Not exactly Vince Lombardi

Bombers' new boss is part standup guy, part standup comic

By: Ed Tait Posted: 1:00 AM CDT Sunday, Jun. 14, 2009

It was earlier in the week, not long after one of his daily sessions with the media, when we first got evidence that Mike Kelly isn't exactly the picture of a rookie head coach wound so tight his head might explode at the first sign of distress.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 14/06/2009 (6253 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It was earlier in the week, not long after one of his daily sessions with the media, when we first got evidence that Mike Kelly isn’t exactly the picture of a rookie head coach wound so tight his head might explode at the first sign of distress.

There was Kelly talking about the guy who welcomed him to his neighbourhood in Philadelphia. Breaking into a thick mob-guy/Rocky Balboa accent and waving his arms for effect, Kelly rolls with:

PHIL.HOSSACK@FREEPRESS.MB.CA
Doug Brown (right) raised his eyebrows when Mike Kelly served Booster Juices to veterans at Bombers practice. But the stunt also raised Brown’s spirits. — PHIL.HOSSACK@FREEPRESS.MB.CA Doug Brown (right) raised his eyebrows when Mike Kelly served Booster Juices to veterans at Bombers practice. But the stunt also raised Brown’s spirits.

"This is a great (bleep)ing neighbourhood. You’ll love it here. There’s a lot of (bleep)ing diversity here. Up there on the hill you got the Irish Catholic church. And just over there, you got the Italian Catholic church. Like I (bleep)ing said, a lot of (bleep)ing diversity."

We can also tell you the new Winnipeg Blue Bomber boss apparently had the squad howling when he did an impersonation of a rabbi after practice. And, of course, there he was on ‘Geezer Day’ — an afternoon when any player born in 1979 or earlier was exempt from working out — where Kelly worked his way through each positional drill handing out Booster Juices to the vets.

And as someone who has been scribbling about this team since 1990, we can tell you that’s a first.

So, if we were to sum up Week 1 of Kelly’s regime we can tell you he is part Cal Murphy on the field and part Shecky Greene off it (he actually topped off one smart-aleck answer with: ‘Hey, I’m here till Wednesday, try the veal.’) He can get cranky at practice, á la Dave Ritchie, and seems to lean to the players’-coach approach, much like Mike Riley.

And, obviously, if he can have any of the success of that trio, the Bombers might just be on to something.

"He’s the coolest head coach I’ve ever played for," said veteran linebacker Barrin Simpson. "He’s a players’ coach who knows what the players need, but he is also THE most-organized coach ever. Every minute, every second of the day is organized to the ‘T.’ We don’t waste any time out here. He’s a great manager. Every second we’re on the field we’re taking care of business. And then he knows how to have fun while we’re doing that business.

"I gotta tell ya, it’s really exciting. We’re enjoying ourselves and we’re flying around getting the work done."

Now, before we go on we should interject momentarily with a little balance. It should be noted that 12 years ago the first reviews of Jeff Reinebold were mostly positive, too. He had music piped into practices, hustled around in flip-flops and regularly quoted Bob Marley. And we all know how that turned out when they started keeping score in real games.

Granted, every new head coach brings his own approach, his own ideas and commandments. And in that respect Kelly is no different. But he’s also got a connection with this franchise that he’s hammering home every day, from bringing in alumni to speak to the troops to ending every practice by ordering the troops to gather on the ‘W’ — the Bomber logo at centre field.

Some, like Simpson, he won over instantly. Others, maybe not so much. But we can also tell you there are very few grumblings from the rank and file. And, as long as he can prove his blueprint is a winner — whether he’s cracking wise or cracking the whip — the troops will follow.

"It’s too early to slap labels on him," said veteran defensive tackle Doug Brown. "I will say this: he makes more sense than coach Ritchie in his post-practice speeches and he’s definitely more personable than Doug Berry. He’s very charismatic, very personable. And in 13 years of professional football I’ve never had a head coach give me a Booster Juice before.

"A week in to camp and I’d say we’re starting to get the feeling that we want to play for this guy. I mean, there’s enough incentive already because this is our livelihood, but it’s starting to emerge that this is a coach you want to make sure you’re selling out for.

"Every coach has their differences in how they do things. What’s most important is what’s effective on the field."

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca