Is Mike Kelly Slowly Losing His Mind?

What a season for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

New coach Mike Kelly promptly made moves acquiring QB Stefan LeFors while releasing CB Stanford Samuels, DE Tom Canada, QB Timmy Chang, and QB Kevin Glenn.

The 2009 regular season, on the other hand, started with a bang as star wideout Derick Armstrong and Kelly did battle and Armstrong eventually earning his way out of town.

LeFors struggled so veteran Michael Bishop was brought in.

However, running back Fred Reid has been dominant and rookie linebacker Jonathan Hefney has been a pleasant surprise.

Through 12 games, though, they've struggled to a 4-8 record with LeFors hitting the 9-Game injured list and journeyman Casey Bramlet being brought in.

Don't get me wrong, the season hasn't been a total wash as the above-mentioned Fred Reid has been dominant, while Hefney's been okay, and Jovon Johnson and Ike Charlton have been tackling machines.

Fred Perry and Dorian Smith have also been wreaking havoc in the backfield with five sacks each.

Terrence Edwards leads the receivers in receptions (36), receiving yards (518), and touchdowns (1).

And no, the one touchdown is not the problem for Winnipeg as Fred Reid has six.

But the reason Winnipeg is struggling this year is new head coach Mike Kelly.

Not only was the Armstrong confrontation problematic but so was the most recent one.

This week, Kelly informed team leader Barrin Simpson (who leads the team with 58 tackles) that he'll be on the bench so they can shake things up.

Simpson obviously declined as he's blowing out his stats from last year and could contend with his career high 115 tackles in 2001.

So, Winnipeg responds by placing him on 9-Game injured list since they couldn't find a trading partner.

The issue, not only with the Blue Bombers handling of the situation, is that Simpson did not approve his placement on the injured list.

CFL rules require that a player okays the move before it can happen.

Not only is Winnipeg facing a rules violation and a road trip to Montreal, but they're also facing the dreaded "rebuilding" that plagued Hamilton for years.

Winnipeg fans better be prepared for the day Kelly tells Fred Reid that they decided to go with another player since Kelly and stars clearly clash, which just shows that he's slowly losing his mind by the day.

CFL: Is Fred Reid the Next Stefan Logan?

Ex-BC Lions running back Stefan Logan signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers following a 1,366 all-purpose yard season.

The year before the South Dakota product signed with the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in November 2007 and spent the rest of the year on their practice squad.

Logan then headed north of the border with the BC Lions where he put together a 122 rushing attempts, 889 rushing yard, 52 catch and a 477 receiving yard season.

He added three touchdowns (all receiving) and four fumbles (all while rushing) to his season totals.

Following 2008, he signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers where he's battling for a roster spot as a return specialist.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers running back Fred Reid on the other hand played his college football at Mississippi State, which is no South Dakota but following the draft also went selected.

Just like Logan he bolted for south Florida but headed towards the shore with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2005.

He was cut before the season, and didn't play football in 2006.

After star linebacker Barrin Simpson recommended Reid to the Bombers front office guys, they brought him into camp and obviously showed enough to keep a spot on the roster.

As a rookie in 2007 Reid got 40 carries, 270 rushing yards, two touchdowns and eight catches for 120 yards.

Playing in Joe Smith and Charles Roberts's shadow again in 2008, he still managed to get 101 carries and 709 yards with three scores.

Reid added 13 catches for 96 yards to his 2008 totals.

Now, Logan obviously had the better 2008, but Reid is on pace to shatter Logan's 2008 season.

After eight games in 2009, he has 115 rushes (seven less than Logan in a full season) and 795 rushing yards (93 less than Logan in 2008).

Not only are Reid's stats better in three years than Logan in one, they similar in body size.

Reid 5'8", Logan is 5'7" while they're both speedy 185 pound backs.

Because of these similarities, I'd be very surprised to not see Reid get an NFL shot as a kick returner or even a backup running back.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers Add Vikings QB to Negotiation List

WINNIPEG, MB-The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have announced that Minnesota Vikings backup quarterback Tarvaris Jackson has been added to their negotiation list.

Jackson a Alabama State product, was competing with journeyman quarterback Sage Rosenfels for the starting job before Brett Favre came out off retirement again, and was named starter.

