2024/2025 Blue Bombers Off-Season Thread

[Fatty Liver]

1 hour ago, Stickem said:

Nobody looked good in the return dept. last year ...We need to stop screwing around with the returner position...Why the hell we ever parted ways with Grant still boggles my mind....Whitehead showed **** all last year and there was literally nobody behind him...Preseason better show we've turned up a decent prospect OR Case shows he belongs...Tired of watching a  guy field a punt and literally fall down...disheartening to say the least ...We can't give up field position continually and be successful.....Here's hopin we 'find' OR have found the guy

The Stamps had 3 new kick returners in the game yesterday who looked deadly dangerous, Horton, Vaughn and Choquette, all small stature speedsters who might not make it as receivers, but they could make their mark in the CFL as returners if nothing else. They can't keep them all, grab one upon release and stash him on the PR to backup Logan who is frequently enough injured.

Edited Tuesday at 06:19 PM by Fatty Liver

[17to85]

I am thinking the problems last year were more related to the rest of the unit more than the returners. 

[Stickem]

28 minutes ago, Fatty Liver said:

The Stamps had 3 new kick returners in the game yesterday who looked deadly dangerous, Horton, Vaughn and Choquette, all small stature speedsters who might not make it as receivers, but they could make their mark in the CFL as returners if nothing else. They can't keep them all, grab one upon release and stash him on the PR to replace Logan who is frequently enough injured.

Particularly liked that little Choquette kid...Ripped off a nice td run and he can also catch in traffic...Only preseason but we should keep an eye on that guy for sure.....

[HardCoreBlue]

19 hours ago, Goalie said:

Osh likes placement and consistency from the punter. He said that in one of the daily pressers. 

Hang time and placement can go together, no?

[Tracker]

4 hours ago, 3rdand1.5 said:

I'm not ready to rule out Case entirely just yet....he showed a couple small flashes, he has what many, many players never get an extended look and opportunity....not anointing him the next great returner, but after a year on and off the roster last year to develop and learn the nuances and an offseason he now has the opportunity to prove he took it all in and has the ability and mindset to show he grew and improved and can do the job....many guys never get that shot, he is one of the lucky few, maybe he takes this opportunity and shines.....

Case is not a rookie and showed little last year. As a sophomore, he ought to be well ahead of anyone else competing for the job, or he is not a keeper.

[Squeakers and Skippy]

Whens the on season thread starting? 

[Bigblue204]

1 hour ago, Squeakers and Skippy said:

Whens the on season thread starting? 

when the seasons on

[Booch]

5 hours ago, Fatty Liver said:

The Stamps had 3 new kick returners in the game yesterday who looked deadly dangerous, Horton, Vaughn and Choquette, all small stature speedsters who might not make it as receivers, but they could make their mark in the CFL as returners if nothing else. They can't keep them all, grab one upon release and stash him on the PR to backup Logan who is frequently enough injured.

And we brought back Case...Mitchell...and dropped in u of m kid who has shown nothing to compete with Logan...

 

4 hours ago, Tracker said:

Case is not a rookie and showed little last year. As a sophomore, he ought to be well ahead of anyone else competing for the job, or he is not a keeper.

Should have moved on really...maybe his history playing with Strev keeps him here

[M.O.A.B.]

Looks like DL Trey Laing was cut as per CFL.ca transaction page.

 

[Pete]

It will be very interesting to see how Edmonton does this year, They have taken the approach of get the best available individual talent, turning over their roster almost completely vs our approach of the best fit.

I agree that there are times that OShea's loyalty to vets and those that fit in with his personal point of view has limited some needed improvements to the roster. For example this year does Wilson stay on the roster at the expense of Ayers? Do we see some new blood at corner and safety vs recycling existing players?

[Brandon]

2 hours ago, Pete said:

I agree that there are times that OShea's loyalty to vets and those that fit in with his personal point of view has limited some needed improvements to the roster. For example this year does Wilson stay on the roster at the expense of Ayers? Do we see some new blood at corner and safety vs recycling existing players?

At this point Wilson is one minor injury away from me wanting to cut him loose and try someone else who isn't falling apart.    I'm less concerned about safety/corner since we have seemed to have done a good job over the last 5+ years of finding guys who can jump in and play well right away. 

[Mike]

I think some of us have forgotten there’s been a shift in the kind of talent that comes up here. Plug and play is the exception, not the rule. Some of these guys need time to develop.

I don’t love Case or Mitchell either but their presence last year isn’t a mark against them

[GCn20]

2 hours ago, Mike said:

I think some of us have forgotten there’s been a shift in the kind of talent that comes up here. Plug and play is the exception, not the rule. Some of these guys need time to develop.

I don’t love Case or Mitchell either but their presence last year isn’t a mark against them

I agree. The level of athletes that roam the CFL now make it very difficult for guys to jump in and just have immediate success. Of course, there will be a few rookies a year in the league that catch on quick., but at the skill positions it takes time. Last year we had to throw rookies into the mix at receiver due to injuries and it hurt our offence for the first few games. Wilson eventually emerged as a bonafide CFL star, but only after a few rough outings. Some teams may have guys like this, but will groom them if they have that luxury. We would have if Schoen and Lawler weren't out early last year.

[Pete Catan's Ghost]

Can anyone provide info on Pokey Wilson?

Specifically, what kind of contract he signed in the NFL, and whether he can realistically be seen as returning to the BB this season?

[JuranBoldenRules]

8 minutes ago, Pete Catan's Ghost said:

Can anyone provide info on Pokey Wilson?

Specifically, what kind of contract he signed in the NFL, and whether he can realistically be seen as returning to the BB this season?

Would be late season if he does.  NFL final cuts are week leading up to Labour Day.

[Booch]

15 minutes ago, Pete Catan's Ghost said:

Can anyone provide info on Pokey Wilson?

Specifically, what kind of contract he signed in the NFL, and whether he can realistically be seen as returning to the BB this season?

He signed a basic 1 yr deal from my understanding....no upfront money....which is essentially a camp invite. He wont make a dime of that until and if he makes the team...which based on his deal and lack of bonus....he's a longshot

If he let go...and then is floating around looking/waiting for a PR spot...again he wont be earning anything unless on a PR for a game week.

He could realistically be cut quite early, or given all camp to prove himself...then cut....I bet we see him sooner than later into our season

Edited yesterday at 03:45 PM by Booch

[Atomic]

NYJ could be the perfect spot for Pokey, outside of Garrett Wilson they don't have much at receiver. Lots of later draft picks and undrafted players competing for depth spots and maybe even a starting spot. Being only 25 years old I wouldn't be surprised if he got a PR offer at least. He will probably show well at camp and maybe make a big grab or two in the preseason. I wouldn't count on him coming back this season at all.

[Goalie]

12 minutes ago, Atomic said:

NYJ could be the perfect spot for Pokey, outside of Garrett Wilson they don't have much at receiver. Lots of later draft picks and undrafted players competing for depth spots and maybe even a starting spot. Being only 25 years old I wouldn't be surprised if he got a PR offer at least. He will probably show well at camp and maybe make a big grab or two in the preseason. I wouldn't count on him coming back this season at all.

Agreed. Dude was a pretty good college player also. I think he might make the Jets. 

[greenrider55]

37 minutes ago, Atomic said:

NYJ could be the perfect spot for Pokey, outside of Garrett Wilson they don't have much at receiver. Lots of later draft picks and undrafted players competing for depth spots and maybe even a starting spot. Being only 25 years old I wouldn't be surprised if he got a PR offer at least. He will probably show well at camp and maybe make a big grab or two in the preseason. I wouldn't count on him coming back this season at all.

Lord knows the Jets are in no position to cut people too. 

[GCn20]

2 hours ago, Pete Catan's Ghost said:

Can anyone provide info on Pokey Wilson?

Specifically, what kind of contract he signed in the NFL, and whether he can realistically be seen as returning to the BB this season?

I would think there is a high probability he returns late in the season.

1 hour ago, Atomic said:

NYJ could be the perfect spot for Pokey, outside of Garrett Wilson they don't have much at receiver. Lots of later draft picks and undrafted players competing for depth spots and maybe even a starting spot. Being only 25 years old I wouldn't be surprised if he got a PR offer at least. He will probably show well at camp and maybe make a big grab or two in the preseason. I wouldn't count on him coming back this season at all.

His size works against him in the NFL imo. He doesn't flash any kind of outstanding testing numbers and is small. He will get a look based on his resume here, but in the NFL guys his size and speed rarely get any kind of a real look. There is a very real chance he doesn't even make it to camp. If he does, he will need luck on his side to make it past first cuts. Sorry...but 6 foot 175 lbs is very small for the NFL.

Edited yesterday at 05:45 PM by GCn20

[Atomic]

2 hours ago, GCn20 said:

I would think there is a high probability he returns late in the season.

His size works against him in the NFL imo. He doesn't flash any kind of outstanding testing numbers and is small. He will get a look based on his resume here, but in the NFL guys his size and speed rarely get any kind of a real look. There is a very real chance he doesn't even make it to camp. If he does, he will need luck on his side to make it past first cuts. Sorry...but 6 foot 175 lbs is very small for the NFL.

Sure but here is who he is competing with:

Jamaal Pritchett 5'8

Xavier Gipson 5'9

Dymere Miller 5'11

Malachi Corley 5'11

Arian Smith 6'0

Pokey Wilson 6'0

Brandon Smith 6'1

Tyler Johnson 6'1

Irvin Charles 6'4

Quentin Skinner 6'5

[HardCoreBlue]

On 2025-05-20 at 11:21 AM, 17to85 said:

I am thinking the problems last year were more related to the rest of the unit more than the returners. 

I'm thinking the problems were equally distributed among all involved in our kick returning game. 

[GCn20]

19 hours ago, Atomic said:

Sure but here is who he is competing with:

Jamaal Pritchett 5'8

Xavier Gipson 5'9

Dymere Miller 5'11

Malachi Corley 5'11

Arian Smith 6'0

Pokey Wilson 6'0

Brandon Smith 6'1

Tyler Johnson 6'1

Irvin Charles 6'4

Quentin Skinner 6'5

Ok....what about weight of all these guys, YAC ability, speed testing, ability to contribute on teams etc. He is of below average height, far below average weight, and has mediocre testing numbers and not much for YAC or ST ability. If it was solely a height thing I guess he's average in his competition....but there are also many other factors working against him.

[Booch]

38 minutes ago, GCn20 said:

Ok....what about weight of all these guys, YAC ability, speed testing, ability to contribute on teams etc. He is of below average height, far below average weight, and has mediocre testing numbers and not much for YAC or ST ability. If it was solely a height thing I guess he's average in his competition....but there are also many other factors working against him.

forgot the most important part....NFL politics 

Who was drafted...who has money invested already....who has hype....and who is a CFL refugee.....Poor Pokey is missing all those 3 key ones....AND has the CFL refugee status...we will see him in the fall....if not sooner....he may not even get to main camp..sadly for him...Bonus for us...Gimme a Pokey/Schoen/Demski/Big Kev quartet...and I would gues Dillon Mitchel and one of White/Stern as a backup...we can roll with that

[GCn20]

Just now, Booch said:

forgot the most important part....NFL politics 

Who was drafted...who has money invested already....who has hype....and who is a CFL refugee.....Poor Pokey is missing all those 3 key ones....AND has the CFL refugee status...we will see him in the fall....if not sooner....he may not even get to main camp..sadly for him...Bonus for us...Gimme a Pokey/Schoen/Demski/Big Kev quartet...and I would gues Dillon Mitchel and one of White/Stern as a backup...we can roll with that

That's an impressive receiving corps for sure.