Winnipeg Blue Bomber Thread

[jerrym]

The Bombers have a new national coach, Drew Morris.



Bombers general manager Kyle Walters didn't have to look far, nor did he have to think twice when it came time to replace national scout Drew Morris, who on Monday resigned from the organization to accept a job with the New York Jets.
Walters immediately replaced Morris with Winnipeg native Craig Smith, who has worked all over the CFL, most recently with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
“He's a quality man, he's a good man, he works his tail off, and he's gonna fit right in,” Walters said Monday night in the press box at TD Place. “He's excited about the opportunity, and we're not gonna miss a beat.”
Walters said Smith will be responsible for heading up the team's American scouting, but as a Manitoba product he has always paid close attention to the Canadian university scene as well.
“He's done it all,” Walters said. “He's been doing it for so long that he's very well connected in everything, and he'll be a nice asset to our organization. ... With his CIS background it would be foolish to not have him involved with his contacts and divvy up some of the work that way as well.”
Morris was with the Bombers for three and a half years, joining the organization in August 2012 as a U.S. regional scout.
“It was inevitable with the timing of the NFL season, and Drew's been going on interviews,” Walters said. “I knew this was coming, to be honest with you, with the amount of interest Drew was getting. It just shows what a bright young mind he is that it's impossible to deny him an opportunity like this with the New York Jets. So we wished him the best of luck.”
Morris will remain with the team for the rest of the week as it sets its final roster.

[KCargosfan]

The Bombers have a new national coach, Drew Morris.

Just another gob.

[R.J]

Wrong forum jerry.

BTW Smith was brought in to scout not coach.

[jerrym]

I got interrupted in the middle of posting this thread and just blew it.

[R.J]

The Bombers cuts are in.
http://www.bluebombers.com/2016/06/18/paring-down-the-roster/

Took long enough for them to realize Bucknor isn't good enough - 2 years too late IMO; he was terrible at corner.

[OV Argo]

The Bombers cuts are in.
http://www.bluebombers.com/2016/06/18/paring-down-the-roster/

Took long enough for them to realize Bucknor isn't good enough - 2 years too late IMO; he was terrible at corner.

The Bombers gained Andrew Harris and Keith Shologan as NI starters = other NI starters can become expendable - . i'd guess Hurl will no longer start at MLB for them; a CFL team does not want more than 8 NI starters. Bucknor was also a vet and a starter - meaning more than CFL minimum pay against the $M$ - I'd guess that was a factor too.

Bucknor may have been weak at times, - a lot of DBs get burned in an all passing league - but he was still better than a lot of other CFL starters - like Mitchell White of the Als (talk about terrible at corner), or Awansah or half the stiffs the Riders trotted out in their D-backfield last year.

[R.J]

The Bombers gained Andrew Harris and Keith Shologan as NI starters = other NI starters can become expendable - . i'd guess Hurl will no longer start at MLB for them; a CFL team does not want more than 8 NI starters. Bucknor was also a vet and a starter - meaning more than CFL minimum pay against the $M$ - I'd guess that was a factor too.

Bucknor may have been weak at times, - a lot of DBs get burned in an all passing league - but he was still better than a lot of other CFL starters - like Mitchell White of the Als (talk about terrible at corner), or Awansah or half the stiffs the Riders trotted out in their D-backfield last year.
While it's well known that I'm not a fan of Ansah; I completely disagree that Bucknor is better than Ansah or even Mitchell White for that matter. Bucknor was playing and starting in this league for one reason and one reason only - his passport.

[OV Argo]

While it's well known that I'm not a fan of Ansah; I completely disagree that Bucknor is better than Ansah or even Mitchell White for that matter. Bucknor was playing and starting in this league for one reason and one reason only - his passport.

Hey - differing opinions are ok/good.

The only reason a stiff like White gets to play for the Als is his "passport" - he gets all kinds of playing time opportunity to show he is mediocre to useless, but Als draft pick - former CIS all-star corner Andrew Lue - has got pretty well zero playing time opportunity to see if he could be an upgrade, because he is Canadian, and they already have their 7 only need apply NI starters elsewhere. Matt Black has never been given full-time opportunity to play corner in the CFL either so we could see Ansah types instead.

[R.J]

I agree about Lue - I'd like to see him get a shot, but I disagree with the rest.

[OV Argo]

I agree about Lue - I'd like to see him get a shot, but I disagree with the rest.


The Als have 2 former CIS all-star D-backfielders and top rated CFL draft prospects - in Lue and Chris Ackie - yet they have got pretty well zero playing time opportunity to see if they could help a weak and often struggling Als D-backfield; meanwhile, Mitchell White starts.

What ? - you disagree that Matt Black has never been given some serious playing time chance at corner, but you're good with mediocres like White & Ansah handed playing time galore due to their "passports" ?

[R.J]

I agree that Matt Black hasn't been given much playing time at corner, but I didn't want to get sucked into the vortex. IMO Matt Black is not starting CFL material nor do I think he's better than Ansah, but I will say that Black is a very good backup to have. He can play multiple positions and is a very good locker room guy to have, but again IMO not good enough to start.

[R.J]

Former Argo Travis Hawkins signs with Blue Bombers
http://3downnation.com/2016/06/21/bombers-sign-db-travis-hawkins/

[OV Argo]

Reading that Andrew Harris got nicked in practice and might not be good to go for the opener? - meaning a back-up import RB (Flanders looked good in pre-season IMO) would have to start. And apparently this would cause some dreaded "ratio problems" for the Bumblers - who have ex-Rider mediocre Macho Harris pencilled-in at safety (ahead of Canadians like Teague Sherman, Waggonner (who they burned a 1st round pick in this year's draft on to get in the supplemental last year) and this year's draft pick Taylor Loffler; they also have lightweight Mo Leggett (former safety for them) at OLB, when Sherman or Waggonner can play OLB as well; plus Hurl lost his MLB job as I expected.

Seems like the Argos will be the only CFL team to "start" 8 NI/Nationals, and it could easily be 9, 10 or 11 if the likes of Miles, Waud or Noel played on D or O.

[jerrym]

The Bombers have restructured the contracts of former Argo Justin Medlock and OL Stanley Bryant.



Kicker Justin Medlock and offensive lineman Stanley Bryant will remain Winnipeg Blue Bombers (http://globalnews.ca/tag/winnipeg-blue-bombers/) after finalizing a restructure of their contracts.
Both players were set to become free agents next month. The team renegotiated their deals this past season to provide salary cap relief.

“Once we started getting a few injuries, I approached those two guys and asked if they would mind just changing a couple things around,” said Bombers general manager Kyle Walters in November. “They were more than happy to help out.”

Medlock was named the CFL’s top special teams player in 2016 following a record-breaking season. The 33-year-old set a new league mark by hitting 60 of his 68 field goal attempts. He also broke the Bombers’ record for most points in a season with 227.
Bryant has started every game since initially signing with the Bombers in 2015. With his help, Winnipeg finished this past season tied for third in the league in sacks allowed with 35.
The Bombers now have 18 players who can become free agents on Feb. 14.


http://globalnews.ca/news/3157937/winnipeg-blue-bombers-lock-up-justin-medlock-stanley-bryant/

[jerrym]

The Bombers have signed QB Dominique Davis and WR Gerrard Sheppard.



Davis (6-3, 215, East Carolina, July 17, 1989 in Lakeland, FL) has spent the past two seasons with the Bombers after signing at the beginning of the 2015 season. He dressed for all 18 regular season games, and the Western Semi-Final in 2016. Davis has started one game during his tenure with Winnipeg, going 16-25 for 169 yards in the final game of the 2015 season in Toronto, a campaign in which he dressed for 11 games. Prior to joining Winnipeg, Davis was briefly with Calgary, and prior to that had spent time in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons (2012-14), Tennessee Titans (2014), and Indianapolis Colts (2014).
“Dom Davis is a quarterback who has continued to grow in our organization,“ said Bombers General Manager Kyle Walters. “He’s a mobile quarterback with a strong arm, and has the attitude we look for in our players. We believe he will continue to prosper under our offensive staff and are glad to get this deal done with him.”
Sheppard (6-2, 210, Towson, November 16, 1990 in Owings Mills, MD) played seven games with Winnipeg in 2016, hauling in 13 receptions for 118 yards. Prior to signing with Winnipeg, Sheppard was with the Green Bay Packers after spending the 2013 season on the Baltimore Ravens practice roster. Sheppard began his college career at the University of Connecticut, where he played in eight games over two seasons before transferring to Towson where he started in nine of 23 games played in his final two seasons. He registered 52 receptions for 584 yards (11.2 avg.) and five touchdowns.
“Gerrard is a physical receiver who can not only catch the football but is an excellent blocker downfield, “ said Walters. “His physicality and willingness to do whatever is asked of him is a credit to his character, and we’re looking forward to seeing him compete in training camp in 2017.”


http://www.bluebombers.com/2017/01/04/bombers-re-sign-qb-dominique-davis-wr-gerrard-sheppard/

[jerrym]

Matt Nichols may become a free agent as contract negotiations with the Bombers are not going well.



And according to Walters, it continues to be “tough sledding” with respect to contract negotiations with the agent for Quarterback Matt Nichols. “Stay tuned”, was the GM’s response. “Nothing ever seems to get done quick with these guys (agents). Everything’s a grind. Matt’s agent and I, we talk weekly. We’ll keep plugging along, and I’m cautiously optimistic that we’re going to make some real good progress on the Matt Nichols contract before he becomes a free agent on February 14th.” ...
Just last week the Blue Bombers cut ties with veteran QB Kevin Glenn, at least for now, as Walters felt it was the right thing to do because there were no contract talks planned with Glenn who becomes a free agent on February 14th as well.But that also leaves Winnipeg with Dominique Davis as the lone, signed pivot on the current roster and Walters admitted that has led to feeling the pressure to get a deal done for Nichols with just 5 weeks remaining before CFL Free Agent Day. “I mean yeah, he’s our starting Quarterback,” said Walters. “I was hoping before Christmas we’d have a contract done so I could take a deep breath. But that wasn’t the case so now it’s- let’s get Matt Nichols under contract before February 14th and get this over with, and not let him get to free agency and focus on 20-17. That’s the big goal.”


http://www.cjob.com/2017/01/10/kyle-walters-says-stay-tuned/#.WHUAdw84Bhg.twitter

[jerrym]

The Bombers have signed former Argo TC prospect Akeem Whonder.



The Winnipeg Blue Bombers today announce the club has inked national linebacker Akeem Whonder.
Whonder (5-11, 224, Windsor, born in Mississauga, ON) played five years with the Lancers, the last of which saw him post 53 tackles, two sacks, and an interception. Those numbers were good enough to earn him an Ontario University Athletics all-star nod. In his five seasons he totaled 175 tackles and eight sacks. Whonder has spent time in camp with the Stampeders and the Argos.


http://www.bluebombers.com/2017/01/09/bombers-sign-linebacker-akeem-whonder/

[jerrym]

The Bombers are losing their OL coach Bob Wylie to Cleveland Browns.



The 65-year-old has been with the Bombers since 2014. He also spent two seasons with the team from 2007 to 2008.
Wylie has coached at five different levels of football over his career. He has worked for six colleges, seven NFL teams and two CFL clubs.
The Browns fired offensive line coach Hal Hunter earlier this week.



http://globalnews.ca/news/3181847/winnipeg-blue-bombers-offensive-line-coach-heading-to-nfl-report/

[jerrym]

Paul Friesen argues that the Bombers and starting QB Matt Nichols, especially after the Durant trade because he doesn't see Jones pursuing Nichols.

http://www.winnipegsun.com/2017/01/13/after-durant-trade-its-clear-nichols-bombers-need-each-other

[jerrym]

Ed Tait discusses how the large number of players (173 right now) and the Durant trade impact the Bombers.

http://www.bluebombers.com/2017/01/13/226039/

[jerrym]

After being released by the Als, Winnipeg has signed Kenny Stafford to a two year contract.



The 26-year-old Columbus native spent part of last season with Montreal, where in nine games he caught 16 receptions for 218 yards and two touchdowns. Stafford’s best season came in 2015, hauling in 47 receptions for 732 yards and nine touchdowns in 18 regular season games with Edmonton. He also recorded four receptions for 100 yards and a touchdown in the 2015 playoffs, helping Edmonton win the 103rd Grey Cup.
“Kenny is an experienced receiver in our league, with great athletic ability and big play capability,” said Blue Bombers general manager Kyle Walters. “He’s got the range to go up and get the football and he’s a competitor. We’re very confident he will fit comfortably into our locker room, and are excited about what he will bring to our offence.”


http://www.cfl.ca/2017/01/17/bombers-sign-free-agent-stafford-two-year-deal/

[jerrym]

Former Argo Receiver Darvin Adams has extended with the Bombers through 2019.



But Adams, 27, says when an NFL workout with Cincinnati didn't produce anything south of the border, he was ready to commit, long-term.
“For one, they have always given me a chance to show my abilities,” he said. “They've always trusted in me and the things I do. Where I'm from, loyalty is very important and family is a big thing. And Winnipeg is like a family and loyalty is showed there. So I want to keep up my part of the deal.
“I'm glad the team wants me for that long. We're moving in the right direction towards winning a Grey Cup. We started a new movement there, trying to win ball games. And I just want to be a part of it.”
In 2015, his first with Winnipeg after two in Toronto, Adams caught 61 passes for 839 yards and six touchdowns.
You wonder what kind of numbers an improving Adams could produce if he stays healthy.
Adams didn't want to speculate during his conference call with reporters, Monday.


http://www.winnipegsun.com/2017/01/16/blue-bombers-re-sign-top-end-receiver

[jerrym]

Winnipeg has extended QB Matt Nichols for three years, after GM Kyle Walters at the end of last month that negotiations had reached a snag.



Financial details on the new deal for Nichols are not being disclosed by the team.

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Nichols says he’s thrilled to be back in blue and gold and never really considered leaving.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity that Kyle Walters and Coach O’Shea gave me when they acquired me in 2015,” says Nichols. “That was the beginning of a fresh start for me, and I was able to get a full opportunity last season. I truly feel we are on the precipice of great things with this organization from top to bottom, and I’m appreciative that they feel I am the quarterback to lead them there.”
Bombers General Manager Kyle Walters says getting his pivot to sign on the dotted line was definitely top priority in a busy off season.


http://www.cjob.com/2017/01/18/bombers-pay-nichols-to-keep-their-quarterback/

[jerrym]

Jamaal Westerman discusses his offseason and preparation for the upcoming season in this video.

http://www.cfl.ca/2017/01/19/off-seasonon-record-jamaal-westerman/

[jerrym]

Here's an extended interview with Matt Nichols including comments on the signing of former teammate Kenny Stafford and current teammate and former Argo Darvin Adams.

http://www.bluebombers.com/2017/01/18/long-winding-road/

[jerrym]

Jay Steinberg discusses whether Matt Nichols can be the guy to lead the Bombers to even more success below.

http://www.cfl.ca/2017/01/23/steinbergs-mmqb-last-hill-climb/

[jerrym]

The Bombers have an article on CFL/NFL prospect and University of Manitoba homeboy prospect Geoff Gray, so obviously they wouldn't mind getting him in the draft, other things being equal.



That last answer is a peek at what makes the 6-6, 310-pound Gray one of the most intriguing prospects heading into the Canadian Football League Draft in May. And possibly as an NFL prospect like former Bisons Izzy Idonije and David Onyematta.
Gray is ridiculously strong – he is also a competitive Olympic lifter – and carries his weight well on his frame. Just as impressive is the intelligence he brings to the game and his leadership, as he was one of the Bison’s captains this past season.
Currently ranked fifth in the CFL’s Scouting Bureau draft rankings, Gray was invited to the East-West Shrine Game in Florida – along with Laval receiver Antony Duclair of Laval.
Gray said his week leading up to last Saturday’s bowl game was a whirlwind that combined the mental and physical testing along with all the on-field work. He was an unknown to most heading into the week, but exited feeling he had made a favourable impression.
It helps, too, that Idonije and Onyematta have blazed a trail before him. ...

It was a really good experience. It was definitely more than I anticipated. The football down there is totally different than anything up here.”
Gray threw a key block in the Shrine Game’s only TD – an 18-yard TD run by Eli McGuire – and got a shout-out during the NFL Network’s telecast of the game from analyst Mike Mayock.
“I had some people come up to me after practice and say, ‘We really had no idea who you were beforehand’ but seemed to be impressed with what I did,” said Gray.


http://www.bluebombers.com/2017/01/25/geoff-gray-putting-manitoba-map/

[jerrym]

The following article discusses where the team is at in terms of players signed, potential free agents and money spent so far.



Just as mammoth is the price tag, paying Nichols an average of more than $400,000 over the course of the three-year contract.
And with that deal now out of the way and with the Canadian Football League’s free agent market scheduled to open Feb. 14th a basic question remains for the Bombers: Now what? ...

Seven names on the Bombers prospective free agent list have been signed or had their contracts extended in Nichols, kicker Justin Medlock, left tackle Stanley Bryant, receivers Darvin Adams and Gerrard Sheppard, long snapper Chad Rempel and quarterback Dom Davis (a full list of transactions, signings and extensions can be found here (http://www.bluebombers.com/transactions/)).
Newcomer Kenny Stafford – ex of the Montreal Alouettes – was also added this week while veteran pivot Kevin Glenn was released, by his request, to have a chance to test the market for his services earlier.
That leaves 13 players still unsigned and inching closer to becoming free agents: receivers Clarence Denmark, Rory Kohlert, Quincy McDuffie and Tori Gurley; linebackers Khalil Bass, Tony Burnett, Sam Hurl and Jesse Briggs; defensive tackle Euclid Cummings; safety Macho Harris; defensive back Teague Sherman; offensive lineman Jeff Keeping, and fullback/linebacker James Tuck.
That’s a lot of talent with undecided futures, and it’s all but a given not all of them will be back in 2017. That’s simply the reality in trying to fit all those pieces onto the depth chart while staying under the salary cap. ...
We kind of put in our 2017 cap numbers and who fits in where and if we sign this guy, where does he fit and who’s got to go,” explained Walters. “There’s still another month where we control the rights of all the pending free agents… so you’ll see more of those guys getting offers. ...

Walters also said the free agent landscape is already shaping up to be an intriguing one. With more players than ever signing one-year deals, teams are opting to lock up their quarterbacks to big-dollar contracts. Ditto for star position players, whether they are receivers, running backs or linebackers.
The fallout from that is a wage scale that will see high-end talent getting their dollars and more teams relying on the CFL Draft and U.S. scouting to find younger, cheaper talent to fill in some of the gaps on the depth chart.
And that means the veteran spot starter or depth player who has carved out a decent career may be feeling a financial squeeze come Feb. 14th.


http://www.bluebombers.com/2017/01/20/crunching-numbers/

[jerrym]

The Bombers are expecting a performance at least close to that of an All-Star year from Matt Nichols considering the money that they have invested in him.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/football/bombers/

[Will]

WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS


<tbody style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background: transparent;">
PLAYER
POS
NAT/INT
STATUS


Adams, Darvin (http://www.cfl.ca/players/darvin-adams/159470/)
WR
International
Extended (01/16/17) (http://www.cfl.ca/2017/01/16/darvin-adams-inks-new-deal-with-bombers/)


Bass, Khalil (http://www.cfl.ca/players/khalil-bass/161276/)
LB
International



Briggs, Jesse (http://www.cfl.ca/players/jesse-briggs/160676/)
LB
National



Bryant, Stanley (http://www.cfl.ca/players/stanley-bryant/153762/)
OL
International
Extended (01/03/17) (http://www.cfl.ca/2017/01/03/bombers-extend-medlock-bryant/)


Burnett, Tony (http://www.cfl.ca/players/tony-burnett/160293/)
LB
International



Cummings, Euclid (http://www.cfl.ca/players/euclid-cummings/161044/)
DL
International



Davis, Dominique (http://www.cfl.ca/players/dominique-davis/157778/)
QB
International
Extended (01/04/17) (http://www.cfl.ca/2017/01/04/davis-sheppard-re-bombers/)


Denmark, Clarence (http://www.cfl.ca/players/clarence-denmark/148563/)
WR
International



Glenn, Kevin (http://www.cfl.ca/players/kevin-glenn/63531/)
QB
International
Released (01/06/17) (http://www.cfl.ca/2017/01/06/bombers-release-veteran-qb-kevin-glenn/)


Gurley, Tori (http://www.cfl.ca/players/tori-gurley/160791/)
WR
International



Harris, Macho (http://www.cfl.ca/players/macho-harris/158744/)
CB
International



Hurl, Sam (http://www.cfl.ca/players/sam-hurl/159041/)
LB
National



Keeping, Jeff (http://www.cfl.ca/players/jeff-keeping/117729/)
OL
National



Kohlert, Rory (http://www.cfl.ca/players/rory-kohlert/158135/)
WR
National



McDuffie, Quincy (http://www.cfl.ca/players/quincy-mcduffie/159365/)
WR
International
Released (01/31/17) (NFL) (http://www.cfl.ca/2017/01/31/bombers-grant-mcduffie-early-release/)


Medlock, Justin (http://www.cfl.ca/players/justin-medlock/149157/)
K
International
Extended (01/03/17) (http://www.cfl.ca/2017/01/03/bombers-extend-medlock-bryant/)


Nichols, Matt (http://www.cfl.ca/players/matt-nichols/157693/)
QB
International
Extended (01/18/17) (http://www.cfl.ca/)


Rempel, Chad (http://www.cfl.ca/players/chad-rempel/111261/)
WR
National
Extended (12/19/16) (http://www.cfl.ca/2016/12/19/bombers-re-sign-long-snapper-chad-rempel/)


Sheppard, Gerrard (http://www.cfl.ca/players/gerrard-sheppard/160898/)
WR
International
Extended (01/04/17) (http://www.cfl.ca/2017/01/04/davis-sheppard-re-bombers/)


Sherman, Teague (http://www.cfl.ca/players/teague-sherman/159393/)
DB
National



Tuck, James (http://www.cfl.ca/players/james-tuck/160693/)
FB
National

</tbody>

[jerrym]

Former DT Argo Euclid Cummings seems likely to hit the free agency market. In addition the Bombers have released DT Keith Shologan, who signed with the Als, as well as Pascal Lochard.



The Bombers announced Tuesday the release of veteran defensive tackle Keith Shologan along with fullback Pascal Lochard – both Canadians – just two weeks before the opening of the Canadian Football League’s free agent market.
As well, import defensive tackle Euclid Cummings – added last year along with Shologan during the Bombers free agent spending spree – seems destined to hit the open market on Feb. 14thafter seeing his quarterback sack total drop from eight to three.
“It’s a tough business,” said Bombers GM Kyle Walters. “Veteran guys have higher salaries and as we head into free agency there’s some tough decisions that need to be made as you try to set yourself up for this year. This was one of them.


http://www.bluebombers.com/2017/01/31/d-line-changes/

[jerrym]

Former Argo and Eskimo Jason Vega has signed a one day contract with the Bombers so that he can finish his career with them.



The 29-year-old Brockton, Massachusetts product has long had a different take on professional football to dispel any lingering anger or bitterness that might come with walking away from the game.
And so, Vega will slap his name on a one-day contract with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers today and retire as a member of the blue and gold without a trace of regret or remorse.
That – leaving on his own terms – makes him unique in a profession often described this way: ‘Great game, crappy business.’
“I’ve always had a somewhat detached view of football,” began Vega in a chat with bluebombers.com (http://bluebombers.com/). “It was always one where I played it because I enjoyed it, not because I had to. That was something my mom instilled in me when I was younger and it helped me keep it in perspective; that I wasn’t going to play football forever and I needed to have a plan for after the game.
“So for me to walk away from it isn’t overly difficult because I know there are much more important things… family, for me, is prime in every situation. And now that I have a son who was born in October it made it easier for me to say, ‘It’s time.’” ...

his Canadian Football League career officially began with the Bombers in 2011 and, after taking his NFL shot with the New England Patriots and Dallas Cowboys in 2013, he returned to Winnipeg in 2014.
He spent 2015 with the Toronto Argonauts and then finished up last year with the Edmonton Eskimos. And it was before his last regular season game last November – a 41-17 Eskimo win over the Toronto Argonauts in which he had three tackles and a sack – that Vega knew his finish line was near.
“This is something that I’ve been considering for a while,” said Vega. “In 2015 when I ended up playing in Toronto I had a feeling I might be done. I went out there and played and then going into last year’s offseason I was focussed on removing the whole idea of playing football and moving forward.
“Then the opportunity came up to play for Edmonton and I talked to my wife about it. She said, ‘Just give it another go and make sure you’re done with it and if you are, you are. I’ll support you either way.’
“It really hit me the last regular season game of this past season,” added Vega.


http://www.bluebombers.com/2017/02/08/jason-vega-shifting-focus/

[jerrym]

The Bombers have signed International rookie receiver Alex Chisum.



