Are the Elks assembling a high-flying roster?

I’m not going to compare all the potential actions of the Edmonton Elks with the massive trades we’ve seen in the NHL and the NBA, but wow has general manager Ed Hervey reportedly been busy.


This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.cfl.ca/2025/02/04/are-elks-assembling-high-flying-roster
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Another year of “promises made, promises NOT kept”
:man_shrugging:

They are making some great signings. Remember though, the game is played on the field, not on paper.

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Some solid signings. But the negative is still there: Ed Hervey. Good luck, Elks!

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Come June, when the season games begin that theory will actually be tested. But then that is what makes the CFL so exciting. Players need to be TEAM PLAYERS, not individuals with talent.

I look around and all I see are other teams making great moves that will most certainly improve their rosters this season and also well into the future. Conspicuously absent from this prevailing strategy throughout the league are the Bombers. Dillon Mitchell…? That’s it? The departure lounge at Princess Auto Stadium is much busier than the arrivals level. Still no arm to back-up up Collaros…NO improvement to the front lines…Holes starting to appear in the secondary and no return game to speak of for starters. I guess that loud noise I heard at the end of last season was the championship window finally slamming shut. I will still cheer for my team this season, but with different expectations than the last three years. I am indeed however very interested to watch the development of teams like Edmonton and Hamilton this year. I sincerely wish both teams all the best.

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how can you say that when Training camp hasn’t even begun?

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It’s still early days. The Bombers also signed Jamal Parker who would have started in the secondary last year if not injured and will have a healthy Cam Lawson back for the D Line. Wallace is also an up and coming beast on the O Line. They also dumped a bunch of aging players like everyone says they should do each year and I see no reason why the Bombers won’t come up with a bunch of young talent as they always do.

Ford was only their second best DB despite all the hype I read and in addition to Nichols, they still have Bonds, Holm and Parker. Still the best secondary in the league even without Ford. Before losing Lawler they also arguably had the best group of receivers in the league, although I think Lawler is the best. They are still in good shape there, especially if Wilson retruns from the NFL, which is probably likely. Schoen is still the best receiver in the league statistically.

The Bombers also have less need to improve than other teams except Toronto and they certainly haven’t suffered as much as Toronto as far as player losses go. I’m not predicting anything for any team at this early stage, but I’m hardly worried about the Bombers, although signing a QB2 is important as you say.

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The players that Hervey recruited were all on my elite shortlist I had sincerely wished, even dreamed, that one of the players would be taken by the Cats. It is incredulous that my entire elite list for the Cats ends up on one team. :cloud_with_lightning_and_rain:

Is Cauz ever going to write an article worth reading? At this late juncture I’m thinking not.

Good stuff, thanks

I am remembering back to H Campbell era when Eskies had so many top notch Canadian talent. I am a homer, but Elks could have the best National roster this year. So, how or what did GM fast Ed Hervey do differently than previous GMs? It is an exceedingly exceptional accomplishment

B T W, I forgot to add, the Regina Leader Post is very angry, Ed is too fast to sign up these FAs

Elks are going to be tough this year for sure. Good on Hervey for rebuilding this ailing franchise. I agree that the Bombers are not looking like world beaters right now but O’Shea always seems to find a way. If he can’t a miracle wind can save the day. I am surprised that to date neither the Bombers or Lions have signed another QB. Zach Collaros is past his best before date and if he falters Streveler has a very limited tool box. As of now there is no one of note behind Nathan Rourke. If he can’t find his mojo the Lions are in big trouble

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I would say ownership has a lot to do with it.

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Yes, the Eugene Lewis signing was great

Elks high flying roster lacks receivers. GM Ed does not pay for expensive receivers, so Lewis, Mitchell, Jones were not kept. Elks can not fly high without replacing at least 2 of them. The remaining receivers scare no one.

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I won’t count the bombers out after what happened last year, until they’re in an obvious slump like Calgary. 2025 bombers could still be a great team, we won’t know till Labour Day or so.

But, I’ve got to disagree with you on “best DBs” and “best receivers”. On paper you guys had a great receiver core last year but in total the team scored 17 tds and 5 were in 1 game so let’s stop that steam of unconsciousness now. At best your receivers were serviceable while your D kept you in long enough to squeak out a 10-8 season, which was good enough to win the west in a weak 2024 division.

