In Drew they trust

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This article was published 19/07/2016 (3367 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

For a good chunk of Tuesday’s practice, quarterback Drew Willy could be seen slinging balls to open receivers in the end zone. Facing pressure from the defence, he found Thomas Mayo up the middle. Then, with a hand in his face, he connected with Jace Davis on a corner route. Next, he hit Darvin Adams on a quick slant.

It was the kind of execution often seen by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers starter during practice; yet rarely has it translated into a game this season. Through four weeks, the Bombers are 1-3. Much of the blame has fallen on the shoulders of a Willy-led offence, with many fans beginning to lose faith in him as a starter.

That faith, however, still exists inside the confines of Investors Group Field.

Like those completed touchdown passes at practice, coaches and teammates have made the case this week it’s what fans often don’t see from Willy that makes him a valued leader. Many said his contributions, both on and off the field, are there, even if the results haven’t always backed it up.

“I don’t know that they’re here at 6:30 in the morning when he shows up to start his day, or when he’s here late at night still here getting his treatment,” said head coach Mike O’Shea. “He’s a lot of good things, has a lot of good tangibles that even the best fans wouldn’t see about Drew Willy.”

For Adams, it’s Willy’s ability to make the smart decision, like throwing the ball away under pressure or moving it to the check-down man. Patrick Neufeld, one of Winnipeg’s starting offensive lineman, said Willy’s confidence is what he admires most from his quarterback — how he conducts himself in the huddle and is able to detect different nuances from opposing defences and how he keeps the rest of the team even-keeled.

“He doesn’t get too high, doesn’t get too low,” said Neufeld. “You’re not going to see an emotional outburst, whether it’s a good play or a bad play. Fans don’t see that kind of emotion coming out of Drew but that’s because he’s just a calm and collected guy. It’s who he is. He’s very thoughtful, very cerebral as a quarterback and we trust him 100 per cent back there.”

As much as Willy is respected by his teammates, it’s not difficult to see why many fans have flooded post-game radio shows and fan forums eager for a change. They aren’t privy to the huddles, nor are they offered a seat in the meeting room when Willy instructs the linemen where to go, or what the best route for a receiver might be.

What they have a front-row seat to are the overthrown receivers, Willy’s seemingly inability to move the ball downfield or to register points. The last time the Bombers scored 30 points in a game was in the season-opener, of last year, the first game of what turned out to be a 5-13 season.

In fact, they haven’t had much to cheer for at home games at the new stadium.

Since 2013, the Bombers have two fewer wins at home (7-22) than the Ottawa Redblacks (9-9-1), who joined the league in 2014 as an expansion team.

In two games at IGF this season, the Bombers are 0-2, and each game fans have booed the offence off the field and chanted for backup Matt Nichols.

“There’s 12 guys on the field at a time on offence and everyone is accountable for the outcome, whether it’s positive or negative,” said running back Andrew Harris. “If it’s one of us it’s all of us and we all got to be better.”

Willy was once a symbol of hope in this city, if not simply being an upgrade at a position that had been a problem for years.

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In his first six starts for the Bombers in 2014, Willy won five of them. Since then, Willy is 6-16. His career has been plagued with ups and downs, including a season-ending knee injury in Week 7 last year.

“It always gets put on the quarterback,” said O’Shea. “I think that’s the way it is on any pro football team. Fair, not fair, we don’t speak in those terms really. I think Drew is a very good quarterback, I really do. And in this building we believe that, too. I guess what goes on outside I don’t think really matters that much.”

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

twitter: @jeffkhamilton

Jeff Hamilton
Multimedia producer

Jeff Hamilton is a sports and investigative reporter. Jeff joined the Free Press newsroom in April 2015, and has been covering the local sports scene since graduating from Carleton University’s journalism program in 2012. Read more about Jeff.

Every piece of reporting Jeff produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.