Out
Whitaker Replaced by Jerome Messam: Negative
Jerald Brown Replaced by Byron Parker: Even
Dwight Anderson Replaced by Geof Thisdale: Negative
Adrian McPherson Replaced by Quinton Porter: Even
Luc Mullinder replaced by Moton Hopkins: Positive
Brian Bratton replaced by Arland Bruce: Positive
Derek Shiavone replaced by William Dion: Even (Shiavone is better but since they don't play...)
Result : Even
Popp did very well under the circumstances, we kept Perrett who was the top FA of the season IMO and we extended some key players (Green Lavoie, Cox and others) and replaced the lost parts with younger and cheaper options in most cases. I'm happy.
With Toronto resigning Kackert, should Whitakers knee be cleared and should he not get the tryout he is looking for from the Bears, his only option is returning to the Als. In the meantime theres Jennings, Messam, etc.
And I`m not sure the Als really wanted Anderson and Brown back. As Richard pointed out, there is some cap room and this is not like Jermaine Copeland where Sask. threw a ton of money at Anderson. If they really wanted him they would have found a way to resign him.
I think it is the proverbial case where a new defensive co-ordinator - Thorpe - for better or worse wants to put his stamp on things.
And our biggest free agent moves were resigning Perrett and Woodruff.
Most teams have blown their load on Day 1 and Ricky Foley is still out there. How about if we can get him at a decent price?
Ricky Foley ! Absolute waste of money. Why do you think Toronto didn’t even offer him a lowball offer? Because they were afraid he would take it. Talk to any Offensive Tackle in the league and ask him who is favorite opponent is and they will all tell you Ricky Foley. Put Chima on the line and you get better production. The last thing we need is a 3 sack defensive end who’s going to complain about his coach’s strategy. We may have some cap space but I’d rather use that to extend Jamal or sign Whitaker when he’s ready to talk.
Yeah, I don't get the fuss about Foley at all. Sure, he's a starting NI DE, but only if you accept that you're going to get poor production from that DE spot.
Pour l’instant, je ne vois pas de raison de paniquer côté joueurs, sauf pour le retour de Goofy.
J’estime que nous ne perdons pas beaucoup au change avec Parker au lieu d’Anderson et que nous gagnons un peu avec Tisdale à la place de Brown.
J’estime aussi que nous gagnons dans l’échange Porter-McPherson, compte tenu que McPherson ne voulait plus jouer pour les Alouettes depuis que le cancer n’a pas forcé Calvillo à la retraite.
Je n’aime pas le Turd à m’en confesser, aussi je ne vois pas sa venue comme une amélioration sur Bratton, compte tenu qu’il à montré par 2 fois qu’il peut empoisonner un vestiaire. Je souhaite que Bratton se trouve une place et nous montre que c’était une erreur d’'aller chercher le Turd à sa place.
J’espère qu’Adebayo ou Ihekwoaba va éclore car nous avons besoin de joueurs de ligne défensive canadiens capables d’être efficaces. Mullinder n’était pas le meilleur, mais il était assez bon pour ne pas mettre l’équipe dans le trouble lorsqu’il était sur le terrain.
Popp à été chercher des vétérans pour faciliter le travail des futurs entraîneurs, mais l’avenir de l’équipe passera nécessairement par le renouvellement du personnel avec des jeunes talentueux qui pourront être formés adéquatement avant de prendre leur place. Ça vaut aussi pour le prochain quart.
Give me evidence that Arland Bruce has "poisoned" a locker room. Please. I'm all ears. Or do you mean the poison he administered to the 2011 Lions, a toxin so vile that they had no choice but to win the Grey Cup that year? Please...
Indeed. To me, Bruce replacing Bratton is a HUGE depth upgrade to our receiving corps. He’s not a no. 1 guy at this point in his career, but place him behind three great receivers (Green, Richardson, London) and he’ll definitely find space to make plays, matching up against the other team’s weaker corner.
What’s great about Bruce is he can be effective as a wide out or a slot so that will give the staff a lot of flexibility. Bratton had five years to establish himself and it looked like he was finally going to pull it off and then got hurt. To finally blow it in the Eastern Final. I would not pay him 100k either.
I’m happy going into camp with Jennings, Anderson,Devine,Messam and Lavoie. All guys in their 20’s and all different body types and styles. I’m not big on small frame running backs like Whitaker and Anderson. Its really difficult for them to stay healthy for 18 games but then the same can be said about tall upright runners like Messam,Boyd and Lumsden. Jennings is the type of RB I like.
Primary is Whitaker’s health.
Next is how the new staff views the style of running game they prefer.
There is also the salary aspect; how much do they have left they could pay him.
Finally, as with everything, how things go in training camp.
A disadvantage to not being signed is that once the coaches are named they can’t share the “new” playbook. I expect them to respect Calvillo and his success in the passing game; so it will look much the same. But the underused running game could be where they would put their stamp on the offence.
Les deux fois, il a foutu la merde en allant bouder plutôt que d’aller aux entraînements.
Cela dit, je n’entends pas m’éterniser davantage sur le sujet. Il est avec l’équipe, et je ne demande pas mieux qu’il me fasse mentir. Il ne semble pas avoir foutu la merde chez les Lions, mais c’est peut-être parce que Wally s’en est débarrassé avant qu’il n’ait l’occasion de le faire.
Le Turd avec les Alouettes pendant une saison et on passe à un autre appel. C’est la façon de tirer le meilleur de lui.
Uh, he helped Toronto win a Grey Cup (2004). He fell out with Andrus, who traded him. How'd that work for Toronto? And Hamilton, did trading him help them?
Name me ONE ex-teammate of Bruce's that has said he's a cancer in the locker room. You can't, because they don't exist. So really, this line of inquiry is nothing but your speculation and apparent dislike for Bruce.
The biggest weakness I saw on this team last year was attitude and identity. There was none. Its kind of ironic that a coach who tried so hard to keep away from being the center of attention transcended that locker room as much as he did. These are young guys between 21 and 35 years of age, they have to be allowed to play and to be themselves. I mean it went as far as assistants not being allowed to talk to the media in any way shape or form and a HC who followed a bunch of people on Twitter but had his account locked tighter than an 18 year old virgin. Its no mistake Popp is going around signing as many guys with personality and "attitude" as he can. Popp said often last year that there was enough talent on that team to win and I agree with him. The Als underachieved last season IMO.
Don’t forget all that religious BS that Brutus brought to the locker room. Forcing players to “take a knee” after wins, give me a break. Religion has no business in the workplace. Pray at home, don’t create a culture of prayer at work… :thdn: