Retiring QB's?

[Blue In BC]

Then the solution is simple.  Replace some of the weak links on OL.  Just spend the FA required.  Go over, who cares.  I'd go over up to losing the #2 DP if required, and certainly paying the fines (who cares with our revenue).

Brady spelled it out in his season-ending interview: he stays if the core he mentioned stays -- specifically Stan & Neuf.  So you keep Stan & Neuf and FA a real RT, a league-top C, and LG.  Go 3 IMP.  Move Wallace back to jumbo.  Cut Ko & Rand/Vant, or keep the best as PR.

We wanted Ko to be the man, but it would seem he's just not good enough.  It doesn't give me warm fuzzies, but I think we need to move on to win.  By Brady not mentioning him, I think he agrees.

Big bump to the SMS % we put into OL.  This cheaping out hasn't been working for 2-3 seasons.

I don't know why you keep pushing the go over the cap by any amount. I'm glad the team has more integrity than that. How do you figure we've been cheaping out when we exceeded the 2024 SMS by $25K?

We'll see where the bump to the new SMS goes but every other team has that money too,  The same players will just get more.

The thing with Collaros is that his history with concussions may push him / his family to consider his health. I wonder what his doctors are telling him. It's tough to give up that big salary but there are more important things.

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

I don't know why you keep pushing the go over the cap by any amount. I'm glad the team has more integrity than that. How do you figure we've been cheaping out when we exceeded the 2024 SMS by $25K?

We'll see where the bump to the new SMS goes but every other team has that money too,  The same players will just get more.

Derek Taylor stat, this season the Bombers spent 5x as much on the 1 game IR as they did last season.  An example of were bonus money went, Micah Vanterpool only dressed for 6 games but was paid for all 18, and he wasn't the only one.

[Blue In BC]

Derek Taylor stat, this season the Bombers spent 5x as much on the 1 game IR as they did last season.  An example of were bonus money went, Micah Vanterpool only dressed for 6 games but was paid for all 18, and he wasn't the only one.

Yeah I think we all knew that and most teams did the same thing. The increase didn't happen in time to try and use it during free agency but the other teams would have had the same issue.

The new issue is whether there is still any SMS left from 2025 and what we do for 2026.

It's almost a net zero impact. I don't know what Olivieria will ask for next season. Lets just say he asks for $300K and the team offers to pay that.  Same player, same team but he's making about $70K more. Multiply that kind of increase for Demski, Bryant, Jefferson a couple more and the new SMS is spent.

I'm not suggesting any of those players get that increase. I'm just showing the roster is the same size and the players essentially the same.

In a similar way to using the money to pad the 1 game IR, we could just add 4 or 5 players directly to the AR. An expanded roster on the AR has more impact IMO. Padding the IR is fine but it doesn't help for in game injuries or help develop players getting playing time.

The pool of players teams look at isn't changing.

The catch is the ratio. Teams don't have 4 or 5 more Canadians to add to every roster except as just warm bodies.

I'd add 2 more DI's and 2 Canadians as my idea.

[Pigskin]

Yeah I think we all knew that and most teams did the same thing. The increase didn't happen in time to try and use it during free agency but the other teams would have had the same issue.

The new issue is whether there is still any SMS left from 2025 and what we do for 2026.

It's almost a net zero impact. I don't know what Olivieria will ask for next season. Lets just say he asks for $300K and the team offers to pay that.  Same player, same team but he's making about $70K more. Multiply that kind of increase for Demski, Bryant, Jefferson a couple more and the new SMS is spent.

I'm not suggesting any of those players get that increase. I'm just showing the roster is the same size and the players essentially the same.

In a similar way to using the money to pad the 1 game IR, we could just add 4 or 5 players directly to the AR. An expanded roster on the AR has more impact IMO. Padding the IR is fine but it doesn't help for in game injuries or help develop players getting playing time.

The pool of players teams look at isn't changing.

The catch is the ratio. Teams don't have 4 or 5 more Canadians to add to every roster except as just warm bodies.

I'd add 2 more DI's and 2 Canadians as my idea.

I could see ND10 getting a pay bump, but not that much. Bryant and Willy, the same or less.

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

I could see ND10 getting a pay bump, but that much. Bryant and Willy, the same or less.

Nah don't think so, Nic has done`well at $225k which is the ceiling for elite receivers on most teams, if anything he's plateaued and should be happy with $200k at his advanced age.

[Blueforlife]

Most of these names will be back imo.  The higher paid ones will want another year or two if they can.  A lot of cake for these vets.  I think the leagues QB pipeline is decent.

[Tecno]

I don't know why you keep pushing the go over the cap by any amount. I'm glad the team has more integrity than that. How do you figure we've been cheaping out when we exceeded the 2024 SMS by $25K?

I said we've been cheaping out on the OL.  And we have.

If we have to go over cap (up to $100k over is "free" for us) to fix our OL problem, then that's what we should do.  Do you want another season of crap OL play ruining all of our hopes & dreams?  And star players like Brady getting antsy and leaving if the OL problem isn't solved?

There's no solution from a dev-pipeline pespective as no one in our pipeline is the next Desjar.  And our chance of drafting a 1st-week-starting Desjar-like guy is basically zero.

Thus the need to overspend in FA on OL.

[Blue In BC]

I said we've been cheaping out on the OL.  And we have.

If we have to go over cap (up to $100k over is "free" for us) to fix our OL problem, then that's what we should do.  Do you want another season of crap OL play ruining all of our hopes & dreams?  And star players like Brady getting antsy and leaving if the OL problem isn't solved?

There's no solution from a dev-pipeline pespective as no one in our pipeline is the next Desjar.  And our chance of drafting a 1st-week-starting Desjar-like guy is basically zero.

Thus the need to overspend in FA on OL.

In general, I think you're nuts. There are seldom top Canadian OL that reach free agency and the concept of over paying ANYONE is ridiculous as a starting point.

We over paid to keep Jefferson and to add Vaughters. We over paid to add Mitchell and J. Jones.  Collaros is over paid.

The other teams are more often ones notorious for over paying. Let them. How did over paying Ford in Edmonton work out for them?

We need to spend more wisely and not fall into the trap of over paying. Over paying is not the solution.

We spent the SMS. We have a fairly veteran OL. Bryant, Neufeld and Kolo are well paid.

[Pete]

In general, I think you're nuts. There are seldom top Canadian OL that reach free agency and the concept of over paying ANYONE is ridiculous as a starting point.

We over paid to keep Jefferson and to add Vaughters. We over paid to add Mitchell and J. Jones.  Collaros is over paid.

The other teams are more often ones notorious for over paying. Let them. How did over paying Ford in Edmonton work out for them?

We need to spend more wisely and not fall into the trap of over paying. Over paying is not the solution.
We spent the SMS. We have a fairly veteran OL. Bryant, Neufeld and Kolo are well paid.

we may not have a choice, as you indicated quality cdn linemen aren't plentiful. If you want to upgrade your oline (which we very much need to do) your gonna have to shell out. Im not sure its an overpay if thats what the market is for those players. For example did Hamilton overpay for Dobson, the bombers obviously thought so as they werent in the same ballpark

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

In general, I think you're nuts. There are seldom top Canadian OL that reach free agency and the concept of over paying ANYONE is ridiculous as a starting point.

We over paid to keep Jefferson and to add Vaughters. We over paid to add Mitchell and J. Jones.  Collaros is over paid.

The other teams are more often ones notorious for over paying. Let them. How did over paying Ford in Edmonton work out for them?

We need to spend more wisely and not fall into the trap of over paying. Over paying is not the solution.

We spent the SMS. We have a fairly veteran OL. Bryant, Neufeld and Kolo are well paid.

This is pretty much what Walters confirms every year during his final press conference, he takes the accounting part of his job seriously and spends to the limit of his budget each season.  He doesn't see the logic in making one year more special than any other, to him their objective is always the same, put the best team they can on the field within the budget allowed.

[Tecno]

we may not have a choice, as you indicated quality cdn linemen aren't plentiful. If you want to upgrade your oline (which we very much need to do) your gonna have to shell out.

