Pursuit of perfection drives Blue’s LaPolice

Head coach saw dozens of flaws Sunday despite convincing win vs. Als

By: Ed Tait Posted: 1:00 AM CDT Tuesday, Jun. 15, 2010

HE was cordial and polite, accommodating and patient. But you didn't have to study Paul LaPolice long during his media session on Monday to understand that something was gnawing at him.

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HE was cordial and polite, accommodating and patient. But you didn't have to study Paul LaPolice long during his media session on Monday to understand that something was gnawing at him.

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This article was published 15/06/2010 (5653 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

HE was cordial and polite, accommodating and patient. But you didn’t have to study Paul LaPolice long during his media session on Monday to understand that something was gnawing at him.

Oh sure, the Winnipeg Blue Bomber boss slapped some backs after watching film of Sunday’s 34-10 exhibition win over a team dressed up as the Montreal Alouettes.

He praised the effort of the special teams, the work of the offence on the opening drive and he loved how his squad adapted after having a dozen or so players go MIA with the flu late last week.

TREVOR HAGAN / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
Paul LaPolice: 'There's a lot to improve' — TREVOR HAGAN / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Paul LaPolice: 'There's a lot to improve'

But it seems he also found some flaws in the overall performance, too.

A lot of flaws, actually.

"At times our execution was very spotty," said LaPolice. "We’re watching (game film) right now and we’re not even close to good enough, where you need to be.

"It should have been 28 points (on the first four drives)… we dropped a ball in the end zone and we had a bunch of drops. We should have handed the ball off… Yvenson Bernard probably would have probably had about 200 yards rushing on about four carries if we handed the ball off a couple of times on the zone read (where the QB has the option to hand off or pass). So, there’s a lot to improve on.

"It’s never going to be about wins and losses, it’s going to be about how we execute as a group."

Yes, a coach’s pursuit of perfection can sometimes be perplexing to outsiders, particularly after a win as solid as Sunday’s exhibition debut. But what has LaPolice & Co. concerned is something much more basic, particularly at the embryonic stages of a season: there is still a whole pile of the offensive and defensive systems to install and little time to do it.

After all, the Bombers are in Hamilton to face the Tiger-Cats this Sunday in their final pre-season game and open the season 12 days later.

"It’s overall execution," LaPolice continued. "It’s everyone. It’s not like anybody graded out perfect. Quarterbacks got a ton to improve on, so do the receivers, the DBs, the D-line… everybody."

And that message will be delivered clearly today when the club is back on the field. LaPolice said he also wants to reiterate to his players that they can’t just turn it on for the games, they have to pop off the film daily.

"We told them the first night, ‘You will not make this team from a pre-season game,’" he said.

"(Quarterback) Alex Brink is a perfect example. He’s had a very good camp but he had only four plays in the game (two passes dropped by receivers, two hand-offs). Sometimes players come up and they say, ‘Ah well, I’ll wait to the game and then it’ll turn on and I’ll get all these plays.’ It’s a fast game, you don’t know how many plays you’re going to get. You have to show us in practice, that’s how we evaluate you."

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca

TODAY’S BOMBER REPORT C3