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Bombers made the trade acquiring second and fourth rounds selections in the CFL draft (8th and 23rd overall) for Willis. The Riders made the move for the DE that was mentor of Swaggerville, filling a longtime void on the Riders DL.

Glad that the Riders got him and not the Lions, as they paid way too much with Baggs available for zero.

New home for offside Odell. Does this mean Swaggerville is officially put to rest?

Rammer wrote:Bombers made the trade acquiring second and fourth rounds selections in the CFL draft (8th and 23rd overall) for Willis. The Riders made the move for the DE that was mentor of Swaggerville, filling a longtime void on the Riders DL.

Glad that the Riders got him and not the Lions, as they paid way too much with Baggs available for zero.

Brendan Taman continues to deconstruct the Riders. Paid way too much for a guy who may well be a negative for a team.

Willis faded down the stretch. Was invisible in the Grey Cup, after insulting the game itself earlier.

Talks a cocky game, Swaggerville. Plays like Staggerville. Keep your mouth shut and play. Let your play speak for itself.

Swaggerville oficially became Staggerville on Sunday Nov. 27th, 2011

WestCoastJoe wrote:

Rammer wrote:Bombers made the trade acquiring second and fourth rounds selections in the CFL draft (8th and 23rd overall) for Willis. The Riders made the move for the DE that was mentor of Swaggerville, filling a longtime void on the Riders DL.

Glad that the Riders got him and not the Lions, as they paid way too much with Baggs available for zero.

Brendan Taman continues to deconstruct the Riders. Paid way too much for a guy who may well be a negative for a team.

Willis faded down the stretch. Was invisible in the Grey Cup, after insulting the game itself earlier.

Invisible? He nearly intercepted a pass which could have swung the game.

Blue In BC wrote:

WestCoastJoe wrote:

Rammer wrote:Bombers made the trade acquiring second and fourth rounds selections in the CFL draft (8th and 23rd overall) for Willis. The Riders made the move for the DE that was mentor of Swaggerville, filling a longtime void on the Riders DL.

Glad that the Riders got him and not the Lions, as they paid way too much with Baggs available for zero.

Brendan Taman continues to deconstruct the Riders. Paid way too much for a guy who may well be a negative for a team.

Willis faded down the stretch. Was invisible in the Grey Cup, after insulting the game itself earlier.

Invisible? He nearly intercepted a pass which could have swung the game.

He was not ready for that gift, in his hands. He choked on it big time. Champions make that play. He staggered.

I am glad he is in Regina, not here. IMO he has some big question marks on his game. Aside from his physical skills, IMO his resume is not up to his own hype, Swaggerville.

Just my opinion, Blue.

Yep he had one tackle in the Grey Cup, not much when the Lions had the ball on O for as long as they did. That missed INT was the back breaker in the end for Swaggerville...changed the "w" to a "T".

Willis is a playmaker. Yes, he choked on that chance in the Grey Cup. Doesn't change the fact he's a solid player. While he took some offside penalites he took less than last year and he probably drew as many procedure penalties from the OT's across the league trying to block him.

Wally thought enough of him to enquire about trading for him. Taman is thrilled to get him. I'm thrilled to get an # 8 draft pick.

Lucky Lions. They get to play against him 3 or more times in 2012.

Blue In BC wrote:Willis is a playmaker. Yes, he choked on that chance in the Grey Cup. Doesn't change the fact he's a solid player. While he took some offside penalites he took less than last year and he probably drew as many procedure penalties from the OT's across the league trying to block him.

Wally thought enough of him to enquire about trading for him. Taman is thrilled to get him. I'm thrilled to get an # 8 draft pick.

Lucky Lions. They get to play against him 3 or more times in 2012.

Pretty sure that it was Mack that placed Willis out there for a trade, not Wally going after him. However, when a team has a RB release or block him, Willis isn't effective. Attack the attacker and he slows down quickly.

Blue In BC wrote:He nearly intercepted a pass which could have swung the game.

That's like nearly making a tackle. He had a chance to help his team and he failed.

I still think Willis is a great pass-rusher when healthy. If he heeds his assignments and keeps his head screwed on, he can cause a lot of problems for opponents.

Blue In BC wrote:Invisible? He nearly intercepted a pass which could have swung the game.

How is that even an issue? He turned around and a softball pass happened to be coming his way. Just right place at the right time. It's like when fumble recoveries get brought up as a "relevant" stat.

1 in 10,000 shot that play went down as it did

His job is to get to the QB. He didn't in the big game

“We would like to thank Odell for passionate intensity and contributions to our football club the past two and a half seasons,” said Bombers Vice-President of Football Operations and General Manager Joe Mack.

“However, it became evident through a combination of team and staff interactions, and several one-on-one discussions, that Odell no longer wanted to be a part of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Therefore, we felt it would be the best interest of both Odell and the organization to facilitate this trade and proceed in a different direction.”

http://www.cfl.ca/article/riders-acquir ... om-bombers

"combination of team and staff interactions"

"several one-on-one discussions"

"Odell no longer wanted to be a part of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers"

Mack is not throwing Willis under the bus, but his comments are not exactly flattering either. No doubt Willis is a physical talent. But the question marks outweigh any potential benefit that he might have brought to the Lions IMO. He sounds like a distracting presence, and to me it is a bit of a red flag when the self hype is greater than the result on the field. Sounds like "high maintenance."

On the other hand, if he was to get 15+ sacks, and 60+ tackles for the Riders, and is not a distraction in the dressing room, then he could be a valuable asset to the Riders. I wonder if Wally was truly interested in acquiring him at the right price? Dunno.

Ricky Foley had 69 tackles as a rush end. Stevie Baggs had 50. Odell Willis had 27.

WestCoastJoe wrote:

I wonder if Wally was truly interested in acquiring him at the right price? Dunno.

Ricky Foley had 69 tackles as a rush end. Stevie Baggs had 50. Odell Willis had 27.

Not nearly as bad of a player as some are making him out to be.

But this team is light on NI depth, and a 2nd and a 4th are way too high a price. This trade helps both teams, so good on them both for doing it.

Some are making too much about Willis not having much success in the Grey Cup. For one he was being rotated quite a bit and the entire defense had little success against the Lions in the 2nd half in particular. The Bombers weren't the only team that had that problem after Labor Day.

The Lions OL was solid.

Anyway. You'll see him more now that he is in the west. I wouldn't discount him improving his level of play.

Mack did float trade offers but Wally did express an interest, so he can't be nearly as bad as some are suggesting.

It's interesting how easily some fans discount players on other teams.

not sure its legal 2 Swagger in Regina I mean my god they dont even have strippers are they really ready 4 Odell