Bombers’ Hogan ready for debut

One of the key messages Jason Hogan has preached to his players is the importance of adapting to the ever-changing world of professional football.

It’s one thing to speak it, but it’s another thing to live it, and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers first-year offensive co-ordinator has already had to apply those preachings while navigating what has been anything but a normal beginning to his new role.

The first curveball was thrown in the off-season when Hogan was informed that his first game would be without No. 1 quarterback Zach Collaros, who was handed a one-game suspension for failing to respond to a request for a drug test.

The next came in training camp, as Hogan configured his offensive personnel and installed his scheme without one of his most important assistants, quarterbacks coach Jarious Jackson, who was away tending to a personal matter.

Parlayed with the usual day-to-day demands of his job, it’s made for an interesting introduction to co-ordinating in the CFL.

“Humbling,” is how Hogan described it.

“A humbling experience to say the least. You never know. You don’t think you’re ready, right? You’ll never be ready because it’s like anything. It’s a big step. Buck Pierce, (Paul LaPolice)… huge names, huge shoes to fill, so you’re not quite ready, but if you surround yourself with the right people, and we’ve got an amazing organization behind us, so that helps.”

The real first test comes Thursday (7:30 p.m.) when Hogan will call his first regular-season game, as the Bombers host the B.C. Lions (1-0) in the club’s season and home-opener at Princess Auto Stadium.

His play-calling will be under the watchful eyes of Bombers fans, who do not have entirely fond memories of last year’s offence, which struggled as the seventh-ranked unit.

Hogan provided his synopsis of what fans can expect this season without revealing state secrets.

“Exciting. We’re going to make it exciting for the fans,” he said. “It’s a collaborative work. That’s how we roll. That’s how I’ve always done it. The staff comes together, puts their ideas on paper, and the players go out there and execute them.

“It’s a mix of what I’ve done ever since I’ve been coaching high school, college, university. Football is football. We tend to make it too complicated than it needs to be. There’s a bunch of stuff that will be in there.”

The big question is how much Hogan’s offence will differ from the one Pierce ran for four seasons. That topic spurred a healthy exchange between him and a reporter on Monday.

“It’s not just the same offence Buck ran?” the media member began.

“There will be a lot of Jason Hogan’s offence… how about that?” Hogan replied.

The reporter pushed a little bit: “And how different is that from a Buck Pierce offence?”

Hogan dug his heels in: “It will be different from every other co-ordinator in this league.”

The reporter prodded once more: “How much can you not tell us?”

“A lot,” Hogan said with a grin.

One difference players have noted is in the terminology that Hogan uses compared to Pierce, which has been the biggest learning curve for everyone early on.

Bombers receiver Nic Demski explained there are only so many schemes that offences can deploy in Canadian football — which makes for a lot of plays being recycled across the league — but co-ordinators can make their mark in the timing of those play-calls.

“Everybody kind of uses the same sort of concepts, but I think it’s more so how you coach it and how you get to those plays, and what do you do to set up the play, and what do you do to build off the initial play, as well,” he said.

“I think with Hogan, other teams aren’t going to know how he’s going to call that offence, what his tendencies are and what he wants to do with it. So I think he definitely has a step up with that.”

One of Hogan’s top priorities will be getting the ball into the hands of running back Brady Oliveira, with whom he’s developed a special relationship while serving as the club’s running backs coach for the last three seasons.

Hogan said he will give the ball to the league’s reigning Most Outstanding Player, “As much as I can to allow him to finish the season healthy.”

“There’s going to be a lot of learning with not only us, but I think with him, as well,” Demski added. “And I think he’s a humble enough coach to realize that. He’s been real with us, saying, ‘Hey, this is my first stint as an offensive co-ordinator at this level, so ride with me. Learn with me.’ And I think it takes a class-act type of coach to communicate that, as well.

“I’m loving it so far. I think, of course, there’s going to be some ups and downs, like every year, but I’m excited to get this thing going.”

Head coach Mike O’Shea has seen much of the same things that made him comfortable with handing the keys to Hogan.

“Yeah, I thought he’s been great,” said O’Shea. “Very organized, gets good structure, teaches really well. I think the guys respond to him. I think that’s pretty evident from the time he spent as a position coach. They responded well to him.

“He wouldn’t be in his position if it weren’t for all these things that add up to him going to be a successful co-ordinator.”

joshua.frey-sam@freepress.mb.ca

X: @jfreysam