Grey Cup 103 is coming to town, and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers want it more than ever. The front office has made several acquisitions this off-season that look to improve the team.
The Blue and Gold are coming off of a few disappointing seasons, but the bright light is that the 2014 season was an improvement upon the past. Their seven wins last year were were a big improvement on three the year before. Mike O’Shea has been leading his team steadily uphill, buoyed by the support of GM Kyle Walters.
Stadium Issues
With the 103rd Grey Cup in Winnipeg this year, much focus has been put on the venue. Investors Group Field is not even two years old yet, but is already under the spotlight for shoddy workmanship.
The ownership, Triple B Stadium, have sued the architect, Raymond S.C. Wan Architect, and the prime contractor, Stuart Olsen Construction. The $200 million project has already had just shy of $5 million for repairs invested to date. Triple B has put forward a document with five pages of deficient items. These issues have not compromised the safety of the fans or players as of yet.
Also worth mentioning is that the 2015 Grey Cup Festival is one of the first events to be booked in the $180 million expansion of the Winnipeg Convention Centre. The 160 000 sq. ft. expansion will feature a massive third floor ballroom over top of York Avenue. The prime contractor for this project is also the same firm, Stuart Olsen Construction. Hopefully they don’t have any issues with the construction deadline – a concern when IGF was a year behind schedule.
Free Agents
For now, though, the Bombers will be concentrating on the free agent mini-camps that they have set up across the USA this spring. They currently have 45 players on the payroll and will need to pick up a few more to keep next month’s free agent training camp interesting.
With all the excitement of the Grey Cup parties and the turmoil of the stadium, many may have missed the CFL signings of Bradley Randle, Ezra Millington and Shea Pierre.
Randle is an international running back who signed with the Blue and Gold on March 9th. He played one game with the B.C. Lions last season and previously spent time on the Minnesota Vikings’ practice roster. Randle played two of his three seasons at UNLV as their number two running back. He left the Rebels early to try his luck at the 2012 NFL Draft. The 5’7” scatback is fast, tough, and will be in the hunt for a starting position.
Millington (Canadian receiver) and Pierre (Canadian Defensive Back) both finished last season on the Bombers’ practice roster. They’ll be looking to make a splash this upcoming year.
These three join the other free agent signings Winnipeg managed to secure, most notably Stanley Bryant and Sam Hurl.
Bryant is a 6’5”, 319 lb offensive lineman. He’s coming off a Grey Cup win with the Stamps and his second consecutive year being named a CFL All-star He’ll be wearing number 66 this year. He is a big, strong, and extremely capable football player. He was ranked in the top 20 free agents this year and the Bombers will need him to push back for hard for Willy.
Hurl is a Canadian linebacker coming over from Saskatchewan. He was solid on special teams last year with 16 tackles and has a decent shot at a starter’s position this season. With two other Canadian linebackers, Winnipeg will have a lot of roster flexibility, being able to start at least a couple of Canadians on defence.
Also signed was Canadian receiver Kurt Goodrich. He’s a former Winnipeg Rifle and was named the Prairie Football Conference’s Most Outstanding Receiver the last two seasons. In 2014 he made 60 catches and had five touchdowns. Goodrich has played well for the CJFL team and should have no problems joining the offence this year.
Quarterback Brian Brohm was re-signed in February and will be backing up Drew Willy again this season. The Louisville product was acquired in a trade with the Ticats last year. Brohm is a solid number two QB and will continue to push for those last few inches when called upon.
The 2015 season will be exciting for both the Bombers’ players and fans. The Blue and Gold will be zealous in their pursuit of winning the Grey Cup at home and the loyal fans will be behind them all the way.
