...Lawless says Riders looking at Ottawa Asst GM and John Murphy as potential new GM. Have asked for permission to speak to both. Fwiw.

 

So does that mean Dickenson will remain as the OC?

 

I think he is. But Dinwiddie will be his pair of eyes from upstairs.

 

Mace retired? Wow. Didnt think he was done.

 

Too many injuries suffered in previous years. I dont think he completed a year without being injured.

 

This

On ‎2015‎-‎12‎-‎19 at 1:27 PM, rebusrankin said:

Jones is a proven winner but they still have a lot of work to do. To assume they become instant contenders is foolish.

Yea. He inherited a clusterfack and it will take a full season to sort out that mess. Jones and Murphy will expedite the rebuild but they can't avoid it completely. Right now they have 31 players under contract for next year, and several more cuts to make one would think. This will be the biggest rebuild the CFL has seen in several years (not counting Ottawa). Jones and Murphy aren't miracle workers. 6-7 wins and competitive is where I would slot them for this coming year.

A lot of people want to exalt Jones as a genius, and he definitely is a good coach, but he inherited a heck of a lot of good defensive personnel in Edmonton. Paul Jones and Ed Hervey deserve as much credit for that defence as Jones does. Take a look around Jones's career, he has had the opportunity to jump from team to team as they are finalizing rebuilds. Much like Tim Burke did here in 2011 when he reaped the benefits of Swaggerville. I'm not trying to knock Jones. He has proven to be a winner. However, this is essentially the first time in his career he is going to a team that requires a rebuild. Maybe he can do it, maybe he can't, but it certainly shouldn't be viewed as a slam dunk that he will have instant success. He will be a neophyte GM, wearing 4 hats going into the season. Sounds like the same situation Mike Kelly walked into. Let's see if he is able to do any better before proclaiming them Grey Cup champs shall we?

4 hours ago, gcn11 said:

Yea. He inherited a clusterfack and it will take a full season to sort out that mess. Jones and Murphy will expedite the rebuild but they can't avoid it completely. Right now they have 31 players under contract for next year, and several more cuts to make one would think. This will be the biggest rebuild the CFL has seen in several years (not counting Ottawa). Jones and Murphy aren't miracle workers. 6-7 wins and competitive is where I would slot them for this coming year.

A lot of people want to exalt Jones as a genius, and he definitely is a good coach, but he inherited a heck of a lot of good defensive personnel in Edmonton. Paul Jones and Ed Hervey deserve as much credit for that defence as Jones does. Take a look around Jones's career, he has had the opportunity to jump from team to team as they are finalizing rebuilds. Much like Tim Burke did here in 2011 when he reaped the benefits of Swaggerville. I'm not trying to knock Jones. He has proven to be a winner. However, this is essentially the first time in his career he is going to a team that requires a rebuild. Maybe he can do it, maybe he can't, but it certainly shouldn't be viewed as a slam dunk that he will have instant success. He will be a neophyte GM, wearing 4 hats going into the season. Sounds like the same situation Mike Kelly walked into. Let's see if he is able to do any better before proclaiming them Grey Cup champs shall we?

Yes this is very true. There is no dispersal draft for Jones, Can't compare to Ottawa. Unless he magically takes players as well as coaches from Edmonton, there is going to be a mess for a while. 

High expectations in Regina that's for sure...I don't see any miraculous turn around for them and if the fans think that, they'll be in for a rude awakening...Jones has to finish cleaning house before he even contemplates searching for better calibre  players ..Sask. has some older players with fat contracts that need to be dealt with...There's going to be a lot of upheaval before they get back on track, and fighting to stay out of the basement in the west will be a challenge..I'm sure before the 16' season is too old, realization will set in and there'll be a few droopy faces in riderville.

I'm curious how many potential FAs are going to want to jump over there because they think it's the best bet to win a GC this year....

