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Except that Kelly was a retread. He washed out of Hamilton and the league until the Bombers gave him another shot. I believe he was one of Bellefeuilles guys from Hamilton and he wasn't good enough there, why did we think he was going to be good enough here? We sure could use a big target on the sidelines, but more along the lines of Chris Matthews (who Mack dug up out of nowhere) as opposed to Aaron Kelly who was not good enough for the CFL once before the bombers went dumpster diving. Veltung is the only receiver this regime has actually recruited from the states that has even looked like he could play for us. I'd argue that Kelly is the exact opposite situation you describe. A case where the coach brought in someone he liked and stubbornly stuck with him despite the player not being good enough. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying Kelly was worth keeping he was too slow I am just saying he was important to the Bombers last year and contributed greatly to at less 3 of the 6 wins he was involved in. He was benched for the last 4 or so games, what I am saying is the Bombers made a coaching mistake to put their Egos ahead of the team when they benched Kelly and they started playing rookies that have since been cut. My entire point is that I agree Walters needs to improve but when you give a good player to a bad coach what do you get ? I liked Marcel B. at first but I have grown to have no faith in anything he does, I think he is simply over his head and just a stubborn as MOS... So to me we should be focusing on the real problem not Walters but the Coaching in particular our OC , ST and OL coaches are simply not good enough...IMO... I think you missed the point, the entire point was Kelly was never good enough to be starting but he was cause he had a relationship with Bellefeuille. If Walters recruiting was up to par Kelly never would have been on the opening game roster and a few big catches here and there doesn't change that he was a pretty terrible player. Yes I understand that the relationship with MB is why we got A. Kelly I get that and I also get that the Bombers haven't had a Big receiver since and he is still much better than Gordon is at this point in his career and could be a good 4th WR but is also speaks to the fact that the Bombers have done a terrible job finding WRs under Walters watch...

Except that Kelly was a retread. He washed out of Hamilton and the league until the Bombers gave him another shot. I believe he was one of Bellefeuilles guys from Hamilton and he wasn't good enough there, why did we think he was going to be good enough here? We sure could use a big target on the sidelines, but more along the lines of Chris Matthews (who Mack dug up out of nowhere) as opposed to Aaron Kelly who was not good enough for the CFL once before the bombers went dumpster diving. Veltung is the only receiver this regime has actually recruited from the states that has even looked like he could play for us. I'd argue that Kelly is the exact opposite situation you describe. A case where the coach brought in someone he liked and stubbornly stuck with him despite the player not being good enough. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying Kelly was worth keeping he was too slow I am just saying he was important to the Bombers last year and contributed greatly to at less 3 of the 6 wins he was involved in. He was benched for the last 4 or so games, what I am saying is the Bombers made a coaching mistake to put their Egos ahead of the team when they benched Kelly and they started playing rookies that have since been cut. My entire point is that I agree Walters needs to improve but when you give a good player to a bad coach what do you get ? I liked Marcel B. at first but I have grown to have no faith in anything he does, I think he is simply over his head and just a stubborn as MOS... So to me we should be focusing on the real problem not Walters but the Coaching in particular our OC , ST and OL coaches are simply not good enough...IMO...

Thanks for the post it was very well thought out and worded, I can't argue with much of it, I agree one of Walters weakness is lack of solid WRs brought in however I would argue we don't know if Marcel B. passed on a few that could have actually helped us after all it was this coaching staff that decided A. Kelly was no good and benched him at a time when Moore was out leaving us very thin and putting egos ahead of the good of the team... We could still use a big target like Kelly he may not have been fast but he was a big target and had great hands...So sometimes the GMs can bring in the best players they want but if the coaches don't like them because the "don't fit the system" not much a GM can do about that. If we look at Allen at MLB he probably would have been our best option but the Bombers decided to go with Hurl ( Big Mistake ) I do think Hurl is an ok player but is the worst MLB in the CFL by a big margin, he is averaging 3 tackles a game and some will say that is because of his roll but I have seen many tackles he could have made if he had more speed agility or aggression ( he is lacking all 3 IMO ) but he will make the tackle if someone comes directly at him... So for me while Walters needs to improve in many areas I like that he is constantly trying to improve the roster, I do agree when drafting we should be picking the best player regardless of position and Kyle needs to learn that from the Calgary model... At the same time I would love it if you take a long hard look at the real problem on the team its the coaching not the GM IMO...

You know what...the MB fan club is over there... ...go sit with them. Its down to 2 now I heard the one in the middle turned on him finally..

I don't agree look how MB got the job he helped out in a time of need and the Bomber stayed very loyal to him .... way to loyal IMO.. so anyone willing to step up at this time would be give more short term patience ... long term its a different story...

Not sure what you mean, I don't see many calling for MOS's head its Marcel B. we are taking about, Mike O'Shea is a great leader and players do want to play for him however his one big weakens is he is putting Coaches and Players ahead of the overall good of the team and a top level HC Never does that, I do think that MOS will be a very good HC one day my issue is will he learn from his mistakes quickly enough if he is learning he will replace the biggest problem on the team sooner than later ( Marcel B. ) Have you not read the forums? Lots of guys here are saying we should fire MOS. Yes some but I don't get the impression its the majority I would say 10-15% for MOS and 70-85% for MB and a few for Walters Head... but yes I have read some negative MOS comments they will only get worse if he doesn't take some action and if they continue to struggle on offence...

Not sure what you mean, I don't see many calling for MOS's head its Marcel B. we are taking about, Mike O'Shea is a great leader and players do want to play for him however his one big weakens is he is putting Coaches and Players ahead of the overall good of the team and a top level HC Never does that, I do think that MOS will be a very good HC one day my issue is will he learn from his mistakes quickly enough if he is learning he will replace the biggest problem on the team sooner than later ( Marcel B. )

Markus Howell should be made offensive coordinator. Free Press Article by Gary Lawless Mike O?Shea should have done this Saturday night. Or Sunday morning if he really felt the need to see the film. But he won?t, which casts a light on both a strength and a weakness of this young head coach. Bombers offensive coordinator Marcel Bellefeuille and quarterbacks coach Gene Dahlquist need to be demoted. Markus Howell should be made offensive coordinator and Buck Pierce named quarterbacks coach. O?Shea has stuck his nose into the areas of defence and specials teams of late and they?ve improved. Offence isn?t his forte, however, so it?s difficult to imagine him having a meaningful impact in terms of new ideas. No, the easiest fix here is to give Howell and Pierce more power and influence. Winnipeg?s offence is missing a lot of things ? mostly a quarterback which likely won?t be fixed until Drew Willy gets healthy. But the offence is also outmatched in scheme and play-calling. Last in total yardage, last in points (145), last in points per game average (16.1), last in passing yardage and seventh in rush yardage. Undoubtedly the worst offence in the CFL. Howell and Pierce would represent an upgrade over Bellefeuille and Dahlquist. Howell is smart and now experienced. Pierce not long ago was a quarterback in this league. He knows what other teams have been doing. They have ideas and deserve a chance to try and implement them. It can?t get worse, right? O?Shea, like the rest of us, has a few blind spots. A second-year head coach, he likes to hire people to do their jobs and give them the opportunity to succeed. He?s loyal. But loyalty has to come in the form of what?s best for the team and organization and not just the individual. O?Shea hasn?t earned the gravitas to lean on his way of thinking and to not re-consider some of his positions. That comes with years of experience and a proven formula. We saw this play out last season when he stuck with defensive coordinator Gary Etcheverry when his scheme was proven porous. O?Shea waited until almost Christmas before firing the veteran coach. As a young coach, O?Shea has wanted to surround himself with seasoned assistants. In theory, it?s a good idea. But it didn?t work with Etcheverry and it?s not working with Bellefeuille. This offence isn?t effective. The Bombers haven?t proven capable of running or passing the ball. Some of it is personnel, but it?s also the game plan. The coach has to see what the rest of us are watching and that?s an offence trying to operate with a playbook well past its prime. All across the CFL, young and creative minds are doing wonders with their team?s offence. Winnipeg is not one of those places. With a little shuffling of the chess pieces that could change. Never was it more evident than Saturday night with Calgary Stampeders offensive coordinator Dave Dickenson using multiple looks and formations to get the ball into the hands of his play-makers. The Bombers? Who knows what they drew up because quarterback Robert Marve certainly didn?t execute it. That?s on the quarterback one might argue, but the coordinator has to recognize what his players can or cannot handle. Marve wasn?t put into a position to succeed. Calgary is ahead of the curve and forward thinking. Not Winnipeg. Not right now. Coaching can only go so far. The right personnel has to be in place for success to be achieved. But Winnipeg?s offensive roster is better than what we?ve seen this season. Willy is a smart and effective quarterback but even under his hands this offence was predictable in scheme and inconsistent in results. Changing the coach is far too often just a quick reflex suggestion. More often, a team?s failure is a result of poor execution and a lack of talent. Nine games into this season and the Bombers remain in the playoff picture. The defence is coming into form and special teams were a strength in Saturday?s loss to the Stamps. The offence, however, couldn?t stay on the field and eventually the defence gave out. There?s still some life in this season. But it?ll be quickly extinguished if the offence can?t begin to chip in. Right now it?s the weak link, sapping energy from the rest of the team. Talking to players around the league and in Winnipeg, O?Shea is gaining a reputation as a coach players want to work for. He?s a players coach but he also runs a tight operation. That will go a long way for a coach with the right personnel and coaching staff. Just like the roster still needs tweaking, so does the staff. Bellefeuille has had his opportunity to straighten this out. It hasn?t happened. Time to give someone else a chance. Howell has earned an opportunity. So be loyal, Coach O?Shea. Put the needs of the many ahead of the few. Give change a chance. gary.lawless@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @garylawless http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/football/bombers/Say-bye-bye-to-Bellefeuille-and-make-Markus-the-man-323512751.html#st_refDomain=t.co&st_refQuery=/sbnwwzk2pQ

I would bring in January and see what kind of condition he is in...

Hey if you get offended being compared to Nasty Nate don't offend O'Shea comparing him to Burke. He is a way better coach than Burke could ever hope to be. I don't see the evidence that O'Shea is better than Burke. They were both good coordinators with bad head coaching records. Other than style, what's the difference? I don't see the players quitting on O'Shea. They gave up on Burke entirely. Yeah the team right now has a hard time rebounding from a couple poor plays, but it's different than a team that just packs it in entirely. I mean just looking at that Calgary game, the defense fought tooth and nail in the first half to try and give the offense all the chances they needed to win but the execution simply wasn't there on offence. With Burke the team visibly checked out about 5 minutes into a game. I agree the players haven't given up on O'Shea yet, he is much more of a leader than Tim B. however I do have many issues with O'Shea's style I think he is too easy on the players in practice and he gives then too much "rest" IMO , Cal Murphy wasn't too working about keeping his players fresh he wanted them to work in practice and lots of them... I think for a team that has gone 4-14 over its past 18 games ( and only 3 without Willy ) we are not a very good team and its not from a lack of talent IMO its poor coaching especially our OC , ST and OL Coaches...

I have read about 6 sites regarding the Tibial Plateau Fracture recovery time and all of them talk about recovery in Months not Weeks so forget the 6 weeks it will be 2 months before Willy can put any weight on it without the cast then you have to rebuild the leg so that will take a number of weeks. So after 2 months or so Willy will have the cast off but playing will be a different time line...

E X A C T L Y what needs to happen if we are to stand a chance of improving on offence ...

When he got hurt I asked a friends wife about the type of injury he suffered. She figured 3 months. If that's accurate, then we likely don't see him again this season unless we're hanging on to a playoff spot really late in the year.And what qualifications does your friends wife have, other than being your "friends wife"? I agree with the at least 3 months comment, everything I have read about the injury suggests 2 months before you can start to walk so it will be at least another month to build up the strength again.. All you have to do to find out more is google the injury, it will be 2 months with no walking then another month or more building up strength. I don't see Willy coming back this year we are stuck with who we have. I would also say that Marve isn't nearly as bad as he played last game I think Marcel B. designed the worst possible gameplan for him and he lost his confidence... I would just let Marve be Marve going forward and he will play much better, I would even consider promoting Davis over Brohm I don't see Brohm helping us at all and I think he should have been cut long ago, I would take Max Hall over Brohm any time.

Agree BUT with the pounding he takes and two close calls this year there was a sense of inevitability about it. Still, nothing was done any differently. That's the one thing that I can't get over. I think it's Marcel's offensive schemes. The ball takes too long to get away. He expects the OL to be able to hold their blocks longer which is insane. When why did most of the passes go for less than 10 yards ? I am done with Marcel B's system I blame him for all of the Oline Trouble we have had he is the worst OC in the CFL...

Bucknor is not our biggest problem on D, Hurl is Rotate Lin-J Shell/Sherman and Turner/Thomas Leggett at SAM is an interesting thought, Sherman has the speed to be safety I'd like to see Sherman get another crack, whether LB or S. even if it was just in rotation. Last year he made an impact both in stripping balls and getting after the QB. Agreed Sherman has looked good on ST I think he is a better player this year but we won't know for sure until he get to play...

Did you forget he won in Calgary last year? Didn't crap the bed in horrible weather.Y would he do it now?You talk about the anti Brohm? Why the anti Marve? I don't care who the QB is as long as he gives us a chance to win. Exactly I don't care either but I don't expect much from Brohm I hope I am wrong...

pretty much exactly the bolded. He goes out and has a rough game fans would be no kinder to him than they are to Brohm and we'd run him out of town. It's the way things work in Winnipeg, Overall the fan base treats qbs the same way Mike Kelly did. They're not an instant success despite the adversity they have to face toss em on the scrap heap and keep trying until you find that instant smash hit. Other teams seem to have less trouble finding quality QBs that we do, we traded for Willy so we didn't even find him...

In this case, it's Wiececk's verbage and not a quote from O'Shea himself.Did you miss where he says Oshea said this?Man do you need to be there to believe? Are the reporters twisting and lying now to make Oshea look bad? It's Wiecek's interpretation/summation of what O'Shea actually said, which was that Marve hasn't been able to take reps for 2 weeks. O'Shea said this on the coach's show last night too. Thanks. Yes that is one to read into his comment however I would take Marve with 0 reps the past 2 week vs Brohm and all the reps... I would even try D. Davis over Brohm if he isn't moving the team.

Exactly.. How people can misconstrue that line to imply marve is pigeon holed and destined to rot is laughable..What's laughable is you always taking a personal affront to any critical comment about the state of the Blue Bombers.The reporter stated it as a direct quote so that's how it is. You don't agree fine leave it at that. I listened to O'Shea said it and I was very disappointed Marve has been in the system 1 year plus 5 games soon to be 6 so he should know the system well enough to run the offence. O'Shea and Marcel B. are S T U B O R N L Y refusing to play Marve because Brohm is "their guy" ... At the same time a team that has a record of 4-14 in their last 18 games doesn't have many more losses to go before this will become a circus like year Burke coached, the one common thing is Marcel B. as the OC liking QBs that have no talent for the CFL ... Brohm and Boltis come to mind...

I agree that Marshall is more of a number 1 and Cotton would be the change of pace, I thought in the EDM game one of the reasons the game turned on us he we stopped running Marshall in the second half until the game was out of reach ?

Yes according to a poster on the other forum he took his regular reps and Bob Irving said he didn't notice any issues but noted he had less reps than normal...

I haven't listen to the coaches show live for over a year... I timed it once and over 1/2 is commercials and "news" ... there is about 20 minutes of football content and I agree Bob Irving is tossing softballs up for O'Shea... The only way to listen is http://www.cjob.com/audio-on-demand/ Then you can skip to the "I have to watch the Film" and "Hurl is a doing his job" and "Brohm needed the work" and so on...

And 2 of the losses have been blowouts and the worst at home...

No point in even talking about Marve until the coaches realize that Brohm is just not good enough to get it done in the CFL Brohm is the worst 2nd string QB in the CFL...

That could be a month from now especially if Willy is out and Brohm is #1