Bombers Do Nothing Yet in Off Season

[Toppy Vann]

This story shows that the Bombers have yet to ink a deal with Buck Pierce and LaBatte that would then make their SMS clearer. Oh the QB backups are free agents. This GM is either the dumbest in the CFL or knows he has Pierce with no other options now.

Buck's agent has said Bomber GM Mack sunk the Pierce deal negotiated by the GM's assistant and satisfactory to Pierce.

Bombers have 17 free agents - most in the CFL.

What is going on there? Buck has been the guy that built their fan base and excited the province about the Bombers again. That alone says he should get a deal done that is fair for a starter! Their sell outs came from how fans saw his play not due to their great D. That didn't sell the place out every game.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports ... 12613.html

Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Bombers have accomplished almost nothing this off-season, but no signs of concern from Mack

By: Paul Wiecek

Posted: 01/21/201

Consider: The sum total of Winnipeg's activity since they lost the Grey Cup to B.C. at the end of November has been re-signing their long snapper Chris Cvetkovic, re-signing all-star safety Ian Logan, locking down some practice roster guys and, this week, picking up a kick returner who didn't even play in 2011.

The inactivity is striking on several fronts. For starters, the Bombers lead the CFL this winter with 17 players who could become free agents on Feb. 16, so you'd think that if anyone would have been busy the past six weeks it would have been Bombers GM Joe Mack.

What's more, among that long list of free agents are some critical players -- starting quarterback Buck Pierce and both his backups, Alex Brink and Joey Elliott; and four of the five starters on the offensive line, including CFL all-star Brendan LaBatte.

On top of all that, the Bombers inactivity has come at precisely the same time as two of their East Division rivals -- the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Toronto Argonauts -- have made sweeping changes the Bombers brain trust has already publicly conceded will make the East Division a much tougher place to play in 2012.

So what's Mack saying now? The Bombers GM did not respond to repeated requests for an interview through the club's media relations office this week.

But others are starting to talk. Defensive back Jovon Johnson has gone public with his frustrations with Bombers management and their refusal to even discuss a contract extension with the league's most valuable defensive player in 2011.

And on Friday, agent Darren Gill said that "there hasn't been much progress" in contract talks involving the Bombers and three of his clients -- OL Steve Morley, DL Don Oramasionwu and WR Aaron Hargreaves. Gill said that "at this point," Morley and Oramasionwu intend to test the free agent waters.

Now, on top of all that, there are also all the three coaching vacancies that remain for the Bombers after the firing of offensive coordinator Jamie Barresi and the defections of linebackers coach Casey Creehan to Hamilton and receivers coach Chris Wiesehan to the University of Hawaii.

Almost two months after firing Barresi, the Bombers have yet to replace him. And it's now possible the Argos -- who hired Jonathan Himebauch away from Montreal as their new offensive coordinator last month only to have him abruptly leave this week for a college job -- could hire two offensive coordinators this winter before the Bombers hire one.

[WestCoastJoe]

Contrast that with Wally's work ...

Moved himself up to GM and Executive.

Promoted Mike Benevides to Head Coach.

Signed Jacques Chapdelaine and Chuck McMann to new contracts.

Signed Rich Stubler away from Edmonton, a team which wanted to keep him.

Signed Khalif Mitchell, possibly the dominant defender in the CFL.

Signed Arland Bruce, who, with a few more good years, is a contender for the Hall of Fame. Instrumental player in our Championship Season.

Signed key running back Andrew Harris.

Signed Angus Reid.

Negotiating well with Anton McKenzie and others.
...............

Hey, Mack, wake up ...

[TheLionKing]

I hope working in the US while running a CFL team in Canada isn't becoming a trend. How can you sell the product when you're several hundred miles away ?

[Blue In BC]

It does seem strange that nothing has been announced. However, that doesn't mean negotiations aren't being done and that some players have been re-signed but not announced.

IIRC, there are only 11 Bomber free agents at the moment and not 17 as suggested in the original post. It is likely a few of those won't e re-signed but there are some key ones that certainly need to be signed.

Labatte , Carr and all the QB's are high on the list.

Whether we succeed in holding onto these players is a giant question and concern for Bomber fans at the moment.

[MexicoLionFan]

Contrast that with Wally's work ...

Moved himself up to GM and Executive.

Promoted Mike Benevides to Head Coach.

Signed Jacques Chapdelaine and Chuck McMann to new contracts.

Signed Rich Stubler away from Edmonton, a team which wanted to keep him.

Signed Khalif Mitchell, possibly the dominant defender in the CFL.

Signed Arland Bruce, who, with a few more good years, is a contender for the Hall of Fame. Instrumental player in our Championship Season.

Signed key running back Andrew Harris.

Signed Angus Reid.

Negotiating well with Anton McKenzie and others.
...............

Hey, Mack, wake up ...