As to the DBs, they were very good but I dont think they were the best in the league and without Ford they drop in quality by much more than his proportionate amount. He was the star of your secondary. I know your a bigger fan of Nichols, who is very good, but literally no one in the media even mentions him so me thinks he’s not as bright as the shine you put on him.

Like I said I won’t count the bombers out but to the previous posters comment, they sure have lost a lot more than they’ve gained.

And on a personal note I’ll put up a pint for the riders secondary over bombers secondary in 2025 :beers::football:

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As I have been saying, the Bombers receivers and passing offence didn’t perform well due to injuries with Schoen missing pretty much the whole year and Lawler missing half as well as Wheatfield. They looked like the best receiver room on the league last year and were paid accordingly, but can hardly be expected to back that up if they weren’t playing. We’ll never know what might have been.

And I strongly disagree on the Bombers secondary last year and the stats unequivocally back it up. The Bombers allowed the least amount of passing yards while having the worst pass rush. That’s almost unheard of. No contest there.

And no Ford is nowhere near as good as Nichols. I would put him on par with Holm who is also very good. Nichols is recognized by Bomber fans and many others as the current best and last year there were several articles to that effect. He doesn’t make a lot of spectacular plays or ever compete for the interception lead. What makes him the best is that every single team the Bombers play alter their game plan to avoid throwing to him. There are many games his man is not thrown to once or only one or two times. So the OC’s in the league consider him the best as no other DB is treated that way. He takes away part of the field and causes other teams to alter game plans and that of course doesn’t show up in the stats. Even when it looks like the man he is covering has caught the ball because Nichols is chasing him often it is someone else that was beat and he has come over from his man. He is everywhere.

The types of attributes I describe aren’t ones that jump off the TV screen for most fans or the announcers so he isn’t often given the credit he deserves, but if you get a chance to watch him in person look for what I am describing. He is the most important defensive player on the Bombers along with Willie and opposing teams must specifically plan for them, not for Ford. He also plays halfback, a more difficult position in the CFL than corner, which Ford plays. Ford also gets burned the odd time going for an interception. Nichols did once in the playoffs, I think the only time I have seen it. Incompletions are his strength and he rarely takes risks for an IT that he can be burned on.

You may recall last year that Bomber’s fans didn’t bat an eye about losing Houston and they were correct. He is a riverboat gambler that often gets burned. He couldn’t cover his receiver twice in the dying moments of the Grey Cup, costing them the game. The Alouettes wisely weren’t throwing to Nichols with the game on the line, but rather to someone who they knew could be beat. Hamilton threw to Nichols in the last minute of the 2021 Grey Cup which resulted in a tipped ball and no catch. I see Milligan as a bit of a gambler as well although he is still an excellent player and certainly better than Houston, but not in Nichols’ class. I would rather have a secondary that gives up less yards than one that has more interceptions.

So I’ll take you up on your bet, but have different stakes in mind than a pint which won’t likely be paid as we won’t see each other. The question is how are we going to measure who wins the bet? Saskatchewan has a decent secondary, but from what we know today I would still say the Bombers secondary is the league measuring stick, although that could change depending on how the rest of the personnel shakes out. The Bombers already have 4 quality DB’s in all CFL Nichols and Holmes, returning second year man Bonds who will only get better and returning starter who missed last year due to injury in Jamal Parker, who could easily be all CFL as well. As of now we don’t know if Alexander will be signed as safety. He was for a few years the best safety in the league but age and injury have diminished his game, although he is still decent and always hits a ton. No one likes losing a player of Ford’s caliber, but the Bombers were going to lose players and I would rather have them lose a player from where they are strongest.

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Receivers: great on paper not on the field. Can’t call that the best in the league.

DBs: I mostly agreed with you and called Nichols very good. The attributes you’ve mentioned I can’t argue with. But what a team pay a him versus ford versus who ever is a big indicator. I admire the hard working blue collar guys that dont get the same love. I just think your a little over the top with him just like Streveler, both of whom I admire.

2025 Bet: the pint is obviously a gesture. And I agree it’s difficult to measure who would win. The sexy stats? The lower yards allowed? Least penalties? They all come into play. My guess, we’ll just banter each other over it all season :sunglasses:

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