Blue Bombers transactions - January 21, 2025

[markf]

Chris Jones was always converting somebody. With mixed results though.

Apparently Dequoy has been playing safety since the age of 5. I googled. surprised to learn he is already 30.

Chris Jones... now working for Bill Belichick.  Should be interesting.

Just curious which of his conversion projects worked? Only one I remember at all was Carter  at Defensive backfield which backfired.

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

Chris Jones... now working for Bill Belichick.  Should be interesting.

Just curious which of his conversion projects worked? Only one I remember at all was Carter  at Defensive backfield which backfired.

AC Leonard was a receiver or TE before Jones converted him to DE.

[Waffler]

Jordan Reaves tried out here as a receiver. Jones put him at DE.

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

Jordan Reaves tried out here as a receiver. Jones put him at DE.

Reaves played basketball for the Brandon Bobcats in college, didn't play football till the Bombers gave him a tryout based on his athletic ability and family name. He's chipped out a career as a ST player since 2015, which is better than many.

[TecnoGenius]

Apparently Dequoy has been playing safety since the age of 5. I googled. surprised to learn he is already 30.

This is insane.  So that's like his dad or his coach looking at some skinny kid and saying "you'll be the best CFL FS ever!".  Very strange.

Goes to show, perhaps aspiring NAT kids should look at playing out-of-the-box positions (as in wacky, not outside the tackles!).  As a WR Dequoy might be one of zillions available that achieves nothing.  As a FS he's pure gold.

[TecnoGenius]

Are you really asking why we shouldn't just "ignore the draft choices and go find U level track stars who can just run faster than everyone else"?

No.  I'm asking why more high school and U coaches don't do this.  By the time they get to the CFL it's pretty much too late to change anything.

Although... if there was a super skinny guy NAT DP who is just too skinny to be a WR, and he has insane speed and ball skills... and he comes near the end of the draft... maybe...? ?  The beauty of FS is if you rove and ball hawk you basically are a WR who never has to TAKE a hit!  It's like the best of all worlds.

The only time I've seen Dequoy take a beating is when he tried run stopping some brute RB near the box (that was a mistake).  Every other time he's doing INTs or simple leg tackles.

[Sir Blue and Gold]

No.  I'm asking why more high school and U coaches don't do this.  By the time they get to the CFL it's pretty much too late to change anything.

Although... if there was a super skinny guy NAT DP who is just too skinny to be a WR, and he has insane speed and ball skills... and he comes near the end of the draft... maybe...? ?  The beauty of FS is if you rove and ball hawk you basically are a WR who never has to TAKE a hit!  It's like the best of all worlds.

The only time I've seen Dequoy take a beating is when he tried run stopping some brute RB near the box (that was a mistake).  Every other time he's doing INTs or simple leg tackles.

If being a track star made you a good football player then teams would do it at all levels of the game. A baseline ability to run fast in a predefined direction is a prerequisite to being able to play certain positions on the field but it is not the most important determinate of success in any position or example I can think of.

[Jesse]

No.  I'm asking why more high school and U coaches don't do this.

All coaches from all sports from all schools try to recruit the best athletes. Always. It's their job.

I'm a middle school teacher and you'll find me watching gym classes sometimes when I'm trying to field a better team (in any sport I happen to be coaching).

[VictorRomano]

All coaches from all sports from all schools try to recruit the best athletes. Always. It's their job.

I'm a middle school teacher and you'll find me watching gym classes sometimes when I'm trying to field a better team (in any sport I happen to be coaching).

Facts.  I'm the high school rugby coach, and I'm in the gym every fall looking at the basketball and volleyball players to see if there are any worth trying to recruit.

[Blue In BC]

So, will we snag a free agent from somewhere else across the CFL?

[J5V]

Ummm... 5 straight appearances...

Ugh! Thanks. I must be repressing the last 3 years. ;-)