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John Woods \/ THE CANADIAN PRESS<\/p>\n
Winnipeg Blue Bombers running back Brady Oliveira took the ball to the house on a career-long 45-yard touchdown against the Calgary Stampeders last week.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Oliveira is someone who isn\u2019t afraid to tell it like it is, and his candid nature is part of what makes him who he is \u2014 and his words carry a lot of weight.<\/p>\n
Fans can understand why Oliveira was frustrated in the aftermath of the 52-30 loss to the Calgary Stampeders and it wasn\u2019t because he was more interested in padding his personal statistics.<\/p>\n
The running back hates losing and he\u2019s fine serving as a decoy and doing some of the things that don\u2019t show up on the stats sheet when the Bombers offence is moving efficiently and the team is piling up victories.<\/p>\n
But with the club sitting at 4-3 so far this season and searching for more consistency in all three phases, Oliveira is asking for more out of himself and is determined to do his part to help this group take the next step.<\/p>\n
\u201c(Whether it\u2019s) a win or a loss, there should be little things that motivate you to keep going and continue to strive because when you get complacent, you should probably stop playing this game,\u201d said Oliveira, who went into this week third in CFL rushing. \u201cFor me, I really, truly just want to win football games.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me, I really, truly just want to win football games.\u201d<\/p>\n
Oliveira is a leader on the Bombers and he embodies the \u201cwe before me\u201d mantra that has been so prevalent during the Mike O\u2019Shea\/Kyle Walters era.<\/p>\n
While it\u2019s true Oliveira wants more carries and touches, he\u2019s not alone in that category.<\/p>\n
Playmakers want to make plays and Oliveira has the ability to impact the game in a number of ways \u2014 whether that\u2019s running the ball, catching it out of the backfield and letting his athletic ability take over or by providing important protection for the quarterback when the situation calls for that.<\/p>\n
Asked about the 45-yard touchdown run that was the longest of his seven CFL seasons, the first thing Oliveira did was point to the people who made the major possible.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe offensive line did a heck of a job,\u201d said Oliveira, who has 93 carries for 551 yards and three touchdowns to go along with 19 receptions for 126 yards and one touchdown. \u201cI could have drove my truck through that hole.\u201d<\/p>\n
Before the answer was complete, Oliveira went on to praise the receivers who ensured the hole was as big as it was, pointing out how he saw Ontaria Wilson out of his peripheral make another block that prevented him from being touched during his sprint to the end zone.<\/p>\n
\u201cI could have drove my truck through that hole.\u201d<\/p>\n
What Oliveira said out loud about what the offensive group is still searching for probably struck a nerve with the coaching staff.<\/p>\n
The reality is that the Bombers are still searching for its true offensive identity and there\u2019s plenty of room for improvement in a number of areas, though that\u2019s not necessarily out of the ordinary given the circumstances the 2026 season has presented to date.<\/p>\n
With quarterback Zach Collaros (neck) sidelined and on the six-game injured list, the club is still relatively early in the process. And the integration of receivers like Tim White and Tommy Nield, who were brought in during free agency, is part of that.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously, we have some new faces on this offence and some shuffling too along the offensive line. We\u2019re all working together to kind of see what fits right now, but I\u2019m really happy with the guys that we\u2019ve got,\u201d said Oliveira, who had 128 rushing yards and two majors on 14 carries last week.<\/p>\n
\u201cRight now, offensively, we want to score touchdowns and finish with six (points), not three. I\u2019ve talked about that before. We want to play our brand of football and it\u2019s going to take everyone. Every single week, it\u2019s going to look different.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\tThe Warm-Up<\/p>\n
Winnipeg Jets Game Days<\/p>\n
On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.<\/p>\n
\t\t\tSign up for The Warm-Up<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t That\u2019s part of the deal in a nine-team league and an 18-game season. Offences need to evolve as the season moves along, with wrinkles added and improvements made, allowing the group the chance to avoid being overly predictable or relying on one aspect more than another.<\/p>\n Quarterback Dru Brown is set to make his fourth start of the season for the Bombers and he\u2019ll need to do a better job of protecting the football after he unleashed four interceptions against the Stampeders.<\/p>\n Ball security is one of the correctable issues the team needs to clean up and leaning a bit more on Oliveira is one of the solutions.<\/p>\n \u201cBrady\u2019s a great player,\u201d said Brown. \u201cWe\u2019ve got to play better and we\u2019ve got to get (the ball) to our guys and make plays.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n NOT FEELING SENTIMENTAL<\/p>\n O\u2019Shea was asked about what it\u2019s like to go up against Lions head coach Buck Pierce, who was the offensive co-ordinator on his staff for a number of years after his playing career came to an end.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Heywood Yu \/ THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES<\/p>\n Winnipeg Blue Bombers head coach Mike O\u2019Shea is once again unfazed by the prospect of facing his former offensive co-ordinator Buck Pierce in Thursday night\u2019s tilt against the B.C. Lions.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u201cWith Buck, he was very good at his job, so I left him alone,\u201d said O\u2019Shea.<\/p>\n \u201cI wouldn\u2019t say that I\u2019m responsible for strategizing against Buck Pierce. The co-ordinators, the coaches, put in the systems, put in the game plan, the players execute it. When it comes to decision-making in games, do I have a feel for what he might do? Maybe, but that\u2019s just the flow of the game.\u201d<\/p>\n Fair enough, but what is it like to see Pierce spread his wings as a head coach in his second CFL season?<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know if I think about it that way,\u201d said O\u2019Shea. \u201cIt\u2019s just Buck. We\u2019re friends. I\u2019m happy for him and his family. He\u2019s always been ready for the next challenge. I\u2019m not looking at it all mushy like that.\u201d<\/p>\n winnipegfreepress.com\/kenwiebe<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Ken Wiebe Ken Wiebe is a sports reporter for the Free Press, with an emphasis on the Winnipeg Jets. He has covered hockey and provided analysis in this market since 2000 for the Winnipeg Sun, The Athletic, Sportsnet.ca and TSN. Ken was a summer intern at the Free Press in 1999 and returned to the Free Press in a full-time capacity in September of 2023. Read more about Ken<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Ken produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber<\/a>.<\/p>\n Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.<\/p>\n \t\t<\/p>\n
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