What has been mostly hidden finally came to light in the Bombers’ organization, and amazingly, it was after a win! I have said for a while that there are issues that the Bombers are not addressing publically, and even suggested that they may not know what the problem is.

July 29, 2025 – Reflections – Here Is What Is Wrong With The Bombers
August 12, 2025 – Hot Take – The Bombers Are Unaware Of Their Problems Or Are Addressing Them Quietly

Well, it is now October, and the quiet frustration is no longer quiet. The Bombers have finally moved away from “We just have to work harder,” to being a little more open…tough they still choose their words wisely. Here is what Collaros said after the game.

Brady is not happy
There is actually 1 more issue that the Bombers need to be facing head on:

* The Bombers better figure out how to keep Brady around.
Right now this is my pure speculation, but I want to offer some historical evidence that points to this as a potential issue.

Yep, you heard that right. I do not care that in the past Brady Oliveira said he needs to be in Winnipeg and he is loyal to his team. At some point, if you are not being released to use your skills on the field, you are going to look for a place where you can. Football careers are not long!

And the thing that is the most concerning about this is that Jason Hogan – the Bombers’ offensive coach – should know this the best!

You would have thought the Bombers could figure this one out…especially after the mess in the Grey Cup 2024. In that game, Collaros gets injured and the MOP (Most Outstanding Player) Brady Oliveira does not get used properly. And that is not just me saying it…it is Brady.

“They understand that we can take a game over at any given point,” Oliveira said. “We didn’t have enough of those opportunities on Sunday, which is unfortunate. It’s not making sense to me right now.
“I still need to reflect on that… I’ve earned the right to understand why it played out that way.” Oliveira plans to ask his coaches that very question, eventually. But it was all still too raw on Tuesday.” (This after the 2024 Grey Cup) – Source

But no. Buck Pierce goes to BC, a welcomed departure by some fans…and Winnipeg does not give the ball to Brady enough, nor consistently enough.

The rumor is out there that after the Banjo Bowl, Brady’s partner had told some fans that Brady was not happy with the play calling and how he was being used. If I am the Bombers, I am sitting Hogan down and telling him, “Brady is not happy. And we are more interested in keeping Brady happy than keeping you around. Figure it out.” And then point to some recent events; like running the ball on the last play against Edmonton. If you are going to do that…just take a knee.

With one last play to try and find a miraculous way to win, the Bombers do what? They run the ball with Oliveira. Now, even I who has been on the Bombers all year for not running enough thinks that is a terrible play call. What you do in that situation is you toss up a long bomb and hope for a pass interference penalty. If that occurs, you get one more play at the spot of the foul, because the game cannot end on a penalty. Sure, the odds of that working are slim…but they are better than a run play. We might have to start calling these plays, ‘Hogan head scratchers.

What we see
I for one am not surprised that the Bomber players are not feeling great about where they are in the standings and the progress or lack thereof. Even during the game there were a couple of Bomber players that lost their cool. That does not bother me. What does bother me is that it is happening in late October. Bomber players should have been irate, infuriated, and frustrated earlier in the season…when there was time to make significant changes.

What do we not see?
If the above is what we see and hear, then the question has to be asked, “What do we not see?” Granted, if Zach Collaors is showing visible frustration then so are numerous other players. How deep does it run? My guess would be that it involves the majority of the offence.

This is not the time of year that you want to see fractures and frustrations. This is the time of year to be fine tuning, and adding wrinkles. And for the Bombers’ the trade deadline should have been a time for the Bombers to add receivers; but they did nothing that we saw. That has proven itself even more true after the injury to Demski. I have said it before, and I will say it again, the Bombers do not have the receiver power to win consistently without Schoen and Demski.

At this point, and if the Bombers play in the playoffs the way that they played in Winnipeg against Saskatchewan, it will not matter if they play in the Western Semi-Final or the Eastern Semi-Final…it will be a quick and ugly exit for them.

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