Coach Hall mourning brother

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This article was published 09/10/2019 (2192 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers linebackers and defensive line coach Glen Young spoke to reporters Wednesday and revealed defensive co-ordinator Richie Hall has been absent from the team to mourn the death of his brother.

“First and foremost, Richie is a dear friend of mine. It’s an incredible situation that he’s going through. All we’re trying to do here is take care of him and trying to do the best for him, knowing that this is his show and his system. Between James (pass game analyst James Stanley), J.Y. (defensive backs coach Jordan Younger) and myself, we’re just trying to do the best we can do… until Richie is feeling good about where he’s at,” Young said.

“Because I can’t even imagine what he’s going through, what that’s like with the demands of a football season and then that happens, and the tailspin he must experience. In all honesty, that’s all I think about, is him. When I found out his brother had passed, I was really distraught. I was upset in my office, and I couldn’t contain myself. I have two younger brothers, and I know he was very close to him.

“I want to do my best job for Richie, that’s all I’m doing it for, really. I want to make sure this defence is intact, the way it should be. And I want to make sure Richie feels good about things when he returns.”

Hall hasn’t been with the club for the past two weeks, missing Saturday’s 21-6 road loss to the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Young, with the help of the other defensive coaches, took over the game’s play calling for Hall.

“It was fine. Between the three of us, we did a phenomenal job out there. It’s tough to be a man down. The demands of the information that you need during a game is very difficult,” Young said.

“I’ve been in that situation before as a co-ordinator, so it’s not like it was frustrating or tough or anything like that. It was kind of like, get on the bike and ride it again. I’m going to do the best job I can for everybody. I do it for the players, I do it for my fellow coaches. I just want to give us the best chance to do the best we can do together.”

There is no timeline for Hall’s return and no word if he’ll be back with the team in time for Saturday’s home game against the Montreal Alouettes at IG Field.

● ● ●

Many were surprised to see the Bombers throw the ball as much as they did against the Roughriders last week, especially for a game that was a one-score affair until the final minutes. Quarterback Chris Streveler attempted 40 passes and completed 26 of them in the loss.

The Bombers are known for their potent run game, leading the CFL with an average of 142.9 yards on the ground per game. Against the Roughriders, Andrew Harris, the league’s leading rusher, had just 11 carries.

Bombers offensive co-ordinator Paul LaPolice was asked why the Bombers seemed to move away from the run.

“We’re going to mix up running and passing, and the more first downs you get, the more touches everybody has. Sometimes, if we’re in second-and-long all the time, the odds the tailback is going to touch the ball are very low,” LaPolice said.

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“When you’re on a rhythm moving second-and-short from first-and-10s, everyone is going to touch the ball, and certainly, a run-oriented team will run the ball more. But you also have to throw the ball. If they want to keep a lot of people in the box… we just never want to be one-dimensional. We run more than probably most CFL teams, but you still can’t be one-dimensional.”

INJURY REPORT: receiver Darvin Adams has missed both practices this week but head coach Mike O’Shea said he wasn’t concerned and expects him to be ready for the weekend.

The Bombers will have a closed practice today before a walk-through Friday. 

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.