Better, badder Blue in 2017

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This article was published 29/05/2017 (3084 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When the Winnipeg Blue Bombers ended their 2016 CFL season with a 32-31 playoff loss to the B.C. Lions, the initial reaction was heartbreak. Winnipeg held the lead for most of the game, including a 12-point cushion minutes into the final quarter, before the Lions roared back.

When the team arrived home from BC Place the next day to clean out their lockers and meet with management and coaches one final time, the pain from the night before had turned to shock, with many unable to fully comprehend the season was over. Unlike previous years, where exit interviews were often quick and produced more question than answers, this time those who had gutted through a breakout season preferred to linger, maybe hoping if they waited long enough they’d be handed a do-over. Eventually, reality sunk in as each vowed to return stronger.

“Anytime you’re winning a football game and you fall short, there is definitely a sour taste in your mouth, but we’ve got to move forward,” said running back Andrew Harris, following Day 1 of training camp Sunday at Investors Group Field. “It’s a new season and we just got to keep building off the things we’re good at and get better at the things that we’re not.”

A year ago the Bombers opened the season believing they were better than their critics suggested. They would prove as much, transitioning from a team that won five games in 2015 to an 11-7 club and a first playoff berth since 2011. On Sunday, it was clear the lessons and heartache from last season have created a new set of expectations.

No longer is it about proving the doubters wrong, but about showing last year was no fluke. The team wants fans to know the Bombers are back, they’re better for what they’ve gone through and are ready for new uncertainties

“Every day is going to be different from last year,” said Jamaal Westerman, back for a third season as one of the few mainstays on the defensive line. “We had rainout games and late starts and quarterback changes and injuries. This year those things may happen, but there may be a whole other list of things we don’t expect and we need to be ready to fight those battles together.”

Earlier this week, head coach Mike O’Shea praised his group of returning veterans and the group of new talent. He spoke confidently about the character of his team and its drive to compete and improve. As the team passed through medicals Saturday and has now hit the field, those estimations have been strengthened.

“They were pretty focused. We got more plays in than we had planned, which is good,” O’Shea said of opening day, which attracted hundreds of fans. “The tempo was pretty high for that to happen and I think there were a couple things on film that we can really teach from. It’s all positive.”

‘He’s got the ability to be that leader and to take a team all the way’– Head coach Mike O’Shea on QB Matt Nichols

O’Shea admitted he, too, has thought a lot about how last season ended, his third patrolling the sidelines and first year posting a winning record.

“The feeling is what sticks with you. No matter how the game ends, it’s the same feeling for every team that doesn’t win the Grey Cup because it’s over before you think it should be,” said O’Shea, who gambled in the dying seconds by taking the ball away from quarterback Matt Nichols and the offence on third-and-three and putting it on the foot of Justin Medlock, who fell short on a 61-yard field goal attempt. “Our guys believed that we were going to play and win the Grey Cup.

“They’ll have that belief again this year.”

It won’t be surprising to see the Bombers perform again at a high level. With offensive co-ordinator Paul LaPolice and defensive co-ordinator Richie Hall back for another season under O’Shea, who will again keep a close eye on special teams, the expectation is Winnipeg should compete for top spot in a competitive West Division.

Given all that, it’s natural to think the Bombers have a realistic chance to snap their dreadful 26-year Grey Cup drought, even if some of their weaknesses could get in the way.

For starters, finding the right mix of players on the D-line has been a struggle for general manager Kyle Walters. For the second consecutive season Walters has done a major overhaul with his front four. He’s added two highly regarded free agents in defensive end Tristan Okpalaugo and tackle Drake Nevis to replace Euclid Cummings and Keith Shologan.

“We’re going to be a close group and we’re going to work hard together,” Westerman said.

Also, as impressive as Nichols was last season when he led the Bombers to a 10-3 record after replacing Drew Willy as the No. 1 quarterback, there are lingering questions as to whether he’ll be able to perform at the same level or stay healthy enough to complete a three-year extension signed in January that pays him north of $400,000 per season.

“From the time he got here it was pretty evident he’s got the ability to be that leader and to take a team all the way,” O’Shea said.

Should Nichols get injured, the Bombers have a reliable backup in Dan LeFevour, now with his fourth CFL team in as many years, and are pleased with how Dominique Davis has progressed over his two seasons wearing Blue and Gold. There is the intriguing Austin Apodaca, who didn’t see much playing time at New Mexico but has arguably the strongest arm of the four.

“They’re smart guys, athletic,” O’Shea said. “They can bring a little something different to the table, each one of them.”

The job belongs to Nichols for the foreseeable future. It’s the first time in his seven CFL years he enters camp as the undisputed starter and at age 30 he feels primed for another breakout season. His teammates are also confident the best is yet to come.

“Sometimes when guys get that starting job they start to get comfortable,” Harris said. “The guys who play with that edge are the ones who are successful and I couldn’t ask for a better guy.”

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