With Rookie Camp getting underway Wednesday morning, it's officially time to talk about the 2026 Winnipeg Blue Bombers!

35 minutes ago, Jesse said:

You certainly didn't provide one for your claim.

What's more reasonable, Ottawa called Winnipeg and made a deal without finding out if other teams were interested or shopping Dru around the league to get the best deal?

21 hours ago, Tracker said:

Zach Collaros is ruled out against Ottawa, after suffering a neck injury against Hamilton, and has been placed on the six-game injured list. Dru Brown will make his second straight start. Its almost like Collaros has become more brittle each season.

Yeah, it's called getting older.

2 minutes ago, TBURGESS said:

What's more reasonable, Ottawa called Winnipeg and made a deal without finding out if other teams were interested or shopping Dru around the league to get the best deal?

Dru Brown has history with the BB’s as Dinwiddie made it known DB would be regulated to 2nd string with not much confidence shown towards him. Knowing this I think it’s reasonable to think that DB’s camp may have asked Ottawa’s management to reach out to Kyle Walter to see if something could be worked out to bring him back here.

53 minutes ago, TBURGESS said:

What's more reasonable, Ottawa called Winnipeg and made a deal without finding out if other teams were interested or shopping Dru around the league to get the best deal?

Naylor says that the two clubs were working on a deal since Dru asked to be released so they may not have approached other teams.

Given the poor state of back-up QB's around the league, I find it hard to believe another team wouldn't have been all over Dru, if they had been given an opportunity to acquire him.

2 hours ago, TBURGESS said:

What's more reasonable, Ottawa called Winnipeg and made a deal without finding out if other teams were interested or shopping Dru around the league to get the best deal?

It’s equally reasonable that Walters heard Dru was being demoted and reached out to inquire about a trade possibility.

13 minutes ago, Jesse said:

It’s equally reasonable that Walters heard Dru was being demoted and reached out to inquire about a trade possibility.

is that "tampering"? I never know how these things work or what is legal etc.

I don't remember who said it in the offseason (might have been Rod Pedersen... Might have been Lalji...) but some taking head posted about how Dru would be a Bomber before the season was over. All this to say that there was definitely buzz about Dru coming back here even in the winter. I think it was probably well known that he wanted to come back here (maybe his agent said something?). If I remember the post right, it was something along the lines of "Dru Brown will be a Bomber and Zach Collaros would be in Toronto and Chad Kelly would be in Ottawa..." Before the season was over. And this was in like February or March maybe...?

From what I know Dru wanted out..which is been stated by him and team...but also he said he wants to be in Winnipeg and to try and work a deal since they were not gonna release him and get nothing

No other teams were involved or kicked tires...

2 hours ago, kelownabomberfan said:

is that "tampering"? I never know how these things work or what is legal etc.

Not tampering for a GM to call another GM about a player

14 minutes ago, Blue28 said:

Not tampering for a GM to call another GM about a player

Yep, team to team communication is fine and a normal part of sports.

Communication from a team to a player (or their agent) under contract with another team is not allowed, unless that team has granted permission.

What would be in it for Ottawa not to talk to all the teams?

13 hours ago, TBURGESS said:

What would be in it for Ottawa not to talk to all the teams?

What would be in it for Ottawa to treat their former franchise QB respectfully while the whole locker room, guys who went to war with him, watched to see how the new GM would treat him? Is that what you are asking?

17 hours ago, Booch said:

From what I know Dru wanted out..which is been stated by him and team...but also he said he wants to be in Winnipeg and to try and work a deal since they were not gonna release him and get nothing

No other teams were involved or kicked tires...

Dinwiddie had a fractured locker room after demoting the former starter. That's what "it became a distraction" really means. All eyes were on him to do right by Dru. No one else got a sniff at him because there were a whole bunch of his current players judging Dinwiddie on how he would do right by Dru in the whole situation. He wasn't shopped. He wasn't released but Dinwiddie knew that Dru not getting to go where he wanted after being mistreated would be viewed very badly by his locker room. RD got what he could in a trade but at no point did he maximize return, nor could he have. As is it this 0-6 start is likely due to some fracturing of the locker room over his decision to go with Maier.