Chisum (6-3, 200, Cincinnati, November 6, 1992, in Fayetteville, GA) played four seasons with the Bearcats, with his most productive coming as a senior in 2015. That year he hauled in 38 passes for 475 yards and one score. Over his career, he totaled 88 receptions for over 1,150 yards and five majors. He recently spent time in camp with the Detroit Lions.


http://www.bluebombers.com/2017/02/06/bombers-add-receiver-alex-chisum/

[jerrym]

With the signing of former Argo Tristan Okpalaugo, along with resignings of key players, Winnipeg has greatly reduced its cap space and expects to be fairly quiet during free agency.



Kyle Walters has done a good chunk of his free agent shopping early and, in the process, crossed off the top item on his wish list.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers announced the addition of defensive end Tristan Okpalaugo on Thursday and the club’s GM confirmed he has been in his crosshairs for months. ...

The money allotted to him – along with quarterback Matt Nichols, Darvin Adams and new receiver Kenny Stafford – means the Bombers’ approach to free agency when it opens on Tuesday will dramatically contrast that of the previous couple of years.
There is less desperation to fill holes, although there will be some jobs up for grabs when training camp opens in late May.
“We’ve done a lot of our work, just the way it shaped up this year, versus waiting to start the day free agency started,” said Walters. “We were able to get Kenny and Tristan and with their situations, we were able to get this done before free agency, which is nice.


http://www.bluebombers.com/2017/02/09/gm-kyle-walters-quieter-free-agency-predicted/

[jerrym]

Paul Wiecek argues that the Bombers are being reckless in using Dominique Davis as Matt Nichols backup, as he did not complete a single pass in 2016 and has played only one meaningless game at the end of the 2015 season. Perhaps they will go after Cato to get a little more experience at QB.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/football/bombers/bombers-making-reckless-bet-on-upcoming-season-413449603.html

[jerrym]

Looks like former Argo Julian Feoli-Gudino will be competing for a starting National WR job with Kohlert heading for free agency.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Many asking, with Kohlert gone who will be <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Bombers?src=hash">#Bombers</a> starting National receiver? Julian Feoli-Gidino and Addison Richards will compete.</p>&mdash; Darrin Bauming (@DarrinBauming) <a href="https://twitter.com/DarrinBauming/status/830147286751641600">February 10, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

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[jerrym]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Bombers?src=hash">#Bombers</a> pending FAs who will definitely hit free agency on Feb 14: LB Khalil Bass, DT Euclid Cummings, WR Rory Kohlert, OL Jeff Keeping.</p>&mdash; Darrin Bauming (@DarrinBauming) <a href="https://twitter.com/DarrinBauming/status/829779093449211905">February 9, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[jerrym]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">told <a href="https://twitter.com/Wpg_BlueBombers">@Wpg_BlueBombers</a> love how Denmark handled himself, came &amp; played after previous release left mark on organization. they want him back</p>&mdash; gary lawless (@garylawless) <a href="https://twitter.com/garylawless/status/830144216193970177">February 10, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">can say talks between <a href="https://twitter.com/Wpg_BlueBombers">@Wpg_BlueBombers</a> and WR Clarence Denmark have intensified. Sounds like there&#39;s a will to get a deal done <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/cfl?src=hash">#cfl</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CFL">@cfl</a></p>&mdash; gary lawless (@garylawless) <a href="https://twitter.com/garylawless/status/830142725659959296">February 10, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[jerrym]

With Euclid Cummings not extending, it looks like the Bombers could be looking for a DT with the first overall pick.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">if <a href="https://twitter.com/Wpg_BlueBombers">@Wpg_BlueBombers</a> don&#39;t re-sign Euclid Cummings, already released Keith Shologan. Jake Thomas and first pick in draft at DT? <a href="https://twitter.com/CFL">@cfl</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/cfl?src=hash">#cfl</a></p>&mdash; gary lawless (@garylawless) <a href="https://twitter.com/garylawless/status/829346113216008193">February 8, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[jerrym]

The Bombers have signed two first year players, Internationals WR Xavier Rush and db Johs Celerin


Rush graduated from Tulane University and in four seasons with the Green Wave, the 6'3'' receiver caught 99 balls for over 1300 yards and 12 touchdowns. The Stillwater, Okla.-native was looked to for big plays in his senior year and averaged just short of 20 yards per reception. Rush most recently is coming off a season with the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles, where he signed as an undrafted free agent in Feb. 2016.
Celerin played three seasons at Central Connecticut State University, where he racked up 133 tackles in 32 games. As a senior, the Tampa, Fla.-native transferred to Jacksonville University and had a strong year. The 6'0'' defensive back tallied 63 tackles, including eight and a half for a loss, seven pass breakups, and an interception in 2015.


http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/article/blue-bombers-add-international-signings-1.669518

[jerrym]

Ed Tait discusses the Bomber free agency situation including those already signed and likely free agents, as well as the fact that having already spent significant money on Nichols, Kenny Stafford, as well as former Argos Darvin Adams and Tristan Okpalaugo, they won't be going for high priced free agents on February 14th. Current starters by position holes and depth are also discussed at the end of the article.



Over the last few years, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers have approached the opening of the Canadian Football League free agent market the same way deal-obsessed shoppers attack a Boxing Day sale. They would religiously line up overnight to be at or near the line before the doors swung open. And when they did – BOOM! – they attacked the available talent with a fervour, desperate to fill holes on the depth chart.
That changes next week when the 2017 free agent market opens on Valentine’s Day, in large part courtesy of the stability that comes from last year’s turnaround and a desire from more players to want to stay or sign here, not escape.
GM Kyle Walters told bluebombers.com (http://bluebombers.com/) this week. “It’s a busy day, a full day… it’s nuts. But this year is going to be nothing like that. We’re going to follow along and see who signs. It would be nice to get some good value with some young Canadian kids that we like, but we’ve already done a lot of our work.”
That included signing quarterback Matt Nichols and receiver Darvin Adams to new deals, adding receiver Kenny Stafford and, on Thursday, landing their big offseason prize in defensive end Tristan Okpalaugo.
A dozen Bombers will be headed to free agency unless they sign before Tuesday. Walters has already confirmed that linebacker Khalil Bass, defensive tackle Euclid Cummings, receiver Rory Kohlert and offensive lineman Jeff Keeping will not be offered new contracts. The remaining eight include receivers Clarence Denmark and Tori Gurley, linebackers Jesse Briggs, Tony Burnett and Sam Hurl, defensive backs Macho Harris and Teague Sherman and fullback James Tuck.
The Bombers lineup isn’t without its question mark as the offseason talent grab really begins to come into focus, especially with the departures of Shologan, Cummings and Bass. But the Canadian depth – and six of the seven Canadian starters in Andrew Harris, Sukh Chungh, Matthias Goossen, Julian Feoli-Gudino, Taylor Loffler and Jamaal Westerman – is as good as it has been in years and that’s always the starting point to any CFL roster.
Walters said the club won’t be chasing any of the high-end talent expected to become free on Tuesday, but will be kicking the tires on some of the players who might still be available after the initial spending spree subsides. He went go over the club’s salary cap plans one more time on Friday, now factoring in the addition of Okpalaugo, to see what they might have left for next week. “We thought all along that defensive end was the biggest need on our team. Period,” said Walters. “We went out and got our guy and now the ramifications are being felt.”


http://www.bluebombers.com/2017/02/12/2017-free-agency-positional-breakdown/

[jerrym]

This 3D Nation article discusses the top five free agent targets of the Bombers.


http://3downnation.com/2017/02/12/top-five-free-agent-targets-bombers/

[jerrym]

In the Blue Bomber podcast at the url below, John and Tim Hodge discuss the signings of former Argo Tristan Okpalaugo and Kenny Stafford and which free agents the Bombers should pursue.
http://3downnation.com/2017/02/13/blue-bomber-talk-podcast-episode-43/

[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/steinbergs-mmqb-let-frenzy-begin/


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[jerrym]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The team has re-signed linebacker Jesse Briggs.<br>📝 | <a href="https://t.co/wkb6HXGpy0">https://t.co/wkb6HXGpy0</a> <a href="https://t.co/1ibkLwfPJz">pic.twitter.com/1ibkLwfPJz</a></p>&mdash; WPG Blue Bombers (@Wpg_BlueBombers) <a href="https://twitter.com/Wpg_BlueBombers/status/831213964751147008">February 13, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[jerrym]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The team has extended the contract of offensive lineman Sukh Chungh through the 2018 season.<br>📝 | <a href="https://t.co/JXiHRLWDKY">https://t.co/JXiHRLWDKY</a> <a href="https://t.co/ISnKaKaWwX">pic.twitter.com/ISnKaKaWwX</a></p>&mdash; WPG Blue Bombers (@Wpg_BlueBombers) <a href="https://twitter.com/Wpg_BlueBombers/status/831508600342331393">February 14, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[jerrym]

<iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="position: absolute; visibility: hidden; display: block; width: 0px; height: 0px; padding: 0px; border: medium none;" frameborder="0"></iframe>Bombers resign LB Sam Hurl.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Sam Hurl LB signs back with <a href="https://twitter.com/Wpg_BlueBombers">@Wpg_BlueBombers</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CFL">@cfl</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/cfl?src=hash">#cfl</a></p>&mdash; gary lawless (@garylawless) <a href="https://twitter.com/garylawless/status/831595625925980160">February 14, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


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[jerrym]

Winnipeg has added DT Drake Nevis from Hamilton.



<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Drake Nevis DT has agreed to terms with <a href="https://twitter.com/Wpg_BlueBombers">@Wpg_BlueBombers</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CFL">@cfl</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/cfl?src=hash">#cfl</a></p>&mdash; gary lawless (@garylawless) <a href="https://twitter.com/garylawless/status/831562040737140736">February 14, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[jerrym]

National WR and free agent Matt Coates has left the Tiger Cats to sign with the Bombers.



Coates (6-2, 200, Hamilton Hurricanes (Jr.), July 15, 1991, in Markham, ON) has spent the previous three seasons with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, playing a total of 34 games over his three-year CFL career. ...

The Markham, Ontario receiver spent time on the Tiger-Cats practice roster before making his CFL debut in 2014, playing in all 18 regular season games and both playoff games, including the 102nd Grey Cup.




http://www.bluebombers.com/2017/02/14/bombers-sign-wr-matt-coates/

[jerrym]

Former Argo AB Dan LeFevour has signed with Winnipeg.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">there&#39;s the insurance at QB <a href="https://twitter.com/Wpg_BlueBombers">@Wpg_BlueBombers</a> wanted as they sign Dan LeFevour <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/cfl?src=hash">#cfl</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CFL">@cfl</a></p>&mdash; gary lawless (@garylawless) <a href="https://twitter.com/garylawless/status/832341740795346944">February 16, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[jerrym]

Drake Nevis upgrades Winnipeg's DL.



Nevis (6-2, 300, LSU, May 8, 1989, in Marrero, LA) has spent the past two seasons with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats where in 2016 he started 14 games at defensive tackle. Nevis recorded 29 tackles, five quarterback sacks and one pass knock down.
Prior to joining Hamilton, Nevis spent time in the NFL from 2011-2014 after being selected by Indianapolis in the 3rd round, 87th overall in the 2011 NFL Draft. Nevis has recorded 50 tackles (23 assisted), one sack and one pass deflection in 26 career NFL games. Following his time in Indianapolis, Nevis also spent time with Dallas (11 games played), Jacksonville and San Diego.


http://www.bluebombers.com/2017/02/14/bombers-sign-dt-drake-nevis/

[jerrym]

GM Kyle Walters indicates that the Bombers are not done with free agency.



It’s true; a lot of Walters ‘To-Do’ list had items scratched off before the market opened, including re-signing quarterback Matt Nichols, receiver Darvin Adams, kicker Justin Medlock and offensive lineman Stanley Bryant, while adding pieces like Stafford – the veteran receiver ex of the Montreal Alouettes, and Okpalaugo – the defensive end who was the East Division’s top rookie while with Toronto in 2014.
That doesn’t mean the team will close up shop now and stop making offers or listening to agents’ sales pitches.
“You’re always looking,” said Walters. “The agents right now certainly have their lists of clients that are looking for work. At this point a lot of the agents are less concerned about money, a lot of money has been spent so they’re doing their due diligence and trying to find a spot where they can come in and compete and make a team.
“There’s lots of names out there and we’re talking with agents, so I don’t know if there’s anything pending.”
“I certainly wouldn’t say we’re done by any means.”

http://www.bluebombers.com/2017/02/15/certainly-wouldnt-say-done-gm-kyle-walters/

[jerrym]

Dan LeFevour will compete with the inexperienced Dominique Davis who did not throw a pass in 2016 and played only 1 game in 2015 for the backup role behind Matt Nichols.



“Dan comes in and gives us some quality CFL experience in the quarterback stable,” Bombers general manager Kyle Walters said in a statement.
“He’s been around this league for a number of seasons and will work well with both Dom and Matt, helping our offence in whatever is needed.”


http://www.bluebombers.com/2017/02/16/bombers-sign-qb-dan-lefevour/

[jerrym]

One of the reasons Rory Kohlert left for Calgary was he had lost his starter job to former Argo Julian Feoli-Gudino.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Longest-serving <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Bombers?src=hash">#Bombers</a> player as of Tuesday signs on with Calgary. Lost starting job late last season to Julian Feoli-Gudino. <a href="https://t.co/DYaNyIaoJB">https://t.co/DYaNyIaoJB</a></p>&mdash; Darrin Bauming (@DarrinBauming) <a href="https://twitter.com/DarrinBauming/status/832357732908949505">February 16, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[jerrym]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Which defensive tackle will the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Bombers?src=hash">#Bombers</a> target at 1st-overall in the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CFLDraft?src=hash">#CFLDraft</a>? It just may be UCLA&#39;s Eli Ankou. <a href="https://t.co/k3zJeiamtv">https://t.co/k3zJeiamtv</a></p>&mdash; Darrin Bauming (@DarrinBauming) <a href="https://twitter.com/DarrinBauming/status/832727018328305664">February 17, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[jerrym]

Clarence Denmark has resigned with the Bombers.



Denmark spent the past six seasons with Winnipeg, hauling in 359 receptions for 4,870 yards and 24 touchdowns in 98 career regular season games. He was named a West Division All-Star in 2014 after registering 1,080 receiving yards.
“There are certain players you simply have to figure out a way to make it work contractually. Clarence is one of those players,” said Blue Bombers General Manager Kyle Walters. “He is the definition of a pro both on and off the field and his production speaks for itself. He’s a leader by example, and we are very pleased to have him return to our organization.”
Denmark returned to Winnipeg in late July last season, playing in ten games and recording 53 receptions for 705 yards and eight touchdowns, including a career-high seven receptions for 195 yards and two touchdowns in a 34-17 win at Toronto in August.


http://www.cfl.ca/2017/02/17/bombers-come-terms-wr-clarence-denmark/

[jerrym]

Matt Coates has taken a unusual path to the CFL.



Consider his football timeline; going from the Markham High School Marauders, to giving up tackle football to pursue a career as an electrician, to the Toronto Toros flag football team, to the Hamilton Hurricanes of the Canadian Junior Football League, to the New Mexico Military Institute Broncos, back to the Hurricanes, then to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
And now to the Bombers.
Yes, there is the road less travelled. And then there is the road Coates hacked and chopped through the forest himself to get where he is today.
“I know,” began Coates this week with a chuckle, “it’s a different route, isn’t it?”

You could say that.


http://www.bluebombers.com/2017/02/17/matt-coates-unconventional-road/

[jerrym]

The Bombers have added Internationals DE Jackson Jeffcoat and DB Chris Greenwood.



The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have signed defensive end Jackson Jeffcoat and defensive back Chris Greenwood as they continue to build their roster for the upcoming season.
Jeffcoat spent the last three seasons in the NFL with three different teams: the Cleveland Browns, Washington Redskins and Seattle Seahawks. The 25-year-old American registered nine tackles, a sack, an interception and a forced fumble in nine games. Jeffcoat was named the NCAA’s top defensive end in 2013 during his senior season at Texas.
Greenwood returns to the Bombers following a season on the team’s practice roster. The 27-year-old American previously played three games with the NFL’s Detroit Lions in 2013.


http://www.cjob.com/2017/02/21/winnipeg-blue-bombers-add-former-nfl-players/

[jerrym]

The Bombers have a female pioneer - its first woman vice chair.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/football/bombers/bombers-vice-chair-spiring-a-cfl-pioneer-414642804.html

[jerrym]

GM Kyle Walters on his approach to selecting the #1 overall CFL draft choice:



“Do we need a defensive tackle? Absolutely. But we aren’t in the same position we used to be,” he said, referring to our absolute NEED to draft lineman in the past. Well, we’ve done that for three seasons now, and two of the three are into their second and third years as starters, while another is still being groomed nicely. “I definitely want to consider taking the best football player available,” he added. “We just haven’t been able to think that way until this season.”


http://www.bluebombers.com/2017/02/22/blog-wrapping-offseason/

[jerrym]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">‘Walters &amp; O’Shea on getting the Bombers ready for 2017 season’ on <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SoundCloud?src=hash">#SoundCloud</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/np?src=hash">#np</a> <a href="https://t.co/iPaV4IAAdu">https://t.co/iPaV4IAAdu</a></p>&mdash; gary lawless (@garylawless) <a href="https://twitter.com/garylawless/status/835266388105252867">February 24, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[jerrym]

Jake Howorth analyzes the Bombers offseason acquisitions below.



Overall it was a great year for the Blue Bombers. But the problem is that they will no longer be overlooked and underestimated by opponents as they seek to continue building on last season’s success. That building starts with signing the right free agents. They made the right move in re-signing quarterback Nichols.
However, in addition to Nichols, other free agent signings should not go overlooked. Everyone knows the big quarterback names in the CFL, but as arguably the most team-oriented sport of all, football requires much more than just one or two big names. Here are some of the players the Blue Bombers have re-signed or brought in who give them the depth they need to build on last year’s success.
Drake Newis, Defensive Tackle

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers defence was one of the main reasons they were able to turn their season around last year. They led the league in interceptions with 30 and their 25 forced fumbles ranked second.
Their one major defensive problem, though, was their inability to pressure the quarterback consistently. They were in the basement in the league with 35 sacks. Canadian defensive end Jamaal Westerman’s sack total dropped from 17 to eight last season, and new signing Drake Newis will take some stress off of Westerman, while beefing up the line.
The mammoth LSU product was quietly one of the most dominant interior linemen with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (https://ticats.ca/)last year. In his first year as a consistent starter, he recorded 29 tackles, five sacks, and one pass knockdown in 14 games. Most of the Ticats players, such as All-star Simoni Lawrence, openly expressed their love of playing with him, so don’t be surprised if Newis and the defensive line create havoc for opposing pivots.
The 27-year-old spent four seasons in the NFL after being selected in third round, 87thoverall, by the Indianapolis Colts in 2011.
Clarence Denmark and Kenny Stafford, Wide Receivers

Injuries can make or break a season for a franchise. Last year, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers were bit by the injury bug at the wide receiver position, which delayed Nichols’ opportunity to build chemistry with his primary weapons, as the only receiver to play more than 14 games for Winnipeg was Canadian Rory Kohlert.
The injuries during the season led the team to bring back an old face who was previously cut. In his return he made the most of the opportunity, which led to him being re-signed this off-season. That player is Clarence Denmark.
The 31-year-old receiver was a missing piece for the Blue Bombers early on in the season, and right when he stepped on the field in Week Seven he made a difference. In his second game back against the Toronto Argonauts, he caught seven balls for 195 yards and two touchdowns.
He finished the season third in receptions (53), second in receiving yards (705) and first in touchdowns (8) on his team. The 2014 West Division All-Star is a very good route runner and has big play potential written all over him.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers also signed International receiver Kenny Stafford. The 6’3″ wideout was released from the Montreal Alouettes (http://en.montrealalouettes.com/) at the tail end of last season. What the 26-year-old brings is added depth, height, speed and experience. Many forget that two years ago with the Edmonton Eskimos (http://www.esks.com/), he was the third head of the three-headed monster consisting of Adarius Bowman and Derel Walker. He put up 47 grabs for 732 yards and nine scores. That team went on to capture the 103rd Grey Cup.
Last year Weston Dressler and Ryan Smith went down, and the receiving corps was very inexperienced before Denmark was signed. Stafford is a perfect guy to bring to added depth and teach the newer receiver how to adapt to the Canadian game, in addition to making plays.
Dan LeFevour, Quarterback

Heading into the 2017 campaign there is zero competition for the starting quarterback job, as Nichols won it fair and square with his impressive play last year. So now, with no Kevin Glenn or Drew Willy on the depth chart, there is competition for the Bombers back-up job. A name was added to the mix with the depth signing of Dan LeFevour.
The Central Michigan alumni is a prototypical CFL quarterback. He’s athletic, can extend plays on the ground, and has a solid arm. He was signed by the Argos mid-season last year and made a good impression. He threw for 329 yards in a win against the Tiger-Cats in Week 12 to snap a four game skid. The next week against the Blue Bombers, he tossed four majors, piling up 271 yards in the air and 57 yards on the ground in a loss.
The major reason why his development keeps getting delayed is injuries. In 2014, the 29-year-old tore his ACL after being given the starting job in Hamilton. The year after, in his third snap with the Alouettes, he injured his non-throwing shoulder.


http://lastwordonsports.com/2017/02/22/winnipeg-blue-bombers-build-matt-nichols-add-depth/

[ArgoRavi]

To say that LeFevour has a solid arm is misleading.

[jerrym]

Below is a video Twitter interview with HC Mike O'Shea.

http://www.bluebombers.com/2017/03/02/coach-oshea-q/

[jerrym]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">real interest from <a href="https://twitter.com/sskroughriders">@sskroughriders</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/Wpg_BlueBombers">@Wpg_BlueBombers</a> in N DT Eddie Steele. Price and cap issues. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/cfl?src=hash">#cfl</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CFL">@cfl</a> was set to make $160 k in Edm</p>&mdash; gary lawless (@garylawless) <a href="https://twitter.com/garylawless/status/836935982620504065">March 1, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[jerrym]

ST Mike Miller has signed with the Bombers.



After being released by the Eskimos earlier this week, (http://www.cfl.ca/2017/03/01/eskimos-release-national-fullback-miller/) the Winnipeg Blue Bombers have signed the veteran national fullback, the team announced Friday.
Miller is a veteran of 104 CFL games, and led the league in special teams tackles in 2016 with 27.
“Mike is a solid all-around football player,” said Blue Bombers General Manager, Kyle Walters. “His work on special teams speaks for itself, but from all accounts, he’s another great addition inside our locker room as well. His experience in this league will be a great asset for our younger players.”
Originally signing with Edmonton as an undrafted free agent, Miller has 116 career special teams tackles, and has missed only four career games since 2011. He has played in eight career playoff games with Edmonton, winning the Grey Cup in 2015 with the Eskimos.


http://www.cfl.ca/2017/03/03/bombers-ink-special-teams-tackler-miller/

[jerrym]

The Bombers got a valuable National when they picked up special teamer Mike Miller.



Yes, less than 72 hours after his release from the Esks, Miller – the Canadian Football League’s special teams tackle leader from a year ago – was scribbling his name on a new deal with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
“It’s perfect. I couldn’t be more excited to be a Blue Bomber,” began Miller in a chat with bluebombers.com (http://bluebombers.com/) from his offseason home in Riverview, N.B.
“It’s funny, if you had asked me in 2011 if I’d still be playing football today I would have said you were crazy.”“Being undrafted, I wasn’t sure if I’d even make a team. Edmonton gave me that shot and I just do what I need to do. I’m going to do whatever they need. I started out in this league as a defensive back, I got moved to linebacker and then fullback. It’s the more you can do.”
“I’ll carry water bottles if I have to.” ...“He’s our kind of guy,” said Walters. “He’s what the Winnipeg Football Club is about: he’s a hard-nosed, tough kid that everybody says, ‘You’ve got yourselves a heckuva teammate there.’ He’ll get into that locker room and fit in and run around and smash people.”
Miller likely won’t get touches out of the Bombers backfield, but does provide some depth behind Andrew Harris and Chris Normand. Walters said Normand would be the ‘get-you-out-of-a-game tailback’ if Harris was to be injured – an import like Timothy Flanders, like last year, would be the replacement if Harris was shelved for a longer stretch – and Miller would then step in for Normand at fullback.
“Plus,” added Walters, “he’ll lead the league in special teams tackles just like he does every year.”
“The way we’re building our team, he will come right in and fit in and be an example of what we’re doing here.”Miller has 104 CFL games under his belt – and eight playoff games, including the 2015 Grey Cup – and 116 career special teams tackles. Just as important, he has missed only four games since breaking into the league in 2011.
It turns out Miller also received a good sales pitch on signing with the Bombers from an old teammate and close friend: quarterback Matt Nichols.
“When I found out I was going to be released Matt got in contact with me,” said Miller. “Our families are close and have stayed close over the last few years. Our wives are best friends. He was trying to lure me to Winnipeg and was giving me information about the team and the locker room. It was all good things; it definitely piqued my interest to go there and I’m super excited.”



http://www.bluebombers.com/2017/03/03/mike-miller-heckuva-teammate/

[jerrym]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Way <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Bombers?src=hash">#Bombers</a> roster shaping up, looks like they won&#39;t employ a Canadian backup to Andrew Harris. Two FBs. Maybe they&#39;ll draft one—not a need</p>&mdash; Darrin Bauming (@DarrinBauming) <a href="https://twitter.com/DarrinBauming/status/837706293611655168">March 3, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[OV Argo]

<twitterwidget class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" id="twitter-widget-0" data-tweet-id="837706293611655168" style="position: static; visibility: visible; display: block; transform: rotate(0deg); max-width: 100%; width: 500px; min-width: 220px; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"></twitterwidget> <script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The Bombers have former Laval RB Chris Normand and he got some tailback work to replace Harris late last season (last reg season game maybe) and IMO he looked very good - a big back with some speed. They could also draft another RB - Augustine or Earlington - and easily go all- NI at RB; Flanders was pretty good for them though IMO - Argos should sign him if he is no longer wanted in the Peg.<iframe id="rufous-sandbox" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: absolute; visibility: hidden; display: none; width: 0px; height: 0px; padding: 0px; border: none;" title="Twitter analytics iframe"></iframe>

[jerrym]

With the addition of Mike Miller and Thomas Miles to Jesse Briggs and Sam Hurl the Bombers have good National depth on special teams and LB.

[jerrym]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Roster moves last two days further solidify theory — the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Bombers?src=hash">#Bombers</a> want the best special teams in the CFL. They have the personnel to do it.</p>&mdash; Darrin Bauming (@DarrinBauming) <a href="https://twitter.com/DarrinBauming/status/838155776560623617">March 4, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[jerrym]

Kyle Walters discusses Bomber preparations for the draft below including the first overall draft choice - thanks to the Argos.

http://www.bluebombers.com/2017/03/06/gm-kyle-walters-draft-preparations/

[jerrym]

The Bombers have made good use of tryout camps to improve their team also.



Over the last 2 years, our Free Agent workouts have produced seven starting players including the 2014 Most Outstanding Defensive Player of the Year candidate, DB Maurice Leggett, and 2015 Rookie of the Year candidate, LB Khalil Bass. Both players started their CFL careers through Winnipeg Blue Bombers Free Agent workouts. Another nine players have been steady contributors to the roster as back-ups and special team players.


http://www.bluebombers.com/2017-free-agent-camps/

[OV Argo]

With the addition of Mike Miller and Thomas Miles to Jesse Briggs and Sam Hurl the Bombers have good National depth on special teams and LB.


The Bummers also have former CIS all-stars and/or draft picks - John Rush, Shayne Gauthier and Frank Renaud - on their roster as linebackers; can't possibly carry all those guys. Meanwhile, the Argos have Newton as an NI depth LB / special teamer ? At least 2 or 3 of those Bomber NI LBs will have to be let go after TC.

[jerrym]

Winnipeg has signed former Roughrider International DT Corvey Irvin.


The 31-year-old Georgia native started all 18 games for the Riders in 2016, posting five sacks and 27 tackles.
Irvin's first CFL season was with Montreal in 2015, when he recorded three sacks and 11 tackles in 13 games.
He played 24 games over five seasons in the NFL before that, after Carolina drafted him in the third round of the 2009 NFL draft.


http://www.winnipegsun.com/2017/03/13/bombers-sign-defensive-tackle

[jerrym]

GM Kyle Wlaters discusses the upcoming combines and draft below.



Q: How does having the first-overall selection change your approach to the draft?
Walters: “It’s nice to know we can do whatever we want. Often the first-overall pick comes with the question, ‘Is the kid going to show up?’ That’s always the struggle in our league. But at least with the first pick we know we don’t have to rely or wait on anyone else’s thought process. We can get whatever guy we want.”

Q: What does having two picks in the first round do to your draft plans?
Walters: “It allows you to have a little bit of strategy. We haven’t gone through this with a one and a six (first and sixth-overall picks). Obviously, it’s a good thing and I predict as we get closer teams will want to start talking trades, particularly with the new regimes in Montreal and Toronto and those teams not having first-round draft picks. B.C. has got two first-rounders (picks) as well. There are talks every year, it’s just a matter of whether it comes together or not. We’ll sit and listen. That stuff won’t likely come until draft night.”

Q: Does having two first-round picks mean you might be more tempted to take a ‘futures’ player, i.e. a guy who may be drafted in the NFL or gets an invitation to an NFL camp?
Walters: “We wouldn’t plan on taking a futures. But Andy Mulumba (drafted second overall by the Bombers in 2013 but signed as an undrafted free agent by the Green Bay Packers and in the NFL since) was an interesting one. The thought was he wasn’t going to stick in the NFL for that long. (The Packers) have a rash of injuries at his position and he sticks around… that’s all it takes. That makes things hard to predict. You can do all your research… that’s the tough part of our draft. Not only are you evaluating whether they are good enough to play in our league, you are also then evaluating whether they are going to come, what their interest is, and when are you going to see them. You see it all the time where you draft a kid and he never plays a down for you.”

Q: Have you got it in your mind who the club will take with the first-overall pick yet?
Walters: “No. We’ve done a lot of legwork, but we’ve got a lot more to go. We’ll get the coaches involved after the combines and evaluation camps to come in and look at the Top 5 at each position. They’ll come in and give their two cents on the top guys.”

Q: Have you got your mind made up on what position you might draft at No. 1, then?
Walters: “No, again. Not even close. We’re in the position with our roster where we’re pretty solid from a Canadian standpoint. We’re not at the point where we are saying ‘We have to draft at this position because we need this player to play.’ It’s, ‘let’s find the best football player.’ Obviously, like every team, we need some depth across the board. You always need O-line depth, receiver depth, we’ve got three Canadian running backs. On the D-line we’ve got a lot of (Canadian) guys, but not a lot of proven guys. We’ve got a good core of special teams guys and are a little thin at the back end (secondary). But I like all of our top-end guys.”

Q: The Bomber staff now heads into the final two combines this coming week. How much stock do you put into the testing and the drills at the combine vs. what you’ve seen on film?
Walters: “A lot. This is not like the NFL where you’ve got a regional scout going to every SEC game played in a whole season for four years or something like that. It’s not like that in CFL. You’re on the road and you get out and see the kids when you can, but the reality is the combines in our league are far more important than in the NFL. It’s tons of work. It starts throughout the CIS season when you’re at games and making notes. Since December I’ve been plugging away at this. It takes a helluva lot of time watching three-four games each of 120 players or so. It’s about digging up as much information as you can; the scouts are digging up information. You have the month of April to take a deep breath, dig up medical records of the kids you like. Then you gauge the NFL interest before making our final draft rankings. We’ll talk weekly about final grades and master grades and things like that. All of this is part of that.”

Q: What do you learn, or what do you want to find out from the individual one-on-one meetings you have with prospects at the combine?
Walters: “It’s all part of the big picture and that’s a piece in the puzzle. You watch their film and have a debate based on their film work. You talk to coaches at that end, you see them at pro days or at combines and you add that in. And then you have the interview process. It’s all part of the decision you make as to their final grade.We want to interview, obviously, the guys we are interested in or don’t know a lot about. We know the CIS guys, but not as much the players from Henderson State (defensive back Dondre Wright) or Fordham (defensive lineman Justin Vaughn), or Idaho (offensive lineman Mason Woods). You want to see if the kid loves football. (Head coach) Mike (O’Shea) and I are the same way on that. We want to know, does this kid have a passion for playing football? You go over their academic situation… are they going back to school? We ask, ‘If you get drafted would you stay on the practice roster or not?’ You get that taken care of and then you ask what they know about Winnipeg or about living away from home. You only get 15 minutes so with each of them and so you want to find out quickly if he loves the game or if he’s a ‘Meh, I could take it or leave it.’ We want the guys who love, who breathe, who sleep and eat football, who want to play football whether it’s in Vancouver, Montreal or any place in between. I remember Sukh (Chungh’s) interview. We knew he was a tough kid. And then when we put some film on, his eyes lit up. It was – BOOM! – he loved talking football. For us that’s the most important thing. We don’t need to go too deep into the psychological thing.”

Q: What are the most important tests for you at the combines, or are they all relatively the same?
Walters: “When I go to these things I just sit at the long-jump pit because no one else is there. I just like to look at the kids, say hello and put a name to a face. Everyone’s watching the 40s or the bench press, but you get all the scores and results provided to you. I’ll see every kid pass through that station. I’m not overly concerned about the test results. There’s still got to be a base of athleticism. The tough ones are when you really love a kid and he works hard, but he’s a little undersized. It’s like a DB who is 5-10 and runs a 4.9. You may like him but he’s a long, long, long shot strictly based on his physical attributes, not with anything you see on film. We all have our strengths for something like the combine. (Assistant GM/Director of Player Personnel) Ted (Goveia), for example, is more about the quantifiable data and the scouting end. That’s his voice. Ted and (National Scout) Craig (Smith) are the scouting minds and they help keep us in check. The one-on-ones are revealing from a competition standpoint. But the defensive backs vs. receivers battles are biased toward one position group (receivers). Most of all, we want to see who’s tough and willing to compete. A lot of that stuff comes down to this: in the scouting report you may write ‘I like him as a football player; let’s see how he looks in person. If the testing results are adequate and you really like how the kid competes on the field then you factor that in. “You’re also going to see guys who don’t look good on film, maybe they look lazy or don’t execute well but man do they look the part in person.”


http://www.bluebombers.com/2017/03/16/qa-gm-kyle-walters/

[jerrym]

Below is a John and Tim Hodge podcast discussing Winnipeg's free agents gains and losses and how the team lineup is shaping up.

http://3downnation.com/2017/03/14/blue-bomber-talk-podcast-episode-44/

[jerrym]

Interrnational DB Kevin Fogg discusses his rookie season and his offseason in this video interview.

http://www.cfl.ca/2017/03/17/off-season-on-record-kevin-fogg/

[jerrym]

Three current Bombers, Chungh, Loftier and Couture, discuss what happened during their National Combines below.

http://www.bluebombers.com/2017/03/20/surviving-the-combine/

[jerrym]

Matt Nichols discusses his off=season and his drive to succeed in the following article.



After having his best year in the CFL and signing a shiny new contract, Matt Nichols just wants to ride the momentum. ...
“I’ve worked harder in this off-season than I have in the past,” Nichols said. “You don’t like to admit that, because you feel like you’ve been working your hardest at all times. But especially this year, having as much film on myself as I have, to be able to go back and watch, and figure out what I need to get better at to improve my game, has been helpful. I’ve been watching the other guys around the league and seeing how they handle second downs and red zone scenarios and those types of things. Trying to get a better feel for that. I feel like I had a career-year last year and the game started to really slow down for me,” said Nichols, who completed 327 passes for 3,666 yards and 18 touchdowns, while throwing only nine interceptions, in 2016. “That playoff game (against B.C.) was one of the best games I ever played in my life. I just felt like I had a great handle on everything.”
Nichols has been studying one of his quarterbacking peers in particular — most outstanding player Bo Levi Mitchell of the Calgary Stampeders.
“Bo Levi Mitchell is a guy I watch a lot and I’m just trying to see what he does a little bit different from everyone else that makes him successful and trying to implement some of those things into my game.”


http://www.winnipegsun.com/2017/03/20/bombers-qb-nichols-driven-to-work-harder-after-big-year

[jerrym]

At CFL Week, Kyle Walters discusses his plans for the team and the draft including those missing who are pursuing NFL dreams.



“We’re just looking to upgrade overall depth,” he said. “Obviously along the offensive line every year you’re looking to draft and develop guys. We lost Rory (Kohlert) in free agency, so you’re looking at receivers as well. It’s the same groups. We start two (Canadians) along the defensive line so you’re looking for depth there. Your linebackers bring special teams depth and now we’re starting a Canadian free safety as well.
“We’re always looking for depth and we’re in a spot with our Canadian content to take the best player available regardless of his position.” ...The list of no-shows includes Mississippi State offensive lineman Justin Senior, Laval tight end Antony Auclair, UCLA defensive tackle Eli Ankou, Manitoba’s guard Geoff Gray – ranked first, second, third and fifth in the December rankings of the CFL Scouting Bureau.
“It’s frustrating,” Walters admitted. “You sure would like all of the top prospects to come here and compete. But, unfortunately that’s not the way it works. I don’t think it’s going to hurt them, it just puts a little bit more onus on the teams to do more work and you don’t have the luxury of seeing them up here all together competing against each other which is the benefit of these types of things. But it’s the way of the world now.”

The Bombers will be represented at the combines by Walters, Head Coach Mike O’Shea, Assistant General Manager/Director of Player Personnel Ted Goveia and National Scout Craig Smith.
The one-on-one player interviews begin Thursday evening, followed by testing on Friday and one-on-one battles on Saturday.
Walters said a player can change a team’s opinion in the next few days, but this look-see also must be tempered with what has popped out from the game film.
“There’s two lines of thought on that,” he said. “You watch a player on film who might not jump out at you, whether it was effort or something wasn’t just quite right and he shows up here and athletically he tests through the roof. And then you need to go back and figure out why he’s not performing and watch a couple more games and figure out his athleticism that he is showing here doesn’t show up in productivity on the field.
“And, conversely, you’re going to find a lot of guys that run around, play hard, that are tough, physical and the kind of football players you really want on your team but you need to see them to make sure there is that baseline of athleticism that allows them to compete here.


http://www.bluebombers.com/2017/03/22/gm-kyle-walters-cfl-week/

[jerrym]

Possible Bomber #1 draft choice Geoff Gray is skipping the National Combine. He might be available later when the Argos draft.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Geoff Gray declined his Combine invite, as he&#39;s expecting over a dozen NFL teams to attend his <a href="https://twitter.com/MBBisons">@MBBisons</a> Pro Day in Winnipeg on March 30.</p>&mdash; Darrin Bauming (@DarrinBauming) <a href="https://twitter.com/DarrinBauming/status/844999074084401152">March 23, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[jerrym]

HC Mike O'Shea and QB Matt Nichols talk below about the upcoming season and the importance of getting off to a good start, unlike last year.



It’s important for the Bombers to get off to a better start than last year, when they started out 1-4 before rebounding to finish 11-7.
With head coach Mike O’Shea, offensive co-ordinator Paul LaPolice and defensive co-ordinator Richie Hall all returning it might be easier for the Bombers to gel more quickly in the season than they did last year.
Or so you’d think.
“I don’t think it makes it easier,” O’Shea said Thursday while participating in a West Division coaches panel as part of CFL Week.
“You put a lot of pressure on yourself every year. I don’t think any player or coach on our staff views last year as a success.
“Continuity certainly helps. Familiarity with how we do things, maybe having to spend less time explaining how we do things, certainly allows you more time to try to get things done. I don’t think it’s easier because there’s possibly still that lingering effect of not achieving your goal. You’ve got to be able to wash that aside and figure out how to do that with your group of guys and your coaches and get moving again in the direction you want.”
Bombers quarterback Matt Nichols talked this week about how important it was for him to be returning to such a familiar situation and to be working with the same offensive co-ordinator this season. O’Shea agreed that it’s important but wants to make sure his players don’t lose any of their drive because of it.
“When players have to learn new language and a new list of expectations, it takes a little bit of time so we will be ahead in that regard,” O’Shea said.
“I don’t want us to feel any complacency though, saying ‘Hey, we already know all this so we can take it for granted.’ Lapo is going to teach it this way: You’re going to start back at Page 1 and go through it all from the beginning.”
The Bombers have a lot of veteran players, who will surely enjoy the familiarity. The players who talked during CFL Week all have strong feelings that the team will be better this year and a Grey Cup contender. O’Shea doesn’t want anything to mess with their preparation for living up to that kind of expectation.
“I don’t think the coaching staff will let the players relax during that learning process,” he said. “Because the veteran players will have more understanding of the actual expectations of the playbook, the language that we’re speaking, they’ll be able to help the younger guys along much more easily. It should move us along more quickly and get us to a better place after training camp but we’re certainly not taking it for granted, saying ‘There’s some continuity, so we can let down our guard.’
“It doesn’t work that way.”


http://www.winnipegsun.com/2017/03/23/returning-bombers-coaching-staff-hope-to-build-on-last-season

[jerrym]

Ryan Smith has retired, a surprise for a WR who is only 25. In 2015, he gained 991 yards in receptions, but last year he dropped to 488 yards, in part due to injuries that limited him to 11 games.



he news, which was revealed on Friday in a press release from the team, is sudden and surprising from the 25-year-old pass-catcher out of Wahpeton, N.D.
Smith joined the Bombers in February 2016 as a free agent after spending his first two CFL seasons with Saskatchewan.
» Bio: Ryan Smith by the numbers (http://www.cfl.ca/players/ryan-smith/)

“Although this was an extremely difficult decision, it is one that I am ultimately comfortable with,” said Smith. “I have the opportunity to pursue interests outside of football, and I just feel this is the time for me to step away.
“I would truly like to thank the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, my teammates, the CFL, and the fans of the Blue Bombers. Most importantly, Mr. Wade Miller, Kyle Walters and Coach O’Shea for their understanding and support throughout this process, and ultimately my decision.
“I will miss the game and the great people in it, but this was the right decision for me at this time.”

http://www.cfl.ca/2017/03/31/bombers-receiver-smith-announces-retirement/

[jerrym]

The Bombers will not being bringing RB coach Avon Cobourne back this year.



The Bombers announced in a press release that Cobourne is pursuing interests outside of football, while the search for his replacement is already under way.
Cobourne, 38, played seven seasons in the CFL with Montreal and Hamilton before joining the coaching ranks in 2014. After two seasons as the running backs coach with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, the Camden, N.J. native was hired by the Bombers in 2016.
The Bombers say their entire coaching staff is expected to be finalized in the next few weeks.


http://www.cfl.ca/2017/04/01/statement-running-backs-coach-avon-cobourne/

[jerrym]

GM Kyle Walters discusses his impressions of the CFL National Combine below.



Walters wouldn’t tip his hand when asked who he might pick with the first-overall selection, choosing instead to highlight some who had good combines. His shout-outs went to Guelph running back Johnny Augustine, Calgary defensive lineman Connor McGough, Manitoba lineman Evan Foster and Sherbrooke fullback Anthony Gosselin while also indicating the offensive line prospect pool in attendance offered five or six guys who will play in the CFL.
“There weren’t any definitive winners and losers today,” he said. “I think everybody competed hard. Maybe some of the kids you graded high versus the kids that maybe grade a little bit lower… they all had some good reps, they had some bad reps so now it’s a matter of we’ll sit down and have to watch this film a lot more closely over the next couple of weeks and go back and watch some more game film.
“The more information you got as the week went on murkied the waters, I’d say.”


http://www.cfl.ca/2017/03/25/murky-waters-combine-provides-little-clarity-walters-bombers/

[jerrym]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Podcast: <a href="https://twitter.com/DarrinBauming">@DarrinBauming</a> discussed <a href="https://twitter.com/ryguy_4">@ryguy_4</a>&#39;s retirement w/<a href="https://twitter.com/RickRalphTSN">@RickRalphTSN</a> <a href="https://t.co/CNcoHA2MbS">https://t.co/CNcoHA2MbS</a></p>&mdash; TSN 1290 Winnipeg (@TSN1290Radio) <a href="https://twitter.com/TSN1290Radio/status/847912282717913088">March 31, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[1971GreyCup]

Bombers host Fan Forum at Investors Group Field at the Pinnacle Club on April 5th.

Head Coach Mike O’Shea, GM Kyle Walters, and Winnipeg Football Club President and CEO Wade Miller taking questions from the crowd after their opening statements.

[1971GreyCup]

Details are below on Winnipeg's 2016 Financials. Community teams are public.

If you want to know what we're missing in Toronto, go see an Argos game in Winnipeg. The full day experience is to die for.

I think for the future of CFL, community ownership is the preferred route. Certainly they have the same tough economic decisions, but I doubt the will ever give up live radio play-by-play, pre and post game shows.


The Winnipeg Blue Bombers posted a $2.8 million operating profit in 2016, but had to dip into its excess cash fund to cover its annual stadium cash payment.

The football club released its 2016 financial statement on Wednesday and the report included a four percent decrease in total operating revenue and a three percent drop in average attendance.

On a positive note, corporate partnership revenue grew seven percent.

As well, the club did meet its financial obligations with its third annual excess cash payment to Triple B Stadium Inc. of $4.5 million last December by pulling $1.7 million from its reserves. Worth noting: under terms of the stadium agreement, the annual stadium payment drops to a maximum of $3.5 million in 2017 and $4.4 million in the years following.

All of this, in short, demonstrates how much work the organization still must do to overcome the damage to the brand done over the previous eight years. The Bombers were 11-7 in 2016, posting just their second winning season dating back to 2008.

“As a team we had struggled the past five-six years,” said Winnipeg Football Club President & CEO Wade Miller. “We’re not going to win our fans back overnight. This is something we’re always working on.

“We’re starting to see progress on the field… we just came off a season in which we had our best record since 2003. It’s going to take time for our fans to come back and we totally understand that.”

“We’re working on making the game day experience better every year and with a good start to the season, are hoping more fans will be in the stadium.”

The key numbers in the financial report included:

Total operating revenue was $27.1 million, a decrease of four per cent from 2015, primarily due to a drop in non-football events held at Investors Group Field. In 2015, the stadium hosted the Grey Cup, the FIFA Women’s World Cup, and concerts featuring AC/DC and One Direction. Last year the lone non-football event was the NHL Heritage Classic.
This year’s events include the Canadian women’s national soccer team hosting Costa Rica in a friendly on June 8th and Guns N’ Roses on August 24th. Those dates are critical in the club making its annual stadium payments.
“We work hard to bring in multiple events and last year there were less non-football events,” Miller said. “This year we’re trending to have more. Those events are critical in helping us make the (stadium) payment, but there is the expense side to consider as well. When you look at making our payment, we have a large cost every year for transportation, our stadium operation costs are substantially higher than anyone would have anticipated, in addition to the fact the club has invested over $15 million into finishing the stadium.”
Overall operating expenses were $24.2 million, an increase of $300,000 over 2015. Included in that were a 2.8 per cent increase in football operations expenses, a good chunk coming from the increased travel costs associated with heading to Vancouver for the West Division Semi-final.
Average attendance was down to 25,936 from 26,746, or 810 fans per game. Those numbers were disappointing given a seven-game win streak as part of a run to the playoffs, but were also the result of a poor start – 1-4, including two home losses – and then an iffy schedule.
The Bombers didn’t secure their first home victory until Week 7, a victory over Hamilton on August 3rd. On top of that, the seven-game win streak from July 28-Sept. 17 featured a stretch of 36 days – Aug. 5 to Sept. 9, including a bye week – in which the team wasn’t at home.
“The CFL schedule was not advantageous for us in 2016 and compounding that was our 1-4 start, including not winning our first two home games,” added Miller. “All those things added up to a three percent drop.”
The Bombers played to 77.6 percent capacity in 2016 – the league average was 77.8 per cent – and Miller was asked by bluebombers.com to address the question of whether Investors Group Field, with a capacity of 33,234, was too big for football.

“I think the size of the building is great when we’re able to bring in other big events,” he said. “For a CFL stadium it’s a little bit on the big side, but that also works when we’re hosting events like the Banjo Bowl and other big games. Plus, if you don’t have a big enough venue, you’re not getting concerts and that helps us generate more revenue to offset the costs of the stadium.

“If you actually look at our average attendance, in three other stadiums in the CFL (Montreal, Ottawa and Hamilton) our numbers would be considered sell outs.”

“Obviously, though, the experience is better when there are more fans in here and we’re working on that.”

Miller said season ticket numbers are trending to meet last year’s total. Asked if those totals were disappointing given the turnaround last year he added:

“We’ve got to prove ourselves. This just didn’t happen overnight and getting our fans back to buy season tickets isn’t going to happen overnight, either. It was a positive year in 2016. We’ve always got work to do. We’re up to the challenge, so let’s go.”

[ArgoRavi]

Community ownership has generally worked well over the long-term in Regina, Winnipeg and Edmonton but also failed in the 1980s in Vancouver, Calgary and Ottawa. I really don''t see it as a viable alternative in Toronto.

[AngeloV]

Community ownership has generally worked well over the long-term in Regina, Winnipeg and Edmonton but also failed in the 1980s in Vancouver, Calgary and Ottawa. I really don''t see it as a viable alternative in Toronto.

Didn't Hamilton briefly try it prior to David Braley bailing them out too? Let's face it, some markets just need owners that are capable of taking losses if need be.

[1971GreyCup]

Didn't Hamilton briefly try it prior to David Braley bailing them out too? Let's face it, some markets just need owners that are capable of taking losses if need be.

In the GTO, I'd love to create 2,000,000 private shares @ $10.00 per share. 10,000 shareholders with $2,000 invested. Green Bay did this year's ago in a far less affluent marketplace.

I am pretty sure Bell Media and Larry T. would be more than willing to have another group own them. Your capital raise would cover the team losses for years to come. Bell Media would have a much more secure TSN CFL football property.

[jerrym]

The Bombers annual report reflects the fact that the team has pluses and minuses both on and off the field, but is moving in the right direction.



The Winnipeg Blue Bombers posted a $2.8 million operating profit in 2016, but had to dip into its excess cash fund to cover its annual stadium cash payment.
The football club released its 2016 financial statement on Wednesday and the report included a four percent decrease in total operating revenue and a three percent drop in average attendance.
On a positive note, corporate partnership revenue grew seven percent.
As well, the club did meet its financial obligations with its third annual excess cash payment to Triple B Stadium Inc. of $4.5 million last December by pulling $1.7 million from its reserves. Worth noting: under terms of the stadium agreement, the annual stadium payment drops to a maximum of $3.5 million in 2017 and $4.4 million in the years following.
All of this, in short, demonstrates how much work the organization still must do to overcome the damage to the brand done over the previous eight years. The Bombers were 11-7 in 2016, posting just their second winning season dating back to 2008.
“As a team we had struggled the past five-six years,” said Winnipeg Football Club President & CEO Wade Miller. “We’re not going to win our fans back overnight. This is something we’re always working on.
“We’re starting to see progress on the field… we just came off a season in which we had our best record since 2003. It’s going to take time for our fans to come back and we totally understand that.”

“We’re working on making the game day experience better every year and with a good start to the season, are hoping more fans will be in the stadium.”


http://www.bluebombers.com/2017/04/05/breaking-2016-annual-report/

[jerrym]

Marty Costello will be the Bomber OL coach in 2017, replacing Bob Wylie who left for the Cleveland Browns.



Costello joined the team last season, working with Coach Bob Wylie in helping form an offensive line that finished the season tied for third in fewest sacks in the CFL in 2016.
“Marty showed last season that not only is he ready for this role full-time, but he was a vital part of our offensive line coaching last season,” said O’Shea. “Players respond well to him, he understands the game through and through, and we’re very glad to retain him heading into 2017.”
Previous to joining Winnipeg last season, Costello spent two seasons at UW-Stevens Point as the Run Game Coordinator and Offensive Line Coach. In his first season there, the team put up 114.8 rushing yards per game and was third in the conference with 14 rushing touchdowns.
Before UWSP, Costello coached at Valley City State. He started as Co-Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach, and for his final three seasons he was promoted to Offensive Coordinator and Offensive Line Coach. His team at Valley City State won three consecutive conference championships.




http://www.bluebombers.com/2017/04/06/marty-costello-named-offensive-line-coach/

[jerrym]

Kyle Walters discussed improvements for team followers at a Fan Forum. Are any similar things worth exploring for the Argos?

http://www.bluebombers.com/2017/04/06/new-changes-2017/

[jerrym]

Ed Tait looks at recent Bomber draft picks and first overall draft picks since 1994.



It’s true, the Bombers have mined the draft effectively in the last three years, landing starters like guards Matthias Goossen (second overall in 2014) and Sukh Chungh (second overall in 2015), safety Taylor Loffler (19th overall in 2016) and fullback Chris Normand (33rd overall in 2015). Depth pieces have also been added, including Jesse Briggs (17th/2014), Derek Jones (29th/2014), Addison Richards (11th/2015), Brendan Morgan (15th/2015), Justin Warden (46th/2015), Garrett Waggoner (supplemental draft, 2016), Trent Corney (9th/2016), Michael Couture (10th/2016) and Shayne Gauthier (28th/2016). Two more selections from the 2016 draft class – Zach Intzandt and Rupert Butcher – will both be in training camp in a few weeks.
But first overall? That’s an entirely different beast, especially when the list of top picks over the last couple of decades is studied to determine the hits and the whiffs.
It’s true; for every Muamba, Pierre Lavertu (2014), Steve Morley (2003), Chad Folk (1997) or Val St. Germain (1994) who carved out long CFL careers, there is a Linden Gaydosh (2013), Chris Bauman (2007) or Miguel Robede (2005) who did not.
Simply put, there are never guarantees in any draft that a first-overall pick is going to change a franchise or, at the very least, contribute long term and morph into a starter. ...

WITH THE FIRST PICK IN THE DRAFT…2016: Josiah St. John, OL, SaskatchewanGP: 10/6 starts; Held out in contract dispute before signing in July and making a half dozen starts in his rookie season.
2015: Alex Mateas, OL, OttawaGP: 35/10 starts; Grey Cup champs still grooming the 6-4, 309-pound hometown lad.
2014: Pierre Lavertu, OL, CalgaryGP: 41/29 starts; West Division All-Star in ’15; started eight games last year before season-ending ankle injury.
2013: Linden Gaydosh, DL, HamiltonGP: 10/2 starts; Signed with Carolina Panthers in his draft year, spent two seasons in the NFL on practice squad. Appeared in nine games with Hamilton in 2014; missed 2015 with torn Achilles tendon; traded last October to Saskatchewan.
2012: Ben Heenan, OL, SaskatchewanGP: 49/46 starts; A ratio-breaking tackle for the Riders, Heenan was part of the 2013 Grey Cup team and then signed a three-year $1.575 contract with the Indianapolis Colts, spending time on their practice squad; Retired last April at the age of 26 to concentrate on running the family farm.
2011: Henoc Muamba, LB, WinnipegGP: 56/37 starts; Spent three years with the Bombers – including being named the team’s Most Outstanding Player, Most Outstanding Defensive Player and Most Outstanding Canadian in 2013 – before signing with the Indianapolis Colts. Bounced from Montreal to Dallas before landing in Saskatchewan last year.
2010: Shomari Williams, LB, SaskatchewanGP: 79/22 starts; Two stints with the Riders, with stops in Hamilton, Calgary and Edmonton. Has not played since 2015 and now runs Student Blitz to help players in Canada earn NCAA scholarships.
2009: Simeon Rottier, OL, HamiltonGP: 120/103 starts; Reliable dependable starter at both guard and tackle. Joined Edmonton in 2012 as a free agent.
2008: Dylan Barker, DB, HamiltonGP: 35/16 starts; An All-Canadian in college, Barker had his career cut short after four seasons because of a chronic back injury.
2007: Chris Bauman, WR, HamiltonGP: 79/38 starts; Injuries cut short what could have been and Bauman, who went from Hamilton to Edmonton to Calgary, took his last snap in 2014.
2006: Adam Braidwood, DE, EdmontonGP: 46/40 starts; Played five years with the Esks, and after playing his last game in 2010 (and after some legal troubles), has now turned his attention to MMA and boxing.
2005: Miguel Robede, DE, CalgaryGP: 53/12 starts; Played at both Laval and Miami in college before the Stamps made him the No. 1 pick in ’05. Suffered a head injury with Calgary before being traded to Toronto in 2011 and then being released in camp.
2004: Wayne Smith, OL, HamiltonGP: 180/118 starts; Now with the Argos, Smith has two Grey Cup rings from his days with Saskatchewan and Toronto.
2003: Steve Morley, OL, CalgaryGP: 128/118 starts; Ratio-changing tackle who moved from Calgary to Green Bay, to the Rhein Fire, New York Jets, Seattle Seahawks, Toronto and Saskatchewan before finding a home in Winnipeg. Spent six years in Bomber colours before retiring.
2002: Alex Gauthier, OL, OttawaGP: 149/140 starts; The first pick of the expansion Ottawa Renegades in 2002, Gauthier was a divisional All-Star with the Bombers in 2007 and played 10 years in the CFL, the last with Saskatchewan in 2011.
2001: Scott Schultz, DL, SaskatchewanGP: 128/115 starts; Durable and tough – he didn’t miss a game in his career – Schultz was a CFL All-Star in 2005 and a finalist for the Most Outstanding Canadian award.
2000: Tyson St. James, LB, SaskatchewanGP: 87/6 starts; Was drafted as potential edge rusher and, while he played five years with both the Riders and Winnipeg, was primarily a special teams contributor.
1999: Robert Meier, DE, B.C.GP: 0; Meier played pro football, just not with the Lions. A seventh-round draft pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2000 he spent his entire career in the NFL before being released in 2010.
1998: Tim Fleiszer, DL, HamiltonGP: 126/24 starts; Has four Grey Cup rings during his days with the Ticats, Montreal, Edmonton and Saskatchewan, primarily as a depth lineman. Now a CFL agent.
1997: Chad Folk, OL, TorontoGP: 180/174 starts; Spent his entire career with the Argos, winning two championships and starting almost every game. Twice named Toronto’s top lineman.
1996: Don Blair, SB, EdmontonGP: 116/104 starts; A dominant college player at Calgary, Blair had one 1,000-yard season (1998 with the Esks) and seven years with better than 550 yards receiving.
1995: Tom Nutten, OL, HamiltonGP: 13/0 starts; Was also drafted by Buffalo in 1995 (seventh round) and spent eight years in the NFL, mostly with the St. Louis Rams.
1994: Val St. Germain, OL, HamiltonGP: 180/170 starts; Bounced around the CFL from Hamilton, Edmonton, Ottawa, Winnipeg and Saskatchewan. A three-time divisional all-star.


http://www.bluebombers.com/2017/04/07/looking-back-first-overall-picks/

[jerrym]

The Bombers have signed Internationals QB Myles Carr and WR Quinshad Davis.

http://www.bluebombers.com/2017/04/11/bombers-add-carr-davis/

[1971GreyCup]

ANNOUNCEMENTS COMING FROM BLUE BOMBERS FAN DAY

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are slashing concession prices after listening to fan feedback.

Starting with the 2017 season, hot dogs, perogies, grilled Kielbasa on a stick and other new options will start at $4.

Winnipeggers do love a deal, after all.

Blue Bombers president and CEO Wade Miller shared the appetizing news with fans during Wednesday’s fan forum.

Also new this season will be the rapid transit terminal at the University of Manitoba, set to open in early July. All buses will use the terminal, including those acting as park and rides.

A new Blue Bomber Bar Network will shuttle fans from Gate 2 to downtown bars after the game.

The football club has also removed approximately 400 seats to make more viewing space on the concourse, alleviating some of the congestion and creating a better view of end zones.

Season ticket holders who can’t make a game this season will be able to donate their tickets for a tax receipt or swap games through a new ticket swap program.

The Blue Bombers open their season on the road July 1 against the Saskatchewan Roughriders before returning the following weekend to host the Calgary Stampeders July 7 at Investors Group Field.

[Argo57]

ANNOUNCEMENTS COMING FROM BLUE BOMBERS FAN DAY

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are slashing concession prices after listening to fan feedback.

Starting with the 2017 season, hot dogs, perogies, grilled Kielbasa on a stick and other new options will start at $4.

Winnipeggers do love a deal, after all.

Blue Bombers president and CEO Wade Miller shared the appetizing news with fans during Wednesday’s fan forum.

Also new this season will be the rapid transit terminal at the University of Manitoba, set to open in early July. All buses will use the terminal, including those acting as park and rides.

A new Blue Bomber Bar Network will shuttle fans from Gate 2 to downtown bars after the game.

The football club has also removed approximately 400 seats to make more viewing space on the concourse, alleviating some of the congestion and creating a better view of end zones.

Season ticket holders who can’t make a game this season will be able to donate their tickets for a tax receipt or swap games through a new ticket swap program.

The Blue Bombers open their season on the road July 1 against the Saskatchewan Roughriders before returning the following weekend to host the Calgary Stampeders July 7 at Investors Group Field.

Nice to see the Bombers taking advantage of an improved on field product while at the same time reacting to fan input with some of these other ideas.

[AngeloV]

Nice to see the Bombers taking advantage of an improved on field product while at the same time reacting to fan input with some of these other ideas.

Why do I have a feeling they are not going to be able to repeat last season's on field success? Everything went right for them last season. Can't see Matt Nichols doing it again. Just my opinion.

[gilthethrill]

Why do I have a feeling they are not going to be able to repeat last season's on field success? Everything went right for them last season. Can't see Matt Nichols doing it again. Just my opinion.

I will tell you why they won't be as successful. Winnipeg benefitted from some horrible officiating last season ( Ricky Foley RTP call and Andrew Harris's non fumble against BC late in the year). To be fair Winnipeg had some real bad calls again st them in 2015.

[OV Argo]

I'm not sold on Nichols as a good starting CFL QB who can lead them far either; plus they got predictable ole LaPo running their offence - but they do have good talent on O-line, Harris at RB; receiver group nothing special though.\

It's on D where they might be able to build a strong unit - maybe league best - particularly with their D-backfield and that is so important in the all-pass CFL now; need a real good MLB to step-up though and again, IMO, they would be smart to draft either of Mulumba T or Herdman and give them a real shot.

Medlock is a great place kicker, but only average at best as a punter - they would be smart to find a better punter.

I'll expect the Bombers to be above .500 and maybe challenge for 1st in a maybe strong West - the Stamps should be good still; BC maybe real dangerous with the talent they have on offence; and the Esks could maybe be very good too; Riders should hold down last place in the West no problem ;o)

I could see a West cross-over again with the Argos a big question mark, and Montreal re-tooling with so many changes on offence.

[jerrym]

The Bombers have added receivers T J Lowder to their roster.



Lowder (5-11, 185, Florida Tech, July 19, 1993 in Panama City, FL) spent his first three collegiate years at Florida International before transferring to Florida Tech. Lowder played in all 11 games as a senior in 2015, while being named Second Team All-GSC. He finished sixth in the conference in receptions (46), seventh in yards receiving (616) and 10th in touchdowns (5), while tying a school record with 14 receptions in a game against Southeastern Louisiana.


https://www.bluebombers.com/2017/04/12/bombers-add-receiver-t-j-lowder/

[jerrym]

Receiver T J Thorpe has signed with Winnipeg.



Thorpe spent time with the NFL’s Washington Redskins before being released prior to the start of last season. He received All-ACC honours while playing for the North Carolina Tar Heels. Thorpe finished his collegiate career at Virgina, catching 23 passes for 321 yards and a touchdown.


http://globalnews.ca/news/3378232/winnipeg-blue-bombers-add-third-receiver-to-roster/

[jerrym]

As so often happens, the building of a new stadium for the Bombers ends up in controversy and a possible soaking of the taxpayer.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The $ to fix up Investors Group Field - currently at $21.4 million - shouldn&#39;t be on taxpayers, says Andrew Konowalchuk, chair of Triple B. <a href="https://t.co/De52TZzY4Y">pic.twitter.com/De52TZzY4Y</a></p>&mdash; Jeff Hamilton (@jeffkhamilton) <a href="https://twitter.com/jeffkhamilton/status/852593117496840193">April 13, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[1971GreyCup]

IG Field construction was far from perfect, the location at the University of Manitoba isn't great, but what a great stadium to watch a CFL game.

[jerrym]

Bombers have added Internationals RB Johnta Hebert and LB Jeremy Grable to their TC roster.



Hebert (5-10, 195, Prairie View A&M, December 10, 1993 in Baton Rouge, LA) finished his career with over 3,000 rushing yards, 1,300 receiving yards, more than 3,000 return yards and 33 touchdowns. Hebert was with the Riders in training camp last season.

Grable (6-0, 200, Valdosta State, June 21, 1991 in Milton, GA) totalled 190 tackles in his two seasons as a starter, accumulating 259 total tackles along with 6.5 sacks and two interceptions in his four seasons at Valdosta State. Grable started 27 games in college before signing with Tampa Bay of the NFL.


http://www.bluebombers.com/2017/04/18/hebert-grable-added-roster/

[jerrym]

IG Field construction was far from perfect, the location at the University of Manitoba isn't great, but what a great stadium to watch a CFL game.

The extent of the stadium problems and the subsequent proof of shoddy workmanship that resulted in the taxpayers so far having to cover the bill is not changed by your point and will take two more years to complete. Hopefully, the lawsuit will recover the additional expenses because this will until this happens repeatedly we can expect more of the same. The Big Owe in Montreal took 30 years to pay off. I once met the girlfriend of one of the construction workers on Montreal's Olympic Stadium. She told me that cement trucks would drive through the site and be checked off five times without unloading their load and all the construction workers were receiving double pay to keep their mouths shut. Winnipeg's problems are not on the same scale but the attitude is the same. At least we haven't reached the height of American extravagance where Atlanta Braves new just opened stadium was $1.1 billion (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SunTrust_Park) and the new Las Vegas football is estimated to cost $1.9 billion with updates to come no doubt (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Las_Vegas_Stadium). A small blessing for Canada I guess.



Winnipeggers are getting a fresh look at the extensive repairs being done to the Investors Group Field. The fixes are at the centre of a legal fight between the consortium that runs the facility, the builder and the architect.
Dozens of construction workers were cutting and fitting paving stones and sealing joints with thick black tar Monday as repairs continue in an effort to complete the work before the Winnipeg Blue Bomber training camp starts.Crews worked through the winter under giant tents at both ends of the stadium to plug leaks and fix drainage. The concrete in the end zones was torn up and re-graded and waterproof membranes have been installed. ....
Repairs to the faulty concrete and drainage at Winnipeg's Investors Group Field will take two more years to complete. ...

In a statement last Thursday, Triple B's chair Andrew Konowalchuk re-asserted the group's position that the cost for the repairs are the responsibility of the contractor that built the stadium — Stuart Olson — and the architect who designed the building, Ray Wan.
The Progressive Conservative government has promised to work with Manitoba's Auditor General to find out why the stadium required so much repair work just shortly after it was opened.



http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/igf-investors-group-field-stadium-repairs-bombers-1.4072873

[jerrym]

Marshall Ferguson looks at who the Bombers are likely to draft #1 overall.



So what should the Bombers do at first overall?
If history is any method of prediction the Blue and Gold will select a hulking lineman of the offensive or defensive variety to anchor the trenches for – they hope – years to come. Seventeen top picks since 1994 have been lineman.
Eleven of them selected to protect quarterbacks (1994 – St. Germain, 1995 – Nutten, 1997 – Folk, 2002 – Gauthier, 2003 – Morley, 2004 – Smith, 2009 – Rottier, 2012 – Heenan, 2014 – Lavertu, 2015 – Mateas, 2016 – St. John) and six to chase the CFL’s high value pocket passers (1998 – Fleiszer, 1999 – Meier, 2001 – Schultz, 2005 – Robede, 2006 – Braidwood, 2013 – Gaydosh).


http://www.cfl.ca/2017/04/21/ferguson-bombers-1st-overall/

[1971GreyCup]

The extent of the stadium problems and the subsequent proof of shoddy workmanship that resulted in the taxpayers so far having to cover the bill is not changed by your point and will take two more years to complete. Hopefully, the lawsuit will recover the additional expenses because this will until this happens repeatedly we can expect more of the same. The Big Owe in Montreal took 30 years to pay off. I once met the girlfriend of one of the construction workers on Montreal's Olympic Stadium. She told me that cement trucks would drive through the site and be checked off five times without unloading their load and all the construction workers were receiving double pay to keep their mouths shut. Winnipeg's problems are not on the same scale but the attitude is the same. At least we haven't reached the height of American extravagance where Atlanta Braves new just opened stadium was $1.1 billion (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SunTrust_Park) and the new Las Vegas football is estimated to cost $1.9 billion with updates to come no doubt (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Las_Vegas_Stadium). A small blessing for Canada I guess.



http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/igf-investors-group-field-stadium-repairs-bombers-1.4072873

I am pretty sure ambitious stadium projects that include all levels of government, Blue Bomber ownership, University of Manitoba and the Shaw family with unrealistic deadlines must be important to coordinate. It's a work in progress that although not complete, is a beauty. Whether or not the taxpayers pay the bill, will have to do with the words in the contract signed.

We have huge infrastructure project out here, the E407 toll road under construction. The tendering companies know the drawings are unworkable, but bid low knowing that the out-of-scope work will more than make up for the original contract work. They have been tearing up new work and replacing it. Then tears up that work and replacing it again? They're making a fortune.

[jerrym]

Former Alouette discusses coming to Winnipeg at the Bomber mini-camp.

<blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">&quot;Every time I&#39;ve come to Winnipeg... the fans have always been great regardless.&quot; - Kenny Stafford<br><br>Full video ▶️ <a href="https://t.co/rxtkoNelON">https://t.co/rxtkoNelON</a> <a href="https://t.co/CjbKFzx1bO">pic.twitter.com/CjbKFzx1bO</a></p>&mdash; WPG Blue Bombers (@Wpg_BlueBombers) <a href="https://twitter.com/Wpg_BlueBombers/status/857316820545552384">April 26, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[jerrym]

The Bombers #4 ranked QB, Myles Carr, discusses Canada, the CFL and his game below.



“Coming into here I have no knowledge whatsoever of Canadian football,” Carr said after the first day of Winnipeg Blue Bombers mini-camp.
“I came out here the first day and I didn’t realize how wide the field was so I was skipping a lot of the field throws. I’m starting to get used to it. It’s process.”
Carr comes to Winnipeg from the Texas A&M-Kingsville Javelinas, where he was second all-time in passing. He threw for 2,702 yards and 31 touchdowns, with only eight interceptions, last season.
He’s the fourth quarterback on the Bombers roster, behind starter Matt Nichols and backups Dominique Davis and Dan LeFevour.
“They just want somebody who is going to come in here and learn the offence and just compete,” the 22-year-old from Pasadena, Calif., said. “I feel like that’s what I’ve been doing.”
This is his first time in Canada, and had to research Winnipeg before coming north, but he believes he has the type of game that can be successful in the CFL.
“I’m a competitor,” he said, when asked to describe himself as a quarterback. “I like the camaraderie and the competition of this game.
“Definitely throw first, but if the pocket breaks down I can use my legs as well.”


http://www.winnipegsun.com/2017/04/26/qb-myles-carr-heading-down-unknown-road-in-cfl

[jerrym]

LB Nick Temple discusses why he thinks he can move from the practice roster to the regular lineup in this video.

<blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">&quot;My main focus is getting my head in the playbook.&quot;<br><br>▶️ | <a href="https://t.co/8uxIzRDdsP">https://t.co/8uxIzRDdsP</a> <a href="https://t.co/ZxlJYF1CJv">pic.twitter.com/ZxlJYF1CJv</a></p>&mdash; WPG Blue Bombers (@Wpg_BlueBombers) <a href="https://twitter.com/Wpg_BlueBombers/status/858047560312692736">April 28, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[jerrym]

Matt Nichols gives his impression of the new Bombers:

<blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">&quot;I was very impressed with the guys that were out here.&quot;<br><br>Full video ▶️ | <a href="https://t.co/7QOhifBKEe">https://t.co/7QOhifBKEe</a> <a href="https://t.co/VZmzsYq1Vy">pic.twitter.com/VZmzsYq1Vy</a></p>&mdash; WPG Blue Bombers (@Wpg_BlueBombers) <a href="https://twitter.com/Wpg_BlueBombers/status/858107461634478080">April 28, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[jerrym]

Matt Nichols discusses how he sees things now that he is the starting Bomber QB at the beginning of the season.



“Honestly, going into this season feels more normal to me than my last seven seasons have been because from second grade all the way through college, I was always the starting quarterback,” Nichols said before he and backup quarterbacks Dominique Davis and Dan LeFevour met fans for an autograph session inside the team store.
“So this honestly feels more natural to me than coming in as the second or third guy like I have most of my career.” ...
The Eastern Washington grad has been working hard to keep the reins and build on last year’s success.
“You always feel like you’ve always worked your hardest, but I can say without a doubt this is the hardest I’ve worked in an off-season and I’m looking forward to getting going with the guys,” he said.
That work has included watching a lot more game film of himself and other CFL quarterbacks and implementing his findings into his training.
“I’ve really gone back and looked at the things I feel I can get better at,” he said.
He also views himself, Davis and LeFevour as a trio that will help push each other.


http://3downnation.com/2017/04/26/blue-bombers-matt-nichols-ready-new-role-starting-quarterback/

[jerrym]

The Bombers have released 12 player as they get down to the 75 man roster.




INT quarterback Myles Carr
INT receiver Di’Andre Campbell
INT receiver Rashon Ceaser
INT receiver Xavier Rush
INT receiver Alex Chisum
INT defensive back Jeremy Harris
INT running back Johnta Hebert
INT defensive back Tre’ Hunter
INT defensive back Keith Lewis
INT linebacker Will Smith
NTL defensive lineman Brandon Tennant
NTL linebacker Akeem Whonder



http://www.bluebombers.com/2017/05/01/twelve-players-released/

[jerrym]

The Bombers hope they have found a speedy WR/KR in Kieran Duncan.



Duncan is a 23-year-old product of Div. II Colorado State-Pueblo, who is looking to make his mark as a receiver and kick returner in the CFL.
He signed with the Bombers last fall after getting cut by the NFL’s Chicago Bears and is now part of an intense competition for jobs in the team’s receiving corps. That competition will spill over into main training camp next month, for those who are lucky enough to garner invitations through mini-camp.
Duncan certainly hopes to be a part of that and his speed and ability to return kicks certainly could give him an edge. He’s been an athlete as long as he can remember and takes great pride in talking about how his parents passed along their love of sports.
“I was blessed,” says Duncan, who sports dreadlocks he has been working on since he was 13 years old. “I’ve been a returner since I started playing football, so that’s always been an added skill set of mine. My mom is Jamaican and she was a track runner. My dad is from Great Britain and he played pro football and ran track as well. He played American football in Great Britain.
“He played college in America but before he got to America he played in a semi-pro league in Great Britain. He was big-time … he played quarterback , defensive back and dabbled at receiver as well. ...

He made enough of an impression last year to make sure he’s back here now,” Bombers coach Mike O’Shea said about the receiver and kick returner from Colorado State-Pueblo.
“He didn’t miss a beat. He came in better than how he left in terms of understanding what we’re doing.”
Duncan signed with the Bombers in late September last season and spent the rest of the season on the practice roster.


http://www.winnipegsun.com/2017/04/27/receiver-kieren-duncan-stirring-some-cfl-into-melting-pot

[jerrym]

The Bombers have brought in a RB, Kendall Roberson, who rushed for 420 yards in a single game in college in the hope that it foreshadows a outstanding CFL career.



No matter what happens over the rest of his career, Blue Bombers hopeful Kendall Roberson will always have Oct. 24, 2015.
On that day, the East Texas Baptist University running back rushed for a remarkable 420 yards and five touchdowns in a win over Bellhaven University.
He is one of only 17 players in the history of NCAA football to have rushed for over 400 yards. His total is the eighth highest at any level and the fifth highest in NCAA Div. III.
Despite not playing in the fourth quarter, he missed the all-time record by only 35 yards
“I was trying to break the record,” Roberson said during Blue Bombers mini-camp at Investors Group Field on Thursday. “At halftime, I had 290 and the coach came in and said he might not play me in the third quarter as much. I said ‘Let me get to 400.’ And I got up to 400 and he said ‘You’re done.’ I said ‘Let me get to 500.” He said ‘You’re pushing it.’ So I didn’t play all four quarters.”
Roberson, 23, is trying to parlay his strong collegiate career into a job in the CFL. It won’t be easy in Winnipeg, where Canadian Andrew Harris and American Timothy Flanders are solid incumbents at the running back position.


http://www.winnipegsun.com/2017/04/28/bombers-hopeful-roberson-once-rushed-for-420


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[jerrym]

Could this be the Bombers first overall draft choice?

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">In the three rounds of CFL Scouring Bureau rankings, Ekakitie moved from 14 to 11, and then to 5. Hasn&#39;t seen any concrete NFL interest yet.</p>&mdash; Darrin Bauming (@DarrinBauming) <a href="https://twitter.com/DarrinBauming/status/859513536980111360">May 2, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><iframe id="rufous-sandbox" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" title="Twitter analytics iframe" style="position: absolute; visibility: hidden; display: none; width: 0px; height: 0px; padding: 0px; border: none;"></iframe><iframe id="rufous-sandbox" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" title="Twitter analytics iframe" style="position: absolute; visibility: hidden; display: none; width: 0px; height: 0px; padding: 0px; border: none;"></iframe>

[jerrym]

Former NFL DB Roc Carmichael wanted to sign with Winnipeg because of a personal connection with the Bombers Victor "Macho' Harris who played with the team last year.



Carmichael was far from soft, growing up to star at Viriginia Tech, then being selected in the fourth round of the 2011 NFL Draft by the Houston Texans, before stints with the Philadelphia Eagles and Arizona Cardinals. ...
Carmichael’s last days as a football player in the NFL were in 2015 with the Cards. He stepped away then to deal with some issues about which he didn’t want to elaborate.

Sadly, Carmichael’s father never saw any of this metamorphosis, as he passed away before he had even pulled on a Hokies jersey in college. And it’s here, indirectly, where this connection with the Bombers was born.
Victor ‘Macho’ Harris, who spent last year with the Bombers, was already an established Hokies starter when Carmichael arrived. And when he heard of the passing of his father, a relationship was born that still stands today. ...
“I retired. I had some family problems going on at home that I had to take care of,” said Carmichael. “I just couldn’t be in two places at once and my family is in Washington, D.C.”
Carmichael kept in shape by training and coaching/training young prospects in the area, including his younger brother. But the fire to return to action never dissipated.
“It’s the love for the game. It never stops,” said Carmichael. “It’s what I’ve been doing for as long as I can remember. You never think you would have to stop playing, but I had to make that decision for my family. But I told myself I would take two years to help and then get back to it.” ...

“It’s fun being out there again. It took me a while to get a feel for the field and the ‘Waggle’, but just being in the locker room, being around the guys and their energy… like I said, that’s what I’ve been doing my whole life and without it, it hurt. I hated watching football. I could watch Virginia Tech games, but I couldn’t watch NFL games. I’d go out and watch little league and high school Friday and all day on Saturday. My love for the game never stopped.
“This is an opportunity for me to get back in the locker room and be playing football again.”And interestingly, the decision to return coincided with another conversation with Harris that led him north of the border to Manitoba.
“I told (Harris) I think I want to give it another shot,” said Carmichael. “He told me I’d like Winnipeg… the stadium, the facilities, the team… everything.
“This was my first choice. I told my agent, ‘Can we try Winnipeg and at least get a shot with Winnipeg?’ And now I’m here.”
“It’s wild, isn’t it? It was Macho who helped me out almost 10 years ago now and I’m still following in his footsteps today.”

[jerrym]

Detroit Lions have invited University of Regina's Kahlen Branning, to whom the Bomber have the CFL, rights to their mini-camp.



The Moose Jaw native was a Canada West all-star in 2016, starting three games at halfback and four at cornerback while registering 11 solo tackles, 11 assisted tackles, and a team-leading six knockdowns. He also ran track for the University of Regina.
Branning went undrafted in the 2016 CFL draft, despite putting up good numbers at both the Edmonton regional and national CFL combine. He attended an NFL regional combine in February of 2017 where he ran an 4.47 40-yard dash at just over six-feet and 181 pounds, which would have been the fastest time at this year’s CFL Combine. Adding a 4.26 shuttle time, 10-foot broad jump and 36.5-inch vertical leap.
Winnipeg added Branning to their negotiation list shortly after that NFL regional, meaning the Bombers control his CFL rights.
http://3downnation.com/2017/05/01/sa...-with-detroit/ (http://3downnation.com/2017/05/01/saskie-native-kahlen-branning-heading-to-mini-camp-with-detroit/)

[1971GreyCup]

Chicago Bears Hall of Fame NFL running back Bronko Nagurski was originally scouted on the Ontario side of the Manitoba/Ontario border in Rainy River. Ironically, his son played as an "American" OL for the Hamilton Tigers after graduating from Notre Dame.

Nagurski was discovered and signed by University of Minnesota head coach Clarence Spears, who drove to International Falls and arriving watched Nagurski out plowing a field. According to legend, Spears asked directions to the nearest town, and Bronko lifted his plow and used it to point in the direction of town. Spears admitted he concocted the story on his long drive back to the University of Minnesota.

That's the type of story Leo Cahill would have concocted given the opportunity.

[jerrym]

Although Andrew Harris was happy to return to his hometown last year, there was some adjustments that had to be made. Now he feels more comfrotable as his second season in Winnipeg approaches, especially after the major improvement in the team's performance last year.



Harris was excited about the prospect of playing for the CFL team he grew up watching. Harris also understood the pressure of trying to reverse the fortunes of a club that had missed the playoffs four straight years and hadn’t won a Grey Cup since 1990, just three years after he was born.
It was a difficult homecoming when the Bombers staggered out of the gate 1-4. During that span Harris was held to under 30 yards rushing three times.
“The season didn’t start out the way we wanted it to,” Harris said in a recent interview. “You always envision coming home and everything being great and going well. I knew there was going to be challenges. The team had a rough past.” ...


Harris played a pivotal role in Winnipeg’s success. He had 974 yards on 195 carries, and four touchdowns, to finish third in the league in rushing despite missing three games late in the year. The sure-handed back also had 631 receiving yards on 67 catches.
Harris was one of several new faces on the Bombers’ roster last year and it took time for the group of players to become a team.
“You come to a new locker room . . . you don’t understand how they work every day, you don’t know what kind of guys they are when things aren’t going well,” he said. “It’s a learning curve.”
Harris had spent the first six years of his career with the BC Lions, a franchise used to success. He helped the Lions win the 2011 Grey Cup, where he was named the game’s outstanding Canadian, and was a three-time CFL All-Star.
Now he found himself playing for a Bombers team that had 15 wins in the previous three years.
“You have to be used to winning,” he said. “In the fourth quarter, when things aren’t going right, there’s a bone in your body that says ‘I’m not going to lose this game.’ You do whatever you need to do to win.
“I think we didn’t really have that in the beginning as a team collectively. At the end of the season we found that switch.”
Harris’ personal statistics improved as he became more comfortable with his teammates and offensive coordinator Paul LaPolice’s offence.
“I started off kind of slow and picked up near the end of the season,” he said. “Understanding the schemes and also the trust part of it, knowing how your teammates play with you, is a big part of it.” ...

“There’s that killer instinct you have to have to close the game out,” said Harris. “It hurt and stung.
“I know the whole locker room still feels that and we have a sour taste in our mouth. I’ve been talking to a lot of the guys this off-season. We just can’t wait to get going and start up where we left off.”
While Harris had success on the field in 2016, he also enjoyed personal fulfillment in his community work. His teammates voted him winner of the Cal Murphy “Heart of a Legend” award, given to a player that demonstrates outstanding sportsmanship and dedication to the CFL and the community.
The program Harris is proudest of is called Harris’ Heroes. It rewards youth groups for their community work with the chance to attend a Bombers’ home game.
“We touched a lot of young kids last year,” said Harris. “To be able to go to a game with a bunch of friends or teammates, I think it was a great experience for them.”
Helping financially strapped families strikes close to home for Harris.
“I didn’t come from the best background as far as being financially stable,” he said. “I’m just trying to pay it forward and give people the opportunity to do things I might not have been able to do.
“There’s always a moment in every kid’s life where they have someone they look up to reach out to them. It makes a big difference. I was able to look back and say I had moments like that. Now I want to be able to push it forward to deliver that to someone else.”
His return to Winnipeg can’t be judged a total success until the Bombers win a Grey Cup. But so far, Harris, who turned 30 on April 24, has no regrets for the road he’s traveled.
“It’s been a journey, lots of ups and downs,” he said. “I still feel great. The only thing I feel 30 is in my experience and my wisdom.
“My body feels great right now. Age isn’t playing a factor in the physical side of things. I’m looking forward to this season and life after 30. I’m excited.”


https://www.cfl.ca/2017/05/01/andrew-harris-settling-hometown-blue-bombers/

[jerrym]

It looks like the Bombers are planning to take University of Iowa DL Faith Ekakitie first overall as they have already started negotiating with him.



The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have started contract negotiations with University of Iowa defensive lineman Faith Ekakitie and, barring a trade, will take the 24-year-old with the No. 1 overall pick in Sunday’s CFL draft.
Sources told Sportsnet that Winnipeg GM Kyle Walters has already begun talks with Ray Haija, Ekakitie’s agent, on an entry-level deal to avoid any issues after the draft. A year ago, the league’s top draft pick, offensive lineman Josiah St. John, sat out all of training camp and the opening game of the season, because of a contract dispute with Saskatchewan.

Ekakitie is originally from Brampton, Ont., and was a major part of the Iowa front the past two seasons and played in all 13 games last year as the Hawkeyes reached the Outback Bowl. He had four tackles – two for loss – in an upset win over then No. 3 Michigan in November, a decision that knocked the Wolverines out of the college football playoff.
Listed at six-foot-three and 290 pounds, Ekakitie played all four years of his NCAA eligibility with the Hawkeyes after redshirting in 2012.
Having Ekakitie in the Bombers’ defensive line rotation would provide more Canadian depth to a group that is heavy with national players. Jamaal Westerman remains the most impactful, coming off of an eight-sack season. Six-year vet Jake Thomas, out of Acadia, played 16 games last season, so too did Trent Corney, who Winnipeg drafted in 2016.


http://www.sportsnet.ca/football/cfl/blue-bombers-negotiating-ekakitie-plan-take-no-1-draft/

[1971GreyCup]

One month after the Blue Bombers Fan Forum, they held Blue Bomber Fan Fest at Investors Group Field.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers fans kick off 2017 CFL season with annual Fan Fest

By Zahra Premji
Reporter Global News

Fans had a chance to get autographs from some of their favourites at the annual fan fest at IGF Saturday.
Mike Arsenault/Global News

WINNIPEG — The Winnipeg Blue Bombers invited fans to kick off the new season at Investors Group Field with the annual Fan Fest Saturday.

The free event was open to the public and gave fans a chance to take part in activities directly on the turf they watch their favourite CFL players on during the season.

Fans had the opportunity to meet some of the players and get autographs from athletes such as Matthias Goosen and Maurice Leggett, as well as alumni Joe Poplawski.

Anyone who attended also had the chance to meet Buzz and Boomer and the Blue Bomber Cheer and Dance Team.

Fans were also able to pick up their season tickets. If you didn’t make it out Saturday, tickets can also be picked up at the Pinnacle Club at Investors Group Field on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. or Monday and beyond at the Bomber Store during store hours.

[jerrym]

The Bombers are looking at whether to draft Geoff Gray and, if so, when.



To Gray or not to Gray?

That is the question.
Or better yet, it’s when to Gray?
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers, like every CFL team, are trying to evaluate the risk of taking players in Sunday’s draft who have already signed deals with NFL teams.
Manitoba Bisons offensive lineman Geoff Gray is one of those players, having signed a priority free agent deal with the Green Bay Packers last weekend.
The 6-foot-6, 315-pound Winnipeg product is obviously attractive to the Bombers. It’s just a matter of how high of a pick they are willing to spend on a player who may be years away from coming to play here, if he ever comes at all.
“Every team is interested in those guys,” Bombers general manager Kyle Walters said of Gray, Mississippi State offensive lineman Justin Senior, UCLA defensive lineman Eli Ankou and Laval tight end Anthony Auclair.
“Everyone is just going to have to figure out where they fit into their draft board. You do your research and you figure out how long you think they’re going to be down there and at what point on your overall draft board it is worth the risk to say ‘We’re going to take them and if we don’t see them for one, two, three or four years that’s OK, we’re prepared to wait. And if we never see them was it worth the risk?’ Every team is going to have to answer those questions independently.”
The Bombers have the first, sixth, 15th and 23rd picks in the draft and could use one of them to take a chance on one of those aforementioned players. Many Winnipeggers would like to see them at least get the rights to Gray.
The hope would be a scenario like that of David Foucault, the offensive lineman from Montreal who was drafted fifth overall by the Alouettes in 2014, went to the NFL for three seasons, and his now back — albeit with the B.C. Lions.
“Geoff Gray signed a priority free agent deal, he and his agent were able to sort through multiple offers, which means multiple teams were interested in him, his group was able to pick what he thought was the best fit for him and because of that he’ll go down there and get a fair opportunity to stick around that team,” Walters said. “I think what happens a lot, with players from CIS schools, I believe NFL teams look at them as sort of underdeveloped projects.
“I don’t believe that you are just going to sign Geoff Gray and release him after a week saying he’s not very good. I believe the NFL looks at Geoff Gray and says ‘Let’s see what he looks like a year from now, two years from now.’”


http://www.winnipegsun.com/2017/05/05/bombers-ponders-drafting-gray

[jerrym]

Kyle Walters talks about the draft.

<blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">&quot;We&#39;ve got a very good idea of what we want to do at number 1.&quot; - GM Kyle Walters<br><br>Full video ▶️ | <a href="https://t.co/k5MlGfNPoD">https://t.co/k5MlGfNPoD</a> <a href="https://t.co/1ojTYLqb3U">pic.twitter.com/1ojTYLqb3U</a></p>&mdash; WPG Blue Bombers (@Wpg_BlueBombers) <a href="https://twitter.com/Wpg_BlueBombers/status/860583685514330113">May 5, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[jerrym]

Ed Tait has a background article on Bomber second round draft choice Qadr Spooner and how football helped give him a focus in life.



“When I was younger, my mom really pushed me to the game,” began Spooner earlier this week in a conversation with bluebombers.com (http://bluebombers.com/). “She wanted me to get exercise, and at the same time, stay away from the bad stuff.
“We tried every sport… jiu-jitsu, karate, handball and then eventually she got me into football and I just connected with it. It allowed me to blow off some steam and a lot of anger. Football has meant everything to me since then.”A quick peek at Spooner’s complete resume paints a picture of a dominant football player who has squeezed everything out his opportunity to play and go to school at the same time.
The 6-4, 315-pounder started games at both guard and tackle for the McGill University Redmen in 2016, en route to being named a RESQ All-Star.
Off the field, he has a human resources degree and has another semester to complete a degree in social work. He graduated from Vanier College (before McGill) in special care counselling and just completed his internships in gerontology. He also works with at-risk kids and has helped with children in the autism spectrum disorder. ...

“When I was younger, my mom really pushed me to the game,” began Spooner earlier this week in a conversation with bluebombers.com (http://bluebombers.com/). “She wanted me to get exercise, and at the same time, stay away from the bad stuff.
“We tried every sport… jiu-jitsu, karate, handball and then eventually she got me into football and I just connected with it. It allowed me to blow off some steam and a lot of anger. Football has meant everything to me since then.”A quick peek at Spooner’s complete resume paints a picture of a dominant football player who has squeezed everything out his opportunity to play and go to school at the same time.
The 6-4, 315-pounder started games at both guard and tackle for the McGill University Redmen in 2016, en route to being named a RESQ All-Star.
Off the field, he has a human resources degree and has another semester to complete a degree in social work. He graduated from Vanier College (before McGill) in special care counselling and just completed his internships in gerontology. He also works with at-risk kids and has helped with children in the autism spectrum disorder.



http://www.bluebombers.com/2017/05/13/prospect-profile-qadr-spooner/

[jerrym]

Here's a video of Bombers making their two first round choices as well as talking to them on the phone.

<blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">&quot;Just one question though - when can I get the playbook?&quot;<br><br>Watch the unfolding of the first overall pick during last night&#39;s CFL Draft. ▶️ <a href="https://t.co/ml5KnKLrj9">pic.twitter.com/ml5KnKLrj9</a></p>&mdash; WPG Blue Bombers (@Wpg_BlueBombers) <a href="https://twitter.com/Wpg_BlueBombers/status/861627473955479552">May 8, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[jerrym]

Below is a video of the Bombers' #1 overall draft choice, Faith Ekakitie.

<blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Get to know your newest Bomber, former <a href="https://twitter.com/TheIowaHawkeyes">@TheIowaHawkeyes</a> DT <a href="https://twitter.com/Faith_Joseph">@Faith_Joseph</a>, a little bit better.<br>▶️ | <a href="https://t.co/FJpnAE9xh4">https://t.co/FJpnAE9xh4</a> <a href="https://t.co/WT5blGcaaU">pic.twitter.com/WT5blGcaaU</a></p>&mdash; WPG Blue Bombers (@Wpg_BlueBombers) <a href="https://twitter.com/Wpg_BlueBombers/status/861596559745536000">May 8, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[jerrym]

Bombers' third round pick, DB Abu Conteh, has come a long way both literally from Sierra Leone and figuratively where a eleven year civil war raged in order to be drafted by the Bombers.



It was 1998 and he was a three year-old living in Sierra Leone during the 11-year long civil war that wouldn’t end until 2002.
The rest of this tale – the one that takes him from Sierra Leone to Ghana to Winnipeg to Minnesota to North Dakota to Louisiana and back to Manitoba – is what makes Conteh one of the most intriguing draft prospects in the 2017 Canadian Football League Draft and one of the most compelling figures entering Winnipeg Blue Bombers rookie camp later this month after the club selected him in the third round, 23rd overall, Sunday night.
“I don’t remember much of what happened back in Sierra Leone,” began Conteh in a chat with bluebombers.com (http://bluebombers.com/). “Most of what I know comes from what my people – my mom and my sisters and stuff – tell me.”
“I wouldn’t say I was a rebel child, because I wasn’t holding up guns or anything like that. But I was missing from my mom for seven months during the war until the Red Cross rescued me.”The Sierra Leone Civil War began in 1991 when the Revolutionary United Front attempted to overthrow the government, then led by President Joseph Saidu Momoh. The estimated casualties during the war were 50,000, while over two million people were displaced.
“I can remember people running away,” said Conteh. “I can remember the rebels were coming and my mother and my dad were busy packing.
“My dad told me to go wait outside while they hurry up and pack. My mom said there were gunshots. I just started running. I just ran and ran… I don’t know where, it was just where everybody else was running.”It’s here where Conteh was separated from his family. He doesn’t remember when or where they stopped running, just that those he scattered with were hiding in bushes. “It was civil war,” he said. “I was just hiding out with somebody until the Red Cross came and rescued us. That was a hard time in our lives.” ...

Conteh’s story has many of the same themes as that of Faith Ekakitie (http://www.bluebombers.com/2017/05/07/faith-ekakitie-honoured-bomber/) the Bombers first-overall choice, who immigrated to Canada from Nigeria and fell in love first with basketball.
In fact, Conteh didn’t really find the game of football until after first trying it at Kildonan East with the Reivers.
“The coaches at Kildonan East wanted me to play football, but to be honest, I wasn’t really that interested,” Conteh admitted. “I had a brief moment right before I moved to the States, but I never stuck with it.”
Conteh’s travels brought him next to Woodbury, Minnesota when his mother remarried (he has spoken to his biological father, who remains in Africa, a ‘handful of times’) but he never played football in his senior season.
In fact, his re-introduction to the game, so to speak, came only after he was spotted in the weight room by then University of Minnesota defensive backs coach Jay Sawvell, who was in town to recruit a kicker.
“He saw me working out in the weight room and was told I was a kid who had transferred but didn’t play football,” Conteh recalled. “He came over and gave me his business card. I called him later that night and he gave me an unofficial visit to Minnesota and told me they would be willing to have me come as a walk-on and that they would teach me the game before I could eventually get a scholarship.”
Unfortunately, Conteh’s ACT scores weren’t high enough to get him to Minnesota and, through a Sawvell connection, ended up instead at the North Dakota State College of Science in Wahpeton, N.D.
Not only did Conteh’s pure athleticism help him start to learn and excel at the game, he was also a MCAC Academic Award winner in 2014-15 as a sophomore.
It didn’t hurt, of course, that he was a 6-2, 205-pound defensive back who hit like a safety and had the cover skills to play cornerback. That led him from a tiny junior college in North Dakota to historic Grambling State in Louisiana. ...

“I grew up in Grambling,” he said. “I was away from family again and there were a lot of ups and downs.
“My first year at Grambling everything just moved so fast and everything seemed so new. My first year at junior college I hardly played. But in the second year I was switched to corner and I ended up starting. When I got to Grambling… the game down south is faster. My head was on a swivel and it was a lot to take in and I was expected to take it in quickly. It was hard, but I’m glad it happened now. Now I know how to handle those kinds of situations.”
Conteh had been on CFL teams’ radars for a while and began to really draw attention from the north at Grambling’s Pro Day (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygeLRL9c3w0) in April and later when he attended a B.C. Lions free agent camp in Texas. ...

Asked to describe his road travelled – from fleeing his home war-torn country to Winnipeg and Kildonan East High School to three destinations in the U.S. and back to Manitoba – Conteh chuckled.
“It’s been very adventurous,” he said. “That’s the word I would use, ‘adventurous.’ You know, I don’t really talk about what happened when I was young unless I am specifically asked about it. It’s nothing I dwell over, but of course it had a lot to do with who I am as a person. I don’t look on it as having affected me in a negative way at all.


http://www.bluebombers.com/2017/05/08/prospect-profile-abu-conteh/

[jerrym]

Winnipeg has signed draftees DB Abu Conteh and WR Brendon Thera-Plamondon.



Conteh (6-2, 205, Grambling, October 2, 1995 in Winnipeg, MB) was selected in the third round, 23rd overall. He spent his final two collegiate seasons at Grambling. He recorded nine tackles in his senior season of 2016. Conteh is a Winnipeg native.
Thera-Plamondon (6-2, 200, Calgary, December 29, 1994 in St. Albert, AB) was selected in the seventh round, 59th overall. He spent four seasons with the Dinos. He missed the bulk of 2016, but recorded four catches for 55 yards in his return. He also caught five catches for 50 yards and a touchdown in two conference playoff games.
The club also announces National linebacker Garrett Waggoner has retired from professional football.


http://www.bluebombers.com/2017/05/12/bombers-sign-conteh-thera-plamondon/

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The team has signed 2017 draft picks <a href="https://twitter.com/blessediim_7">@blessediim_7</a> &amp; <a href="https://twitter.com/brendon_thera">@brendon_thera</a>. <br>📝 | <a href="https://t.co/rzGlriqsqh">https://t.co/rzGlriqsqh</a> <a href="https://t.co/lPzxYeZRPo">pic.twitter.com/lPzxYeZRPo</a></p>&mdash; WPG Blue Bombers (@Wpg_BlueBombers) <a href="https://twitter.com/Wpg_BlueBombers/status/863104585107464192">May 12, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

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[doubleblue]

Chicago Bears Hall of Fame NFL running back Bronko Nagurski was originally scouted on the Ontario side of the Manitoba/Ontario border in Rainy River. Ironically, his son played as an "American" OL for the Hamilton Tigers after graduating from Notre Dame.

Nagurski was discovered and signed by University of Minnesota head coach Clarence Spears, who drove to International Falls and arriving watched Nagurski out plowing a field. According to legend, Spears asked directions to the nearest town, and Bronko lifted his plow and used it to point in the direction of town. Spears admitted he concocted the story on his long drive back to the University of Minnesota.

That's the type of story Leo Cahill would have concocted given the opportunity.

Bronco Nagurski Jr. played as a Canadian for Hamilton. The rules were similar back then to now, as a player who had a Canadian parent could get his Canadian citizenship and play as a non-import. Bronko Jr. qualified because of his Dad. Hamilton really cleaned up on those type of players at that time. G Bill Danychuk, FB Gerry McDougal, DE Ron Ray, DB Ted Page, DB Billy Waite and then several players who became Canadians after 5 years living in Canada. Of they were a power house in those years.

[jerrym]

The Bombers have signed draft picks WR Tylor Henry and DL Ian Marouf.



Henry (5-10, 185, Alberta, April 25, 1993 in Camrose, AB) was selected in the eighth round, 68th overall. He led Alberta in receiving in 2016 with 43 receptions for 611 yards. He set a Canada West record with 19 receptions in week 7 against Manitoba.
Marouf (6-2, 270, Guelph, March 28, 1992 in Fort Erie, ON) was selected in the sixth round, 50th overall. He played at Guelph before moving to the Hamilton Hurricanes. In 2015, Marouf recorded 25 tackles, three sacks, and one fumble recovery.



<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The team has signed draft picks Ian Marouf (DL) and Tylor Henry (WR). <br>📝 | <a href="https://t.co/4e2OP208S6">https://t.co/4e2OP208S6</a> <a href="https://t.co/flqTaaZGBZ">pic.twitter.com/flqTaaZGBZ</a></p>&mdash; WPG Blue Bombers (@Wpg_BlueBombers) <a href="https://twitter.com/Wpg_BlueBombers/status/864147653432573953">May 15, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[jerrym]

The Bomber's first overall draft choice, University of Iowa OL Faith Ekakitie, has agreed to a contract guaranteeing him $88,000 ($10,000 more than last year's first overall choice, the Rider's Josiah St. John) in his first season plus bonuses.



The Winnipeg Blue Bombers made the University of Iowa defensive tackle the top pick in the 2017 CFL Draft on May 7 and promptly signed him to a three-year contract. This season he’ll receive a $23,000 signing bonus, $53,000 in base salary and a $12,000 housing allowance. There’s also $13,500 available in playtime bonuses and standard all-star and outstanding player incentives which could push his total compensation to more than $100,000.
In 2018, Ekakitie’s base salary jumps to $62,000, with Feb. 15 roster bonus of $13,000, a $10,000 bonus for reporting to training camp and passing his physical, another $12,000 in housing and $18,000 in potential playtime money available. 2019 includes $70,000 base, $27,000 in possible playtime cash and similar roster bonus, report and pass and housing amounts.


http://3downnation.com/2017/05/16/first-overall-pick-2017-cfl-draft-gets-healthy-raise/

[jerrym]

Kevin Bourgoin is the Bombers new RB coach.



Bourgoin takes over from Avon Cobourne, who left after just one season in the job.
Bourgoin joins the Bombers after one year at Colby College, a small college in Maine, where he was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
Before that he was the associate head coach, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the University of Maine for nine years, part of a 16-year run at that school.
Bourgoin was also a receivers coach at Brown University for five seasons.


http://www.winnipegsun.com/2017/05/15/bombers-ink-pair-of-picks
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[jerrym]

Here's a list of Winnipeg draft picks with red stars indicating that they have already signed with the Bombers.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Bombers?src=hash">#Bombers</a> 2017 draft class all inked, barring three; OL <a href="https://twitter.com/Qadr323">@Qadr323</a>, kicker <a href="https://twitter.com/FelixMBriere">@FelixMBriere</a>, and OL Geoff Gray who&#39;s still with the <a href="https://twitter.com/packers">@Packers</a>. <a href="https://t.co/KCWXRPbuQD">pic.twitter.com/KCWXRPbuQD</a></p>&mdash; Darrin Bauming (@DarrinBauming) <a href="https://twitter.com/DarrinBauming/status/864151265927995392">May 15, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[jerrym]

Ed Tait reviews its ST team players as the Bombers get ready for TC, with a close look at former Argo Justin Medlock who set a CFL record with 60 FGs last year.

http://www.bluebombers.com/2017/05/19/positional-preview-specialists/

[jerrym]

Winnipeg's most recently signed QBs are going to have to learn quickly if they are going to make the team.



So where, exactly, do recent signings Malcolm Bell from North Carolina Central University and Austin Apodaca from the University of New Mexico fit in?
Only one of them is likely going to spend the season on the roster as the Bombers fourth quarterback, so even that promises to be a hard-fought-for position in 2017.
“All I’ve been told is I’ve got to learn the playbook really fast and I have to go out and shine,” Bell says. “I’ve got to go out and perform at rookie camp and be the fourth guy.”
The Bombers three-day rookie camp starts Wednesday and there will be five under-contract quarterbacks on the field. The pre-main camp practice time will be far more important to Bell and Apodaca than any of the other pivots.
Bell already looks at this as a second chance with the Bombers.
He was offered a contract by the team in late April, along with an invitation to the team’s mini-camp, but he rejected it in hopes of landing an NFL deal.
Despite going through two pro days and a quarterback showcase in front of all 32 NFL teams, Bell was not drafted, nor signed to a free agent deal.
He spent the next two weeks hoping the Bombers were still interested and finally got the call on May 16. ...

Apodaca, 23, is 6-foot-3, 212 pounds and more of a pure pocket passer. He was under-utilized in the run-happy New Mexico offence, throwing for 1,377 yards over two seasons, but is said to have a strong arm and a gunslinger mentality.
On the other hand, Bell started out as a runner who evolved into one of the top throwers in NCCU history.
“I can do it all,” Bell says. “That’s kind of a broad statement but when my team needs me to sit back and pass, I’m a pretty accurate passer and I can throw the ball with touch and velocity, whatever is needed. Early in my college career I was more of a runner, so a lot of people will say ‘He’s a scramble-first guy,’ but over the years I proved everybody wrong. If I have to run, I will. I’m a pretty good runner but at the same time I can pass with the best of them so put all that together and you have me.”
If that sounds like a lot of other CFL quarterbacks, it should.
There’s one CFL quarterback in particular that Bell compares himself to — Darian Durant, who went to the University of North Carolina just down the road from Bell in Chapel Hill.
“I have been watching him,” Bell says. “Him being from UNC and North Carolina, 15 minutes away from my school, you hear his name. He’s 5-foot-11, a shorter guy, he’s been really successful, a legendary quarterback in the CFL


http://www.winnipegsun.com/2017/05/22/new-bombers-quarterbacks-fighting-to-be-backup-to-the-backups

[jerrym]

John Hodge looks at five TC battles in Winnipeg at MLB, NT, DB, WR and backup QB below.

http://3downnation.com/2017/05/24/five-training-camp-battles-watch-winnipeg-tidbits/

[jerrym]

With MLB Khalil Bass leaving the Bombers in free agency to sign with the RedBlacks, MLB is likely to be one of the biggest Bomber TC battles.



mport Kyle Knox, who played 11 games with the Bombers last year (mostly on special teams) and Canadian Sam Hurl have experience on their side but there are others who will get a chance to be the quarterback of the defence.
Among the contenders is Nick Temple, who played in one game on special teams last year and has been through the Bombers mini-camp and rookie camp already this spring.
“I’m ready for the privilege of just getting to compete for that spot,” Temple said Friday at the conclusion of rookie camp. “When the vets get here it’s going to be fast and it’s going to be great.”


http://www.winnipegsun.com/2017/05/26/bombers-looking-for-a-leader-at-middle-linebacker

[jerrym]

Despite kicking a CFL record 60 FGs last year, Former Argo kicker is working on improving his kicking, specifically by getting off to a better start to the season and hitting the ball more solidly off a tee.

http://www.winnipegsun.com/2017/06/05/bombers-kicker-looks-to-build-on-breakout-campaign

[jerrym]

Former Argo Dan LeFevour looked good going 7/9 and 2 TDs in Bombers 25-25 tie with the Riders. Dominique Davis also showed improvement going 5/8 for 90 yards.

[jerrym]

Winnipeg 38 Edmonton 38. Another game, another tie. When was the last time that a CFL team was involved in consecutive ties in the preseason or regular season?

[Will]

Matt Nichols looked pretty good for the Bombers:

19/24, 227, 2 TD's in only 1 half of action.

[jerrym]

The most well known Bomber cut was Kenny Stafford who was immediately signed by the Eskimos. First overall draft choice OL Faith Ekakatie made the active roster, while 15th overall selection OL Qadr Spooner made the PR.

[1971GreyCup]

A big shout out to Leo Ezerins and his induction into Grid Iron Greats Hall of Fame Class of 2017 this weekend in Las Vegas. His class included Steelers Franco Harris. Too bad respect for the CFL often ends south of the border.

[jerrym]

Andrew Harris is on a record-setting pace for pass receptions for a RB, after catching 37 passes in 5 games. At this rate he would catch 133 passes over the season, smashing Craig Ellis' 102 RB receptions record set in 1985.



First, some of the why behind Harris’ early season uptick in receptions:
“Andrew’s touches are high for three reasons, I would say,” began Bombers offensive coordinator Paul LaPolice after practice on Tuesday. “One, we throw him the football. We literally don’t care what the coverage is, we have concepts that receivers would do that we call to Andrew because we think we can get a mismatch.
“Two, some of our run game to tailbacks is classified as a pass. And three, we’ll check the ball down to him when people drop into coverage. Those three things up his catches.”


https://www.bluebombers.com/2017/08/01/harris-record-setting-pace-august-1-recap/

[jerrym]

According to 3downnation, 2017 second round draft choice OL Qadr Spooner has decided he would prefer to stay in Winnipeg despite an attempt by BC to pluck him off the Bomber practice roster. He has the potential to develop into a good OL.

[OV Argo]

According to 3downnation, 2017 second round draft choice OL Qadr Spooner has decided he would prefer to stay in Winnipeg despite an attempt by BC to pluck him off the Bomber practice roster. He has the potential to develop into a good OL.

So - not sure i understand the rules there right - but does that mean the Bombers have to dress him next game, or can the player simply decline a PR scoop by another team on his own ?

[AngeloV]

So - not sure i understand the rules there right - but does that mean the Bombers have to dress him next game, or can the player simply decline a PR scoop by another team on his own ?

Player can simply decline.

[doubleblue]

According to 3downnation, 2017 second round draft choice OL Qadr Spooner has decided he would prefer to stay in Winnipeg despite an attempt by BC to pluck him off the Bomber practice roster. He has the potential to develop into a good OL.

He should have been an Argo.

[jerrym]

Andrew Harris is on pace to gain 1,000+ yards rushing and 900+ yards receiving. If he can pick up the pace on receiving he could become the first player ever to gain 1,000 yards in both running and receiving.

[jerrym]

Jeff Hamilton discusses the career years Matt Nichols, who at this pace will reach 5,000 yards, Andrew Harris's great year on TSN's Winnipeg 1290 podcast below, and the Bomber's best season in many years.

http://www.tsn.ca/radio/winnipeg-1290/hamilton-chip-on-nichols-shoulder-producing-a-career-season-1.833869

[jerrym]

University of Manitoba's Geoff Gray, who likely would have been the Bombers' first overall pick rather than its second pick (eighth overall) if he had not signed with Green Bay, looked very good in his first season game, thereby suggesting that he may not be available to Winnipeg for a long time, if ever.



He was the Packers’ top-rated guard in last week’s preseason contest, earning a +0.9 grade. Gray has three main competitors for a roster spot in Green Bay: Justin McCray, a former Tennessee Titan and Arena League player; Kofi Amichia, the Packers’ sixth-round selection of this year’s draft; and Thomas Evans, an undrafted rookie and college teammate of Eskimo offensive lineman Jacob Ruby.“Geoff Gray was the player that jumped off the tape the most,” wrote Andrew Herman, who performed the player grades.

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Gray, a native of Winnipeg, issued a statement after the CFL draft saying he “would be extremely grateful to be a member of the Blue Bombers” should his football path bring him back to Winnipeg.


http://3downnation.com/2017/08/19/bombers-draft-pick-geoff-gray-impresses-first-preseason-game-packers/

[jerrym]

OC Paul LaPolice has helped the Bombers' offence achieve its highest net yardage per game since Dunnigan was its QB in 1994.



In 2002 and 2003, the Bombers had something special on offence, with Khari Jones at quarterback, Charles Roberts and Mike Sellers in the backfield and Milt Stegall and Arland Bruce catching passes.
They also had Paul LaPolice as offensive co-ordinator and in 2002, the team averaged 388.1 yards of net offence per game on the way to a 12-6 record.
As they head into a game against the Montreal Alouettes on Thursday — which will mark the midway point of the 2017 season — the Bombers are averaging 390.3 yards of net offence per game.
You have to go all the way back to 1994 — when Matt Dunigan was the quarterback of the Bombers — to find an offence that has been this productive in Winnipeg.


http://www.winnipegsun.com/2017/08/21/architect-lapolice-has-bombers-offence-on-pace-for-best-season-in-23-years

[Will]

http://www.tsn.ca/blue-bombers-announce-westerman-out-for-season-1.860894

Ouch, Westerman is one of the better D-lineman in the league.

[jerrym]

http://www.tsn.ca/blue-bombers-announce-westerman-out-for-season-1.860894

Ouch, Westerman is one of the better D-lineman in the league.

The Bombers are pursuing Andy Muamba, who has been released by the Los Angeles Rams this month after playing since his 2013 CFL draft year in the NFL, as a replacement for Westerman.

[jerrym]

Winnipeg has released International WR TJ Thorpe.



Thorpe dressed in six games with the Bombers this season, recording 33 receptions for 302 yards and no touchdowns.


https://www.cfl.ca/2017/09/20/blue-bombers-release-wr-tj-thorpe/

[jerrym]

The Bombers have obtained a conditional 2018 draft pick by trading Brett Blaszko to the Riders. Blaszko was a BC Lions 2016 draft pick who spent last year on their PR before signing with Winnipeg this year.

[jerrym]

The release of WR TJ Thorpe has allowed the Bombers to add WR Chris Givens, who at 27 has 60 games of NFL experience and 107 receptions for 1,779 yards.

[jerrym]

However, Winnipeg has lost key WR Weston Dressler for a "couple of weeks" with an "upper-body injury".

http://3downnation.com/2017/09/25/bombers-receiver-weston-dressler-couple-weeks/

[AngeloV]

However, Winnipeg has lost key WR Weston Dressler for a "couple of weeks" with an "upper-body injury".

http://3downnation.com/2017/09/25/bombers-receiver-weston-dressler-couple-weeks/

I don't know how key a loss this really is. Bombers record is better with Dressler out of the line-up this year. In fact, they are unbeaten in games he has either missed completely, or left early due to injury.

[jerrym]

Dressler hast 482 yards in receptions in 8 games, including some partial ones. Over an 18 game schedule this would work out at this rate to 1085 yards, so while Winnipeg has other receiving options as pass catchers, including a very talented RB in Andrew Harris, losing a talented potential 1,000 yard receiver, who has reached that level six times in the past definitely has an impact.

[jerrym]

The Bombers have signed DB Zavian Bingham who was released by the Riders in TC.




Bingham checks in at five-foot-10, 195 pounds. He ran a 4.38 40-yard time, 4.10 shuttle, broad jumped 10-foot, three inches and recorded a 37-inch vertical at his Jackson State pro day in March.
He played in 22 games over two seasons for the Tigers in the Southwestern Athletic Conference recording 83 tackles, three interceptions with one returned 99 yards for a touchdown – Jackson State University school record – while breaking up 12 passes.


http://3downnation.com/2017/09/25/former-riders-db-zavian-bingham-agrees-to-terms-with-bombers/

[OV Argo]

Dressler hast 482 yards in receptions in 8 games, including some partial ones. Over an 18 game schedule this would work out at this rate to 1085 yards, so while Winnipeg has other receiving options as pass catchers, including a very talented RB in Andrew Harris, losing a talented potential 1,000 yard receiver, who has reached that level six times in the past definitely has an impact.


Dressler might not be the force he once was with the Riders, but he was still easily the most talented and sure handed receiver the Bombers had IMO - they will miss him, but time for somebody else to step-up there. Adams, Denmark & Feoli-Gudino are all decent and experienced but they do not, IMO, make for a real scary or dangerous receiving corps; be nice for them if they could find a real good new receiver to add - will be an import and they might be able to find a real good one (wonder if they will try some new guys or try to add some CFL experience?) - they have not looked hard at Canadian receiver talent for some time it seems and i guess are good with Feoli-Gudino as the only NI in their 5 pack - having Andrew Harris at RB helps lots - excellent talent at both rushing & receiving.

[jerrym]

Andrew Harris discusses his attempt to become the first 1,000/1,000 rushing/receptions yards player during one season in the history of the CFL below. Former Argo Robert Drummond is the player who previously came closest to doing this when he rushed for 1,134 yards and caught passes for 840 yards in 1997.
With 75 receptions after 12 games, Harris is also on pace to smash the CFL record for most receptions by a RB set by Craig Ellis (102). At his current pace, Harris would end up with 113 receptions.



Harris would need to average 44 rushing and 61 receiving yards in the final third of the season to become the first player in CFL history to complete the 1K-1K feat. ...
“After the season is all said and done I’ll look at those things. But while I’m in it I’m just trying to help get wins and be an impact player,” said Harris in a recent chat with bluebombers.com (http://bluebombers.com/) “After the season and when your career is done, those are the things I’ll look back at and be proud of what I accomplished.”GOOD HANDS CLUBA look at the top reception totals by a Bombers running back in club history:

Andrew Harris – 75 (2017)
Robert Mimbs – 71 (1990)
Andrew Harris – 67 (2016)
Mike Sellers – 63 (2002)
Deland McCullough – 56 (1999)
Charles Roberts – 55 (2002)

There’s more…
Harris is still on pace to break another CFL mark – most receptions by a running back in league history. That record – 102 – was set by Saskatchewan’s Craig Ellis in 1985 and Harris’ total of 75 is already tied for eighth-best all-time among CFL backs.


https://www.bluebombers.com/2017/09/27/andrew-harris-aiming-impossible/

[Argo]

I watched the (or "a") highlight video of Clarence Denmark on YouTube. He is one hell of a fine receiver !

[AngeloV]

I watched the (or "a") highlight video of Clarence Denmark on YouTube. He is one hell of a fine receiver !

I agree. Very underrated.

[jerrym]

While Andrew Harris was unable to fulfill his high school promise that he made to the Bombers' Charles Roberts that he would take his job because Roberts retired in 2008 and Harris did not make it to the CFL until 2010, Harris's confidence in his own abilities was far from totally misplaced. Harris threatens to become the first player to rush for 1,000 yards rushing and have 1,000 yards receiving in a single season in the history of the CFL, as well as possibly win the MOP player this year.



Charles Roberts was the franchise player in Winnipeg. Andrew Harris was a teenager.
A confident young player, the native Winnipegger was certain he could get to the level of one of the best Bombers to ever put on the blue and gold.
“I remember seeing Charles Roberts out one time and saying I was going to come take his job, this was when I was still in high school,” Harris said with a smile on Wednesday.


http://3downnation.com/2017/10/04/andrew-harris-told-charles-roberts-he-would-take-his-job-while-in-high-school/

[Argo57]

While Andrew Harris was unable to fulfill his high school promise that he made to the Bombers' Charles Roberts that he would take his job because Roberts retired in 2008 and Harris did not make it to the CFL until 2010, Harris's confidence in his own abilities was far from totally misplaced. Harris threatens to become the first player to rush for 1,000 yards rushing and have 1,000 yards receiving in a single season in the history of the CFL, as well as possibly win the MOP player this year.



http://3downnation.com/2017/10/04/andrew-harris-told-charles-roberts-he-would-take-his-job-while-in-high-school/

Jerry, let's hope Andrew Harris has a big game this weekend!!

