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

With 1 year left on his contract, I'm wondering if the first domino to fall is Wade extending Walters. Then the absolute first order of business is extending MOS. Once you have The Trinity locked up and ready to roll for the foreseeable future, then you can get to work tweaking the roster for a Cup run next year... 

7 minutes ago, Noeller said:

With 1 year left on his contract, I'm wondering if the first domino to fall is Wade extending Walters. Then the absolute first order of business is extending MOS. Once you have The Trinity locked up and ready to roll for the foreseeable future, then you can get to work tweaking the roster for a Cup run next year... 

100%. Not to mention it would be tough to negotiate extensions for players etc. without a coach signed on. If MOS were not retained, this would have an effect on a players decision as well.

I suggest that attempting to solidify the QB situation is a priority. MOS or any HC in this league is only as good as their QB. This franchise and every other franchise has proven that. What makes a winning HC a winning QB. 

Priority one...as has been priority one since Khari got too banged up to be effective...find a top notch CFL franchise QB. Amazing that no one has done that yet. The best we've had and continue to field is mediocre.  James Franklin gives Walters a chance to make up for missing the boat on several very good QBs. Will he pursue that as doggedly as he should...probably not...and we will have to build an excellent team to prop up a mediocre QB in Nichols if we want to have any shot at a championship.

How does a team like Ottawa get a championship in 3 short years? Easy sign 2 franchise QBs. How does a team like Calgary manage to stay on top for so long....easy...replace a top notch franchise QB with a top notch franchise QB. How does Edmonton go from **** show to champions in two years....easy...sign Mike Reilly. This isn't rocket science and I am disappointed that the Bombers seem resigned to another year with an average at best QB.

56 minutes ago, gcn11 said:

Priority one...as has been priority one since Khari got too banged up to be effective...find a top notch CFL franchise QB. Amazing that no one has done that yet. The best we've had and continue to field is mediocre.  James Franklin gives Walters a chance to make up for missing the boat on several very good QBs. Will he pursue that as doggedly as he should...probably not...and we will have to build an excellent team to prop up a mediocre QB in Nichols if we want to have any shot at a championship.

How does a team like Ottawa get a championship in 3 short years? Easy sign 2 franchise QBs. How does a team like Calgary manage to stay on top for so long....easy...replace a top notch franchise QB with a top notch franchise QB. How does Edmonton go from **** show to champions in two years....easy...sign Mike Reilly. This isn't rocket science and I am disappointed that the Bombers seem resigned to another year with an average at best QB.

Not that its Miller time for Walters on his QB hunt, but after all these years, average sounds pretty good.

1 hour ago, gcn11 said:

How does a team like Ottawa get a championship in 3 short years? Easy sign 2 franchise QBs. How does a team like Calgary manage to stay on top for so long....easy...replace a top notch franchise QB with a top notch franchise QB. How does Edmonton go from **** show to champions in two years....easy...sign Mike Reilly. This isn't rocket science and I am disappointed that the Bombers seem resigned to another year with an average at best QB.

And what happened when the Bombers offered Burris big money....  did they not also offer Collaros a big contract also.    You make it seem like the Blue have not tried?

How come in the last few seasons we have had guys choose the Blue over other teams.... just maybe perhaps the club is building a respectable reputation and stability that just may attract free agents. 

 

3 hours ago, gcn11 said:

Priority one...as has been priority one since Khari got too banged up to be effective...find a top notch CFL franchise QB. Amazing that no one has done that yet. The best we've had and continue to field is mediocre.  James Franklin gives Walters a chance to make up for missing the boat on several very good QBs. Will he pursue that as doggedly as he should...probably not...and we will have to build an excellent team to prop up a mediocre QB in Nichols if we want to have any shot at a championship.

How does a team like Ottawa get a championship in 3 short years? Easy sign 2 franchise QBs. How does a team like Calgary manage to stay on top for so long....easy...replace a top notch franchise QB with a top notch franchise QB. How does Edmonton go from **** show to champions in two years....easy...sign Mike Reilly. This isn't rocket science and I am disappointed that the Bombers seem resigned to another year with an average at best QB.

Knowing how loyal MOS is to his favorites do you think he'd let someone take Nichols' job away from him after Nichols saved MOS's job this year. I'm thinking Mike is cheering loud and long for Nichols as this this team's starting QB and Nichols will play every down in 2017 barring injury. Even if Franklin did find his way onto this team he'd get as many snaps as Glenn and Davis got.

19 hours ago, J5V said:

Knowing how loyal MOS is to his favorites do you think he'd let someone take Nichols' job away from him after Nichols saved MOS's job this year. I'm thinking Mike is cheering loud and long for Nichols as this this team's starting QB and Nichols will play every down in 2017 barring injury. Even if Franklin did find his way onto this team he'd get as many snaps as Glenn and Davis got.

Everyone said MOS was too attached to Willy until he wasn't. He may be loyal but I don't think if there was a viable option at QB he wouldn't pull the trigger.

First priority is to extend Mike O'Shea...Everything else should fall into place after that.... The Argos' might be interested in talking to Mike O if they clean house...That is not a foregone conclusion at this point...  Nichols has also a small question mark beside his name...IF we aren't prepared to pay Matt what he is asking, other avenues have to be explored, and two of those you would think would be to go after Durant or Franklin..Lot's on Walters plate right now not to mention re-signing our fa's, also scouring who could be available on other clubs fa list, and going over possible draft pics...He's going to be a busy boy..

2 hours ago, Nash00 said:

Everyone said MOS was too attached to Willy until he wasn't. He may be loyal but I don't think if there was a viable option at QB he wouldn't pull the trigger.

The criticsm of O'Shea about repeatedly saddling a dead horse (Willy) was, IMO, totally justified. I obviously don't know all the facts, but it sure as heck looked like finally starting Nichols was either a deathbed repentance or Walters holding a gun to O'Shea's head. Before the Big Switch, pretty much everyone on this forum and God knows how many other fans knew that Willy was broken beyond repair, but O'Shea kept throwing Willy out there. 

1 hour ago, tracker said:

The criticsm of O'Shea about repeatedly saddling a dead horse (Willy) was, IMO, totally justified. I obviously don't know all the facts, but it sure as heck looked like finally starting Nichols was either a deathbed repentance or Walters holding a gun to O'Shea's head. Before the Big Switch, pretty much everyone on this forum and God knows how many other fans knew that Willy was broken beyond repair, but O'Shea kept throwing Willy out there. 

I can see it both ways TBH. Willy was coming off a serious injury and MOS wanted to give him every opportunity to shake it off and get right and when it became apparent to him (maybe it was already apparent to others not as close to the situation) that Nichols was the best option the rest of the way he made the switch.

Personally, I wanted him to make the switch earlier but my guess is that once he made the change at QB he wasn't going back unless Nichols really **** the bed so he wanted to make damn sure that Willy was broken beyond repair before sitting him down. You can call it loyalty or stubbornness if you want but I do think there was some rhyme to his reasoning.

MOS can be loyal to a fault but I think that the switches he made this year are showing that as he grows into his role as head coach he has to start making decisions that benefit the entire team and not worry about his personal relationships with each player.

1. decide on the coach. (extend MOS or whatever)

2. fix holes and upgrade as needed

3. extend Walters. If he has another year on his contract there is no reason to move on this before the first two. In fact they can work on this along the way.

I thought the MOS extension would be done by now.

Not much movement elsewhere in the league yet but doesn't it seem odd that this isn't a done deal, allowing him to make decisions on his coaches? Then decisions on players?   

On 02/12/2016 at 1:04 PM, tracker said:

The criticsm of O'Shea about repeatedly saddling a dead horse (Willy) was, IMO, totally justified. I obviously don't know all the facts, but it sure as heck looked like finally starting Nichols was either a deathbed repentance or Walters holding a gun to O'Shea's head. Before the Big Switch, pretty much everyone on this forum and God knows how many other fans knew that Willy was broken beyond repair, but O'Shea kept throwing Willy out there. 

He made the switch 5 games into the season, hardly waiting until the last minute

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.

Quote

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 believe the delay in DC decision, and the reason we hired Etch,  was caused more by waiting for a decision from at least 1 other DC candidate (Stubler).

1 hour ago, 17to85 said:

He made the switch 5 games into the season, hardly waiting until the last minute

I believe the evidence suggests it was at the last minute. Had Willy coninued to start for one or  two more games, not only would the Bombers have been looking at two more losses and missing the playoffs once again, but the fans would have given up as well as the team.

6 minutes ago, tracker said:

I believe the evidence suggests it was at the last minute. Had Willy coninued to start for one or  two more games, not only would the Bombers have been looking at two more losses and missing the playoffs once again, but the fans would have given up as well as the team.

when you say evidence what you mean is conjecture. 

1 hour ago, BigBlue said:

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.

It took Walters awhile to ditch Burke as well, it wasn't announced immediately after the last game of the season, even though everyone pretty much knew it was going to happen.

7 hours ago, tracker said:

I believe the evidence suggests it was at the last minute. Had Willy coninued to start for one or  two more games, not only would the Bombers have been looking at two more losses and missing the playoffs once again, but the fans would have given up as well as the team.

we will never know how he'd have faired behind the good OL with bond hardrick and no neufeld. In skill set he could make all the passed nichols could, and also hit deep balls. But he may have been too mentally and physically damaged at that point to know. We were a deep ball holding up and the wr having to wait from winning against bc.

Even harris couldnt run behind that junk line. Sub 3 yards per carry. If we had this line all of last year I think we would have made the play offs last year. 

12 hours ago, wbbfan said:

we will never know how he'd have faired behind the good OL with bond hardrick and no neufeld. In skill set he could make all the passed nichols could, and also hit deep balls. But he may have been too mentally and physically damaged at that point to know. We were a deep ball holding up and the wr having to wait from winning against bc.

Even harris couldnt run behind that junk line. Sub 3 yards per carry. If we had this line all of last year I think we would have made the play offs last year. 

This is where you and I differ in view. When Nichols took the field, the whole team, both offence and defence were galvanized. For at least the two games prior, the body language of the players, particularly on the sidelines, was defeatist. A few players were still rah-rah but it sure as heck looked like few expected to compete, let alone win with Willy. Yes, the O-line was upgraded, but I do not believe it was the determining factor. Beyond Willy's lack of performance, I would bet that the team was losing trust in the coach(es) to make the necessary changes to alow them to compete. That would be very corrosive.

1 hour ago, tracker said:

This is where you and I differ in view. When Nichols took the field, the whole team, both offence and defence were galvanized. For at least the two games prior, the body language of the players, particularly on the sidelines, was defeatist. A few players were still rah-rah but it sure as heck looked like few expected to compete, let alone win with Willy. Yes, the O-line was upgraded, but I do not believe it was the determining factor. Beyond Willy's lack of performance, I would bet that the team was losing trust in the coach(es) to make the necessary changes to alow them to compete. That would be very corrosive.

We under went massive OL changes in that period of time. Nichols had multiple games with zero hits and zero sacks. In the first game alone we gave up double digit hits. Our passing and scoring production didnt shoot way up, our red zone production stayed turrible all year and we became even more short yardage single dimensional.

The attitude and confidence didnt come from the change at qb, it came from winning and playing well. Which came from the defence taking a big step forward, the ol going from one of the worst to one of the best, and nichols protecting the ball. But by a massive margin, the turn around was caused by OL and D.  If you changed nichols out for any other proven cfl starter we would have had similar success. Change the OL pieces out, or defenders like mo, the then emergence of loffler, etc with other starter quality guys around the league and we dont have the same success.

In that period of time we saw out of this world performances from guys like fogg, loffler, mo, denmark etc that we didnt see prior to that. The teams turn around couldnt be further from one dimensional - nichols.  

Is anyone else a little concerned that there hasn't been a announcement about Mike O'Shea's contract extension.   I thought it would have been announced soon after the Grey Cup.    Is there any possibility that he's  being considered for the soon to be vacant job in Toronto?  And would he be interested to go to a struggling organization who's future is tenuous?

4 minutes ago, B-F-F-C said:

Is anyone else a little concerned that there hasn't been a announcement about Mike O'Shea's contract extension.   I thought it would have been announced soon after the Grey Cup.    Is there any possibility that he's  being considered for the soon to be vacant job in Toronto?  And would he be interested to go to a struggling organization who's future is tenuous?

The longer we go without an announcement, the more worried I get.......

I hear you Noeller....Seems to be a bit long in coming....I'm getting a little worried about the whole situation with a few quality fa's that could follow O'Shea if he decides to pull up stakes...Gotta think positive....gotta think positive........................................