Haha, Dru's our guy! LOL ROFL

[Jesse]

You missed my point.

When Perkins was signed, we had ZC8 and Wilson under contract.  That's the playing field Perkins thought he was competing with.  I know, any player has to anticipate personnel changes, but that was the lay of the land at that moment.

You may say that he has no experience, and as far as 3 down, sure.  But he didn't sign here because he was out of options.  He was MVP in the USFL last year, pretty sure he'd have a choice of gigs there.  But he wanted more, and starting in the CFL would be a step up from starting in the USFL. 

But running SY on a CFL team is nothing special, I think he'd prefer to actually play down south.  The arrival of Elgersma was an unexpected hurdle.   And no one ever expected Dru to come available.

So, yeah, our QB room is complicated.  ZC8's injury.  Dru's bad game.  Elgersma's early m'eh showing.

What is the downside to giving Perkins the rock against a wounded BC team and their third string QB?

Elgersma may have been unexpected to Perkins, but in terms of the team plans, he was always expected to be here. And when he did show up, we immediately saw that it was the intention to groom him for the future. You can say no one expected Dru to be here, but there were rumblings going back to last year; so again, when it comes to team plans, Perkins was brought here for a specific role and the only thing his "experience" is good for is in a "break glass in terms of emergency" situation.

The donwnside to giving Perkins reps is it's a waste of time. Dru is better and more experiences. Both Dru and Elgersma have potential to be future answers at the position for us.

[blue_gold_84]

I meant many fans pre-doom Zach to getting knocked out of almost every game he starts.  As in they think the odds of him staying upright more than 1-2 games in a row approaches zero.  It's not "superstition", it's calculating probabilities based on actual occurrences.

Are those fans wrong or out of line to have that view? I'd imagine those in charge of team personnel decisions have to consider those probabilities, too. If you can't rely on a key piece of your team to stay healthy and compete, that's a problem.

Collaros missed considerable time last season and he's currently missing time this season, with the cause in both instances being concussion-related.

I don't think anyone expressing that concern makes them "Zach haters" as you put it. I'd argue the consensus around here - and Blue Bomber fandom by and large - is that Collaros is royalty for what he's done in blue and gold.

[Waffler]

Look at Nield's drops.  How on earth can you improve that if not for practice?  There literally is no other way than throwing him the ball. 

Usually what players do is spend lots of time with the Jugs machine. That is not a part of organized practice, it's done on your own.

I agree though that the O needs time together to gel, practice will help you there.

[Waffler]

As far as Perkins starting... If everyone is healthy he is the 4th most accurate arm here in addition to being a rookie.

[TBURGESS]

The Lions injury report: 
Cristophe Beaulieu (DB)
Levi Bell (DL)
Stanley Berryhill III (WR)
James Butler (RB)
Jevon Cottoy (WR)
Nate DeMontagnac (WR)
Joshua Donovan (OL)
Adam Konar (LB)
Jermaine Jackson (WR)
T.J. Lee (DB)
Mark McNamee (K)
Andrew Peirson (OL)
Garry Peters (DB)
Nathan Rourke (QB)
Brandon Yates (OL)
Note: Nathan Rourke (Shoulder), Joshua Donovan (Knee), and Adam Konar (Thigh) did not participate in practice (DNP).  Garry Peters (Knee) and Stanley Berryhill III (Thigh) participated fully.

That's a lot of good players right there. The injury bug bit them hard and often.

[theaardvark]

Elgersma may have been unexpected to Perkins, but in terms of the team plans, he was always expected to be here. And when he did show up, we immediately saw that it was the intention to groom him for the future. You can say no one expected Dru to be here, but there were rumblings going back to last year; so again, when it comes to team plans, Perkins was brought here for a specific role and the only thing his "experience" is good for is in a "break glass in terms of emergency" situation.

The donwnside to giving Perkins reps is it's a waste of time. Dru is better and more experiences. Both Dru and Elgersma have potential to be future answers at the position for us.

What if Perkins *IS* the future.  What if he has enough.  He stuck with the Superbowl champs.  He was MVP of the USFL. Its not like he is a fresh rookie, and there was a reason they signed him over MBT or any of the others, and kept him over Wilson.

If he is the "Emergency, break glass" guy, I'm thinking maybe it is emergency time.

If you think that the current iteration Dru is your guy, or that totally green Elgersma is your guy while ZC8 recovers, well, we've seen the results.  Dru was good enough to get wins in a couple with lots of support, Elgersma too.   But they did not come close to winning a game.

Elgersma and Perkins made letting 3 year vet Wilson go a decision that the team was comfortable with.  Elgersma is a prospect, and great on the depth chart for a post ZC8 era.  Dru as well.  And because he's on the team right now, there is no reason Perkins can't be next man up.  Because its not Dru right now, and Elgersma needs more seasoning.

When ZC8 comes back, one of the QB might need to move on, unless we shield them on the RR.  None take a PR assignment, and any would probably get poached or traded for. This is the perfect time to see what Perkins has, and if he deserves a roster spot or even an RR spot, or if he's just another arm that tried to take other pro success and failed to make the transition to 3 down ball.

[blue_gold_84]

What if Perkins *IS* the future.  What if he has enough.  He stuck with the Superbowl champs.  He was MVP of the USFL. Its not like he is a fresh rookie, and there was a reason they signed him over MBT or any of the others, and kept him over Wilson.

Playing the What If Game is a bit reckless, especially at the QB position. Perkins is 29 years old and is basically a rookie in the CFL; he'd never played the Canadian game prior to this season. In what universe is he the future?

