http://www.bluebombers.com/2016/02/27/blog-patience-is-a-virtue/

Patience is a tough thing to ask of fans that have been longing for a winner for decades. I get it. We get it. Will 2016 be the year our fortunes turn around? I can’t promise you anything, but I can promise you that this franchise is in the right hands and is headed in the right direction.

But of course I’m going to say that, right? After all, the team signs my paycheques.

They do, but they don’t pay me to spread lies, and I certainly wouldn’t write it if I didn’t believe it. Heck, I wouldn’t have written the above preluding many of the seasons I’ve been here. But something you develop over a long period of countless hours in the sports business, is a strong sense for what feels right or wrong heading into a new season; knowing when things are actually on the right track, or when they aren’t. It’s often people like myself, or Al Couture (Head Therapist), or Brad Fotty (Equipment Manager), who aren’t at the forefront of decision-making but toil behind the scenes and see everything, that know the real state of affairs.

CEO Wade Miller? Yes, he’s my boss, but he gets it. He’s implemented things here that fans don’t see but that matter in the long run both on and off the field.  He knows it’s the small things that go a long way, like calling a veteran free agent after he’s signed with the team to congratulate him and send his son a Bomber jersey. The player in question told me, “in all my years being in the league, that’s never happened.” Do the small things win you games? Directly, no. Indirectly, yes. They win respect. To Wade, these small gestures are simply second-nature, but that’s another topic.

GM Kyle Walters?  He knew the state of the roster he took over, specifically the position we were in regarding our Canadian depth and lack of a long-term quarterback. We spend nearly every day talking football, talking about our team, and exhausting every option to improve the roster. He knew from the get-go how he wanted to build his team, but he also knew it wasn’t going to happen overnight. I go back to what he told the Winnipeg Free Press in July 2014, after a strong 3-0 start: “You have to count on the draft and overspend in free agency to get better Canadians. You can’t do it in July.” In other words, this takes years to build, not one month and three wins. Not even two years and 12 wins.

Finally, this season we are starting to see that development come to fruition. Sukh Chungh (2^nd overall, 2015) will return in 2016 after starting every game for us last season at guard. To put that in perspective, and to highlight just how challenging that is to accomplish as a rookie offensive lineman, Sukh is one of only five lineman drafted in the past three years to start ten or more games in a season. Over one spot, Matthias Goossen (2^ndoverall, 2014) will take over at centre after being drafted as a 21-year-old.  Matthias is one of only three lineman drafted in 2014 who made a start (six total) in 2015. Meanwhile, Derek Jones had a career-high 15 special teams tackles (fourth round, 2014). An example of a what good drafting can do to help your club in time.

Head Coach Mike O’Shea? I’ve made my point on Mike in previous blogs. He is the best Head Coach I’ve ever worked with, without question. I thought Pinball Clemons put it very well in the Argos’ video tribute last season: “He made me better as an opponent. He made me better as a teammate. And he made me better as a person. One of my favourite people on the planet, without question.”

The guy has passion for the game and our league like nobody I’ve ever known. His compete level, desire to win, and love for the sport is apparent within minutes of meeting him. For example; Friday, August 14, 2015 – our first game following some major injuries to Drew Willy, Darvin Adams and Paris Cotton. Mike walked into the locker room five minutes before team introductions. He called everyone together, and with the fallen guys standing in the circle, addressed each one of their replacements. And with his eyes starting to well-up he said; “this is why, before I had a *** Swiss ball (he sits on a Swiss ball in his office instead of a chair) and a computer, and I had one of those (points to a locker) and a roll of tape, these were my favourite games. It’s your *** chance to honour your teammates. You get to look around and do it for those guys (pointing to Paris, Drew, and Darvin),” his voice now shaky. “These are the best games to play for.”

I could write for days of examples like this one, and I will in time, but all this to say that our football team is in great hands with Mike O’Shea as our Head Coach, and I’m excited to see what 2016 brings for him. He deserves the success that will come.

With injuries and roster turnover to get the team where it needs to be, the club had 80 different players take the field for at least one game last season, the third-highest total in CFL history.

“We knew all along that this was going to take time,” Kyle told me recently when I broached the topic. “Of course the Canadian depth end of things was without question going to take time, but developing the respect to garner interest from players and developing our way of doing things here was going to take time. I think we have finally turned that corner.”

