Janarion Grant and the X Factor

[Lincoln Locomotive]

Earlier this season I was lamenting the fact that we hadn't signed Janarion Grant and that losing him, to the Argos no less, would seriously impact our special teams return game.   
Well it's halfway through the season and  Janarion already has 4 TDs and is on pace for a total of 7 or 8 returns on the season.   To date we have zero TDs on STs and albeit our current returner has improved with every outing, he's certainly no JG!   The fact that he can play receiver is his biggest asset and why he's currently on our roster.    JG is also a receiver and we used him on jet sweeps along with Sheed to keep Ds off balance with our multifaceted running attack, lead by BO.
The Argos are 5-4 without their starting QB and mainly because of their D and STs play so they definitely won the sweepstakes by signing JG this season.   We are currently 3-6 and will have to battle for 3rd place with Calgary who still have yet to win on the road as have we.
Not having JG as that X-Factor will be difficult moving forward and we paid a hefty price to retain both Schoen and Brady and then we lost Schoen for the season adding insult to injury!  Losing Lawler also exacerbated the situation and hopefully he comes back for our next tilt with the Lions who will be looking to avenge that beating we served them last week.
JG is the best returner in the CFL at the moment, and will likely surpass Brandon Banks as one of the top 5 returners in CFL history.   He may never catch Gizmo who is the all time leading returner with 31 however He could be #2 or #3 by the end of his career.   

[Pete]

It was short sightedness on our part. If it was injuries we were worried about,do what we should have done ly and find an adequate backup. Either that or sign him and bring in competition and let him go if we have a better alternative.
 The lack of competition has limited our options in a number of areas ie punters

 

[J5V]

It was short sightedness on our part. If it was injuries we were worried about,do what we should have done ly and find an adequate backup. Either that or sign him and bring in competition and let him go if we have a better alternative.
 The lack of competition has limited our options in a number of areas ie punters

Had the salary cap been higher we very well may have been able to sign Grant and/or Bailey. Unfortunately we had to be fiscally responsible and make tough decisions that didn't include them.

[Blue In BC]

Had the salary cap been higher we very well may have been able to sign Grant and/or Bailey. Unfortunately we had to be fiscally responsible and make tough decisions that didn't include them.

Not really. When the SMS goes up, so does the minimum ELC. Every other player not on an ELC will also try to get more if they reach free agency.

This is not new to any team. A great player going into his 2nd contract gets more: Casey Sayles went to Hamilton for over $200K IIFC. Lawler went to Edmonton for nearly $300K.

In every free agency teams lose out to other teams that will pay more than other teams. Every team will give raises to some top talent of their own.

It's a balancing act. In the case of Grant, it didn't seem like an big difference, but there may have been injury history concerns. We'll never know exactly what the final details were.

[Pete]

Thats the thing grant signed for less than 100k
 The injury issue could have been mitigated with proper roster mgmt
I just think we overestimated our scouting ability.
What we don' t know was if Grant wanted to stay or was unhappy with his situation here

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

Had the salary cap been higher we very well may have been able to sign Grant and/or Bailey. Unfortunately we had to be fiscally responsible and make tough decisions that didn't include them.

Had the salary cap gone up more money would have been shovelled into Brady and Dalton's pockets to reward them for signing, as more eggs in fewer baskets was the chosen path forward apparently.

They took a calculated gamble this season and were prepared to make massive change at many positions, hoping the cheaper replacements could measure up to some great performers they let walk away.  For the most part they've come up short individually but have done ok as a group in a few areas such as replacing Jeffcoat on the D-line with a number of solid players.

Letting Grant walk for $85k is probably their most serious blunder ever, as he is obviously a generational talent that has shown he can reliably be the difference maker influencing the outcome of games.  So what if he misses a few games a season, in the games he plays he still influences more games than a dozen mediocre replacement returners combined!

[dd]

Had the salary cap gone up more money would have been shovelled into Brady and Dalton's pockets to reward them for signing, as more eggs in fewer baskets was the chosen path forward apparently.

They took a calculated gamble this season and were prepared to make massive change at many positions, hoping the cheaper replacements could measure up to some great performers they let walk away.  For the most part they've come up short individually but have done ok as a group in a few areas such as replacing Jeffcoat on the D-line with a number of solid players.

Letting Grant walk for $85k is probably their most serious blunder ever, as he is obviously a generational talent that has shown he can reliably be the difference maker influencing the outcome of games.  So what if he misses a few games a season, in the games he plays he still influences more games than a dozen mediocre replacement returners combined!

Totally agree. I don't understand the thinking behind letting him go and never will. You don't let a player of his talent and game impact walk for $85k, you find the ways and means to keep him here. If this has taught us anything, is big ticket receivers are over rated, as we can find decent replacements at a fraction of the cost. Not every reciever has to cost you over $200k.

[theaardvark]

Not sure the cap was 100% the issue.  Grant has been a nightmare getting him to sign contracts, during "negotiations", he was no where to be found, even by his agent.

I think by the time he finally decided to entertain offers, we had moved on.  Cap might have entered into it since we had signed all of our players by then.  No idea how much Pinball offered, but after losing Leake, guessing Grant wrote his own ticket.

[Lincoln Locomotive]

This....and I'm not pointing fingers or blaming Bomber management for not being able to re-sign Janarion.    He was (for us) and is (for the Argos) still that "X" factor and he's on pace to become the second best returner in CFL history! 

He has the ability to turn a game on a dime with his explosive ability to crack a seam in opposing cover teams.   It's just a **** shame we couldn't have found a way to retain him....

https://www.tsn.ca/cfl/dashaun-amos-janarion-grant-score-key-tds-to-rally-toronto-argonauts-past-calgary-stampeders-1.2160567

[Jesse]

Not sure the cap was 100% the issue.  Grant has been a nightmare getting him to sign contracts, during "negotiations", he was no where to be found, even by his agent.

I think by the time he finally decided to entertain offers, we had moved on.  Cap might have entered into it since we had signed all of our players by then.  No idea how much Pinball offered, but after losing Leake, guessing Grant wrote his own ticket.

Neither was the issue. We divided to move on. It was a mistake. No way around it.

[ichabod_crane]

I guess letting Houston walk too would be another gaffe, but Rasheed (at least so far) & Hardrick washed out this season. Nobody else gave Jeffcoat an offer sheet either.

Get Wolli and Lawler back this is still a good O IF they come back healthy and play to their capabilities. LB Wilson also out for the moment and he is a good one with great wheels or at least he used to have great wheels. Still think they need a BIG lad for interior D line to bull rush and stuff the run better. Paddy Neufeld's best days could be done too.

[ModAdmin]

So many possibilities.  So many ways the Bombers can claim or lose a playoff spot. 

This is where the 1 and 0 mentality needs to be the focus of the team.  With positive results, everything will fall into place.  One game at a time.

[BBRT]

So many possibilities.  So many ways the Bombers can claim or lose a playoff spot. 

This is where the 1 and 0 mentality needs to be the focus of the team.  With positive results, everything will fall into place.  One game at a time.

The thread at least in my opinion is that Bomber Management made a signficant mistake in not resigning him. That is the sum total of the thread and one that I agree with. Any deflection on this fact is IMHO a disservice.

[Blue In BC]

The thread at least in my opinion is that Bomber Management made a signficant mistake in not resigning him. That is the sum total of the thread and one that I agree with. Any deflection on this fact is IMHO a disservice.

We don't really know the entire story of why he wasn't re-signed. Walters said they were negotiating with him and money was available. Injury history may have been an issue and there may have been contact details for games played.

Perhaps Grant wanted more of a role on offence that we weren't expecting to happen in Winnipeg. He doesn't seem to be getting that in Toronto either.

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

I guess letting Houston walk too would be another gaffe, but Rasheed (at least so far) & Hardrick washed out this season. Nobody else gave Jeffcoat an offer sheet either.

Get Wolli and Lawler back this is still a good O IF they come back healthy and play to their capabilities. LB Wilson also out for the moment and he is a good one with great wheels or at least he used to have great wheels. Still think they need a BIG lad for interior D line to bull rush and stuff the run better. Paddy Neufeld's best days could be done too.

Nah, Houston like Marcus Sayles before him was good but easily replaceable, clear case of the Stamps offering him a better deal and the Bombers accepting it and moving on. D-backs can be readily picked off abundant berry bushes, great returners can only be found at the bottom of deep dark diamond mines.