OT: Winnipeg Blue Bombers 2025 Thread - Here we go again

[jungles]

Bombers look worse to me, on paper at least, than last year. Let's just hope they know what they are doing.

 

[BobTheSolarsystem]

DBs - better
Linebackers - better
DL - same
OL - worse
QB - better
REC - worse
K/P - same
Returner - better
Ratio - worse

 

[jungles]

I would argue DB and QB are worse. We likely end up with the same lineup as last year at QB and Zach is one year older. The wildcard is OC I think.

 

[Jeffrey Pedler]

Sure would be nice to see a national OL or DL signing...

You have Wallace and Eli, plus the draft has yet to come.

 

[snowkiddin]

Interesting article in the Freep the other day re: Streveler re-signing: Streveler finds time to re-sign with Bombers

"As excited as Streveler is to return to the only CFL family he knows, he wanted to get a few assurances before signing on the dotted line.

That included calling Hogan shortly after news broke that he has taken over as the team’s new offensive co-ordinator, replacing Buck Pierce, who is the new head coach of the B.C. Lions. Streveler wanted to make sure he wasn’t walking into a similar situation as last year."

"Things happened last year where it just didn't work out the way that I think anyone envisioned it would, on a lot of different front," Streveler said.

I get that he was playing injured for a lot last year (the article notes as much), but playing him as a conventional back-up and not designing any trickery (especially when teams would already be trying to account for the league's MOP in Oliveira) was asinine.

Indeed, Jeff Hamilton notes in this article that Streveler was a key for us in 2019 as a change-of-pace QB who would truck linebackers and wear down the D, but Buck Pierce seemed uninterested in doing anything unique with Streveler.

More from Streveler in the article:

“I don’t really know why things went the way they went, to be honest with you. I couldn’t really give you a great answer as to why things went the way they went, and that’s why I needed to have those conversations going into free agency. I think that there’s definitely a role that if I’m not starting, to do what we did in 2018 and ’19 and give a change of pace and add a different element. I know I can still do that.”

I know the Grey Cup performance made it easy to pile on Pierce, but it seems like under Hogan the Bombers will return to a more creative offence like we had under LaPolice. I recall the offence was dominant in 2019, at least in the Grey Cup. The offence cratering last year probably had a lot to do with Collaros getting older, and with the offensive line getting weaker. But maybe, hopefully, the offence largely cratered because the playcalling got dumber and dumber.

My expectations are guarded and my optimism has dissipated with the amount of talent we're losing this year, but I'm hopeful a new-look, fresh perspective at offensive coordinator will inject some much-needed juice into a offensive group that was abysmal last season.

Also good news: Streveler said he should be good to go by the time training camp opens in May.

 

[Weezeric]

Interesting article in the Freep the other day re: Streveler re-signing: Streveler finds time to re-sign with Bombers

"As excited as Streveler is to return to the only CFL family he knows, he wanted to get a few assurances before signing on the dotted line.

That included calling Hogan shortly after news broke that he has taken over as the team’s new offensive co-ordinator, replacing Buck Pierce, who is the new head coach of the B.C. Lions. Streveler wanted to make sure he wasn’t walking into a similar situation as last year."

"Things happened last year where it just didn't work out the way that I think anyone envisioned it would, on a lot of different front," Streveler said.

I get that he was playing injured for a lot last year (the article notes as much), but playing him as a conventional back-up and not designing any trickery (especially when teams would already be trying to account for the league's MOP in Oliveira) was asinine.

Indeed, Jeff Hamilton notes in this article that Streveler was a key for us in 2019 as a change-of-pace QB who would truck linebackers and wear down the D, but Buck Pierce seemed uninterested in doing anything unique with Streveler.

More from Streveler in the article:

“I don’t really know why things went the way they went, to be honest with you. I couldn’t really give you a great answer as to why things went the way they went, and that’s why I needed to have those conversations going into free agency. I think that there’s definitely a role that if I’m not starting, to do what we did in 2018 and ’19 and give a change of pace and add a different element. I know I can still do that.”

