Younger takes over Bombers D

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This article was published 03/06/2024 (467 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

At first blush, it looks like it could be an awkward situation. Or at the very least, a too-many-cooks scenario that could lead to some serious stepping on toes.

After months of letting the dust settle over the offseason, followed by the last three weeks of training camp and getting ready for the 2024 CFL season, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers say their new-look defensive staff is operating at an optimum level.

“It’s probably fairly seamless,” Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea said following practice Monday, the first formal workout ahead of Thursday’s season-opener against the visiting Montreal Alouettes. “They all know what their role is and how they fit, and like players that have different roles at different times, they’re unified in making every day a positive experience for the players. So, I’m excited about it.”

As a reminder for those out of the loop, the Bombers promoted Jordan Younger over the winter to defensive co-ordinator, after six seasons as the club’s defensive backs coach. Younger replaced Richie Hall for the top coaching job on defence, although Hall hasn’t gone far, with the veteran play-caller still on the payroll as a defensive assistant.

It’s a unique transition, to say the least, and a bit odd when you consider Hall has been in the driver’s seat for years. After eight seasons as the DC, he’s now taking on a lesser role, forced to hand the keys over to Younger.

“It’s his and he’s doing a great job. The reality is that at some point and time, things are going to change. That’s life,” Hall said. “It just happened to be this year. You go with it, and you make the most of whatever the situation is that day and you go forward.”

Hall said it was something he and O’Shea had discussed in recent years and it started to become a situation of when, and not if Younger would take over. So, in that way, it wasn’t much of a surprise, even if Hall wasn’t necessarily expecting the change to come this year.

Things escalated over the offseason after offensive co-ordinator Buck Pierce applied for the head coaching job with the Saskatchewan Roughriders and was said to have pitched Younger as his DC. Pierce ultimately turned down the gig in Regina, leveraging the job for a pay increase and a promotion for Younger.

Younger was considered by many around the CFL as the next DC in waiting, and he finally gets his shot with the club he’s spent the most time with and knows the most about. He also considers Hall to be a “tremendous asset,” admitting he’s leaned on him for support at times during the transition.

“There’s so much more to co-ordinating than just Xs and Os,” Younger said. “It’s the things that make the meetings run smoothly, the timing, how much time you have to give to each coaching point – just knowing those things. It’s, ‘Hey, how long have I got for this?’ and being able to hear that from him is very reassuring and reaffirming.”

Both agreed there are similarities and differences in how they’ve viewed Winnipeg’s defence.

With Younger now at the controls, he wants the defence to be more versatile. He said his focus was immediately to invest in more time in understanding what happens on the offensive side of the ball.

“The more we understand that the more we can choose our side,” Younger said. “There’s definitely an emphasis on not just raising our level of IQ on the defensive side but increasing our level of understanding of how offences attack defences.”

He added: “Every week there will be a new challenge and one of the things that’s important to me is versatility. Across the CFL a lot of the success depends on style matchups, so being able to change styles when necessary and being able to recognize it in real time is one of the challenges, one of the things we’re looking forward to doing.”

Willie Jefferson has been with the Bombers since 2019 and has a great appreciation for Hall and Younger. He looks forward to seeing what Younger can do with his keen eye for the game, echoing what Hall and several others with the Bombers have said.

Jefferson said his first observations of Younger’s defence is it’s going to be aggressive, top to bottom. He also said Younger’s vision of being more versatile means more athletic football players on the field who can play different roles, meaning they’ll be able to disguise what they’re doing with the hope of confusing the opposing offence.

“It’s not going to be the typical four defensive lineman — two defensive ends, two defensive tackles. It might be more big bodies on the defensive line and then sometimes it might be less D-lineman and more linebacker or defensive back types,” Jefferson said. “We’re trying to put the best product on the field. We want to be tough on first down and fast on second down.”

Younger isn’t looking to re-invent the wheel, believing they’ve accomplished a lot in recent years. He plans to build on that success, mixing what worked with his own new flavour. Hall remains a big part of that.

“We have standards here that we’ve established over the last couple of seasons, and I’d like to maintain that,” Younger said. “With that being said, the dynamics of it haven’t changed much. I still take a lot of insight from Richie Hall. He’s an incredibly valuable asset to me personally and to our staff.”

Jeff.Hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

X: @jeffkhamilton