OT: Bombers 2021 Season - Elk Meat = Delicious. 6-1. Hunting Big Game next v Lions.

[Holden Caulfield]

Riders have 4 players tear their archilles in ONE workout session. How does that happen?

 

[None]

Riders have 4 players tear their archilles in ONE workout session. How does that happen?

Players that potentially haven't kept in the best of shape combined with activities that probably pushed too far too quickly.

They've made a point of saying the workouts they were doing shouldn't have been too strenuous but given the long layoff I can't really see how it wasn't a factor.

Bishop and Dean are huge losses for them.

 

[WolfHouse]

Riders have 4 players tear their archilles in ONE workout session. How does that happen?

Fire the turf guys.

 

[Jets 31]

Streveler was such a great weapon when we needed 3rd and shorts, going to miss that big time. I never had a worry we would get the first down with him in there.

 

[snowkiddin]

Long Post Incoming!
Note I am just using the Bombers website to source roster, TC roster is expected to have a few changes (retirements, not reporting to camp, etc in a few days).

Why don't we take a deep dive:
QB
Starter: Zach Collaros
Backup: Sean Maguire
Prospects: Dalton Sneed, Dru Brown
Analysis: This is the spot (maybe other than DB) with the most uncertainty. As mentioned Collaros has not played more than I think 6-7 games in a season since 2017. Now the year off to really give his head time to heal away from football may have been great for him, but he could just as easily be lost in the first drive. I will tell you from what I've heard the Bombers are VERY high on Maguire. I mean they think he might just be the next Bo Levi, he profiles in the same way (Strong Arm, good decision making, small school star, etc). No experience but that's not exactly his fault. My understanding is that Sneed and Brown profile more like Streveler as run first QB's. Not sure where they are going to fit in a 3rd QB with the 3rd QB spot removed from the roster this year.

RB
Starter: Andrew Harris*
Backups: Brady Oliviera*, Johnny Augustine*
Prospects: Kyle Borsa*, Joshua Caldwell
Analysis: Best group in CFL hands down. Even if Harris comes back and has lost a step they have 3 potential national starters in Oliviera, Augustine and Borsa behind him. No problems here at all, huge plus position. Unlikely the american has a chance to crack the roster.

WR
Starters: Darvin Adams, Kenny Lawler, Rashaud Baily, Drew Wolitarski*, Nic Demski*
Backups: Janarion Grant, Charles Nelson
Prospects: Cam Meredith, Deontez Alexander, Montay Crockett, Davon Grayson, Quadree Henderson, Blake Jackson, Malcolm Lewis, Mekale McKay, Kelvin McKnight, Alonzo Russell Sr, ArDarius Stewart, CJ Worton, Carlton Agudosi*, Macho Bockru*, Brendan O'Leary-Orange*
Analysis: I actually expect this to be a strength of the team. All the key players except GC healthy scratched Whitehead are back. Bailey and Lawler were just starting to hit their strides in 2019 and should only get better. Grant, Nelson, and Meredith are an intriguing mix of up and comers. I don't know anything about the rest, but the Bombers regularly pull WR starters out of nowhere. The big concern is national depth with only really O'Leary-Orange as a 2020 3rd rounder as a potential backup so a Wolitarski or Demski injury likely means re-adjusting the roster to accommodate another canadian elsewhere as I'm not sure any of the options can start outside of those two.

OL
Starters: Stanley Bryant, Drew Desjarlais*, Michael Couture*, Patrick Neufeld*, Jamarcus Hardwick
Backups: Geoff Gray*, Eli Asotui*
Prospects: Dino Boyd, Tyler Johnson, Chris Kolankowski*, Kevin Lawrence, Tomoya Machino**, Terry Poole, Nolan Ulizio
Analysis: Best OL in CFL all returns with only backup Cody Speller moving to Tor for playing time. Gray and Asotui could probably start on most CFL teams. This unit is by far the best in the league and unless one of the tackles really regresses and none of these new guys can step up (I know nothing about them myself) should be a huge strength. Machino is one of the more interesting storylines, physically he tests through the roof but has never played a very high level football but remains a very interesting prospect. With the global roster spots reduced back to just 1 he likely will be just a PR stash while he gets up to speed.

DL
Starters: Willie Jefferson, Jackson Jeffcoat, Steven Richardson, Jake Thomas*
Backups: Thiadric Hansen**, Jonathan Kongbo*, Connor Griffiths*
Prospects: Justin Alexandre, David Kenney, Nick Dheilly*, Andree Saint-Amour, Cedric Wilcotts, Zach Houghron*, Ezekiel Rose, Casey Sayles, Ricky Walker
Analysis: I'm not quite as bullish on this as most others. I think they will be good but I think they will miss the run stuffing block absorbing Drake Nevis more than most realize. Now American DT's are a relatively easy find, maybe one of these prospects can step in a big way to fill that role. But in terms of pass rush there's no better group in the CFL with Jefferson, Jeffcoat, Richardson, Hansen, and Kongbo, particularly when you factor the flexibility of the latter 2 due global and national status respectively.