Exactly right.  The old method of deving solid or top NAT DPs is over because we haven't been drafting the right ones, or they simply don't exist anymore -- not by the time our 1RDP rolls around.

We used to get them cheap and then start them in year 1 or 2.  Goosen, Couture, Chungh, Desjar, Dobson, Gray -- all are top-5 at their position for at least 1 season here, and on ELC.  Sometimes we got a year 3 out of them with a reasonable bump.  More often they walked for huge $.

The days of doing that are over.  Wallace won't be a top-5 anything.  Vibert is probably worse.  Ko-man is lower-tier starting C.  It's not working anymore.

So we must change course.  I would suggest going 3 IMP OL because it's cheaper than wooing a top-5 NAT OG.  And replace Ko-man, and get some top-3 IMP RT in FA.  So that means we must splurge for a top NAT C and IMP RT.

Drafting some OL in the 3rd round and hoping and praying isn't going to do anything.  Sticking with the status quo on LG, C, RT is going to cost us Zach (due to injury) and Brady (due to him not having faith).  Brady says he wants Stan & Neuf, so give him Stan & Neuf and get 3 new top studs for the rest.

Look at the teams going deep in the playoffs, and the ones in the GC.  Those clearly are the best OL in the league.  That's really the #1 thing you need to win.  WFC once knew this...

[Tecno]

We spent the SMS. We have a fairly veteran OL. Bryant, Neufeld and Kolo are well paid.

But having 2 high-end and top-$ guys like Stan & Neuf aren't enough when the other 3 are pylons in pass-pro and can't run block.  You need a no-weak-links line, like we used to have.  Maybe 1 guy can be league-top-20 instead of league-top-10, but that's about it.  Again, look at the GC teams this season.

Zach was very close to getting the Mike Reilly-in-BC treatment this season behind our OL.  What could Zach & Brady have done if they had the solid beef SSK provided Trevor & Liver King?

Maybe SSK did it right: spend way more on OL and way less on REC (they have no "superstar" at all).  All the best Kennys in the world can't help you if your QB has no time.

[bunker]

Games are won and lost in the trenches. Walters has been living in Winnipeg too long, and has bought into the "never pay retail, always try to buy at the wholesale price" approach that pervades in the city. Not a criticism of Winnipegers, I'm the same way. But I look around for the lowest price on groceries for the week in order to be able to treat myself to a good meal on the weekend. Walters needs to do the same. Stop overpaying for the grunge special teamers and mid level nothings like Mitchell,J Jones and Logan, in order to be able to feast on some all-star O-line and D-lineman. If Brady wants 300,000, let him walk. I think the O-line is more important to the rushing game (not to mention the passing game) than the RB, and he's expendable. 

My fear is that we will run it back and have a concussed Zach and a one legged Streveler scrambling for their lives behind a porous O-line that's one year older. Meanwhile on D, we will continue to have an aging Jake and Willy penetrate 6 inches into the pocket until Vaughters finally decides to give up.

[bunker]

Of course you can't build a contender only in free agency, we need to improve our scouting big time. But its still a piece of the puzzle.

[dd]

Games are won and lost in the trenches. Walters has been living in Winnipeg too long, and has bought into the "never pay retail, always try to buy at the wholesale price" approach that pervades in the city. Not a criticism of Winnipegers, I'm the same way. But I look around for the lowest price on groceries for the week in order to be able to treat myself to a good meal on the weekend. Walters needs to do the same. Stop overpaying for the grunge special teamers and mid level nothings like Mitchell,J Jones and Logan, in order to be able to feast on some all-star O-line and D-lineman. If Brady wants 300,000, let him walk. I think the O-line is more important to the rushing game (not to mention the passing game) than the RB, and he's expendable. 

My fear is that we will run it back and have a concussed Zach and a one legged Streveler scrambling for their lives behind a porous O-line that's one year older. Meanwhile on D, we will continue to have an aging Jake and Willy penetrate 6 inches into the pocket until Vaughters finally decides to give up.

Ya, Brady's got to watch his step on his contract demands. Peterson could replace him in a heartbeat, and overpaying, like you say, guarantees nothing. If he gets too pricey, move on.