[jerrym]

Jerry, let's hope Andrew Harris has a big game this weekend!!

Harris and the Bombers did not have a good night, which would have helped out the Argos.
However his 26 yards rushing today and 819 yards over the season would give him 1053 yards over the season at this pace while his 65 yards in receptions give him 783 yards receiving which on a seasonal basis would give 1007 yards. This would make him the first player in CFL history to have a 1,000 yards rushing and 1,000 yards receiving. In fact, in the last two games it seems the Bombers have him catching more passes and running less as teams focus more on his running, but it has also brought his reception yardage up to a 1,000 yard rate. His 4 receptions give him 88 for the season, thereby keeping him on route to break the RB total receptions record of 102 with 113 at this rate.

[Argo57]

Harris and the Bombers did not have a good night, which would have helped out the Argos.
However his 26 yards rushing today and 819 yards over the season would give him 1053 yards over the season at this pace while his 65 yards in receptions give him 783 yards receiving which on a seasonal basis would give 1007 yards. This would make him the first player in CFL history to have a 1,000 yards rushing and 1,000 yards receiving. In fact, in the last two games it seems the Bombers have him catching more passes and running less as teams focus more on his running, but it has also brought his reception yardage up to a 1,000 yard rate. His 4 receptions give him 88 for the season, thereby keeping him on route to break the RB total receptions record of 102 with 113 at this rate.

He is a dual threat for sure, not a good effort tonight by Winnipeg but credit to Hamilton for showing some heart.
Hamilton becoming a very difficult team to play against.

[1971GreyCup]

Good article on former Argos QB Don Jonas. Went to the Bombers, won a Schenley award in 1971 and was part of the team that Brought the fans back to Canad Stadium in the early 1970s.

http://www.winnipegsun.com/2017/10/06/don-jonas-helped-turn-blue-bombers-around-in-early-1970s?token=9bb5be5bb4e92e685b5064f4ac875cf2

[jerrym]

There was speculation that Matt Nichols, who was knocked out of last week's game with a finger injury, might miss a game or two, so the Bombers were relieved to find out that will be available to start Saturday's game.

[jerrym]

When the Bombers defeated the 7-0 Eskimos on August 17th, the Bombers had 4 players on their injured lists; the Eskimos had 20. For much of the season, the Bombers have been the least injured team in the league. When Bud Grant, who coached the Bombers in the 1960s, was asked in the 1970s as coach of the Minnesota Vikings about how important injuries are, he replied that in the 1960s the Bombers once finished first with a team that suffered few injuries, then finished last with a highly injured team, followed by a team that finished first once again with many of the same personnel.
Now those injuries as starting to pile up at the worst time of the season, as the playoffs near. The Bombers recently have had many valuable players suffer injuries including Leggett, Westerman, Dressler, Flaunders, Walker, as well as former Argos Okpalaugo and Adams. While Matt Nichols played on the weekend, he was wearing a special glove with only two fingers fully exposed on his passing hand. While he went 23/30, it was for only 172 yards, much below his usual passing numbers, suggesting the injured hand may be affecting him. The Bombers may be heading into a downturn.

[jerrym]

With former Argo and fourth in reception yardage WR Darvin Adams probably gone for the season, the Bombers have called on Chris Givens from their PR for the game against the Argos. Givens is a



former NFLer who has 60 games, 107 career receptions, 1,779 yards and five touchdowns under his belt in the NFL.
The 6-foot-0, 203-pound product of Wake Forrest University is champing at the bit after joining the Bombers' practice squad four weeks ago.
“I hope I get a chance sometime soon,” Givens said. “It's been a while. I miss it so much. You don't understand. I think about it all the time.”
Givens' best NFL season was his first, in 2012, when he hauled down 42 passes for 698 yards and three touchdowns with the Rams.
He hasn't played since 2015, and what he misses most is interesting. ...

O'Shea says incumbents L'Damian Washington and Ryan Lankford could also fill in for Adams, adding Givens' NFL experience “certainly doesn't hurt.”
“But I don't know that it's the be-all and end-all.”


http://www.winnipegsun.com/2017/10/17/adams-out-for-season

[jerrym]

The Bombers have restocked their PR with three players: Internationals RB Zach Bauman and DL Sam Montgomery, and National LB Frank Renaud.



Bauman (5-7, 192, Northern Arizona University, July 23, 1992 in Chandler, AZ) played four years with the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks and hit the 1,000-yard mark rushing each year. In his senior year, he rushed for 1,456 yard and 10 touchdowns. He has spent time on the practice squads of the Arizona Cardinals and Edmonton Eskimos.
Montgomery (6-4, 257, Louisiana State University, May 25, 1990 in Greenwood, SC) played three seasons with the LSU Tigers where and was named a first-team All-American in his final season. He was drafted by the Houston Texans in the third round of the 2013 NFL draft, 95th overall. Since being released by the Texans, he has made stops with the Oakland Raiders and Cincinnati Bengals.
Renaud (6-0, 220, Windsor, January 3, 1993 in Windsor, ON) was drafted by the Blue Bombers in the sixth round of the 2016 CFL draft, 63rd overall. He spent time on this season’s practice roster before being released on September 5. Renaud played three seasons with the Windsor Lancers and made 120.5 tackles plus 7.5 sacks.


https://www.bluebombers.com/2017/10/17/bombers-add-three-2/

[jerrym]

Former Argo Julian Feoli-Gudino is having his best year as a receiver with 462 yards in receiving. This is 196 yards more than his best previous year with two games still to go, thanks to his being a starter now.

[jerrym]

Winnipeg's loss to BC may cost them Nichols and Andrew Harris, whose helmet to helmet hit once again went unpenalized.



Shawn Davis’ unpenalized hit on Andrew Harris is just further evidence that the CFL doesn’t care about policing helmet-to-helmet hits. A shameful display from the league’s officials — again.
https://i1.wp.com/3downnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Harris-hit-cap.jpg?resize=940%2C404 (https://i1.wp.com/3downnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Harris-hit-cap.jpg)
Speaking of Harris, it’s fairly safe to assume that the Most Outstanding Canadian candidate won’t play in Calgary next week regardless of the severity of his apparent concussion. This means Harris would fall short of achieving the CFL’s first-ever 1,000-yard/1,000-yard season, finishing the year with 967 rushing yards and 829 receiving yards. Remarkably, this would be the third time in his career that Harris finishes a season within 35 yards of 1,000 without reaching that milestone (2013, 998; 2016, 974; 2017, 967).


http://3downnation.com/2017/10/28/bombers-lose-another-game-key-players-12-thoughts/

[AngeloV]

Winnipeg's loss to BC may cost them Nichols and Andrew Harris, whose helmet to helmet hit once again went unpenalized.



http://3downnation.com/2017/10/28/bombers-lose-another-game-key-players-12-thoughts/

That play didn't deserve to be penalized. When a player comes up the way Harris did after going low for a terrible throw, these things can be unavoidable. The defender led with his face mask and not the crown of his helmet, and had Harris been fully upright, the contact would have been below shoulder height. Tough result, but not a dirty hit. Even O'Shea said so in his post game presser. Typical amateur 3DN article.

[gilthethrill]

That play didn't deserve to be penalized. When a player comes up the way Harris did after going low for a terrible throw, these things can be unavoidable. The defender led with his face mask and not the crown of his helmet, and had Harris been fully upright, the contact would have been below shoulder height. Tough result, but not a dirty hit. Even O'Shea said so in his post game presser. Typical amateur 3DN article.

An unfortunate result for Harris on a fine form tackle.

[jerrym]

Mixed news for the Bombers: after injuries on the weekend against BC, HC O'Shea thinks Andrew Harris will be able to play against Calgary, but it is unlikely that Matt Nichols will be available.

[jerrym]

The Bomber nominees for outstanding player awards are:



Player: Matt Nichols
Defensive: Chris Randle
Canadian: Andrew Harris*
Offensive Lineman: Stanley Bryant
Special Teams: Justin Medlock
Rookie: Brandon Alexander


http://winnipegsun.com/sports/football/cfl/winnipeg-bluebombers/nichols-named-bombers-nominee-for-most-outstanding-player


IMO, Andrew Harris should have also been Winnipeg's nominee for MOP.

[AngeloV]

The Bomber nominees for outstanding player awards are:



http://winnipegsun.com/sports/football/cfl/winnipeg-bluebombers/nichols-named-bombers-nominee-for-most-outstanding-player


IMO, Andrew Harris should have also been Winnipeg's nominee for MOP.

Harris was by far their most outstanding player, flirting with becoming the first 1000/1000 guy in league history. The only thing that Nichols may have set a record for is complaining of having his helmet breathed on by opposing defensive players. But I think he's neck and neck with Mike Reilley on that one.

[OV Argo]

The Bomber nominees for outstanding player awards are:



http://winnipegsun.com/sports/football/cfl/winnipeg-bluebombers/nichols-named-bombers-nominee-for-most-outstanding-player


IMO, Andrew Harris should have also been Winnipeg's nominee for MOP.

Agreed 100%.

Nichols had a good season at QB but Harris does way more for the Bomber offence IMO and like AV says, was on pace for a CFL unprecedented double 1000 yard season.

But as I said in the Defensive MOP thread - the "top Canadian" award is sometimes treated like a consolation prize for Canadian players - give the MOP to the American player, cause there's still this top Canadian award to give to the Canadian. Part of a CFL "culture", IMO.

[jerrym]

Having to play LeFevour, with Dominique Davis as backup, instead of Nichols due to injury greatly reduces the Bombers' chances of winning and thereby earning a home playoff game.



LeFevour – 2-5 as a starter in the CFL – takes the place of Matt Nichols who had started all 17 games for Winnipeg this season – and 30 in a row since taking over for Drew Willy in 2016 – and thrown for 4,472 yards with a league-best 28-8 TD-INT ratio in 2017. ...
LeFevour has more experience than Davis, playing in 26 games through five seasons connecting on 222-of-334 attempts for 2,529 yards with 11 touchdowns and 14 interceptions, adding 903 rushing yards on 187 carries and 17 touchdowns on the ground.


http://3downnation.com/2017/11/01/dan-lefevour-start-qb-bombers-stampeders/

[jerrym]

O'Shea announced some good news for the Bombers: Matt Nichols will be start at QB in the semi-final after missing the last game and most of the previous one due to a strained calf.

[jerrym]

The Bombers have agreed to a deal with 680 CJOB to continue to broadcast their games through 2024.

[jerrym]

Asked after the Bombers' last game whether he wanted to return, free agent Justin Medlock replied that he wanted to take some time to think about it. It doesn't sound like he is too interested.

[jerrym]

The Bombers most glaring problems throughout the year were their lack of competent backups at QB and a pass defence that repeatedly failed to cover receivers.

[AngeloV]

The Bombers most glaring problems throughout the year were their lack of competent backups at QB and a pass defence that repeatedly failed to cover receivers.

But...but..but, they had TJ Heath in their line up. I thought he was the Superman of DB's? Bombers played a lot of zone on D, which tells me that they really didn't have to much faith in the secondary as cover guys.

[R.J]

But...but..but, they had TJ Heath in their line up. I thought he was the Superman of DB's? Bombers played a lot of zone on D, which tells me that they really didn't have to much faith in the secondary as cover guys.
Bombers DC Richie Hall has always called a zone heavy defense FWIW.

[AngeloV]

Bombers DC Richie Hall has always called a zone heavy defense FWIW.
True, and it really worked well for them last season.

[R.J]

True, and it really worked well for them last season.
It did to the same extend that it did this season IMO. Yes, a lot of takeaways, but also a lot of yards, big plays and to a degree points.

[OV Argo]

It did to the same extend that it did this season IMO. Yes, a lot of takeaways, but also a lot of yards, big plays and to a degree points.


They also started a couple of rookies in their secondary for most of the season - maybe they improve with the experience.

Hall = same old predictable; just like LaPo in charge of their offence; IMO - they won't win either of those 2 in charge of their units.

[jerrym]

O'Shea has announced he will be reviewing Rich Hall's and the defence's performance. Will Hall survive?



Defensive coordinator Richie Hall is under contract for the 2018 season, but Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea wants to make adjustments to that unit.
“We do need to change what we’re doing on defence. We can’t expect to do same thing and get the results we want. Every player on the defence knows that, understands that, every coach on the defence knows that,” O’Shea said. ...
Winnipeg allowed the most offensive points (478) and offensive touchdowns (51) among West Division teams, Hamilton and Montreal gave up more in both categories. Opponent passing touchdowns (33) ranked tied for last in the league. But it was the yardage total that was concerning above all else.
“It’s two years of giving up a lot of yards, but it’s also two years of over 100 takeaways. And it’s a year where we by far led the league in points off takeaways, our offence benefits from that also. We can’t hide the fact that we gave up a lot of yards and we have to minimize that in order for us to win a championship, no doubt, everybody knows that,” O’Shea said.
“But there are things that our defence does that are excellent, so we have to figure out a way to combine those good things and not give up the yards that we give up.”
The Bombers were one of two teams to allowed over 7,000 yards of offence in 2017, the Alouettes being the other. Despite the gaudy total Winnipeg came away with 42 turnovers, second in the CFL, 25 of them interceptions to lead all teams, and scored 166 points from the pilfers to pace the league.


http://3downnation.com/2017/11/15/bombers-defensive-coordinator-richie-hall-will-undergo-thorough-review-by-mike-oshea/

[jerrym]

On the other hand OC Paul LaPolice has been extended through 2018. Hardly surprising, considering the Bomber offence was the highest scoring in the league. So the contrast between the extension of LaPolice and the review of Hall, even though he is signed through 2018, further suggests Hall may not have long left in Winnipeg.

[jerrym]

HC O'Shea reviews the Bombers' season in the url, including a video of his comments.

https://www.bluebombers.com/2017/11/15/coach-oshea-wrapping-season/

[jerrym]

The Bombers have extended Canadian OL Patrick Neufeld and Interational OL Jermarcus Hardrick.



Neufeld has signed a two-year extension after spending the past four seasons in Winnipeg. The seven-year CFL vet was originally acquired in a trade with Saskatchewan in 2013, and has played in 82 career games. He started the final two regular season games at left guard, as well as the Western Semi-Final. “Without question, I’m really grateful to be returning to the Blue Bombers,“ said Neufeld. “As an offensive line group, we all believe we are just scratching the surface of what we can accomplish, and to be coming back to play for Coach O’Shea and Coach Marty, honestly, I could not ask for anything more. Wade and Kyle have built such a desirable franchise here, and to continue to be a part of that is beyond exciting.”
Hardrick has signed a one-year extension after being named a West-Division All-Star in 2017. He started all 18 games this season at right tackle, and 16 the year before, after signing as a free agent heading into the 2016 season. The Nebraska Cornhuskers product will be entering his fifth CFL season in 2018. “I’m having the most fun of my life playing football right now,” Hardrick said. “This is one big family, and the fans of the Bombers have been so amazing to me and my family. I’m just really excited and grateful for today and the opportunity the Bombers have given me.”


https://www.cfl.ca/2017/11/16/bombers-re-sign-ol-hardrick-neufeld/

[jerrym]

GM Kyle Walters is complaining that the Bombers got robbed by the playoff structure. In the last two years, teams that finished behind them in the standings got the bonus of facing Eastern teams who finished with sub .500 records while the Bombers played and lost to a 12-6 BC team in 2016 and a 12-6 Edmonton this year. I agree. The format should be changed so that the cross-over team does not benefit in the playoffs from playing a weaker opponent than the teams in front of them in the standings.

[jerrym]

I think the cross-over rule should be modified so that the team qualifying with the worst record for the playoffs should play the best of the teams in the semi-finals, regardless of which division it is in.

[jerrym]

A couple of surprises out of Winnipeg: former Argo Justin Medlock is giving serious consideration to retiring and Matt Nichols was playing with a broken finger, not simply an injured hand.



Kicker Justin Medlock says retirement is one option he'll consider now that the Winnipeg Blue Bombers' season is over.
Another surprise as the players cleaned out their lockers Monday was quarterback Matt Nichols revealing the injured ring finger on his throwing hand was actually broken.
Medlock, a pending free agent, made all three of his field-goal attempts in Sunday's 39-32 loss to the Edmonton Eskimos in the Canadian Football League's West Division semifinal.
"I want to take a second to kind of think about what I want to do, whether I want to play, whether I want to play somewhere else, whether I want to play here," Medlock, 34, said.
Moving on after seven CFL seasons and time in the National Football League is one option for the Florida resident, who was a key free-agent signing by Winnipeg last year.
"Been thinking about doing some other things in life, maybe, so we'll see," Medlock said. "But I'm also considering coming back, too. I love playing here."


https://www.thespec.com/sports-story/7920310-former-hamilton-ticats-kicker-justin-medlock-contemplates-retirement/

[jerrym]

The following article discusses Stanley Bryant, the Bombers Western nominee for Outstanding OL, life story.

https://www.bluebombers.com/2017/11/21/long-read-stanley-bryant/

[jerrym]

Here's a article describing what motivates Andrew Harris and details his long climb to win the Most Outstanding Canadian award.



Now, it would be a bit misleading to suggest Harris runs like a man possessed – besides, that conjures up all sorts of negative images – but he does bulldoze and tip-toe his way around the football field like a man obsessed.
And in many ways, what drives Harris can be called an obsession. He is fuelled by the desire to provide for his daughter Hazel and be considered among the best at his craft, all of which continually stokes an inner fire that, even in a week when he is the front-runner for the Canadian Football League’s Most Outstanding Canadian Award, never stops raging.
“It comes down to me trying to prove myself all the time,” began Harris in a chat with bluebombers.com (http://bluebombers.com/). “No matter what kind of season I’ve had, I always feel like there’s something I have to prove. This year it was ‘He’s 30 now.’ When I first came to Winnipeg it was, ‘I have to prove that it was worth me coming here or whether I was worth this amount of money.’ I’ve always felt that I’ve been looked at as an underdog, even with my amateur background and coming from junior. It’s always been about that, about proving things to myself and to everyone else that I can play and do it at a high level.” ...
“As an athlete, no matter what you do there are always going to be critics, there are always going to be people you have to prove yourself to. I take that as a challenge. Those are the things that motivate me.” ...Harris is also driven by the memory of a friend – Aaron Niedergesaess – who passed away in 2008. The two became close while playing junior football and their daughters were born just two weeks apart. Niedergesaess quit football when he was 21 to care for his young family. Tragically, his life was lost in a car accident.
“He had a troubled upbringing and was involved in some bad things. But he totally cleaned himself up and was completely sober the entire time I knew him,” said Harris. “He was an extremely passionate guy as far as his intensity and drive. We became really close, really tight. ...
Harris switched his number from 20 to 33 to honour Niedergesaess and has a tattoo of a Lion on his shoulder that spreads to his back that features ‘33’, his daughter’s name as well as clouds and birds. ...

“Every game I pray to him while kneeling at the 33-yard line and I wear his number around my neck. He was a big part of my life. He was involved in my life for a short time, but he was one of those people that just touches you in a way that is indescribable.”

https://www.bluebombers.com/2017/11/22/long-read-andrew-harris/

[jerrym]

Here's a video of Andrew Harris's comments upon winning the Outstanding Canadian awards. I especially love his comment "I've always been told I was too slow, too Canadian. ... I also want to thank the haters, the doubters because that's motivation, that keeps you going when things aren't going great".

https://www.bluebombers.com/2017/11/23/shaw-cfl-awards-most-outstanding-canadian/

[jerrym]

The Bombers have gone 27 years without winning a Grey Cup. When you factor in the number of teams in different professional leagues in North America, that is the second worst on a percentage basis in terms of the likelihood of winning a championship. However, the Bombers have been moving in the right direction the last two years.
Leaf fans can relax; they are not the worst using this standard, although they are getting up there. To find out who the worst is read the following.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/bombers-grey-cup-winless-probability-1.4400291

[jerrym]

RB Timothy Flanders has signed a one year extension with Winnipeg, after his most productive season so far in his career.

[jerrym]

Former Argo Justin Medlock signed a one year extension with the Bombers just before the deadline for being placed on the free agent list occurred. Medlock had been considering retirement, but O'Shea persuaded him to return.



After the Bombers lost the CFL West Division semifinal 39-32 to the Edmonton Eskimos on Nov. 12, the seven-year international kicker said he’d go home and take some time to decide if he even wanted to continue playing.
He revealed Thursday he’s been thinking of getting into the medical sales field and had turned down a job offer during the season.
That possible career move was a topic he discussed with O’Shea, who had worked in medical sales after his CFL career.
“He kind of just gave me a little bit of what his experience was like and what going forward on that aspect,” Medlock said.
“He just kind of told me, ‘Hey, you know if you love football go out there and give it your best and try to play a little bit longer.’ He’s like, ‘We need you back here. I don’t think you should give it up right now.’
“I got to thinking about it and I was like, you know I can work down the road. Right now, I want to play some football and I want to do better.”


http://3downnation.com/2017/11/30/medlock-puts-off-retirement-least-one-season-re-signs-bombers/

[jerrym]

DT Jake Thomas has won the Bombers' 2017 Ed Kotowich Good Guy Award.



This award acknowledges a player who has excellent football ability, is a leader in the locker room, and shows outstanding effort in the community.
Since signing with the Bombers in 2012, Thomas has participated in numerous community initiatives. As an ambassador for the Break the Silence on Violence Against Women program since 2015, he has appeared in PSAs and visited schools to talk about the importance of the program. Thomas is also a fixture at the annual Dream Big Sleepover with Big Brothers & Big Sisters of Winnipeg, and helps coach youth football programs.

https://www.bluebombers.com/2017/11/30/jake-thomas-named-2017-ed-kotowich-award-winner/

[jerrym]

Ed Tait examines the situation facing each of the Bombers' 18 potential free agents below. Some of the ones likely to draw the most interest are: OL Stanley Bryant, LB Maurice Leggett, CB Chris Randle, DE Jamaal Westerman, DB/KR Kevin Fogg, DB TJ Heath, LB Sam Hurl, and WRs Clarence Denmark and Weston Dressler.

https://www.cfl.ca/2017/12/03/look-blue-bombers-18-pending-free-agents/

[jerrym]

Doug Brown discusses whether it's wise for the Bombers to spend the money needed to bring back aging stars such as Dressler and Westerman who have missed significant time due to injury.

https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/football/bombers/a-sign-of-a-good-contract-paying-players-for-what-they-can-still-do-not-what-theyve-done-461886173.html

[jerrym]

The Bombers tied Edmonton for the second most CFL All-Star selections with five: Andrew Harris, Stanley Bryant, Chris Randle, TJ Heath and Taylor Loftier.

[ArgoRavi]

The Bombers tied Edmonton for the second most CFL All-Star selections with five: Andrew Harris, Stanley Bryant, Chris Randle, TJ Heath and Taylor Loftier.

The Bombers have one of the worst pass defences in the league and yet place three DBs on the CFL all-star team? What a joke!

[jerrym]

The Bombers are facing increased salary demands from players after their improved record over the last two seasons leading to challenges in terms of staying under the salary cap. Some are also questioning the keeping of Richie Hall as DC after such a poor year defensively for the team, but Waters is leaving those decisions in O'Shea's hands.



But with continuing success comes greater problems. For the Bombers general manager, the issues that used to fill his plate at this time years ago are much different than they are now. Winning on the field, Walters said, often creates greater challenges off it.


"We went from being not a very good football team to being a competitive football team," Walters said Wednesday in a phone interview from Banff, where the off-season presidents and general managers meetings are taking place this week. "When we used to look and evaluate our roster it was, ‘not good enough, not good enough, not good enough.’" ...
Now the Bombers are back on track, even if they have yet to win a playoff game under Walters, and the challenge of building a true Grey Cup contender is much more steep. It’s no longer about dumping and adding later, but rather who and how many they can afford to keep. ...

