No silver linings in Bombers’ losses

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This article was published 17/07/2016 (3368 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

There was a time Mike O’Shea would draw on positives after losses in his first two seasons in charge of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Those days seem to be over.

The head coach would often find some silver lining after eight consecutive losses after a promising 5-1 start in 2014. He’d lean on the loss of quarterback Drew Willy and the team having to manage without him for most of 2015, but after 27 failures 40 games into his tenure, it seems the well of positivity has run dry in 2016.

“We lost,” O’Shea said simply Sunday as the team returned to practice ahead of Thursday’s game against the Calgary Stampeders. “It’s hard to be pleased after a loss. I don’t take losing as a positive.”

The former CFL middle linebacker was asked if holding the Edmonton Eskimos’ prolific offence to 20 points after giving up 501 net yards was of any solace to a team that picked up its third loss in four games Thursday night.

Nope. Not a positive in sight.

His answer may have given a glimpse into what a defeated head coach looks like.

It’s tough to blame him after a 1-3 start following an off-season full of high-calibre additions meant to give him all the tools necessary to put a long-standing playoff drought to bed. Even with Willy healthy, there’s hardly anything from the first four games of the season that would suggest this team is any better than its previous lacklustre incarnations.

The problems are many for the local football club. A subpar starting pivot leads the way, with woeful production on first downs and a slow-moving run game in close proximity.

Growing concerns at quarterback have led to chants bearing backup Matt Nichols’ name during the Bombers’ two home games this season. O’Shea said Willy is still the man at the helm of the offence heading into Week 5, and the problems moving the ball downfield aren’t his alone to bear.

“I don’t think it’s ever one player. I don’t,” O’Shea said. “There’s 12 guys out there that have to be on the same page, doing the same thing, thinking the same way, executing at a high level and playing a physically demanding sport where guys are trying to knock your head off and you have to get it done in under three seconds. It doesn’t always work out that way.”

Short passes to tailback Andrew Harris have become the norm. Harris has been solid accumulating yards after the catch, often breaking the first tackle for positive gains.

“They’re like a run,” O’Shea said. “We’d still like to be able to run the ball… if simply just for that idea that you can physically move your opponent off the line of scrimmage. Just that feeling for that sense of the game and for the team, you want to be able to run the ball.”

Harris sits first on the team in receptions and second in receiving yards. He’s ranked third in the league in rushing yards and first in attempts, but he’s been hot and cold, with 143 of his 178 yards coming in two games.

“When you’re not productive on first down, it’s really hard to do anything.” Harris said, lamenting some of the penalties that have put the team in first-and-long situations. “It’s one thing not being productive, but when you’re going backwards… it makes it really, really tough.”

Hope isn’t lost on the Winnipegger, who believes this offence is close to breaking out of its shell.

“We just have to really buckle down here, hold ourselves accountable and really just come together,” he said.

scott.billeck@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @scottbilleck

Scott Billeck
Reporter

Scott Billeck is a general assignment reporter for the Free Press. A Creative Communications graduate from Red River College, Scott has more than a decade’s worth of experience covering hockey, football and global pandemics. He joined the Free Press in 2024.  Read more about Scott.

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