Winnipeg Blue Bombers head coach, Doug Berry, in his zeal to rationalize and justify the cutting of Troy Westwood, has decided to blame the long-snapper for the fact Alexis Serna can’t catch.
Could it be that everything is unravelling in Bomberland?
At best, the coaching staff is simply in excuse-mode. At worst? At worst, this coaching staff is coming apart at the seams.
In his almost daily rush to convince himself and everyone around him that cutting Troy Westwood as the team’s kicker/punter was a good decision, Berry blamed long snapper Chris Cvetkovic for the fact Serna dropped his second snap in two games. Serna’s butter-fingers have now cost the Bombers a touchdown a game, but to blame Cvetkovic for a bad snap? What a crock.
First of all it’s not Cvetkovic’s fault that Serna is three-feet tall and can’t catch. It’s also not Cvetkovic’s fault that his snap was helmet high and Serna decided to jump for it. Huh? Catch the damn ball (by the way, the snap Serna dropped in Week 1 was chest high).
Westwood used to say the most important aspect of punting was the drop. In Winnipeg these days, it’s the catch.
But the coaches won’t admit it. They’ve decided that Cvetkovic’s snap was the problem. They also won’t admit that giving Charles Roberts the ball a mere six times (for 11 yards and a touchdown) is a gigantic mistake, even IF you fall behind early.
Fact: When Charles Roberts rushes for 100 yards, the Bombers almost ALWAYS win. Does no one down on Maroons Road know that?
Blaming the long-snapper is one thing. Forgetting about No. 1 is another thing altogether. It appears the problems in Winnipeg could be easily repaired. Just gotta stop throwing people under the bus and start doing the things that got the Big Blue to last year’s Grey Cup.