The Return- A look Forward

The number one question I get asked on a daily basis these days is "What's the status of WFX?" Literally every single hour some well meaning person asks me that. So to bring my blog back, which a year ago at this time was a heat seeker focused mostly on a middle aged man named Martin, I decided I would avoid the answer to that question for now, and focus on something else. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Jules, this one's for you!

The 2010 campaign for the Blue and Gold could be labelled nothing short of a DISASTER. For the first time ever I enjoyed season tickets, sitting a row in front of the great Dave Petrishen. I missed one game, in late July when I travelled to the lackluster City of Scranton Pennsylvania where I was supposed to be cast in a minor role in a movie starring Fabio. Enough of the minor details. Back to the Bombers.

When Scott Taylor said going into this season, that the Bombers were a 4 and 14 club (he stipulated that was if Buck Pierce stayed healthy), I thought "The Coach" was just being loyal to his friend, disgraced former Head Coach and General Manager Mike Kelly. I believed a 7-11 or 8-10 record was in store, and thanks to a Toronto Argo team that wouldn't be very good, and an Edmonton Eskimo team that was iffy at best, the Big Blue would make the playoffs.

I believed that even if Buck Pierce got hurt, that Steven Jyles would enter the picture and do enough to win games and Paul LaPolice would have a fresh new offensive scheme that would at least get the job done and show flashes of being exciting. Where did I go wrong? I guess the answer "All of the above" could be practical.

What was really impressive to me was the naive nature of the average Blue Bomber fan. These people really seem to believe that 3 bad calls on the field by the CFL referees cost their team a post season birth. Or if Buck Pierce had just stayed healthy this team was good enough to be competing for the Grey Cup. Man the beer they sell at the Stadium must be laced with something pretty strong (I know, having passed out after the season opener outside in the parking lot).

Last year, during the tumultuous Mike Kelly era I proposed changes I would make given proper autonomy to run The Winnipeg Football club. This year, I want to be far less harsh, as I wouldn't really appreciate it if Joe Mack or Paul LaPolice audited my performance running WFX. But here are some things I would probably list as very high priority:

1. Get better Canadians on the field. Corey Watson will be a very decent Canadian receiver one day, Brock Ralph however is not. Justin Palardy gives us a lot of hope replacing Alexis Serna at Place Kicker. Lets find two or three more gems that will improve our ratio and give us a competitive edge.

2. Go into 2011 with a 1-2 punch at Quarterback splitting the duties between Pierce and Jyles. Neither QB stood out as a game-breaker, despite what Bombers brass will say about Pierce in the first 2 games of the season. Nobody employs the 1-2 punch, and I believe it would alter every opponents Defensive preparation. Additionally it allows a slumping quarterback a way out, without completely hindering his confidence, or the fans confidence in his abilities. Jyles numbers were far better than Pierce and splitting the workload might increase the chances that Buck can stay healthy. I'm not suggesting an alternating starting schedule, I'm saying that at anytime in a game, the Defense of the opponent will not know which Quarterback is coming onto the field. It's unorthodox and maybe it can work. If one of the two is in complete rhythm let him stay and ride him while he's hot.

3. Should Kavis Reed exit for the Head Coaching job in Edmonton, don't hesitate to bring Richie Hall in to run the Defense. If a better qualified Offensive Coordinator with Head Coaching experience is out there (I dare say Danny Maciocia), give him consideration to replace Jamie Barresi. One of the biggest problems plaguing the Bombers this season was that LaPolice was completely out-coached game in and game out. With two ultra experienced Coordinators in place, you might level the playing field.

4. Create a media blitz and fan hype around next season being "A Year for Doug Brown to win it all". The whole campaign needs to say that the Bombers will do everything necessary to win while their loyal work-horse on the interior Defensive Line is still playing. Make the fans believe that this team will be significantly better, be very aggressive in the off-season with free agency, make a blockbuster trade or two. Everything has got to be hype for next year. They are coming off 3 straight losing seasons, two of which they missed the playoffs. Fans, media and players alike have to feel like 2011 will be significantly different. Create an attitude and a culture where people are proud to say they Love the Bombers again. I, for one, spent much of this season pulling for the Tiger Cats, partly because I believe that Kevin Glenn got the shit end of the stick in Winnipeg, and two because I KNOW Greg Marshall got the shit end of the stick from the Winnipeg Football Club. The franchise needs a serious breath of new life, and I think it should be about winning the Grey Cup for Doug Brown.

5. Partly in tribute to Harry Caray, and partly for my own personal amusement, have Bob Irving sing "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" at Half-time. Many will hate me for saying I don't think "Knuckles" has any credibility left calling football games in the CFL. He might as well wear a jersey and paint his face, and get the number 97 (Doug Brown's jersey number) tattooed on his aged ass. No offense to Bob, but C'MON!

So call me crazy, those are just some of the things I would encourage the brains of the Blue to consider. I believe Paul LaPolice is on the right track, and will eventually post winning seasons as a Head Coach. However, I also believe if he fails to make the post season in 2011, he should be relieved. The exact same can be said about Joe Mack.

Oh, for all of you who like going to The Keg Steakhouse and Bar, I've got some $50 gift cards I'm selling at discount 15% off. E-mail me at mikedavidson@wfxwrestling.com and I will be happy to hook you up.

And on a final unrelated note. I was a little bit disappointed at the recent termination of Marty Gold from the Red River Community College radio station (I didn't think you could get terminated from a station like that). Those of you who followed this blog a year ago, might have gotten the mistaken impression I hated the man. Truth is, I never like to see a guy terminated from a job he loves, and Marty definitely loved doing "The Great Canadian Talk Show". My issues with Marty stemmed from a disgraced effort at doing a benefit show for a deceased wrestler (a show that still hasn't proven how much money if any was raised), and not from his work as "the oldest man ever to host a campus radio program". He was the uncool version of Van Wilder, but it was a passion, and I truly hope the man lands on his feet at some other campus radio station. Good luck Marty Gold!