Winnipeg takes its shot with big target

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This article was published 06/10/2016 (3291 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In a CFL season that has featured a number of bold Winnipeg Blue Bombers roster moves, general manager Kyle Walters may have made his boldest move yet.

Less than a month after the trade with the Toronto Argonauts that sent away former franchise quarterback Drew Willy, the Winnipeg GM is taking a chance on a player the Argos deemed no longer worth the hassle, signing American free-agent receiver Tori Gurley to a contract Thursday morning.

It is questionable because Gurley is just three days removed from being released by Toronto — one of four receivers to get the boot from the Argos this week for reasons that hint at a lack of character off the field.

It is opportunistic because of what he has done on the field, his arrival potentially filling a considerable hole in the Bombers receivers group.

“He’s coming in, he’s got to learn the playbook and he adds some depth,” said Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea after a Thursday practice at Investors Group Field. “The strength of character we have in our room, people want to come in and fit in very quickly. I think it’s a good addition at this time of year.”

The advantages are obvious. Gurley, who turns 29 Nov. 22, is 6-4 and 230 pounds, making him the Bombers’ biggest target. If and when he does make it into the lineup — he’s expected to arrive in Winnipeg today but won’t play Saturday against the B.C. Lions — he should help soften the blow from the absence of Darvin Adams (collarbone).

Gurley has also proven to be a bona fide scoring threat in the CFL. He finished tied for the league lead in receiving touchdowns (10) in his rookie season last year, hauling in 58 catches for 791 yards. This year, he was cut despite leading all Argos receivers with five touchdowns in 10 games. He’s never gone more than two CFL games without scoring a touchdown.

What makes him most appealing, perhaps, is his ability to bolster the Bombers’ red-zone offence that currently ranks in the bottom half of the league.

Of his 15 career touchdowns, 11 have come from plays inside an opponent’s 20-yard line.

“Big target,” said Bombers offensive co-ordinator Paul LaPolice, who first saw Gurley two years ago as a guest coach at Toronto’s training camp. “He’s an impressive guy on tape.”

What’s less clear is the risk the Bombers are taking by acquiring a player, who, in less than two years in the CFL, has already been red-flagged for questionable antics.

Gurley was benched by the Argos at the end of last season despite being the team’s leading receiver. At the time, head coach Scott Milanovich appeared to have had enough, telling reporters he counted Gurley on three different occasions exhibiting “behaviour on the sidelines I consider to be not acceptable.”

On more than one occasion, Gurley and Milanovich could be seen arguing during a game.

Coaches and players have credited strong character and leadership in the locker room as pillars to the Bombers’ success this season. Because of that, they’ve have been able to find a number of contributors without the fear of egos getting in the way. It got the Bombers (8-6) through a 1-4 start, and made a seven-game winning streak that much more enjoyable.

It’s for that reason O’Shea said he believes his team provides the right atmosphere for Gurley for a chance at a new beginning.

“I’m confident in the fact when guys get here and they see the way we conduct business and the types of guys we have, they want to fit in,” said O’Shea. “And I’m quite confident that if he doesn’t want to, we’ll know very quickly and that will be our answer.”

Asked how much homework the Bombers had done on Gurley, O’Shea was succinct: “Enough to allow us to sign him.”

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That research likely included talking to personnel inside the Argos organization, where O’Shea spent four seasons as special teams coach before arriving in Winnipeg. It also included talking to one of his own players, defensive back T.J. Heath, who spent the first 10 games with Toronto this season before joining the Bombers as part of the trade for Willy.

“He’s a fiery receiver who never backs down to a fight,” said Heath, who added he vouched for Gurley. “The biggest thing with Tori is when he sees the ball, he makes sure that he’s coming down with it. Every team could use that.”

Asked what he felt went wrong in Toronto, Heath believes the perception of Gurley had less to do with his personality than the city and environment he was playing in. Having been in Winnipeg for a few weeks now, he thinks Gurley should fit in.

“When you get guys away from that environment, you actually get everything out of them,” he said. “Once he gets here, we might actually see the best of Tori Gurley.”

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.