The changes in Winnipeg continue. Just one week after the ouster of CEO/President Garth Butchko and GM Joe Mack, the Bombers have fired offensive co-ordinator and quarterbacks coach Gary Crowton. The move was made following the team’s 37-18 loss to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Friday night which drops the Bombers to 1-6 on the season.
“No one in our organization is happy with the way we have performed so far this season,” said Bombers head coach Tim Burke. “Our offence has not played up to their standards and we need to make this change in order to give us a chance at remaining in the hunt for the post-season. I wish Gary all the best in his future endeavours.”
What makes this curious is that the Bombers changed their starting quarterback from Justin Goltz to Max Hall in preparation for Friday’s game. The move from Goltz to Hall was made just 11 days after Burke had announced that Goltz would be the starting quarterback for the rest of the season. The quick change of direction seemed to be a decision made by Crowton as he had a long relationship with Hall recruiting him for BYU back in Hall’s college days, and convincing Hall to sign with the Blue Bombers in the off-season.
When asked about the move to start Hall, Crowton said, “You always try to use the plays in your playbook that help each quarterback, and the thing that (Hall) does, he can throw in a good rhythm. He gets the ball off quickly with accuracy, and he’s aggressive. With that in mind, I’ll use the plays in our playbook that will compliment that style of play.”
Taking over as Bombers Offensive Co-ordinator is former Tiger-Cats head coach Marcel Bellefeuille. Bellefeuille coached the Tiger-Cats from 2009-2011 before he was replaced by George Cortez.
Bellefeuille will get his first shot at his old Hamilton team, as the Ticats and Bombers play a rematch this Saturday in Guelph.
You can follow @RoryHarbaugh on twitter for your CFL needs, and the follow the site @lastwordonsport while you are at it.
Interested in writing for LastWordOnSports? If so, check out our “Join Our Team” page to find out how.
Football fans…check out Thursday Night Tailgate Radio as hosts Chris Mascaro and Angelo Cane chat with current and former NFL and College players. NFL stars open up on TNT because they’re regular guys, without network influence. Access the show in the sidebar on our home page or by visiting their website at ThursdayNightTailgate.com. Learn more about the show including their upcoming schedule at their page at LWOS.
