Hello Everyone,

longtime reader here. just decided to sign up.

you've all provided great analysis and wondering if like me, you think we should have paid to keep dru after deveoping him and seeing his on field skills?

On 2024-03-08 at 11:42 AM, Bigblue204 said:

100% agree. He went from run away MOP to should have been MOP but someone was close enough that fatigue voting was relevant.

Yea..I think we all got a little too spoiled by Zacs brilliance since 2019 last year. He was really good last year.

On 2024-03-08 at 11:48 AM, 17to85 said:

This is the correct statement. 

 

I know kids,  I'm scared too. Noeller hit the nail on the head...

Not scared at all. He will be a top 2 QB this year again even if he regresses a tiny bit.

On 2024-03-08 at 12:22 PM, 17to85 said:

Is that realistic? Every qb gets hit.

I don't think saying keep him clean should be taken literal.

On 2024-03-08 at 5:55 PM, Booch said:

ZC didnt take a step back...the extra hits...and appearance of being slower to process...was his stubborn nature toget it all in one shot....he went away from the more surgical carving up of teams and reaping the rewards of the bigshots being there from teams trying to adjust...he gets back to that he will be just fine...his seeming to have happy feet, and being spooked in the pocket was a result of that bad tendancy he got in...and is easily fixed.  He then a lot of times foced things he shouldn't have, and you know damn well both he and coaches know this...easily fixed...and sure has been already.

Brown...still not sold on him, and we are just fine with ZC and Strev...probably even better. Strev when his time comes...will turn out to be the better starter than Brown when all said and done...Wish him well, but he in  pretty precarious spot in OTT and can see a world of ugly coming from there...and not all his fault but don't think he has the chops to over come it...and can see him getting smacked arouind a lot there...frustrated....and forcing things and looking very much like a first time starter

I also am on the side of due to his build/body type he takes a beating and it will affect his play...and likely injury woes.....guess we shall see

I agree. Plays that would have seen the ball sailed into the 4th row in previous years, instead became ZC taking some extra risk either in trying to extend or throwing the 50/50. Some of that is on Zac, some is on Buck too for green lighting it. However, that green light was given because of the quality of our receivers imo. If we dial back the risk/reward by 10% this year Zac will look very, very good again.

8 hours ago, 17to85 said:

This is certainly wrong... Brown wanted an opportunity to start, he was leaving.  You don't think if he was willing to stay behind collaros the Bombers would have said "nah"? Careers are short, brown wanted to be the man he left for that chance and the Bombers had a backup plan. 

Once the Bombers knew they could sign Streveler, The Bombers would never have even tried to re-sign Brown. They traded him two weeks before the FA deadline. To me, That means they knew they had both little chance of signing Brown & not really caring as they had other plans. Streveler was the biggest free agent pick up of the off season for the Bombers. Bigger than had they somehow re-signed Brown. Not counting Oliveira & Schoen.

Anyway, that's my take on it. I'm sounding a bit too negative on Brown. I'd like to see him succeed. I knew he was gone anyway after last season & I was hoping beyond hope he signed with any other team other than Ottawa. I don't think much of Bob Dyce or Sean Burke fan as he isn't a very good head coach & that organization Burke runs is one big tire fire.

Edited March 11, 20241 yr by SpeedFlex27

8 hours ago, Fatty Liver said:

I'm not sure what you're trying to infer but it wasn't the Bombers decision to drop Brown, he  clearly chose to leave the team for better opportunity and money elsewhere and advised the team of his intentions at the end of last season.  If Strev. hadn't agreed to play for almost QB minimum they wouldn't have been able to sign either of them.  Strev. is likely to do the same as Brown at the end of this season, if presented a decent opportunity he will leave to pursue it.  I don't think he'll stick around long enough to become the Bombers future QB.

I disagree. This is where he wants to be. I think Strev wants to play in the 2025 Grey Cup in Winnipeg so he'll stay.

Zach Collaros’s decline was predictable and is sure to continue, but I still think he’s a good QB, and certainly a more proven commodity than Brown. He has sucked in the big games the last couple of years though, which is very frustrating.

Edited March 11, 20241 yr by Yourface

12 hours ago, Yourface said:

Zach Collaros’s decline was predictable and is sure to continue, but I still think he’s a good QB, and certainly a more proven commodity than Brown. He has sucked in the big games the last couple of years though, which is very frustrating.

No player can win the MOP every year, so I agree with your post that it was inevitable he would eventually lose one. However, ZC is still the best QB in the league....not by as large of a margin anymore...but the numbers and results don't lie.

The best thing for collaros this year will be having streveler taking snaps and the coaches not being afraid to throw him in as a change up.

6 minutes ago, 17to85 said:

The best thing for collaros this year will be having streveler taking snaps and the coaches not being afraid to throw him in as a change up.

Absolutely. The big thing is that DCs will be scrambling to game plan for both guys and that's hard to do because what they bring to the table is very different. It will be very difficult ask for any DC to formulate, and then implement a shut down defensive game plan for Collaros and Strev in the course of a few days. This will allow us to exploit defences a little more. I expect Zac, a very cerebral QB, to be able to operate at a very high efficiency level against the league this year.

14 hours ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

Once the Bombers knew they could sign Streveler, The Bombers would never have even tried to re-sign Brown. They traded him two weeks before the FA deadline. To me, That means they knew they had both little chance of signing Brown & not really caring as they had other plans. Streveler was the biggest free agent pick up of the off season for the Bombers. Bigger than had they somehow re-signed Brown. Not counting Oliveira & Schoen.

Anyway, that's my take on it. I'm sounding a bit too negative on Brown. I'd like to see him succeed. I knew he was gone anyway after last season & I was hoping beyond hope he signed with any other team other than Ottawa. I don't think much of Bob Dyce or Sean Burke fan as he isn't a very good head coach & that organization Burke runs is one big tire fire.

Walters said they knew that was the case before the season even started.  Brown was clear with them after 2022 that he felt he had grown as much as he could here and needed to be on the field more. He knew he was not going to get that chance here so he was leaving.  It was not a matter of money or the club not wanting him, they just couldn't give him the one thing he wanted the most - playing time.

The only way things may have played out differently is if Zach had gotten hurt last season.  A serious injury could have forced the team to move on from Zach before they were ready but it didn't play out like that so here we are.  Getting Strevy back just means things worked out for the best for everyone.  Dru gets his playing time & we get to roll with Zach/Strevy while we develop a rookie as our 3rd string QB.

14 hours ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

Once the Bombers knew they could sign Streveler, The Bombers would never have even tried to re-sign Brown. They traded him two weeks before the FA deadline. To me, That means they knew they had both little chance of signing Brown & not really caring as they had other plans. Streveler was the biggest free agent pick up of the off season for the Bombers. Bigger than had they somehow re-signed Brown. Not counting Oliveira & Schoen.

Anyway, that's my take on it. I'm sounding a bit too negative on Brown. I'd like to see him succeed. I knew he was gone anyway after last season & I was hoping beyond hope he signed with any other team other than Ottawa. I don't think much of Bob Dyce or Sean Burke fan as he isn't a very good head coach & that organization Burke runs is one big tire fire.

This is true. Because Brown made it known to not only the club but also the public that he wasn't looking for only more money, but a chance to compete for the #1 spot.  It's well documented at this point. The Bombers moved on because they couldn't afford his salary expectations or his playing time ambitions.