Not only that but he missed half of training camp and told them he was retiring, only to come back out of it, escorted by Brad Childress and his escalade to practice. And to top it all of he was followed by ESPN's helicopters.

Damn it, I'm babbling.

Back to the Jackson story, he'll more likely never come up to Canada, just like Vince Young being on the Argos neg. list, but if he becomes a free agent and isn't signed he'll be open to join the Bombers.

Currently, Michael Bishop is starting while Stefan LeFors (who recently took a paycut) is the backup with Bryan Randall third string.

However, the odds of him joining that group is slim with teams like the Jacksonville Jaguars needing a backup.

But, if he does get released and doesn't get signed (you have better chances of winning the lottery than having that happen) then my guess is that LeFors will be given his walking papers, solely because of his awful performance as starter.

MIA: Is Derrick Armstrong's Bomber Career Coming To And End

To be a Bomber or not to be a Bomber? That is the question for Bomber's wide receiver Derrick Armstrong.

Armstrong's future with the Bombers remains in doubt, after he refused to play in the Bomber's season opener against the Edmonton Eskimos this past week. Armstrong reportedly was frustrated with the fact that he wouldn't be starting in the game.

Bomber's head coach Mike Kelly recently came out saying that if Derrick Armstrong didn't want to be a Bomber, they would be happy to get rid of him. As of now, it appears that Armstrong's days with the Bombers are coming to a close.

If Armstrong is indeed traded away from the Bombers, he would have no problem finding another team.

Armstrong's career stats are very attractive to potential suitors.

In a fairly short CFL career, Armstrong has 3,994 yards and 20 touchdown passes. He has gone over the 1,000 yard mark three times in his career: twice with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, and once with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. He was also a driving force in Winnipeg's 2007 playoff run.

As mentioned before, Armstrong could realistically find work with any other team in the CFL. The Hamilton Tiger Cats, for example, could definetly benefit from Armstrong's services.

The team could use another star wide receiver to start opposite of star Prechae Rodriquez.

The Toronto Argonauts could also use another target for quarterback Kerry Joseph.

Though the Montreal Alouettes are loaded in the receiving core, adding Armstrong could give them an even more dominant group of receivers. Teamed up with Cahoon, Watkins and Richardson, Armstrong could make the Alouettes offense unstoppable.

If Derrick Armstrong were to be traded, it would likely be to a Western team. Each team in the West would be just as eager to snatch up this talented receiver.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders have a lot of talent at the slotback position but could use a dominant wide receiver.

Armstrong could also help out both the Eskimos and BC Lions. The Eskimos are without a deep threat now that Kelly Campbell is gone and the Lions could use a good wide receiver to line up with star slotbacks Paris Jackson and Geroy Simon.

Even the defending Grey Cup champion Calgary Stampeders could use Armstrong in their arsenal.

So, while it is unknown whether Derrick Armstrong will remain a Bomber for long, it is certain that he would have no trouble finding another team if the situation arises.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers Make Cuts

WINNIPEG, MB-The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have announced their final cuts:

Released:
RB Joe Smith
OL Thaddeus Coleman
LB Jasper Johnson
DE Chase Ortiz
DT Montez Murphy
DB Nick Kordic
LB Neil Ternovatsky
DB Patrick Body
DB Ronyell Whitaker
WR Terry Firr
OL Jean-Francois Morin-Roberge
OL Matt O'Meara

Camp Cuts: Week one

Week one of training camp is almost over and like everyone knows transactions come at a daily basis, so here they are for all eight teams:

BC LIONS:
Signed-DB William Heyward, OL Vaughn Lesuma (June 9), LB Courtney Smith

Released-C Lorne Plante, RB Charles Pierre, DB Donald Brown, OL Vaughn Lesuma (June 13), LB Marcus Richardson, RB Amos Allen, FB Lyle Green, SB Bret Anderson

Inactivated-OL Martin Bibla, DB Trestin George (June 7, reactivated June 13), OL Sherko Haji-Resouli (June 7, reactivated 13), WR Jason Jones, WR Anthony Russo

CALGARY STAMPEDERS:
Signed-WR Derrick Smith, DB Anthony Ivy, DB Ronnie Amadi, DB Perry Kyles (June 12)

Released-LB Robert Killebrew, LB Kurt Campbell, DB Lakendrick Terrell, DB Perry Kyles (June 10), WR Johnny Thomas, WR Reggie Williams (June 12)

Inactivated-DT Kenny King, G Jesse Newman, SB Reggie Williams (June 7)

EDMONTON ESKIMOS:
Signed-OL Joe McGrath (acquired in trade with Saskatchewan), WR Sean Young

Released-LB Derrick Doggett, DB Emanuel White, WR Eric Ware, LB Jason Kosec

Inactivated-DE Adam Braidwood

HAMILTON TIGER-CATS:
Signed-DB Cody Williams, DE Khari Long

Released-QB Erik Meyer, QB Josh Betts, DB John Williams Jr., OL Todd Londot

Inactivated-WR Willie Quinnie

MONTREAL ALOUETTES:
Signed-WR David Kircus, WR Glenn McKay, WR Chad Rempel (June 7), DT Darrell Campbell, LB Jay Staggs, DB De'Audre Dix, WR Keith Godding, DT Johnny Jackson (June 8), WR Dorrell Jalloh, WR Kevin Marion (June 9), DE Sean Ortiz (June 9), WR Andrew Hawkins (activated from Suspended list)

Released-C Ryan Mousseau, DE Sean Ortiz (June 7), LB Jon Abbate, DT Johnny Jackson (June 9), WR Chad Rempel (June 13), WR Kevin Marion (June 13)

Inactivated-WR Jamel Richardson, CB Stanford Samuels, DB Brandon Williams, DB Gemara Williams, LB John Mohring, RB Dahrran Diedrick

SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS:
Signed-OL Jocelyn Frennette (activated), RB Jason Geathers, LB Brandon Perkins, WR Eric Morris

Released-OL Andrae Townsel, DB Derrick Johnson, SB Carl Berman, OL Joe McGrath (traded to Edmonton)

Inactivated-WR David McKoy

TORONTO ARGONAUTS:
Signed-NONE

Released-NONE

Inactivated-CB Demetrice Webb

WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS:
Signed-QB Richie Williams, DL DeVon Hicks

Released-QB Darrell Hackney

Inactivated-NONE

That's it for this week, can't wait till week 2 kicks off!

CFL 2009 Season Preview: Winnipeg Blue Bombers

“Following the release of Kevin Glenn, Ryan Dinwiddie and Stefan Lefors appear to be the front runners for the starting quarterback job in Winnipeg. But will either of them be able to orchestrate the Bombers offense?”

It was crazy times in Winnipeg this off-season.

Crazy times.

There has been a front office shuffling, a new head coach added to the team who has already generated controversy, and tantalizing discussion about a new stadium.

The Blue and Gold were also involved in a number of trades and said goodbye to some veteran playmakers on their team.

When all is said and done, a shakeup may have been need in Winnipeg.

For a team that was a supposed injury away from winning the Grey Cup in 2007, the Bombers looked anything but Grey Cup bound in 2008. The team started off the season with an atrocious 4 game losing streak, and never seemed to rebound from there. Winnipeg did manage to finish second place in a weak Eastern Division, but went on to lose to the Edmonton Eskimos, who had crossed over from the West.

So what does the future hold for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers?

What can a team that has recently experienced both highs (Grey Cup appearance) and lows (multiple losing streaks) expect this season.

The Eastern Division looks to be weak again this season, and Winnipeg has a lot of talent on their roster.

Let’s take a closer look at the Winnipeg Blue Bombers:

What’s New?

The Blue Bombers started the off-season by reshuffling their coaches and management. The team released fiery head coach Doug Berry, and general manager Brendan Taman resigned. To fill their vacant head coaching position, the Bombers turned to former offensive coordinator, Mike Kelly.

Kelly, who had success with the Bombers in the past, immediately stated his promise to turn the Bombers struggles around. It seems however, that he spent more time creating controversy through some of his comments. Kelly openly blasted the past Bombers management and also took a shot at the province of Saskatchewan. Needless to say, Kelly made things very interesting during the off-season.

By the time the free agency period had been concluded, the Bombers had made some good moves, but also lost some key players from their team.

