Grey Cup still in planning stages

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 02/04/2011 (5363 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

If you’re hoping to celebrate a Grey Cup this season, consider moving to Montreal or Saskatchewan.

Winnipeg? Sorry. Don’t count on a parade rolling down Portage Avenue this fall.

Now before you throw your Joe Pop jersey out the window and do the unthinkable — take up with Rider Nation — put your mind at ease. There could be some real hope for Bombers fans coming down the road.

Not immediate hope mind you, but there are signs coming from the organization and its recent moves that suggest long term, sustainable success could be in the cards.

Bombers GM Joe Mack might appear to be plodding a little slowly for some tastes, but sooner or later an organization has to pay the price and reload.

Mack began that process last season as he started to restructure the Bombers roster. Younger, faster and more athletic was the plan and he went about cutting loose those that didn’t fit that mould.

Adding more draft picks to upgrade the team’s Canadian talent was also a priority and the Bombers doubled their arsenal for this year from three picks to six, with two in the first round.

Making trades like this week’s swap of backup quarterback Steven Jyles for a 2011 first-round selection and a conditional pick in next year’s draft has improved the outlook.

Assess the Alouettes’ and Riders’ rosters and the first thing that sticks out is their Canadian talent. Winnipeg can’t say the same and Mack is intent on changing that. That change comes at a cost.

There’s been plenty of angst over the Jyles trade. Starter Buck Pierce has a history of injury trouble and Jyles was viewed as an insurance policy with some experience. Joey Elliott, who will now be one play away from the starter’s role when the season begins, is green but has upside, says Mack.

Jyles might have some tools but let’s not mistake him for Doug Flutie. The bottom line with the Bombers is if Pierce can’t stay healthy, the team won’t succeed.

Jyles wasn’t going to change that. Maybe he’d win you a game or two in a pinch but he’s never shown anything as a pro to suggest he could take the Bombers on a sustained run. So what’s the difference if it’s Elliott or Jyles mopping up the mess? Or, if things go well, holding a healthy Pierce’s clipboard?

Mack and head coach Paul LaPolice gave up on Jyles last season, so moving him for a first-round pick was win-win. The money saved can be spent elsewhere.

The Bombers coaching staff is so keen on Elliott he was pencilled in as the No. 2 with or without Jyles in the picture.

Mack got something for a player he wasn’t going to use. Maybe Jyles will do big things in Toronto — but he wasn’t going to get that chance in Winnipeg and that made him expendable.

Will Jyles come in here and win a game this year? Maybe. Who cares? Not Mack. He’s not about one game in a season — or optics. He’s about building an organization that can win for years and that might mean taking some lumps right now.

There are no easy fixes in pro sport. Once in a generation a player like Flutie will come along and make a bad team instantly good, but that’s not a plan. It’s luck.

Mack has the plan, now he needs a little luck too.

gary.lawless@freepress.mb.ca