Elks: Edmonton Es---Elks--2022 thread 1-(Jones is back)

[DrDrai]

This is a great idea but it's not offered on the Elks site; you have to DM this guy (Senior Executive w/the Edmonton Elks Football Club) for details

He helped me out actually. I had previously got 3 tickets for around $450. Ended up with the deal stated in the same location and another ticket added. Now my wife can come. Section CC,, nothing fancy but I wanted to get the kids out as they have shown interest. Time to get back up to date on the team and league.

 

[brentashton]

He helped me out actually. I had previously got 3 tickets for around $450. Ended up with the deal stated in the same location and another ticket added. Now my wife can come. Section CC,, nothing fancy but I wanted to get the kids out as they have shown interest. Time to get back up to date on the team and league.

Nice. Playbook maybe all f***ed up but at least they can still play customer service. Good on Elks!

 

[Kyle McMahon]

Quite right--defensive backfield is still a concern. Hopefully Chris has found some guys who can tackle. Grymes back again?

Grymes hasn't been good since 2015, it's honestly remarkable that he's still finding employment as a starter.

Fingers crossed on guys who can make a tackle, I don't think anything gets me riled up faster than shitty tackling. Except maybe a conceded safety lol.

 

[joestevens29]

Grymes hasn't been good since 2015, it's honestly remarkable that he's still finding employment as a starter.

Fingers crossed on guys who can make a tackle, I don't think anything gets me riled up faster than shitty tackling. Except maybe a conceded safety lol.

It's the Troy Polamalu hair that keeps him employed

 

[Stoneman89]

We signed Domagala. Had better stats than Ryan last year

Hopefully he's got some stamina, because on the Elks, the punter probably gets in just as many plays as everyone else.

 

[brentashton]

Hopefully he's got some stamina, because on the Elks, the punter probably gets in just as many plays as everyone else.

He’s short eh? 5-9 and they always embellish those stats.

 

[bellagiobob]

This is a great idea but it's not offered on the Elks site; you have to DM this guy (Senior Executive w/the Edmonton Elks Football Club) for details

The one thing the Elks have done right is have reasonable ticket pricing. No one can use that as an excuse for not attending a game now. Shitty team and games that lack entertainment just need to be fixed now. Less than $8/person or $30 for a family of four per game, that is dirt cheap.

 

[MoneyGuy]

Having the most expensive receiver in the league last year resulted in zero home game wins, so it’s a tried and true strategy. . In all seriousness, this is a team that has to make the playoffs this year in order to survive long term. With an all star receiving corp, a good running back, we just need a decent game management QB who can get our stars the ball and basically just not get in the way.

And an OC who can use the talent on the field.
I wouldn’t blame last year’s debacle on receiver who made $310,000.

 

[Stoneman89]

And an OC who can use the talent on the field.
I wouldn’t blame last year’s debacle on receiver who made $310,000.

He's not blaming last years debacIe on the expensive receiver though. I think the point he's trying to make is that even with a big monied receiver, you need a lot more pieces to have success.

 

[bellagiobob]

He's not blaming last years debacIe on the expensive receiver though. I think the point he's trying to make is that even with a big monied receiver, you need a lot more pieces to have success.

Yup. Lawler did everything he humanly could and had a good year, and it made no difference. The big sexy moves are fine when you have a good foundation, which we didn’t/don’t.

 

[MoneyGuy]

He's not blaming last years debacIe on the expensive receiver though. I think the point he's trying to make is that even with a big monied receiver, you need a lot more pieces to have success.

No disagreement here.

Yup. Lawler did everything he humanly could and had a good year, and it made no difference. The big sexy moves are fine when you have a good foundation, which we didn’t/don’t.

This is my point.

 

[bellagiobob]

 

[Drivesaitl]

No disagreement here.


This is my point.

I don't really follow it. Lawler only played 12 games here and in many of the games he was in we didn't even have a legit RB and we had few other options. Once the team got Brown and a couple new receivers the team at least looked better. Much of the games Lawler played here he was the main target and option on basically a one player offense. Elks getting multiple talent receivers and with Brown returning should have legit weapons to work with. Corn also adding his rushing game and at least Fajardo level passing.

 

[bone]

Yup. Lawler did everything he humanly could and had a good year, and it made no difference. The big sexy moves are fine when you have a good foundation, which we didn’t/don’t.

Would you not consider that this year's foundation is more solid than it was last year though? I certainly think it is. At least there's less question marks today than 12 months ago.

QB, more confidence going into this year with Corny than I was with Arbuckle last year, but still a risk. However, I don't see it as any more risky than the QB situation with 4-6 other teams.
Receivers, Mitchell and Dunbar are better than what we were going into last year with Walker and Arcenaux. And Arceneaux was better than expected and still available as another option. There's a few other candidates in this deep group.
RB. I liked Wilder, but I really like Brown as well.
O-line. A little concerned at tackle, but another year development of a Canadian interior linemen with pedigree entering the heart of their career.

Defensively, Jones had a year to pick his guys, seemed to keep the best performers and has added. If there's anything I'm confident about with Jones is that by Year 2 with any team, he'll have his defense humming.

Special teams, still looks like a weakness, but it takes time and a bit of luck to fix that mess.

This isn't a cup contender in my opinion, but I do believe there is a foundation to challenge for playoffs and if they got hot at the right time, you never know with the CFL.

He's going to be 35 before the first snap of pre-season. Ain't no NFL team looking to pick up a 35 year old with 0 career NFL snaps and modest professional success elsewhere (only 3 career playoff starts in the CFL even).

The oldest NFL rookie QB was in 1960 (Butch Songin at 36), the next oldest Dieter Brock Bell at 34 in 1985. After that all 31 and younger.

 

[bellagiobob]

Would you not consider that this year's foundation is more solid than it was last year though? I certainly think it is. At least there's less question marks today than 12 months ago.

QB, more confidence going into this year with Corny than I was with Arbuckle last year, but still a risk. However, I don't see it as any more risky than the QB situation with 4-6 other teams.
Receivers, Mitchell and Dunbar are better than what we were going into last year with Walker and Arcenaux. And Arceneaux was better than expected and still available as another option. There's a few other candidates in this deep group.
RB. I liked Wilder, but I really like Brown as well.
O-line. A little concerned at tackle, but another year development of a Canadian interior linemen with pedigree entering the heart of their career.

Defensively, Jones had a year to pick his guys, seemed to keep the best performers and has added. If there's anything I'm confident about with Jones is that by Year 2 with any team, he'll have his defense humming.

Special teams, still looks like a weakness, but it takes time and a bit of luck to fix that mess.

This isn't a cup contender in my opinion, but I do believe there is a foundation to challenge for playoffs and if they got hot at the right time, you never know with the CFL.


He's going to be 35 before the first snap of pre-season. Ain't no NFL team looking to pick up a 35 year old with 0 career NFL snaps and modest professional success elsewhere (only 3 career playoff starts in the CFL even).

The oldest NFL rookie QB was in 1960 (Butch Songin at 36), the next oldest Dieter Brock Bell at 34 in 1985. After that all 31 and younger.

I would hope that our foundation is somewhat better than last year, as that was hopefully as low as a franchise can go. It's really way too early to tell, as a bunch of the guys we have signed for next year coud be released before TC even starts, as we saw from last year and even so far this year. So much in the CFL depends on the diamonds in the rough American players that they can find, so we will see. At this point I would say our oline, QB and RB is at best league average, which isn't saying much, and in general our D is below league average. Special teams are always horrible, so will see if the new guys make a difference. Same OC, so expect the same vanilla offense. As for playoffs, it really shouldn't be much of an accomplishment to challenge for a spot in a 9 team league when 6 teams make it, especially with whats going in Montreal, Ottawa and Sask.

As for MBT,ya, the NFL talk was funny, that's not happening. Maybe he'll be back later this summer when those dreams fizzle out. He's meh anyhow, I guess good in todays CFL, but just a very average QB.

 

[bone]

I would hope that our foundation is somewhat better than last year, as that was hopefully as low as a franchise can go. It's really way too early to tell, as a bunch of the guys we have signed for next year coud be released before TC even starts, as we saw from last year and even so far this year. So much in the CFL depends on the diamonds in the rough American players that they can find, so we will see. At this point I would say our oline, QB and RB is at best league average, which isn't saying much, and in general our D is below league average. Special teams are always horrible, so will see if the new guys make a difference. Same OC, so expect the same vanilla offense. As for playoffs, it really shouldn't be much of an accomplishment to challenge for a spot in a 9 team league when 6 teams make it, especially with whats going in Montreal, Ottawa and Sask.

As for BMT, ya, the NFL talk was funny, that's not happening. Maybe he'll be back later this summer when those dreams fizzle out. He's meh anyhow, I guess good in todays CFL, but just a very average QB.

How does it work with those USFL contracts. If he signs there, can he come back to the CFL this summer?

If so, you'd think a bunch of players may try this route to parlay into NFL offers but if none materialize you'd still be done your football season early enough to catch on with a team in the first third of the season.

Could make him a pretty attractive pickup for a team if their QB struggles in the first few games or gets injured this year to bring him in around Week 6 or 7. But I agree, he's vanilla by historical standards in the CFL, but by today's standards, likely a minimum top 4 or 5 guy for at least another year or two.

 

[bellagiobob]

How does it work with those USFL contracts. If he signs there, can he come back to the CFL this summer?

If so, you'd think a bunch of players may try this route to parlay into NFL offers but if none materialize you'd still be done your football season early enough to catch on with a team in the first third of the season.

Could make him a pretty attractive pickup for a team if their QB struggles in the first few games or gets injured this year to bring him in around Week 6 or 7. But I agree, he's vanilla by historical standards in the CFL, but by today's standards, likely a minimum top 4 or 5 guy for at least another year or two.

