.....It will definitely cost us to acquire Franklin BUT considering the asset it could be worth obtaining a franchise quarterback....Of course this all depends on Nichols....IF we re-sign him all bets are off and we'll go with Matt, Glenn and Davis (probably signed Davis as a just in case)....Being reported this morning that Mont. and Riders are in trade talks for Durant :roll: Apparently the Riders wanted Adams in the deal and that one has slid off the table...Corky striking out all over the place :lol:
Corky trying to find a “Brendan Taman-like” sloth trading partner. Unfortunately, no such animal exists!
I’d say the Imperial Deadline for re-upping Nichols is next Friday January 13, 2017.
After that the natives will be increasingly restless!
Glenn is a free agent in Feb., Hervy isn't trading Franklin, and Durant will be back with Riders. You guys better get Nichols signed. There will be no interest in him from any other team so he will come a lot cheaper than the 450 ask. 300 tops for his abilities IMO.
…Glenn was released today…so there’s that …AND what makes you think we won’t be making a deal for Franklin…I would say there’s a very good chance we’ll acquire him…so there’s that 
…Walters is clearing the decks and I’m sure is waving a high draft pic under Hervey’s nose…Will that happen???Like Lyle says IF Nichols is not re-upped in a week or two…the phone lines will be hot between the Peg and Edm…
…So at present we have no number one qb. signed and a novice back-up as the only one on the roster…There has to be some serious dickering going on in the backrooms as that will change radically soon…Either we re-sign Nichols at a lower rate than what he’s asking or we are all in on Durant… Franklin could still be obtained filling out the roster…That would be my ideal situation for qb’s in the Bomber lineup for 17’…We shall see :roll:
I'll be commenting later on the release of "Field Mouse" Glenn but today I learned former Bomber VP of Standing Around (COO actually) Hillbilly Jim Bell has finally found employment. Jim was a fairly loyal bomber knife 'n forker for the better part of a decade until Wad Miller decided he didn't want guys with knowledge of accounting looking over his shoulder. Hence, Bell was canned shortly after Miller took power. Bell took a hard sweep at federal politics - running as a PC candidate in east Wpg. last election but got his head kicked off in the Trudeau assault. Now, today he was installed as CEO of the biggest local mission (food & shelter provider for the poor) SILOAM MISSION. This is not a paltry position - such guys can earn anywhere from $120,000 to $175,000 per anum. Siloam, like many other 'poverty industries' pays its executives extremely high salaries. David Northcott, who runs Winnipeg Harvest - long running Winnipeg food bank is rumoured to be hauling in over $140,000 - no wonder he's been there for nearly 20 years! Here's the article on Hillbilly Jim - :cowboy:
Former Blue Bombers executive is Siloam Mission's new quarterback
Posted: 01/6/2017 11:31
Jim Bell, a former senior executive with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, is the new CEO of Siloam Mission.
The downtown humanitarian organization offers shelter, meals, clothing and other services to Winnipeg's homeless population.
WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
At right, Dr. Garry Corbett, CEO, Siloam Mission announces Jim Bell will be new CEO.
WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
At right, Dr. Garry Corbett, CEO, Siloam Mission announces Jim Bell will be new CEO.
Bell, who spent 12 seasons with the Bombers beginning in 2002, tossed around a few sports terms during a press conference Friday announcing his appointment.
"These are my teammates," he said. "There's no substitute for teamwork."
Bell said he felt "blessed" to have the opportunity to work at Siloam. Also said he didn't appreciate that guy on the internet who refers to him as "Hillbilly Jim" and Wade Miller as "Wadzilla".
I suspect the Field Mouse was due a substantial pre-paid salary bonus fairly soon so the bombers, even without a proven pivot in the organization had to make a decision. Fact is, Kev G is nearing 40, he’s the shortest drop back passer in CFL history (under 5’9") and while he’s got the quick release and a fairly strong arm - he’s a predictable performer who defenses can easily adjust to. At his age, talent level and current contracy obligations the guy was virtually untradeable.
Now the clock is on Walters and Wadzilla to see if they can rope that bucking Matt Nichols back into the fold…
…I think ‘back in the fold’ is dependent on ‘how much gold’…No way Walters and company are going down the Willy road with a fat contract and find out that Nichols fizzles in 17’…A lot of people have forgotten that fact and it’s a biggie… We have been ‘Willied’ before…He hasn’t done enough to warrant a big contract with the numbers he’s asking…Most likely why there’s no deal done up till now and there may never be unless Matt pulls in his horns…I think Walters is looking at the cash and also what options are out there…which is wise…So the rope you’re talking about Lyle, isn’t that tight and we may be letting it become so slack that Nichols just wanders off…
…Word out there now is that Durant is definitely done in Regina…A reporter on Sportscage apparently has it from Durant that he’ll never play for the Riders again… :roll: Not that hard to see, really, considering…I would say that with Durant out there and the possibility of acquiring Franklin (who was seen as better than Nichols in Edm.) is complicating things and this could go down to the wire…Walters and company have said they’re very much interested in Franklin (reported by Lawless) The question is ‘how much’ interested
.....Get the feeling that the Bombers are prepared to make a substantial offer for Franklin....no matter what happens here...If we could swing that deal our quarterback situation would be set for quite awhile......Rumours are we have already made up a good package...We'll see if Hervey is going to take it or watch Franklin walk at the end of 17... :roll:
...On another note we have signed a Canadian linebacker Akeem Whonder who dressed for the Argo's ...Looking forward to seeing what he looks like in tc.
Hervey would have to be slap-silly if the bombers are offering #1 overall plus a starting defender (Esk weakness) - - - - my thinking is T.J. Heath plus maybe a neg-lister, who knows?
Getting a #1 pick always presents a quandary cuz the top 2 or 3 overall consensus picks are usually NFL bound.
Bombers really need help at QB and Franklin would be a great start - he's viable and semi-proven and he's on a good value contract (at least for 2017). After that, the bombers would have to be fairly sure of being able to re-ink him for a couple more years!
Wouldn't mind if Wpg. told Hervey to take their #1 plus any 2 of their currently rostered DLs or LBs - wouldn't be sad to see any of them leave town - bit sad if Ian left cuz he seems to have future head coach written all over him!
Hervey should be squeezing Walters the other way. Get the Bombers #6 overall, get Heath and maybe another starter plus some conditional picks (if Franklin comes thru as a legit starter)
The #6 pick is usually CFL-destined where the #1 pick in Walters hands would be Don Knotts City! :cowboy:
.....Oh Hervey will want the moon alright (not Warren he's dun lol) for Franklin that's a fact BUT being realistic, will he squeeze too tight and turn off a possible suitor, and possibly end up with nada looking at a disgruntled Franky boy all year (cuz he knows he should be vying for a starters role) ...Lot's of ramifications with that scenario....My thoughts are that Hervey will want something before Franklin hits fa next year...The longer he waits....the more his backup qb. depreciates as he nears free agency....I don't see us going overboard in a deal with Edm....It definitely will involve a first rounder this year and possibly something significant next draft BUT I doubt it will involve a high calibre roster player like Heath...that won't fly....We have the goods now to deal...Guess we'll have to wait and see what shakes out..A lot can happen in a month... :roll:
.....Durant now out of the picture....Nichols still not signed...???? I think something must be going to break soon or do we have to wait a couple weeks to see how everything shakes down.....I could be wrong but it's getting late in the day to reach a deal with Nichols if not done soon.....I wonder what Walters has up his sleeve...???? :roll:
Walters probably in “Mosey Dotes and Ivy Goats” mode - still riding the blue cloud from finishing 11-7…
Wonder what all this pretending to be regional strong-man in the Nigeria is doing to the season ticket bottom-line? I suspect most of the mopes and lemmings have re-upped for 2017 - they are locked and gated into bomber futures. Good on them!
But I’m sure its not doing wonders for those sitting on the fence - wondering what type of roster the 3 Large Men with Fat Wallets are plotting for the year?
At this point its being reported Drew Tate might be on the market out of Calgary. Plus there’s a passel of QBs, including Smilin’ Hank in Ottawa. Joe Mack Jones (aka Corky) needs one in Sask, so do we. So Nichols is either negotiating with himself - or he’s hatched an evil plan to make the 350 mile drive to Regina. Tate might not be that bad an option in Winnipeg - although his paucity of actual games played is quite disturbing. He might not be a great fit with Plop either, who knows?
.....Joe Mack Jones :lol: ....sounds as American as Billy Bob Smith out of the Ozarks, but most likely Billy Bob is smarter...I hope we don't go anywhere near Tater out of Cal....He seems a little spinny to me....Not a bad arm but he looks as fragile as a piece of china to me...We don't need another qb. sitting on our IR like we have had with Buck and Willy and a few other glass qbs. of the recent past...(see no knees Thorpe)......I would rather we go all out for Franklin and even OL Henry if we have to....In any event it's getting late in the day and Walters plan should be unveiled soon, most likely next week orrrr in free agency... :roll:
Being reported the Bombers and Nichols are on the verge of a 3 year deal. I guess his alternatives dwindled once the Als acquired Durant and the Argos renegotiated with Willy. Jones probably wasn't going to bring him to the Riders.
Glad they were out of the Durant sweepstakes. Was quite surprised to see his career record is just hovering a bit over .500 at 58-54.
Bombers prolly forced to pay at least $50k more than they wanted to for Mighty Matt Nichols. That's OK, cuz while it probably takes them out of the James Franklin sweepstakes it preserves their #1 & #6 order in college draft.
That's probably the highest combo picks the bombers have had in perhaps 45 to 50 years. Can't recall last time they had a #1 and another 1st rounder. Perhaps the year they plucked flashy Jade Etienne and Tyson Pencer in the top 5. Didn't quite work out that one did it?
Etienne was an embarrassment to the entire college program in Saskatchewan but the bombers kept him around as a Sideline Johnny for a couple years to appease the embarrassment. Pencer was just a injured giant who couldn't hack the physical cruelty of a ping pong game - let alone pro football.
Pretty sure the bombers will attempt to deal their #1 overall in the hopes of shoring up some of their glaring d-line and linebacking weaknesses.
Tennessee Joe MacCorky might be a suitable candidate if bombers could pry Nik Demski and the Rider's #1 pick for the bombers #1. Bombers don't really have a legit Canadian WR - just a couple ageing hobos who can only get open when opposing defenses let them get open!
Depending on how our roster sets up we don't need a starting caliber national receiver necessarily. 3 on the OL, Harris at RB, Loeffler at safety and possibly 2 on the DL. We only need a serviceable one to spot start in case of injury or in a rotation. Figure at least one of our two top round picks could contribute on the active roster in some way.
.....Yet to hear the terms of Nichols new deal...Until we do I won't comment on his contract...Signing Stafford today is a good move....Big rangy guy who has worked with Nichols in the past...I guess we're out of the interest for Franklin at least at present...Waiting to hear about more fa signings and I believe Lyle is right, we may deal one of our pics for a top tier middle linebacker....we shall see.
The way the news was flying around last night it seemed like Nichols was signed, sealed, delivered. Still hasn't signed though but comments today by Stafford after signing sure seemed like he was assured by the Bombers that a deal with Nichols was all but assured. Should be interesting to see what he can add and if we can gameplan to make use of him.
Khalil Bass had a few NFL tryouts but AFAIK hasn't signed anywhere. Is it a foregone conclusion he's not coming back? Riders lose one of their LBs to the NFL (Knox), Lions have lost Bighill to the Saints so they are not parting with Elimimian. A good chunk of the remaining starting LBs are pending FAs on Feb 14th? I'm curious, which LBs do you think are available?
…Nichols has finally re-upped officially…3 year extension graduating from the 400K mark up tp 450K in year 3…Most likely a lot of incentive money thrown in…I hope we’re not sorry??
…Bass will most likely be back…Can’t see him making it down south and he might be lucky to hang on here if we bring in someone like Winston Venable…who in my mind would be an upgrade…Brandon Isaac is also available at present…as is Marc-Oliver Brouillette…There isn’t too many Elimimian’s floating around but I think we have to get better at linebacker…
I don’t disagree on the LBs, although we had some injury issues last year. Wild missed a lot of games in the second half of the season and probably wasn’t ready to play when we brought him back in the playoff game. Bass was hurt in that playoff game too. I just think that if we’re trading a first round pick for a LB, he better be a good one under contract for the next two years. We’re drafting well and a high ranking national prospect under contract for the next 2-3 years is worth more than a one year rental. If Kyle Knox can make it out of camp healthy and with a part of a seasons worth of experience, maybe he could end up being a good one. We definitely have a hole or two to fill there right now though.