Bombers Off Season

[bwiser]

I guess it is time to evaluate what the Bombers do this off season to get back and WIN the cup. I think the window on the current team is closing if not closed. It may be time to move on from a number of the older players and bring in some youth and speed. Bighill's injury aside he was slowing down all season. Bighill is nearly if not done. It is time for the Bombers to move on from the hall of famer. I expect Stanley Bryant to retire and Neufeld and Hardrick could also be done. Jake Thomas is another player who could retire. The Bombers secondary is not good enough. Rose is another vet that needs to go. Our punting is not good enough either and that would be another area to upgrade.

[Lincoln Locomotive]

I guess it is time to evaluate what the Bombers do this off season to get back and WIN the cup. I think the window on the current team is closing if not closed. It may be time to move on from a number of the older players and bring in some youth and speed. Bighill's injury aside he was slowing down all season. Bighill is nearly if not done. It is time for the Bombers to move on from the hall of famer. I expect Stanley Bryant to retire and Neufeld and Hardrick could also be done. Jake Thomas is another player who could retire. The Bombers secondary is not good enough. Rose is another vet that needs to go. Our punting is not good enough either and that would be another area to upgrade.

Our punting has been a joke for too long.....the one where we needed a big booming kick we got a line drive straight to the returner to took it back to our 35 and then the Als capitalized.    Mike O'Shea is not a Wally Buono and we hang on to players who are past their prime hoping they have enough game left in them to overcome adversity when the chips are down.     Well the chips were down and some of our vets failed.    The game was eerily similar to our loss last year.    Next year BC will represent the west in the GC final and win it....that's my prediction.    I really think AB4 is done now along with some other aging vets and it's time to start getting younger.    Don't get me wrong, it's been great being a Bomber fan these past 4-5 years, however our time in the sun and being a dominant team I believe is just about over.
Regardless of how next season shakes down I will die forever a Bomber fan!!

[Blue In BC]

IIRC the Bombers secondary only gave up 12 TD's passing in the entire season. However the gave up 3 last night. I'd blame the coaching for that as much as on the personnel. We need from game one our front 4 was not as good as last year. The inability to collapse the pocket and maintain contain on a QB running was not good all year. Essentially a QB run in 2022 and this year did us in.

I question why Gauthier was on the field as much as he was in those critical situations. Again, that falls on coaching decisions, schemes and recruitment or lack thereof.

The 2023 roster ceased to exist last night.  Whether we intended that or not is irrelevant.

Some players will choose to retire. Some will be forced to retire or into reduced roles and contracts. Free agency is the giant unknown.

I think the call to trade or cut Collaros is premature but I would like to see him take a $100K cut in salary. It limits the ability to retain across the rest of the roster.

A few players have chronic injury issues like Jeffcoat. He could still have a role but he needs to possibly move to a more limited role as a DI. That assumes we have a " new " starter capable of playing at a high level.

Overall I wasn't impressed with our entire PR group and in the end that came back to bite us.

I complained before the season that an import kicker and global punter had ratio implications which also hurt our game day AR.

In the next few days we'll see all the potential free agents and then how quickly we choose on some players or how they choose for us.

Oliveria's interest in the NFL could mean we don't have him available for 1/2 of the season or longer next year. That's a ratio change pending as a result.

We'll see if we get some players re-signed before the end of 2023 using any SMS money if there is any left. Then it becomes a domino situation as free agency approaches.

[Blue In BC]

Our punting has been a joke for too long.....the one where we needed a big booming kick we got a line drive straight to the returner to took it back to our 35 and then the Als capitalized.    Mike O'Shea is not a Wally Buono and we hang on to players who are past their prime hoping they have enough game left in them to overcome adversity when the chips are down.     Well the chips were down and some of our vets failed.    The game was eerily similar to our loss last year.    Next year BC will represent the west in the GC final and win it....that's my prediction.    I really think AB4 is done now along with some other aging vets and it's time to start getting younger.    Don't get me wrong, it's been great being a Bomber fan these past 4-5 years, however our time in the sun and being a dominant team I believe is just about over.
Regardless of how next season shakes down I will die forever a Bomber fan!!

For the record you can't predict what happens next year other than opinion. However we can't predict what their roster will look like anymore than we can predict ours. Lions have already lost 2 key players with achilles injuries going into 2024. They could miss the entire season: TJ Lee and D. Hatcher.

Once free agency comes and goes we'll be in a better position to make a more informed opinion that we can today.

Most didn't even expect the Als to reach the Grey Cup is a perfect example. The collapse of the Argos would be another. Critical injuries at critical points in the season are all telling.

[blue_gold_84]

For the record you can't predict what happens next year other than opinion. However we can't predict what their roster will look like anymore than we can predict ours. Lions have already lost 2 key players with achilles injuries going into 2024. They could miss the entire season: TJ Lee and D. Hatcher.

Once free agency comes and goes we'll be in a better position to make a more informed opinion that we can today.

Most didn't even expect the Als to reach the Grey Cup is a perfect example. The collapse of the Argos would be another. Critical injuries at critical points in the season are all telling.

Well said. We're barely a day into the off-season, so I think it's beyond premature to try and make any predictions at this juncture.

Let's not get lost in hyperbole and worry; we've seen how this organization bounces back lately.

[Lincoln Locomotive]

For the record you can't predict what happens next year other than opinion. However we can't predict what their roster will look like anymore than we can predict ours. Lions have already lost 2 key players with achilles injuries going into 2024. They could miss the entire season: TJ Lee and D. Hatcher.

Once free agency comes and goes we'll be in a better position to make a more informed opinion that we can today.

Most didn't even expect the Als to reach the Grey Cup is a perfect example. The collapse of the Argos would be another. Critical injuries at critical points in the season are all telling.

We we're definitely nicked in our receiver corp yet Demski played his heart out and made critical first downs making his incredible cuts to gain those extra YAC yards.    As much as we can't predict what happens in free agency, one thing is certain, other teams will keep improving and despite key injuries to BC, they will be hungry to be better next year.   I think we are looking at several key players retiring and Brady who was our life force on offence will be looking for NFL tryouts.    I still see us in the playoffs however I just don't see us being as dominant and Zach is showing signs of being past his ultimate prime.
I think our team dominance has peaked and we were thinking the Cup was ours and it, and our "dynasty" status was taken from us by a hungrier and younger team with something to prove,

[Blue In BC]

We we're definitely nicked in our receiver corp yet Demski played his heart out and made critical first downs making his incredible cuts to gain those extra YAC yards.    As much as we can't predict what happens in free agency, one thing is certain, other teams will keep improving and despite key injuries to BC, they will be hungry to be better next year.   I think we are looking at several key players retiring and Brady who was our life force on offence will be looking for NFL tryouts.    I still see us in the playoffs however I just don't see us being as dominant and Zach is showing signs of being past his ultimate prime.
I think our team dominance has peaked and we were thinking the Cup was ours and it, and our "dynasty" status was taken from us by a hungrier and younger team with something to prove,

Collaros is on the downside but that doesn't really mean much. Fajardo has never been a good QB and he's not on the upside and yet he won the Grey Cup. Team game.

While Collaros didn't play as well as we liked the finger can be pointed at many players and coaches. Essentially we were 1 play away from winning in spite of all the mistakes. I'd count about 5 plays where our guy was beat by their guy and that ultimately decided the game.

It's the nature of the game. No team should be able to succeed on 2nd and 18 and then 3rd and 4th on consecutive plays. Didn't anybody expect us to " win " those two plays? I didn't and I've seen that pattern before. Lousy defensive strategy and execution.

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

IIRC the Bombers secondary only gave up 12 TD's passing in the entire season. However the gave up 3 last night. I'd blame the coaching for that as much as on the personnel. We need from game one our front 4 was not as good as last year. The inability to collapse the pocket and maintain contain on a QB running was not good all year. Essentially a QB run in 2022 and this year did us in.

I question why Gauthier was on the field as much as he was in those critical situations. Again, that falls on coaching decisions, schemes and recruitment or lack thereof.

The 2023 roster ceased to exist last night.  Whether we intended that or not is irrelevant.

Gauthier was in often because Bighill was physically unable to play, to his credit he played well, especially in the area of his expertise, stopping the run.

[Lincoln Locomotive]

Collaros is on the downside but that doesn't really mean much. Fajardo has never been a good QB and he's not on the upside and yet he won the Grey Cup. Team game.

While Collaros didn't play as well as we liked the finger can be pointed at many players and coaches. Essentially we were 1 play away from winning in spite of all the mistakes. I'd count about 5 plays where our guy was beat by their guy and that ultimately decided the game.

It's the nature of the game. No team should be able to succeed on 2nd and 18 and then 3rd and 4th on consecutive plays. Didn't anybody expect us to " win " those two plays? I didn't and I've seen that pattern before. Lousy defensive strategy and execution.

I think you're being unfair to Cody....remember when we won the 2019 WF....he was one goal post away from beating us in that game.    That was his best game Not winning and then we go on and crush Hamilton in Calgary's GC game.    He had the highest completion percentage of all CFL QBs and they went in an 8 game win streak....he played well enough to beat us and make 3 clutch plays in a row to win the GC....he outplayed Zach.   He was the MVP in the game....so give him a little credit.    I've never been a big fan of his mainly because of his "Jesus" thing however he always had that winning potential and he proved many of us wrong yesterday.    I was hoping Zach would finally carry our team on his shoulders and he wasn't up to it and yes it's a team game....but Cody carried his team on his shoulders on that last GC winning drive and he deserves some recognition for it....as does Jason Maas.

