Toggle sidebar

OT: Bombers Thread: Bombers down Sask. Next West Final @CGY Nov 18

Ducky10

Ducky10

Searching for Mark Scheifele
Nov 14, 2014
19,809
31,386
Holden Caulfield said:
Yes, yes I did. It's why it pains me to defend him now, I've never had faith in the guy. I hated the trade for him and Bomber gave up a 7th rounder two years later for him. By NHL standards it's like if the Jets traded less than a 7th rounder in two years, it's like if they traded say Jacob Cederholm for a player. And I deemed that too much for the player coming back.

He has proven me really wrong though. He has established himself as a solid middle of the road starter. There's just no other better options right now.

I'm not sure at all what Streveler has done to get the flack he does from you and others I've seen, The big I look for in QB's the ability to keep the eyes downfield. There's dozens of rushing QB's brought in every year, but the big difference between them and Streveler is that when Streveler gets pressured he keeps his eyes downfield whereas most tuck and go. That ability alone makes him a potential starter in my book. He has great arm strength, obviously amazing legs, good vision. He sometimes can struggle with quickness of his release, IMO, but that's something that can be worked out with technique. He is going to be a very good CFL QB, IMO. A much better version of Masoli is his upside, IMO. But remember it took Masoli 6+ years to reach starter status.

This idea of "putting them over the top" is overrated, IMO. The offense sucked no doubt the in West Final. But there's more to that loss than Nichols, and you don't need the best QB in the league to win the Grey Cup. You can win the Grey Cup with a mediocre QB. Hell Kerry Joseph, Marcus Crandell, etc have Grey Cup rings as starters.
Click to expand...
I don't give Strevelar a lot of flack, in fact I think he may turn into something if given an opportunity, I just doubt it's next season. I'm actually pretty familiar with him since he was with the Gophers and moved to South Dakota, I thought the Gophers made the wrong choice between him and Mitch Leidner tbh. He still has a lot of important areas to develop as a passer though. One of his downsides in his draft profile coming out of college is his ability to make reads beyond the first progression, he doesn't read defenses very well. He's either a quick strike or a run first QB and his footwork reflects that.

You don't need to be the best QB in the league to win but you need to have something that can make defenses have to respect you. Joseph was the CFL MOP in '07 and ran for 13 TD's for crying out loud, he could at least put some doubt in a defense. For about a 4 year period, he was a better QB than Nichols has ever been really. Crandell certainly proves you can be lucky to win, but he's the exception, let's be realistic here, it's uncommon.

I just don't see the Bombers winning with Nichols, in fact I think we see a further decline in his ability next season. He won't throw for over 4000 yards again, 2017 was an aberration .
 
Last edited:

Trinity

Registered User
Dec 12, 2017
3,244
2,022
Based on Bighill's most recent comments, I'm concerned he won't be back with the Bombers next year.
 
nobody imp0rtant

nobody imp0rtant

Registered pessimist
May 23, 2018
10,812
17,977
Ducky10 said:
I just don't see the Bombers winning with Nichols, in fact I think we see a further decline in his ability next season. He won't throw for over 4000 yards again, 2017 was an aberration .
Click to expand...

I agree with you on Nichols, I think he's done like dinner. However, I very much want to see Streveler in the starting job next year, even if this means going through some growing pains. I think he can be a future star QB and he needs playing time to work on his areas of weakness. My big concern is he will look for opportunities elsewhere after next year if he doesn't get a shot at significant playing time. Of course, if he ends up as the next great Riders QB, I'm OK with that too. :DD
 

snowkiddin

HFBoards Sponsor
Sponsor
Feb 26, 2016
16,411
27,135
Holden Caulfield said:
Man I love this informed opinions and long posts. I will have another long response to this.

I agree with you that Chung and Goossen need to be signed. I think they will get paid and I think the Bombers retain them. One thing I think the Bombers have nailed lately is the team atmosphere and I think both Goossen and Chung recognize that will come back.

With regards to secondary I think most Bomber fans overestimate what a CFL secondary can do. Teams are going to put up 250-400 yards against you regularly it's just part of the game. You compare Randle to Bruce Johnson and Brandon Stewart who were HB not corners or Matt Bucknor who was a throw away national playing the wide side, so there's no real comparaison to Randle who plays the short side corner. Short side corner is the hardest position to play in the CFL, IMO, and no one in the league is happy with their player there, IMO. Jovon Johnson was the best in the league for 4+ years and we chased him out of town. Short side corner will ALWAYS be a spot that gets beat often, just a nature of the position. Fogg for me is a guy that gets lots of heat since he is just average in coverage but is a huge ball hawk. Makes alot of great plays. Ideally he is a wide side HB or CB which is where he slotted after Sayles broke out. Love him on the wide side which is where he will be if he comes back. Sayles himself has developed as an awesome short side HB with run support in his wheelhouse, love him. Loffler was an unknown rookie who became a threat, struggled to find his identity as a sophmore and found his middle ground last year. Last year I was all we you that Alexander was crap, but he stepped up this year once he was moved out to wide side. You gave me terrible chills mentioning Carmichael what a terrible player he was. Anyways, so if we return a secondary of Randle - Sayles - Loffler - unknown/Alexander - unknown/Fogg next year I am very confident in that.

