It seemed like a simple enough question. Or so we thought.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers offensive coordinator, Paul LaPolice, stood in front of a throng of media after practice on Monday and offered up his take on a wide variety of offence-related topics.

He spoke about ‘X’ receivers, about the continuity on the offensive line and in the backfield. About Matt Nichols. About the receiving corps.

And when the cameras pulled away, yours truly lingered to ask one more…

What are the areas you want this offence to improve on in 2017?

LaPolice then crinkled his nose up for a moment and cocked his head to one side.

“It’s hard to say… it’s almost like we had two seasons last year,” he began. “Remember, quarterback Drew (Willy) played for the first five games, we used six games to figure out what worked with Matt (Nichols), and then we had the last six.”

That’s the thing with LaPolice and any discussion about offence. There are no simple questions, it would seem, because seldom are there black-and-white answers.

“LaPo does a lot of work every single day,” said head coach Mike O’Shea. “He works HARD. He’s never satisfied. He’s always looking deeper at what he does for validity. He finishes a project and moves right into another project.

“He loves it, right?”

Among LaPolice’s offseason projects and 2017 goals are to improve on their ‘explosion’ plays – big plays – the average yardage per game, and of course, scoring.

Winnipeg ranked sixth in net offence per game at 361.8 and fifth in scoring at 27.6. And while Justin Medlock set a CFL record with 60 field goals, the counter to that is it means there were a number of stalled drives.

“Every offence wants more touchdowns,” said LaPolice. “But let’s put it this way: after studying all the things Matt is good at, we want to continue with more of those.”

Nichols posted career-best numbers in two thirds of a season last year, throwing for 3,666 yards and 18 touchdowns as the team went 10-3 in his 13 starts.

And so given all the change last year – from LaPolice returning to coaching after working with TSN, to Andrew Harris and Weston Dressler coming aboard, to the upgraded offensive line, the injuries to the receiving corps AND the quarterback change from Willy to Nichols – the Bombers surely must be ahead right now of where they were at this time a year ago.

Right coach?

“Who knows?” said LaPolice with a shrug. “A comparison to last year? But what’s the comparison? We just need to keep getting better. It’s hard to say where we are because we evolve every year.

“I will say we won’t be trying to figure out what the quarterback does well in the middle of the season. We have a good feel for some of the receivers, and certainly the O line. We have a core of players who understand what we’re trying to do offensively and what our core philosophies and beliefs are. We don’t have to re-install that or teach that. That’s good.

“But you never stop working.”

BOMBER TRAINING CAMP – DAY 2

Walking wounded: DT Ian Marouf, SB/KR TJ Thorpe, DB Kevin Fogg, DT Padric Scott and DB Chance Casey did not practice on Monday. As well, LB Maurice Leggett pulled up lame later in practice. Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea said he would be evaluated Monday afternoon.

Standing out: Receivers Clarence Denmark, Kenny Stafford, Ryan Lankford, quarterback Matt Nichols, defensive back Chris Greenwood, Robert Porter, LB Roc Carmichael, RB Andrew Harris and both kickers, Justin Medlock and Félix Ménard-Brière.

Nichols rekindled some old chemistry with Denmark from last year and with Stafford, whom he played with in 2015 while the two were with the Edmonton Eskimos.

“I told him it felt like it was yesterday,” said Stafford. “Me and him (Nichols) have a really good connection. We’ve always trusted each other. I have a great feel for how he throws balls. He’s a good anticipation thrower. So when you’re on the same page with him and he trusts you, the sky’s the limit.

“It felt like we were back in Edmonton, but we’re in blue and gold now. I’m excited.”

The Bear facts: The Montreal Alouettes released linebacker Bear Woods on Monday, a move that shocked the rest of the CFL. O’Shea was asked about the Bombers potential interest in Woods – the East Division’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player last year and in 2014.

“We’ve got a lot of guys on the roster competing for that (middle linebacker spot),” said O’Shea. “Any time a guy gets released, a veteran guy that plays to the calibre of Bear Woods, certainly we talk about it. It’s up on the radar very quickly. It doesn’t mean it’s the right decision for us, either.”

O’Shea said he found out about the Woods’ release as he was readying for practice and hadn’t had the chance to speak about him to GM Kyle Walters at the time of his daily press briefing.

“We do like the group of guys we brought in, too,” he said. “They’re competing hard for a spot.

“It’s a business. I can’t comment on why things happen with another organization. Anybody in this building understands it’s a business. And sometimes it’s a cruel one.”

Mullet talk: Bombers’ All-Star safety Taylor Loffler shed some of his hair in the offseason – converting to a mullet, of which he posted shots on his Instagram account.

“I think the mullet is perfect,” said O’Shea. “It goes right along with what he’s building. You add the headband in… he’s gone from Joe Dirt to John Rambo with that headband.”

Asked if he had the personality to rock the mullet, O’Shea added:

“He’s a confident man. He’s his own man. He’s not worried about what you or I say about that mullet, let me tell ya.”

A turn for the hard-luck man? It could be argued no player has had to deal with more bad luck over the past two years than receiver Addison Richards, drafted 11^th overall in 2015. He dressed for five games in his rookie year and missed six more last year after undergoing offseason hip surgery.

And while it’s early, he has looked good in the first two days and took some reps with the No. 1 offence on Monday.

“He’s healthy. Good for him,” said O’Shea. “It’s been a tough journey for him. Personally, I feel for him because he’s had a tough go of it. What’s interesting is he’s stuck with it and just kept on working hard. It’s paying off for him. He’s made some nice plays already. He’s a big, fast, strong target. We’ll see how it all shakes out, but I know I’m very pleased for him.”

“He had a great one-on-one session (Sunday),” added LaPolice. “We moved him around and had him working with the first unit today and he made some nice catches. I’d just like to see him progress and have an understanding of how fast the game is and make plays when he gets those opportunities.”

Cold? What cold?: The Bombers opened camp Sunday in the rain and then had to deal with chilly teps on Monday. No matter. “I haven’t heard a guy mention it at all,” said O’Shea. “For some of the guys from the south, this has to be a little bit different for them, but I don’t think anyone has made mention of it or bothered with it. I’d take this over 30 and sunny and hot. I think the guys have a lot of energy. The sun saps your energy.”

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Felix Menard-Briere

Position: Kicker
College: Montreal
Acquired: Selected in the fourth round, 34^th overall, in the 2017 CFL Draft.
Notable: Named to the 2016 U Sports All-Canadian First-Team as a punter.

On his second day of main training camp:

“I’m just trying to learn as much as I can from (Justin) Medlock and (Chad) Rempel. They’re both so professional and have taught me a lot of things that are different in the CFL.

“Justin is very much into the details. So every slight little turn, how you catch the ball and place it… it just has to be the same thing over and over again. We’re working on that a lot.”

On his expectations:

“I’ve come here to show them I can punt in this league. Justin does all three (punt, field goals, kickoffs) and I do all three. I know we’ll split the reps in preseason games.

“Of course, I would like to stay here. I love it. But I’m just thinking day to day. You have to.”

His take when told of the legendary Bob Cameron – the hall of famer who punted until he was 48 years old.

“Wow. Really? That’s what I want to do. I want to play until I’m 50.”