LB
Starters: Adam Bighill, Kyrie Wilson, Tobi Antigha
Backups: Jesse Briggs*, Shayne Gauthier*
Prospects: Tanner Cadwallader*, Jamalcolm Liggins, Robbie Lowes*, Les Maruo**, Mason Moe, Ayo Oyelola**, Otha Peters Jr, Jontrell Rocquemore
Analysis: This is a bit fluid, a guy like Mercy Maston, Nick Taylor, or Josh Johnson likely slides into wide side LB, bumping Antigha to a backup. It's an interesting group, but one that kind of breaks the mold of the way the Bombers have set their roster the last few years. They tend to load up on backup national LB's as STers, but few of them are left. I'm thinking the Bombers may be one of, if not the only team in the league that will dress 2 globals despite the roster rules only guaranteeing one spot. Les Maruo is a Japanese player who spent his HS years in US and ended up starting at the FBS level, he is an intriguing prospect. I'm expecting Otha Peters to compete for a spot as well. I really feel Bighill is going to be one of the players that most benefits from the year off. He had alot of miles on his body at one of the toughest positions in football in MLB, he is going to be refreshed and they need to be big for them.

DB
Starters: Brandon Alexander, Mike Jones, Josh Johnson, Mercy Maston, Nick Taylor
Backups: Nick Hallett*
Prospects: Jhavonte Dean, Deatrick Nichols, Terrence Alexander, DeAundre Alford, Joshua Allen, Christian Angulo, Clifton Duck, Marwin Evans, Noah Hallett*, Demerio Houston, Jeremiah Johnson, Redha Kramdi*, Josh Miller, Prince Robinson, Sergio Schiaffino Perez**, Ranthony Texada, Mazzi Wilkins, Raekwon Williams, Sam Williams
Analysis: This is obviously the who knows position here. You'll notice in my starters there's only one corner listed in Mike Jones. He REALLY broke out late in 2019 and had his career best game in the Grey Cup. My guess is they are grooming him to play short side side corner, probably the 2nd hardest position in the CFL to play after QB. Whether he can answer the bell who knows. It appears wide side corner is open battle between the gaggle of american rookies. They've added some intriguing young national talent with Hallett2 and Kramdi to replace some key ST losses with Exume and Miles. They've done a solid job indentifying DB talent in the past, but so little players with CFL experience who knows.

ST
Starters: Marc Liegghio, Mike Benson, Janarion Grant
Prospects: Charles Nelson, Quandree Henderson
Analysis: I'm a bit surprised they haven't brought in another kicker, nor a punter but they have alot of faith in Liegghio. I thought they'd bring in their Australian draft pick to try out for punter at least, but maybe he didn't want to come over. We'll see, everyone questioned it when they brought in only undrafted rookie Lirim Hajrullahu and that worked out well. They have return talent for days, and O'Shea prides himself on ST play so I'm sure they will be great here.

Overall I think this team will be solid again. There's so much unknown this year, but the Bombers have a veteran roster with experience together so if anyone is well poised to face a season with no pre-season and no play last year it is certainly them.

Damn, unfortunately not much to argue with here.

That's encouraging to read re: McGuire but the Bombers have mostly sucked ass at finding and developing QBs (save for Streveler and maybe a couple others) for going on three decades now so I'm not counting my chickens before they hatch here. Don't know anything about Brown but I watched some tape of Sneed last year and he is super similar to Streveler. I'm thinking the Bombers will do something to stash him away. He looks like he could have some promise. I'm a bit surprised they didn't bring in at least a "meh" backup (like they have in the past with Durant, Glenn and Dan LeFailure), but I guess there's no room for one if they plan on keeping McGuire and Sneed around. A Collaros injury in week one could really screw our season, but maybe they bring in a vet if Collaros has to go on the IR, as we'll have an extra roster spot.

Agreed our offensive line and RB core is easily the best in the league. Harris and co are great (I'd rank Harris as the best overall RB in the league unless he's taken a step back (entirely possible at his age)) but what REALLY gives us an advantage is their National status. American RBs are dime a dozen, and there will probably be at least one or two other teams with an elite running back, but chances are they won't be ratio breaking like ours. Our offensive line is the best and it's not even close. Reminds me of Calgary of the mid-2010s. Two future HOF American tackles and an interior of very good Canadians. And our depth is great too. Although it wouldn't surprise me to see Gray take a starting job this year.

