Austin is a QB first guy, I believe. He KNOWS the importance of good receivers but he also believes that a great QB can make a good receiver great.
I expect 4- 6 US wide receivers from smaller schools to be here for camp (and maybe an NFL fell-through-the-cracks) kind of guy. WR’s and running backs/kick returners seem to be thought of a ‘dime a dozen’ guys in the CFL. The football factory down south keeps turning out good ones and occasionally a good one turns out great at our game when they get up here.
Maybe there is a reason for Austin’s lack of interest. He did let him go to Ottawa in the first place and there must have been reason. So just because there is someone on FA list we’d all like to have, there are reasons why the TiCat brass isn’t interested. Trust my friends!!!
Gotta admit…that’s a helluva chunk change for an import receiver that with great routes and great hands is still slower than an accidental drop of water in a bag of cement mix.
I’ll take Tasker, he is shorter and has less arm span, but I feel has the sharper football mind to make up for limitations in physical prowess.
I’ll put it this way whether you agree or not, Tasker can make an Julian Edelman catch because he is a focused son of a gun.
Ellingson is a good reciever yes. but tasker over him any day, ottawa is gonna have a tough time paying Ernest Jackson or anyone else with that colossal 210k Ellingson's getting per season. good for Ellingson for getting that money but what's left on the table for the rest of the WR's?
You’re assuming they stick to the salary cap. I’ve always been suspicious of how they managed to go out and sign four star free agent receivers in the same year, followed by adding a second “starting” QB the next year in Harris.
Dumping Burris’ salary will help them this year, but if they manage to re-sign Jackson and Williams again, I’m officially going to pout.
Ellingson is faster and we could argue about who has the better hands. Ellingson has the stats to back him up too and made some clutch catches including that memorable 015 East Final last minute catch and long run. And he’s stayed injury free in two years in Ottawa - I would say he’s worth all of the 210k, that’s half of Burris’s salary, so they do have room to re-sign Jackson too.
I’m sure that was a factor, but also that we had a log jam at the position at that time, I believe we had Fantuz, Tolliver, Sinkfield, Grant, Tasker and Ellingson. Something had to give.
Slight Correction :
Actually that would be Quincy McDuffie , who played so well in the Peg that he got signed by the Dallas Cowboys. :cowboy:
But yup , gotta agree with ya , all that talent gone and NOTHING to show for it.
At the time, they weren’t stars. Williams, maybe, but not the other three. It helped that Sinopoli is a (more or less) local guy.
Also, they lost a lot of players last year due to not wanting to overpay. Capicciotti, Shologan and Jovon Johnson were the biggest examples. Jovon Johnson now claims that they refuse to pay their DBs. So it’s not like they’re just throwing money around. Aside from Harris last year, their free agent haul was pretty ordinary and that included a local guy too in Gillanders.