I know the Grey Cup performance made it easy to pile on Pierce, but it seems like under Hogan the Bombers will return to a more creative offence like we had under LaPolice. I recall the offence was dominant in 2019, at least in the Grey Cup. The offence cratering last year probably had a lot to do with Collaros getting older, and with the offensive line getting weaker. But maybe, hopefully, the offence largely cratered because the playcalling got dumber and dumber.

My expectations are guarded and my optimism has dissipated with the amount of talent we're losing this year, but I'm hopeful a new-look, fresh perspective at offensive coordinator will inject some much-needed juice into a offensive group that was abysmal last season.

Also good news: Streveler said he should be good to go by the time training camp opens in May.

The bombers sure seemed to hate running the ball for a team with the best running back in the league…

 

[bustamente]

Looks like Walters is going to have to go dumpster diving if he wants to add anymore Free Agents, the real good ones have been snapped up.

 

[RRenegade]

I have a lot of trust in Walters, he does seem to find a fair amount of diamonds in the rough!
Danny McManus is still around scouting the US.

Very disappointing to lose and need to replace Kenny Lawlor who was so clutch. Dalton Shoen will help but I think we are still missing a game-breaker.

I like the idea of incorporating Streveller into the offence more and was disappointed not seeing that last year.

Goodbye Whitehead! Anyone at kick returner who can hang onto the ball and dive for two yards is better than what we had last year with "Lucky"!

It looks like Walters is going to spread the money around for depth this year and hopefully be able to splurge on some high end NFL cast-offs in the summer!

Go Blue! Go Jets!

 

[Benny27]

Blue Bombers Talk

️Winnipeg Blue Bombers Free Agency Breakdown
️Day 1 Ratings
️Key Signings
️Top Roster Concerns
️Ranking Adam Bighill!

 

[FlyerNutter]

Need to shore up the offensive line/defensive line.

What were massive strengths imo for the Bombers have become weaknesses imo.

It’s likely the last run for this group, with is understandable - and with the GC in Winnipeg… hope they address the needs.

 

[FonRiesen]

The bombers sure seemed to hate running the ball for a team with the best running back in the league…

Especially when our starting QB went down... Pierce faked himself out now. But I should probably let that go and move on now...

I do have some optimism that we might see some fun running packages.

 

[TS Quint]

There's a whole country of free agents to the south. CFL free agency is a place for a lot of expensive mistakes.

 

[BobTheSolarsystem]

Really like our signings... but i would have kept woli just for familiarity with collaros and ratio

Would have liked a new LT and DT but maybe that comes from draft... pressure is on Lawson to save us from Thomas

Ratio is
Sam, dt
3 ol
2 rec
RB

Would be nice to run 3 import OL and declare WJ a national

Big fan of patterson

 

[Jeffrey Pedler]

Really like our signings... but i would have kept woli just for familiarity with collaros and ratio

Would have liked a new LT and DT but maybe that comes from draft... pressure is on Lawson to save us from Thomas

Ratio is
Sam, dt
3 ol
2 rec
RB

Would be nice to run 3 import OL and declare WJ a national

Big fan of patterson

Too many good Canadian guards to go imports there.

 

[BobTheSolarsystem]

Too many good Canadian guards to go imports there.

Are they on our roster?

 

[Jeffrey Pedler]

Are they on our roster?

Their names are Wallace and Eli, plus their is still the draft.

 

[BobTheSolarsystem]

Their names are Wallace and Eli, plus their is still the draft.

They are good not great... and i have doubts that Eli is our starter...

 

[Holden Caulfield]

They are good not great... and i have doubts that Eli is our starter...

Wallace is gonna turn some heads, IMO. I think he's a young Sukh Chung. The question will be whether his feet will develop in pass pro (Chung's never did but he was still a multiple times All-Star). If they do sky's the limit for him.

 

[BobTheSolarsystem]

Wallace is gonna turn some heads, IMO. I think he's a young Sukh Chung. The question will be whether his feet will develop in pass pro (Chung's never did but he was still a multiple times All-Star). If they do sky's the limit for him.

I like wallace - but you just outlined his flaw. Eli's reads and footspeed seem slow to me... and neufelds even slower.