1st & 10 | The Blue Bombers Pending Free Agent List

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

Holm boi is huge. Absolutely needed but never a guarantee (until now). This is worth getting excited over, for sure.

Easier to retain players recruited close to home in States to the South of MB, they should focus heavily on that region.

[markf]

Easier to retain players recruited close to home and in States to the South of MB, they should focus heavily on that region.

The Als do that with French Canadian players. Quite an advantage they have.

[Tecno]

I don't think they would part ways with Willie unless he thought he could make significantly more elsewhere in FA.

We also have to keep in mind he's the absolute team leader.  Watch the warmups every game @PAS and the pep talk before they go back into the tunnel... it's all Willie.  Before that it was AH.

Don't write off the importance of a good leader.

But one thing to note, both he and Neufeld negotiate their own contracts and are always first in line  when it comes to locking in a deal in place that provides them security, so they're a bit behind schedule.

That also might be a reason they can accept well below FA-market contracts.  Most players are paying, what, 15% to their agents.  That money stays in Willie's pocket.

[TBURGESS]

We have enough leaders. What we need is players who are worth at least what we are paying them. 

[Sir Blue and Gold]

We have enough leaders. What we need is players who are worth at least what we are paying them.

Agreed. Leadership and good culture should exist to produce wins. They aren't the goal in and of themselves and I think we have been too close to that line the last two seasons.

[Tecno]

We have enough leaders.

But we don't.  Not real, effective ones.

AH got ditched by us and went to TOR and TOR instantly won the GC.  AH gets hired in SSK and Oullette turns into a legit beast and SSK instantly wins the GC.  AH is a real leader.  If we had found a way to keep him in WFC (not necessarily as a player) we'd have won more cups and not stunk the joint out last year; change my mind.

If Willie is the best leader we've got right now, don't flippantly dismiss him or that role.  Who knows how weak our next leader will be.

The guys that get everyone wound up and pull them through the tough slog and make everyone better are few and far between.

[Sir Blue and Gold]

But we don't.  Not real, effective ones.

AH got ditched by us and went to TOR and TOR instantly won the GC.  AH gets hired in SSK and Oullette turns into a legit beast and SSK instantly wins the GC.  AH is a real leader.  If we had found a way to keep him in WFC (not necessarily as a player) we'd have won more cups and not stunk the joint out last year; change my mind.

If Willie is the best leader we've got right now, don't flippantly dismiss him or that role.  Who knows how weak our next leader will be.

The guys that get everyone wound up and pull them through the tough slog and make everyone better are few and far between.

Andrew Harris was responsible for exactly zero wins for the Riders last season. The notion that keeping a specific running back coach leads to more wins is, frankly, absurd and plain wrong. No. That is not how football works.

[Tecno]

Andrew Harris was responsible for exactly zero wins for the Riders last season. The notion that keeping a specific running back coach leads to more wins is, frankly, absurd and plain wrong. No. That is not how football works.

LOL.  Then you didn't watch any SSK pressers.  Oullette basically said AH pumps him up into a superhuman come game day, and clearly he taught him every trick in AH's book.  Those hurdles?  Ya, Oullette never did those before -- at least not successful ones.  Those are the AH film-study trademarks -- which you'd also know about if you watched all the AH pressers when he was here.

If you think SSK's O wasn't super-extra effective because they had a legit punish-you-badly run threat, then I don't know what to say.  And if you think AH didn't instantly make Oullette much better, then you're not paying attention.  And if you think AH wasn't a big pep man for the whole team behind the scenes...  Now it's THEY who are screaming "we got your back"!

So ya, AH is "responsible" for SSK winning games, AND winning the cup.  Even if he only tipped them over the edge just a little, it's that little bit that did it.  Did he win it all on his own?  Nah.  But he was definitely an important piece in the puzzle.  I don't think SSK wins the W in 2025 if AH doesn't join them.

[Jesse]

LOL.  Then you didn't watch any SSK pressers.  Oullette basically said AH pumps him up into a superhuman come game day, and clearly he taught him every trick in AH's book.  Those hurdles?  Ya, Oullette never did those before -- at least not successful ones.  Those are the AH film-study trademarks -- which you'd also know about if you watched all the AH pressers when he was here.

If you think SSK's O wasn't super-extra effective because they had a legit punish-you-badly run threat, then I don't know what to say.  And if you think AH didn't instantly make Oullette much better, then you're not paying attention.  And if you think AH wasn't a big pep man for the whole team behind the scenes...  Now it's THEY who are screaming "we got your back"!

So ya, AH is "responsible" for SSK winning games, AND winning the cup.  Even if he only tipped them over the edge just a little, it's that little bit that did it.  Did he win it all on his own?  Nah.  But he was definitely an important piece in the puzzle.  I don't think SSK wins the W in 2025 if AH doesn't join them.

The only difference in Oullette's 2025 is that he stayed healthy. It wasn't even his most productive season on a per game basis, he was just able to play more snaps.

It was like the inverse of Brady's year. He didn't play worse, he just played in fewer games.

[Sir Blue and Gold]

LOL.  Then you didn't watch any SSK pressers.  Oullette basically said AH pumps him up into a superhuman come game day, and clearly he taught him every trick in AH's book.  Those hurdles?  Ya, Oullette never did those before -- at least not successful ones.  Those are the AH film-study trademarks -- which you'd also know about if you watched all the AH pressers when he was here.

If you think SSK's O wasn't super-extra effective because they had a legit punish-you-badly run threat, then I don't know what to say.  And if you think AH didn't instantly make Oullette much better, then you're not paying attention.  And if you think AH wasn't a big pep man for the whole team behind the scenes...  Now it's THEY who are screaming "we got your back"!

So ya, AH is "responsible" for SSK winning games, AND winning the cup.  Even if he only tipped them over the edge just a little, it's that little bit that did it.  Did he win it all on his own?  Nah.  But he was definitely an important piece in the puzzle.  I don't think SSK wins the W in 2025 if AH doesn't join them.

Cool. But no.

I think it's fair to say Andrew Harris is a good running back coach and player motivator who may be setting himself up for a more prominent coaching career.

But really, no, on the rest of that stuff.

To illustrate this clearly for you, for both our Grey Cup wins, Kevin Bourgion was a position coach at running back and then later receiver. Great coach, but, see where I'm going here?

[markf]

Andrew Harris was on the Lions... they won a Grey Cup

On the Bombers. ... Grey Cup

On the Argos... Grey Cup

On Sask .... Grey Cup



Sure seems like he's doing something to push these teams to the top.

[blue_gold_84]

Andrew Harris was on the Lions... they won a Grey Cup
Left the team. No Grey Cup.

On the Bombers. ... Grey Cup

On the Argos... Grey Cup

On Sask .... Grey Cup

Just a coincidence.

Sure seems like he's doing something to push these teams to the top.

Yes, it is just a coincidence.

Teams win championships.

[markf]

Yes, it is just a coincidence.

Teams win championships.

So you think leadership doesn't matter in team sports?

Yikes.

[Sir Blue and Gold]

So you think leadership doesn't matter in team sports?

Yikes.

That's exactly what everyone was saying. Thanks for being so sharp.

[blue_gold_84]

So you think leadership doesn't matter in team sports?

Yikes.

That's a pretty inane question to ask. And it will go unanswered for that reason.

2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2023: all years in which a team with Harris on its roster didn't win a championship.

Are you saying yikes due to the glaring lack of critical thinking by you and one other poster?