Bomber Season Underway - Rookie & Training Camp

Officially underway a couple hours ago. No big news yet - but Knucky Irving and/or Drencher Bauming will ferret out nougats for the great unwashed.

Walters under intense pressure to shield #1 draft pick ($103,500 salary) Faith Ekatitie from exposure and criticism. If, as I've already predicted Ekakitie is spooked by having to deal with really big, strong, tough men and shrivels up on the field - Walters 1st duty is to find a convenient injury to get Ekakitie off the field - while the tall foreheads deal with the embarrassment.

Too many coaches, scouts and the like were putting over Ekakitie like the dickens. In his earlier interviews he sounded like a guy with the IQ of a typical rider fan (ie. LOW). So a cadre of his coaches, managers, trainers, etc. put together a vast P.R. campaign that lured in the bombers to be sure.

My prediction, fwiw - Ekakitie will either be a lightly used and rostered rotational DT who's sack totals will approach ZERO. Once o-linemen start to move the kid against his will - things will go badly in bomber camp. They'll have to sideline their #1 draft pick with either a fake injury or he picks up a real one.

So the prediction is either he becomes a vagabond DT who is shielded by mgmt. from mass reps - or he can't compete with top o-linemen and washes out of the league within a year or two. If he's having problems with current bomber o-linemen at training camp you can imagine the fear on this fella's face when he has to go up against top monsters from many of the other CFL teams!

If as I fear he washes out of being the dominant nose tackle that many predicted the egg will be on Kyle Walters face for years - especially if one or both of Danny Vandervoort or the other 1st rd WR pick have near all-star or all-star rookie seasons!

…The ‘other’ wide receiver…(I think you mean Nate Behar) has yet to be inked by the schmoes…Would have been a nice pic as well but I think we’ll be waiting for quite awhile before we get a good luck at another terrific nuck’ receiver…Them’s the brakes…Ekakitie looks really strong according to Mike O and company…Report from camp says Faith has a strong work ethic but I’ll reserve judgement until I see him in game action and real bullets are flying :wink:

Yep, Nate Behar is the other one (related to Joy Behar by any chance?) - - - don’t get old, son!

I understand the bombers thinking w/ their draft choices.

  1. Have Faith in Faith - the bombers were extremely vulnerable up the middle last season. Poor sack totals, no penetration or collapsing o-lines and usually two guys who were routinely moved against their wills at DT - middle linebacker wasn’t much better - good chase guys but guys under-powered to provide more than token resistance up the middle.

  2. The D-line/MLB deficiency was a bigger concern than the lack of good to great canuck WRs - hence Ekakitie gets chosen - Vandervoort & Behar go #3 & #5.

  3. Understand the deal trading our #6 pick to Calgary - get #8 in return and #34 to boot (a quality developmental kicker) and if Walters/O’Shea have the same idea I do (that Gray’s footwork is lacking and the Packers may send him back to Wpg. for additional seasoning) then taking Gray isn’t a bad idea. If Gray becomes a Green Bay starter (at OG or C) or even their 6th or 7th OL (rostered) then Walters has more egg on his face than I thought.

  4. Getting Spooner at #15 was actually a decent pick I have little to argue with.

Reports on Ekakitie saying he’s out of shape are disconcerting to be sure. Bombers should have provided him an off-season fitness plan once they knew he was their #1 pick. Faith should also have been tending to fitness, knowing he would either be a first round CFL pick or a possible free agent NFL signing (NFL teams wouldn’t have bothered burning a draft pick on him, even 7th or 8th rounds)

.....Training camp is unearthing a few nuggets....Starting with the qbs.....IF this kid Apodaca doesn't make our stable and move up quickly , I don't know anything about CFL potential qbs.....He possesses a strong arm,,,,can run...is smart and sounds like a winner....Don't know what his wonderlic score is but it must be up there....IF we don't keep him around and give him a solid shot...Corky will be all over this guy......This Roc Carmichael guy sounds pretty good along with Thorpe and Keirnan Duncan....The fight for the middle line backing spot is going to be humdinger.....Lot's of talent showed up and Walters and O'Shea are going to have some tough decisions to make in the next little while.. :thup:

Keep in mind Papa that the exciting battle for the middle line defense spots have to be tempered somewhat by the fact the rookies are fighting against the rookies in one on one competition.

Once they get to main camp they'll be taking on veteran o-line guys who will be going at anywhere from 65 to 80%.

So even if they make the squad (Ekakitie is virtually guaranteed a spot by virtue of what the bombers fed him financially) the true acid test is when they pit up against other CFL teams, with some o-linemen equal to or better than our guys - going at 95 to 100%! :cowboy:

…Very true Lyle, that these guys have not been in CFL real-game conditions BUT some are showing better than others and they have to, to stick around…The wheat separated from the chaff is just around the corner and the players with the ‘right stuff’ will emerge… :wink:

Re: Bear Woods Cut by Kavis Reed in Montreal

I think the Polar Bear will hang around his smartphone for a few days, maybe even thru training camp and 1st exhibition games.

Perhaps no one in the league could step up and pay his pound rate of $175 to $185k? Who knows?

Bombers could instantly get better by cutting Samuel Hurl ($110k-$125k) a year and re-negging with Bear, perhaps getting him in under $145k (pre-paid would be my ask if I were Bear)

But don't expect the bombers to re-align their roster at this stage. Bomber mgmt. is full of stubborn old cusses. So adding Bear, while enticing is not something they can deal with on short notice.

Frankly, I expect 3 final destinations for Bear and I'll weigh them:

Toronto - 52% chance; Popp factor, they need guys who can help sell the game at BMO
Sask'n - 31% chance; Corky knows what a great player Bear is; he'll be on the blower.
BC Leos - 17% chance; Wally will stick his nose in this one, can u imagine the hate with Solly Bomb Bombs and Bear on the field at the same time?

Don't know if any CFL team could fit Bear under the cap right now. So he'd have to take a moderate hair cut, immo

.....The Bear is on the loose and on the prowl....Playing for Corky would be like eating out of a dumpster....doubt he ends up there....Wally's den is too full and no cash...Argo's look like a likely fit and Popp will most likely pull the trigger on him...We would be the 'honey' spot for Bear... we sure could use him...but alas I think we're probably going to go into hibernation on this one... :roll:

Kathy Griffin's Head - aka Bombers Doomsday Scenario

Papa - looks like the doomsday scenario I envisioned (and you corroborated) shortly after the CFL draft is coming home to roost.

The MASS DOOMSDAY - Geoff Gray (our #8 overall pick) latches on with NFL packers for at least 2 or 3 years. Faith Halfasakatie seems to be vibing that he's in with men, not boys and can't really play more than meaningless pre-season or game-over reps.

Our 3rd pick (15th overall) Q. Spooner is still rattling his college sabre in camp and might be a candidate to be a sideline king this season.

Breaking News: We learned today that another of the Saskatchewan Sacks of Trash WRs, Addison "Disease" Richards has picked up another injury to put him on IR for according to Coach O'Shea "a substantial amount of time". Geezusss Louiseusss - first Jade Etienne turns into a pile of string (6'4", 140 lbs) and now Richards is showing extreme fear and cowardice in competing physically. A sickly bomber management kept Etienne around for years before finally cutting ties - and now it appears the Miller & O'Stoic group have decided to do same with a weak piece of physical trash like Richards. Whats the point?

If Ekakitie (#1 overall) washes out and Gray latches on down south - combine this with the re-rostering of vermin like Richards and you have basically Lyle Bauer, Mike Kelly, Garth Buchko, Brenda Taman, Doug Berry, Gary Etcheverry 2.0

The thought of Wadzilla, O'Shea & Walters being more like their predecessors than different continues to mount.

In reality - ITS TRULY SICKENING!

What a load.Its the start of camp,guit overreacting to every little thing.There are more assumptions and leaps of logic in this post than I could possibly address.This forum is down to 2 posters,I wonder why?Could it be the long winded diatrabs of made up names and scenarios,and farfetched strange connections?Maybe not,maybe everyone including me have just mysteriously guit posting with any regularity at the same time.I use to enjoy this forum,now I just drop in for the occasional glance.

An excellent hobo-poster (IC Khari) mentioned on the rider fans site (highest total of fan posters in the CFL, even though 80% of it is repetitive stool) stated "Jade Etienne looks like the 2nd coming of Cal Ripken, Jr. compared to Addison Richards!"

How very true!

Even the odd inveterate bomber and rider fan get it!

