Free agency has died down, the draft is over, and training camps are nearly underway. The 2016 CFL season is almost upon us, and that means it’s time for fans to get excited! To get ready for the pre-season kick-off on June 8, we will go through each CFL team from worst through first and list three big reasons why you should be exited to watch your team in 2016. As a bonus, there’s even a reason to cheer against every team for the opposing fans. Last week was the Saskatchewan Roughriders, so this week here are some reasons to cheer for the 2016 Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
Get Excited: 2016 Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Reason One: It’s Make or Break Time in Winnipeg
Unless you have been living under a rock for the past few years, you will know that the heat is on in Winnipeg. Since they went to the Grey Cup in 2011, the Blue Bombers have gone a combined 21-51 and have perpetually under-performed in big games. For the past two seasons, head coach Mike O’Shea and general manager Kyle Walters have been given leeway to bring a bad team out of a tailspin, but that time of adjustment has past and now it’s time to win.
A new stadium, success-starved fans, and a management team whose collective temper must be growing short have all made for a perfect storm. Yet, for all that stands against them, the Bombers have not buckled under, but rather gone full steam ahead in their effort to move out of the CFL basement.
Realizing that young O’Shea may need help getting his team over the hump, the Bombers went all in to lure offensive guru Paul LaPolice away from broadcasting to run their offence. Other coaching moves saw Avon Cobourne brought in to help engineer a power rushing game similar to the one he helped create in Saskatchewan, and Buck Pierce finally elevated to quarterbacks coach. Defensive coordinator Richie Hall was also retained and, despite a less-than-glowing first season, has proven in the past that he can right the ship if given a bit more time and talent.
It’s more than just coaching moves that have given the Bombers the look of a determined and focused team: it’s a culture change in the way the team operates. Just watch the behind-the-schemes footage of the Bombers most recent draft and you will see O’Shea and Walters excitedly planning how to make their team better despite not having a first round draft pick. Veteran players are getting excited about the vibe in the organization and the Bombers’ willingness to spend in free agency show a readiness to get better as soon as possible. All this adds up to one message: Winnipeg is done waiting for a run at the championship, and the team is ready to take a shot.
Reason Two: $tar-$tudded Lineup
A nice side effect of Winnipeg’s win-now mentality is the wealth of talent brought in by Walters and O’Shea to jump-start their playoff push. Andrew Harris, Weston Dressler, Ryan Smith, Justin Medlock and Keith Shologan were all brought in this past off-season. The Bombers have invested an incredible amount of capital into bringing their team’s talent level in line with their division rivals and the possibilities are tantalizing.
On offence, there is a potential top level quarterback in Drew Willy who will be protected by incoming veteran Jeff Keeping and newly drafted Micheal Couture. Willy’s new playmates in the aerial attack are the aforementioned Dressler and Smith, each capable of playing beyond their diminutive size, and making a big play every time the ball comes their way. Oh, and let’s not forget the obvious: Harris has come home to big money and big expectations.
Moving on to the defence,there is a unit that already had a number of solid options but has beefed up the defensive line with Shologan and Euclid Cummings while adding Macho Harris to a promising young secondary. Throw in a clutch kicker like Medlock and all three phases of the team have improved.
In terms of sheer talent and star power, the Bombers have spared no expense to give O’Shea and his staff a true shot at a post-season trip. Now all the Bomber faithful have to do is sit back and watch what should be an impressive fireworks show on both sides of the ball.
Reason Three: The Coaching Carousel in the West
Traditionally the West Division in the CFL is a brutal race to the finish with the Calgary Stampeders, Edmonton Eskimos, B.C. Lions and the Riders all slugging it out while Winnipeg struggles for scraps. This year could stand out to play out differently with each Western team facing big changes to their coaching staff, creating an opportunity for the Bombers to make up some ground.
Consider Grey Cup champion Edmonton, who lost their entire coaching staff and only managed to secure their replacement head coach after a bitter dispute with the Ottawa Redblacks. Add in the talent drain that accompanies every Grey Cup winner, and the Eskimos’ chances of repeating as champions seem much more far fetched than several months ago.
Calgary lost their own head coach (albeit to the GM’s office) and may find themselves hamstrung with their top three offensive players gone to retirement or the NFL. The Lions have a legitimate claim to worst team in the league if fresh-out-of-retirement Wally Buono can’t work his magic on a deeply flawed roster. Saskatchewan is starting from square one after a complete reboot by new head coach Chris Jones and likely is at least a year away from any form of contention.
For once the Bombers are the only stable organization in the West through keeping their GM and head coach in position while the other teams have opted to start fresh. The field has been levelled for the Blue Bombers, now they just have to take advantage of it.
Something for the Opposing Fans: Same old Blue Bombers…
For as much excitement that surrounds the 2016 Winnipeg Blue Bombers right now, there is also a healthy amount of caution to temper expectations, and with good reason. No CFL team in the last four years has had more bad luck, continually shot itself in the foot, and fallen short of expectations more than Winnipeg.
With this in mind, opposing fans can look at all the moves the Bombers have made and rub their hands with glee over the possibilities: the hiring of LaPolice divides the locker room and ownership if the team struggles, Willy takes a season ending shot behind yet another overpaid and under performing line, Harris loses his intensity and edge after getting his big payday, the Bombers lack of size in the receiving core leads to them being bullied by physical coverages, and so on and so forth. The reality is that until this team breaks out of their long-running rut, opposing fans will continue to expect – and applaud – yet another series of blunders by the same old Blue Bombers.
Previous teams covered:
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