Welcome to Quick Snaps for Week 5 of the CFL season. It is a different look at some of the more interesting stories in and around the CFL. This week’s stories: Blue Bomber woes, inconsistent officiating, and a little Pokemon Go for good measure.
CFL Week 5 Quick Snaps
Blue Bomber Woes: Willy Big Questions in Winnipeg
The 2016 Winnipeg Blue Bombers on paper looked like a much improved team over the 2015 squad. They added a depth of Canadian all-stars with running back Andrew Harris, defensive tackle Keith Shologan, and offensive lineman Jeff Keeping. The Bombers grabbed a pair of quick sure handed receivers, Ryan Smith and Weston Dressler, after they were cast out of Riderville. They signed one of the league’s most consistent kickers, Justin Medlock, in free agency. They looked like they were going to make a serious push to the playoffs when they hired Paul LaPolice to be their offensive coordinator. However, as the adage goes, “Football isn’t played on paper.”
The Bombers have looked woeful on the field, surrendering 135 points against in their first five games while posting a mere 98. The play of starting quarterback Drew Willy has been the talk of Winnipeg, with many asking whether it is time to turn to veteran back up Matt Nichols. Head coach Mike O’Shea has already stated that he would not be making a decision on who will start versus the Eskimos till later this week. That is not going to help the young quarterback’s mindset preparing for the defending Grey Cup champions.
Willy’s numbers, while not spectacular, are decent. Willy is currently sitting 4th in total yardage and 3rd in completion percentage, for starters. However, he only has five touchdowns to four interceptions, which, in a passing league like the CFL, makes it very difficult to win. Willy cannot be completely blamed for the Bombers’ offensive woes. Key injuries and a porous offensive line have made it an uphill climb for Willy, but that might be lost on a head coach who is trying to prolong his tenure.
CFL Officiating… That’s the Joke
The CFL made a big deal about the changes made to the officiating system. The introduction of the “eye in the sky” official would speed up the game by cleaning up the “obvious errors” that are unchangeable. The CFL-NFL officials exchange was supposed to create shared knowledge. Opening up coaches’ challenges to pretty much everything was to keep the officials accountable. It was supposed to be a new day.
Football is a very hard sport to officiate in 2016. The athletes are bigger, faster, and more agile than they have ever been. However, calls still have to be consistent, especially on replay. When there are multiple angles on multiple replays, there is no reason for inconsistent calls.
When the officials are getting booed more than the visiting team in CFL stadiums, changes need to be made.
Line of the Week
“In the beginning we are playing like Charizard, then we ended up playing like Charmander.”
- Calgary Stampeders QB Bo Levi Mitchell, proving Pokemon Go is everywhere
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