{"id":228680,"date":"2025-10-21T06:16:09","date_gmt":"2025-10-21T06:16:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/228680\/"},"modified":"2025-10-21T06:16:09","modified_gmt":"2025-10-21T06:16:09","slug":"need-to-know-week-21","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/228680\/","title":{"rendered":"Need to Know | Week 21"},"content":{"rendered":"

File this under the Department of Leaving No Stone Unturned: over the weekend, not long after the Winnipeg Blue Bombers edged the Saskatchewan Roughriders 17-16 in a performance which, at best, could be described as \u2018uneven\u2019, head coach Mike O\u2019Shea had an idea:<\/p>\n

For the first time this season \u2014 in fact the first time Brady Oliveira can remember since joining the club in 2019 \u2014 the offence got together to watch the game film as an entire unit, foregoing the usual practice of having the quarterbacks, running backs\/offensive line and the receivers all break it down in separate positional group sessions.<\/p>\n

The concept here is simple and is often used by the defence: dissect the video evidence as a group as every one in the room holds each other accountable. Take responsibility for an error or assignment bust and ask for help in understanding and then the solutions can become clearer to the group, too.<\/p>\n

The initial takeaway, at least from Oliveira\u2019s perspective, was all positive.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought was very productive,\u201d said the Blue Bombers running back after Monday\u2019s practice. \u201cSo, hearing everyone out, people holding themselves accountable, it was good. It was really, really productive. Just got to clean up those mistakes. We watched it, we learned. Now, onto the practice field, fix those mistakes, so when game day comes, we can fly around and play fast.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

In short, that\u2019s partly what accountability can look like after a performance in which the Blue Bombers got just enough from the offence in the win, including a last minute drive that led to the game-winning field goal.<\/p>\n

But with one game left in the regular season this Saturday against the Montreal Alouettes the offence is also trying to find not just some consistency heading into the playoffs, but some traction especially after the unusual scene following Friday\u2019s win in which the reaction from the offence was one of pure frustration, as we outlined in this week\u2019s Upon Further Review<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just have to do a better job of executing the plays. That\u2019s it. It\u2019s kind of the same stuff we say to you every week,\u201d said quarterback Zach Collaros on Monday. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to play our brand of football and execute at a high level.\u201d<\/p>\n

And when Collaros was asked if saying that troubles him after 17 games of the season, he was succinct: \u201cYeah, it does. If you left that game and some of the games with the way we\u2019ve played this year without a sense of urgency or without a little bit of anger, then I think you\u2019re wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of frustration, obviously, not just myself, but I think that entire locker room,\u201d added Oliveira of the scene Friday night after the win. \u201cAlso from not playing up to our standard. There\u2019s a ton of mistakes, especially coming in the next day. You watch the tape, and that\u2019s a day of growth and to learn, to look at yourself in the mirror and see I you can get better. Just watching the tape, there\u2019s just mistakes all over it. So, we obviously got to clean that up if we want to get to where we want to go.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, as dime back Redha Kramdi said after the game, \u201cAt some point we need to stop saying, \u2018We\u2019re going to be all right\u2019 because suddenly the season will be over, and we\u2019ll be home watching the playoffs on our couches. Honestly, as a group \u2014 and pardon my language \u2014 but we need to get our s\u2013t together. This is unacceptable. We shouldn\u2019t be struggling as we did as a team. We need to play way cleaner football.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOne hundred per cent,\u201d added Oliveira when reminded of Kramdi\u2019s statement. \u201cWe\u2019re on Game 18, like there\u2019s not much time left. So, that\u2019s why I was saying you\u2019re never going to play a perfect game, but at this point of the season, you got to be trying to play at least your best football. Try to be as perfect as you can be. Again, you\u2019re not going to be perfect, but strive for that, limit the mistakes. Those mistakes are meant for training camp and early in the season; right now, you should be rolling. Everyone should be feeling good, playing good.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, yeah, Redha hit in right on the head. We\u2019re running out of time, and we got to quit saying (we\u2019ll get it done eventually). But I\u2019m with it, man. I\u2019m with it. We don\u2019t got much time left and we all have got to come together and play our best football.\u201d<\/p>\n

Winnipeg\u2019s offensive numbers have been all over the map this season, from averaging 385.8 yards through the 3-0 start and 514 net yards in the win over Hamilton at the end of last month, to everything just looking so difficult in three of the last four games. So, just to be clear, these tough conversations haven\u2019t been limited to just the past weekend, but have unfolded throughout the course of the year.<\/p>\n

That doesn\u2019t happen unless there is a universal standard that needs to be met and unless a team can be respectful in its accountability with each other.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s definitely an extremely tight locker room. There\u2019s a whole lot of love that goes around; they\u2019re all our brothers,\u201d Oliveira said. \u201cBut there definitely has been some tough conversations throughout this year. Every single season, there is tough conversations, maybe more than other seasons. But, yeah, if you\u2019re a family, you should be able to look at your brother in the eye and say, \u2018Hey, I need more from you.\u2019 Or, \u2018Hey, you made a mistake here. How you going to clean that up?\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cBut how are you going to move forward with cleaning up those mistakes. Like, what\u2019s the plan of action here? So, yeah, there\u2019s been some tough conversations. Not just this week, in particular, but I just guys hanging around the locker room and us having conversations together of, \u2018Hey, how can we move this into the right direction? It\u2019s all been productive, very productive conversations, which I think will get us to the point where we want to be.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re running out of time, but there\u2019s still time. There\u2019s still time, and we\u2019re very optimistic, and we know the guys we have in that locker room. So, yeah, we\u2019re just going to keep pushing forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

One final take on this from Collaros, who was asked what this group does to find its confidence again and find the groove that had propelled it to the last five Grey Cup games.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor one, you have to believe in what you\u2019re doing. Belief is a big thing,\u201d he said. \u201cJust believe in each other and understand we have been here before, we have executed at a high level before, not just dating back to previous sayings but even at points in the season. Belief goes a long way, whether it\u2019s that way or for the whole big picture.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026 With that being said, I think every team feels they have a chance to get to where they want to go and to hoist that trophy. That\u2019s the goal, right? We\u2019ve got one more week left before we get there. I think we\u2019re OK.\u201d<\/p>\n

OUCH REPORT: Oliveira, FYI, was mostly the spectator at Monday\u2019s practice. Meanwhile, receiver Nic Demski \u2014 who missed the win over the Roughriders after injuring his hamstring in the loss to Edmonton \u2014 was also a non-participant. Of note, defensive back Michael Griffin continues to see his workload cranked up, while receiver Cam Echols also got more reps with the offence.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

There is a scenario where Friday night\u2019s game between the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Ottawa Redblacks could impact what the roster for the Alouettes looks like Saturday afternoon. A win by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats against Ottawa on Friday would lock up first for them and second for Montreal.<\/p>\n

To finish third in the West Division, Winnipeg would need a win and a Stampeders victory over the Edmonton Elks and a loss by the B.C. Lions Saturday night against the Saskatchewan Roughriders. All other scenarios would see the Blue Bombers end up as the crossover and travel to Montreal to face the Alouettes in the East Semifinal.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"File this under the Department of Leaving No Stone Unturned: over the weekend, not long after the Winnipeg…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":228681,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[437],"tags":[49,48,521,522,520,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-228680","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cfl","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-canadian-football-league","11":"tag-canadianfootballleague","12":"tag-cfl","13":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228680","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=228680"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228680\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/228681"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=228680"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=228680"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=228680"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}