5 minutes ago, GCn20 said:

Dinwiddie had a fractured locker room after demoting the former starter. That's what "it became a distraction" really means. All eyes were on him to do right by Dru. No one else got a sniff at him because there were a whole bunch of his current players judging Dinwiddie on how he would do right by Dru in the whole situation. He wasn't shopped. He wasn't released but Dinwiddie knew that Dru not getting to go where he wanted after being mistreated would be viewed very badly by his locker room. RD got what he could in a trade but at no point did he maximize return, nor could he have. As is it this 0-6 start is likely due to some fracturing of the locker room over his decision to go with Maier.

yeah that played into it as well....Dinwiddie musta fell on his head this spring....no clue whats going on in his head

He backed himself in a corner, and had basically 1 choice....to get any minimal thing back, if he wasnt gonna release him outright..epic error there....good on us tho

12 minutes ago, Booch said:

yeah that played into it as well....Dinwiddie musta fell on his head this spring....no clue whats going on in his head

He backed himself in a corner, and had basically 1 choice....to get any minimal thing back, if he wasnt gonna release him outright..epic error there....good on us tho

At the very least he should have given the team the impression that there was an actual QB competition for starter. Not giving him any play time in pre-season had to be viewed by the O players in Ottawa as mistreatment of Dru. No way he could sell that Maier beat him out when there was no chance for Dru to compete.

55 minutes ago, GCn20 said:

Dinwiddie had a fractured locker room after demoting the former starter. That's what "it became a distraction" really means. All eyes were on him to do right by Dru. No one else got a sniff at him because there were a whole bunch of his current players judging Dinwiddie on how he would do right by Dru in the whole situation. He wasn't shopped. He wasn't released but Dinwiddie knew that Dru not getting to go where he wanted after being mistreated would be viewed very badly by his locker room. RD got what he could in a trade but at no point did he maximize return, nor could he have. As is it this 0-6 start is likely due to some fracturing of the locker room over his decision to go with Maier.

Yeah I think doing right by Dru played a part in this, especially after Dru took a pay cut for them so they could be more aggressive in FA. Dru did his part to make the team better and was rewarded with a demotion. Sending him to a place he didn't want to go, would have been another slap in the face.

I don't think Dru outplayed Maier at all. If Ottawa's DB's could catch even 1 of the 4 or 5 chances Dru gave them, we'd have lost.

Just now, TBURGESS said:

I don't think Dru outplayed Maier at all. If Ottawa's DB's could catch even 1 of the 4 or 5 chances Dru gave them, we'd have lost.

that being said...If our recievers could have caught the 4 or 5 easy drops too we would have probably also won....evened out haha

Maier also threw a ball out to Pimpleton late in the 4th that 90% of DB's would have picked six'd but Moxey got a hard on for hammering a 155 pound guy in a prone position instead of making the play on the ball.

8 minutes ago, TBURGESS said:

I don't think Dru outplayed Maier at all. If Ottawa's DB's could catch even 1 of the 4 or 5 chances Dru gave them, we'd have lost.

If our receivers could catch the game would never have been in a position where he was forcing things for the comeback.

Ultimately Maier put together one scoring drive in the second half, only matched FG's in OT and couldn't make the play in the Convertout.

Another L.

2 hours ago, TBURGESS said:

I don't think Dru outplayed Maier at all. If Ottawa's DB's could catch even 1 of the 4 or 5 chances Dru gave them, we'd have lost.

But we didn't lose now did we. If my aunt had balls she'd be my uncle. There are a lots of times QBs get away with INTs in the course of a game and win player of the week afterwards. You are making an argument in bad faith. There were at least 2 near INTs by Ottawa because our players let balls go through their hands. That's not a QB mistake. FACT of the matter is that Dru and the offence erased a huge deficit in the third Q to get the win while Maier wilted when the game is on the line.

Furthermore, the discussion was about whether Dinwiddie made the right decision...his team is 0-6 with poor QB play in all but 2 of those games. Clearly he did not make the right decision and his decision was not based on anything but practice reps.

Edited July 20Jul 20 by GCn20

A small thing last night, was the third down gamble early in the game, that wasn't converted by Perkins...This guy is almost automatic in those situations and against one of the leagues poorest defense's, should have been....especially when they were missing their starter in the middle...Could have put a whole new complexion on the game had we converted....

2 hours ago, TBURGESS said:

I don't think Dru outplayed Maier at all. If Ottawa's DB's could catch even 1 of the 4 or 5 chances Dru gave them, we'd have lost.

I think he did. He was money when it really mattered. Some quarterbacks have it and some don t. Maier played a fine game but shrunk in the fourth. Brown was excellent down the stretch. Don’t forget Wilson had a drop that would have resulted in a touchdown or at the very down inside the five. Nield had one off his hands in the endzone. If you’re playing the what if game about interceptions you have to account for the other side.

Just now, Arnold_Palmer said:

I think he did. He was money when it really mattered. Some quarterbacks have it and some don t. Maier played a fine game but shrunk in the fourth. Brown was excellent down the stretch. Don’t forget Wilson had a drop that would have resulted in a touchdown or at the very down inside the five. Nield had one off his hands in the endzone. If you’re playing the what if game about interceptions you have to account for the other side.

There was a decent **** downfield Nield let slip through his hands too so instead of a drive continuing it was a punt from our end of the field. Receivers were the worst aspect of the team last night but they had some competition from the OL