[jdrattops]

I'm hoping O'Shea is able to move on from some vets next season whom seem to be on the downside of their careers.  One thing that is a must is signing Dru Brown.  He's the future and when was the last time we can say as Bomber fans that we developed our own.  Question to the gurus on here, was Collaros's contract guaranteed for the full 3 seasons?  Or just the last?  Don't get me wrong, I still love Zack, but Dru Brown should be starting games next season.

[GOLDMEMBER]

For the record you can't predict what happens next year other than opinion. However we can't predict what their roster will look like anymore than we can predict ours. Lions have already lost 2 key players with achilles injuries going into 2024. They could miss the entire season: TJ Lee and D. Hatcher.

Once free agency comes and goes we'll be in a better position to make a more informed opinion that we can today.

Most didn't even expect the Als to reach the Grey Cup is a perfect example. The collapse of the Argos would be another. Critical injuries at critical points in the season are all telling.

Love it and well said! Aside from some real lacking roster and PR decisions the staff seems to have a way of attracting top notch talent not to mention finding talent.

[jdrattops]

I think you're being unfair to Cody....remember when we won the 2019 WF....he was one goal post away from beating us in that game.    That was his best game Not winning and then we go on and crush Hamilton in Calgary's GC game.    He had the highest completion percentage of all CFL QBs and they went in an 8 game win streak....he played well enough to beat us and make 3 clutch plays in a row to win the GC....he outplayed Zach.   He was the MVP in the game....so give him a little credit.    I've never been a big fan of his mainly because of his "Jesus" thing however he always had that winning potential and he proved many of us wrong yesterday.    I was hoping Zach would finally carry our team on his shoulders and he wasn't up to it and yes it's a team game....but Cody carried his team on his shoulders on that last GC winning drive and he deserves some recognition for it....as does Jason Maas.

I think Zach takes us down and wins the game if there was a minute and half to go.  Two seasons in a row the defense couldn't hold.  Both times we had teams in second and long situations that if stopped we would have been raising the cup.  Of the starting QBs in the league, Cody's my 10th pick.

[Blue In BC]

I think you're being unfair to Cody....remember when we won the 2019 WF....he was one goal post away from beating us in that game.    That was his best game Not winning and then we go on and crush Hamilton in Calgary's GC game.    He had the highest completion percentage of all CFL QBs and they went in an 8 game win streak....he played well enough to beat us and make 3 clutch plays in a row to win the GC....he outplayed Zach.   He was the MVP in the game....so give him a little credit.    I've never been a big fan of his mainly because of his "Jesus" thing however he always had that winning potential and he proved many of us wrong yesterday.    I was hoping Zach would finally carry our team on his shoulders and he wasn't up to it and yes it's a team game....but Cody carried his team on his shoulders on that last GC winning drive and he deserves some recognition for it....as does Jason Maas.

Any play is always a question of whether it's a good offensive play, a bad defensive play or both. He's not a QB that is consistent or capable of long multi play drives. It an all or nothing style. Those QB's rarely succeed.

On one Al touchdown it was a 2 play 65 yard drive. The last drive was about 40 - 45 yards in 2 plays. Bombers held the lead for about 57 minutes of the game until the last drive.

I'd say the Als success fell more on bad defence than good offence. The problem was that those came at just the right moment.

That's not my definition of a good QB.

[Jesse]

I think you're being unfair to Cody....remember when we won the 2019 WF....he was one goal post away from beating us in that game.    That was his best game Not winning and then we go on and crush Hamilton in Calgary's GC game.    He had the highest completion percentage of all CFL QBs and they went in an 8 game win streak....he played well enough to beat us and make 3 clutch plays in a row to win the GC....he outplayed Zach.   He was the MVP in the game....so give him a little credit.    I've never been a big fan of his mainly because of his "Jesus" thing however he always had that winning potential and he proved many of us wrong yesterday.    I was hoping Zach would finally carry our team on his shoulders and he wasn't up to it and yes it's a team game....but Cody carried his team on his shoulders on that last GC winning drive and he deserves some recognition for it....as does Jason Maas.

Congrats to Cody for having the game of his life on the most important stage.

He's still a terrible starting QB. One game doesn't change his entire career.

[Blue In BC]

Gauthier was in often because Bighill was physically unable to play, to his credit he played well, especially in the area of his expertise, stopping the run.

Yeah but we had Cole and Clement who didn't see as much reps as I thought. Further to that is no depth on PR for the entire season. We were starting about 9 or 10 Canadians.

We should have signed Sankey as a few of us suggested earlier in the season when he was available. Whether he was mostly a DI or rotated with Bighill as he got familiar with the defence as the season progressed, it would have been a sound acquisition. A player sitting on the coach wouldn't be a high additional SMS hit over a Clement for example.

Not only that he wouldn't have been playing against us stuffing the run in the 2nd half.