Looking back at great qb. tandems in the CFL...I would have to rate the Russ Jackson and Ronnie Lancaster as one of the best twosome's....They were a force back then... Eventually though Ottawa traded Lancaster to Sask. and it worked out well for them... Russ continued to play 'lights out' for the Rough Riders ...I think our duo of Streve and Zack are very comparable and they'll be a helluva problem for opposition defences ...Scheming for us will be a huge problem for the rest of the league...Looking forward to it.......heh heh

Edited March 11, 20241 yr by Stickem

54 minutes ago, Stickem said:

Looking back at great qb. tandems in the CFL...I would have to rate the Russ Jackson and Ronnie Lancaster as one of the best twosome's....They were a force back then... Eventually though Ottawa traded Lancaster to Sask. and it worked out well for them... Russ continued to play 'lights out' for the Rough Riders ...I think our duo of Streve and Zack are very comparable and they'll be a helluva problem for opposition defences ...Scheming for us will be a huge problem for the rest of the league...Looking forward to it.......heh heh

Still remember in 1981 when the Riders had Huffer and Joe Barnes as a two-headed monster at QB, the advent of "Barnagel" as it was called was especially dangerous with Joey Walters at SB.  

3 hours ago, 17to85 said:

The best thing for collaros this year will be having streveler taking snaps and the coaches not being afraid to throw him in as a change up.

Hopefully this happens and Buck establishes a pattern of making use of a Strev. package often very early in the season, and everyone is good with it.  Not always an easy decision pulling Zach off the field when things are going well, it can kill both momentum and drives and it can be looked upon as a questionable decision made in critical moments of tight games.

They shied away from inserting creative packages much last season as Prukop and Brown were rarely given opportunities other than real short yardage or well defined garbage time.  Pretty sure Prukop was given less greenlights to throw the ball and less bootleg options last season compared to the one prior, maybe due to the criticism he received for the costly mishaps made in the Argo GC loss.

Edited March 11, 20241 yr by Fatty Liver

10 minutes ago, Fatty Liver said:

Hopefully this happens and Buck establishes a pattern of making use of a Strev. package often very early in the season, and everyone is good with it.  Not always an easy decision pulling Zach off the field when things are going well, it can kill both momentum and drives and it can be looked upon as a questionable decision made in critical moments of tight games.

They shied away from inserting creative packages much last season as Prukop and Brown were rarely given opportunities other than real short yardage or well defined garbage time.  Pretty sure Prukop was given less greenlights to throw the ball and less bootleg options last season compared to the one prior, maybe due to the criticism he received for the costly mishaps made in the Argo GC loss.

Worked like a charm I'm the 2019 playoffs so I expect that to continue 

2 minutes ago, 17to85 said:

Worked like a charm I'm the 2019 playoffs so I expect that to continue 

would like to see a bomb to Brady in the end zone in this year's GC by Strevy like we saw him connect with Harris in 2019.  Always like to see Brady used more for screens and receptions, though as we saw in the Ottawa game, he's got to remember to hang on to the ball.

Just now, 17to85 said:

Worked like a charm I'm the 2019 playoffs so I expect that to continue 

I'd be surprised if it looked like that, Strev. played more like a RB than a QB in 2019 and barely made it through the season.  If he wants to establish himself as a future starting QB in the league, he'll have to show his game has grown.

Just now, Fatty Liver said:

I'd be surprised if it looked like that, Strev. played more like a RB than a QB in 2019 and barely made it through the season.  If he wants to establish himself as a future starting QB in the league, he'll have to show his game has grown.

I'm thinking more.along the lines of both guys getting reps. I mean we did see as mentioned above the sweet td bomb to Harris in 2019 grey cup.

 

Prukop ****** up his chances to throw, they won't have that issue with streveler.

41 minutes ago, kelownabomberfan said:

Still remember in 1981 when the Riders had Huffer and Joe Barnes as a two-headed monster at QB, the advent of "Barnagel" as it was called was especially dangerous with Joey Walters at SB.  

Two headed monster or dangerous is a pretty generous description but I guess it was one of the few years in the 70's and 80's that the Riders finished above .500 so while not all that great compared to the rest of the CFL, it certainly was pretty good QBing by Rider standards.

