‘We’ve got to keep fighting’

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 05/10/2010 (5517 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Days like this aren’t included in the fine print of a coach’s contract. And there are certainly no bonuses for soldiering on through it because, if there were, a Brink’s truck would right now be unloading giant bags of cash to compensate Winnipeg Blue Bombers head coach Paul LaPolice for his resolve.

Yes, there was the Bombers boss again Monday afternoon bravely standing in front of a row of TV cameras and reporters — the bright lights bringing a squint to his eyes — as he analyzed why his team has now lost eight of its last nine to fall to a CFL-worst 3-10.

Tough day at the office? The only props missing to complete the image would have been a blindfold and a cigarette dangling from his lips…

“In no way, shape or form did I expect us to be here, but that’s where we’re at,” admitted LaPolice in a 13-minute address that included a lot of admissions. “I know some people put it away for a week and then come back, but we live it every day, 24 hours a day. We’re working to try and get a win, but I’ve got pressing things at home (his wife is expecting any day), too, that all factor into it.

“But that’s what we signed up for. That’s what makes the winning so much sweeter.”

Ah, yes, the winning… or lack thereof to date this year. The Bombers’ 16-14 loss Saturday night in Vancouver was the seventh by a touchdown or less and sixth by four points or less. Interestingly, that not only matches a club record for heartache, but is now one shy of a league record for losses by four points or under, set by the 1993 Ottawa Rough Riders and tied by the 1996 Lions.

“For people that aren’t in the business of football, every decision… it can affect things greatly at your house,” LaPolice said. “It just lives with you. Every loss lives with you every day, every night you have trouble sleeping. It’s frustrating because it obviously means a lot to people in the community and you’re not trying to let those people down. But when you struggle it eats away at you.

“I don’t really get to be discouraged because if I’m discouraged then everyone else gets discouraged. I’m trying to do what’s best for us. That doesn’t mean I’m happy in any way, shape or form with where we’re at. That’s not the point.

“We’ve got to keep fighting and I’ve got to lead that fight.”

On Monday, LaPolice and his coaching staff met and the quarterbacks also had a film session in an attempt to unearth some solutions as to why this team can’t get it done in the clutch.

Asked specifically to pick up on a comment he made immediately after the loss Saturday — that the team doesn’t have enough playmakers — LaPolice offered this:

“As you look at us now… we haven’t. So whether that’s scheme, players or a mixture of both, that’s part of the whole process of evaluation. That’s taken us time to look at and see because we are close. It’s easy to say just keep going, but what are the ‘whys?’ Is it coaching? Is it just players haven’t done enough to help us win?

“We’ve lost eight out of nine and we have to be better.”

True enough. But what might be an even bigger test for LaPolice in the next few weeks will be simply getting his squad to get their chins off their chest. He’s not a yeller or a screamer, but his ability to keep this team motivated with the playoff picture fading may be a monumental challenge. That and keeping his own doubts from swallowing him whole.

“I would say this: I’m a pretty confident guy,” he said. “I believe in our coaches. I believe in what we’ve started to establish here. It’s hard when you talk about process all the time… and then when you don’t get the results you want you have to have faith. That whacks you in the face every time when you don’t (get results).

“But if I self-doubt myself nobody’s going to believe and follow me. Good leaders lead. I believe I do a good job in that even through this adversity.”

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca.