Time to salvage something

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 19/09/2009 (5915 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Face it, the odds are that the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, barring a Hail Mary from the heavens, are going to have a losing season.

But a lost season?

Well, that depends.

You see, at the turn of the century, the Bombers had a losing season, too, finishing 7-10-1. But from that cocoon of mediocrity emerged a foundation for several years of flourishing football.

Why? Because that’s the year, by process of elimination, the Bombers found Khari Jones, who went on to become one of the most prolific quarterbacks in franchise history. It wasn’t unlike 1997, a gloriously putrid 4-14 year under rookie head coach Jeff Reinebold, when out of the wreckage came the first all-star selection for a receiver named Milton Stegall.

At this moment, the Bombers are now 3-7 and their playoff hopes are dim at best. By the head coach’s own admission, the team is spinning its wheels at quarterback. So maybe the post-season isn’t the most important long-term concern for the Bombers now.

Ask yourself: What would you rather see, a team limping into the playoffs only to get obliterated, or the unearthing of a young quarterback who can be the foundation of the organization for several years to come?

The easy answer, of course, is ‘both.’ But that might be asking a tad too much given the circumstances. Besides, any young quarterback, such as the next victi…., er, prospect Casey Bramlet, will have to undergo a learning curve that would probably require patience and grace.

Yes, that may be a lot to stomach for the disgruntled since we can’t recall back in June much talk about "rebuilding the franchise from scratch." But that was just another optical error made in what will be remembered as The Worst Way to Establish Expectations Ever.

You see, folks, sometimes it just is what it is. Nothing more, nothing less.

That was exactly the case prior to Jones’ arrival, when the Bombers went through quarterbacks like potato chips. They tried to stem the tide with an over-the-hill pylon with an arm in veteran Kerwin Bell. But they were just spinning their wheels. There was no upside or future with Bell under centre. And they lost more than they won, anyway.

Eventually, old Dave Ritchie was forced to start Jones and the rest is found in the Bombers’ record books. Too bad Jones was already 29 when he finally got his shot, limiting his tenure with the Blue and Gold. Imagine if he was younger and stayed around for a decade.

What else might keep the 2009 season from being a complete loss? How about finding the next Bombers Hall of Famer, such as Stegall. Or Geroy Simon. Or Arland Bruce, who all entered the CFL as Bombers. Heck, maybe that guy is Dudley Guice Jr. We just don’t know yet.

After all, it’s not too much to expect some consolation for all the angst and suffering, right?

This is where it’s imperative that coach Mike Kelly and director of player personnel John Murphy find the quarterback who was supposed to be Stefan LeFors. Their fates with the Bombers might now hinge on such a discovery.

Because despite all the criticism heaped on Kelly in the last few months, all those fans calling for his bald melon, very few in the press corps would want to see him go. He’s our meal ticket. Honestly, the prospect of an outspoken head coach with no filter who wins? That’s enough to create a pool of drool on the keyboard.

It would be like if Reinebold had won. He’d still be here, flip-flops and all.

All for naught

Sure, it might never happen. Finding a franchise quarterback for the future. Finding a Hall of Famer. A head coach finding his feet. But there has to be a reason for hope. You’d like to think this entire exercise wasn’t all for naught.

The Bombers will look you in the eyeballs and tell you they haven’t given up on the season. They’ll insist this budding Titanic will be turned around before the ice freezes.

That would be acceptable, too, obviously. But it’s fast getting to the point where you begin looking for the Phoenix in the ashes.

Too soon? Perhaps. Because the "both" answer, given the state of competition, isn’t unthinkable.

But I’d settle for a quarterback, a younger version of Mr. Jones, even if that means prolonging the agony a little.

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It’s not an easy job to find the next Ricky Ray or Anthony Calvillo. We understand. They only come along once every decade or so.

However, this much is certain: The sooner you start holding auditions, the sooner you’ll find him.

The rest is just treading water, and getting no closer to the shore.

randy.turner@freepress.mb.ca

Randy Turner
Reporter

Randy Turner spent much of his journalistic career on the road. A lot of roads. Dirt roads, snow-packed roads, U.S. interstates and foreign highways. In other words, he got a lot of kilometres on the odometer, if you know what we mean.

   Read full biography