I really hate typing up longer posts on my phone, but I still have a few hours to go in the drive back to Winnipeg, so since I’m not driving I figure I’ll kill some time by wrapping up some of my Grey Cup thoughts, and maybe take a look at what I’d like to see the team do in the offseason:
- I agree with a lot of what Holden said. It is annoying that Toronto won because while I think they had a solid game plan, they did play rather mediocre. We just didn’t have anyone step up for us, whereas they had guys on their D standup. A lot of Toronto’s success this season, generally speaking, is an indictment to the CFL’s division setup. Toronto finished a respectable 11-7, but feasted on a shit-ass East Division (believed they played Hamilton four times and Ottawa thrice). They played a thoroughly mediocre Montreal team in the East Final (yes, Montreal beat us too but that game didn’t mean much) before playing the Bombers. Meanwhile, the three best teams in the league, Winnipeg, BC, and Calgary, had to slug it out in the West and we were stuck playing BC in the West Final. Not making excuses for the Bombers, they played poorly, but it’s kinda unfortunate one team got to essentially sleepwalk through the whole regular season playing in a weak division, and then get hot at the right time to win the Grey Cup. That said, not sure the Argos even got hot. Montreal outsucked them last week and we continuously shot ourselves in the foot last night. We said the only team that could beat the Bombers were the Bombers themselves, and that’s what happened. The Bombers managed to wrestle away defeat in that game but give the Argos another five minutes and they may have found a way to lose. Both teams didn’t play well at all.
- Off the top of my head, here’s a quick run-down of how I think the roster might shape up.
QB: Zach will be back. He’s signed. I imagine Prukop is back as he was a good gadget back all year and really we should’ve been using him for that in the Grey Cup, instead of having him throw deep. Brown should be brought back as a developmental guy. He’s shown me enough to keep around, which is more than what can be said for most of the QBs we’ve brought in during the last few decades.
RB: After a rough start to the year, Oliveira has been great. He’s the new Harris. He’ll be here for years. Augustine is a bit older for a RB but he’s good on special teams and isn’t a bad Canadian backup. If he wants back, bring him back. I don’t mind McCrae either, he’s young, and a bit of a chess piece.
WR: Schoen likely gone to the NFL, but I’d welcome him back with open arms if that’s possible. Demski had an all-star year and will be a big piece next year again. Ellingson was good early on but might not have any left in the tank as he struggled after injury. Bailey I can take or leave, I do like his versatility though. Wolitarsky is a dependable Canadian, but O’Leary-Orange can probably move into his role. I’m looking forward to seeing Agudosi play a full season. There will be some turnover here.
OL: This is a difficult area to assess. Bryant won MOL and keeps on playing at an elite level which is insane for his age. He already mentioned playing again next year so I’m sure he’s back. Gray struggled in the Grey Cup but he’s probably back. Kolankowski will replace Couture like Holden said. After traditionally being the weak link on the line, Neufeld had a really great year this season. I wonder if he might retire now though. Hardrick was up and down a lot of the year. Curious to see what they do there. Dobson is probably ready for a starting role.
DL: I’d like to see some changes here. Our interior defensive line especially was not great all season, and our depth issue on the line was never really addressed. Neither Mack nor Wilcotts had much impact, and Adams hasn’t leapt off the page since we signed him. This wasn’t unexpected, we lost both Kongbo and Richardson in the offseason and couldn’t replace them. I watched last year’s Grey Cup again a few weeks ago and I think Stove was an underrated loss. He was such a problem in the middle that it opened up chances for the two Jeffs
. Jefferson didn’t have the eye-opening stats that he usually does and had a few games this season where he seemed MIA. Not sure how much of that was him and how much of that was the lack of help he was getting. Jeffcoat is good but didn’t have a strong year and was hurt too much. Sayles is meh in the middle. Likewise with Thomas, and I think he might retire.
LB: I agree that Bighill has taken a step back. I think he plays with us again next year and is a solid leader but I don’t think we can expect him to be that field general anymore. The Wilson loss was critical and really hurt our run defence. Rutledge played well but given how he was demoted I can’t see him wanting to come back. I like Clements, would bring him back. Darby was good too.
Secondary: After starting slowly, I think Brandon Alexander returned to his usual self at safety once he recovered from injury. I thought Desmond Lawrence was a really good pickup. Parker is another good guy who will be better next year if we bring him back. Houston was playing fantastic too before his injury. Hope he makes a full recovery. Nichols was amazing this year too. Holm was an obvious weak spot but I doubt he sees starting duty again. Rose will be gone for sure. Taylor probably retires now. I can’t see Maston coming back now either considering he hasn’t played a game in over three years.
Kicking: Okay, I’ve already gone through my thoughts on this. I don’t think Legghio is back. Don’t want to dump on the guy any further today. Mourtada was weirdly on the practice roster all year but he’s probably gone. I think the Bombers will look for a “sure-thing” veteran a la the Medlock signing a number of years back.
- I guess if I were to put on my GM hat, in addition to bringing back some of the guys I mentioned above, I’d go UFA shopping for a solid DT, some more linebacker help, and obviously a kicker. Improving the defensive line would be my number one goal this offseason, but we’ll see how the chips fall with the other positions as we see what happens with our current crop of players.
- I looked briefly at the upcoming CFL draft. I believe
@Holden Caulfield follows that much more closely and probably has better insights than me, but looking at some of the top prospects in this year’s draft, I’ve arrived at this: We’re picking 8th. There’s three defensive linemen ranked in the top 12, Lwal Uguak (6), Tavius Robinson (9), and Francis Bemiy (11). I wonder if we don’t grab one of them. That would help with our defensive line depth and give us some much needed Canadian help on the d-line. There’s much there behind Thomas, and he might not be back. Could also see us taking an o-lineman as there’s a number of them ranked in the top 15, we seem to really value o-line play, and ours struggled at times this year.
- It’ll be interesting to see how things shake out. Collaros was rough yesterday, no doubt, but he’s the guy here. As long as we have him, I think we’ll be a contender. BC will be formidable, but if Rourke doesn’t come back they’re f***ed. Maier in Calgary isn’t that amazing, but I do think they’re a well-coached team that plays hard. Saskatchewan is a mess. Edmonton is improving, but a ways off. The West is there for the taking. We’ll see what happens with the East but even with this Grey Cup win for the Argos I don’t see any powerhouses over there. I think the Bombers still should be favoured over the Lions, even with Rourke, though many will probably disagree. Assuming Rourke lingers on a practice roster down south next year, we shouldn’t have too many challengers. The Bombers will be pissed next season, and will probably end up blowing out Toronto in the regular season (you know, just to add salt to our wounds seeing as they played so poorly last night), but let’s see another 15-3 season, but let’s cap it off with a win. I’m already looking forward to it.
- Gotta give another shoutout to Grant. Love that guy. He’s so dynamic and exciting. I want to get a Stanley Bryant jersey next, but I’m
strongly considering getting a Grant one after that in the New Year.
- At least with the Bombers done I can focus on the Jets and on Christmas. The offseason will surely be interesting, and I can’t wait to be back at IGF next season cheering on three in four. GO BOMBERS!!
