Jake Thomas Discussion

[Waffler]

The catch last year was Lawson getting injured.

This is the thing for me. Jake doesn't miss games and coaches love that. DURABLE. Don't think he has missed a game since 2016.

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

You just proved my point. Rotational player not starter as his role.

Every DT is a rotational player because they're engaged in an ongoing wrestling match which is exhausting, you'll never see one play an entire game like a DE sometimes does. 

[Blue In BC]

Every DT is a rotational player because they're engaged in an ongoing wrestling match which is exhausting, you'll never see one play an entire game like a DE sometimes does. 

We all know that but we have the choice of adding Schmekel as depth and have chosen to not do that at the moment. Kornelson is getting some of the reps. Ratio doesn't allow us to have an import DT on the AR to spread the load. Our import DT's in 2024 were rookies and not good enough to dictate a ratio change.

In fact we don't have a healthy import DT at the moment. Bailey and Person are both lighter and speed players.

Woods was moved to 6 game IR before the 2nd game. Nothing really telling us when or if he'll be available. We might see someone added to the PR in the next week or so.

[markf]

The other forum has had a hate-on for Fatboi forever.  This forum is more of a split.

The other forum also has people who think Holm is bad. Kramdi is bad. We are starting the wrong Jones. Quite a few there want to fire O'Shea. Comical Stuff.

Thomas ties up two blockers regularly. He doesn't physically look like he should be able to, but he does.

Lawson.... That guy is a force.

[Blueforlife]

The other forum also has people who think Holm is bad. Kramdi is bad. We are starting the wrong Jones. Quite a few there want to fire O'Shea. Comical Stuff.

Thomas ties up two blockers regularly. He doesn't physically look like he should be able to, but he does.

Lawson.... That guy is a force.

I don't go on there much but some folks on here dumped on Kramdi pretty hard when he was learning his trade, while others including me seen the talent early on.  He got torched a bit but that's the best way to learn!

I can't believe anyone would dump on Holm.  Lots on here wanted Hall and MOS gone a few years ago.  Seen it all.  Yup Thomas can demand a double team and Lawson if we are lucky will continue to develop and have the longevity we have enjoyed with Thomas.

There are a few on both sites that suggest he should be cut. I've said that in the past. The catch last year was Lawson getting injured. The other aspect is we use a DT as part of our ratio. Last year our imports were not very good and we had lots of injuries.

We know O'Shea loves to consider everybody including PR players as " starters".

Regardless it was possible at times that we could have had 2 import DT's on the AR taking away reps from the Canadians. We also lined up 3 DE's often instead of a usual DL.

The 50% marker is just a comparison between Lawson and Thomas. It is not a reflection of total plays or whether we're in various defensive sets.  Using Griffin in the equation is irrelevant. He's not lining up and taking on a role a DT might take.

Those that suggest Thomas should have been cut were wrong imo.  Don't get better by deleting a proven steady Canadian.

That's a pretty thin argument. It's not a question about where he's listed on the depth chart. I asked earlier if anyone had a rep count so far in 2025. The context of the argument is that he should be getting less reps as time progresses and Lawson gets up to game speed.

Any player getting more than 50% of the reps then is the starter and not the back up.

It's about whether he has become less effective and frequently washed out of plays to the point where he's a liability on the field.

We're seeing Lawson starting to look good and even Kornelson is getting on the field more in rotation.

The continued suggestion that Thomas could be a liability on the field isn't correct imo.  We rotate enough to keep everyone fresh imo.

[TecnoGenius]

It's about whether he has become less effective and frequently washed out of plays to the point where he's a liability on the field.

Reread my post about him always being him.

List the ways he's "become less effective"...  now subtract the list of ways you (and other people) have said the same about for years.

I bet you can't find a single bad thing about him that hasn't been said about him for about 10 years.  And if he was rostered then, then why wouldn't we roster him now?

Wake me up when he actually gets "worse".

Oh ya, also, "frequently washed out of plays" describes what our OL does to most DTs on most plays.  So ya, not gonna bash Fatboi on that one.  If you watch the way most teams stop our runs, it's LBers stuffing holes or DEs/LBs getting around the edge to stop them while the blocks are setting up.  The latter being much more common lately (grrrr).

