Kelly adamant team on right track

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This article was published 09/11/2009 (5867 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

HIS back against a wall, a throng of microphones aimed directly at him, Winnipeg Blue Bombers head coach Mike Kelly looked every bit the man facing a firing squad.

But the rookie Bomber boss remains steadfast in the foundation he believes he’s built, even though his handiwork will now be scrutinized.

“I know what the next few days is going to bring. But we’re an awfully young football team,” said Kelly. “I’m excited about what the future will bring. Our shortcomings I think are pretty evident… And we’ll start (Monday) addressing those shortcomings and start looking to 2010 to get this thing right.”

Those shortcomings were in full display in Sunday’s loss to Hamilton: The second-lowest scoring team in the CFL managed just 17 points — only one TD offensively — and looked completely lost in a the second half. Quarterback Michael Bishop finished 8-of-26 for 122 yards with one TD and two interceptions and, get this, was just 2-of-13 for a measly 10 yards in the final 30 minutes.

Bishop, 33, was 6-8 as a starter after parachuting into Winnipeg in July, and threw for 3,035 yards with 15 TDs against 19 interceptions on the season. But this is a position that will be under the microscope going forward.

Kelly said he wanted to have Bishop back in 2010 and “as of right now” would also invite back Stefan LeFors, who opened the season as the team’s starter. The Bombers also had Casey Bramlet and Ricky Santos on the roster Sunday while Adam DiMichele has been here since September.

The team is also high on at least two QB prospects on its negotiation list: Former Utah star Brian Johnson and former Atlanta Falcon D.J. Shockley.

“Michael Bishop came in under some of the most adverse circumstances that anybody could ever come in and went 6-8 for us, had some outstanding games and had some not-so outstanding games” said Kelly. “The way he handled himself in the face of adversity should be commended, whether it was on the field or off the field. I’m a Michael Bishop fan.

“Obviously, I made a mistake this year in not having a more veteran presence to help groom a younger guy. We think we have three talented young guys here right now. We have a couple guys on our negotiation list that we have been in contact with. But Michael brings us a veteran presence that needs to be in camp with us.”

Asked if Sunday’s loss was a microcosm of the entire season, Kelly didn’t disagree.

“Probably,” he admitted. “At times we looked pretty darn good. But we left our defence out on the field too long, which has been our problem the whole year.

“Our inconsistencies on offence have caused us a lot of struggles this year. We need to reassess, re-evaluate, redesign a few things and address a couple personnel spots. We’ll get it right. There’s too many good people in this room for them not to succeed.”

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca