Blue Bombers -- 2025/26 Offseason -- Discussion Thread

[Bubba Zanetti]

8 minutes ago, Stickem said:

IF Elgersma decides to sign, that would make the future quarterbacking picture a lot brighter here...Sounds like he showed pretty good in Green Bay, but was caught up in the ol political games they play with their pivots, and was released ....sounds too familiar.... Anyway we don't know how he would work out in the CFL...Sounds like Walters is keen on the kid.... Maybe we'll get to see for ourselves come training camp  ........

Yeah, we really need to get Elgersma up here. He is our future at QB IMO. Another Rourke in the making.

[Piggy 1]

59 minutes ago, Bubba Zanetti said:

Yeah, we really need to get Elgersma up here. He is our future at QB IMO. Another Rourke in the making.

Yeah but..........IF he comes up ,wil Osh give him a shot???

[Tracker]

48 minutes ago, Piggy 1 said:

Yeah but..........IF he comes up ,wil Osh give him a shot???

Given O'Shea's track record and my cynicism about him, I expect that if Elgersma does make it up here and does not kiss the ring, O'Shea will give him minimum training camp reps, trot him out in for a brief stint in pre-season games, pronounce him as "not ready" and maroon him on the bench.

 

[Piggy 1]

1 minute ago, Tracker said:

Given O'Shea's track record and my cynicism about him, I expect that if Elgersma does make it up here and does not kiss the ring, O'Shea will give him minimum training camp reps, trot him out in for a brief stint in pre-season games, pronounce him as "not ready" and maroon him on the bench.

 

Not to mention the Mafias belief that ZC is the best QB in the league........

[Bubba Zanetti]

Collaros cant play forever, and even O’Shea with his Collaros loving tinted glasses can see he is in decline. The end is near and we have NOBODY in the pipeline other than Elgersma. He wil be given EVERY opportunity to succeed and then some. He is a blue chip prospect.

Edited 19 hours ago by Bubba Zanetti

[SpeedFlex27]

18 hours ago, Noeller said:

Yeah his answers were more than fine. There were some offside questions in so much as things were asked and answered, or asked and he made it clear he wasn't going to say any more about it, and they kept hounding to the point where DC had to step in and tell them to stop. There's a sense of entitlement, to try and pry information that he clearly wants to keep private. People need to respect that.

C;mon, the media is kind to Miller, Osh & Walters. You make it sound like the media was being mean to Osh. The press corps constantly throw softball questions at them with very few hard & pointed ones to answer.

In the 60's, 70's & 80's the media was much harder on Lunsford, Bud Riley, Robson, Jauch & Murphy.

Lunsford would get angry. His Oklahoma temper intimidated some of the media & they'd back off.

Bud Riley was a very introverted & quiet man who never trusted the local media so his relationship with the Bomber press corps was tenuos at best.

Jauch would just give a reporter who asked him a question he didn't like the Evil Eye & the look of death.

Murphy would just laugh at the questions he didn't like or scowl at them. Sometimes both at the same time.

A head coach like O'shea with 12 years experience should have no problem handling any media question. Especially from the people covering the team now. 

2 hours ago, Bubba Zanetti said:

Yeah, we really need to get Elgersma up here. He is our future at QB IMO. Another Rourke in the making.

kinda hamstrung with that dumb rookie salary cap. 

Edited 19 hours ago by SpeedFlex27

[SpeedFlex27]

20 minutes ago, Tracker said:

Given O'Shea's track record and my cynicism about him, I expect that if Elgersma does make it up here and does not kiss the ring, O'Shea will give him minimum training camp reps, trot him out in for a brief stint in pre-season games, pronounce him as "not ready" and maroon him on the bench.

 

That actually could be why he hasn't signed. 

[Piggy 1]

10 minutes ago, Bubba Zanetti said:

Collaros cant play forever, and even O’Shea with his Collaros loving tinted glasses can see he is in decline. The end is near and we have NOBODY in the pipeline other than Elgersma. He wil be given EVERY opportunity to succeed and then some. He is a blue chip prospect.

One can dare to dream............

[CodyT]

I thought Walters was pretty firm in his desire for change in the presser. A lot of acknowledgement and dissapointment.

I suspect change is coming. Basically said hey this is a turning point and it's time for us to wake up

[Booch]

40 minutes ago, Piggy 1 said:

Not to mention the Mafias belief that ZC is the best QB in the league........

 

3 minutes ago, CodyT said:

I thought Walters was pretty firm in his desire for change in the presser. A lot of acknowledgement and dissapointment.

I suspect change is coming. Basically said hey this is a turning point and it's time for us to wake up

not really the viibe i got...saying ZC earned his 600k salary...when asked about his last 2 sessons and 17 td/15 and 16 pick seasons.....said he showed glimpses...like wtf

Also...we not gonna change the way we do things....thats super psoitive considering the way they been doing it has us nose diving 4 straight yrs....

