The storylines and angles have consistently popped up each and every week for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers this season.

And they go something like this:

• Haven’t won in Edmonton since the days of Normie Kwong…
• Haven’t won back-to-back games since Moses was a pre-schooler…
• Have won at Investors Group Field as often as a sighting of Haley’s Comet…

And so on, and so on, and so on.

The 2016 Canadian Football League season is seven weeks old and one of the things we’ve learned through less than two months about this edition of the Bombers is all these historical references – most of them wrapped around the franchise’s recent failures – mean diddly squat to these guys.

It helps, of course, that so many of them have no association with some of the transgressions of the past.

“Being new it makes it easier, in a sense,” explained rookie Bombers defensive back Kevin Fogg. “Look, we don’t want to be a team that’s remembered by any of that.

“I feel it’s our duty to change all that. With the guys we have I think we definitely have the guys who can change things and turn it around.”

Kevin Fogg

“These past two games have been good for us to show what we can do and to send out a message to tell people we can change.”

That’s the interesting thing about what a couple of weeks have done in these parts to help change the narrative. The Bombers were seen as the same-old, same-old when they were toiling around at 1-4. The offence couldn’t put a dent in a stick of butter, the defence couldn’t stop a crawling baby.

But post a couple of W’s – especially with Fogg and some of the other fresh faces playing such prominent roles – and the talking points turn.

And now the discussions are about turning a modest win streak into a three-gamer, the Bombers’ depth and the tough decisions Mike O’Shea will have when this crew gets healthy again.

“This is one of the more injury-plagued seasons I’ve seen through the first half of a year,” said quarterback Matt Nichols. “We’ve had six new starters on defence in one game. Same on offence. We had three receivers go down in one game in Edmonton and guys just stepped in and did their job. That shows me this team is buying in to being ready when it’s your turn.

“It’s funny, the only time that other stuff enters our minds is when we get asked about it. It’s an ever-changing roster in this business and half the guys here now weren’t here last year. To us, we’re 3-4 with the chance to make it 4-4 going into the bye week. Right now we’re sitting in a very good spot and we want to try to keep pace with teams in the West.

“It sounds generic, but it is a week-to-week thing.”

Bruce Johnson has lived some of the past woes in these parts. He’s now the veteran in a secondary that features four other CFL rookies in cornerbacks C.J. Roberts and Terrence Frederick, safety Taylor Loffler and Fogg, now playing inside after being moved from the corner.

And while he’s quick to tip his hat to the work of the newcomers, Johnson believes it’s the contributions of some of the club’s walking wounded that shouldn’t be forgotten.

“An assist has to go to all the veterans,” said Johnson. “We make sure those guys are up on everything because you never know what’s going to happen. We’ve got guys like C-Ran (Chris Randle), (Julian) Posey and Macho (Harris) out right now but they’re being leaders in the locker room and the meeting room. We’ve got stand-up guys in our DB room, guys that want to help to win whether they’re in or not.

“Nobody came in with last year on their minds. They came in with a chip on their shoulder and wanting to prove that they can play in this league and that they belong.

“We’re just doing what we said we always had here,” Johnson added. “It’s gelling. We’ve got to keep it going and not get complacent because we haven’t done anything yet.

“We want way more. We’re not satisfied until we get that ring and that’s what we’re striving for each and every day.”

BLUE ON THE FYI…

The Bombers (3-4) are in Toronto (4-2) this week for their first visit to BMO Field.

Three things you should know after the Bombers final day of practice on Wednesday before flying to Toronto Thursday morning:

GREEN LIGHT:

Defensive end Justin Cole, who had two sacks in last week’s win over Hamilton but has had his work at practice this week limited because he has been ‘nicked up’, declared himself good to go against the Argos.

What does he do for an encore?

“Get a win,” said Cole. “The individual stats are nice, but overall we won.  We’ve won two in a row, which is important, we played well as a defence and a lot of guys made plays. If we can continue that trend, I’ll be ecstatic.”

DON’T GO THERE:

Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea, a guy who had his name and number added to the Argos All-Time list during Winnipeg’s last visit to Toronto last fall, said Wednesday he’s not thinking at all about trying to prove anything to his former employers.

“That stuff doesn’t really enter into it,” said O’Shea. “I enjoy the memories I had and we had as a team together in Toronto, but I don’t even think about that. I don’t think about going there and showing anybody up or anything like that. This is about this Bombers’ team and playing a good game and go there and getting what we want to get done, done.”

Asked about any extra meaning in going back to Toronto and coaching against close friends, O’Shea added:

“I’m a Winnipegger and I’m a Blue Bomber. I said that from the beginning. This feels right. I don’t think that way anymore.”

TWO IS GOOD, THREE IS BETTER:

The Bombers are seeking their first three-game win streak since opening the 2014 season, O’Shea’s first, 3-0. But no one on Chancellor Matheson Road – to borrow an old line from former Winnipeg Jets coach Claude Noel – is separating their shoulders patting themselves on the back.

“A win there puts us at .500, which puts us at ground zero again,” said O’Shea. “And when you look at it, we’re not satisfied with that. We’re not going to be jumping for joy in the bye week that we’re 4-4. We’ll use that week to figure out where we’ve came from, what we’ve done well and what we have and how we fix those things.”