Winnipeg Blue Bomber Thread

[jerrym]

Looking back at the 2016 free agency, it's clear now that Winnipeg was the big winner, enabling to greatly improve their record over the previous year.

The winner of last year’s free agent frenzy was the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, hands down. Before we look ahead at what we might see come Feb. 14, let’s take a look at how 2016’s busiest team went about its business.
We knew the Bombers were going to make a huge splash in free agency one year ago and they wasted no time in doing so. Winnipeg had a lot of cap room and a desire to turn things around on the field dramatically. As such, the Bombers signed added six new players on day one of 2016 free agency and transformed their team in the snap of a finger. ...

Now, as has been proven many times, throwing balled up wads of cash at a bunch of players doesn’t always work as a strategy to improve your team. Luckily, Bombers general manager Kyle Walters went about his business a little more strategically and he knocked the ball out of the park.
Just how successful was Walters with his work in free agency? Well, five of the six players he signed started Winnipeg’s Western Semi-Final showdown with the BC Lions. Furthermore, the Bombers wouldn’t have been in that position had it not been for those new faces and the work they did all season long.
Running back Andrew Harris is the obvious player you turn your eye to when thinking about Winnipeg’s busy February. Harris did what we’ve come to expect from the outstanding Canadian: he was a force on the ground and a dangerous threat in the passing game. Harris finished the season with more than 1,500 total offensive yards for the fourth time in his career while only playing in 15 regular season games. Suffice to say, the Bombers got what they wanted from their native son.
It went beyond just Harris, though. The Bombers signed receiver Ryan Smith and he helped give the team a shot in the arm in the 11 games he played in. Oh, and if you’ve read this column before, you know how I feel about kicker Justin Medlock. Mr. Money led the CFL with 60 successful field goals in his first year with the Bombers, and at 88.2 per cent was the league’s second most accurate kicker. Had it not been for a rough first few games, that percentage would have been a whole lot higher. ...

Don’t forget about the other side of the ball, though. Winnipeg’s signings of defensive tackles Keith Shologan and Euclid Cummings immediately and drastically improved their front four. Both players appeared in all 18 games for the Bombers and both players started the team’s most important game in years against the Lions.
As I mentioned earlier, free agency is no slam-dunk and 2016 was no different. Saskatchewan, for instance, didn’t get the return it was hoping for from big time signing Justin Capicciotti; in fact he didn’t even finish the season with the Riders. At least one team this month will spend a lot of money and get a whole lot less to show for it than desired.
The obvious and assumed risks of free agency don’t diminish what Winnipeg did one year ago, though. The Bombers had the room and had the cash and Walters made sure he made his shots count. There were a few different factors leading to their impressive 2016 turnaround and their work in free agency is absolutely one of them.

http://www.cfl.ca/2017/02/13/steinbe...-frenzy-begin/