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

The huge drop from Neufeld, Harris or Kohlert...  is Hurl, Bucknor and JFG

Kind of puts things in perspective

 

1 hour ago, Ripper said:

That has crossed my mind today as well. BUT, the article says BELIEVED to be offered that amount. We don't know for sure. It is a red flag with me for sure.

Appreciate your honesty here.

1 hour ago, WBBFanWest said:

Yes, "if" he signs a contract.  There's still the NFL and he could maybe get a shot there.  Or, he could hold out for a bit, miss TC and a game or two, then sign a two year contract.  And you better believe he'd walk after that contract expired.  "If he proves he's a good player" has, to a certain degree, already happened because Saskatchewan took him first overall.  That suggests that they value him over everyone else in the draft so to then offer him league minimum is not just low-balling, it's insulting, and don't think for a moment he'll forget that.  Saskatchewan might be able to resign him, but if these rumours are true, the only way they resign him is after he's gone to free agency and they can bid for his services like everyone else.   

 And again, don't think that other players aren't watching this and seeing how Jones seems to do business.  This could end up costing Jones a lot more than he might be saving with this stunt.

Just think, the Bombers could have played hardball with Chungh last year and paid the $52k minimum for him to start every game as a Natl. O-lineman.  Double the savings with Goossen this year!  Walters is being seriously skooled by Low-ball Jones Genral Manger, Coach and D-CO of yer Skatchwan Riders.

 

Edited May 27, 20169 yr by Throw Long Bannatyne

1 hour ago, Ripper said:

I agree to a point. As far as shopping the pick, perspective buyers were not necessarily going to take St John with said pick, so that doesn't necessarily have a bearing on current situation. St John was not the consensus top pick, nothing saying the Bombers would have picked him had they had the pick or the Esks etc..   But the ratio buster aspect definitely makes St John worth more than the minimum.  I'm sure the Riders are willing to pay more, IF those numbers are even true.  Fact is we are not stuck so the supply/ demand argument doesn't apply. Waggoner basically was this years second overall pick, Is he in a position to hold the Bombers hostage? Nope, because the Bombers don't NEED him to be a starter. The only undisputable fact is a pick was pissed away if he never joins the team, the rest doesn't matter

It's ridiculous for the Riders to overpay for CFL free agents yet try to underpay their 1st round pick. Go crazy in February yet be austere..errr... cheap in May with their draft picks. Trying to pay St .John the same as their 8th round pick (if he makes the team). Good luck with that.

 

4 hours ago, Atomic said:

"If" he signs a contract?  What else is he going to do, retire?  And do you actually think this would have any impact on negotiations for a new contract 2 or 3 years down the line?  That's a long time to hold a grudge.  If he proves he's a good player then he will get paid as such and money talks, a lot more than hard feelings.

Is he still eligible to play NCAA football?

1 hour ago, Jacquie said:

Is he still eligible to play NCAA football?

He played at Fresno State for a year then Trinity College in Texas for another before transferring to the University of Oklahoma the last 2 years. That's 4 years.  Fresno State & Trinity College are junior colleges. He redshirted in 2013 so he's completed 5 years of eligibility meaning he's finished his NCAA eligibility.

Edited May 27, 20169 yr by iso_55

If they're holding the line at $52k, he could just go find a different job. 

*If* Jones actually did offer the league minimum to JSJ, he's an absolute idiot. I don't think he did, for what it's worth.

Rider_Stronson is going on and on over at Riderfans about how this is a market correction to make up for the deals Walters and Desjardins gave out last year to Chungh and Mateas, but what a joke. He wants to blame this on some valiant effort to right the wrongs of past GMs, but really it strikes me as Jones (again, *if* true) trying to combat stubbornness with stubbornness. The #1 overall pick hasn't made league minimum for years. Heenan didn't, Muamba didn't, even Shomari the Marshmallow didn't make league minimum.

I don't know what is going on with these negotiations, but if there was a league minimum offer tabled then Jones is going to find out in a hurry that JSJ isn't in any hurry to sign for that amount.

It just doesn't seem plausible that Jones would low ball JSJ that much. I'm sure we're only getting part of the picture.

I think JSJ has the most to lose, though, if negotiations drag on much longer.

10 hours ago, WBBFanWest said:

That's rich.  Let's take the #1 overall and then tick him off so badly that IF he signs a contract, there isn't likely going to be a second.  And on top of that let's make sure everyone else in the league sees just how we treat players.  Yes, if the reports are true, that's looking to be some top-notch negotiating going on in Riderville.  Can't see anything that could possibly go wrong with this tactic!

You should have heard some of the "nice" things John Murphy said to the Calgary media about Nik Lewis two off seasons ago. Basically asking why the Stamps should pay a guy whose days were over or truly numbered because of injury. He just bad mouthed Nik all the time when asked about him going into free agency. So, am I surprised he is doing this to St. John? No, not at all.

The only reason I don't dismiss this story as total nonsense from the get-go is that this really does follow the behaviours we've seen from Jones since he's been given increased power.  Even with that it still seems a bit farfetched.

10 hours ago, Floyd said:

The huge drop from Neufeld, Harris or Kohlert...  is Hurl, Bucknor and JFG

Kind of puts things in perspective

 

I'd be perfectly fine with Bucknor starting over Nuef....Bucknor while not always a shut down DB has proven he can make the plays when he has too. And It wouldn't need to be just JFG, we also have Waggoner, Corney, Richards...all 3 are expected to be in the mix this year. Despite what Ripper says. Our Depth is much better than the riders. Don't let his green coloured glasses fool you. I'm not saying we have 15 starting calibre CND's either. so don't get your panties in a bunch. But our Depth goes well beyond Hurl, Bucknor and JFG. 

yeah the Bombers have a lot of Canadians guys they can use. As I've said before what they were really lacking was the impact Canadians but that might be changing as well. They won't run a set number of positions as Canadian positions, they'll just use a pool of guys and juggle the ratio as needed. I suspect it won't even be the same 7 "starters" all the time anyway, I see lots of rotations of players throughout games anyway. 

Right now I'd have our NI talent ahead of a few more teams than just the Riders.

If anyone from this year's draft class ends up playing significant minutes this season, we're in REALLY good shape....

I think the guy that could make the biggest impact this year is Loffler, to be honest.

I was actually just thinking that if Loffler, Corney and Waggoner see significant minutes, (because they earned it, not because of necessity) then we're really trending upward quickly...

1 minute ago, Mike said:

I think the guy that could make the biggest impact this year is Loffler, to be honest.

Loffler is a good bet to get significant reps.  I'm really hoping Corney can make an impact.  Might be later in the season as he familiarizes himself with the CFL game.

What ever happen to Rush? Is he at rookie camp? We signed him in November but I can't remember seeing his name another time.

2 minutes ago, wpgallday1960 said:

Loffler is a good bet to get significant reps.  I'm really hoping Corney can make an impact.  Might be later in the season as he familiarizes himself with the CFL game.

If he can even spell off Westerman from time to time, just to give him a breather, that'll go a long way....

10 hours ago, iso_55 said:

Appreciate your honesty here.

I get carried away sometimes like everyone, but for the most part I try to be even keeled and honest

Is it time to retire this thread and start an "Around the League Training Camp Discussion" thread?

Because it ain't the offseason anymore! woot!

11 hours ago, sweep the leg said:

Ratio doesn't have to be met at the same position the injury occurred. 

Totally agree. Just a outside perspective from what I watched us do last year. When you have to change 2 players because of ratio. Sometimes a American you have to bring out to replace with a Canadian is having a good game and playing well. It upsets the applecart a lot more than swapping one for one. We did it a lot trying to play a Canadian running back.   I really hope we just start 7 and swap out that way. If a major injury occurs, adjust roster for next weeks game.  Illegal substitution penalties follow if everyone isn't on same page also. I know everybody does it from time to time, but if you are doing it a lot, I think its a bad idea

22 minutes ago, Mike said:

I think the guy that could make the biggest impact this year is Loffler, to be honest.

Steal of the draft.

12 hours ago, rebusrankin said:

What depth is there besides Jones? Vonk? Picton? McKay? Tell me another joke.

Saskatchewan is going to be competitive this year. 

Riderfans are a Classy bunch with no amount of inbred congenital defects.