[TecnoGenius]

Can you just please lie to me and say Zach can throw 50 yards 😪.  I am even starting to agree with you on that one.  Admitting is the 1st step lol.

Zach can throw 50 yards.  There, I said it and it's true!  However, the ball will be at the RECs feet by the time it gets there, and thus INTed.

[Blueforlife]

Zach can throw 50 yards.  There, I said it and it's true!  However, the ball will be at the RECs feet by the time it gets there, and thus INTed.

Lol, fact.  I think you are right but I also hope to see some air on the ball tonight! With zip!

[Blue In BC]

Reread my post about him always being him.

List the ways he's "become less effective"...  now subtract the list of ways you (and other people) have said the same about for years.

I bet you can't find a single bad thing about him that hasn't been said about him for about 10 years.  And if he was rostered then, then why wouldn't we roster him now?

Wake me up when he actually gets "worse".

Oh ya, also, "frequently washed out of plays" describes what our OL does to most DTs on most plays.  So ya, not gonna bash Fatboi on that one.  If you watch the way most teams stop our runs, it's LBers stuffing holes or DEs/LBs getting around the edge to stop them while the blocks are setting up.  The latter being much more common lately (grrrr).

Well if you think he isn't slower than he was 10 years ago, you don't know much.  We've often had Canadians that weren't good enough but it's all we could accomplish. Hurl as a starting MLB?  Who was that Canadian safety we had before we moved to Alexander?

Our Canadian talent has improved as has our depth.  We have 4 draft choices form 2025 that made the AR. Another is on the PR and we traded to get Peterson.

It will be the same next spring when we draft more players. There will be current players that we move on from.

[Blue In BC]

I don't go on there much but some folks on here dumped on Kramdi pretty hard when he was learning his trade, while others including me seen the talent early on.  He got torched a bit but that's the best way to learn!

I can't believe anyone would dump on Holm.  Lots on here wanted Hall and MOS gone a few years ago.  Seen it all.  Yup Thomas can demand a double team and Lawson if we are lucky will continue to develop and have the longevity we have enjoyed with Thomas.
Those that suggest Thomas should have been cut were wrong imo.  Don't get better by deleting a proven steady Canadian.
The continued suggestion that Thomas could be a liability on the field isn't correct imo.  We rotate enough to keep everyone fresh imo.

You mean by not deleting players like Noah Hallett, Augustine or Woli for example? Rosters are always changing. A time comes for every player including Canadians.

Augustine and Woli played 6 and 7 seasons respectively and close to 100 games. That's about 1/2 the total for Thomas.

Nobody rests on their laurels forever.

[Blueforlife]

You mean by not deleting players like Noah Hallett, Augustine or Woli for example? Rosters are always changing. A time comes for every player including Canadians.

Augustine and Woli played 6 and 7 seasons respectively and close to 100 games. That's about 1/2 the total for Thomas.

Nobody rests on their laurels forever.

We all know rosters change.  Yes we are well aware players can't play forever. I was specifically speaking to deleting Thomas in my post.  Excited for Lawson to take the torch (soonish).

Woli is a great example of not getting better by deletion, we will miss him.  Like Thomas nothing but rock steady!  That said we found a couple decent replacements.

Hallett was a fringe players that is a weak comparison to what Thomas has contributed to this club.  Augustine contributed and showed promised but didn't impact like Thomas has.  I liked Johnny though!

I believe folks were wrong when they said we should have cut Thomas and the performance on the field of our defense and the Bomber brass would agree.

Nobody said Thomas would play forever, stretching here imo

Well if you think he isn't slower than he was 10 years ago, you don't know much.  We've often had Canadians that weren't good enough but it's all we could accomplish. Hurl as a starting MLB?  Who was that Canadian safety we had before we moved to Alexander?

Our Canadian talent has improved as has our depth.  We have 4 draft choices form 2025 that made the AR. Another is on the PR and we traded to get Peterson.

It will be the same next spring when we draft more players. There will be current players that we move on from.

Don't agree with the comparisons.  Hurl was terrible.

You clearly don't value our depth / role Canadian players like Thomas and Woli, that's ok but Techno and I do!

