Thick black clouds are not usually portents of doom in Winnipeg summers; they’re usually just massive swarms of mosquitoes. But this year the gathering clouds are decidedly more menacing, as the Blue Bombers clean house and all but officially declare this to be a building year–and only six games into the season.
Winnipeg was never expected to amount to much in 2013 if Buck Pierce remained the brittle twig he has always been; sure enough, he sustained an abdominal injury in the fourth game of the year, and was on the bench after the half. He hasn’t budged since, and Justin Goltz, a 25-year-old CFL rookie, took over in his stead.
Then came August. Blue Bombers CEO Garth Buchko stepped down, reportedly by mutual agreement between him and the team board of directors. The acting CEO who replaced him, former player Wade Miller, wasted no time in kicking GM Joe Mack to the curb as well.
And has this management clearout created some stability for the team on the field? This is Winnipeg, so don’t bet on it. Goltz had a pair of starts and amassed only 304 yards between the two games, with a completion percentage just above the 50% mark. Nothing on the field is working offensively.
But even without a GM to replace Mack, Goltz has now joined Pierce on the sidelines. Team management demoted him to second stringer this week without warning or explanation. Buck himself claims he’s healthy, but hasn’t been given a heads-up about the situation either. Meanwhile, Max Hall–another player without a single down in the CFL–will start the Bombers’ next game.
While Mack must have known his job was in jeopardy from the start of the season, the team’s coaching staff has surprisingly remained untouched. Tim Burke hasn’t paid the price for the on-field performance–yet–and while former Ticats coach Marcel Bellefeuille has joined the team as an “offensive consultant”, OC Gary Crowton remains employed. Casey Creehan has surprisingly looked good this year, with the team’s defence the only bright spot in blue and gold.
But Winnipeg hasn’t won on home turf yet, and they’re starting a home and away series with Hamilton this week. The Ticats, who peaked at 20 players on the injury list a couple of weeks ago, are starting to see healthy players return to the lineup and won’t be the pushovers they were in July.
Will Max Hall step up, or do the problems run deeper for the Winnipeg offence? Will Tim Burke make it to the end of the season in a Bombers windbreaker? Will Winnipeg fans be rewarded with a single home victory this year?
Impossible to say. But one thing’s for sure: the Winnipeg Gong Show isn’t over yet. The real question is, after 15 years of terrible management, when will the fans’ demands that the team get serious about the product they put on the field turn into open revolt?
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