The Bombers lost two solid offensive lineman, Alexandre Gauthier, and Dominic Picard to free agency. What perhaps made the moves harder to take was the fact that both players went to Eastern teams. Gauthier landed in Hamilton and Picard landed in Toronto. The Blue and Gold also traded away another solid lineman, Dan Goodspeed later in the off-season as part of a three way trade with both Hamilton and Saskatchewan.

To sure up their offensive line that took a bit of a beating, the Bombers acquired lineman Glen Janurary and Steve Morely from the Saskatchewan Roughriders and also picked up tackle Luke Fritz from the Alouettes and Kelly Bates from the Lions.

Through trades, Winnipeg also managed to pick up defensive ends Kai Ellis, Fred Perry and Riall Johnson, defensive back James Johnson, slot back Brock Ralph, and receiver Adarius Bowman

Soon after free agency, the Bombers also retired Milt Stegall. The illustrious receiver has had a record breaking in Winnipeg and his leadership will be missed.

In the CFL Draft, the Bombers didn’t have any significant picks to work with and didn’t have any notable picks.

Perhaps the biggest news of the off-season was the announcement that the Bombers will likely get a new stadium in 2011, which would help them in a future bid to host the Grey Cup.

Concerns

The biggest issue heading into the season for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers is who will be the starting quarterback?

Ok, I’m sure you’ve heard it already, but when the battle for the starting job is between a third string quarterback and an unproven backup, it is a point that will be continually hammered in until it is settled.

Stefan Lefors, a third string quarterback in Edmonton, was traded to the Bombers this season. Sitting behind Ricky Ray and Jason Maas in Edmonton, Lefors had a few chances to play, but did shine on occasion. We don’t really know a lot about Stefan Lefors, and the fact that he has thrown more interceptions then touchdowns in his career has to make one wonder if he will be able to be a consistent threat.

What is a Dinwiddie? A question many fans asked when Ryan Dinwiddie started the Grey Cup game in 2007 over the injured Kevin Glenn. While Dinwiddie didn’t play terrible in the game, he did throw three interceptions as the Bombers lost the game. In 2008, Diniwddie saw limited playing time. While he did show some flashes of excellence during the season, his inexperience is a huge question mark.

With two inexperienced quarterback’s fighting it out for the job, will it even matter which one wins it? The Bombers offense is talented on paper, with up and coming star Fred Reid running the ball and a talented receiving core, but if the Bombers don’t get solid play from their quarterback, it may not matter.

There are also huge question marks on the offensive line. The Bombers line was led last season by players like Alexander Gauthier and Dan Goodspeed. With both of these players gone plus Dominic Picard, the Bombers may in fact experience a drop off in 08. Are players like Glen January, Steve Morley, Kelly Bates and Luke Fritz, who were brought in via free agency, ample replacements?

I don’t think so. While Luke Fritz and Kelly Bates are fairly solid lineman, Glen January was inconsistent last season for the Riders and Steve Morley didn’t even play.

On the defensive side of things, the Bombers look to have a fairly solid front seven, but their defensive backfield may continue to be a weakness for them this season.

Summary

With player like Derrick Armstrong, Romby Bryant and Fred Reid on the offense, the Bombers have plenty of star power, but the question marks in both the quarterback position and the offensive line are too strong to ignore.

How much faith can the Bombers put in Stefan Lefors and Ryan Dinwiddie?

One has to wonder what the mood is going to be in the Bombers locker room with Mike Kelly running the show.

Kelly has talked like he has big plans for the team, but he been spending more time apologizing for his comments then improving the team this off-season.

Winnipeg took strides backwards last season, and since they really didn’t improve during the off-season, one has to think they will continue to slide this season.

Of course, in a weak Eastern Division, anything is possible.

But the outlook doesn’t look good for a team that was “one injury away” from winning the Grey Cup game.

My Prediction: Around five to eight wins, and a third place finish in the Eastern Division.

Outstanding Player of the Year: Fred Reid

Defensive Player of the Year: Barron Simpson

Canadian of the Year: Doug Brown

Lineman of the Year: Luke Fritz

Special Teams Player of the Year: Alexis Serna

Rookie of the Year: Mike Morris

Do you have a magic crystal ball that you can use to look ahead and see what will happen in the upcoming CFL Season? If not, stay tuned for my CFL Team Previews, coming out twice week, to see how each team will fair in the upcoming season

Training Camp Eve Cuts

With training camp starting today, the teams started trimming their rosters following the rookie minicamp, cuts came from five of the eight teams and here they are:

HAMILTON-DB Virgil Gray, WR Aaron Fairooz, DE Garrett McIntyre, WR Brandon Myles, DB Jacob Patek, DL Elton Patterson

WINNIPEG-DB Derrick Strait, QB Ryan Dinwiddie, WR Ivan Birungi, LB Bryan Wilson

SASKATCHEWAN-LB Carlos Armour, DE AJ Raebel, WR Toby Zeigler

EDMONTON-DB Brandent Englemon, S Tyler Everett, CB Darnell Terrell, LB Rory Johnson

MONTREAL-WR Kevin Marion, WR Javid James, SB Erik Galas, QB Brad Roach, QB Shane Boyd, G Ryan Karhut, CB Tim Sims, CB Kwasi Nkansah

In other news, the Montreal Alouettes have announced that starting defensive back Randee Drew will miss all of training camp still recovering from a August ACL surgery. The Alouettes have also announced the suspensions of WR Andrew Hawkins and DL Tim McGill.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers Add Two Recent NFLers

WINNIPEG, MB-The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have signed two recent NFLers, quarterback Darrell Hackney (Denver Broncos) and Jonathan Hefney (Philadelphia Eagles).

Hackney was signed by the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent in 2006 after a successful career at Alabama-Birmingham. At UAB he set four school records in passing yards, touchdwns, completions and total offensive per game. After being cut by the Browns he signed with the Denver Broncos on January 2, 2007. After battling with Jay Cutler, Preston Parsons and Patrick Ramsey he made the team. In 2008, he re-joined Denver but this time on their practice roster before being promoted on November 1 with Ramsey being placed on injured reserve. After the Broncos signed Chris Simms and acquired Kyle Orton in the Cutler trade, Hackney was waived by Denver.

Hefney was a starter at safety and cornerback while at Tennessee and was signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent in 2008. On July 25 he was released and signed by the Philadelphia Eagles on September 9, 2008 and assigned to their practice roster. He was cut later in the season.

The Blue Bombers have also signed Jasper Johnson, Chase Ortiz and Bradley Pierson.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers Sign Three Imports and Veteran

WINNIPEG, MB-The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have signed defensive lineman Aaron McConnell, wide receivers Chris Jackson, Tyrone Timmons and kicker Dan Giancola.

McConnell was All-American and All-Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association in all four years of college where he recored 332 tackles, 22 sacks and 10 pass defections.

During his pro career he's spent time with the AFL's Colorado Crush and Nashville Kats.

Timmons, ranks second the NFL legend Jerry Rice in receptions and receiving yards at Miss Valley State and was named AFL Rookie of the Year with the Tampa Bay Storm last season.

Jackson has spent time with the Jacksonville Jaguars and New Orleans Saints after going undrafted in the 2007 NFL Draft.

Giancola is a 39 year old kicker and hasn't played in five years.

The journeyman kicker said of his comeback, "I'm 39. "And I know a lot of people out there are going to say, 'Oh my God... he's 39 years old. Why don't they bring in (Troy) Westwood? Why don't they bring in Bob Cameron? Why don't they bring in Lui Passaglia?' I respect that. I've been out of football since 2004. But what people don't know is the love I have for the game."

“We continue to come to agreements with outstanding young men that are interested in earning the right to wear a Blue Bomber jersey and represent the City of Winnipeg,” said head coach Mike Kelly.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers Add a Pair and Drop a Pair

WINNIPEG,MB-The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have announced the signings of ex-Tigercat Nick Kordic and ex-NFLer John Eubanks.

Kordic a Western Ontario University grad was drafted by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 2008 and played in 15 games for them mostly on special teams.

Eubanks went undrafted in the 2006 NFL Draft and was signed by the Washington Redskins spending parts of 06' and 07' with Washington. He played college football for Southern Mississippi University and was named Conference USA Special Teams players of the year in 2004.

Mike Kelly said of the signings,"We’re very pleased to add these two players to our roster. We think they will add to the competitiveness of our defensive backfield."

The Blue Bombers also announced the release of eight year veteran wide receiver Jamie Stoddard and defensive back Aric Williams who was recently signed by Winnipeg.