Blue need a ton of repairs

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 03/11/2014 (3990 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea says he’s taking nothing for granted — including his own job — as his team heads into the off-season.

“I think all our jobs are under review — mine on down,” O’Shea said at Investors Group Field Sunday as his players emptied their lockers following the conclusion of Winnipeg’s season in Calgary on Saturday.

The Bombers defeated the Calgary Stampeders 18-13 at McMahon Stadium to snap an eight-game losing streak and finish at 7-11. While Winnipeg’s season ended on a high note, a second-half swoon saw the Bombers missing the playoffs for the third season in a row and fifth time in the last six years.

It was the first year with O’Shea as head coach, however, and he was asked Sunday what lessons he took away from his rookie season as a head coach.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do. And there’s lots to learn still. That’s an easy answer,” O’Shea said.

Asked where his team needs to get better, O’Shea didn’t mince words. “Every phase. We want to win championships, so saying we’re going to fix one thing here, one thing there — it doesn’t work that way.

“We have to get better across the board. We can’t afford to take penalties, we can’t give up so many turnovers, we can’t give up that number of sacks, we can’t give up those rushing yards, we need to be more effective in the red zone.

“It’s everything. We’re trying to improve every facet of the game. What I’ve said to the coaches so far, is we’re going to spend this off-season inspecting everything.”

Asked to assess the performances of offensive co-ordinator Marcel Bellefeuille and defensive co-ordinator Gary Etcheverry, O’Shea was upbeat.

“They’ve worked extremely hard. They’ve put their players in positions to be successful. They’ve done a pretty good job.”

But O’Shea hedged when asked if the two men would be back for 2015, noting he hasn’t yet had his own performance review from GM Kyle Walters. “When I have that meeting with Kyle, then I’ll be able to go down the line and go from there.”

The Bombers have 16 players who could become free agents next February, including six regular starters.

O’Shea said it’s much too early to say who the team will seek to re-sign.

“Everybody is going to have a chance to meet with me and we will talk about all these scenarios. But that takes a while. We’re not there yet in the process of figuring out the roster and where we’re going to go from here.”

One of those potential free agents is offensive tackle Glenn January, who repeated Sunday he’d like to be back next year.

January said the culture of the locker-room changed for the better this year, and while the team still missed the playoffs, he doesn’t think a dramatic remaking of the roster is necessary, like it has been in recent years.

“I would assume the change this year would be a little bit less than years past. There’s definitely been a lot of turnover during my tenure with the Bombers.”

While O’Shea insisted everything is on the table heading into the off-season, he made a pointed exception for his quarterbacks — Drew Willy, supported by backups Brian Brohm, Robert Marve and Josh Portis.

“We feel we’ve got a very good quarterback stable,” said O’Shea. “It’s turned out very well. That area has been addressed.”

Willy battled through a number of injuries over the course of the season and left the game early against Calgary after he hurt his forearm near the end of the first half.

Willy confessed Sunday he had nagging hand and shoulder injuries throughout the season, preventing him from spending as much time in the weight room as he would have liked — something he hopes to change next year.

Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter

Mike McIntyre | On Sports

Thursdays

Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter.

Sign up for Mike McIntyre | On Sports

Sign Up

I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

“I’ve talked to (trainer) Al (Couture) already that we get a plan where I can get back lifting more weights during the season,” said Willy. “Because it was tough. I was so worried about just getting on the field that I wasn’t able to be in the weight room as much, and my body wasn’t where I wanted it to be.”

The Bombers host the Grey Cup in 2015 and Willy — who was the backup for the Saskatchewan Roughriders when they hosted the Grey Cup in 2013 — said he would love to replicate that experience in Winnipeg.

“The ultimate goal for any organization is to win the Grey Cup at home. I don’t think there could be anything sweeter,” said Willy. “It’s got to be on every single guy’s mind in there. It’s truly a special opportunity and we need to take full advantage of it.”

Next year will also mark the 25th anniversary of the Bombers’ last Grey Cup win, in 1990.

paul.wiecek@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @PaulWiecek