So far, Blue has been so-so

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 10/08/2015 (3952 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Some losses represent nothing more than a 60-minute failure, to be compartmentalized and quickly moved past.

Others represent more far-reaching issues. Sunday’s spanking at the hands of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats is a little bit of both for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Should CEO Wade Miller be stomping downstairs and handing out pink slips all over the football operations department? Absolutely not.

Should GM Kyle Walters be looking at his roster and determining areas where change is required? If he wants a team eventually capable of beating the Tiger-Cats of the world, he should.

What about head coach Mike O’Shea? Is it time for him to demand a different message from his staff? Should he be looking over the shoulders of his offensive, defensive and special-teams co-ordinators and turning up the heat? It would be pretty difficult to argue against such a strategy right now.

Despite O’Shea’s calm demeanour following Sunday’s loss and his pointing to his team’s positive play in the second half, the first 30 minutes was one of the worst halves of football produced by a Blue Bombers team in a very long time. They were flat, unfocused, ill-prepared and outworked. One player looked at me Sunday in the post-game locker-room when asked about O’Shea’s half-time reaction and squinted while moving his head back to indicate heat from a blast furnace.

This was bad. As bad as it gets. But is it an all-encompassing indicator of where the Bombers are today? We’re gonna find out.

Depending on what one’s expectations were prior to the season, the Bombers are either very close to being on track, ahead of pace or falling behind. At 3-4, and after the way the team was outperformed Sunday, it’s pretty safe to assume most Bombers fans would favour the latter.

But unrealistic expectations shouldn’t factor into the decisions being made by management right now.

This team won seven games last season with a new GM, new head coach, almost an entirely new coaching staff and with a roster overhaul that saw almost every locker permanently cleaned out. This wasn’t a tweak. This was a total restart. They won three games two seasons ago. Should a rebuild be spitting out consistent and winning results less than one-and-a-half seasons in? Maybe. And maybe I’ll join the Hair Club for Men and sprout flowing locks by Labour Day.

So what’s an acceptable waterline? Nine wins? Fourteen? A Grey Cup?

O’Shea recently stated this year’s personnel was better than last season’s. I’ll take his word for it. He’s watched the film of every game and been privy to the gradings of each player from his position coaches. Unfortunately that doesn’t necessarily equate to more wins. The trick is to get better than the other teams, not your own shadow.

Put me down under two categories for the Bombers this season. Unimpressed to date, but wondering if they have yet to show their true selves.

Seven games might be enough for you to make an absolute evaluation, but I’m not there yet. I also pegged a 9-9 record going into this season as an acceptable outcome. So for me, notwithstanding Sunday’s thumping, the Bombers are pretty much where I expected they’d be at this stage.

Parity in the league this season — so far Hamilton is the only team that has distinguished itself as a power with both balance and depth — is going to make for a tight fight in both divisions. Playoff spots are up for grabs and the Bombers remain very much in the hunt.

But what we saw Sunday was not the work of a playoff team. The question for me, is whether the personnel — as O’Shea has stated — really is better than last year’s?

Earlier this season, the Bombers looked like a team trying to figure out who they were as individuals and how they fit together as a team. O’Shea has led by showing patience on the outside. He’s tried to provide them with an opportunity to grow and to develop.

But have they?

Right about now, the Bombers need to begin making those steps forward. Even if injured quarterback Drew Willy is unavailable for some time, the rest of the group needs to begin performing at a higher and more consistent level.

Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter

Dan Lett | Not for Attribution

Tuesdays

A weekly look at politics close to home and around the world.

Sign up for Dan Lett | Not for Attribution

Sign Up

I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

The players have the answer. Are they a team moving forward or a waste of our energy and attention?

It’s an 18-game season with exams to follow for some. The Bombers earned a pass over the first third of the season with a 3-3 record. They absolutely bombed in the first step of the middle third. Was it one game? Or is it about to spread into something more sinister?

You’re on the clock, fellas.

gary.lawless@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @garylawless