WRs will be fun too. Wolitarsky is really coming into his own as a solid Canadian guy, Adams is the deep threat, Lawler was breaking out and Bailey is coming along nicely. I've always loved Bailey, I remember a few years ago before his first ever CFL start the Bombers shared a video on Facebook of him calling his mother and crying because the Bombers "made his dreams come true" by starting him. Been rooting hard for the guy ever since. And how can you not love Demski? I think Peterman will be a loss though, especially as a Canadian.

I agree Nevis was underrated but American DTs are pretty easy to replace, like you said. I actually thought Thomas did pretty well too, and is another option if we need to get a Canadian in. Craig "Death" Roh is a loss, but easily absorbed by MOP "Steamboat" Willie Jefferson and Jackson Jeffcoat. Kongbo coming back after trying for the NFL last year is, IMO, a huge thing that's being overlooked by some. He has the potential to be one of the best edge rushers in the league, and as a Canadian too. The thought of him, Jefferson, and Jeffcoat terrorizing QBs this season is more delicious than the brownies my mother made me (okay, maybe not quite that delicious, but still pretty damn good).

LB core looking solid too. Do you think Bighill will sign my jersey if I DM him on Twitter? He usually likes my Bomber-related Tweets.
I think I remember Antigha being good when we faced him, I'm a big Kyrie Wilson fan, and Bighill is still Bighill. Looking forward to watching more of Hansen too.

2019 was the first time in a long time I felt confident about the Bombers secondary. For the majority of my life, they've riddled the backfield with a bunch of jokers who would constantly get beat like government mule. The guys we had in the playoffs were fantastic. I'm a touch concerned about Mercy Maston, because I believe he was a journeyman prior to us getting him, but he played great for us and if he can do that I'll be pleased. Rose and Sayles are big losses but Josh Johnson is a big addition and we should be able to hopefully absorb the loss. Alexander has been much improved and I was also really impressed with both Taylor and Jones. Also, Clifton Duck is a funny name. I hope he makes the team just for that.

Medlock is a big loss but even if the new guy sucks we can probably find a decent American at any point during the season. Grant is an electric returner. The other guys I don't know much about but O'Shea is a special teams whiz and always finds/coaches elite STers so I'm not at all worried about that.

Well, that's all. Sorry that I didn't warn about this being a long post. Now time for supper and sleep. Another long day at work tomorrow, but hey, this car isn't gonna pay for itself.

 

[Holden Caulfield]

Damn, unfortunately not much to argue with here.

That's encouraging to read re: McGuire but the Bombers have mostly sucked ass at finding and developing QBs (save for Streveler and maybe a couple others) for going on three decades now so I'm not counting my chickens before they hatch here. Don't know anything about Brown but I watched some tape of Sneed last year and he is super similar to Streveler. I'm thinking the Bombers will do something to stash him away. He looks like he could have some promise. I'm a bit surprised they didn't bring in at least a "meh" backup (like they have in the past with Durant, Glenn and Dan LeFailure), but I guess there's no room for one if they plan on keeping McGuire and Sneed around. A Collaros injury in week one could really screw our season, but maybe they bring in a vet if Collaros has to go on the IR, as we'll have an extra roster spot.

Completely agreed the Bombers track record here sucks. But I think the fact that they didn't go out and sign a veteran backup shows you exactly what they think of Maguire. They will have no problems handing the keys over to him. Despite the positive things said about previous prospects, they ALWAYS brought in a "meh" vet. No such safety blanket this time, they believe in this guy. Now that alone doesn't mean much of course. We all remember how much Mike Kelly believed in Stefan LeFors so he cut a former MOP in Kevin Glenn just days after being named head coach. However this management team is different, IMO, and has earned the benefit of the doubt. Besides Bombers ask less of their QB than any other team in the league and have shown consistently the ability to make smart, tough decisions mid-season if the original plan blows up (Nichols late season trade, Nichols replaces Willy, Collaros late season trade, etc).

Agreed our offensive line and RB core is easily the best in the league. Harris and co are great (I'd rank Harris as the best overall RB in the league unless he's taken a step back (entirely possible at his age)) but what REALLY gives us an advantage is their National status. American RBs are dime a dozen, and there will probably be at least one or two other teams with an elite running back, but chances are they won't be ratio breaking like ours. Our offensive line is the best and it's not even close. Reminds me of Calgary of the mid-2010s. Two future HOF American tackles and an interior of very good Canadians. And our depth is great too. Although it wouldn't surprise me to see Gray take a starting job this year.

Agreed here. Harris is obviously a beast, but if he goes down or the time off has slowed his legs too much the only thing I'd be even slightly worried about is pass blocking going to our 3 backups (almost 4 as Demski can play RB as well). But they can always bring in Mike Miller for those downs (which has the downside of taking away much of the threat of draw play, but hey if you lose a HOF there's bound to be a slight drawback somewhere).

WRs will be fun too. Wolitarsky is really coming into his own as a solid Canadian guy, Adams is the deep threat, Lawler was breaking out and Bailey is coming along nicely. I've always loved Bailey, I remember a few years ago before his first ever CFL start the Bombers shared a video on Facebook of him calling his mother and crying because the Bombers "made his dreams come true" by starting him. Been rooting hard for the guy ever since. And how can you not love Demski? I think Peterman will be a loss though, especially as a Canadian.

The only concern I have is our lack of size in the WR corps. It's something the Bombers have been trying to address for years with no success at all (Chris Matthews 2019, Adarius Bowman 2018, L'Damien Washington 2017). However the group overall is still strong and really there's alot of optimism with Meredith so we'll see.

National depth is a concern. One name that didn't stand out before but I've been reading up on is Carlton Agudosi. 6'6'' 220lb WR out of Rutgers. Spent time with Arizona in 2017-2018 and Philadelphia in 2019. Most recently with St. Louis of XFL in 2020. A national player. That is very intriguing. O'Leary-Orange is the guy I mentioned in my post, big WR out of Nevada that had his college career a bit derailed with injuries so ended up a huge faller on draft day (ranked 10-15, Bombers grabbed him up at 37). So there are some options there.

I agree Nevis was underrated but American DTs are pretty easy to replace, like you said. I actually thought Thomas did pretty well too, and is another option if we need to get a Canadian in. Craig "Death" Roh is a loss, but easily absorbed by MOP "Steamboat" Willie Jefferson and Jackson Jeffcoat. Kongbo coming back after trying for the NFL last year is, IMO, a huge thing that's being overlooked by some. He has the potential to be one of the best edge rushers in the league, and as a Canadian too. The thought of him, Jefferson, and Jeffcoat terrorizing QBs this season is more delicious than the brownies my mother made me (okay, maybe not quite that delicious, but still pretty damn good).

I didn't mention him but yeah Jake Thomas is a warrior. Great guy to have around, but he has never been more than rotational guy that is more of a pass rusher than run stuffer, IMO. They will need a run stuffer, but reading up a few of the rookies it sounds like the Bombers realize this as well as that's the type most of the interior rookies sound like (fire hydrant Richardson is great but again more a pass rusher). Don't forget Hansen and it sounds like Antigha will be replacing Roh. Listed at LB so I kinda blanked on my original post, but he's more of an edge rusher than an LB.

LB core looking solid too. Do you think Bighill will sign my jersey if I DM him on Twitter? He usually likes my Bomber-related Tweets.
I think I remember Antigha being good when we faced him, I'm a big Kyrie Wilson fan, and Bighill is still Bighill. Looking forward to watching more of Hansen too.

Haha, I don't know. I generally interact on social media or at events with some "lesser" profile guys (ie Thomas Miles, Craig Roh, Thiadric Hansen) rather than the Bighills or Jeffersons or Harris'.
Antigha (my bad I listed at LB as well) and Hansen will likely be used almost exclusively at DL, not LB. Otha Peters Jr is likely going to be the primary backup to Bighill/Wilson. It'll be interesting to see who moves down to cover the wide side LB spot. Mercy Maston, Josh Johnson, Nick Taylor are among the guys who could move there.

2019 was the first time in a long time I felt confident about the Bombers secondary. For the majority of my life, they've riddled the backfield with a bunch of jokers who would constantly get beat like government mule. The guys we had in the playoffs were fantastic. I'm a touch concerned about Mercy Maston, because I believe he was a journeyman prior to us getting him, but he played great for us and if he can do that I'll be pleased. Rose and Sayles are big losses but Josh Johnson is a big addition and we should be able to hopefully absorb the loss. Alexander has been much improved and I was also really impressed with both Taylor and Jones. Also, Clifton Duck is a funny name. I hope he makes the team just for that.

Agreed. The Bombers have gone a different route this year than they have the past few years. Recently they've generally taken mediocre CFLers from other teams and tried developed them up (Rose, Fenner, Gaitor, Heath). But they've had arguably more success developing in house like Sayles, Fogg, Alexander, Jones. They have a metric ton of DB's in camp, it's going to be interesting watching those battles (from afar with no pre-season obviously).

Medlock is a big loss but even if the new guy sucks we can probably find a decent American at any point during the season. Grant is an electric returner. The other guys I don't know much about but O'Shea is a special teams whiz and always finds/coaches elite STers so I'm not at all worried about that.

Well, that's all. Sorry that I didn't warn about this being a long post. Now time for supper and sleep. Another long day at work tomorrow, but hey, this car isn't gonna pay for itself.

Honestly I am not a fan at all of using an American at kicker or punter at all. I feel there's enough good Canadians out there and that kicking is so volatile anyway (a freaking security guard was setting records in Ottawa). Medlock was obviously money and the big thing was his length. But I'd rather have a reliable under 50 yarder national than a slightly better international who can hit some over 50 but then they lose the spot to keep a key rotational DL like Antigha, or solid backup LB like Peters in case Bighill falters with age and we never have to see Briggs on D, or a solid DB backup that can play teams and we can cover a CB injury. Long FGs are super risky with returns anyways.

