Johany Jutras/CFL.ca
WINNIPEG — Why not now?
Winnipeg Blue Bombers fans might be asking that question this off-season, as their team has almost run out of steps on their climb to the top of the Canadian Football League mountain.
From a $5.1 million operating profit in 2017 to the first playoff game in the Manitoba capital since 2011, the Bombers accomplished plenty last season on the way to posting a 12-6 record in the highly-competitive West.
But there’s still one thing left on the list.
“We’ve won our fair share of games over the last couple of years,” said Bombers general manager Kyle Walters. “Organizationally, now, we need to take the next step to win playoff games and win a Grey Cup.”
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The Bombers had their best season under Kyle Walters, winning 12 games in 2017 (Johany Jutras/CFL.ca)
To say it’s Grey Cup or bust may feel a little cliche, if not grandiose. But as Walters and Head Coach Mike O’Shea head into their sixth and fifth years respectively in their current roles, a championship is the expectation for both the fan base and the organization.
For now, the Bombers’ progress over over the last five years is at least enviable.
“It’s encouraging when you talk to guys around the league about what a quality organization we are now,” said Walters, who joined O’Shea and quarterback Matt Nichols on a conference call with national media members on Thursday. “That’s what I’m most proud of — I think we’re respected in this league from top to bottom with the way we run our business and the way we treat our players, and we put a product on the field that the fans are proud of.”
No one is questioning Mike O’Shea’s job security now, but that wasn’t the case two years ago when the former star linebacker with the Argos and Ticats was on the hot seat in Winnipeg. Some might even argue it was scorching.
O’Shea’s teams combined for 12 wins in his first two seasons in Winnipeg, missing the playoffs both years. He said things took longer to get off the ground than he had initially expected.
“We’ve turned over the roster almost entirely and that’s a little disappointing,” said O’Shea. “I guess there was more work to be done than I thought and it’s taken longer than I thought.”
The catalyst for the Bombers’ turnaround may have been the Matt Nichols trade part way through 2015. Nichols started and won the Banjo Bowl shortly after being acquired by the club to relieve an injured Drew Willy.
A month into the next season, Nichols was the team’s starting quarterback. He’s been one of the league’s steadiest and most reliable quarterbacks ever since.
“When I got here you could see a shift in the way guys were feeling,” said Nichols. “Even towards the end of the season we were in a lot of close games we kept losing. It felt like on the sidelines everyone was wondering who was going to make the play to win the game late for us.
“Guys were hoping someone else was going to do it, and now it’s shifted to where everyone’s going to take that ownership and when the game’s on the line, everyone’s thinking ‘I’m going to be the guy to make the play’. I think that’s really switched and that’s made a big difference for us, and that comes with the type of people we have now.”
“Obviously the goal is to win a championship. We haven’t done that so I’ve put in large amounts of work this off-season to change that and make sure we end the season the way we want to and bring a championship to Winnipeg.”
Bombers quarterback Matt Nichols
Bombers quarterback Matt Nichols shattered a career-high with 28 passing touchdowns last year (Jason Halstead/CFL.ca)
In retrospect, the Bombers have made leaps and bounds over the last couple of years, going from last-place team in 2014 to perennial contender. Whether that pays off in seven months’ time is a different topic.
With an established star quarterback, one of the league’s top running backs and more continuity than most teams, both on the roster and the coaching staff, optimism may be higher than ever for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
Nic Demski and Kienan LaFrance give Mike O’Shea more options with the ratio, while Paul LaPolice’s offence is joined by one of the CFL’s biggest playmaking receivers in Adarius Bowman.
O’Shea will have more influence on the defensive side of the ball, where the Bombers will try to cut down on big plays against them while remaining one of the CFL’s top playmaking defences.
In the end, it might be Matt Nichols who makes the difference for a Bombers team on the rise. Nichols is coming off his best season as a professional quarterback, having thrown 28 touchdown passes and only eight interceptions, and is looking to join an elite class of Canadian Football League quarterbacks.
Above all else, heading into his second full season as the Bombers’ starter, Nichols sees no reason the Bombers shouldn’t raise expectations.
“Every time you don’t win a championship, you’re going to have things that you obviously felt like you could have done better,” said Nichols. “I’m a strong self critic. I went back and watched all of our games multiple times — I’m still doing it — to make sure I’m critical of myself and finding all the things I can do better.
“Obviously the goal is to win a championship. We haven’t done that so I’ve put in large amounts of work this off-season to change that and make sure we end the season the way we want to and bring a championship to Winnipeg.”