I know that a few USFL players have played in the NFL after their season ended, so assuming they would also be allowed to come to the CFL if they wanted to. NFL TC starts the last week of July, so if he gets an invite that would take him into August, and then guys usually stick around hoping for a chance with another team. But it sounds like he is doing this for family reasons, as his wife and kids don’t come up with him during the season, and she has a good job in the TV industry. He definitely didn’t leave for the money, as he’ll only make around 50k.

 

[Stoneman89]

I know that a few USFL players have played in the NFL after their season ended, so assuming they would also be allowed to come to the CFL if they wanted to. NFL TC starts the last week of July, so if he gets an invite that would take him into August, and then guys usually stick around hoping for a chance with another team. But it sounds like he is doing this for family reasons, as his wife and kids don’t come up with him during the season, and she has a good job in the TV industry. He definitely didn’t leave for the money, as he’ll only make around 50k.

Why doesn't he just go back to show biz and make another Stepbrothers movie?

 

[trick91]

Bethel Thompson took a big paycut to play in the USFL. He did it so he could be closer to his family, not pursue an NFL chance.

 

[bellagiobob]

Bethel Thompson took a big paycut to play in the USFL. He did it so he could be closer to his family, not pursue an NFL chance.

He actually said it was both for family reasons and an NFL opportunity. Per the link I posted a few posts above.

 

[Kyle McMahon]

Nice to see he had some kind words for the CFL on the way out the door. I was never a huge fan of MBT, but I'll give him credit for steadily improving for several years, not exactly common in your 30s. He was a solid starter by the end.

This is why I figured Hamilton was smart to lock up Bo-Levi Mitchell despite the risks. With MBT not returning, the Ti-Cats are clearly in the best shape at the QB position among the Eastern teams. Is Toronto going to camp with Swag Kelly as the presumptive starter? Looks like it. Rourke and MBT both leaving has thinned out a QB pool that was already at low ebb, or so we thought. These are the conditions that could see a guy like Cornelius break out and win MOP in a perfect scenario.

 

[bellagiobob]

 

[MoontoScott]

Nice to see he had some kind words for the CFL on the way out the door. I was never a huge fan of MBT, but I'll give him credit for steadily improving for several years, not exactly common in your 30s. He was a solid starter by the end.

This is why I figured Hamilton was smart to lock up Bo-Levi Mitchell despite the risks. With MBT not returning, the Ti-Cats are clearly in the best shape at the QB position among the Eastern teams. Is Toronto going to camp with Swag Kelly as the presumptive starter? Looks like it. Rourke and MBT both leaving has thinned out a QB pool that was already at low ebb, or so we thought. These are the conditions that could see a guy like Cornelius break out and win MOP in a perfect scenario.

I am sure that there are a number of reasons why he left. He's approaching the end of his playing days and he probably sees the writing on the wall in the CFL.

Playing in front of very few fans in Toronto isn't inspiring and he knows that MLSE may also reach the end of their financial rope this season. The situation in Montreal doesn't help either. The players aren't stupid and will be looking for alternatives. So why not play closer to home? I know I would.

 

[bone]

Nice to see he had some kind words for the CFL on the way out the door. I was never a huge fan of MBT, but I'll give him credit for steadily improving for several years, not exactly common in your 30s. He was a solid starter by the end.

This is why I figured Hamilton was smart to lock up Bo-Levi Mitchell despite the risks. With MBT not returning, the Ti-Cats are clearly in the best shape at the QB position among the Eastern teams. Is Toronto going to camp with Swag Kelly as the presumptive starter? Looks like it. Rourke and MBT both leaving has thinned out a QB pool that was already at low ebb, or so we thought. These are the conditions that could see a guy like Cornelius break out and win MOP in a perfect scenario.

Precisely why I'm not nearly as down on Cornelius as many. Still relatively young and now has plenty of reps under him going into this season, and two seasons of watching (or participating in) the game. MBT was already a risk for declining performance as he was 1 of the 4 potential starters turning 35 or older this year.

For the under 35 crowd we have BLM with his injury question marks, Fajardo who really only had one good season. Vernon Adams who is gifted but also struggles with confidence leading to erratic performance. Dane Evans who completely shit the bed in his first opportunity to take the starters role for good last year. And Meier, who may only be a product of a good Calgary system rather than elite.

I don't see Cornelius as a more risky option than any of the under 34 crowd, and frankly, I only see Meier as significantly more likely to have a good season than him (by current CFL QB standards).

 

[bone]

I think it remains to be seen how USFL/XFL and CFL will interact. Their rule that only exempts them from the contract for NFL purposes, not rival leagues, was moreso likely to directly compete with the XFL than the CFL as I doubt XFL and USFL truly see the CFL as a rival for anything more than player recruitment.

CFL isn't a real risk to viewership or attendance (especially with XFL since their seasons don't overlap). so whichever league decides to play nicer with the CFL could benefit from being more cooperative with the CFL as it would serve them well in terms of recruitment if players know that if their XFL or USFL season doesn't generate interest from the NFL they can still come to the CFL (and vice versa) and essentially collect two paycheques.