Clarke (big body, ST contributor immediately)
36. Montreal - OL Quinn Lawlor (big time project, but hard to turn down upside at this point, especially with team that has no real need to rush OL)

You could probably get the Bombers to match whatever is raised, try to get a bit more publicity to the event. 
 
We had a similar conversation on the other forum and it quickly turned ridiculous, but it would be great having one of our perspectives in there. Someone who would actually pay attention to what's happening on the field instead of looking for a quote or controversy. 

Doesn't fly with me. Should have nothing to do with the Jets. It's not like the Free Press opted to not send anyone. They sent their regular Bombers beat writer and he did his regular terrible job.

I think we'd be doing ourselves a disservice if we make the rules such that a person like Henry, who lives, works, and does a tremendous amount of community service here in our country, cannot become a citizen, despite multiple attempts. 

I think we'd be doing ourselves a disservice if we make the rules such that a person like Henry, who lives, works, and does a tremendous amount of community service here in our country, cannot become a citizen, despite multiple attempts. 

I think we'd be doing ourselves a disservice if we make the rules such that a person like Henry, who lives, works, and does a tremendous amount of community service here in our country, cannot become a citizen, despite multiple attempts. 

I think we'd be doing ourselves a disservice if we make the rules such that a person like Henry, who lives, works, and does a tremendous amount of community service here in our country, cannot become a citizen, despite multiple attempts. 

I think we'd be doing ourselves a disservice if we make the rules such that a person like Henry, who lives, works, and does a tremendous amount of community service here in our country, cannot become a citizen, despite multiple attempts. 

I think we'd be doing ourselves a disservice if we make the rules such that a person like Henry, who lives, works, and does a tremendous amount of community service here in our country, cannot become a citizen, despite multiple attempts. 

Exactly. You cannot call them 'fun changes for the benefit of fan experience" when all of the fans think the changes are ridiculous.

The designated import spot has now been replaced by the "wildlife" spot where teams will be allowed to roster either a bear, deer or moose.

Why stop at just these rules? Why not make the dbs run backwards at all times? Maybe let each team carry a bear on their roster?

There is officially only 2 weeks remaining until free agency.  As we all know, there is still plenty of time to re-sign potential free agents but many who have waited this long will increasingly be tempted to test free agency.  So without further Apu, I present my authoritative list of the top 5 Canadian Free Agents (from a Blue Bomber perspective).  Here we go!
 
TOP 5 CANADIAN FREE AGENTS
 
1.  BEN HEENAN - This one is too easy.  Everyone knows he is going to be the number one target in free agency, and he may even get some NFL looks.  But with the right offer, maybe the Canadian Big Ben ends up in Winnipeg and moves our OL further towards respectability.  Heenan's value comes from his outstanding play but also his versatility.  Many believe that he would be best-suited as a guard, but his value as a proven starting tackle can't be ignored.  Even if the Bombers only made this one signing, the free agency period would have to be deemed a success.  A ratio changer, and likely even better than any of the American tackle options currently on the roster.  To borrow a term from soccer, this signing is a slam dunk home run.
 
2.  TYLER HOLMES - It should be no surprise that another offensive lineman heads up this list.  Holmes may not be as much of a big-name as Heenan, but he has the potential to make just as great an impact (and probably at a lower cap hit).  After being drafted 7th overall in 2011 (3 spots behind the immortal Jade Etienne), Holmes spent the 2012 season with the Minnesota Vikings, suiting up at Guard in 4 pre-season games.  He played another 2 pre-season games for the Vikes before being cut during camp in 2013.  Shortly afterwards, Holmes signed with the Argos where he spent the last two seasons starting at left guard.  Although Holmes would appear to have settled in as a CFL guard, he was an OT in college and may still have the potential to play tackle.  He is only 26 years old.  The Redblacks are rumoured to have interest in his services, and I imagine many other teams will as well.  Holmes is the son of former CFL RB Richard Holmes, who played 3 seasons in Ottawa and one in Winnipeg.
 
3.  SPENCER WATT - My first non-OL pick in free agency goes to fifth year Argonaut Spencer Watt.  This pick is all about depth and versatility.  While Watt is certainly not a household star, he has been a consistent performer for the Argos at the wide-side receiver spot.  The Bombers only have three Canadian receivers under contract right now, and with the unreliable health of Cory Watson, depth is still needed here.  Adding Watt will give the Bombers a reliable player that coach O'Shea is already familiar with, and one who has five years under his belt while being the same age as Cory Watson was when he was first drafted.  Adding Watt would give the Bombers flexibility in the passing game, perhaps allowing Rory Kohlert to move inside and get more passes thrown his way, or to even have 3 Canadian receivers starting at times.
 
4.  GREG WOJT - We quickly shift our focus back to the offensive line.  If the Bombers whiff on their first two OL targets, Greg Wojt could at least be a decent consolation prize.  Wojt has started many games in the CFL for both Edmonton and Hamilton, mostly at guard but occasionally filling in at tackle.  Wojt could be valuable depth and present stiff competition to both Chris Greaves and Patrick Neufeld for their starting spots, which should not be guaranteed at this point.  Wojt was named a Western Division all star in 2011 but hasn't been able to attain that level of play since then.  However he is still just 29 and could be entering the prime of his career.  A date with Bob Wylie could be just what Wojt needs to rejuvenate his career.  Hell, we'd all love a date with Bob Wylie... did you know he's a magician?
 
5.  DON ORAMASIONWU - Could 2015 see the return of DONNY O to the Blue Bombers lineup?  The Bombers were already thin along the defensive line when DT Ryan Lucas announced his retirement, and they desperately need some help here.  Jake Thomas is a wonderful player but he could use some Canadian help in the middle.  The Bombers also have Louie Richardson and Ameet Pall on the defensive line, but both could be considered "tweeners" and might not fit into Richie Hall's schemes as well as they did for Gary Etcheverry.  Don missed most of last season but if healthy could be a great asset to the Bombers' DL, taking some rotational reps and possibly even starting if necessary.  I would still like to see the Bombers draft a strong DT but Donny O would be good insurance in case that is not possible.  And it's always nice to have a local guy on the roster.
 
So there's the list.  And if you're not down with that, I got two words for you....... WHY NOT???

Bryant every day and twice on Sunday.

http://bluebombertalk.blogspot.ca/2015/01/early-thoughts-on-2015-cfl-draft.html?m=1
Some good in depth thoughts ... Will post opinion later. Feel free to share a comment on his blog or give him a follow on Twitter @BomberJetsTalk