It’s true. During free agency in 2014, we sent out offer after offer, only to, for the most part, get a ‘thank you, but no thank you’ reply back. Last season was a bit better. And this season our offers, which were really no different than any other club’s financially, were accepted. One after the other, everything fell into place. Everyone talks about how we were so aggressive in 2016, but the reality is that the past few years have been quite similar in our approach, the only difference is that now players want to play here.

With February just about behind us, we look ahead to the Combine, and then mini-camp in April. This year, we won’t be hosting it in Florida but rather here in Winnipeg, so we encourage fans to attend. We’ll get more information out in the coming weeks.

 

Heck, I wouldn?t have written the above preluding many of the seasons I?ve been here. But something you develop over a long period of countless hours in the sports business, is a strong sense for what feels right or wrong heading into a new season; knowing when things are actually on the right track, or when they aren?t.

- Rheanne's been the Bombers Social and Digital Media manager for all of a year and 4 months. She manages the social media accounts, she doesn't write the blogs. She likely posted it. Not likely she wrote it.

17 minutes ago, TBURGESS said:

Heck, I wouldn?t have written the above preluding many of the seasons I?ve been here. But something you develop over a long period of countless hours in the sports business, is a strong sense for what feels right or wrong heading into a new season; knowing when things are actually on the right track, or when they aren?t.

- Rheanne's been the Bombers Social and Digital Media manager for all of a year and 4 months. She manages the social media accounts, she doesn't write the blogs. She likely posted it. Not likely she wrote it.

And this is your opinion.

Just because she's only been in her current position for 16 months does not mean she hasn't been with the org. longer.

She didn't write it. DC did.

100 percent DC wrote it, bet my life on it.

Well then, that's just silly..

In past years people have ripped the Bombers for their bush league approach to players, fan experience, cheapness, etc and how this was a reason that no free agents wanted to come here.  Therefore the points in this article (if true) are very relevant and do matter. 

Yes winning is ultimately the main thing that matters and this group still has a lot to prove but one of the main ways we get better is to get better players.  You get them by treating them the way this blog described.

If we kept losing good players in free agency because the organization treated them like garbage then people would be screaming about that.

All of this stuff matters

17 hours ago, Mr Dee said:

*****, *****, *****, (female dog, female dog, female dog)

A soft article comes out in a flavour favourable to the Home Team and invokes such negative reactions. What these people are complaining about is the exact culture of losing that the Bombers are trying to change. As if the names spewed out here, don't want to win with all their being. 

yup. its entertaining to watch the people complain about the culture.. then complain about an article trying to convey the fact they have changed the culture and continue to try and make it a better place to draw in the best players and coaches..

 

negatrons.. hoooooo!

 

I dont think it's so much negative, but the P word (patience) has been used so much for so long, it's almost a sure fire way to piss fans off now and days. At this point in time,  I dont really care so much to hear about the good locker room nature. my eyes and interest are strictly on the field and its that and that alone that will be the focus of 2016 for me.  So i get why people get rubbed the wrong way when people mention patience, it only lasts for so long,  the more important thing for many after the last 2 years of futility with this regime, and even longer beyond them,  the only P word many of us want now is Produce

8 minutes ago, Taynted_Fayth said:

I dont think it's so much negative, but the P word (patience) has been used so much for so long, it's almost a sure fire way to piss fans off now and days. At this point in time,  I dont really care so much to hear about the good locker room nature. my eyes and interest are strictly on the field and its that and that alone that will be the focus of 2016 for me.  So i get why people get rubbed the wrong way when people mention patience, it only lasts for so long,  the more important thing for many after the last 2 years of futility with this regime, and even longer beyond them,  the only P word many of us want now is Produce

Yea and I agree with you on the patience versus produce side of things.  its time to piss or get off the pot so to speak.  I just think that we do have the foundation in place now and it seems to be paying dividends in regards to bringing in some better FAs and players who want to be here a part of it.

Just read this...  I know its PR but this was funny...

Finally, this season we are starting to see that development come to fruition. Sukh Chungh (2nd overall, 2015) will return in 2016 after starting every game for us last season at guard. To put that in perspective, and to highlight just how challenging that is to accomplish as a rookie offensive lineman, Sukh is one of only five lineman drafted in the past three years to start ten or more games in a season. Over one spot, Matthias Goossen (2ndoverall, 2014) will take over at centre after being drafted as a 21-year-old.  Matthias is one of only three lineman drafted in 2014 who made a start (six total) in 2015. Meanwhile, Derek Jones had a career-high 15 special teams tackles (fourth round, 2014). An example of a what good drafting can do to help your club in time.

Sukh Chungh - yes, very excited about him but most teams didn't need to field a rookie.  Lavoie and Lavertu got hurt right away, Groulx and Beard played a handful of games...   this just means the Bombers had no OL depth, ha.

Mattias Goossen - only three linemen drafted in 2014 1st round...  There were only four drafted in the first two rounds, ha!!!  And one of them is in the NFL...  

Derek Jones - super excited about Jones... but example of good drafting?  Because he's playing ST?  Hartmann, Miles, Black - tons of late round draft picks play special teams... 

All this says is 'hey, look we're trying to run the bombers like an average team after five years of being a complete train wreck... have patience and someday we'll be 10-8 again.'

 

NOW THIS GETS ME EXCITED...  From Jesse Briggs Wikipedia ha

Jesse Briggs (born April 14, 1990) is a linebacker for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League. He was selected in the second round, 17th overall, in the 2014 CFL Draft. Briggs played college football at McGill University. Jesse started the trend of long hair in football. Additionally Jesse once nursed a baby bird back to health and named him Derek. Jesse also started the trend of the single arm sleeve, most famously emulated by Robert Griffin III.

Additionally, in an October 10th, 2015 game vs. the BC Lions, Jerry gained 11 yards on a 3rd and 10 fake punt run. After these late game heroics in a pivotal Western Division match up, coupled with a beautiful run in the Banjo Bowl vs. the Saskatchewan Roughriders, some have called Jerry the greatest fake punt artist of our generation. One spectator was heard saying, "his skills border on the supernatural," and another "#thekid moves the chains, period."

Edited February 29, 20169 yr by Floyd

good wiki but when did he change his name to Jerry?

 

;p

39 minutes ago, Floyd said:

Matthias is one of only three lineman drafted in 2014 who made a start (six total) in 2015.

Mattias Goossen - only three linemen draft in 2014...??  There were only four drafted in the first two rounds, ha!!!  And one of them is in the NFL...  

How do you bold part of a post, and yet still not understand it?

obvious propaganda just annoys me. How about we don't treat fans like we're all a bunch of mouth breathing ******* who will swallow any tripe they feed us?

21 minutes ago, 17to85 said:

obvious propaganda just annoys me. How about we don't treat fans like we're all a bunch of mouth breathing ******* who will swallow any tripe they feed us?

you should probably go have a snickers

42 minutes ago, brett_c_b said:

How do you bold part of a post, and yet still not understand it?

I totally understand it.  It says Goossen is one of only three linemen who start six games in 2015...  i.e. the 3 OL drafted played more than six games in 2015...  what am I missing?

What it leaves out is that there were only four OL drafted in the top two rounds, one was bound for NFL and is a long-term prospect...

So, this stat just says that if you picked an OL in 2014, he played in 2015. (Lavertu 16, Player 9) Yay!

The stat is absolutely meaningless.

Not sure free agents potentially don't want to come here because players are treated poorly. Players want a winning environment and an organization that they believe is moving in a positive direction. You an wave the stability and patience flag all you want this boat has been sitting in the Atlantic waiting for the jet stream to push it for long enough. Produce or perish.

Sorry Captain Metaphor, but the Jet Stream doesn't push boats.

5 hours ago, Floyd said:

I totally understand it.  It says Goossen is one of only three linemen who start six games in 2015...  i.e. the 3 OL drafted played more than six games in 2015...  what am I missing?

What it leaves out is that there were only four OL drafted in the top two rounds, one was bound for NFL and is a long-term prospect...

So, this stat just says that if you picked an OL in 2014, he played in 2015. (Lavertu 16, Player 9) Yay!

The stat is absolutely meaningless.

It didn't say they were talking about linemen drafted in the first 2 rounds. There were 11 OL drafted in 2014. Goossen and 2 others were the only ones who started any games.

 

Edited March 1, 20169 yr by Jacquie

The Jet Stream? I guess you don't get current.

Jet streams are fast flowing, narrow air currents found in the upper atmosphere or in troposphere of some planets, including Earth. The main jet streams are located near the altitude of the tropopause.

So, that being the case, if the Jet Stream is going to move the ship, you better have one humdinger of a mast and sail. 

Gulf Stream is a ocean current that moves warm waters from Northern Florida up through the North Atlantic. Probably what they were looking for.

Ya, figured that was the case but I wasn't going to help him out.

Doug Brown's (Sort Of) Response To Darren Cameron Blog:

 

"WHEN seven coveted free agents sign with your football franchise — such as what we saw happen a few weeks ago with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers — it is easy to infer they saw more benefits than potential pitfalls in doing so. What is much harder to pin down, however, is the exact rationale for making such a determination.

The local football team has recently promoted a couple of stories on its webpage that credit the appeal of its head coach as the critical factor in these signings, and that’s a valid point.

 

In spite of losing twice as often as they have won over the last couple of seasons, it has obviously not deterred new players from bringing their talents to Manitoba. In fact, this losing record and substantial coaching and player turnover on a yearly basis makes these free agent signings and comments all the more impressive.

 

It takes charismatic and strong leadership to not waver in the face of adversity and to still present an appealing environment full of possibilities in spite of short returns. The cliché tells us hard times reveal character, and there is seemingly no shortage of that on several rungs of the coaching staff in Blue and Gold.

 

That being said, there are simply too many factors involved in an athlete’s decision to come to terms with a team to conclusively say one factor superseded any other.

 

If you’ve been around the game long enough, you’ve come to learn the most loyal professional athlete is the one who just cashed his bonus cheque with his new team, but hasn’t yet played a down. He hasn’t been late for a meeting yet, he hasn’t fumbled a football or got a penalty, he hasn’t been benched, he hasn’t disagreed with the play calling or argued with a coach.

 

Once these inevitable moments surface — as reality television has taught us — people stop being polite and start being real, but even then you would be hard pressed to find out publicly what players truly feel about their superiors.

Having played for eight different head coaches in pro football, no matter what you end up thinking about them by the close of your time together, initially, you are always eager to play for them.

 

When a recruited athlete has yet to earn the money you’ve handed out, or played in a game, they tend to follow most any narrative or directive you put in front of them. When you hear comments from new players about an organization or coach they haven’t gotten into the weeds with yet, it’s better to attribute their comments to the jubilation of the moment.

 

There is no agreed upon order or priority list for what makes a player want to play in any given postal code. Each one factors in money, potential for success, coaches, exposure, teammates and location, and they all weigh differently with each individual.

 

It’s also been reported that free agents chose Winnipeg as a destination for reasons outside of simply a bigger payday, as comparable offers were on the table from multiple suitors. While that is a favourable endorsement of a franchise, few and far between are the occasions when teams can actually authenticate that kind of information, and even rarer, when an agent is completely forthcoming about what other proposals have been made to their client.

 

Not only is it an agent’s job to land his client the best opportunity for a maximum amount of compensation, and to play teams against one another, but it is also in their interests to make their clients look less dollar-driven and to come off as caring about things that will endear them to a community.

 

For what puts a player in a better light: the acknowledgement that he/she signed with the team that made him/her the most outlandish offer, or one that chose a team because of other humanizing considerations?

 

If you truly want to reveal the merit of any organization or coaching staff, you wouldn’t just ask the newly signed players and the people who work in the building. For every player that has just committed and cashed a big cheque, I would suggest you also speak with a player who has spent a season or two playing, and was just released. The same see-saw of opinion should also be weighed when it comes to narratives from employees: they should be measured against those whose positions no longer exist.

 

Most teams are in hype mode right now and eager to share their successes of the off-season, but there is often more to the processes than what is shared and simplified for public consumption.

 

No organization and its coaching staff is as wondrous as players that haven’t even broken a sweat for it yet say it is, and no franchise is probably as dysfunctional as those that are no longer employed claim it is, either. Like most things, the truth lies somewhere in the middle of competing agendas, so it’s too easy to only promote a single side of it.

 

 

Doug Brown, once a hard-hitting defensive lineman and frequently a hard-hitting columnist, appears weekly in the Free Press.

Edited March 1, 20169 yr by Noeller

^^^ Just in case you thought you were a true cynic, Doug Brown shows you how it's done.....

15 hours ago, Jacquie said:

It didn't say they were talking about linemen drafted in the first 2 rounds. There were 11 OL drafted in 2014. Goossen and 2 others were the only ones who started any games.

 

Everyone knows that its the 1st round and the 2nd that count in the CFL draft... including all OL that were picked is, again, a bogus stat.

If you want to go that route, then include Quinn Everett... 'The bombers had an outstanding 50% success rate while drafting OL in the 2014 draft.... '

To pat yourself on the back for a successful 2nd overall pick is something only the bombers would do... and rightfully so after IMWT.