Bombers add Willie, Longo to roster

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This article was published 24/08/2015 (3896 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s not the 1990s anymore, but Winnipeg Blue Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea would like to see a resurgence of House of Pain.

Well, perhaps not the band, but the essence of the name would do just fine when it came to his special teams department.

O’Shea went back to basics on Sunday as the team was put through the fundamental ringer. The reality for the Bombers is they’ve lost games as a direct result of special teams errors. Bomber fans may remember A.J. Jefferson’s 50-yard punt return touchdown just a week and a half ago, which put the Toronto Argos in a lead they wouldn’t relinquish or Lirim Hajrullahu missing two field goals and a convert in a 26-25 loss to the Calgary Stampeders earlier in the season.

With the home stretch of the 2015 season in front of them, O’Shea wants to see more urgency for his squad and he outlined exactly what that means to him.

“Special teams, it’s about speed and violence,” O’Shea said, candidly. “ I want to see that. I want to see more of that. I want to see more of that across the board.”

O’Shea said it’s not an effort problem, he’s convinced the effort is there.

“But with that, there’s got to be some understanding of the situation,” he said. “When to dump your blocker, when burst and try and make the play and when you’re not going to make that play. There’s a learning process to it. There’s drill work for it. There’s film you got to watch. (There’s) just a higher level of IQ we need on special teams.”

Meanwhile, Bombers shored up some depth at two positions on Monday morning with the additions of receiver Mike Willie and offensive lineman Sam Longo to the practice roster.

Willie worked out with the club during training camp before ultimately being cut. The 6-foot-2, 220-pound Arizona State alum went undrafted in 2012 after putting up 72 receptions for 897 yards and nine touchdowns during a two-year stint in college.

Longo, 6-foot-5, 305 pounds, plied his trade at Cincinnati and spent time with the Miami Dolphins and the Houston Texans.

scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca

Scott Billeck
Reporter

Scott Billeck is a general assignment reporter for the Free Press. A Creative Communications graduate from Red River College, Scott has more than a decade’s worth of experience covering hockey, football and global pandemics. He joined the Free Press in 2024.  Read more about Scott.

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