Henoc Muamba Still Available...

With so many teams in desperate need of NI talent, it's surprising to see Henoc Muamba remains unsigned.

Anything under $175k would be a massive bargain. I'd expect him to come in between $175k and $225k, likely closer the higher figure.

One place he absolutely won't be going is Regina lol.

If Laurent is as injured as some of us think. He might end up in Hamilton. I just don’t think he’s in a rush to sign anywhere. No money in training camp and at some point not all nine teams will be GC contenders or he will benefit from an injury as he did last year.

Nor the B.C. Lions…they already have a young stud National LB in Bo Lokombo, whom they are trying to get on the field in certain packages (with Bighill and Elimimian).

Supposedly the riders bowed out of the Ted sweepstakes with the 2nd highest offer...so the money could flow for him. Personally RBs and LBs are not ideal spots to apply ratio IMO...LB especially when the price is getting up there. I don't think he will sign anywhere for under 210 and will wait for NFL looks for the time being. If nothing serious comes along then maybe week 4 he starts taking CFL calls more seriously

Is there speculation Ted might be out a while? If so then Hamilton makes sense

Muamba is a little overrated. If he was an international player, he would be lucky to get 175K.

It's time for the CFL to put its big boy pants on and pay its players. These American coaches bitch and complain about being forced to dress Canadians and yet the first over all draft pick and this dude are sitting on their asses

As I said earlier, there’s ZERO chance of him going to Regina. None whatsoever. Do you really think Ego Jones would be willing to work out a deal with Hardaway after being humiliated in the Joe St John debacle? Besides, the Riders (finally) have a stud MLB in Greg Jones.

Don’t fall into the archaic thought process that NIs are “not ideal” for specific positions. Very similar to the long-held belief that “a coloured” should not play QB.

Here’s a novel concept - - put the best seven Canadians that you can find on the field and don’t worry about pigeonholing them into preconceived roster spots.

Are the Bombers better with Cam Marshall and Liram Hallelujah or are the Bombers better with Andrew Harris and Justin Medlock?

Overlooked the Hardaway aspect…good point
That said, yes, there is perfect chance. He is not going to let an agent that is playing games prevent him from going after another player. If it was something stupid to open it all up…sure…he probably walks away from it easier…and rightfully so. If one of Hardaway’s clients is looking to play in the CFL and Jones has one of the top offers they are going to talk…Hardaway is going to go after that for a better contract for his player and Jones is going to go after the player if he is interested…even with obvious bad blood…doesn’t mean it will be a pleasant ordeal. Contract disputes between parties happen all the time and the agent involved still reps players under negotiation with the same GM…this would obviously just be more intense and more likely for Jones to walk away from.

As for the starting NIs in those spots…I am by no means against it, just not a huge fan of it. A NI WR, OLman or DT are relatively achievable in finding a serviceable replacement if needed. A quality NI RB or LB or OT not so much. Yes, I realize that the roster can be juggled to make it work and that you do not need a direct positional replacement, but that does then mean you are potentially displacing the injured NI plus another International player to fill the void…1 injury equating to 2 starter moves is obviously unfavorable.

For example:
You have a great NI MLB. He goes down. Your best NI option is say a DT that is normally an import. Fine. You have now however put an international at LB and displaced a starting one on the line…hence why direct subs are obviously ideal, and easier to do in other positions. if you are starting 8+…then yeah, it is a pretty easy decision to go for it then.

The other factor is cap space…a NI LB of top end quality does divert money from other places because you are paying a premium over some of the “conventional” NI spots. If it means putting at risk being able to retain another of your better NIs then it is not such an easy call…and it does become a factor when paying a non-QB player 200+…basically it gives you more cap room to chase multiple top end NIs instead of 1.

Would I avoid a NI LB…of course not. But it might not be a spot I am going to primarily start looking as a fill spot. The best available options should always of course be the ones pursued and playing though…but it is not simply black and white.

Hey look, ROTL is blessing us again by showing us how smart he is! compared to us Luddites. How fortunate for us!

If he’s a non-QB, he’s lucky to make 175k in the CFL. Period. Even NI players rarely make that kind of money.

Josh Bourke signed with the Argos for well over 200K. There are surely others.

there are a few like Laurent and Capicciotti but still uncommon for NI to make in excess of 175K these days.
Even Fantuz was eventually forced to take a paycut after making 190K for a couple years.

more than ever, clubs are spending wads on INT stars in higher profile or so called “skilled” positions leaving less for NI and 2nd year options.

Last season after being entertained with his tour through 5 CFL teams including MTL, HAM, EDM, BC and WPG
He signed with MTL for $230K/season

Popp tried to trade him before releasing, but there were no takers

gary lawlessVerified account
?@garylawless
Speaking to @cfl teams today, there is interest in Henoc Muamba but reluctance to take on $230 k salary cap hit and $60 k bonus due Feb 15
7:56 PM - 15 Feb 2016

Hardaway priced his client out of the League. :roll:

This was true prior to the cap increase, but not as much so now. Not saying there is an abundance, but it is higher than a few years ago and I would think most teams have a few making that.

High end Canadian talent is going to get top dollar regardless of position. Doesn’t matter if it’s Teddy Laurent/Josh Bourke at a traditional NI position or Andrew Harris/Henoc Muamba at a position usually reserved for Imports - - they’re all going to be $200k+ and it’s money well spent.

There’s NO premium for “ratio busters” - - that’s just a cute little buzzword used by media hacks like Yellow Teeth Schultz.

Where teams get themselves into trouble is by handing out asinine contracts to mediocre scrub Imports. It’s inexplicable how anyone would be dumb enough to give a no-talent hack like Mo Price $180k. Even Nick Moore getting $175k was ridiculous.

Guys like Moore and Mo Price are replacement level players - - easily replaced with a minimum salary Import.

Toronto’s big 3 receivers - - Elliott, Gurley & Haelton - - are all making minimum salary as is Derel Walker. ALL are at least as good, if not better, than Price and Moore.

They’re replacement level players, if you have the right people working in the front office and scouting. For years I watched the Ticats roll out useless skill position players brought up from the US. I would have killed to watch a replacement level player during some of those 3-15 seasons. It wasn’t until Austin and Tillman showed up that the talent started consistently coming in. I wouldn’t call finding replacements easy. It’s only easy if you’re good at it.

Don’t get me wrong, I agree with all of that. Simply saying it is not black and white. Overpaying for import players that are not at all-star level is a horrid mistake and done a lot.

When a NI comes along at 200K+ and you are potentially in a position where that premium (and yes, it is a premium…top end NI cost…so it is a premium) might prevent locking up 1-2 other NIs then it is a concern. A top end NI WR generally has less of a premium than a NI LB does.

example:

  • a solid NI WR with a few years experience is going to get around 110-130. A top end one should be getting 160-190.
  • a solid NI LB with a few years experience is going to get around 120-130. A top end is going to 180-220

Point being you generally use up more extra cap going from good NI LB to top end NI LB that a good NI WR to a top end NI WR. if that extra hit is going to potentially prever making those other upgrades then one has to step back and look at options. 1 impact NI or 2? Obviously depth at those positions plays into it all as well.

Like I said…I am not saying not to pursue one of those top end players …just saying it is not black and white. I think we are pretty much on the same page on this one…I am simply stating that there are obviously factors beyond saying “this is a great NI player, let’s sign him” and I don’t think one can really disagree with that or he would already be signed…lots of things to weigh out in it all. Muamba, for example, if you have a nominal import at LB or are paying heavy on it already, taking a look at him is worth doing. Paying his 235 with 60 bonus in February as the supposed asking price…that is a lot. If I was Wally and you are already paying around that for an international…hey…why not. At that point it seems a no brainer. If you already lack top end NI depth it also becomes easier to do. If you have solid import LBs at under 170 it also becomes hard…unless you are really hard up or some NIs. For Wally he already has his 7 NIs. Displacing an expensive Import LB for an expensive NI LB and not really missing a beat in doing so seems like a logical move to look at…and yes…that is a ratio buster because you just gained a +1 starter from present roster w/o sacrifice…and can potentially trade the guy he displaces.

Agreed, there’s no accounting for incompetent management.

But if you’ve got a few people in place who can actually evaluate football players and identify talent, it’s not that difficult to find quality American players. There’s just such an abundance of guys coming out of the NCAA every year and only 32 NFL teams with spots available for them.

What are your numbers based on? I’d love to know what each NI receiver and LB are making for comparison sake, but with the double top secret salary censorship in the CFL it’s difficult.

Your estimated numbers are skewed by the fact that there’s no “top end” NI receivers in the CFL.

As for the dilemma of choosing between a paying an elite NI top dollar or saving a bit of cap room by downgrading to a serviceable NI, give me the top end NI every single time. It’s a supply/demand issue - - there’s just not enough top end - - or even “solid” - - NIs available.

As I’ve explained on numerous occasions, building a championship team in the CFL is relatively simple - - get a good QB and the best Canadian talent you can possibly find.