-
Posts
6,082 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
3
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Events
Blogs
Gallery
Everything posted by MJDDawg
-
Kind of insulting': B.C. Lions part ways with Phillips after contract impasse 5 hours ago 'Kind of insulting': B.C. Lions part ways with Phillips after contract impasse VANCOUVER — Ryan Phillips would always tell his younger B.C. Lions teammates that if Geroy Simon was expendable, they all were. Simon, the CFL's all-time leading receiver, couldn't agree on contract extension with B.C. before the 2013 season. So after 12 years on the West Coast, Simon was dealt to the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Phillips knew his day would also eventually come. But the 34-year-old didn't expect his tenure in B.C to end this way. On Friday, the Lions announced they and the veteran defensive back had "mutually decided" to part ways, cutting Phillips loose after 12 seasons and just four days before the start of CFL free agency. The Seattle native said in a telephone interview with The Canadian Press the term "mutual" was technically true. However, what the Lions offered in terms of a contract and potential playing time were a slap in the face. "The starting point was nowhere near worth the value of someone of my calibre," said Phillips, who joined B.C. in 2005. "The pay cut was outrageous. "It's one thing to restructure and it's another thing to pay cut all the way. You don't ask a 12-year vet with my resume to go back to making third-year type money. That's just kind of insulting, let alone the role of being behind some guys that haven't done anything. "If you want to say 'mutual' I guess so in that sense ... it's mutual I wasn't going to settle for something like that. They weren't going to budge, they weren't going to give me a legitimate shot to compete." Lions head coach/GM Wally Buono didn't fault Phillips for his reaction. But Buono reiterated it's his job to make tough decisions to try to improve his team. "We wanted Ryan to be a part of our football club," said Buono. "We wanted him to be a part of our locker-room. "We wanted him to be a part of our team going forward. The role then had to change. Unfortunately we couldn't agree." Phillips played 212 regular-season games with the Lions, helping them win the Grey Cup in 2006 and 2011. He leaves B.C. with 47 interceptions and six touchdowns to go along with 478 tackles. "You feel like you put your blood, sweat and tears into something ... it's hard not to take it somewhat personal," said Phillips. "I could have easily gone: 'You know what? My heart is in B.C. ... I'll just settle for whatever.' "But you've got to take the emotion out and say from a professional standpoint, as an athlete, as a competitor, what is benefiting you and benefiting the family?" Phillips appeared in all 18 games for the Lions in 2016, registering one interception, his lowest total since 2008, and 30 defensive tackles. But the year before he tied for the league lead in interceptions with six despite missing four games to injury — the only instance over his 12 seasons where he missed time. "I wouldn't say I need this as motivation, but if you want to say it puts a little bit more kick in the step then why not?" said Phillips. "I can understand (the decision) if my best years were three, four, five years behind me." The Lions, who lost to Calgary in last year's West Division final after a bounce-back 12-6 campaign, finished last in the CFL in 2016 with nine interceptions. Part of that came down to major injuries to three key contributors but Buono consistently said throughout the year his defensive backfield needed to be better. "This is not something I look forward to doing and this is not something the club took lightly," Buono said of waving goodbye to the four-time CFL all-star. "When the person gives 12 years of their life ... I felt it was at least worthwhile to sit down and have a conversation and see if we couldn't get into a slightly different relationship." The Lions don't often re-sign veteran players, let alone ones in their mid-30s. But Buono agreed the situation was similar to Simon, who retired after winning the Grey Cup with Saskatchewan and is now a member of the Lions' front office. "What we offered Geroy or Ryan is not something we usually offer players (at their age)," said Buono. "Usually with a player like that you say: 'We're going in a different direction,' and life goes on. "But I felt because of Ryan's great contribution to the club, his longevity, that I had to sit down and discuss with him this role, this possibility." Phillips turned that down flatly and is now looking for a new CFL home. "I want to be a part of a team that has a chance of winning," said Phillips. "I want to be a part of team I can be a value and an asset to. A team that's going to appreciate what I bring to the table, plus the intangibles. "I'm happy about my decision, but it's still sad and disheartening at the same time because I've been a part of a team and an organization, and my family has as well, for the past 12 years." Notes: The Lions announced Friday defensive back T.J. Lee, who missed all but four games last season because of an Achilles injury, has signed a contract for 2017. Lee could've become a free agent Tuesday. B.C. also signed Canadian defensive lineman Dylan Ainsworth and announced the retirement of offensive lineman Tim O'Neill, an 11-year veteran. https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/b-c-lions-part-ways-182532491.html
-
Sorry guys, can't figure out how to embed tweets properly yet. Anyways, here are Ray's level-headed thoughts on the discussion at hand. .@rayferrarotsn: Virtanen is 20. He's really in his first year of pro hockey. I'm in no rush to bring him back. Retweets 3 Likes 10 12:19 PM - 8 Feb 2017 .@rayferraroTSN on Virtanen 2: The longer you keep him in a position to grow, you're doing him a service. Retweets 2 Likes 9 12:19 PM - 8 Feb 2017 .@rayferrarotsn on Virtanen 3: If you bring him back and nothing happens, now you've got a problem Likes 6 12:20 PM - 8 Feb 2017
-
In lieu of any news of an actual signing of a striker and attacking midfielder, thought I'd post their new white jersey. Much like my feelings on everything else about this team lately, I absolutely hate this. They look like pyjama's. Is it really that difficult to create something different? Is there a rule that says we can't have something with more colour?
-
This from Travis stood out to me, and if this doesn't scare the bejeezus out of Jake to change his professional and off ice habits then nothing will.
-
I've said it before and I'll say it again. The road to the NHL is littered with the careers of players that had all the physical tools needed to have long NHL careers. Jake may or may not become an NHL regular. But right now, he's not here on this team, so no point in me killing brain cells wondering and worrying about him.
-
Yup. Should pin this. But then, where will we get our info telling us what our lineup will be in two years? We need to know that now!!!!!!!
-
I don't get you sometimes. How the heck do you go from a statement by Button about being a top prospect to Calder and 30 goals in his first pro season? Stop raising expectations on a kid yet to play a minute in the NHL. It's poster's like you that will be back here in a year expressing your disappointment at him not meeting YOUR expectations or at management and the coach for not developing him properly.
-
In his 2014 mock draft, he initially had Virtanen down at 41st overall at one point, but I believe he moved it up to 6 in his final mock draft only because of the backlash and public flogging he was taking from sensitive Canuck "fans" at the time. I tend to believe he might have actually might have known what he was talking about.
-
That tweet by Comets Army, while informative in that it provided feedback on 10 seconds of a 60 minute game, felt like a big troll job from someone who obviously reads these boards and knows the kerfuffle a tweet like that would easily cause.
-
Hippy, I posted the highlight not as a criticism but rather to show what the fuss was about. It's just one play in the big picture of Jake Virtanen's career. A play that can and probably does happen in every game every night in the NHL. Your highlight package shows exactly that. Unfortunately with all the focus and talk on Jake's IQ and effort levels, a play like that validates people's concerns about him. Am I concerned about him? A little bit, but talk to me when he's had two season's in the "A" and we can evaluate then. This thread, and the media in this town, is why I've always been against bringing our AHL club to Vancouver or somewhere close by. We would never be able to develop players properly under the spotlights this market creates.
-
I'm trying not to judge his every move this harshly at this young age, but the words Gallagher and Hologram come to mind watching him on this play.
-
Games highlights here (goal at 4:27): http://ahl.neulion.com/ahl/video/utica-comets-vs-springfield-thunderbirds/16500
-
Looks like we're signing another project. And for TAM dollars to boot. With the glaring holes and just weeks to camp, THIS is who they decide to spend TAM money on??? Started losing faith in those running the team last year, but held out hope that they'd be more aggressive in addressing their issues this off-season. While the off-season isn't done yet, I've lost all faith in this team and this season will be the first season I don't attend a game. It's so obvious to me that both the management team (i.e. Lenarduzzi) and Robbo are in way over their heads in trying to run an MLS team. And it pisses me off that ownership appears content to let this be a middling team as long as they're making money on day-to-day operations and raking in their cut of expansion fees. Our all. Our honour. My a$$. Report: Whitecaps to Add Yordy Reyna According to Marc Weber of ‘The Province’, the Whitecaps are set to sign the 23 year old forward by JonSzekeres@jonszekeres Jan 22, 2017, 9:29am PST According to Marc Weber of ‘The Province’, the Vancouver Whitecaps are adding forward/winger Yordy Reyna, a 23 year old Peruvian International. He goes on to say Reyna will join the team in Wales this coming week, as they get ready for the pre-season. As the off-season has worn on, Whitecaps fans have been desperately awaiting a new signing, a big splash that could help spark an attack that was stagnant for large portions of the 2016 season. While Reyna comes with plenty of potential, he’s likely not going to be that player for Vancouver, at least not immediately. Here’s what Weber has to say about him. Reyna is with Austrian club Red Bull Salzburg, but has spent time on loan, most recently with RB Leipzig. He’s also made the squad for the Peru Men’s National Team with two goals in six appearances, both goals coming in 2013. Hopefully some bigger news is on the horizon. http://www.eightysixforever.com/2017/1/22/14350962/report-whitecaps-to-add-yordy-reyna
-
Watching that highlight package posted a few pages back, you do see that's exactly how he's still playing. Which is the same way he played in Calgary, the World Juniors, and the Canucks (for the most part). Hopefully we can start to see some progression in his game soon. Straight line skating and shooting everytime he crosses the blueline won't cut it in the the bigs. What bothers me more is his passiveness along the boards, leaving the dirty work to be done by his linemates. Watching his play here and the world junior's I found myself yelling at him to go get the puck rather than waiting for it. Makes me wonder if he has it in him to "go get it".
-
Saw some activity on this thread so came here hoping to hear some news, any news, on a striker or midfielder signing. Instead I see we're awarded with the toughest schedule. Until we get a real coach and management that actually knows what it's doing, this team will be a perennial middling team that will make the playoffs every once once in a while.
-
I've always believed it was the meddling owner hiring the rookie GM, who then panders to the meddling owner for giving him his first GM job by making the Virtanen pick.
-
They say $299.99 US North America. Does that mean $299.99 US in the US AND $299.99 CDN in Canada? Either way, nothing there to make me want to buy it right now.
-
