It’s the end of one of the most impressive runs in recent CFL memory.
By finishing as a crossover playoff team, this season ended Winnipeg’s run of Western Final appearances at six. And with their 42-33 loss to Montreal in Saturday’s Eastern Semi-Final, the Blue Bombers saw their streak of consecutive Grey Cup appearances snapped at five.
If the BB executive elect to “run it back” AGAIN next season, they will be the laughing stock of the league. Even if they manage to somehow improve the terrible O-Line, Collaros is not the same QB of GC calibre years past. Interceptions and fumbles out number TD passes on a regular basis now and show no signs of improvement. Who’s the number 2…Terry Wilson? Please….The pass rush and secondary are awful. When the deep balls are given up, seemingly every series, they all stand around staring at each other as if to say “Was that my coverage or yours?” The coaching and play-calling is cringe-worthy when it matters most, on both sides of the ball. If the beards just continue to get longer overnight in WPG, this fan might just sit out next season and wait for a changing of the executive guard. That’s what is needed most of all. The new day will never dawn under Walters and O’Shea.
Well for one we don’t know if Walters or O’Shea will be back. They have been the best GM/Coach combo in the league for at least the last 5 years. I think it’s pretty well unanimous that Hogan was in was over his head as OC and needs to go or be demoted.
In a salary cap league it is of course a monumental task to keep the semblance of any team together and it is pretty much impossible. There are no ther sports teams to compare it to in North America in a salary cap era to date, but I would say they did pretty well. Toronto would be the closest comparison in the CFL and look at how they did this year, completely whiffing on keeping their winning team together.
Yes, everyone is aging and there is no doubt a need to replace a number of players, some of them veterans and to find new ones, which the Bombers are still best at. I will reserve judgement on what needs to be done and what they look like next year once more information becomes known re coaching and management and which free agents they choose to sign.
I generally agree with your comments on their weak spots, especially an aging Zach and the O Line and D Line. I don’t agree with your comments on the secondary, which was for the second year in a row the best in the league, and that is despite having the worst pass rush for the second year in a row. Unheard of! If Nichols and Holm, probably the two best DB’s in the league, sign then I don’t see any need to worry there.
They also allowed the least amount of points per game on defence for the second year in a row. While there is still work to do there, I am of the opinion that most of the work needs to be done on offence. Special teams was also a strength with Vaval and Sergio, although Sergio will need to be signed again.