Noah Hallett

[Blue In BC]

He's been practising at " full " this week. I see no reason to take him off early.

The question is what do we do with him when he is ready? The team was high on him when they drafted him. I don't know whether he will have any lingering deficit from his injury history.

Barring an injury to another Canadian, I'm not sure who he might replace on the AR. It seems to me he was a good ST player.

Anyone have any more insight into his skill level and where he'd be of most use?

[Jesse]

He was supposed to be the "better" Hallett but that was years ago. He's gotta be a PR player when he comes off the IR, I would think.

We've only been dressing one back-up CB (along with other Hallett at safety). But maybe we take off a Canadian LB to fit him in if he's gonna be the superior teamer? Otherwise he's just emergency depth.

[Pigskin]

He's been practising at " full " this week. I see no reason to take him off early.

The question is what do we do with him when he is ready? The team was high on him when they drafted him. I don't know whether he will have any lingering deficit from his injury history.

Barring an injury to another Canadian, I'm not sure who he might replace on the AR. It seems to me he was a good ST player.

Anyone have any more insight into his skill level and where he'd be of most use?

I have been at both practices this week. Noah is on the field and he is practicing, but not full out like other players.

[Blue In BC]

I have been at both practices this week. Noah is on the field and he is practicing, but not full out like other players.

The IR reports are deceiving. There isn't really a need for him to push his rehab. This will be game 6 he misses and he could quite easily be extended. It will always depend to some degree on other injuries and what the possible replacements could be.

I'd like to see him get back on the AR at some point. 11 games from 2021 to date is nothing more than a blip. The article suggests he's an athletic freak of nature to some degree. There were high hopes. He's 3 1/2 years younger than Nick but he's also a potential free agent going into 2025.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://3downnation.com/2020/04/20/cfl-draft-profile-noah-hallett-defensive-back-mcmaster/&ved=2ahUKEwijrYD8hZuHAxWpIjQIHZkbAEYQFnoECA4QAQ&usg=AOvVaw1IctDXxu3Wo5qc7HoCgrSA

[Blueforlife]

A key depth piece for us.  Needs a little more seasoning.

[Jesse]

A key depth piece for us.  Needs a little more seasoning.

lol. If he's a key depth piece, we're in big trouble.

[Blueforlife]

lol. If he's a key depth piece, we're in big trouble.

His experience as a depth player is a good resource for a club with injury trouble, has upside but like I said needs some time like most depth players do

[Pigskin]

His experience as a depth player is a good resource for a club with injury trouble, has upside but like I said needs some time like most depth players do

Nick is a key piece, Noah not so much. He's played in 11 games over the last 3 years. 1 DT, and 6 STs.

[TecnoGenius]

Noah will have to wow his way onto the AR and wow on live game days if he wants to be retained going into '25.  It's almost impossible to overcome such a spate of injuries if you're not tier-1 already.

Who was that other guy we had several years ago who just kept going on the IR time after time for a couple of seasons?  Ya, pretty sure we moved on pretty quickly.  Can't say we haven't been loyal to Noah so far... he's running out of time.

[CrazyCanuck89]

A key depth piece for us.  Needs a little more seasoning.

Think he's had enough seasoning.

[Blue In BC]

Noah will have to wow his way onto the AR and wow on live game days if he wants to be retained going into '25.  It's almost impossible to overcome such a spate of injuries if you're not tier-1 already.

Who was that other guy we had several years ago who just kept going on the IR time after time for a couple of seasons?  Ya, pretty sure we moved on pretty quickly.  Can't say we haven't been loyal to Noah so far... he's running out of time.

P. Rene had some serious early injuries and we parted ways with him. He's now the starting SAM in Vancouver.

Now I don't know how the talent levels compare but it's interesting we've kept him around for several seasons.

The link I provided is impressive and I hope he can get healthy, stay healthy and contribute to the level of that info.

Those that go to practice might have a better idea of how he looks and what his role has been on ST's etc.

He's on the bubble because of injury history but he could still become a valuable player.

[Sir Blue and Gold]

More like we think Nick is great and keep his brother around mostly so they're easier to sign. The ROI on Noah has been zero.

[Blueforlife]

Think he's had enough seasoning.

Getting too salty already? Lol

Could be right

[Blue In BC]

Getting too salty already? Lol

Could be right

The thing is we don't really know until he gets a chance to participate, even in practice to assess what he brings.

Speed, technique, football IQ, attitude, aggressiveness etc. My only thought were when he first played before injury was that he was a good ST player, with some speed and determination.

In fact somewhat similar to P. Rene who had early career injuries that derailed him. Now he's become a very good player.

N. Hallett may never be that but I'd like to find out before we close the door too quickly. His injuries may also be partially limiting. IIRC he has an achilles problem?

[Blueforlife]

The thing is we don't really know until he gets a chance to participate, even in practice to assess what he brings.

Speed, technique, football IQ, attitude, aggressiveness etc. My only thought were when he first played before injury was that he was a good ST player, with some speed and determination.

In fact somewhat similar to P. Rene who had early career injuries that derailed him. Now he's become a very good player.

N. Hallett may never be that but I'd like to find out before we close the door too quickly. His injuries may also be partially limiting. IIRC he has an achilles problem?

You jogged my memory on Rene, seen him playing somewhere else, forget where. 

[BLUEBOMBER]

Time for players to step up or show them the door.

[Blueforlife]

Time for players to step up or show them the door.

You don't get better by deletion most of the time.

[Blue In BC]

You don't get better by deletion most of the time.

That's just not true. You can't hang on to everybody forever.

[LXTSN]

Agreed. And the Bombers are in a bad habit of keeping guys around that will never be starters.
Guys like Augustine, Gauthier and the Halletts are lifetime backups, and decent special teams players. We gotta start developing new talent in those positions like Cadwalader, and Kelly.

[theaardvark]

Agreed. And the Bombers are in a bad habit of keeping guys around that will never be starters.
Guys like Augustine, Gauthier and the Halletts are lifetime backups, and decent special teams players. We gotta start developing new talent in those positions like Cadwalader, and Kelly.

Circular reference, yo sate how we need to develop guys, and then quote two guys on the roster that are developing.

Continuity veteran min wage ST NAT players/backups are important backbones of the team, especially the ST unit. We aren't paying them a bundle, and that lets us use $sms elsewhere.  You can't have a team of all starters, just not feasible ether from a $SMS standpoint, or player satisfaction standpoint.  Having guys who are happy with min wage and happy in a backup/ST role are very, very important to have, keeping them around give continuity and familiarity with the rest of the team and coaches.

[Blue In BC]

Circular reference, yo sate how we need to develop guys, and then quote two guys on the roster that are developing.

Continuity veteran min wage ST NAT players/backups are important backbones of the team, especially the ST unit. We aren't paying them a bundle, and that lets us use $sms elsewhere.  You can't have a team of all starters, just not feasible ether from a $SMS standpoint, or player satisfaction standpoint.  Having guys who are happy with min wage and happy in a backup/ST role are very, very important to have, keeping them around give continuity and familiarity with the rest of the team and coaches.

Hallett and Augustine have been around for 5+ years and are 30+ years old. Both are good back up players. OTOH, Augustine earns about $110K. Hallett might be similar.

Gauthier is an 8 year veteran and 32 years old. Still provides good depth.

I'm not suggesting cutting any of them, but we have younger players that might replace them in 2025. Age and SMS come into play.

Noah Hallett is 4 years younger than Nick. He may or may not be his replacement or they might both make the roster. Kelly is in the mix possibly.

Bombers add some youth each season. Too early to predict who leaves or is gained in free agency or who we draft at which positions.

Going into 2024 we parted ways with nearly half of the roster. Some lost in free agency, some retired or were cut.

You do need those blue collar players even though many will never be more than emergency back ups and ST players.

[TBURGESS]

Time for players to step up or show them the door.

WOFO (Win Or) instead of FIFO.

[theaardvark]

Hallett and Augustine have been around for 5+ years and are 30+ years old. Both are good back up players. OTOH, Augustine earns about $110K. Hallett might be similar.

Gauthier is an 8 year veteran and 32 years old. Still provides good depth.

I'm not suggesting cutting any of them, but we have younger players that might replace them in 2025. Age and SMS come into play.

Noah Hallett is 4 years younger than Nick. He may or may not be his replacement or they might both make the roster. Kelly is in the mix possibly.

Bombers add some youth each season. Too early to predict who leaves or is gained in free agency or who we draft at which positions.

Going into 2024 we parted ways with nearly half of the roster. Some lost in free agency, some retired or were cut.

You do need those blue collar players even though many will never be more than emergency back ups and ST players.

We drafted 10 players this year.

Two are starting, 2 are on the AR as backups, one is on the PR, i think 2 are back in school, one is a long shot to come north.

So, five of this years draft picks are on the roster in some way, 2 starting this week.  I think that is a fair amount of "new blood".

