Blue fightin’ mad

Melee breaks out at first practice after frustrating defeat

By: Paul Wiecek Posted: 3:00 AM CDT Wednesday, Jul. 22, 2015 Last Modified: 3:19 PM CDT Wednesday, Jul. 22, 2015 | Updates

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Mike O'Shea said they were "spirited." Chris Randle and Drew Willy said they were "angry."

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Mike O'Shea said they were "spirited." Chris Randle and Drew Willy said they were "angry."

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This article was published 22/07/2015 (3705 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

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Mike O’Shea said they were “spirited.” Chris Randle and Drew Willy said they were “angry.”

Whatever word was used, what was clear as the Winnipeg Blue Bombers returned to the practice field Tuesday is the team has some lingering hard feelings about the debacle that was Saturday’s 26-25 loss to the Calgary Stampeders.

A lengthy and protracted scrap near the end of practice that initially involved running back Cameron Marshall and cornerback Johnny Adams quickly expanded to include at least a dozen players on offence and defence pushing and shoving and cursing each other.

MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
Winnipeg Blue Bombers DB Chris Randle (left) and receiver Rory Kohlert match wits and muscle at Tuesday's workout. — MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Winnipeg Blue Bombers DB Chris Randle (left) and receiver Rory Kohlert match wits and muscle at Tuesday's workout.

It went on longer than these occasional practice scraps usually last, and it involved more players and higher decibels. And no, it wasn’t a coincidence all this was happening on the first day the team got back together since they blew a 16-0 lead to the Stamps and turned what would have been a huge win into a heartbreaking loss.

“Yeah we’re angry,” said Randle, one of Adams’ cohorts in the secondary. “The intensity on this football team needs to be higher. Everything needs to be higher. We’re not happy with how we finished that game in Calgary and now we’re learning from it and trying to turn it into something to make us a better team.”

Quarterback Willy said he liked the response to the loss his team showed in its first day back at practice.

“I think guys are fired up and I don’t think it’s a bad thing,” he said “I think it was a pretty solid practice on both sides of the ball and everyone is holding their head high and has a lot of confidence.”

Scapegoats

Willy rejected the idea there was a danger the anger his team is feeling right now after a game in which there was no shortage of scapegoats was being directed inwards in a scrap that saw the offence and defence expressing their displeasure for one another.

“I don’t think they’re mad at each other,” said Willy. “That’s just football. Sometimes a guy will get hit late or a defender will feel he got hit in the back or something. Everywhere I’ve ever been there’s been stuff like that happen at practice.

“So yeah, we’re good.”

Blue head coach O’Shea let the scrap play out and the players separate themselves and afterward downplayed the significance of the incident.

“It’s not really fights. It’s not like guys’ helmets were off and they’re going toe to toe. It’s a wrestling match… It’s fine. It was spirited.”

O’Shea also rejected the idea his team was still “angry” after the loss to Calgary.

“No, I don’t think so,” he said. “They were very workmanlike. The receivers had a great day today — they seemed to catch everything…

“So it’s up to the defence to pick things up, and Johnny Adams was trying to pick his guys up. You know — it’s all left out here. They walk off here and they’re fine.”

The scrap between Adams and Marshall, according to one witness, began when Marshall objected to the former giving him a shove in the back out of bounds.

“We’re a team with a common goal,” said Randle, “and the only way we’re going to achieve that goal is if we push each other. We knew today that we had to do that. We had to get another level out of us and that’s what we did.”

While a special-teams unit that turned the ball over twice to Calgary and missed two field goals and a convert, and an offence that hopelessly mismanaged the game’s final minutes took most of the blame for Saturday’s loss, Randle said his defence also has to own responsibility for a monster Calgary touchdown drive in the third quarter that spoiled what was otherwise a solid defensive effort by Winnipeg.

“107 yards. Yeah, I remember it,” said Randle. “Missed assignments, penalties, things we just can’t let happen. Our kicker did a great job pinning them and we have to take advantage of that.

“That’s in our heads and that’s part of that intensity you saw today.”

paul.wiecek@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @PaulWiecek