Excellent Post Joe...I can't imagine why Mack is hesitating in Winnipeg, especially with a beautiful new stadium to fill, but as you say, Wally has not been asleep. In a new season where he has taken on LESS he has accomplished far MORE so far than I can remember in his career. Your list says it all...and the key that you finished with is that he has strong dialogue ongoing with our current UFAs already, so this tells us that the Lions know who they are, what they need and how to go about achieving it. Even to the point of not offering Eliminian a counter offer from the one he received with the Vikes...Wally has already "spent" the money on completing the roster for next year. Which say a lot about Wally and this franchise.

[Toppy Vann]

It does seem strange that nothing has been announced. However, that doesn't mean negotiations aren't being done and that some players have been re-signed but not announced.

IIRC, there are only 11 Bomber free agents at the moment and not 17 as suggested in the original post. It is likely a few of those won't e re-signed but there are some key ones that certainly need to be signed.

Labatte , Carr and all the QB's are high on the list.

Whether we succeed in holding onto these players is a giant question and concern for Bomber fans at the moment.

They are taking their ticket paying customers for granted it seems with the dead air space being filled with these stories and the one about Lapo not sold on a real OC.

Mack does not live and work in Winnipeg? How can that be? I can see a deal with Trestman part time as HC but the GM. If he is not part of the community then how can he be doing his job properly.

[WestCoastJoe]

Excellent Post Joe...I can't imagine why Mack is hesitating in Winnipeg, especially with a beautiful new stadium to fill, but as you say, Wally has not been asleep. In a new season where he has taken on LESS he has accomplished far MORE so far than I can remember in his career. Your list says it all...and the key that you finished with is that he has strong dialogue ongoing with our current UFAs already, so this tells us that the Lions know who they are, what they need and how to go about achieving it. Even to the point of not offering Eliminian a counter offer from the one he received with the Vikes...Wally has already "spent" the money on completing the roster for next year. Which say a lot about Wally and this franchise.

Thanks, MLF.

It seems to me that Wally and Braley are not afraid to spend money on coaches. The SMS does not apply there. I expect JC and Chuck McMann got raises. And Mike B will have a nice pay cheque. Happy (or at least paid fairly) coaches equals happy team IMO.

[Sir Purrcival]

Spoke to a Bombers fan in of all places Costa Rica last week. Wearing a BB jersey of course. Got to talking about how their season went last year. According to him, most Bombers fans didn't expect it and it seems that many think that it was a bit of a blip, not a long term improvement. Maybe this lack of action bears that out that pessimism.

[Blue In BC]

Spoke to a Bombers fan in of all places Costa Rica last week. Wearing a BB jersey of course. Got to talking about how their season went last year. According to him, most Bombers fans didn't expect it and it seems that many think that it was a bit of a blip, not a long term improvement. Maybe this lack of action bears that out that pessimism.

I'm sure I've spoken with more Bomber fans than the one you spoke to and that isn't what Bomber fans think.

Overall Bomber fans felt our defense was going to be very good after a strong showing towards the end of 2010. So in that sense we didn't consider that as a blip. Keep in mind we had lost 9 games by 3 points or less in 2010, so we were better ( closer ) than our 2010 record showed.

We knew we had problems on offense and some of them were addressed and many weren't in 2011. Carr and Watson were 2nd year receivers that we expected to improve last year. Poblah was drafted but injuries kept him on the sideline for mos tof the season. Denmark was found and became an excellent receiver last year.

Assuming we keep Carr from free agency , our receivers are looking pretty good compared to where we were in 2010.

Most Bomber fans felt our OC and play calling were responsible for our poor offensive showing in 2010 - 2011. The OL was also suspect but harder to analyze due to the coaching aspect and the injuries to all 3 QB's in both seasons.

IIRC, we now have 11 free agents. Those include all 3 QB's, 4 starting OL and 1 starting receiver.

Until we know which of our free agents are signed, it's unfair to suggest 2011 was a blip or whether we can continue to improve.

Every season is different. Players retire, get traded , move in free agency and new CFL stars come to the league each training camp.

As they say, it's not how you start but how you finish the season.

I recall many Lions fans thinking 2011 was over in the early going. Many Bomber fans thinking the GC was ours after the 1st half of the season.

Going into 2012 is going to be interesting. The west has lost R Ray and H Burris so could be weaker, while the east could be stronger. On the surface that seems like a good thing for the Lions and a bad thing for the Bombers.

It's a little early to predict what is going to happen into 2012 season. I'd like to see what happens with free agency and how teams adjust to the SMS reality.

One thing is clear, every season many vets are cut due to a combination of age, injury and SMS issues. This off season we're seen some dramatic changes with starting QB's moving and teams like Edmonton cutting about 8 players.

