It’s not there anywhere in the job description and certainly not buried in the appendixes that make up the fine print of the contract.
Yet, Jason Hogan likely knew this was coming when he agreed to take on the role of offensive coordinator of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers this offseason.
It’s a gig which isn’t only about the Xs and Os or scripting gameplans from one week to next with the zeal of a mad scientist and passion of a concert pianist. It’s a job that can have armchair quarterbacks raving about your handiwork one week — see: Blue Bombers season opener, 2025 — and then cursing your name the next.
And when a team is on a three-game slide and turning the ball over at an alarming rate, well, the klaxons are blaring throughout Bomberland.
So, it was on Wednesday and Day 2 of the Blue Bombers practice week when assistant coaches and coordinators are made available to the media and Hogan was asked about what life is like as an offensive coordinator right now.
The first-year offensive boss didn’t waste a second before answering.
“Humbling. Every week you learn about yourself, you learn a lot about the league, defences, how to gameplan, what steps to take and what mistakes not to make again,” he said. “So, it’s humbling. It’s an awesome experience.”
Asked later to elaborate on what he had learned about himself, he added:
“I want it done yesterday, not patient enough, just like I think everybody. Bomber fans, the league, everybody included, we all want it done today, we all want to win, we don’t want to throw interceptions. All those things are understandable. I’m just as human as everybody watching the game.
“Just understand it’s going to take some time, sometimes I’m going to make mistakes. I’ve just got to learn from them and not repeat them.”
The Blue Bombers finished another practice day on Wednesday with Zach Collaros dressed but only taking shadow reps with Chris Streveler getting the bulk of the work with the starting offence.
That continues to leave in doubt whether the veteran pivot will be available for Saturday’s matchup in Ottawa against the Redblacks and could mean he misses a fourth start this season. Collaros has also been unable to finish three other games and his absence from the huddle certainly has impacted Winnipeg’s offensive numbers this year.
As it stands, the Blue Bombers rank fifth in net offence (358 yards per game), seventh in offensive points (23.5), first in rushing (117.6 yards per game), seventh in passing (254.6), sixth in average yards per play (6.42), fourth in completion percentage (71.1), fifth in passing TDs (20) and last in passing efficiency (88.4).
The Blue Bombers also hold the worst turnover differential in the league at -12.
Hogan spoke Wednesday about the ‘severity behind throwing interceptions and giving away points’ — Winnipeg has surrendered 93 points on turnovers this year, second worst to Toronto — and how those mistakes can give an opponent life.
Countering that is the attack’s need to be deadlier in the score zone, with the 19 touchdowns scored this season from the opponents’ 20-yard line and in the second fewest to Montreal’s 17.
“We’ve been pretty good at moving the ball week in and week out, we’ve just got to find a way to get in the end zone,” Hogan said. “We’ve got to capitalize. We can’t give the defence the ball in the other team’s plus territory (in Winnipeg’s end).
“Those are the main two things we’ve got to hone in on for the next couple of weeks.”
With Collaros limited, Blue Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea was asked about what signs he is seeing behind the scenes that might mean progress for the veteran pivot.
“Anger… usually, with Zach,” he said with a chuckle. “He gets frustrated and wants to be out there. I’d say that’s usually a good indicator that he’s really close.
“Zach doesn’t necessarily need any reps and if there were certain things he needed to see he would do it pre practice or post practice.”
OUCH REPORT: Collaros is listed as ‘limited’ in the daily injury report, as is WR Jerreth Sterns while DB Michael Griffin II did not practice for a second straight day.
Injury Report: September 17, 2025#ForTheW | @DoctorsManitoba pic.twitter.com/JIm2gTknuh
— Winnipeg Blue Bombers (@Wpg_BlueBombers) September 17, 2025
O’Shea referred to Griffin II on Wednesday as a ‘switchblade type of guy’ and if he can’t go the defence will be missing a key component. On the flip side, Jamal Parker, Jr. has been back practising after injuring his knee earlier this year.
“I’m doing pretty well. It was a good day,” said Parker, Jr. “I’m out here running around; I get to run around with my teammates.
“(Being out) was tough but I went through something major last year (torn knee, which cost him the season) so to me this was really nothing. This was about keeping your head down and getting back healthy.
“Mentally, I know how to deal with it. Physically, of course, you don’t want that, but I know God has a plan for everybody and everything happens for a reason.”
A STRONG DEBUT: Overshadowed in the loss to Hamilton on the weekend was the work of cornerback Demerio Houston, who returned to the club in the summer and made his first start against the Ticats.
Houston had four tackles in the loss and was steady in his return after spending last year in Calgary.
“It felt great out there,” said Houston. “I had been waiting for that moment for almost a year. That day finally came and I thought I played pretty well. The outcome is not what we wanted as a team.
“I knew I still had it, it was more so how much of it. Everybody had been playing for months while I was at home and I hadn’t played in almost a year, so it was a chance to knock the rust off.
“I wanted to be sound in my tackling and make sure that if the receiver does make the catch, it’s bang-bang and I’m quickly making the tackle with no yards after the catch. I wanted to make sure I was clean on all my assignments and communicating with the guy beside me.”
Houston also raved about the defence’s potential and the work of coordinator Jordan Younger.
“When I was here in ’23 we only played six DBs,” said Houston. “Now I’ve come back and sometimes there’s almost 10 DBs on the field. It’s definitely a new system for me and I like it because it can confuse quarterbacks. That’s our job — make it difficult for the opposing team. We need to force more turnovers, but that will come.”