4 minutes ago, GCn20 said:

Two headed monster or dangerous is a pretty generous description but I guess it was one of the few years in the 70's and 80's that the Riders finished above .500 so while not all that great compared to the rest of the CFL, it certainly was pretty good QBing by Rider standards.

ok then how about Wilkinson and Moon in Edmonton? LOL  Moonkinson - I just made that up.

1 hour ago, Fatty Liver said:

I'd be surprised if it looked like that, Strev. played more like a RB than a QB in 2019 and barely made it through the season.  If he wants to establish himself as a future starting QB in the league, he'll have to show his game has grown.

Strevelers injury, a broken ankle, isn’t a wear and tear thing. It was a freak accident made worse by riders targeting it. 
 Both streveler and buck need to evolve to the modern qb run packages. The cfl on the whole is lacking in this area. But I see no reason why he can’t put up a ton of rush yards while staying healthy and productive. Doesn’t hurt being bigger and stronger than half the guys on the field for defense. 

2 hours ago, wbbfan said:

Strevelers injury, a broken ankle, isn’t a wear and tear thing. It was a freak accident made worse by riders targeting it. 
 Both streveler and buck need to evolve to the modern qb run packages. The cfl on the whole is lacking in this area. But I see no reason why he can’t put up a ton of rush yards while staying healthy and productive. Doesn’t hurt being bigger and stronger than half the guys on the field for defense. 

 

43 minutes ago, kelownabomberfan said:

 

This isn’t the nfl. Few guys will be as big as him making the tackle, we don’t have any safety’s up here hitting like they do down there. The larger field especially with the hash change makes the running lanes way bigger. 

4 hours ago, GCn20 said:

Two headed monster or dangerous is a pretty generous description but I guess it was one of the few years in the 70's and 80's that the Riders finished above .500 so while not all that great compared to the rest of the CFL, it certainly was pretty good QBing by Rider standards.

The two headed monster played much better than that lame description.. Both qbs threw for a combined 4,603 yards & 33 touchdowns. But it's the Riders so naturally let's dismiss their play as subpar. The CFL was all abuzz about the way Joe Barnes & John Hufnagel played in 1981. Those guys carried a so so team on their backs all season. They finished 9-7 out of the playoffs as there was no crossover at that time.

3 hours ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

The two headed monster played much better than that lame description.. Both qbs threw for a combined 4,603 yards & 33 touchdowns. But it's the Riders so naturally let's dismiss their play as subpar. The CFL was all abuzz about the way Joe Barnes & John Hufnagel played in 1981. Those guys carried a so so team on their backs all season. They finished 9-7 out of the playoffs as there was no crossover at that time.

Yes I remember every Roughrider game that I watched that year (and not all games were televised back then) the announcers were talking about "Barnagel".  They were an effective one-two punch.  The Bombers utilized Hufnagel in that capacity to some extent as well bringing in Huffer when Clements was struggling.  The biggest example of that was the 1984 Grey Cup.  I was always a fan of "mixing things up".

Edited March 12, 20241 yr by kelownabomberfan

13 hours ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

The two headed monster played much better than that lame description.. Both qbs threw for a combined 4,603 yards & 33 touchdowns. But it's the Riders so naturally let's dismiss their play as subpar. The CFL was all abuzz about the way Joe Barnes & John Hufnagel played in 1981. Those guys carried a so so team on their backs all season. They finished 9-7 out of the playoffs as there was no crossover at that time.

They didn't make the playoffs. End of story. I didn't say their play was subpar....I said it was not a two headed monster worthy of mention as one of the great QB tandems. Has nothing to do with the RIders. Go get a Snickers if you're feeling pissy.

12 hours ago, kelownabomberfan said:

Yes I remember every Roughrider game that I watched that year (and not all games were televised back then) the announcers were talking about "Barnagel".  They were an effective one-two punch.  The Bombers utilized Hufnagel in that capacity to some extent as well bringing in Huffer when Clements was struggling.  The biggest example of that was the 1984 Grey Cup.  I was always a fan of "mixing things up".

I think that Clements and Huffer tandem was a far better tandem than Barnagel. Just my opinion.