One of the underrated aspects of a secondary is if you can get pressure. A DL that can generate pressure is far more impact on a secondary than if they are actually talented, IMO. In the second half we were actually bringing pressure to the QB which is why our secondary looked much better, IMO. We were bringing more pressure which is why our secondary looked better. Our DE's seemed to finally settle in. For me I'd release Okpalaugo to keep Jeffcoat and Roh, but likely we go with Okpaulaugo and Roh. Rivers in limited time looked fairly solid as well. As you say if there's one position we are good at recruiting for it's DE. A true elite pass rushing DE would be nice, we haven't had that since Willis, IMO. Bryant as the pass rusher on a rookie deal with Nevis as the run stopper seems have been effective in the middle. Jake Thomas as a change of pace works. It's really too bad that Ekaktie wasn't able to develop as a run stopper to replace Nevis but it is what it is.

Again the LB corps is the key. We'll see what happens in free agency, but I think the #1 priority of the Bombers is to bring back Bighill and Santos-Knox.

For me I'm just not sure what Neufeld might be looking for. I think as an 18 game starter last year he might be too pricey to bring back when he's likely replaced by Gray. I think they don't retain him and open the job up to a training camp battle between Gray, Couture, and Spooner which Gray wins. I think Neufeld signs elsewhere as an assured starter since when healthy he is for a CFL starter in the middle (despite being a horrible tackle).

The thing is for years and years the ONLY position we could recruit from the US was receiver. There was a point where arguably 4 of the top 5 receivers in the CFL were all Bomber recruits (Stegall, Johnson 3rd, Simon, Gordon) I agree lately we haven't found much. We have had some good finds with Matthews, Edwards (he stared in MTL but broke out in WPG), Bowman (started in WPG, didn't develop until released into EDM), Denmark,etc. International WR is probably the easiest position in all of the CFL to find. But we do need to find a big play tall deep threat WR to complement Adams. Demski, Dressler, Wolitarsky are all possession mostly underneath threats, we need another deep threat. Thompkins filled that void a bit, but not enough.

ST is ST, it's mostly just guys that run hard. Mostly replaceable. I think Bennett is back as a 3rd QB that works hard on ST is basically unheard of. Gotta love that guy for that, even if he sucks at QB. I honestly wonder if the CFL's ratio might be blown out of porportion by him since teams might realize that they can hide a STer as a 3rd string QB. Anyways yeah our return game needs to improve. Medlock is 99% to be back, IMO, and likely at cheapest since he has been a Bomber.

Yeah at QB there's just no other options. I honestly can see Bo Levi starting in the NFL if not next year the year after. I don't expect him to be a superstar, but I think he is at least as good as say Josh McCown. I don't know that he ever returns to the CFL. As you say Reilly is not coming this far east, and Harris and Masoli aren't leaving. So there's no other options but to stick with a short leash Nichols vs Streveler.

As for the draft, I didn't realize the Bombers had two first round picks. The CFL draft though mostly doesn't effect the roster for next year though. But continuing to build on what maybe the best national depth in the league is always great.

This should be a very interesting off-season. With Calgary likely collapsing after Bo Levi leaving, Sask continuing to be mediocre in all respects, BC maybe getting a big advantage with Reilly but still just BC, and EDM likely collapsing with Reilly leaving I think next year is poised to have the Bombers win the division. I'll be able to say better by next May, but right now I see Bombers as favourites to win West next year.
Click to expand...

We chose a pretty good time to get rid of Jovon Johnson, IMO, as he was past his prime. I also think Randle is in the decline, but it’s very hard to find a rookie American that would be better than him as soon as next year. As far as comparison, the guys who I mentioned just flat out couldn’t cover, it didn’t matter where they were playing. That’s why I said Randle is BETTER than they were. Like I said, the secondary can come back but I want some guys in at camp to push them.

I would agree with keeping Jeffcoat over Okpalaugo, but i think they keep Okpalaugo and let Jeffcoat go. Roh and Okpalaugo would start, and a new American would rotate with them, and hopefully make an impact.

It’s really too bad that Ekakatie busted. I’m not sure what happened there. But at least it’s pretty easy to find decent American talent to plug in there.

I guess even if Bighill and Santos-Knox come back, we’ll still need another LB, especially since Leggett is likely done. If lose Bighill and Santos-Knox, then we are in really rough shape IMO.

Neufeld is signed for next year, so he would have to be cut for him to go elsewhere. That’s why I think they give him the start at guard next season with Gray right behind him as the sixth O-line man. I think Gray has the potential to be the top Canadian offensive lineman in the league.