[Sir Purrcival]

Well don't shoot the messenger, I was just offering one BB fans take on it. You say TomAto, he says Tomaato. At this stage, as you say, it is too early to tell but given the state of the O situation for the bombers, do you think it is likely that they are going to improve next season, stay the same or diminish? Based on last years quick start out of the gate, they looked like world beaters (and I think that was a little unexpected around the league) who progressively began to look more human as time progressed. Perhaps a team performing closer to most expectations.

So far the tone of this thread seems to be suggesting that standing pat is probably not something that is really going to benefit them a great deal. Is that is what is happening? I don't know but compared to the moves made by Toronto, Calgary, Hamilton and even Edmonton, the BB's seem to be standing somewhat still. Perhaps they are hoping to improve through free agency and are thus waiting? You must admit though that not even having 1 QB under contract for next season is a little perplexing. I could easily see Calgary interested in a BP for a backup to a young QB or maybe as a starter in Edmonton. The Riders are down a QB as well so I guess the BB's dally at their own peril.

Time will tell. Personally, the BB fans have suffered with this team too much in recent years. I would love to see them continue to play well and punish the Wheaties in the Banjo Bowl.

[Blue In BC]

Bomber fans don't understand why we haven't signed more of our free agents. For that matter we're not even sure which of our free agents we want to sign let alone are able to sign. OTOH, will see what happens before FA starts and shortly after.

Pierce wants starter money, so I doubt he leaves for another team to become the # 2 QB. The only team that might be interested in him as a starter might be Edmonton?

It's too early to suggest we are standing pat. In 2011 we added Mainor, Turner and Fritz on the DL. Denmark was found at receiver. Muamba , Poblah and Etienne were drafted. Poblah will start at receiver and hopes are high on the rapid development of Muamba. Not sure what to think about Etienne yet but they thought well enough of him to draft him in the 1st round as well.

We've kept a bunch of NI OL around last year that we drafted: Swinston, Kowalchuk and Dunn is coming back. Greaves is expected to step up as a starting guard this season. Are any of these guys better than those we may lose intentionally or otherwise lost? I don't know but something has to change on the OL. One rumor has Labatte going to Regina which would ge a step back regardless of the development of the other OL.

Is Garrett going to be a better RB than Fred Reid if he starts from game 1? Bomber fans know where the weaknesses are and expect improvements to be made. That applies to all teams so it's a generic statement.

I could say the Lions appear to be standing pat. Sure they've shuffled the deck for the coaches, but was that by necessity or desire. Is it going to be an improvement. Many Lions fans wanted Chap fired for the last two seasons. Now all of a sudden he's an improvement over Buono?

What new players have the Lions added? I read that the Lions are expected to release Paris and Jarious Jackson shortly.

Free agency and players added for TC will decide what changes are made across the league. I'm certainly not expecting the Bombers to stand pat. Hopefully we don't lose our players we want in free agency and get them signed shortly.

It could get ugly if we lose all 3 QB's which technically is possible.

EDIT: While the Argos and Ticats have made moves at QB, their problems were deeper than the QB position. Do the Argos have any receivers that anybody is scared of? Copeland retired and he was the best of the bunch. The Argos are expected to lose several of their starting OL due to SMS issues and desires to move elsewhere.

The TiCats lost their returner to the NFL and had a lousy defense.

[Sir Purrcival]

You may well be right but what have the Lions done?

Mitchell signed
Harris signed
Bruce signed
Kornegay released


And you mentioned the coaching shuffle.

That is just what I know.

I don't know what the Bombers have on tap, this may all be decided by tomorrow for all I know, but usually, the practise is to try and ink valuable pieces before free agency begins. Just seems a little unusual. And you well know that certain pieces are easier to replace than others. Two of the toughest are usually QB and Oline. Those are positions where you typically can't just plug in new personnel and have much hope for success. Receivers, RB's and the like are much easier positions to fill. That is why the Esks are in a bit of a quandary right now with the departure of Ricky Ray. The question they rightfully have is who is going to be their QB? It is why Hamilton snapped up Burris when the chance presented itself even though many think Burris may be beyond his best before date. An experienced QB is just not that easy to find. If they do address it before hand, then some time and energy went needlessly to a keyboard, no big loss there. Just a chance to speculate in the off season. Harmless fun to pass the long months away.

[Blue In BC]

Those are 3 important players the Lions have re-signed but it's also " standing pat ". Just because the Bombers haven't signed a few of their free agents it doesn't mean they won't.

For the moment, they haven't lost anybody either while the Lions lost the best MLB in the CFL.

I see the Bombers did finally announce a new OC today. Nobody I've ever heard of but his credentials seem impressive and extensive enough.

It's really going to come down to what happens in free agency. The Bombers could be gutted or they could sign the players they wanted. I don't honestly know what to expect but as each day goes by, it does make me more nervous.

[ziggy]

To be fair, it's easier to stand Pat or appear to not be making drastic moves the season after you win the Championship. Given the Lions struggled in the first part of the season but came together and gelled in the second half, why would they make big changes?