This Bomber team has issues

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 05/06/2010 (5662 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

They arrived at Maroons Road in February, the new house guests did. Moved in, rearranged furniture, cleaned out desks, hung pictures, painted some walls and generally made themselves at home.

Now Winnipeg Blue Bomber fans had better hope the local moving companies can take a breather and the new Joe Mack/Paul LaPolice regime settles in for a long spell.

Continuity clearly hasn’t been a prevailing theme in Bomberland of late and it says right here that it’s one of the main reasons the organization is suffering through the second-longest Grey Cup drought in its 80-year history. Yes, 1990 might seem like an eternity ago for the franchise’s faithful but, for the record, the wait between the 1962 and 1984 championships was just that much longer.

We bring this up today on the eve of the opening of main training camp as part of our regular feature on the 10 questions/issues the Bombers must answer to return to glory. Now, some of this is going to be like picking at an open wound for many who wanted to erase the last couple of years, but try to think of it as a chance to debate and discuss the Bomb Squad while gearing up for the 2010 season and not some sort of inhumane mental torture test.

1. THE NEW BRAIN TRUST

The early reviews are mostly all positive, from the players raving about LaPolice’s playbook to the quiet approach taken by Mack and the whole organization through the winter. They have made no bold promises and aren’t busting out a pile of quick-fix solutions — Michael Bishop, where art thou? — that fixate on the short term and rarely work. Their blueprint isn’t a whole lot different from the successful organizations in this league: build the Canadian and quarterback depth, provide a solid teaching foundation and then roll up the sleeves and get to work.

Sure that might not sound sexy, but consider this: with just one winning season in the last six years, what was in place before now was hardly working either.

2. CAN BUCK STAY UPRIGHT?

He’s a winner and he’s got the kind of game that will endear himself to Bomber fans if — and that’s always the case with Pierce — he can stay healthy. A five-year CFL vet with a 21-12-1 won-lost-tied record as a starter, Pierce instantly upgrades the most important position on the depth chart for the Bombers. Interestingly, though, for all his success his career highs in passing yardage — 3,018 — and touchdowns — 19 — are just so-so. Consider this as well while we chat about the QB situation: since 1965 a Bombers pivot has been named to the CFL all-star team just eight times and only once in the last 22 years (Khari Jones in 2001). By comparison, Montreal’s Anthony Calvillo has been named the CFL all-star QB four times since 2002.

3. NO MORE WOE IS THE ‘O’ STUFF

The Bombers were dead last in scoring in 2008 and were even worse a year ago, scoring nine fewer touchdowns while managing 75 fewer first downs and just 200 yards passing per game. It was a dated attack that was, save for a highlight moment or two like Fred Reid’s 260-yard night in Vancouver, a complete disaster. During LaPolice’s first go-round here as offensive coordinator the Bombers finished first and fourth in scoring. His schemes are big on creating mismatches and have long been seen as among the most creative in the CFL. Put it this way — if the Bombers finish last again in scoring this year then the franchise is truly cursed.

4. THE CANADIAN CONTENT — MORE STAR POWER NEEDED

Doug Brown may still dominate like he’s in his late 20s, but the fact is the Bombers best Canadian turns 36 this September. Brendon LaBatte could be the next dominant O-lineman in this league and there are solid pieces including Steve Morley, Obby Khan, Ian Logan, Brock Ralph and Brady Browne. Newcomer Cory Watson has been impressive in rookie camp and Jabari Arthur certainly has the size to become an inviting target. But the Bombers need more Canadian depth across the board at virtually every position, just like the Montreal Alouettes and Saskatchewan Roughriders — last year’s finalists — whose homegrown talent gives them a huge advantage in ratio flexibility with the roster.

5. THE NFL GUYS — ANY HOPE OF A RETURN?

The Bombers currently have four players in NFL camps: DB Jonathan Hefney (Detroit), LB Derrick Doggett (Pittsburgh), WR Titus Ryan (Dallas) and WR Dudley Guice Jr. (Indianapolis). Of the four, Hefney and Ryan have made the biggest impression through mini camps and likely won’t be back, if at all, until the end of the summer. Either one would be solid additions for the second half of the season. Doggett, meanwhile, would certainly push Joe Lobendahn for the starting middle linebacker job while Guice, Jr. might not get an invite to return if the current collection of receiving prospects continues to impress.

6. PLUGGING THE HOLES IN THE AIR DEFENCE

With Hefney gone and Lenny Walls released (now with Edmonton), the Bombers have two gaping holes at defensive halfback, arguably the most difficult of all positions in the secondary because of the coverage responsibilities on a wide field. Those two combined for 114 tackles, 11 interceptions and two forced fumbles and that kind of production isn’t easily replaced. There is talent here, including veteran Keyuo Craver, who has moved inside from corner, ex-Alouette Clint Kent, returnee Brandon Stewart and newcomers Jason Tate and Alex Suber, but this will be a question mark into the early part of the regular season.

7. IT’S ABOUT ALL THOSE CHANGES ON ‘D’… WHAT GIVES?

Hefney, Walls, Doggett, Gavin Walls, Siddeeq Shabazz and Barrin Simpson are all gone from a unit that surrendered the most points in the league last year but spent an eternity on the field and actually gave this squad a shot at the playoffs into the final week. Bomber brass are convinced Odell Willis and Phillip Hunt are going to get after it from the end positions and we saw evidence of that late last season. But the club is also looking at four changes in the linebacking corps and secondary. Change can be good. Too much change on a CFL defence can be a nightmare.

8. MORE WEAPONS, PLEASE

Remember when? In both 2007 and 2008 the Bomber receiving corps boasted three 1,000-yard men — Terrence Edwards, Derick Armstrong and Milt Stegall in ’07 and Edwards, Armstrong and Romby Bryant a year later. But last year the numbers fell dramatically, so much so that for the first time since 1998 the offence did not feature a single 1,000-yard receiver (Adarius Bowman finished at 925). We’ll state the obvious here: this is a passing league dominated by quarterbacks and receivers — not since Mike Pringle in 1998 has a player other than a QB or pass catcher not been named Most Outstanding Player — and the Bombers suffered last year because of a QB crisis and an outdated offence. Edwards remains and Bowman has star written all over him. There is skill and now a QB to keep them busy.

9. SPECIAL TEAMS QUESTIONS

Punter Mike Renaud should be good to go after suffering a knee injury last season and Alex Serna is coming off a solid season in which he connected on 81.6 per cent of his field goals. Interestingly, neither position will be contested during camp. The big debate LaPolice and his staff will likely wrestle with is what to do with Jovon Johnson in the return department. Clearly, the guy is a dynamic returner. But does the club risk losing its Most Outstanding Player on special teams or find somebody else to handle the chores? It’s no coincidence a half dozen rookies were fielding punts at the end of practice Friday.

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10. WILL THE DROUGHT EVER END?

Not that Bomber fans or anybody associated with the organization are keeping track, but it’s been 19 years, six months and 10 days since the Bombers last won a Grey Cup, the longest current championship drought in the CFL. Brian Mulroney was Prime Minister. George Bush — the dad, not the nincompoop — was president and Vanilla Ice and MC Hammer were atop the music charts. Sooner or later that worm will turn… won’t it?

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca