Start getting excited, Bombers fans

Team's brass knows about Canadian ball, for a change...

By: Gary Lawless

The first thing Kyle Walters did as new GM of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers was look at the football operations budget and cut a big chunk out of the department's top salary and then plow it right back into scouting and coaching.

Coupled with a renewed commitment from the front office to spend more on football, the dividends have already been large. With the hiring of Buck Pierce as a running backs coach Friday, Bombers coach Mike O'Shea announced he'll have a coaching staff of 11 this season, which is two more than last year and the largest in club history according to the communications department.

The Bombers also have more scouts than last season and all in all the football operations department looks like a real, live pro-football outfit. Something that couldn't be said the last few years in Winnipeg. I made the statement a number of times during the Joe Mack era that the Bombers were beat long before the game ever got to the field. That can no longer be said.

Walters was handed the budget by CEO Wade Miller last summer during his time as acting GM and asked how he would change it. Walters took $100,000 out of the GMs salary and moved money around on the spreadsheet. And then he asked for even more money to spend on football. He got it.

Miller promised Walters he'd commit to putting the Bombers on a level playing field with the rest of the CFL's football operations departments and he's lived up to it. The Bombers will allocate more than $10 million for all things football this season. More than last year and catching up with most teams in the CFL.

One can argue more coaches and more scouts mean little if they don't add up to wins and that's a fair statement. As important as how much money one has to spend is how well that money gets spent.

This is where the Bombers have made their biggest improvements under Miller and Walters.

When the 2013 season began, the Bombers had a CEO with no football experience, a GM who proved to have little to no understanding of how to build a CFL roster, a head coach with no offensive experience in the CFL and an offensive co-ordinator who admitted he was still learning the CFL game. I couldn't make that up if I tried.

Today, they have a former player in Miller as CEO, a young GM in Walters but one with a lifetime of CIS and CFL roots, Hall of Fame player Mike O'Shea at head coach and two former quarterbacks Pierce and Danny McManus in the coaching and scouting ranks as well as seasoned and experienced CFL men Marcel Bellefeuille and Gary Etcheverry at the offensive and defensive co-ordinator positions.

Off the field, the Bombers are light years ahead of where they were at this time last season and if it doesn't equate to wins right away, it will in time. The Bombers were the worst-run organization in the CFL for a number of years but that can no longer be said.

The Mack era distinguished itself in its stubborn refusal to admit ignorance of the Canadian game. Beyond all of that era's many failings, this is why the team progressively got worse.

No one in Canada understands the nuances of the Canadian game better than Walters and O'Shea. They played three-down football all their lives. Then they moved into coaching it and in Walters' case to management.

I once asked Joe Mack what he thought of Brad Sinopoli as a player, who had been named winner of the Hec Creighton Trophy as Canada's best collegiate player the day before. He looked at me funny and then admitted he didn't know who I was talking about. That's akin to an NFL GM not knowing the Heisman winner. This wasn't a moment of weakness. Mack was a scout and by all accounts a good one. But he ignored the Canadian component of the CFL, which is foolish and unforgiveable.

Last week, I asked Walters about the upcoming CFL draft. He gave me a detailed description of the top five players and then told me he'd be drafting one of three players depending on their availability when he selects second overall. Gave me their names, strengths and weaknesses.

Walters also told me the draft was weak and fell off dramatically after the first five picks which is why he won't capitulate to Ottawa GM Marcel Desjardins' demand for the No. 2 pick for quarterback Kevin Glenn.

Does Walters want Glenn? Sure but he wants to ensure the future of the franchise and not just improve the club for a couple of seasons.

Bombers fans should be enthused but more about the long term health of their team than just this coming summer. The Bombers are back in good CFL hands from Miller to Walters to O'Shea. That's the best news of all.

According to reports, Mack was hired a few months ago to be Putin's general manager for Ukrainian relations. When asked about his thoughts on the Crimea by a reporter, apparently Mack responded "I have no idea where that is".

I'll delete my comments only because we don't want to offend certain overly sensitive people here now, do we???

Joking about Ukraine situation. Jesus....

There really needs to be a deadline on when all insults to past Bombers need to be concluded. Sick of hearing about Mack

Joking about Ukraine situation. Jesus....

There really needs to be a deadline on when all insults to past Bombers need to be concluded. Sick of hearing about Mack

Or at the very least they have to be clever insults. If I'm going to read through this I expect better than #mack=loser.

Of course, there's no moratorium on the same people who always do the lame bitching about every Lawless column they read & yet we have to put up with their stupid moaning. I'm sick of having to read thru that constantly. There's lots of things people do here that bother others.

Joking about Ukraine situation. Jesus....

There really needs to be a deadline on when all insults to past Bombers need to be concluded. Sick of hearing about Mack

Okay Shankman... Hey don't say Jesus because some people may find that offensive.

Mack was ignorant of the CDN game and, seemingly, too arrogant to let others in his employ who did understand it (Walters) make decisions. 

 

He was also completely out of touch when it came to Free Agency and obviously was above or didn't understand the importance of working with GM's from rival clubs. 

 

Thats on him. 

 

However, its come out his wife is/was battling cancer, and speaking from experience I can see how his focus might've been elsewhere.

 

He simply was not the right man or in the right position to do the job. 

 

However, the media -- especially Neckless -- does seem to have a boner for Walters, simply because he gives interviews and returns calls. And I agree with 17-85, some of his decisions have been fair at best. 

his big flaw was not hiring the right coach. Fundamentally his approach was not that dissimilar from Popp or Buono, but he didn't have an all time great coach like Buono who always developed a qb or Calvillo for decades. The guy had the approach that you can replace players which isn't wrong but you need a good teacher and leader at head coach if you're going to do that and he failed spectacularly at that aspect. 

Joking about Ukraine situation. Jesus....

There really needs to be a deadline on when all insults to past Bombers need to be concluded. Sick of hearing about Mack

Okay Shankman... Hey don't say Jesus because some people may find that offensive.

Who's shankman

If you don't know then it doesn't matter.

Another drive by of the past regime? Come on that's lazy writing. Seems like he's tooting Walters horn when maybe he should be tooting Millers horn more. It's the CEO not the GM who gives out more money for operations staff. And let's be honest here, Walters based on his experience level should be making less money as a GM too. It's an article that really is Lawless' MO. Hype up the people he likes while cutting down people he doesn't. There's nothing ground breaking there and until we see the results on the field it's all just self serving. 

When media thinks it has a helpful friend in providing information they get gushing puff pieces like this. When and if Miller and co. cut off the information flow Lawless will be complaining about "inexperience" and "questionable hires" .

 

Another drive by of the past regime? Come on that's lazy writing. Seems like he's tooting Walters horn when maybe he should be tooting Millers horn more. It's the CEO not the GM who gives out more money for operations staff. And let's be honest here, Walters based on his experience level should be making less money as a GM too. It's an article that really is Lawless' MO. Hype up the people he likes while cutting down people he doesn't. There's nothing ground breaking there and until we see the results on the field it's all just self serving. 

When media thinks it has a helpful friend in providing information they get gushing puff pieces like this. When and if Miller and co. cut off the information flow Lawless will be complaining about "inexperience" and "questionable hires" .

 

 

It won't even take that long .. Lawless panders to the masses .. at the first inkling of trouble or adversity .. he will start questioning Miller et al.

At the first sign of trouble and adversity who should we then question?

At the first sign of trouble and adversity who should we then question?

 

Should probably wait until at least the second.

 

At the first sign of trouble and adversity who should we then question?

 

Should probably wait until at least the second.

 

 

What, quarter? You are a more patient man than I...

 

I say if we're down after the first we blow the team up!

I know its not popular to support Lawless but the Lawless hate is so over-the-top.  He's too pro-Walters.  No no no, he will soon be anti-Walters.  Everyone disagrees with him.  He appears to the masses.  I mean WTF people.

 

There should be a new rule - if you dont like a Gary article, either dont comment or discuss why you disagree with him.  The remarks calling him a loser or a hack or whatever say far more about the person saying that and having no ability to debate the issue than of Lawless.

Maybe it's not what Lawless writes but how he writes it? You don't need to be an expert to know that he's not a great writer. He always has an agenda he's pushing, he changes his opinions that were oh so strong in one article seemingly at the drop of a hat... he's basically the newspaper version of an internet troll. Guys like Ed Tait and Randy Turner were fantastic covering the Bombers in the paper, now we get this current bunch of losers... it's a damned shame. 

Joking about Ukraine situation.

I'm practicing for my run at the Liberal leadership if JT resigns.

This is article is so Lawless.  Don't get me wrong, I like that he's supporting the new Bomber regime, but a lot of the board's sentiments are dead-on.  So far, Walters has been a willing interview.  So far, no games have been played, and we're judging everything on paper, which let's face it, compares favorably to Mack because we were actually active in FA.

 

Probably most questionably... does anyone really think Walters said "Wade, please don't pay me $250k/yr, I'll take $150k so that we can spend the rest on football ops?"  No.  He wasn't an experienced GM, so he was likely given what an unproven guy gets... less money and a proving ground.  Somewhere between Walters and Miller, it was determined to spend the difference + on football ops rather than being in support of the bottom line.  That's the important takeaway that Lawless glossed over.

If anything, it's nice to see that there IS some semblance of a fresh start/positive attitude around the franchise and the future.  It makes me feel a little better about this summer and a new product to show off at that beauty of a field.

I for one will not get all giddy and excited about something Lawless writes.  The guy is a clown & will turn on anyone in a heartbeat if they do something he doesn't like.

 

Yay!! Gary Lawless says we're light years ahead of where we were last year!!... I am so far past any BS imagined optimism!!  Truth is that we have 3 rookies running the team in the 3 most important off field positions!!  Which = no optimism earned what so ever until they show us where it matters most!!  ON THE FIELD!!!

 

Until then...we have little to be optimistic about.

Each article that Lawless writes should be taken separately and analyzed accordingly. We have learned from his writings in the past that he is not to be trusted beyond the words he writes at that time.

As ArmchairGM points out, the salary aspect of the budget probably didn't go down as written, but we get the idea that the football ops budget did go up.

That's how Lawless writes, which is what 17 said.

But he likes Walters, at least for now, and we don't have to put up with his slights, both real or imagined, maybe even until the season starts.

I for one will not get all giddy and excited about something Lawless writes.  The guy is a clown & will turn on anyone in a heartbeat if they do something he doesn't like.

 

Yay!! Gary Lawless says we're light years ahead of where we were last year!!... I am so far past any BS imagined optimism!!  Truth is that we have 3 rookies running the team in the 3 most important off field positions!!  Which = no optimism earned what so ever until they show us where it matters most!!  ON THE FIELD!!!

 

Until then...we have little to be optimistic about.

Part of a reporter's job is to stir up enough controversy to make the read interesting, whether you agree or disagree, and Lawless seems to have done that. As far as optimism for the upcoming season is concerned- set your WABAC machine to 2013 at this time and look at the gloom that surrounded the team then. Mack was  spinning his wheels, the QB situation was a laughing-stock of the league, and just about everyone knew the Bombers were going to implode. I'll take 2014, thank you very much.

 

I for one will not get all giddy and excited about something Lawless writes.  The guy is a clown & will turn on anyone in a heartbeat if they do something he doesn't like.

 

Yay!! Gary Lawless says we're light years ahead of where we were last year!!... I am so far past any BS imagined optimism!!  Truth is that we have 3 rookies running the team in the 3 most important off field positions!!  Which = no optimism earned what so ever until they show us where it matters most!!  ON THE FIELD!!!

 

Until then...we have little to be optimistic about.

Part of a reporter's job is to stir up enough controversy to make the read interesting, whether you agree or disagree, and Lawless seems to have done that. As far as optimism for the upcoming season is concerned- set your WABAC machine to 2013 at this time and look at the gloom that surrounded the team then. Mack was  spinning his wheels, the QB situation was a laughing-stock of the league, and just about everyone knew the Bombers were going to implode. I'll take 2014, thank you very much.

 

Yeah and...our new guys still have "0" PROVEN qb's (although the QB's we have now should be better, that doesn't say anything at all as it shouldn't take much at all to get better there!  Release Goltz & Boltus and bam!! we're better at QB)  Our O-line isn't any better at all!  We lost our best Canadian.  We only really have maybe 3 Canadian Starters worth anything (Watson, Greaves and...hmmm maybe Kohlert & maybe Alexander.. borderline) We are still not a good football team!!  No one can say we are until we see it on the FIELD!! 

 

Until then please again spare me the imagined optimism!

Does anyone else remember how much time the media spent bashing Mike Kelly while praising Joe Mack for how much better and different he was than the previous regime? For the first 2 years anything bad that happened to the team was blamed on Kelly. Then when they turned on Mack, they turned on him hard.

 

It was the same thing with Kelly. Before he ruined his goodwill by not playing ball with the media, they were all over trashing Taman for everything bad that was going on with the team. They were absolutely loving the subway napkins comments long before they were trashing him for being unprofessional by making those exact comments.

 

 

I for one will not get all giddy and excited about something Lawless writes.  The guy is a clown & will turn on anyone in a heartbeat if they do something he doesn't like.

 

Yay!! Gary Lawless says we're light years ahead of where we were last year!!... I am so far past any BS imagined optimism!!  Truth is that we have 3 rookies running the team in the 3 most important off field positions!!  Which = no optimism earned what so ever until they show us where it matters most!!  ON THE FIELD!!!

 

Until then...we have little to be optimistic about.

Part of a reporter's job is to stir up enough controversy to make the read interesting, whether you agree or disagree, and Lawless seems to have done that. As far as optimism for the upcoming season is concerned- set your WABAC machine to 2013 at this time and look at the gloom that surrounded the team then. Mack was  spinning his wheels, the QB situation was a laughing-stock of the league, and just about everyone knew the Bombers were going to implode. I'll take 2014, thank you very much.

 

Yeah and...our new guys still have "0" PROVEN qb's (although the QB's we have now should be better, that doesn't say anything at all as it shouldn't take much at all to get better there!  Release Goltz & Boltus and bam!! we're better at QB)  Our O-line isn't any better at all!  We lost our best Canadian.  We only really have maybe 3 Canadian Starters worth anything (Watson, Greaves and...hmmm maybe Kohlert & maybe Alexander.. borderline) We are still not a good football team!!  No one can say we are until we see it on the FIELD!! 

 

Until then please again spare me the imagined optimism!

 

 

 

You like to use your exclamation points pretty haphazardly, don't you?