Why would anyone think this won't go on and on for seasons to come? Some say there's a learning curve and he will get better. The average fan knows we got taken in these deals, so why doesn't our supposed GM? Why should there be a learning curve at all? Isn't that saying something quite obvious already?
Well for one thing when you are rebuilding a team you happen to look for players for the future. And you cant argue with many of his signings and draft picks…Moreno, Setta, McKay, Keith, Printers, Culley, Bauman. Plus, I dont think he got taken in the Armstead trade. The Flick, Smith trade is a tough one but at the time we needed a QB with experience.
Desjardins is not a scout. Those players were introduced to him via the scout team. Bauman was a gimme rookie signing due to his university stats and high rating already. Mckay made it clear to the BC Lions he wanted to be traded to a southern ontario team, Moroeno at 29 years of age was a proven NFL linebacker with San Diego for 3 years, I’m sure Printers made his decision based on Bob’s money and the business community. You’ve alluded to some signings that even Homer Simpson could make. I should clarify I’m talking specifically about deals Desjardins has made as in trades! As far as the only one you mention, Armstead for Holmes doesn’t look too good on paper in the stats area right now. Even Holmes didn’t stutter step on every kick/punt return with no one in sight and then lose yards rather then run north south. Besindes Curry should be returning kicks and we need experienced DBs and OL. I’m sure Holmes would have gotten us at least one. Desjardins has to go faster than Armstead can drop another pass!
Kornegay for Anderson and French
Well Kornegay is a starting DB for a team in contention and doesn’t attract the negative comments Anderson has gotten all season. French is a dime a dozen, Morreale could do what French has done for us. We got taken. You gotta do better.
Once again, I find my self repeating this fact.
Desjardins' trades were forward looking in that he was clearing cap space. That's what you do when you clean house, and prepare to rebuild in the coming seasons.
You can't measure that or evaluate it until a couple of seasons pass and we see what he's done with the cap space that he created this season.
It's not as simple as player for player, or talent for talent. That's too shortsighted for what is happening here.
Desjardins is not a scout.Well even Homer Simpson could read someones Bio. [url=http://www.ticats.ca/index.php?module=staff&func=display&staff_id=129]http://www.ticats.ca/index.php?module=s ... aff_id=129[/url]
Your camparison fails becuase you are taking into account Saskatchewan, as a team, vs. Hamilton as a team.
Furthermore, what was Morreale’s salary vs. French’s salary. Also, compare their ages.
I think there’s too much oversimplification going on here. It’s more of a complex function than one might think.
I believe Marcel made these moves to make us better in the future, and clear cap space. Had he not cleared that space, the Ticats wouldn't have been in the Printers sweepstakes.
"Once again, I find my self repaeting this fact.
Desjardins' trades were forward looking in that he was clearing cap space. That's what you do when you clean house, and prepare to rebuild in the coming seasons."
I see. Get rid of Flick's salary in order to pay for a multitude of receivers at a bigger cost yet none of which are as good. Good move.
"You can't measure that or evaluate it until a couple of seasons pass and we see what he's done with the cap space that he created this season."
Oh I see so we experiment with unknowns in the event that Desjardins will find a diamond in the rough for him to prove to other GMs that he's all that. Then we find out for sure that Desjardins really is a dud like he's shown. Then we miss the playoffs again and again until we finally decide that he should go back to adminstrative duties like he did in Montreal.
Gotta do better then that!
OK whatever he traded an allstar receiver and an allstar canadian o-lineman for nothing, and both players are just entering into their prime. But of course Marcel and his supporters who think the organization can never do wrong will say it was for salary reasons, so it really makes sense then why Marcel chose to dish out 200k for a back up running back then give away 2 key players. No matter how you spin it the trade was a joke.
I see. Get rid of Flick's salary in order to pay for a multitude of receivers at a bigger cost yet none of which are as good. Good move.No, get rid of Flick and Smith's bloated salaries and have the $$ to spend on Casey Printers. Everyone wanted to dump Mass and get a good QB....well now we have one and people still cry and complain. Amazing!