[LXTSN]

Circular reference, yo sate how we need to develop guys, and then quote two guys on the roster that are developing.

Continuity veteran min wage ST NAT players/backups are important backbones of the team, especially the ST unit. We aren't paying them a bundle, and that lets us use $sms elsewhere.  You can't have a team of all starters, just not feasible ether from a $SMS standpoint, or player satisfaction standpoint.  Having guys who are happy with min wage and happy in a backup/ST role are very, very important to have, keeping them around give continuity and familiarity with the rest of the team and coaches.

This is my point. I don't like this argument for keeping these guys around. You want guys that are eager to improve and fight to become starters.

[theaardvark]

This is my point. I don't like this argument for keeping these guys around. You want guys that are eager to improve and fight to become starters.

If you think ANY of these guys does not want to be a starter, you're nuts.  They are happy to be "next man up", ready to come in when needed.  They all know their starting positions, and can come in when needed.  Raw rookies might be eager to improve, and want to be next up, but they do not have the seasoning, maturity and familiarity that a vet does.  Plus, these vets are coaches, helping their position coaches and co-ordinators coach up the new guys. 

There are roles for up and coming players and vet journeymen.  If your whole team is one or the other, you are in trouble.  Balance is the key, and we have that nicely

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

Anyone questioning why Kramdi became and remains a starter needs to read the following Ed Tait article, he embodies everything O'Shea endlessly promotes.

https://www.bluebombers.com/2024/07/10/48-hour-primer-cal-at-wpg/

[Blue In BC]

We drafted 10 players this year.

Two are starting, 2 are on the AR as backups, one is on the PR, i think 2 are back in school, one is a long shot to come north.

So, five of this years draft picks are on the roster in some way, 2 starting this week.  I think that is a fair amount of "new blood".

That's why I suggested that some of the vets may not play past 2024. In 2025 there will be more draft choices and some will earn roster spots. To some degree that is done in order to retain them. Not every will accept a PR spot.

[theaardvark]

Every year, vets go by the wayside.  Miller, Jackson, McCrae, Murphy, and starters like Rose, Gray, Jeffcoat. 

Yes, next year we will see the same.  Maybe more.  We are the oldest team in the league, but the 2025 home Grey Cup is something players and coaches are looking towards.  We might have kept Dru if that wasn't there.

Every year, we see turnover.  The key is making sure the pipeline has sufficient stock to cover.  We got stung by injuries and some of the guys we let get away would have looked good on the DC today, but that's football.  Injuries happen.

Just have to keep that pipeline filled.   

[kkc60]

Every year, vets go by the wayside.  Miller, Jackson, McCrae, Murphy, and starters like Rose, Gray, Jeffcoat. 

Yes, next year we will see the same.  Maybe more.  We are the oldest team in the league, but the 2025 home Grey Cup is something players and coaches are looking towards.  We might have kept Dru if that wasn't there.

Every year, we see turnover.  The key is making sure the pipeline has sufficient stock to cover.  We got stung by injuries and some of the guys we let get away would have looked good on the DC today, but that's football.  Injuries happen.

Just have to keep that pipeline filled.   

Murphy?

[kkc60]

I think Hallett is simply a huge question mark. Around the time we had him injured we also had Rene and Malcolm Thompson recovering from ACL injuries. The fact he was chosen over those two means either he showed better (which is significant considering those two are both starting games now),the Bombers put themselves in an awkward situation in terms of cutting the brother of another player on the team (or they're biased towards him due to that relationship) or they just simply picked the wrong guy

[theaardvark]

Murphy?

Jeremy... sorry, he's on the PR... forgot...

[LXTSN]

If you think ANY of these guys does not want to be a starter, you're nuts.  They are happy to be "next man up", ready to come in when needed.  They all know their starting positions, and can come in when needed.  Raw rookies might be eager to improve, and want to be next up, but they do not have the seasoning, maturity and familiarity that a vet does.  Plus, these vets are coaches, helping their position coaches and co-ordinators coach up the new guys. 

There are roles for up and coming players and vet journeymen.  If your whole team is one or the other, you are in trouble.  Balance is the key, and we have that nicely

Maybe the Halletts are a worse example so I'll take them out of my argument.
We know exactly what Gautier and Augustine are capable of. Neither of them are capable of being effective while spot starting. I'd rather the bombers give their limited reps to someone that MIGHT be an important part of the future.

Of course we know all these guys want to play and start. But would you rather have the guy who can be just okay and that's it, or would you rather take the chance and play the younger player with a better potential? Just a matter of opinion.

[Blueforlife]

That's just not true. You can't hang on to everybody forever.

We can agree to disagree

Right now we have some decent talent that I would retain.  With injuries we don't have the luxury to make much for cuts.  Yes you can hold too long but I don't think that's the case.  I would make changes mid season if we tank.

It's not about the truth, it's about an opinion and mine has always been most of the time you don't get better by deletion (especially in our mini dynasty and lead up to it).

This season we actually brought back cuts to improve the club.

If have a bad group of players, bad management or bad coaches or a combo of them yes you get better by deletion, that's the the case for the good ship Blue IMO.

Anyone questioning why Kramdi became and remains a starter needs to read the following Ed Tait article, he embodies everything O'Shea endlessly promotes.

https://www.bluebombers.com/2024/07/10/48-hour-primer-cal-at-wpg/

Agree key cog in the Bomber wheel

Maybe the Halletts are a worse example so I'll take them out of my argument.
We know exactly what Gautier and Augustine are capable of. Neither of them are capable of being effective while spot starting. I'd rather the bombers give their limited reps to someone that MIGHT be an important part of the future.

Of course we know all these guys want to play and start. But would you rather have the guy who can be just okay and that's it, or would you rather take the chance and play the younger player with a better potential? Just a matter of opinion.

Gauthier and Augustine both critical depth pieces that are going nowhere

[TecnoGenius]

Agreed. And the Bombers are in a bad habit of keeping guys around that will never be starters.
Guys like Augustine, Gauthier and the Halletts are lifetime backups, and decent special teams players. We gotta start developing new talent in those positions like Cadwalader, and Kelly.

Augustine is the perfect example of a guy you do want to keep around.  And the fact that we do, and pay him a fair chunk more than ELC, shows how much we value him.

You really think it would be a good idea to throw away JA27 and draft or FA some rookie/sophomore NAT RB every couple of years?  Do you know how rare a guy even of JA's talent is to find in the world of NATs?  I'd take JA over every other NAT RB in the CFL today except Brady.

JA27 is more than capable of getting decent YPC when Brady is spelling or injured.  If you see a big YPG drop off, that's simply because we never run JA as much as Brady.

Johnny is in fact the perfect backup to a NAT RB because he's right on the line of being good enough to start somewhere, but not over it.  And he's a huge value at his price range.

Sure, JA isn't Brady-level good, but he's as good as we'll get as a drop-in Brady replacement who can still run with the O and handle all the blocking, etc.  If Buck wants to, he can keep the scheme mostly unchanged.  Try that with a rookie (unless you strike next-Brady gold).

[Blue In BC]

We can agree to disagree

Right now we have some decent talent that I would retain.  With injuries we don't have the luxury to make much for cuts.  Yes you can hold too long but I don't think that's the case.  I would make changes mid season if we tank.

It's not about the truth, it's about an opinion and mine has always been most of the time you don't get better by deletion (especially in our mini dynasty and lead up to it).

This season we actually brought back cuts to improve the club.

If have a bad group of players, bad management or bad coaches or a combo of them yes you get better by deletion, that's the the case for the good ship Blue IMO.
Agree key cog in the Bomber wheel
Gauthier and Augustine both critical depth pieces that are going nowhere

You're just overly loyal and never want to see vets go. You probably supported Hurl back in the day. Last year I'm pretty sure you supported Briggs in the same way you're supporting Gauthier. Every time Briggs was on the field on defence he was a liability. Ditto for Gauthier. Both had value on ST's but at what SMS cost?
I would have released Gauthier during the off season with the intent of giving Charbonneau more time on the AR.

Again, it depends somewhat on his contract value and how it relates to the possible retention of another player we did lose in the off season. I might add that Guathier missed 12 games last year. That would have been another part of the decision making process.

I didn't suggest cutting anybody at the moment. However using Augustine as an example. I've always liked him and he provides a useful role.

OTOH, he's earning about $110K. We could have had a younger import RB for a lot less that could be a more viable starter if the need arose and he'd be an ELC.

If we had made that decision during the off season, we might have had enough to retain Grant. Just an example. Choices are dynamic and fluid.

So it's more than just opinion, it's business assessment on when to move on. Some decisions made will be viewed as good ones and others will be questioned.

I don't know what bringing back rookies on ELC's after they recovered from TC injuries has to do with anything.

[theaardvark]

You're just overly loyal and never want to see vets go. You probably supported Hurl back in the day.

I didn't suggest cutting anybody at the moment. However using Augustine as an example. I've always liked him and he provides a useful role.

OTOH, he's earning about $110K. We could have a younger import RB for a lot less that could be a more viable starter if the need arose and he'd be an ELC.

If we had made that decision during the off season, we might have had enough to retain Grant. Choices are dynamic and fluid.

So it's more than just opinion, it's business assessment on when to move on. Some decisions made will be viewed as good ones and others will be questioned.

The Mafia has made many amazing decisions on when to move on from players, and our record shows that even with the $SMS designed to level playing fields, we have had a good run.

This year, we made a few decisions that haven't worked out, and made worse though injury issues.

Bailey, Grant, even Dru would all look good on the team right now.  Had we not managed to get Shoen under contract, Baile and Grant would probably be back.  To lose Schoen to injury leaves us with neither.  This is not something you could have planned for.

We've been fortunate in the past, and had these decisions prove out as prudent.  Stove, Walker, Harris, even Lucky the first time around...

Too much talent we wanted to keep and then injuries to some of those players has made this year a challenge the Mafia hasn't had before.

[Blue In BC]

The Mafia has made many amazing decisions on when to move on from players, and our record shows that even with the $SMS designed to level playing fields, we have had a good run.

This year, we made a few decisions that haven't worked out, and made worse though injury issues.

Bailey, Grant, even Dru would all look good on the team right now.  Had we not managed to get Shoen under contract, Baile and Grant would probably be back.  To lose Schoen to injury leaves us with neither.  This is not something you could have planned for.

We've been fortunate in the past, and had these decisions prove out as prudent.  Stove, Walker, Harris, even Lucky the first time around...

Too much talent we wanted to keep and then injuries to some of those players has made this year a challenge the Mafia hasn't had before.

Last year we made a decision to roster an import FB. That cost us rotational options on the DL. We all complained that was a bad move and would cost us.

Winning hides all bad decisions.

[LXTSN]

Last year we made a decision to roster an import FB. That cost us rotational options on the DL. We all complained that was a bad move and would cost us.

Winning hides all bad decisions.

To follow that up Feltmate has been one our our best special teams players. Replacing Jackson was really easy it seems.
I haven't been watching to see how he or MCI has been doing on offence, but we normally bring in an extra OL instead anyway.

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

To follow that up Feltmate has been one our our best special teams players. Replacing Jackson was really easy it seems.
I haven't been watching to see how he or MCI has been doing on offence, but we normally bring in an extra OL instead anyway.

I don't think MCI has been transitioning as quickly as Clercius or is as effective as Feltmate on ST's, so he may spent the majority of this season on the PR, which is not unusual for first year players.

[Blueforlife]

You're just overly loyal and never want to see vets go. You probably supported Hurl back in the day. Last year I'm pretty sure you supported Briggs in the same way you're supporting Gauthier. Every time Briggs was on the field on defence he was a liability. Ditto for Gauthier. Both had value on ST's but at what SMS cost?
I would have released Gauthier during the off season with the intent of giving Charbonneau more time on the AR.

Again, it depends somewhat on his contract value and how it relates to the possible retention of another player we did lose in the off season. I might add that Guathier missed 12 games last year. That would have been another part of the decision making process.

I didn't suggest cutting anybody at the moment. However using Augustine as an example. I've always liked him and he provides a useful role.

OTOH, he's earning about $110K. We could have had a younger import RB for a lot less that could be a more viable starter if the need arose and he'd be an ELC.

If we had made that decision during the off season, we might have had enough to retain Grant. Just an example. Choices are dynamic and fluid.

So it's more than just opinion, it's business assessment on when to move on. Some decisions made will be viewed as good ones and others will be questioned.

I don't know what bringing back rookies on ELC's after they recovered from TC injuries has to do with anything.

Sometimes you pass what's cooked up in your head about me as facts that have no merit or validity, you have history of making things up about me that are not true,  no need to continue that, Hurl was supported by very few, nice try there bud, wow. Please focus your posts on football not me.

Briggs I liked, I like Gauthier.  These players helped earn a couple cups for us because they were good depth pieces.  Gauthier remains as he is at the twilight of his run and has experience and a good veteran presence, I trust management on this one, we can agree to disagree.  It was clear Briggs was done last year but he was getting old.  I liked rotating Briggs and Gauthier on pass vs. run, yes neither great but reliable enough.

I am entitled to my opinion and I do like my vets but you are reaching a bit here man, I am vocal about which players I like.  Love me a role player (Denny anyone?)

These types of players come at a reasonable price and provide a reasonable return, not everyone is a star, these are glue guys, grinders, good room guys,etc.