UTICA COMETS 2016-17 INDIVIDUAL STATS # PLAYER POS GP G A PTS +/- PIM PP SHG SOG SH% 28 Alexandre Grenier RW 32 10 16 26 -6 38 5 0 74 13.5 38 Curtis Valk C 32 12 10 22 -3 22 0 0 80 15.0 25 Darren Archibald LW 33 9 12 21 3 16 0 1 71 12.7 7 Jordan Subban D 30 8 12 20 -7 8 6 0 77 10.4 48 Colby Robak (total) D 30 2 16 18 5 36 2 0 54 3.7 STK D 6 0 5 5 8 6 0 0 5 0.0 UTI D 24 2 11 13 -3 30 2 0 49 4.1 26 Michael Chaput (X) C 10 2 11 13 -1 10 1 1 18 11.1 20 Cody Kunyk C 21 2 9 11 -6 6 1 0 26 7.7 34 Carter Bancks LW 29 5 5 10 -8 17 4 0 35 14.3 22 Pascal Pelletier C 17 3 5 8 -9 8 2 0 30 10.0 16 Joseph LaBate LW 19 2 6 8 -7 46 1 0 35 5.7 5 David Shields D 26 0 8 8 -4 4 0 0 23 0.0 18 Jake Virtanen RW 23 4 3 7 -4 20 3 0 42 9.5 41 Chad Billins D 30 1 6 7 -4 6 1 0 46 2.2 36 Wacey Hamilton C 27 4 2 6 -3 44 0 0 28 14.3 24 Derek Hulak LW 17 4 1 5 2 4 0 0 16 25.0 8 John Negrin D 20 0 5 5 -2 12 0 0 18 0.0 19 Cole Cassels RW 26 4 0 4 -2 18 0 1 28 14.3 71 Borna Rendulic RW 31 2 2 4 -2 10 0 0 29 6.9 11 Marco Roy C 12 1 3 4 3 4 0 0 17 5.9 37 Andrey Pedan D 21 2 1 3 2 32 0 0 38 5.3 23 Jayson Megna (X) RW 4 1 2 3 -1 0 0 0 3 33.3 58 Michael Carcone LW 26 1 2 3 -5 25 1 0 36 2.8 4 Evan McEneny D 23 1 1 2 -10 10 1 0 42 2.4 14 Mike Zalewski C 14 0 2 2 -2 10 0 0 22 0.0 21 Phil DeSimone (X) C 8 1 0 1 -1 2 0 0 15 6.7 17 Anton Rodin (X) F 3 0 1 1 -1 0 0 0 3 0.0 2 Troy Stecher (X) D 4 0 1 1 0 4 0 0 8 0.0 9 Yan-Pavel Laplante LW 13 0 1 1 -8 9 0 0 7 0.0 6 Ashton Sautner D 13 0 1 1 -7 12 0 0 5 0.0 3 Alex Biega (X) D 1 0 0 0 -2 2 0 0 0 0.0 17 Luke Pither (X) C 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.0 43 Tom Nilsson D 7 0 0 0 -2 4 0 0 5 0.0 BENCH 33 0 10 0 TOTALS 33 81 140 221 -100 445 28 3 927 8.7
-
Wow, good for Biggie. Betting on himself to make the team. When a player is signed to a reserve/future contract that means they are being signed for the upcoming season. It’s typically a one- or two-year deal at the league minimum based on number of years of experience in the NFL. Only players who were not on any team’s active roster at the end of the season are eligible to sign reserve/future contracts. Players who typically sign these deals were on practice squads, but we’ll also see a few veterans sprinkled into the mix. These players that sign reserve/future deals are added to their respective teams’ “active” rosters on the first day of the new league year, which happens to be March 7, 2016 this season. Most players who sign reserve/future contracts end up getting cut during the summer, but we’ve seen a few players survive into the regular season. So sounds like he's guaranteed his signing bonus at worst and at best, he remains on the active roster for the Saints until week 17 at the NFL minimum of $450K (I think). http://sports.yahoo.com/news/futures-deals-015600064--nfl.html
-
When you read the quote, she was responding to a question about whether she's met the twins. It actually doesn't come across as negative towards Jared (or Jake) at all. It's more like she's trying to be funny. “I had to touch them both twice because I’ve been a fan of them for years and years and years. They’re hockey royalty. I said to (Matt) ‘Are they nice guys?’ He goes, ‘Mom, they’re the nicest guys in the world.’ They are truly the nicest guys you’ll ever want to meet. “Every guy on the team is the nicest guy on the team, oh my God, except for that little 19-year-old (the little 19-year-old she was referring to must be Jared McCann). What’s his name? Oh shoot, I was chasing him at breakfast today. My son has Flat Stanley. Do you guys do Flat Stanley, the third-grade book report thing? He goes, ‘I know Flat Stanley.’ I said, ‘Yeah, that’s because you did it last year!'” As Shaky noted, she'd probably just finished her 9:00 am gin & tonic. http://www.vancitybuzz.com/2016/02/canucks-beth-bartkowski-mom/
-
I don't remember that Shaky. What could he have possibly said or done to want to make another player's mom make that comment?
-
That's what I did tonight.
-
I know it's so early in his career and that "power forwards" take longer to develop, but I just can't shake this sick feeling that Jake may never live up to the expectations of being drafted so high. At least not with the Canucks. Here's hoping that he spends a couple of years in the minor's finding his game, and more importantly, his desire to make the show and hopefully prove the naysayers wrong.
-
So much like the Virtanen saga, why the heck is the team keeping him up here when he could be playing big minutes in Utica? Watching Gaunce play this season, it seems to me that he's not quite ready for a regular role with the big club.