For receivers, I almost think we should’ve kept Denmark this past year. I’m assuming he got too expensive but he was still good last year. I hope they just sign a CFL free agent like Matthews or Rogers, but we’re more likely to bring in some American cuts from the NFL, so hopefully someone steps up.

If you look compare to the other QBs, Nichols isn’t garbage.

He’s better than Jennings (who I think is done in the league), and Lulay who can’t stay healthy. Reilly and Mitchell are obviously better than him, but Mitchell is likely gone to the NFL next year. He’s better than Collaros and Bridge.

In the East, Harris and Masoli are better than him, but he’s better than Franklin, Bethel-Thompson and the mess of QBs Montreal has, including Manziel. Ray is much better than him, but who knows if he’ll be the same now after his injury, or if he even comes back.

So, Nichols didn’t play great at all against Calgary but he is still a middle of the road starter. Of course, arguably the top 2 QBs in the league (other than Reilly) are playing in the Grey Cup this Sunday, but we can’t get rid of Nichols yet.

Yeah, we have B.C.s first round pick. We moved down last year in the draft with them (traded them our first last year for their second last year and their first this year), so now we have two picks. Walters has proven he can find good Canadian talent so hopefully he does more of that.

I am not sure how the SMS is shaping up exactly, but we need our oline back and our two LBs, with out them I can easily seeing us regressing quite a bit.

After they lost to Calgary, I was thinking to myself “f*** this team, blow it all up.” But really, it was gonna be tough to beat Calgary on the road. This team has gradually gotten better. Players like to play for O’Shea. Obby Khan said the major difference between the Bombers and Stamps when he played is that Calgary had a winning culture, and Winnipeg had a losing one. Miller, Walters and O’Shea have done a good job building a winning culture, IMO. A few more pieces and we should be primed to end the drought.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: trebendan
Flair Hay

Flair Hay

HFBoards Sponsor
Sponsor
Jun 22, 2010
12,177
4,874
Winnipeg
Tom ServoMST3K said:
I believe The Canadian talent and o line on this team would let the bombers compete with basically any competent pro at qb.
Click to expand...

Only catch is it's the CFL so there not many. And we aren't exactly a team known for finding them. We never find any it seems...
 
jefferoni

jefferoni

your mother was a hamster
Oct 30, 2013
4,214
11,895
Winnipeg
LucianoBorsato said:
Now this is dedication:

Why this Winnipeg Blue Bomber fan has refused to wear pants for 17 years | CBC News
Click to expand...
And here I thought the fans who tattooed SWAGGERVILLE on their forearms back in 2011 were the stupidest, errrr I mean the most dedicated... :laugh:

swaggerville.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: LucianoBorsato
None

None

Registered User
Feb 22, 2012
11,615
17,117
A few updates around the league/related to the Bombers before the Grey Cup

Farhan Lalji and Dave Naylor just said that BLM probably doesn't leave Calgary if he doesn't get a chance for a second string job in the NFL.
They were also less emphatic on Reilly's attachment to Edmonton (in my opinion) and said that Ed Hervey in BC would be taking a big run at trying to sign him. They said proximity to Seattle where Reilly lives might be a factor, but I think that's pretty obvious.
They said BC would probably go after a head coach that would be given his first opportunity as HC, they mentioned Orlondo Steinauer or DeVone Claybrooks.
I can't remember who else they mentioned, but Paul Lapolice was mentioned as a possibility for HC in Toronto.

I wish they had said more about other big FAs and not just QBs. I want to hear what they're hearing about Bighill because I haven't heard anything concrete.

Jock Climie leaving TSN, does anyone feel like Davis Sanchez isn't very well liked on the panel? Pretty clear that Stegall doesn't like him, but I've felt like he isn't well liked among any of them.
 
None

None

Registered User
Feb 22, 2012
11,615
17,117
roccerfeller said:
?? What did he say? I am really hoping we can retain him. He was easily one of our best players all year
Click to expand...

I think they're referring to Bighill's exit interview which I took more as non-committal than anything. For a lot of guys from Northern states the proximity of the team ends up being the deciding factor for where they end up. The dollar value of their contract offers are usually pretty close between teams.

So with that considered I'd be surprised if he doesn't want to go back to BC, but it's going to depend on whether BC has room for him. If they're going all-in for Reilly they're not going to sign Bighill without a clear picture of how their SMS is going to look like with Reilly. Personally I don't see room in BC for both Bighill and Elimimian; they're not younger unproven guys on cheaper deals anymore. You can't have 500k+ committed to just 2 linebackers.

I think the Bombers have the inside track to re-sign him if BC can't find room for him, but if the difference between what the Bombers offer and what BC can offer isn't big enough I think he'll definitely go back.

There's other factors as well, but the only teams I'd be worried about are the Western teams and the only team I can see having serious interest, aside from the Bombers, is the Riders. I'd hate if the Bombers let Bighill leave for Saskatchewan over 15-25k.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Ad

Latest posts

Upcoming events

Ad

Ad

Top Bottom