Lots of deflection...excuses...non-answers really in my opinion...and we all know how Osh goes about stuff...and the "not changing the way we do things" comment...more the same

Interesting part was his comment about almost heated argumwnts/yelling discussions about player type stuff....kinda confirms Osh pouts and put up a fuss when he didnt like Walters take on certain things....thats gotta change in a biiiiiiig way...He dont like it...Osh can eff off

FIFO right?...

[Captain Blue]

1 hour ago, Tracker said:

Given O'Shea's track record and my cynicism about him, I expect that if Elgersma does make it up here and does not kiss the ring, O'Shea will give him minimum training camp reps, trot him out in for a brief stint in pre-season games, pronounce him as "not ready" and maroon him on the bench.

 

I really don't see this. One of Osh's biggest strengths is seeing what the best version of a player could be. When I first saw Kramdi I wondered what he was doing on the field, but Osh saw what he could be and then he ended up fulfilling that potential. 

[wbbfan]

2 hours ago, Piggy 1 said:

Yeah but..........IF he comes up ,wil Osh give him a shot???

no one will get a shot at qb as long as zach has a pulse and a contract 

[rebusrankin]

11 minutes ago, wbbfan said:

no one will get a shot at qb as long as zach has a pulse and a contract 

Its just a flesh wound

[SpeedFlex27]

45 minutes ago, Captain Blue said:

I really don't see this. One of Osh's biggest strengths is seeing what the best version of a player could be. When I first saw Kramdi I wondered what he was doing on the field, but Osh saw what he could be and then he ended up fulfilling that potential. 

What then... does Osh see in Kola & Thomas??? 

1 hour ago, Booch said:

 

not really the viibe i got...saying ZC earned his 600k salary...when asked about his last 2 sessons and 17 td/15 and 16 pick seasons.....said he showed glimpses...like wtf

Also...we not gonna change the way we do things....thats super psoitive considering the way they been doing it has us nose diving 4 straight yrs....

Lots of deflection...excuses...non-answers really in my opinion...and we all know how Osh goes about stuff...and the "not changing the way we do things" comment...more the same

Interesting part was his comment about almost heated argumwnts/yelling discussions about player type stuff....kinda confirms Osh pouts and put up a fuss when he didnt like Walters take on certain things....thats gotta change in a biiiiiiig way...He dont like it...Osh can eff off

FIFO right?...

I think anyone who thinks Walters & Osh have suddenly found God will be very disappointed. Expect the same old, same old. 

[CodyT]

1 hour ago, Booch said:

 

not really the viibe i got...saying ZC earned his 600k salary...when asked about his last 2 sessons and 17 td/15 and 16 pick seasons.....said he showed glimpses...like wtf

Also...we not gonna change the way we do things....thats super psoitive considering the way they been doing it has us nose diving 4 straight yrs....

Lots of deflection...excuses...non-answers really in my opinion...and we all know how Osh goes about stuff...and the "not changing the way we do things" comment...more the same

Interesting part was his comment about almost heated argumwnts/yelling discussions about player type stuff....kinda confirms Osh pouts and put up a fuss when he didnt like Walters take on certain things....thats gotta change in a biiiiiiig way...He dont like it...Osh can eff off

FIFO right?...

Well, Zach's under contract for another year. What's he supposed to do? Cut him? That'll end well for us. The reality is he's going to be our guy for atleast another season, because there's nobody waiting in the wings. Hands are tied. Yes that's the fault of Walters 

 

As far as him not changing the way we do things. I could be mistaken but isn't that taken out of context? I thought he was referring to the way he communicates with players in the off season (response to Lawler and bighill)

I got the overall impression changes were coming. Perhaps I've misconstrued it, or perhaps you did.

Only time will tell

[SpeedFlex27]

57 minutes ago, wbbfan said:

no one will get a shot at qb as long as zach has a pulse and a contract 

I think Zach needs better protection, a strong running game & a complete revamp of the receiving corps as well as a new OC that he believes in. Give him that & he could still be very effective. I don't think his skills have eroded that far.

He has to play differently as he isn't as nimble as before which means he has to get rid of the ball fast in the pocket. He's still able to move the pocket around if he has to. Some of his deep shots don't get there anymore.

I still would take him over the oft injured & super chilled Dru Brown in Ottawa who doesn't seem to give a **** about anything. What a wet noodle to play for as he inspires no one. When I watch Cody Fajardo in Edmonton, he doesn't instill a lot of confidence that he can get the job done when the chips are down.  He got lucky on one series in the Grey Cup in 2023. As well as Nick Arbuckle who still displays a Jekyll & Hyde mentality. You just don't know from game to game what yer gonna git from him. So, Zach is middle of the pack with Hogan & the dysfunctional offense he had last season around him. 

[wbbfan]

1 hour ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

I think Zach needs better protection, a strong running game & a complete revamp of the receiving corps as well as a new OC that he believes in. Give him that & he could still be very effective. I don't think his skills have eroded that far.

He has to play differently as he isn't as nimble as before which means he has to get rid of the ball fast in the pocket. He's still able to move the pocket around if he has to. Some of his deep shots don't get there anymore.