 

[snowkiddin]

Completely agreed the Bombers track record here sucks. But I think the fact that they didn't go out and sign a veteran backup shows you exactly what they think of Maguire. They will have no problems handing the keys over to him. Despite the positive things said about previous prospects, they ALWAYS brought in a "meh" vet. No such safety blanket this time, they believe in this guy. Now that alone doesn't mean much of course. We all remember how much Mike Kelly believed in Stefan LeFors so he cut a former MOP in Kevin Glenn just days after being named head coach. However this management team is different, IMO, and has earned the benefit of the doubt. Besides Bombers ask less of their QB than any other team in the league and have shown consistently the ability to make smart, tough decisions mid-season if the original plan blows up (Nichols late season trade, Nichols replaces Willy, Collaros late season trade, etc).

Could part of the reason they didn't bring in a vet this time around be because they don't have that designated third QB slot? Not sure why the CFL got rid of that by the way, especially with how injuries can occur at this position. If Collaros goes down, I'd be more than willing to give McGuire a shot. He's 25 already. Bo Levi already had game action by the age of 22 and was the full time starter in Calgary at 24 IIRC, so if McGuire has a chance to develop into that he'll have to prove it sooner or later. I'm sure the Bombers have a Plan B if Collaros goes down and McGuire struggles, and that'll be to bring in a CFL vet.

Agreed here. Harris is obviously a beast, but if he goes down or the time off has slowed his legs too much the only thing I'd be even slightly worried about is pass blocking going to our 3 backups (almost 4 as Demski can play RB as well). But they can always bring in Mike Miller for those downs (which has the downside of taking away much of the threat of draw play, but hey if you lose a HOF there's bound to be a slight drawback somewhere).

Agreed. I'm not sure what to expect from Harris. The guy is older than Sidney Crosby. In the NFL RBs careers are usually already over by the their late 20s but Harris is 34 and still producing. He was already 29 when we signed him and I thought he would be past his prime but he seems to get better each year with us. You have to figure he'll eventually take a step back, but he keeps proving me wrong. And even if he does fall off, Augustine did a fantastic job playing in his spot during his suspension and I think Oliviera might be even better.

The only concern I have is our lack of size in the WR corps. It's something the Bombers have been trying to address for years with no success at all (Chris Matthews 2019, Adarius Bowman 2018, L'Damien Washington 2017). However the group overall is still strong and really there's alot of optimism with Meredith so we'll see.

National depth is a concern. One name that didn't stand out before but I've been reading up on is Carlton Agudosi. 6'6'' 220lb WR out of Rutgers. Spent time with Arizona in 2017-2018 and Philadelphia in 2019. Most recently with St. Louis of XFL in 2020. A national player. That is very intriguing. O'Leary-Orange is the guy I mentioned in my post, big WR out of Nevada that had his college career a bit derailed with injuries so ended up a huge faller on draft day (ranked 10-15, Bombers grabbed him up at 37). So there are some options there.

Man, I forgot about all those guys. Meredith nearly had an 1,000 yard season a few years ago with the Bears in the NFL, we'll see if he can perform in the CFL as NFL success doesn't always equal CFL success. Also, chances are one of those Canadian prospects will be able to fill in fine if Wolitarsky or Demski goes down.

I didn't mention him but yeah Jake Thomas is a warrior. Great guy to have around, but he has never been more than rotational guy that is more of a pass rusher than run stuffer, IMO. They will need a run stuffer, but reading up a few of the rookies it sounds like the Bombers realize this as well as that's the type most of the interior rookies sound like (fire hydrant Richardson is great but again more a pass rusher). Don't forget Hansen and it sounds like Antigha will be replacing Roh. Listed at LB so I kinda blanked on my original post, but he's more of an edge rusher than an LB.

Haha, I don't know. I generally interact on social media or at events with some "lesser" profile guys (ie Thomas Miles, Craig Roh, Thiadric Hansen) rather than the Bighills or Jeffersons or Harris'.
Antigha (my bad I listed at LB as well) and Hansen will likely be used almost exclusively at DL, not LB. Otha Peters Jr is likely going to be the primary backup to Bighill/Wilson. It'll be interesting to see who moves down to cover the wide side LB spot. Mercy Maston, Josh Johnson, Nick Taylor are among the guys who could move there.

Agreed. The Bombers have gone a different route this year than they have the past few years. Recently they've generally taken mediocre CFLers from other teams and tried developed them up (Rose, Fenner, Gaitor, Heath). But they've had arguably more success developing in house like Sayles, Fogg, Alexander, Jones. They have a metric ton of DB's in camp, it's going to be interesting watching those battles (from afar with no pre-season obviously).

Agreed on all of this.

Honestly I am not a fan at all of using an American at kicker or punter at all. I feel there's enough good Canadians out there and that kicking is so volatile anyway (a freaking security guard was setting records in Ottawa). Medlock was obviously money and the big thing was his length. But I'd rather have a reliable under 50 yarder national than a slightly better international who can hit some over 50 but then they lose the spot to keep a key rotational DL like Antigha, or solid backup LB like Peters in case Bighill falters with age and we never have to see Briggs on D, or a solid DB backup that can play teams and we can cover a CB injury. Long FGs are super risky with returns anyways.

I prefer a Canadian too and even though he was great for us, that's one thing about Medlock that I wasn't thrilled about bringing him in. Kind of a waste of a designated American spot. We had Hirulajroonie or whatever who was mostly good, had one real shitty year and got cut, and then has been good everywhere else again. I'd prefer trying to develop a Canadian kicker. I just mean that Medlock leaving isn't as bad as a Canadian equivalent leaving because at least you can cover him off with another American if push comes to shove, whereas replacing a Canadian kicker with an American one can mean some roster scrambling.

 

[Gabe Kupari]

If you have a cdn kicker who can do all 3 jobs... roster flexibility is huge

 

[nobody imp0rtant]

Gotta love Buck, but are we in for some growing pains this year as he transitions to the OC role?

 

[Holden Caulfield]

Could part of the reason they didn't bring in a vet this time around be because they don't have that designated third QB slot? Not sure why the CFL got rid of that by the way, especially with how injuries can occur at this position. If Collaros goes down, I'd be more than willing to give McGuire a shot. He's 25 already. Bo Levi already had game action by the age of 22 and was the full time starter in Calgary at 24 IIRC, so if McGuire has a chance to develop into that he'll have to prove it sooner or later. I'm sure the Bombers have a Plan B if Collaros goes down and McGuire struggles, and that'll be to bring in a CFL vet.

I have no idea why they removed that 3rd QB spot. The plan in 2020 was to replace the QB3 spot with the Global2 spot. Which I thought was completely stupid and they should have just added a new roster spot for Global2, teams need those 3 QB spots. Now they've eliminated the Global2 spot for 2021, but haven't put back in the QB3 spot. I honestly haven't seen the full on roster rules yet so I'm not too sure how this all breaks down in terms of roster spots/ratio/starters, etc. And I think the plan is to change it all again when we get back to full season football in 2022.

Agreed the lack of the 3rd QB spot may play a part. But it does seem like the Bombers basically want to have a QB1, QB2, and a short yardage/mobile change of pace QB (I will shorten to SYQB). In 2018 they had to adjust last minute due to Durant retirement. And people forget that those first 3 starts Streveler showed alot of promise even as a passer, 6 TD in his first two starts. So Streveler basically double filled SYQB and QB2 role for 2019 opening up room for a development QB behind him (Maguire). Hell thinking about it, wondering if Bombers value a short yardage QB enough to use the international spot Liegghio frees up to bring Brown/Sneed onto roster for this considering Collaros injury history. Maguire is listed at 6'2'', 218lbs though so may just use him, however I haven't heard about him being a particularly mobile guy (haven't heard immobile either though). There are certain rules about having a QB on the field and stuff to do with the ratio as well that I'm not sure how they are being addressed so I'm not sure if that is even feasible (it's why you never see two players listed at QB on the field at the same time in CFL).
2021
QB1: Zach Collaros
QB2: Sean Maguire
SYQB: Dru Brown/Dalton Sneed
2019
QB1: Matt Nichols
QB2/SYQB: Chris Streveler
DevQB: Sean Maguire
2018
QB1: Matt Nichols
QB2: Darian Durant
SYQB: Chris Streveler (Brian Bennett ending up being the big benefactor here as he hung around for a year when they clearly had little use for him)
2017
QB1: Matt Nichols
QB2: Dominique Davis
SYQB: Dan LeFevour

Ok now onto what I actually wanted to respond to. CFL QB's generally break in later, and get to starting later. I hadn't realized Bo Levi was that young when he came in actually. Maguire at 25 is still very young for a CFL QB, and he lost his age 24 year old year due to no fault of his own. From what I've heard after 2019 the plan was always to make Maguire the backup, so if we'd had a 2020 it would have been the same QB group we are looking at now. I probably overstated by bringing up Bo Levi, I just meant more that he profiles in a similar manner in terms of style and that they expect him to be a starter, hopefully a real good one.

I decided to do a little comparaison. I'm gonna do all 9 CFL starting QBs, maybe even toss a few others as well.
Player - Age CFL Signs - Age CFL first start - Age CFL Full-Time Starter
Mike Reilly - 25 - 27 - 28
Bo Levi Mitchell - 22 - 23 - 24
Trevor Harris - 26 - 28 - 29
Cody Fajardo - 24 - 27 - 27
Zach Collaros - 24 - 25 - 26
Jeremiah Masoli - 25 - 28 - 28
Nick Arbuckle - 25 - 26 - 27 (he would have been a full-time starter last year first time)
Matt Nichols - 25 - 27- 29
Vernon Adams Jr - 23 - 23 - 26
Projected Non-Starters
Dane Evans - 25 - 26 - N/A (currently turning 28 this season)
McLeod Bethel-Thompson - 29 - 30 - 30
Dominique Davis - 26 - 28 - 30

So other than Bo Levi no current starting QB in the CFL was a starter by 25. 26-28 is generally the age when you expect them to start to take over. And researching this I was a bit surprised to see how few teams have any proven players as depth at QB this year. I don't think there's many veteran players out there that will have interest in returning. Should be interesting. Bombers have shown a great ability to adjust as you and I have both stated, I'm not too worried.

 

[snowkiddin]

I have no idea why they removed that 3rd QB spot. The plan in 2020 was to replace the QB3 spot with the Global2 spot. Which I thought was completely stupid and they should have just added a new roster spot for Global2, teams need those 3 QB spots. Now they've eliminated the Global2 spot for 2021, but haven't put back in the QB3 spot. I honestly haven't seen the full on roster rules yet so I'm not too sure how this all breaks down in terms of roster spots/ratio/starters, etc. And I think the plan is to change it all again when we get back to full season football in 2022.

Agreed the lack of the 3rd QB spot may play a part. But it does seem like the Bombers basically want to have a QB1, QB2, and a short yardage/mobile change of pace QB (I will shorten to SYQB). In 2018 they had to adjust last minute due to Durant retirement. And people forget that those first 3 starts Streveler showed alot of promise even as a passer, 6 TD in his first two starts. So Streveler basically double filled SYQB and QB2 role for 2019 opening up room for a development QB behind him (Maguire). Hell thinking about it, wondering if Bombers value a short yardage QB enough to use the international spot Liegghio frees up to bring Brown/Sneed onto roster for this considering Collaros injury history. Maguire is listed at 6'2'', 218lbs though so may just use him, however I haven't heard about him being a particularly mobile guy (haven't heard immobile either though). There are certain rules about having a QB on the field and stuff to do with the ratio as well that I'm not sure how they are being addressed so I'm not sure if that is even feasible (it's why you never see two players listed at QB on the field at the same time in CFL).
2021
QB1: Zach Collaros
QB2: Sean Maguire
SYQB: Dru Brown/Dalton Sneed
2019
QB1: Matt Nichols
QB2/SYQB: Chris Streveler
DevQB: Sean Maguire
2018
QB1: Matt Nichols
QB2: Darian Durant
SYQB: Chris Streveler (Brian Bennett ending up being the big benefactor here as he hung around for a year when they clearly had little use for him)
2017
QB1: Matt Nichols
QB2: Dominique Davis
SYQB: Dan LeFevour

Ok now onto what I actually wanted to respond to. CFL QB's generally break in later, and get to starting later. I hadn't realized Bo Levi was that young when he came in actually. Maguire at 25 is still very young for a CFL QB, and he lost his age 24 year old year due to no fault of his own. From what I've heard after 2019 the plan was always to make Maguire the backup, so if we'd had a 2020 it would have been the same QB group we are looking at now. I probably overstated by bringing up Bo Levi, I just meant more that he profiles in a similar manner in terms of style and that they expect him to be a starter, hopefully a real good one.

I decided to do a little comparaison. I'm gonna do all 9 CFL starting QBs, maybe even toss a few others as well.
Player - Age CFL Signs - Age CFL first start - Age CFL Full-Time Starter
Mike Reilly - 25 - 27 - 28
Bo Levi Mitchell - 22 - 23 - 24
Trevor Harris - 26 - 28 - 29
Cody Fajardo - 24 - 27 - 27
Zach Collaros - 24 - 25 - 26
Jeremiah Masoli - 25 - 28 - 28
Nick Arbuckle - 25 - 26 - 27 (he would have been a full-time starter last year first time)
Matt Nichols - 25 - 27- 29
Vernon Adams Jr - 23 - 23 - 26
Projected Non-Starters
Dane Evans - 25 - 26 - N/A (currently turning 28 this season)
McLeod Bethel-Thompson - 29 - 30 - 30
Dominique Davis - 26 - 28 - 30

So other than Bo Levi no current starting QB in the CFL was a starter by 25. 26-28 is generally the age when you expect them to start to take over. And researching this I was a bit surprised to see how few teams have any proven players as depth at QB this year. I don't think there's many veteran players out there that will have interest in returning. Should be interesting. Bombers have shown a great ability to adjust as you and I have both stated, I'm not too worried.

