The Root of the Problem

[BigBlue]

I, Chicken Little, have decided that indeed the sky is falling. Others in Bomber Land are simply choosing to pick out individual falling stars disintegrating into dust. The INDIVIDUAL EMPHASIS: It's the GM. No,  it's the quarterback. No, it's the coaching. Others are focusing on the offensive line, while we rant and rave about the draft and free agent picks. Some are picking the city itself is the reason the Blue Bombers cannot succeed.

This argument has gone on and on for a quarter-century, literally... really. Our last championship was 26 years ago. What is the common thread, the repeated over and over cause of our failure? Or are we just randomly unlucky as our personality and character trait? Can we even say that there is a single cause?

Isn't it easier to say there is no pattern, no analysable source for the failure?

We used to say that the New York Mets would be a joke forever, until one day they weren't anymore. They were actually championship calibre. So what changed with them?

We love to dump on the Saskatchewan Rough Riders but they went all out to win a Grey Cup and they did it. Then when they realized that the team had developed into stardust, in the aftermath, they went out and did something. They hired the Grey Cup winner's coach, a hated man called Jones. He has talent, he finds talent and he is demanding for the very best a player can put out. We can see how critical football is to the Regina community. Businessmen get involved with their own money; people make sacrifices for the team. The Rough Riders is like the province's National sport and obsession.

By contrast, in Winnipeg, our board of directors is like an old boys club. It's very prestigious to be on the board, a status symbol, not an act of self-sacrifice. And we're a very stingy lot, nicknamed Wholesale City for our cheapness. It was almost like a national emergency when we paid big bucks for Matt Dunigan back in the mid-90s (and we still had a little bit of sense left from the not too far removed Grey Cup days). I for one don't really believe at all that our current Board of Directors cares enough to do what it takes to win it all. There are exceptional individuals on the Board from time to time but for the most part they are a lackadaisical lot were sitting on their personal laurels while a couple of others are accountability types was only ambition is to protect the investment of the City and the Province. No one is ever going to light a fire under that group... never in a million years. We don't have anything resembling true leadership there. Wade Miller was a perfect hire to represent that board.

The fate of the Bombers is not going to change because we are perpetuating the root of the problem. As one sage once said "they heal the wound of my people slightly". They just appease us with the hope that "we are doing the best we can": hoping that we believe our former glory days will somehow return. Those that control our fate have no motivation. 

The sky has fallen; we just haven't accepted it yet.

 

 

[blueandgoldguy]

The verdict is still out on Wade Miller.  He hired Walters and promised us a more competitive football team.  So far, he has failed.  Perhaps he was the wrong person for the job.

[MOBomberFan]

[iso_55]

HeyBrock Jensen. Look at that. Now look at us. Disgraceful.

[WBBFanWest]

43 minutes ago, BigBlue said:

I, Chicken Little.....

 

 

[Goalie]

Think Wade has done more good than bad. He's president and yeah he hired Walters but really besides that he's done lots of good. Wade isn't the guy on the field coaching the team and he isn't the gm. Not sure why we'd even consider firing wade Miller actually 

[DR. CFL]

At some point Miller said he would be involved in football related decisions. He can only be Mr. Teflon for so long. 

[Goalie]

I'll just say this... on the list of guys I'd get rid of... wade Miller is closer to the bottom of that list than he is to the top. I don't think he's a problem. I think for the most part he's done a Damn good job as president. If the argument is he hired kyle Walters.... well... that's a weak argument in my opinion because eventho it looks like perhaps Walters was a mistake.... I really can't think of much else if anything awful or even bad he's done. It's 99 percent good 

Edited July 23, 2016 by Goalie

[DR. CFL]

Unfortunately we are not privy to what other football related decisions Miller is responsible for that may not have been positive ones.

[IC Khari]

Hard to figure, this team appears to do everything right, except win ...

Edited July 23, 2016 by IC Khari

[iso_55]

2 hours ago, IC Khari said:

Hard to figure, this team appears to do everything right, except win ...

Which means they're not doing it right.

[IC Khari]

DEFINITELY ... winning is the point.

[Dirty30]

12 hours ago, MOBomberFan said:

That's the same look Willy has after the ball is snapped lol

[Doublezero]

I was pretty excited to see 3 Canadians Miller Walters MOS take charge in 2014. Canadians who understand 3 downs and a 65 yard wide field. Problem is they are all ex Special Teams men. Hence no one was really in a position to assess Drew Willy's actual level of competency as a QB, for example. This is the root of the problem. The better CFL clubs have an ex-QB as HC or GM. It's just obvious. In the CFL you go as your QB goes. And you need an eye for that.

