Is this Blue crew finally for real?

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 09/08/2016 (3632 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Are the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the last two weeks the team fans hoped — even expected — would start the 2016 CFL season?

It’s a question being asked all over town.

For offensive lineman Stanley Bryant, the only difference between the club’s tough start — the Bombers were 1-4 through five weeks — and the back-to-back wins over Edmonton and Hamilton, are the results.

“This is what we’ve been waiting for,” Bryant said after Tuesday’s practice at Investors Group Field. “I know this is what the fans have been waiting for, what the city’s been waiting for.

“We’re just going out and giving our all. In the last two games, we’ve just been putting it all together — with special teams, offence and defence — and we’ve been getting good results. If we play together like we’ve always been, then anything is possible.”

Even with the wins — the Bombers’ first consecutive victories in more than two years — the team remains below .500, with a 3-4 record. Add in the fact they still have just one win in their last seven games at home…

Have they really turned the corner?

That question will no doubt fuel debate on local radio shows, in fan forums and at the water cooler at least until Friday night, when the Blue and Gold take on the Argonauts at Toronto’s BMO Field.

But there’s been an entirely different conversation inside the locker room, head coach Mike O’Shea said.

“I really don’t care what the label is as long as we keep going,” he said. “It took us a while to find the groove. But I think all along, all the players have believed that we’ve got a talented group… it’s a matter of becoming a team.”

What kind of team is that? Time will tell.

● ● ●

Bombers receiver Kris Adams played his first game in close to three seasons when he suited up against the Ticats last week.

Plucked from the six-game injured list, Adams figured he’d get a couple of weeks to practise before he was inserted into the lineup. Instead, he had only a few days to prepare.

On Tuesday, he finally had time to reflect on his performance, which included two receptions for 37 yards, including a 32-yard grab late in the game that helped kill the clock.

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“It was a little more weird that I thought it would be,” said Adams, 28, who had to leave the game for close to two quarters due to cramps.

“My body really wasn’t prepared to play a football game. I’m feeling a lot better going into this week. Just going out there and making that play, keeping myself a little bit relevant, hopefully I can make a couple more plays and get into a rhythm.”

● ● ●

Sick bay: Defensive lineman Justin Cole, who recorded two sacks in the win over Hamilton, returned to practice Tuesday but was unable to finish. His status remains day-to-day with a lower-body injury. O’Shea also said he expects to see receiver Weston Dressler back in the lineup after the bye week, which is next week. O’Shea was less committal with receiver Ryan Smith, but said he hoped for a similar timeline to Dressler.

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @jeffkhamilton

Jeff Hamilton
Multimedia producer

Jeff Hamilton joined the Free Press newsroom in 2015, reporting on the sports and investigative beats until he left the Free Press in July 2026.

Every piece of reporting Jeff produced was reviewed by an editing team before it was posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.