OL whispers

[TecnoGenius]

Fingers are crossed that Wallace can win the LG out of TC. That would take us back to 8 Canadian starters. OTOH, we'd need to find another Canadian OL as depth. We have been keeping 7 OL on the AR for the last couple of seasons.

Heres the way I see it:
LBs the two Jones, and a di - will be interesting battle with Ayers/Wilson
Ol Randolph actually is an upgrade over Dobson. With the schemes we use we need 7 oline on roster,so making Wallace starter isn't that benificial.

You guys make a great point.  Probably the most important point yet.  That's why I love this forum, at least posters who post content and ideas rather than snark.

If Wallace gets LG then we have no 7th for jumbo sets / backup.  And we love our jumbo sets.  The only time we didn't dress 7 NAT OL in the last forever is when injures were so bad in '24 we basically ran out of OL.

This further hints that Randolph gets the LG spot because otherwise there is literally no one who can be the 7th on jumbo.  (And clearly Randolph or any other IMP doesn't dress as 7th as then that's a DI and a misuse of the AR.)

The only way this doesn't hold is if one of the brand new NAT OL guys shows good enough in TC to be the 7th on jumbo.  My odds of Randolph starting LG is now increased to 80%.

[TecnoGenius]

No.

Much as anyone would love to go import along the Oline and demean the contribution Canadian hoggies make to our game, if you read Walters lips, he says that 3 imp Oline "is an option". 

No.

Read my original post.  KW quote: "We'll kick the tires on that."  Kick the tires is an escalation in verbiage.  It's a level (or 3) above "is an option".

Kick the tires means "give it a try".  So clearly in TC and PS they will test out some lines with 3 IMP.  It could even mean "try it out in week 1".

This is all a vast departure from '24 (and every prior season since Bond left) when 3 IMP OL was only ever couched in terms of "because of injury".  There's been a shift in mindset.

[TecnoGenius]

So yes we can start 3 import OL. Is this Neufeld's last year? Are Eli and Kolo in the last year of their contracts? Even Randolph is probably a potential free agent. Bryant is one a 1 year deal. Not sure about Lofton but he may be on a 1 year deal.

No one wants Eli, Randolph or Lofton enough to pay Dobson prices to lure them away.  So I have zero worries.

Eli won't be a starter without C injury.  Lofton is just another "pretty good" IMP OT of which there are many (and nobody wanted him when we signed him).

Randolph is a great IMP OG, of which the market for in the CFL is basically zero.  He wouldn't make the AR as an OT on any team (yet?).  Therefore he also is easy to retain.

As for '26 retirements: that can't dictate the roster in '25.  We're taking care of future retirements by bringing in more TC looks.

This may actually be the first year in a long time no one will snipe our top young NAT talent in FA.

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

The linebacker position is SLB, Kramdi will play there again.

With the drafting of Shay, Smith and Novak, WLB may also go Canadian.

No way, Kyrie, Jon Jones and Ayers are locked and loaded at WIL, one of which may not even survive cut down day. A rookie Natl. LB is not going to upstage any of them on a veteran team, first year's assignment is tracking down punts and making an impact on ST's, show they're a better player than Cadwallader. 

Which team do you represent?

[TecnoGenius]

No way, Kyrie, Jon Jones and Ayers are locked and loaded at WIL, one of which may not even survive cut down day. A rookie Natl. LB is not going to upstage any of them on a veteran team, first year's assignment is tracking down punts and making an impact on ST's, show they're a better player than Cadwallader. 

Kramdi did late in his rookie season, no?  There's always a chance, albeit tiny.  But that's why you take a LB in 1st round, no?

But ya, almost certainly Kyrie or some IMP gets the spot out of TC.  The most likely best-case scenario with Shay is he can save us a WILL DI by mid-season.  And that would still be very valuable.

[Jesse]

No.

Read my original post.  KW quote: "We'll kick the tires on that."  Kick the tires is an escalation in verbiage.  It's a level (or 3) above "is an option".

Kick the tires means "give it a try".  So clearly in TC and PS they will test out some lines with 3 IMP.  It could even mean "try it out in week 1".

This is all a vast departure from '24 (and every prior season since Bond left) when 3 IMP OL was only ever couched in terms of "because of injury".  There's been a shift in mindset.

I can't go along with this.

I'm open to anything happening on the OL (I just want the best version of the team), but you can not break down this quote to mean anything at all.

I give the edge to Randolph because of experience and bodies we have on the roster, not a throwaway quote. This tells us nothing.

[Blue In BC]

Why play the "what if" injury game, though?  Why not play the best we can today and worry about injury replacements if/when that time comes?

No other team purposely starts 8-10 NATs just to be "flexible".  They play what they're forced to, or if they're in the enviable position of having a surfeit of top-tier NATs.

The forum is a what if conversation. I would disagree that teams don't look towards being flexible. Do you seriously think we couldn't have found a better import DT than starting Thomas? Starting him and others allowed having and using more imports in rotation ( non DI's ) all across the defence.

Having depth / flexibility allows using players in various ways, not only keeping them fresh but using them where they will perform the best. Thomas is a bad example because that's more of a loyalty issue with O'Shea than a desire to have flexibility.

For every extra Canadian starting we had an import that were non DI's and no starters. We used them to keep others fresh and to throw more defensive looks into the game plan.

[markf]

Any opinions on which version of the o line was best, last season?

Tricky to figure out.

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

Any opinions on which version of the o line was best, last season?

Tricky to figure out.

Too many variables, with Dobson gone the ingredients are no longer the same. Wallace looked good starting for Neufeld as did Randolph in the same position.  With 10 Import O-linemen coming to TC there is going to be a lot of competition for spots, in the end they can only retain 4-6 in total, so likely to be a surprise or two in store. Hopefully Stanley's future replacement rises to the top and becomes evident.

[Blue In BC]

Kramdi did late in his rookie season, no?  There's always a chance, albeit tiny.  But that's why you take a LB in 1st round, no?

But ya, almost certainly Kyrie or some IMP gets the spot out of TC.  The most likely best-case scenario with Shay is he can save us a WILL DI by mid-season.  And that would still be very valuable.

Our LB's are very versatile and I think we have one as a DI regardless on the progression of Shay. Shay be fighting for a chance to start at WIL in 2025. We'll see how / which of our imports play this year. IMO Wilson is at risk for 2026 and he may not survive all 2025. Age, injuries and SMS will all come into play.

J.Jones was signed for 2 years IIRC and for a decent salary which might even be higher than Wilson. He's 4 years younger and hasn't the same level of injury history.

Wilson is very good when healthy but he is a question mark in that sense. Ayers may be considered to have more upside and he could win the role as a DI. We've also added more import LB's to TC roster, not to mention 3 Canadian draft choices. Direction in 2026 might be part of the discussion.

Nothing is certain.

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

Our LB's are very versatile and I think we have one as a DI regardless on the progression of Shay. Shay be fighting for a chance to start at WIL in 2025. We'll see how / which of our imports play this year. IMO Wilson is at risk for 2026 and he may not survive all 2025. Age, injuries and SMS will all come into play.

J.Jones was signed for 2 years IIRC and for a decent salary which might even be higher than Wilson. He's 4 years younger and hasn't the same level of injury history.


Nothing is certain.

I think that was Tony Jones, no?  They will definitely keep the WIL around that can also play MLB, Ayers might be too small and Wilson perhaps too fragile.

[Blue In BC]

I think that was Tony Jones, no?  They will definitely keep the WIL around that can also play MLB, Ayers might be too small and Wilson perhaps too fragile.

Tony Jones signed for 2 years at $117K. J.Jones signed for 1 year at $120K. J. Jones is more likely a player that could switch to MLB if necessary. I think that is more likely than Wilson switching. I'm not sure about Ayers but he's on an ELC.

Regardless, I don't know we'll have a traditional MLB on every defensive snap. We rotate players in and out so often and use a 34 formation at times. We probably see an extra LB looking like an extra DE speed guy in certain formations.

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

Tony Jones signed for 2 years at $117K. J.Jones signed for 1 year at $120K. J. Jones is more likely a player that could switch to MBL if necessary. I think that is more likely than Wilson switching. I'm not sure about Ayers but he's on an ELC.

Regardless, I don't know we'll have a traditional MLB on every defensive snap. We rotate players in and out so often and use a 34 formation at times. We probably see an extra LB looking like an extra DE speed guy in certain formations.

You're probably right, Jon Jones is 5'-11" 230 lbs, almost identical to Tony Jones, 6'-0" 235 lbs.

[BomberFan73]

Tony Jones signed for 2 years at $117K. J.Jones signed for 1 year at $120K. J. Jones is more likely a player that could switch to MLB if necessary. I think that is more likely than Wilson switching. I'm not sure about Ayers but he's on an ELC.

Regardless, I don't know we'll have a traditional MLB on every defensive snap. We rotate players in and out so often and use a 34 formation at times. We probably see an extra LB looking like an extra DE speed guy in certain formations.

If we're looking for a versatile LB it's Smith.  He played as a DB in highschool, can play DE too, and thrives on Teams.  It's going to be a real battle between him & Shay, hopefully they both find a way to make the roster.

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

If we're looking for a versatile LB it's Smith. He played as a DB in highschool, can play DE too, and thrives on Teams.  It's going to be a real battle between him & Shay, hopefully they both find a way to make the roster.

....and by "Smith" you're referring to who?