Edited July 23, 2016 by Doublezero

[Fatty Liver]

5 minutes ago, Doublezero said:

I was pretty excited to see 3 Canadians Miller Walters MOS take charge in 2014. Canadians who understand 3 downs and a 65 yard wide field. Problem is they are all ex Special Teams men. Hence no one was really in a position to assess Drew Willy's actual level of competency as a QB, for example. This is the root of the problem. The better CFL clubs have an ex-QB as HC or GM. It's just obvious. In the CFL you go as your QB goes. And you need an eye for that.

That is the role Danny Mac was supposed to play, but you have to wonder if he's been paying attention to the changes in the game in the last 20 years or just relying on what worked for him in his day.  His track record for QB's is not good.

[Arnold_Palmer]

There is some deep rooted problems with this football team and there is no easy fix. Out of the 9 teams in the league the mental pysche of this team is by far  the worst. Having problems with slow starts, making first downs, getting to the red zone, executing in the red zone. We seem so content on picking up what the defense gives us on offense. On second and long they will give the five yard pass every time. I'm tired of constantly seeing 3rd and 3. I'm tired of the slow starts, i'm tired of seeing us being so painfully bad at home. I want us to come out hungry like a team that wants to it more then the other team. On defence I want us to capitalize on errand throws, and not drop easy interceptions, to play inspired all the time and not just in the second half. The mental toughness of this team is weak. The difference between us and teams like Calgary and Edmonton is when the game was still on the line they executed and delivered. There is no simple fix. It's not just the quarterback, it's the mentality. How come a previously win less team like Saskatchewan can play with more energy, and more passion then us? 

Edited July 23, 2016 by Arnold_Palmer

[pigseye]

7 minutes ago, Doublezero said:

I was pretty excited to see 3 Canadians Miller Walters MOS take charge in 2014. Canadians who understand 3 downs and a 65 yard wide field. Problem is they are all ex Special Teams men. Hence no one was really in a position to assess Drew Willy's actual level of competency as a QB, for example. This is the root of the problem. The better CFL clubs have an ex-QB as HC or GM. It's just obvious. In the CFL you go as your QB goes. And you need an eye for that.

Hindsight is always 20/20 but, the exhaustive search to fill the positions must have been done by a myopic committee as a quick perusal of their CV's would have immediately revealed that none had the qualifications necessary for such important positions. To say it was a gamble, would be an insult to the profession.

[wbbfan]

15 hours ago, WBBFanWest said:

if it wasnt for that we'd never have odds n sods. that said i made it about 5 words into this post.

[do or die]

At this rate, it will be less posting and more drinking, soon....

[Guest J5V]

22 hours ago, Goalie said:

Think Wade has done more good than bad. He's president and yeah he hired Walters but really besides that he's done lots of good. Wade isn't the guy on the field coaching the team and he isn't the gm. Not sure why we'd even consider firing wade Miller actually 

Can you give us some examples of all this "good" and explain to us how it has improved the product on the field? I'm just not seeing it.

[Tracker]

Despite the mess on the field, the Bomber organization and finances have been managed well.

[Guest J5V]

2 minutes ago, tracker said:

Despite the mess on the field, the Bomber organization and finances have been managed well.

From the Bomber website ..  http://www.bluebombers.com/wade-miller/

"Wade Miller began overseeing the Winnipeg Football Club as President and Chief Executive Officer when he was introduced in August of 2013. Miller’s leadership has pointed this historic franchise in the right direction, both on and off the football field. His commitment to providing the province of Manitoba with a competitive football product and a great fan experience has become the mantra of the organization. Miller is a hands-on CEO, constantly interacting with corporate partners and fans, always seeking feedback to continue the process of shaping the organization into an entity that will be successful on all levels, on a long-term basis."

This team is a mess. He is ultimately responsible for that mess. I'm just not seeing this "right direction" "both on and off the football field" or the "competitive football product" and "great fan experience" that he is taking credit for. Doesn't "all levels" mean he is responsible for the mess wherever it is?

 

[do or die]

All the off field initiatives, in the known world are not going to help......as long as the club keeps serving up this inept, listless, and boring product, on the field.....

[iso_55]

11 hours ago, Doublezero said:

I was pretty excited to see 3 Canadians Miller Walters MOS take charge in 2014. Canadians who understand 3 downs and a 65 yard wide field. Problem is they are all ex Special Teams men. Hence no one was really in a position to assess Drew Willy's actual level of competency as a QB, for example. This is the root of the problem. The better CFL clubs have an ex-QB as HC or GM. It's just obvious. In the CFL you go as your QB goes. And you need an eye for that.

The American coaches up here seem to understand the game just fine. Seems we wanted to be trailblazers & how is that working out?

[Floyd]

Root of the Problen...!!!