Where Walters has most of the work cut out for him is on the defensive side of the ball. He’s been busy the past few months, one of the most active general managers this off-season. But though he’s signed 10 players from last season’s roster, only two are starters on the defence. And with just more than a month to go before the free-agency period opens, the Bombers have a number of big names still without a contract.
Perhaps the biggest problem for Walters is whether he’ll be able to keep both of the all-stars patrolling the boundary side of the secondary. Cornerback Chris Randle is coming off arguably his best season in the CFL and is already making big money, upwards of $130,000 per season. The other, halfback T.J. Heath, has exhausted the two-year, team-friendly salary he signed after coming north from the NFL. He was an all-star in both his years in the CFL and will expect a similar price tag as Randle, likely close to double what he’s making now.
Then there’s Maurice Leggett, the Bombers’ strong-side linebacker and arguably their best player on defence. Leggett was having another stellar season, but enters 2018 with some concern after he suffered a season-ending Achilles injury late in the year. ...

Then there are others, such as veteran defensive end Jamaal Westerman, the team’s sack leader over the last two years, and defensive tackle Jake Thomas, who isn’t as flashy a name, but has evolved into a more than serviceable player. Most importantly, both Westerman and Thomas carry a Canadian passport, meaning their exits could create an issue with the team’s ratio if they are to hit the open market.
"There’s still a lot of uncertainty on that defensive side of the ball and, just based on the number of unsigned free agents, what needs to happen between now and the middle of February in who gets signed and who doesn’t and, most importantly, if these guys choose to go to free agency because financially we just can’t come to a deal, what’s our plan?" Walters said. "That’s what a lot of the time spent right now is on, these types of discussions." ...

Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea has shuffled the deck when it comes to his defensive coaching staff. Last week he fired defensive backs coach Tony Missick and defensive line coach Todd Howard. What was perhaps most telling, however, was his decision to stick with defensive co-ordinator Richie Hall for another year — a decision Walters didn’t have an issue with. "Mike decides who he wants his staff to be and that’s the way the business works."


https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/football/bombers/bombers-facing-salary-demands-468711733.html

[jerrym]

The Bombers have signed former 2017 Cleveland Brown end of training camp cut DB Eric Patterson. The defensive backfield is definitely an area where the Bombers need to upgrade.



The 24-year-old initially signed as undrafted free agent with the New England Patriots in 2015 but was soon released. He was then signed by the Indianapolis Colts and appeared in two games where he registered two tackles before being cut. Patterson was soon signed by the St. Louis Rams but only played in one game during the 2015 season. ...
Patterson played collegiate football with the Ball State Cardinals, appearing in 41 games and starting in 28 of those over four seasons.


https://globalnews.ca/news/3959428/former-nfler-signed-by-winnipeg-blue-bombers/

[jerrym]

Ian Wild talks about why he decided to resign with Winnipeg below:



“Being in the financial industry, I talk to people all the time about risk and return,” said Wild Monday from his office in Pittsburgh. “Sometimes the risk isn’t worth it if you just want the peace of mind that your money is going to be there. There are stable investments that can give you that.
“Money-wise… it’s nice to make good money and play for what you’re worth, but it’s also important to be on a good team where I have a lot of friends. There’s a lot of positives being with one team. Stuff like that is important to me.” ...

“I talked to (Bombers GM) Kyle (Walters) when the season ended and they said they were interested in bringing me back and I wanted to come back to Winnipeg,” said Wild. “Since I’m going to be 28 (in March) I figured this might be my last shot at the NFL and so my agent did put some feelers out there. But there wasn’t really enough to persuade me from coming back to Winnipeg. As much as I would have liked to play in front of family and friends and near my hometown, I really like the CFL and Winnipeg.
“I’ve been there when times weren’t very good and now that we’re an annual playoff contender, I feel like I want to be there to see it through and be a part of it when Winnipeg does win a Grey Cup.”


https://www.cfl.ca/2018/01/13/wild-winnipeg-bombers-lb-happy-back/

[jerrym]

Ed Tait reviews the situation facing each of the Bombers remaining unsigned free agents below including former Argos DB TJ Heath, QB Dan LeFevour, and WR Julian Feoli-Gudino.

https://www.bluebombers.com/2018/01/13/free-agency-check-one-month/

[jerrym]

GM Kyle Walters, who has already taken ten names off his potential free agent list through extensions, discusses the challenges he faces as the free agency deadline approaches in the following url.

https://www.bluebombers.com/2018/01/10/kyle-walters-checks-gm-meetings/

[jerrym]

In his latest video interview, HC Mike O'Shea feels he needs to be more involved in defensive meetings and have more collaboration because, to put it kindly, the Bomber defence was nowhere near the best in the league.

https://www.bluebombers.com/2018/01/05/coach-oshea-january-5/

[jerrym]

CFL Hall of Famer and Assistant GM/Director of U.S. Scouting Danny McManus discusses how Bomber free agent camps work below.

https://www.bluebombers.com/2018/01/...e-agent-camps/ (https://www.bluebombers.com/2018/01/17/danny-mcmanus-breaking-free-agent-camps/)

[jerrym]

Kevin Oiszewski and Darrin Bauming discuss the need for a veteran quality backup QB and whether Darian Durant can fill the bill in the podcast below.

https://soundcloud.com/tsn1290roundtable/darrin-bauming-jan-16-2018?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=twitter

[jerrym]

The Bombers have signed the following players from their 2017 PR for the 2018 season: QBs Josh Straughan and Philip Nelson, DLs Sam Montgomery and Chris Casher, DB Zavian Bingham, WR Garry Brown and RB Zach Bauman. There profiles are below.

https://www.bluebombers.com/2018/01/18/bombers-add-roster/

[Argo57]

Darian Durant finds another job signing with Winnipeg.

http://nationalpost.com/pmn/sports-pmn/football-sports-pmn/cfl-football-sports-pmn/blue-bombers-sign-veteran-quarterback-darian-durant-to-one-year-deal

[OV Argo]

Darian Durant finds another job signing with Winnipeg.

http://nationalpost.com/pmn/sports-pmn/football-sports-pmn/cfl-football-sports-pmn/blue-bombers-sign-veteran-quarterback-darian-durant-to-one-year-deal

Makes some sense i guess - in that a lot of CFL teams have a desperate need for an "experienced" back-up QB.

I wouldn't have paid Durant anymore than bare minimum CFL back-up QB wage; and I think it would be wayyyy smarter to try some younger QBs with some upside on the roster.

[jerrym]

Makes some sense i guess - in that a lot of CFL teams have a desperate need for an "experienced" back-up QB.

I wouldn't have paid Durant anymore than bare minimum CFL back-up QB wage; and I think it would be wayyyy smarter to try some younger QBs with some upside on the roster.

While I agree that Durant deserves to be backup to Nichols, I'm not sure what you mean by the bare minimum for a back-up QB, but if it is what the Bombers paid Dan LeFevour, then I would have to disagree as Durant, despite his very poor performance last year, has shown himself to be much better than that in the past.

[jerrym]

Durant says he is ready to take on a QB back-up role in Winnipeg.



“I just want to come in and help out Matt as much as I can and have a role with the team, whether it’s in meetings, whether it’s short yardage,” Durant said on a conference call Sunday after signing a contract with the Bombers late Saturday night. “I talked to Matt and told him that I’m just coming in to support you 100% — you’re the guy. You’ve helped build what is Winnipeg Blue Bomber football in this present day. I’m just coming in to try and help and do what I can. If my number is called then be ready and until then be that veteran guy to help him as much as possible.”
The Bombers clearly believed they lacked depth at the quarterback position last season — when Dom Davis and Dan LeFevour were the backups — and went out and got Durant just a few days after he was released by the Montreal Alouettes. ...
"I don’t think (being the backup) will be difficult at all,” Durant said. “When I first started my career, I was a practice-squad guy, then I was a third-stringer and I had to work my way up and everybody on the team has a role and I’m looking at this as ‘Where can my talents be best served?’ I felt like coming in, helping Matt, being a security blanket for him, helping out with short-yardage and just being around (offensive co-ordinator Paul LaPolice) in a good environment, that just made it an easy decision for me.”
Durant said the idea of retirement never crossed his mind. He said he was approached by three CFL teams after he was released by Montreal but chose Winnipeg because of the people in the organization and because he believes the team has what it takes to win. “When you’re working with good people, you always want to take advantage of that,” Durant said. “I’m big on work environment, going to work happy every day, being in a good locker room, being in a good situation and just seeing what coach (Mike) O’Shea has done with the team over the past couple of years, I see this as an organization that is definitely on the up and coming.”
The Bombers had other choices when looking for a veteran backup, most notably Kevin Glenn, the 38-year-old who was recently released by the Roughriders. Glenn has been the ultimate utility quarterback in recent years but clearly Bombers general manager Kyle Walters saw Durant as a better option.
“I hope that they see that I could still play and they can see that I can help this team,” Durant said. “Being a veteran presence behind Matt, being that guy on the field, myself and (quarterback’s coach) Buck (Pierce), helping him through reads — whatever it is that we may see. We had some tough battles with Winnipeg, myself over the past couple years. So I think that they think I can bring something to the table and that’s why they brought me in.”


http://winnipegsun.com/sports/football/cfl/winnipeg-bluebombers/veteran-darian-durant-ready-to-assume-backup-quarterback-role-with-bombers

[jerrym]

GM Kyle Walters discusses below where Winnipeg is at this point in the off-season.

https://www.bluebombers.com/2018/01/16/gms-up-front-kyle-walters/

[jerrym]

The Bombers have signed three players with previous CFL experience: Nationals DB Brendan Morgan, who was cut by the Bombers in 2017 after two years with the club, and WR Tylor Henry, a Bomber 8th round 2017 draftee who did not survive TC, and International Stephen Clarke, who spent four years with BC.

https://www.cfl.ca/2018/01/24/bombers-ink-morgan-clarke-henry/

[jerrym]

The signing of National DB Brendan Morgan and International DB Stephen Clarke suggests the Bombers may be willing to let one of their free agent DBs, TJ Heath or Moe Leggett go, if their salary demands are too high.

[jerrym]

WR Weston Dressler discusses the upcoming Bomber season and what it means to him to reunite with Darian Durant in this podcast.

https://www.tsn.ca/radio/winnipeg-1290/dressler-i-have-two-quarterbacks-i-connect-with-on-the-same-team-1.979930

[jerrym]

Bombers' Most Outstanding Defensive Player DB Chris Randle talks about the 2017 season and his goals for the upcoming season below.

https://www.bluebombers.com/2018/01/19/chris-randle-star-new-father-veteran-leader/

[jerrym]

Geoff Gray, Bomber's 2017 eighth overall draft choice, has signed a two year contract with the Cleveland Browns, which had grabbed him off the Jets PR late in the season, so it's unlikely the Bombers will be seeing him anytime soon.

http://winnipegsun.com/sports/football/winnipegger-geoff-gray-hopes-to-have-found-home-with-browns-after-whirlwind-year-in-nfl

[jerrym]

Winnipeg has signed International DB Anthony Gaitor who played 12 games for the BC Lions last year, making 38 DT and 1 interception.

https://www.bluebombers.com/2018/02/01/bombers-sign-defensive-back-anthony-gaitor/

[jerrym]

The Bombers have cut QB Dominique Davis, who saw little action in three years with Winnipeg, suggesting the team did not have much confidence that at 28 he would develop into a decent CFL QB.

[ArgoRavi]

The Bombers have cut QB Dominique Davis, who saw little action in three years with Winnipeg, suggesting the team did not have much confidence that at 28 he would develop into a decent CFL QB.

When Davis had his opportunity to play last season, he did not seize it. This is an appropriate move for the Bombers.

[doubleblue]

The Bombers have cut QB Dominique Davis, who saw little action in three years with Winnipeg, suggesting the team did not have much confidence that at 28 he would develop into a decent CFL QB.

Does this open up a spot for Fajardo?

[jerrym]

Does this open up a spot for Fajardo?

It could but if he is after playing time, he is probably better off going to Ottawa where behind Trevor Harris is the rather pedestrian Ryan Lindley, the injury prone Drew Tate who has only played 3 games in each of the last two seasons, and the very inexperienced William Arndt and Danny Collins rather than sit behind Nichols and Durant in Winnipeg.

[jerrym]

Andrew Harris wants the Bombers to try to sign Kienan Lafrance. This makes sense as it would give Winnipeg a good backup National RB who could spell Harris without upsetting the National/International ratio. Despite leading the league in rushing last year, Harris started to wear down towards the end of the season, so Lafrance could help reduce Harris' wear and tear. They could still use International Timothy Flanders who is a good receiver out of the backfield as well as a runner.

[jerrym]

Andy Muamba, Winnipeg's second overall pick in 2013, won't be coming back to the Bombers in the future as he is retiring from football, at least that is what he says. It appears from the article below that the Argos are not the only team having disputes over two year contracts. Muamba's decision could also affect who the Bombers go after in free agency.



Mulumba has spent parts of the last five years in the National Football League after signing as an undrafted free agent in 2013 with the Green Bay Packers and then getting looks from the Kansas City Chiefs, Oakland Raiders and Los Angeles Rams. ...
The decision by Mulumba comes following a tumultuous few months in his dealings with the Bombers: He turned his attention to the CFL after his NFL options had apparently been exhausted last fall, but Mulumba’s agent made some disparaging public comments about the CFL in the media and then asked for his client to be traded when he didn’t like the team’s first contract offer.That rankled Bombers GM Kyle Walters, who said this when asked about the status of Mulumba at his season-ending media availability last November:
“We’ve called him for two years and he had zero interest in coming to the CFL. Zero interest. This year they decide that they’ll listen, but they only want to come for one year. It really doesn’t work like that, truth be told. If you want to come up here for a couple of games this year and be a free agent after next year, here’s the offer. This is standard procedure. Do your research, this is the way it works.” ...
“I put an offer out on whatever the day it was and have heard nothing. Absolutely no counter offer, nothing back. The next thing I heard through the media was that they wanted to be traded or he was going to retire. I said, ‘This is your negotiating ploy? I don’t quite understand that. Why don’t you send me what you’d like?’ I’ve yet to hear a counter offer. But now Andy Mulumba (if he signs) is committed for 2018 and 2019, regardless of where he goes. His idea of signing for the remainder of ’17 and getting out of his contract for 18, which seemed to me was their top priority, is no longer an option. He’s now committed to an ’18-’19 contract if he wants to play in the CFL.” ...
His decision does potentially impact what the Bombers might do in CFL free agency, which begins February 13th. The Bombers have started veteran Canadian Jamaal Westerman at defensive end over the last three years, but he is scheduled to become a free agent, as is another Canadian, defensive tackle Jake Thomas (https://www.bluebombers.com/players/jake-thomas/158937/).
Canadian defensive linemen under contract for 2018 include end Trent Corney and tackles Faith Ekakitie and Ian Marouf.


https://www.bluebombers.com/2018/02/04/andy-mulumba-moves-football/

(https://www.bluebombers.com/2018/02/04/andy-mulumba-moves-football/)

[ArgoRavi]

Guys like Mulumba and Victor Butler need to be realistic about their opportunities in the NFL. Both are too old and too expensive for an NFL team to want them. I know that it is hard to give up the dream of making a tonne more money but they need to be realistic if they want to continue playing pro football.

[jerrym]

Ed Tait use stats over the last few seasons to argue that having a good backup QB is extremely important. He also argues that that Bombers could have the best 1-2 QB combo the team has had in years.



First, let’s admit the obvious: quarterback is the most important position on the field and a franchise that has questions behind its starter – regardless of his history of durability – is juggling hand grenades the minute the team steps on the field for training camp.
To that end, consider that over the last four years only four Canadian Football League starters suited up for all 18 games for their clubs – Mike Reilly (https://www.bluebombers.com/players/mike-reilly/131087/) of the Edmonton Eskimos last year, B.C.’s Jonathan Jennings in 2016, and Ottawa’s Henry Burris (https://www.bluebombers.com/?post_type=player&p=19174015850/) in 2014 and 2015. Last year, four other quarterbacks – including Nichols, Bo Levi Mitchell (https://www.bluebombers.com/players/bo-levi-mitchell/158222/) of the Calgary Stampeders, Ricky Ray (https://www.bluebombers.com/players/ricky-ray/80458/) of the Toronto Argonauts and Kevin Glenn (https://www.bluebombers.com/?post_type=player&p=19202863531/), then of the Saskatchewan Roughriders and now of the Esks – made 17 starts.
It’s worth noting as well that 19 different QBs started games for the nine teams across the CFL in 2017, down from the 20 who started games in 2016 and 26 in 2015. And the nine quarterbacks who made the majority of starts for their respective clubs last year combined to post a 74-64-2 record, with the starters for the six playoff squads at a combined 61-38-2.
But of the other 10 players who made starts for their teams, only four – Lions veteran No 1-1A Travis Lulay (https://www.bluebombers.com/players/travis-lulay/114942/), Winnipeg’s Dan LeFevour, Saskatchewan’s Brandon Bridge (https://www.bluebombers.com/players/brandon-bridge/161494/) and Drew Tate (https://www.bluebombers.com/?post_type=player&p=191116115481/) of Ottawa – helped lead their team to victories. ...
And the combined record of those 10 back-up quarterbacks who made starts? Try 6-16.
Those are just some of the numbers that help justify the importance of having a quality No. 2.
The 2017 season ended with Durant watching from the sidelines in Montreal and with concerns about a decrease in his arm strength. He’ll step into a different situation in Winnipeg, where he is reunited with former Riders teammate Weston Dressler (https://www.bluebombers.com/players/weston-dressler/138985/) and offensive coordinator Paul LaPolice, and highly-respected QB coach Buck Pierce. Just as important is the experience he’ll bring to the Bombers, with 128 career starts to his name (61-66-1, but 58-54-1 prior to last year’s disaster in Montreal). ...
In adding Durant, it could be argued the Bombers now have their best 1-2 punch at the position in some time.


https://www.bluebombers.com/2018/02/03/long-read-qb-tandems/

[jerrym]

Bombers have decided to let Internationals WR Clarence Denmark and OL Travis Bond go in free agency.



Bond, 27, played the last two seasons in Winnipeg, where he was named a CFL all-star in 2016 after filling in for an injured Patrick Neufeld at left guard in Week 6 of that year. Neufeld later replaced the six-foot-seven and 356-pound Bond late into the 2017 season after Bond suffered a lower-body injury. But once he was cleared to play, it was Neufeld who was called upon in a 39-32 loss to the Edmonton Eskimos in the West Division final. Neufeld, who is Canadian, has since signed a two-year extension with the Bombers.
Denmark was the longest-tenured player for Winnipeg, as he’s been with the team for the better part of the last seven seasons. After being released at the start of the 2016 campaign, Denmark made a miraculous comeback. That year, he recorded a career-high eight touchdowns despite playing in just 10 games.


https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/bond-denmark-part-ways-with-bombers-473579763.html

[jerrym]

The following article also includes a 21 minute video by GM Kyle Walters in which he says he's looking at free agents at every position, but specifically discusses adding another free agent WR in addition to Adarius Bowman. He also comments on the remaining eight remaining Bomber potential free agents. In addition to the already announced releases of Dominique Davis, Clarence Denmark and Travis Bond, Walter also indicated that former Argo Dan Lefevour will not be back.



That leaves the Bombers with eight other pending free agents heading into next week: defensive backs T.J. Heath and Kevin Fogg (https://www.bluebombers.com/?post_type=player&p=189403170270/), defensive linemen Jamaal Westerman (https://www.bluebombers.com/players/jamaal-westerman/138353/) and Jake Thomas (https://www.bluebombers.com/players/jake-thomas/158937/), receiver Julian Feoli-Gudino, fullback Christophe Normand (https://www.bluebombers.com/players/christophe-normand/161497/) and linebackers Kyle Knox (https://www.bluebombers.com/?post_type=player&p=189415130554/) and Sam Hurl (https://www.bluebombers.com/players/sam-hurl/158920/).


https://www.bluebombers.com/2018/02/09/gm-kyle-walters-approaching-free-agency/

(https://www.bluebombers.com/2018/02/09/gm-kyle-walters-approaching-free-agency/)

[jerrym]

Quite a few teams were pursuing Adarius Bowman: the Argos, Als, Riders, and BC in addition to the Bombers. Part of his decision to pick the Bombers was his previous experience with the Bomber OC Paul LaPolice in Winnipeg.

http://3downnation.com/2018/02/09/why-adarius-bowman-landed-in-the-peg/





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[jerrym]

Former Argo and 2017 Bomber QB Dan LeFevour has announced his retirement after the Bombers told him to look elsewhere for a team.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I want to give a big thank you to everyone who has supported me in the pursuit of chasing my childhood dream! It&#39;s been a heck of a ride. But there is a time and a place for everything. It&#39;s time for my family and I to move on to the next chapter</p>&mdash; Dan LeFevour (@DanLeFevour13) <a href="https://twitter.com/DanLeFevour13/status/962518395714441216?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 11, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[jerrym]

According to Darrin Bauming, Rider WR Nic Demski appears set to sign with the Bombers in free agency.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Hearing strong indications that Nic Demski will sign with the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Bombers?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Bombers</a> this week. The <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Riders?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Riders</a> receiver and 2015 first-round pick will hit free agency on Tuesday. Just imagine, two Oak Park High School grads on Winnipeg&#39;s starting offence.</p>&mdash; Darrin Bauming (@DarrinBauming) <a href="https://twitter.com/DarrinBauming/status/962773842035904512?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 11, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[jerrym]

Following the signing of Kevin Fogg, there is a good chance that all of the remaining Bombers hit free agency, with Jamaal Westerman being the one most likely to resign, according to Darrin Bauming.

[jerrym]

Andrew Harris got his wish with the signing of Kienan Lafrance. He wanted the team to sign Lafrance to give him a rest from his heavy workload both running and catching balls that brought him closer to becoming the first 1,000/1,000 running/receiving player in the history of the CFL, a workload that started wearing him down toward the end of the season as he stayed on the field nearly all the time that the offence did. With Lafrance, Harris knew the team would not have to worry about the ratio when Lafrance takes his place.

[jerrym]

The Bomber are pursuing Henoc Muamba but so are several other teams, after he was cut by the Riders yesterday. However, so are BC, Montreal, and the RedBlacks



The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are kicking the tires again on what has become another Henoc Muamba (https://www.bluebombers.com/?post_type=player&p=217605158169/) sweepstakes. ...
Bombers GM Kyle Walters met with the media Thursday morning to provide a free agent update three days into the opening of the market, and discussion turned again to the plans for the middle linebacker position, particularly after Muamba’s release.
“He’s a quality Canadian starter, which in our league puts you at a premium,” said Walters. “Everybody right now will take a look at their roster and look at their ratio and say, ‘Can we or can we not fit Henoc in? What’s the price point? How does it fit to the ratio?’
“It’s no different than when any quality player gets released, particularly a Canadian. I don’t anticipate us being any different than any of the other teams.” ...

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are kicking the tires again on what has become another Henoc Muamba (https://www.bluebombers.com/?post_type=player&p=217605158169/) sweepstakes.
But if the former Bombers draft pick – cut adrift by the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Wednesday – opts to sign elsewhere, the club is more than comfortable with their in-house linebacker options.
Bombers GM Kyle Walters met with the media Thursday morning to provide a free agent update three days into the opening of the market, and discussion turned again to the plans for the middle linebacker position, particularly after Muamba’s release.
“He’s a quality Canadian starter, which in our league puts you at a premium,” said Walters. “Everybody right now will take a look at their roster and look at their ratio and say, ‘Can we or can we not fit Henoc in? What’s the price point? How does it fit to the ratio?’
“It’s no different than when any quality player gets released, particularly a Canadian. I don’t anticipate us being any different than any of the other teams.”


https://www.bluebombers.com/2018/02/15/gm-kyle-walters-free-agency/



Muamba was due a $35,000 off-season bonus Feb. 15 as part of his 2018 compensation that would’ve paid him $220,000 if he played at least 15 games. The move was salary cap related as the Riders have acquired big names such as quarterback Zach Collaros, defensive end Charleston Hughes, Canuck defensive lineman Zach Evans, national running back Jerome Messam, American offensive lineman Travis Bond and gave raises to players such as defensive end Willie Jefferson.


http://3downnation.com/2018/02/15/multiple-teams-mix-henoc-muamba/