Former Winnipeg head coach Paul LaPolice comments on the Bombers' changing ways since the Joe Mack era

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers were one of the busiest teams on Day One of CFL free agency, making over their offensive line with the signings of Stanley Bryant and Marc Dile, bringing in a potential star Canadian linebacker in Sam Hurl and adding Canadian defensive tackle Ivan Brown and import receiver Darwin Adams. That's a remarkable haul for a team that typically hasn't been a big player in free agency, especially under former general manager Joe Mack (who ran the Bombers from 2010-13). Kirk Penton of The Winnipeg Sun commented on that on Twitter Tuesday, and he got a fervent endorsement from an unlikely source: TSN analyst Paul LaPolice, who served as the Bombers' head coach under Mack from 2010-12. Here's LaPolice's tweet:

That's pretty funny from LaPolice, but it's also generally true; Mack made a habit of avoiding the free agent market. While that can be a laudable stance on some fronts, especially as you often have to overpay for players in an open market like free agency, teams that avoid free agency have to do even more to draft and sign good talent, develop that talent and retain that talent. Mack's tenure wasn't particularly good on that front, with his drafting record being particularly weak (including such misses as taking Tyson Pencer, released at the start of last season and still without another CFL job, third overall in 2012). He also failed to find the team a solid quarterback; Buck Pierce (one of the very few free agents Mack ever signed, but that was a month after B.C. released him in March 2010, not at the free-agency deadline) had good moments, but couldn't stay healthy or produce consistently, and everyone else they tried offered even less. Thus, it's not all that surprising that LaPolice wasn't thrilled overall with the talent Mack gave him. Other observers have also echoed LaPolice's criticisms:

Of course, Mack made some excellent picks as well (such as taking Henoc Muamba first overall in 2011), and the Bombers had some great moments during that era (including their run to the 2011 Grey Cup game). While LaPolice deservedly gets a lot of credit for that, Mack's moves weren't all bad either. Still, when Mack fired LaPolice midway through the 2012 season, the roster seemed more problematic than the coach. Staying largely out of free agency was part of the issue there, and it's interesting to see the coach wasn't a big fan of Mack's approach to it.