At this point if you are a Bomber fan you know that Marc Liegghio - the Blue Bomber's kicker - has been released. They say confession is good for the soul, so here is my confession, I was wrong. In my last article I mentioned that the kickers were something that I was going to be watching for from the Bomber's pre-season game. I even went on the record and said, "I have to believe that the Bombers are likely to keep both kickers Marc Liegghio and Sergio Castillo. I just do not see how Chandler Staton sticks around." Boy was I wrong. I thought that since Liegghio was the only Bomber to take on kicking duties in 2022, has played in the last two Grey cups and who has played in 32 regular season games had earned some more leash.
Apparently that was not the case. Yes, Liegghio did struggle at time last year. Yes, some fans will blame him on the 2022 Grey Cup loss. But the Bombers do not make emotional coaching or player decisions. If anyone thinks that releasing Leigghio is a move just for optics I would disagree.
Bomber's Head Coach Mike O'Shea has been criticized of being loyal to a fault. And while the roster decisions are made my Bombers General Manager, Kyle Walters, they are not made in isolation. I do not know exactly what the communication between the General Manager and Head Coach is when it comes to cutting players, but there is communication and discussion especially when you are talking about a guy who has been around.
As a result, the Bombers will be starting the season with kicker Sergio Castillo, Sheahan, who was the Bomber's first pick in the 2023 Global Draft, will handle the punting duties and Schmitz, the second pick, will stick around on the practice roster for now. Kyle Walters did promise a legit kicking competition in the 2023 training camp...and apparently we had one.
Clearly the Bombers believe that the combination of Sheahan and Castillo is better than the combination of Sheahan and Liegghio. The Bombers do not make moves to appease fans...they do not need to. The Redblacks, Elks, and Roughriders need to appease fans, the Bombers on the other hand and trying to win championships.
Should the Bombers have released Liegghio? Let me know in the comments.
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