I think you're putting too much stock in his previous accomplishments as well, that SB ring in particular. He was a third stringer back then the same way he is now, and when he did play a season later, his stats, albeit a very small sample size, don't exactly jump off the page.
Being a UFL MVP is impressive but only to a point. Why? He was signed by the Panthers and then released a week later.

Wilson's being released came as a result of him bailing on the team and getting suspended. It had nothing to do with the team's comfortability.

I think the only likely instance in which we see Perkins play tomorrow is if the Bombers obliterate the Lions early on and he gets to share some mop-up time with Elgersma. Considering how O'Shea manages blowout games, however, I'm not about to hold my breath on that happening.

[Jesse]

What if Perkins *IS* the future.  What if he has enough.  He stuck with the Superbowl champs.  He was MVP of the USFL. Its not like he is a fresh rookie, and there was a reason they signed him over MBT or any of the others, and kept him over Wilson.

If he is the "Emergency, break glass" guy, I'm thinking maybe it is emergency time.

If you think that the current iteration Dru is your guy, or that totally green Elgersma is your guy while ZC8 recovers, well, we've seen the results.  Dru was good enough to get wins in a couple with lots of support, Elgersma too.   But they did not come close to winning a game.

Elgersma and Perkins made letting 3 year vet Wilson go a decision that the team was comfortable with.  Elgersma is a prospect, and great on the depth chart for a post ZC8 era.  Dru as well.  And because he's on the team right now, there is no reason Perkins can't be next man up.  Because its not Dru right now, and Elgersma needs more seasoning.

When ZC8 comes back, one of the QB might need to move on, unless we shield them on the RR.  None take a PR assignment, and any would probably get poached or traded for. This is the perfect time to see what Perkins has, and if he deserves a roster spot or even an RR spot, or if he's just another arm that tried to take other pro success and failed to make the transition to 3 down ball.

First of all, Perkins is a fresh rookie. Everyone comes here with their own experience. Doesn't mean anything once they get here.

Second, have you ever looked at Perkins' MVP season? He played 6 games and passed for an average of 190 yards/game. The UFL is not the CFL.

Third, we felt comfortable releasing Wilson because - guess what - he was also a SY QB. No reason to carry more than one.

Dru has years of experience in the CFL and has mostly had a winning record - besides his injury plagued season in Ottawa last year - benching him thinking some guy who can't really throw after a single bad game is ridiculous.

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

You missed my point.

When Perkins was signed, we had ZC8 and Wilson under contract.  That's the playing field Perkins thought he was competing with.  I know, any player has to anticipate personnel changes, but that was the lay of the land at that moment.

You may say that he has no experience, and as far as 3 down, sure.  But he didn't sign here because he was out of options.  He was MVP in the USFL last year, pretty sure he'd have a choice of gigs there.  But he wanted more, and starting in the CFL would be a step up from starting in the USFL. 

But running SY on a CFL team is nothing special, I think he'd prefer to actually play down south.  The arrival of Elgersma was an unexpected hurdle.   And no one ever expected Dru to come available.

So, yeah, our QB room is complicated.  ZC8's injury.  Dru's bad game.  Elgersma's early m'eh showing.

What is the downside to giving Perkins the rock against a wounded BC team and their third string QB?

2 points. Beggars can't be choosers, the Bombers need to grab every win they can and can't be dilly-dallying around trying out new QB's like Buck is doing.  Full court press for 2 points.

Perkins has the option of leaving the team and his weekly paycheque anytime for greener pastures, the world is his oyster!

[theaardvark]

2 points. Beggars can't be choosers, the Bombers need to grab every win they can and can't be dilly-dallying around trying out new QB's like Buck is doing.  Full court press for 2 points.

Perkins has the option of leaving the team and his weekly paycheque anytime for greener pastures, the world is his oyster!

Not sure if you've heard of the concept of contracts, but players sign contracts and if they want to leave football altogether, they can ignore those contracts.  But if you ever want to play again, "quitting" is not an option.  If Dru did not have the landing place here, he would not have quit.  I am surprised Montreal signed Wilson given his exit from Winnipeg.

If Winnipeg decides to offer him a PR spot, then sure, he can walk.  But until then, he's a Bomber.  And if he has any confidence in himself, he will continue to work every day to win a spot here.

Giving him "mop up" snaps might have some benefit, sure.  Like preseason snaps, with backups against backups without practive reps with the 1's.  But if Dru manages to lose this week, and ZC8 isn't ready to go, I hope that Perkins gets a week of practice after the bye and a start.

[Jesse]

Giving him "mop up" snaps might have some benefit, sure.  Like preseason snaps, with backups against backups without practive reps with the 1's.  But if Dru manages to lose this week, and ZC8 isn't ready to go, I hope that Perkins gets a week of practice after the bye and a start.

0% chance.

[Pigskin]

0% chance.

Agree, zero chance. I also believe ZC8 will be back for the Ottawa game.

[Jesse]

Agree, zero chance. I also believe ZC8 will be back for the Ottawa game.

That's probably a good bet too.

[TrueBlue4]

Not sure why people want to play Perkins ahead of Elgersma. I believe he is our next best option after Zac and Dru - not far behind Dru in my opinion.

[Tecno]

Agree, zero chance. I also believe ZC8 will be back for the Ottawa game.

Why? He'll be closer to 6 games then. The sms savings would not be insignificant. Someone else can run the numbers. It could mean the ability to pick up a playmaker for a late season run.