"No, get rid of Flick and Smith's bloated salaries and have the $$ to spend on Casey Printers. Everyone wanted to dump Mass and get a good QB....well now we have one and people still cry and complain. Amazing"
Bloated salaries? Yes I see how an OL's and a receiver's salary even over $100,000 can break the bank. Mitchell already said the Cats are way under the salary cap. I'm sure there was plenty of $$ already in the bank to sign Printers. The Cats were not the only team who had the cash.
Gotta do better then that!
A good reciever will cost what we refused to pay flick. A good olineman will cost what we refused to pay smith. We would be a better team today if we kept them both and when we find someone as good......its gonna cost us just as much to keep them, its just the going rate for players like that......we pay it or we lose.
The Cats were not the only team who had the cash.I know. But if we had all of the guys who we dumped ie. Flick, Smith, Ranek, Cheatwood, Cotton, we would not have had the $$ to sign him
Everybody cried party foul when Marcel dropped Cheatwood and Cotton....it looks like he replaced them with 2 excellent ends w/ Mckay and Keith
Who cried foul? Cotton was old and used up. Cheatwood couldn’t pass a physical.
Mckay let it be known loud and clear to the BC Lions that he wanted to play for a Southern Ontario team. Keith has played in what 3 games? Homer Simpson could have signed these guys. There were no deals to be made.
Our GM is making mindless gambles in other deals like the trades he’s made at the expense of the Hamilton Tiger-Cat fans in order to make a freak’n name for himself. Give me a break and preferably over the head to put me out of the misery this suppose GM has caused.
Gotta do better then that.
Tend to agree with synthcat here - some very bad or suspect deals: giving away Flick & Smith is an obvious one; just getting Piercy (who's a good fullback IMO, but this team already had one in Radlein plus Dickerson can play there too, and besides they don't use a fullback much anyways) in exchange for Maas, when the Als were desperate for a vet QB, seems like getting hosed too. Be nice to have gotten a really good return on one of the deals, but not to be it seems. And if a GM isn't really good at finding and judging talent available (via free agents, trading, the draft - all sources are important), he better have some good scouts to whisper in his ear - who is the head scout(s) for this team anyways? - good ole Ronnie still having some input? I wouldn't join the - "Marcel has got to go" - chorus (yet anyways) - but if he doesn't know talent or has little trading smarts, maybe bring in an assistant GM who does and Marcel can concentrate on other GM duties that he (hopefully) might be strong in?
A lot of fans are going to be calling for patience with both Desjardins & Taafe and maybe it should be so with a rebuilding team. However, when the losses continue to pile up, it's easy to lose patience and neither of these guys rate glowing reviews IMO - Marcel for the trade stuff mentioned for one, and Taafe hasn't exactly shown much coaching smarts IMO in terms of on field strategy, play-calling or roster decisions.
HOWEVER - this team has some pretty decent talent including some promising young or new to the CFL players - some already or likely very good young NI talent via the draft from the past few years and some very good to decent new import talent - Moreno, Setta, Keith are 3 strong examples - has been brought in, plus now they have landed the supposed star QB in Printers. I'd have hope for a good team gelling for next season - retain the good talent they have - then it's up to Marcel to add a few more pieces to the roster and for Charlie to deploy them (more) smartly; BUT, after the not enough positives (IMO) from this season, both the GM & HC should be on double secret probation for the start of next season and if the losing ways continue they may have to be expelled from Ticat House.
You are no longer worth my time. Marcel could trade for Tom Brady and Randy Moss and you would tell me that Moss wanted to be closer to his cousins in Southern Ontario and Brady's newest gf is from Waterdown, so therefore its a nobrainer, and Marcel has no clue.
One more thing, Wayne Smith wasn't even a starter at the end of last year, plus I would take a young and rising Dyakowski and Gangne-Marcoux over a player that was bencehed last year on a 4-14 team.