[Blue In BC]

We all know rosters change.  Yes we are well aware players can't play forever. I was specifically speaking to deleting Thomas in my post.  Excited for Lawson to take the torch (soonish).

Woli is a great example of not getting better by deletion, we will miss him.  Like Thomas nothing but rock steady!  That said we found a couple decent replacements.

Augustine and Hallett are fringe players that are a weak comparison to what Thomas has contributed to this club.

I believe folks were wrong when they said we should have cut Thomas and the performance on the field of our defense and the Bomber brass would agree.

Nobody said Thomas would play forever, stretching here imo
Don't agree with the comparisons.  Hurl was terrible.

You clearly don't value our depth / role Canadian players like Thomas and Woli, that's ok but Techno and I do!

I always value depth. I ask the same question every year. Who are at the bottom of the list by ranking them. Whether by age, injury history, SMS hit or replacements in the pipeline.

Going into 2026 there will be same question knowing that we draft 8 or 9 players and 3 - 5 will make the AR. A few players will leave one way or the other. It's not difficult to think the oldest will be targeted somewhat.

Teams often keep players beyond their best before dates because of the ratio.  I don't know if Schmekel will be good down the line. I do know we're paying him full salary on the 1 game IR. That can't continue forever.  We may not have known that Lawson would recover completely and quickly and get up to game speed. In that sense they needed to commit to Thomas.

BTW. Hurl was terrible but O'Shea was always saying how good and valuable he was. So you have to take what coaches say and do with a grain of salt. Supply and demand forces some choices.

[Blueforlife]

I always value depth. I ask the same question every year. Who are at the bottom of the list by ranking them. Whether by age, injury history, SMS hit or replacements in the pipeline.

Going into 2026 there will be same question knowing that we draft 8 or 9 players and 3 - 5 will make the AR. A few players will leave one way or the other. It's not difficult to think the oldest will be targeted somewhat.

Teams often keep players beyond their best before dates because of the ratio.  I don't know if Schmekel will be good down the line. I do know we're paying him full salary on the 1 game IR. That can't continue forever.  We may not have known that Lawson would recover completely and quickly and get up to game speed. In that sense they needed to commit to Thomas.

BTW. Hurl was terrible but O'Shea was always saying how good and valuable he was. So you have to take what coaches say and do with a grain of salt. Supply and demand forces some choices.

Techno and I and other like what Thomas does because of his play and what we see, not because of what MOS says.  At the time Hurl had value as he was all we had and was Canadian.  We all knew he wasn't the answer, just a temp. placeholder until we found another option.

Agree supply and demand played a role.

Thomas has remained employed mostly because of his play and passport imo.

[Blue In BC]

The same thing happens with imports. We decided to not re-sign either Bighill or Alexander. Both could have been decent back ups but we choose to go with younger, less expensive players like Ayers and so on. I even suggested Bighill would make a good DI but also struggled with having so many other import LB's.

Both were long time fan favourites but their decline was obvious even to the most loyal. Add in injury history and SMS hit, then it was a clear choice.

Our starting secondary is very good but I'm not sure what happens if we have an injury. Vaval might get bumped by Logan eventually. Griffith can step in a varied role as a starter but it all depends on who gets hurt and when.

[Blueforlife]

The same thing happens with imports. We decided to not re-sign either Bighill or Alexander. Both could have been decent back ups but we choose to go with younger, less expensive players like Ayers and so on. I even suggested Bighill would make a good DI but also struggled with having so many other import LB's.

Both were long time fan favourites but their decline was obvious even to the most loyal. Add in injury history and SMS hit, then it was a clear choice.

Our starting secondary is very good but I'm not sure what happens if we have an injury. Vaval might get bumped by Logan eventually. Griffith can step in a varied role as a starter but it all depends on who gets hurt and when.

Bighill was hurt bad and that's why we moved on
Alexander lost a step and we had better options
Yeah I loved them both and believe Biggie brought us our #1d swagger (I made a sign to the effect his 1st game)
Thomas remains our best current option to rotate and teach Lawson the ropes and we are in good shape
I love our depth at LB and agree our secondary is great
End is near for Fatboi but not now, hope eats tonight or opens up space for others to feast