Bombers keeping their chins up

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This article was published 01/10/2014 (4080 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

THERE’S a crutch there ready and waiting for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, just within arm’s reach. There’s an out, an excuse, a way to take a step back and do the whole silver-lining thing.

It’s a sentiment that has even seeped into discussions about the Bombers over the last few weeks — at least, from outside the club’s office in south Winnipeg. And, not surprisingly, it coincides with the current four-game losing streak that has seen them go from being the feel-good story of the early chunk of the CFL season at 5-1 to 6-7 and an afterthought with the calendar flipping to October.

The theory is based in this: Sure, the Bombers are in a nosedive, but they’ve already doubled their win total of 2013. Remember that when the obituary on the 2014 campaign is being written sometime in November.

‘What are you going to do? Are you going to go pout and cry? We’re still out here playing an awesome game’

— defensive end Greg Peach

After all, no matter how this turns out, it sure beats the heck out of 3-15.

A warning: don’t even bother going there with this current crew.

“That’s not how we look at it. We don’t want our fans to look at it that way, either,” said linebacker E.J. Kuale after practice Tuesday. “There’s still a lot of football left to play. This is the CFL, there’s five games left and we all know a lot can happen. Who knows?

“That’s one thing the coaching staff and especially coach (Mike) O’Shea has instilled in us. Everybody just needs to stay calm. We don’t need to overreact here.”

And so it was that on Tuesday this Bomber squad — a team that hasn’t won in 39 days — was flying around the field like it was the opening day of the season. ‘Fun’ is too syrupy a term to describe the vibe, but it was spirited and intense as the club cranked up its preparations for Friday’s visit to Ottawa to face the Redblacks.

“What are you going to do? Are you going to go pout and cry?,” said defensive end Greg Peach with a shrug of the shoulders. “We’re still out here playing an awesome game. We have the fortune to keep playing it… so are we going to come out here and give up? We’re going to give everything we’ve got and have a good time doing it.”

While there is no arguing the Bombers have poured the cement for a solid foundation beyond the 2014 season — finding a legit starting QB, the installation of diligent coaching and scouting staffs, etc. — the men in the trenches are focusing on something else instead.

Simply put, with five games remaining they can still author how this thing plays out over the next few weeks.

And next year? Some of these guys aren’t even sure if they’ll have a next week. That’s how football works. It’s a gladiator’s approach to living in the moment, knowing the next foray to the arena could be the last.

“You’re lifespan in this league is short,” said Peach. “If you think like that (about silver linings, foundations for next year) you’re doomed from the start. I’ve been in the league six years and I haven’t won a Grey Cup, haven’t been to a Grey Cup. That’s the only reason you come out here to play. Obviously you’re having fun and everything, but you’re here to win Grey Cups and there’s nine teams. If you don’t think you can win one, then see the door. That’s our goal.

“Right from the start coach wasn’t afraid to say it, that’s our ultimate goal. We were 3-15 last year, but that doesn’t matter. We’re capable of doing it. We’re going to fight.”

This week’s trip to the capital is an absolute must, for it comes against the worst team in the CFL and is the last time the Bombers will play a squad with a losing record. Winnipeg’s final four games include visits to Edmonton and Calgary and home dates versus the Stampeders and B.C.

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @WFPEdTait