I still would take him over the oft injured & super chilled Dru Brown in Ottawa who doesn't seem to give a **** about anything. What a wet noodle to play for as he inspires no one. When I watch Cody Fajardo in Edmonton, he doesn't instill a lot of confidence that he can get the job done when the chips are down.  He got lucky on one series in the Grey Cup in 2023. As well as Nick Arbuckle who still displays a Jekyll & Hyde mentality. You just don't know from game to game what yer gonna git from him. So, Zach is middle of the pack with Hogan & the dysfunctional offense he had last season around him. 

That would certain help us next season, however we’ve seen like 3 good play off games from zach in all his time here. Even with phenomenal protection at times. 

At this point we’d need a blm type resurgence from zach. His play of the past two regular seasons has basically dipped to his average play off performance level as a bomber. 

[HardCoreBlue]

24 minutes ago, wbbfan said:

That would certain help us next season, however we’ve seen like 3 good play off games from zach in all his time here. Even with phenomenal protection at times. 

At this point we’d need a blm type resurgence from zach. His play of the past two regular seasons has basically dipped to his average play off performance level as a bomber. 

I like the BLM reference. So what we are ordering here is a better support cast to surround our qb and once delivered, okay ZC, time to resurge.

[rebusrankin]

Will Zach realize his limits and adjust his style of play?

[SpeedFlex27]

1 hour ago, wbbfan said:

That would certain help us next season, however we’ve seen like 3 good play off games from zach in all his time here. Even with phenomenal protection at times. 

At this point we’d need a blm type resurgence from zach. His play of the past two regular seasons has basically dipped to his average play off performance level as a bomber. 

This season the offense was on the entire organization. Walters signed that high priced receiver from Edmonton & Osh barely played him. Damn, at one point we had Chris Streveler playing wideout on a bum knee. We signed Dalton Schoen & he never should have seen the fie;d this season. He was cooked by O'Shea playing him on a torn ACL. Zach was then handec an OC who was the worst in the CFL & now it looks like he'll be back again. We have the worst starting CEnter in the CFL  & the OL suffers because of it. I can't blame Collaros. I thin k it's more 65/35 Bombers seem to have become a somewhat dysfunctional organization. If you heard the comments from both Osh & Walters. More of the same coming in 2026. 

Edited 14 hours ago by SpeedFlex27

[TommyClements]

I watched the presser. My takeaways were different from some of what I read on the board. Walters all but admitted it’s time for a rebuild and set the bar high for this year by saying it can be done quickly. No pay cut for Zach, but that’s partly due to how bad the supports were around him, he said. That suggests there will be hard conversations about the OC, receivers and Oline.

He even admitted the Bombers squeaked out some wins despite playing bad football. Only quality wins were over B.C. and Hamilton. That suggests he has his eyes open.

The entire organization under achieved this year, except for maybe  Vaval and Carol in the ticket office.. It sounds like this season stung the people in charge and course correction is ahead. We will see.

[SpeedFlex27]

23 minutes ago, TommyClements said:

I watched the presser. My takeaways were different from some of what I read on the board. Walters all but admitted it’s time for a rebuild and set the bar high for this year by saying it can be done quickly. No pay cut for Zach, but that’s partly due to how bad the supports were around him, he said. That suggests there will be hard conversations about the OC, receivers and Oline.

He even admitted the Bombers squeaked out some wins despite playing bad football. Only quality wins were over B.C. and Hamilton. That suggests he has his eyes open.

The entire organization under achieved this year, except for maybe  Vaval and Carol in the ticket office.. It sounds like this season stung the people in charge and course correction is ahead. We will see.

Osh doesn't want a rebuild. He said that publicly. He wants to bring most players back & "tweak" the roster with minor changes. So, that means same old, same old. 

Edited 6 hours ago by SpeedFlex27

[Brandon]

12 hours ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

I think Zach needs better protection, a strong running game & a complete revamp of the receiving corps as well as a new OC that he believes in. Give him that & he could still be very effective. I don't think his skills have eroded that far.

Lol so if we load up every position only then will Zach be serviceable? 

Nearly any qb would thrive with an all star cast surrounding them.

[rebusrankin]

The issues with Zach are:

A) He's declining 

B -He and Management don't want to admit it

C) He's still our best option

[SpeedFlex27]

15 minutes ago, Brandon said:

Lol so if we load up every position only then will Zach be serviceable? 

Nearly any qb would thrive with an all star cast surrounding them.

Well, the best teams have the best players usually. That's not unusual. 

8 minutes ago, rebusrankin said:

The issues with Zach are:

A) He's declining 

B -He and Management don't want to admit it

C) He's still our best option

Collaros needs help. His comments after thge season just confiormed it. He had Brady but numbnuts Hogan never used him properly. Now, Osh will waste two months deciding if a change is needed at OC & in the end will probably just bring him back anyway. 

2 minutes ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

Well, the best teams have the best players usually. That's not unusual. 

Collaros needs help. His comments after the season just confirmed it. He had Brady but numbnuts Hogan never used him properly. Now, Osh will waste two months deciding if a change is needed at OC & in the end will probably just bring him back anyway.