I don't think the Riders will be able to go in on IMPs this season. There NI roster is rapidly aging and without any depth behind them. Getzlaf, Bagg, Best have all reached their best before date, Labatte had a poor season and may not ever be healthy again (recurring ankle problems), Clark is not a CFL calibre centre and there is nothing in the OL or receiver pipeline save Demski. They were picking up Dan West just to field enough NIs for a roster. It's bad over there for NIs and it has gotta be Jones focus this offseason before he can spend a dime on IMPs. This is why I see their rebuild taking time, not because Jones/Murphy can't do it but because there is only so much that can be done by anyone in this time frame. Once Jones has his NI cupboard stocked then the Riders can build rapidly to a contender, but not before, and stocking the NI cupboard as Bomber fans know, is no quick process.

If Durant stays healthy, they are a 10 win team for sure with a Jones defence.

I guess the FA issue really only becomes relevant if players are deciding between Wpg or Sask.

Arash Madani @ArashMadani

Per #CFL sources: The BC Lions are hiring Marcel Bellefeuille on their offensive coaching staff in 2016. He was Winnipeg's OC last season.

5 minutes ago, The Unknown Poster said:

Arash Madani @ArashMadani

Per #CFL sources: The BC Lions are hiring Marcel Bellefeuille on their offensive coaching staff in 2016. He was Winnipeg's OC last season.

Receiver's coach.

5 minutes ago, The Unknown Poster said:

Arash Madani @ArashMadani

Per #CFL sources: The BC Lions are hiring Marcel Bellefeuille on their offensive coaching staff in 2016. He was Winnipeg's OC last season.

Never heard of the guy, another off the board pick by Wally.

9 minutes ago, DR. CFL said:

I guess the FA issue really only becomes relevant if players are deciding between Wpg or Sask.

Let's face it only 1 of those teams cares about the salary cap though and Commissioner Porridge doesn't have the brass to stand up to the league's golden goose

So is Bellefool the oc or just on the staff...He certainly has experience ...didn't seem to help him here though...Why do I get the feeling that B.C. is headed in a southerly direction, like occupying the wests basement.

He's a decent hire if he's not your OC.

Sounds like just the Receivers Coach....

1 hour ago, pigseye said:

If Durant stays healthy, they are a 10 win team for sure with a Jones defence.

Getting older coming off 2 back to back season ending injuries?  Not sure what you're on, but I'll buy a few grams. 

Jamie Nye @jamienye

#Riders also release K Paul McCallum and DB Tristan Jackson ... leaving 49 players on the roster (just 2 int DBs Hollins and Unamba)

 

Unamba survives the purge!

Noel Thorpe staying with Montreal....Esks still looking for DC, but rumoured to be Benevides...

MB in BC is OK with ME.

1 hour ago, The Unknown Poster said:

Arash Madani @ArashMadani

Per #CFL sources: The BC Lions are hiring Marcel Bellefeuille on their offensive coaching staff in 2016. He was Winnipeg's OC last season.

And we all know, that  Wally is a genius

It really would be humorous if Marcel puts together a kick ass offence in B.C.

 

Quote

Unamba survives the purge!

very good news!

3 hours ago, Noeller said:

I'm curious how many potential FAs are going to want to jump over there because they think it's the best bet to win a GC this year....

I think a lot of players know their playing window is short so I think a majority want to sign with teams they think have a chance to win a championship. Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, Ottawa(?) well **** that...

10 minutes ago, Mark F said:

And we all know, that  Wally is a genius

It really would be humorous if Marcel puts together a kick ass offence in B.C.

 

very good news!

Rumour has it Khari is the next OC in BC.

Given the dispute going on between Edmonton and Ottawa over the signing of Maas, I would like to know if Rick Campbell was still under contract as OC in Calgary when he became Head Coach in Ottawa for their inaugural season?

Then there is this https://twitter.com/mauriceprice17/status/679093891358957568

doesnt seem to have been received very well on the twits lol.