I actually agree with Lawless if a trade can be done. Here's the full article:

Glenn January is Winnipeg's best offensive lineman, but could trading him make the Bombers a better team in the long run? Photo Store

Kyle Walters can't be handcuffed by the past or the current appetite for victory here in Winnipeg. Walters needs to be free to chase more than a .500 record and some good feelings this summer.

All things being equal, the Blue Bombers should get spanked tonight in B.C. by the Lions, but for Walters a second loss on the season should only affirm the fact his roster is thin, light on Canadian talent and still in the very early stages of a rebuild.

A rebuild in the CFL doesn't have to take five years but it does require some basics and putting a stopwatch on the process doesn't speed it up. Walters got a quarterback this offseason and the early returns suggest Drew Willy is a pivot the Bombers can build around.

Now it's time for Walters to be clear-eyed and realistic and keep his eye on the true objective and not be swayed by the ups and downs of a season that will almost certainly end short of the ultimate goal.

Do what is needed to get to the real destination, no matter the pit stops in between.

Walters isn't interested in being the next Blue Bombers executive that won a few playoff games but never a Grey Cup and if he has to deal with short-term pain to reach his goal he should do what he thinks best. Walters needs to operate in a vacuum and external considerations be damned.

Wade Miller wants and needs to win games now. Mike O'Shea wants and needs to win games all the time. Walters has a bigger prize in mind and to do this he might have to ignore the wants and needs of his two most important colleagues.

The Blue Bombers roared out to a 3-0 record and the fan base became swollen with pride. So did lots of the folks around Bomberland. But Walters wasn't fooled and when his club got spanked last week by the Edmonton Eskimos. It only underscored what he already knew: The Bombers are better than last year's team but have a long way to go before they can be called contenders.

Tonight's result against the B.C. Lions, whether it's an unlikely win or the expected loss, won't change this. The same goes for limping into the playoffs this season. Such a result would only cover up blemishes that eventually must be solved for the Bombers to be a legitimate power again.

Don't be fooled by the club's 3-1 record. It's a mirage. The Bombers have major flaws that the score of their first three games masked.

Remember the 7-1 start in 2011 that resulted in a Grey Cup appearance and predictable loss? That team wasn't as good as its record suggested and eventually it crashed.

Walters must be honest with himself and continue to evaluate and turn over this roster. It's not that strong and he knows it.

If one believes Walters has been unable to undo all the damage previously inflicted on his organizational roster they are wrong. Walters has been on the job less than one year and he's done a lot. But the job has really only begun.

The Bombers are thin on Canadian talent and have a major issue along the offensive line that can't be fixed overnight.

Walters needs, in his own words, to "overspend on Canadians," in free agency and use the draft to improve his team's largest weakness which is its national (formerly non-import) status.

The Bombers will start three Americans on the offensive line again this week. Not a winning formula in the CFL and the way this trio and their two Canadian counterparts got pushed around last week it's obvious not just the Canadians on the line need to be looked at but also the Yanks.

Glenn January has been a good player for Winnipeg and he's far and away their best offensive lineman. But he may serve a bigger purpose for the club wearing another team's uniform. One good player does not a line make. And if taking the best part out of a weak unit can lead to improvement of the whole, it has to be considered.

If Walters is approached with a deal similar to last season's international (formerly import) defensive lineman Alex Hall for Canadian guard Pat Neufeld involving January and a useful Canadian or a draft pick coming back, he'll be wise to take it.

The only reason January is singled out is he's an international of value that could collect a meaningful return. The Bombers don't have many of those.

Losing January would hurt, but in some ways he's being wasted here in Winnipeg. He can't carry the offensive line by himself and this isn't a group that needs a tweak. It needs an overhaul and January could be a catalyst.

The trade deadline is a long way off on Oct. 15 and Walters will have lots of time between now and then to gauge his club and the level of interest in some of his players.

Certainly it's too early to start selling assets. But it's also too early to be getting carried away by a thimble of success.

Not when a gallon full of the good stuff is the true goal.

Dumb idea IMHO.  No dumber than a lot of ideas on this forum though.  I don't understand the constant need for some folks to bash the media.  They've got to write X number of words to fill the space.  Every article isn't going to be gold.

Dumb idea IMHO.  No dumber than a lot of ideas on this forum though.  I don't understand the constant need for some folks to bash the media.  They've got to write X number of words to fill the space.  Every article isn't going to be gold.

 

Find me one of his that are gold?

 

I think he is a horrible sports personality / writer.  

 

I cringe when i listen to him on the radio or read is columns..  So much so i don't read his stuff anymore unless there is a discussion on here about it.

Dumb idea IMHO.  No dumber than a lot of ideas on this forum though.  I don't understand the constant need for some folks to bash the media.  They've got to write X number of words to fill the space.  Every article isn't going to be gold.

He wants to write shitty articles he should get bashed for it same as I'd bash someone writing stupid **** on this forum. 

Trdae Lawless for a box of donuts.

The chances of trading a starting import for a starting NI are pretty much zero unless it is late in the season and a team needs a decent tackle to solidify a run for the cup. Moreover, I like January's leadership anf if drop another right tackle into Willy's blind side protection, he's going to be pretty much road-kill. But Lawlwss has to fill the page, even if its drivel, and he did get people talking, didn't he? Maybe some of them bought a Free Press.

So Tubthumper's current litmus test for the organization.... is their ability to trade an aging January, from the weakest part of the team....for.some significant and immediate domestic help.  Seen more realistic ideas, in a game of 52 pickup.   Try a dartboard next?

 

....and yes, I shoot the messenger....when instead of some real Bomber news or actual analysis/insights.....we get this simplistic, lazy and shallow stuff.

Dumb idea IMHO.  No dumber than a lot of ideas on this forum though.  I don't understand the constant need for some folks to bash the media.  They've got to write X number of words to fill the space.  Every article isn't going to be gold.

 

You meant "any" didn't you?

"Walters needs to operate in a vacuum and external considerations be damned."

 

Yes Lawless....finally you understand.

 

How many times did he take a stab at the bombers needlessly in that article? even going back to 2011....give it a ******* rest already. God damn when will the free press get some sports reporters? I'm glad someone posted the entire article too so we don't have to go to the page and increase his #'s. 

speaking of 'trade'... per Kirk, he heard the Bombers is shopping Suber.

I can see a Suber trade a lot sooner than January...

 

Didn't Lawless just write something about OShea trying to instill a winning culture and after one loss, he suggests a rebuild...?

speaking of 'trade'... per Kirk, he heard the Bombers is shopping Suber.

Which makes sense, Suber got hurt and the guy who took his spot is doing fine and they can't get Suber onto the roster if people are healthy. Trade from an area of depth. 

How the hell did he manage to write so much about a trade proposal that makes no sense

Its lawless.. This is his bread and butter... Though, you'd think he had a cup of coffee with Nate prior to this one..

Dumb idea IMHO. No dumber than a lot of ideas on this forum though. I don't understand the constant need for some folks to bash the media. They've got to write X number of words to fill the space. Every article isn't going to be gold.

So one of the biggest media personalities and journalists in thw city is allowed to pen an article with ideas as dumb as seen on a fan forum without ridicule? Come on man, this guy is supposed to be a professional.. And to suggest his idiot ideas are ok because they are on par with stupid ideas on here is quite possibly the worst argument you have ever put forth..

 

How the hell did he manage to write so much about a trade proposal that makes no sense

Its lawless.. This is his bread and butter... Though, you'd think he had a cup of coffee with Nate prior to this one..

 

 

Keep wondering just who... gives who, the material......particularly the drivel,  that pops up on RF.  Like some sort of echo.....

 

Dumb idea IMHO. No dumber than a lot of ideas on this forum though. I don't understand the constant need for some folks to bash the media. They've got to write X number of words to fill the space. Every article isn't going to be gold.

So one of the biggest media personalities and journalists in thw city is allowed to pen an article with ideas as dumb as seen on a fan forum without ridicule? Come on man, this guy is supposed to be a professional.. And to suggest his idiot ideas are ok because they are on par with stupid ideas on here is quite possibly the worst argument you have ever put forth..

 

It's actually a pretty good comparison... Lawless is just like a forum poster, except he gets to put his crap in the actual media. He's bi-polar depending on whether the team is coming off a win or a loss, he touts his own ludicrous ideas as the only sensible solution for the teams woes... He never acknowledges being wrong on anything... What's his username I wonder...

 

Dumb idea IMHO. No dumber than a lot of ideas on this forum though. I don't understand the constant need for some folks to bash the media. They've got to write X number of words to fill the space. Every article isn't going to be gold.

So one of the biggest media personalities and journalists in thw city is allowed to pen an article with ideas as dumb as seen on a fan forum without ridicule? Come on man, this guy is supposed to be a professional.. And to suggest his idiot ideas are ok because they are on par with stupid ideas on here is quite possibly the worst argument you have ever put forth..

 

 

No worries.....Lawless can simply regurgitate these brainstorms on the radio....while the rest of the Yahoo 1290 lackeys, tell him what a all-knowing seer, he is.....

 

Why do people continue to shoot the messenger? There is some accuracy to this article, like it or not. January is at best equal to an average non import tackle. Those that want to wave the all star flag need to review the fact that those awards came when other teams in the east struggled to keep OTs healthy for extended parts of the season. Granted there is something to be said for durability but for a team weak in non imports trading an import for non import ( a rarity granted) is worth consideration.

Yes but no team in their right mind would trade a Canadian for an American on the oline.  Unless of course its a third stringer or some picks.  I see the merit in the trade I just don't see how you could pull it off because as good as January is most teams have better players them him.

 

Agreed and January is getting up there in age, not sure if he upgrades may teams, January has done well for the Bombers I would say his best attribute is his leadership

I'm not about to defend his entire body of work but I don't see why there is such a backlash about this article.

 

What I took away from it is that despite the recent success of the Bombers a long term vision is needed for long term success, which may mean trading a valuable International for a decent National on the OL (which is clearly not impossible, despite the opinions of some posters, given that, as Lawless points out, Hall and a pick were recently traded for Neufeld).

His point would have come across much better if he substituted Glenn January with Bryant Turner.

We trade January miss playoffs by one game. Lawless article on how a extra vet olineman would of got them in the playoffs.

Could we possibly agree to NEVER post a full lawless article on here? Just stick to a link and let me hate myself for following it rather than blaming you.

Could we possibly agree to NEVER post a full lawless article on here? Just stick to a link and let me hate myself for following it rather than blaming you.

 

Is that you Lawless...?

I gave up reading after, "All things being equal, the Blue Bombers should get spanked tonight in B.C. by the Lions"...

 

Huh?

speaking of 'trade'... per Kirk, he heard the Bombers is shopping Suber.

 

Is they? Is they really?

 

 

 

I'm not about to defend his entire body of work but I don't see why there is such a backlash about this article.

 

What I took away from it is that despite the recent success of the Bombers a long term vision is needed for long term success, which may mean trading a valuable International for a decent National on the OL (which is clearly not impossible, despite the opinions of some posters, given that, as Lawless points out, Hall and a pick were recently traded for Neufeld).

 

The backlash has nothing to do with the idea.... trading January for a starting Canadian O-lineman (or any position) would be fantastic.... problem is it's never, ever going to happen.... the most any team would give up for an American tackle in his 30s is a late round pick... I'd guess most teams would rather wait to see what shakes out of the NFL if they are looking to upgrade at import tackle...

 

And the circumstances around the Neufeld pick were completely different.... he was a back up (injured) with Sask and they would likely lose him to Ottawa since he wouldn't have been protected....whether Taman makes that trade or not Neufeld, is not on their 2014 roster... a tiny bit of research or just a basic memory coulda figured this out...