Yeah, you're right that CFL QBs tend to generally start their careers later. Even going back a generation or two to other former star QBs:

Travis Lulay didn't even sign until he was 26, didn't start until 27 (became a full-time starter later that year, only because Buck Pierce got hurt and Casey Printers was about as useful as a real life printer (i.e. extremely volatile and unpredictable, i.e. not good).

Henry Burris signed at 22, started at 23, but didn't become a full time starter until 25. Then he dicked around in the NFL for a few years and came back at 28.

Anthony Calvillo signed and started at 22 but didn't breakout until he joined Montreal at 26.

Ricky Ray is an exception, signing starting his first game and becoming undisputed starter all at age 23; again, only made possible by injuries.

Even Drew "Bust" Willy didn't start until he was 28 I believe.

Different eras, but yeah, even the other former elite QBs weren't all stars at 22 or anything. On one hand I wonder how long McGuire would want to stick around if he's already 25, but at the same time there's no other team that he would immediately start with. He's better off to just ply his trade here and make the most of any opportunities he gets.

 

[WaveRaven]

Well I see MLSE has their minions talking of the Argos possibly joining the xfl.

Angling for more revenue sharing I suppose. I see they're buddies in Montreal are chiming in also. They already share league revenues. So they want bomber and rider fans to give cash to poor old Toronto.

I wonder if MLSE would be into revenue sharing in the NHL ?

 

[Gabe Kupari]

Well I see MLSE has their minions talking of the Argos possibly joining the xfl.

Angling for more revenue sharing I suppose. I see they're buddies in Montreal are chiming in also. They already share league revenues. So they want bomber and rider fans to give cash to poor old Toronto.

I wonder if MLSE would be into revenue sharing in the NHL ?

Strange cuz as of today the xfl doesn't even and there is no guarantee it will exist in the future. For all intents and purposes the xfl is dead. No season this year for them and really it's been dead quiet. I like how mlse is pretending the xfl is 1. Some threat 2. A league not owned by 1 entity. 3 an actual viable alternative and 4. An active league

Cuz it's not any of those. I'd almost guess at this point that the xfl is dead and buried

 

[SCP Guy]

MLSE will prob lose way less money if they don’t play this year and pretend to join the XFL

 

[Holden Caulfield]

Well I see MLSE has their minions talking of the Argos possibly joining the xfl.

Angling for more revenue sharing I suppose. I see they're buddies in Montreal are chiming in also. They already share league revenues. So they want bomber and rider fans to give cash to poor old Toronto.

I wonder if MLSE would be into revenue sharing in the NHL ?

Cfl actually has no revenue sharing at all, other than obviously splitting national deals like the TV contract. And the NHL has a significant revenue sharing program that Toronto pays millions into every year. Im not defending MLSE but Im understanding this post.

 

[None]

Cfl actually has no revenue sharing at all, other than obviously splitting national deals like the TV contract. And the NHL has a significant revenue sharing program that Toronto pays millions into every year. Im not defending MLSE but Im understanding this post.

They might be referring to the couple of times that the CFL has given Toronto and Montreal marketing funds separate from any other league driven marketing. Aside from that there isn't any continual support that other teams don't also receive.
Those funds have been a pittance in the grand scheme of things though.

 

[jetsforever]

Great to see training camp finally starting!

 

[WolfHouse]

They might be referring to the couple of times that the CFL has given Toronto and Montreal marketing funds separate from any other league driven marketing. Aside from that there isn't any continual support that other teams don't also receive.
Those funds have been a pittance in the grand scheme of things though.

I believe the rest of the league does pick up the tab when Montreal or Toronto has been on the brink of collapse

 

[None]

I believe the rest of the league does pick up the tab when Montreal or Toronto has been on the brink of collapse

I think you might be referring to private bailouts by either sentimental millionaires or other CFL owners. The league as a whole hasn't ever bailed out Montreal or Toronto as far as I know.
David Braley rescued pretty much every team that struggled financially privately for the last 30 years before his death.

 

[WolfHouse]

I think you might be referring to private bailouts by either sentimental millionaires or other CFL owners. The league as a whole hasn't ever bailed out Montreal or Toronto as far as I know.
David Braley rescued pretty much every team that struggled financially privately for the last 30 years before his death.

The CFL purchased the Alouettes in 2019... where do you think that money comes from

 

[None]

The CFL purchased the Alouettes in 2019... where do you think that money comes from

And they were sold in short order after a single season of league control. It was only because of Bob Wetenhall's failing health that they were even sold.

 

[Guardian17]

 

[Guardian17]

 

[blues10]

Nice to see 100% capacity for fully vaccinated fans. Anyone know if kids under 12 can attend?

 

[Gnova]

Nice to see 100% capacity for fully vaccinated fans. Anyone know if kids under 12 can attend?

Yes if the people they attend with are fully vaccinated