The true frustration (as Papazoola and I have discussed and agreed on) is the bombers drafted an eager young thug named Halfasakitie w/ #1 overall, a kid who was over-touted by teachers, coaches, administrators alike so they could create a feel-good story! Well, they created a feel-good story for the Ekakatie family - but a horrid story of undisciplined drafting (again) the Winnipeg program is no famous for. :cowboy:

I’LL give you this much Nate,you are persistent.

His brother Ricky never got picked up by anyone so IQ51 is just venting. Don't let him get to you.

.....It's too bad that a few posters have slipped away....I hope I didn't scare anyone away cuz I like to give my version of happenings with the club.. :roll: Really isn't a lot to talk about until the real bullets start flying at any rate....As far as Richards goes....I understand it won't cost us a hit to the sms to keep him around BUT what is the point...He's a proven accident looking for a place to happen....Injuries occur to all sorts of players BUT not as consistent as what is happening to this dude...The sms might not be hit but we are going to have to pay him his salary and that's money flushed as far as I'm concerned... We could be spending the cash on something worthwhile..Why does management continue to beat themselves and the fans over the head with this guy..What the hell are they going to say the next time (if there is one) when he's through this latest convalescence and is injured again...This is becoming brutal and does not reflect well at all.

Bang on Aulcee. I might even be able to put up with the “long winded diatribes of made up names and scenarios or the farfetched connections” because some of them are funny and ring true BUT I can’t put up with the constant negativity. It’s not all doom and gloom…I’m just glad Lyle is not the PR liaison for the Bombers. :lol:

Bombers have their own “Sean Spicer”. Think his name is Darren something or rather. If you’re looking for a good “house-boys & rah-rah” site there’s none better than mourningbigblue.com
btw - there is a difference between critical analysis and negativity for the sake of it.

Nobody is looking for a My Little Pony analysis. We are all big boys here, we can take the truth AND ‘critical analysis’ as you call it doesn’t always have to be negative. You do know your stuff Lyle and I appreciate that but let’s just look at your above post, Here are some of the adjectives and adverbs and descriptions you use;

doomsday
can’t really play
sideline king
“Disease”
extreme fear and cowardice
sickly
weak
vermin
sickening

I do hope you are able to take the same kind of ‘critical analysis’ as you dish out.
I do hope my review of your review is not too negative.

......Your last line says it all Lyle... As for myself....I don't look for negativity....sometimes the team and management presents itself without much trouble...Take for instance this gem out of tc...A lot of fans are concerned that Hurl is going to take up the starting middle line backing spot...If this comes to be and after recruiting untold players for the position...YOU GOT TO BE FRIGGIN KIDDING...The guy was inept at the position last year....He's a special teamer...and that's it...Most of the big runs against us occurred when they ran right at him as I recall.. :thdn:...Why do we stick with players (see Richards) that won't amount to a hill of beans at their position??? This is becoming a glaring problem and I think it goes back to Mike O'Shea and his 'soft' handling of players...We'll never be as good as we can be with that attitude...This isn't Club Med.....this is supposed to be hard nosed football and sometimes you have to make damn hard decisions and stick with them ...I hope this Hurl scenario does not come to pass and that it just 'looks' that way at present because if that's what we're going with we're in trouble right off the bat. :roll:.....Sorry about the negativity...I have to call it as I sees em.

A shot across my bow, Papa ? I have no problem with negativity when it is warranted. Constant negativity and calling someone ‘vermin’ puts me off. Like I said before, Lyle sure knows his stuff, the delivery is wanting.

Well, here's the deal about Sam Hurl Papa - and now welcome 38Dan (was that Huclack's #?) and aulcee to the more critical forum. All welcome aboard - even the cheerleaders and the lemmings, just won't get much of a reaction from any of us to be honest!

As for Hurl, I actually think he plays the MLB position wonderfully. Skilled kid, average size, reasonable speed, canuck to boot. On film, I suspect Hallsy Hall and Mike O will give this guy super high grades.

So how could we be in trouble with Hurl at MLB?
The film study stuff degenerates rapidly. While Hurl grades well, he's also far too easily moved against his will when opponents target him and need space for a dive or a slash thru the middle. Hurl simply doesn't possess the physical tools, strength or rage to prevent such attacks. He's basically "playing the position" and thus grading out well. Pity a system that rewards grades vs. results.