I am worried that too many changes are taking place for example I am happy with the coaching staff but certain player moves could hurt us like throwing out Avon and bringing in a new Kenton Kieth? This could back fire on us ,Avon had the skills and vetran leadership to make it happen with a different play book and new retooled O line? If we lose our prized kicker this will be a hard one to replace, hopefully Thiggy and our sack king won't crack the lineup down south just my two cents .....I even upgraded my season tickets for next season not sure if I am sane or insane :lol:
I think you’re jumping the gun. Cobourne is 32 years of age. Thats getting up there for a running back. To me, this was a good move. . I think you are correct with your assessment of the “O” line and you can add the “D” line to that assessment.
You’re also correct about a kicker/punter. It is very important that this move be sorted out soon.
If Thiggy and Rottier make it in the US, good for them… Football careers are short and I feel that these men deserve
our thanks and best wishes. I’m sure the door is wide open in Hamilton for their return if they don’t crack the NFL.
- Martell Mallett has nothing to do with Kenton Keith
- As of now, we will have one new starter on the offensive line, I wouldn’t say it’s been re-tooled. Is there a need for depth there? Yes, but if we sign someone in free agency, get Moe Petrus into camp, draft a lineman at any point in the draft and suddenly we’re laughing.
I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little worried about some areas of the roster. However, it’s February, lots of time to improve. It all starts tomorrow at noon.
I am optimistic about the upcoming season, i do not think that mallet is the next kenton keith, every signing is a risk, anyone can get injured you gotta take chances mallet is only 25 and he is a powerful runner with alot of speed. Our receiving group is very promising (if we sign Fantuz it will be even more impressive) our o line and d line need work but i think Obie will find a way to improve on that. The secondary was a problem last year no doubt but we have alot of young talented db's and the scheme might have been the problem last year more than the players.We still have the best linebacker trio in the league. My only big concern is what if Burris played like he did last year i was shocked at how much his play dropped off from the year before. Hopefully he will be extra motivated to show that he still has it. It's way to early for predictions but i believe we will be better than a 500 football team.
It's free agency deadline day, so things may be different by the end of the day, but at this point I am concerned about the number of changes. We are the only team who has not resigned a single player up for free agency (at this point). That concerns me a bit. While signing some new talent may help, signing existing talent should still be a priority in some cases. You have more knowledge about what you are going to get by keeping existing players then what you will get when you sign a free agent.
Too much change is going to hurt this team next year if we replace players via free agency and the draft, and we have already pretty much retooled our coaching staff. At this point, this team is a big question mark for next year. If they don't do anything to improve on the D-Line or replace lost players on the O-Line (Rottier out, Jiminez FA), and if they don't get a kicker (Medlock FA), this team is going in the other direction. We already have a new QB and RB and have lost our best DE. The only things remaining from last year is our secondary (not exactly a strong point) and our linebackers (still a good group, but they are all getting a little older).
I'm not sure what is going on, but it almost look like the start of a rebuild. Only good news on that front, teams can be rebuilt in 1 or 2 years in the CFL (although we've been waiting 10 years for it to happen here). I hope OB and Cortez have some good plans, and some good news today. At this point, there has been very little positive to report in the offseason.
PJ
It's a re-building year!
Ticats GM Bob O’Billovich confident ahead of season
Hickman, who signed a two-year deal with the Indianapolis Colts last Wednesday, was expected, and [b][u]Cobourne and Mullinder left because they knew their roles would diminish[/u][/b]. The general manager thinks Rottier, who signed with Edmonton on Feb. 3, desired to move west even as Hamilton tried to re-sign him last year.[url=http://sports.nationalpost.com/2012/02/15/ticats-gm-bob-obillovich-confident-ahead-of-season/]http://sports.nationalpost.com/2012/02/ ... of-season/[/url]“The offensive side of the football is pretty well set, with the exception of the fact we have to replace Simeon,? O’Billovich said.
cats99:
Relax. A new HC and staff, new young players....exciting times again.
George Cortez will want to mold the players into his concept of what the team should be.
Makes me chomp at the bit for the season to start. <!-- s:thup: -->:thup:<!-- s:thup: -->This is true,however,it also tends to lend itself to a slow start until things start to gel.We still have the Defensive Secondary issue,and I do not share the opinion that we have young players that are going to improve.The secondary in Hamilton has been an ongoing problem throughout the entire Bob Young era (I’m not blaming Young for the personnel decisions,just the timeline)
If that issue alone is not rectified,expect a very similar season to last…ie. 1 step forward,1 step back…2 steps forward,to steps back…Nevermind the fact that know one is really sure if Henry Burris has alot left in the tank,and if he does,how long before the tank is fully empty?
I'm definitely concerned. Don't like the change at QB and don't like the change at RB. The team, namely Obie, has set the bar as high as it can be. When Bellefeuille was fired, Obie said it was done to make the team "more better." Well, coming off an East Final appearance, there is only one thing higher. If the team doesn't get to the Grey Cup this year, then all the moves were for naught. Not sure how they'll finish, and none of us will until we see what the whole roster looks like, but the team doesn't look like a Grey Cup favourite to me.