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News July 27, 2026

Need to Know | Week 9

Dru Brown and the Blue Bombers were back at practice today following last Friday's 52-30 loss to the Calgary Stampeders; photos by Cameron Bartlett

@EdTaitWFC

They’ve been at work for the last few days, but the Winnipeg Blue Bombers task over the uncomfortable stretch since last Friday’s loss to the Calgary Stampeders hasn’t been a simple or straightforward one.

In short, it’s akin to being a janitor in a big-box store and getting a PA message asking for a clean-up in Aisle 1. And Aisles 2, 3 and 4, too.

Yes, there has been much to fix since the 52-30 loss to the Stamps with both an uncomfortable breakdown of the video evidence combined with a look ahead to Thursday’s home date with the B.C. Lions.

“The best thing we do post-game win or lose is we try to look at the truth. You want to know the truth,” said Blue Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea after practice on Monday.

“You can’t just go by, ‘Oh, we’re not going to watch the film. Here’s what I think happened… ‘ You have to show them exactly what happened, the players have to know exactly what happened, good and bad. How do they keep doing all of the good things and fix the things that didn’t go our way.”

Lots to get to from Monday in Bomberland and here are 5 Things You Need to Know...

1 First, on the injury front…

Right tackle Jarell Broxton was injured just before halftime last week and didn’t return to the game. He was at practice on Monday, but with a noticeable limp.

Gabe Wallace moved from left guard to Broxton’s spot in the game, with Tyler Elsbury moving from centre to guard and Tui Eli stepping into the middle.

At Monday’s practice it was Micah Vanterpool at right tackle and with Stanley Bryant not participating, Hunter Poncius manning the left flank.

Here’s O’Shea on Vanterpool, should he get the call to replace Broxton: “Super-athletic, has got some versatility from guard to tackle. He can do a lot in that regard. We know he can jump in there and be ready to go if called upon.”

Today’s full injury report:

2 One of the loudest narratives after the game was the usage of Brady Oliveira late in the contest. Oliveira, who finished with 128 yards rushing on 14 carries, scored his second of two touchdowns late in the third quarter but then didn’t get another touch until there were 56 seconds remaining in the game.

Here is Tommy Condell when asked about that on Monday:

“I’m always trying to make the best decisions I can during a game, and I thought that was the best decision for the team to get back into the game.”

And when it was suggested that even down by 12 early in the fourth quarter there was still time to run, he added: “Like I said before, I make a decision that is best for the team and how we’re going to win that game and that’s what I did.

“… I’m always striving to be great for those players and put them in the best possible situation. And, at times, I have to own some of the things I didn’t do correctly, and I certainly do that with the team, and I do that in there. They understand from an accountability position that I’m going to make mistakes and I’m going to make sure they know it. I don’t hide behind that, but we do that in a team setting, in a private setting.”

Lots of questions on Monday about the Blue Bombers offence and their ‘identity’ and that’s commentary that often pops up following a game in which Oliveira’s touches are the hot topic.

“With the veteran core that we have, we have an identity,” said O’Shea. “We’ve always stood on the fact that in any given week in any given game at a certain point you’re going to have to abandon the plan that you have and go with what is going to win — or what you think is going to win the game.

“You have to be good at all sorts of things and be able to draw that up when you need it. If your identity was running screen passes at some point you’re going to have to do something other than a screen pass to win the game. We’ve always landed on the idea that on any given week, whatever it’s going to take that’s what we’re going to do.”

3 Defensive coordinator Jordan Younger also spoke to the media on Monday. He gave an honest assessment of the defence and then offered an even more-candid take on Jalen Philpot’s 69-yard TD reception to start the second half that featured a series of missed tackles.

First, his assessment of the defence in Friday’s game:

“Familiar in the sense that some of the same issues that caused us issues earlier in the season — the explosion plays, we had a dropped coverage where we missed communication on what we were supposed to be doing, who was supposed to be doing what job, who was supposed to be covering the running back out of the backfield,” said Younger.

“When I look at it, I see incomplete games. You see these flashes where were really solid, really good. And then, hat’s off to Calgary for being dynamic enough to change their style — they can be a long-ball offence, and they can turn around and pound the ball on you running it. And then this last game it was more of a possession style offence where they were getting the ball out quick with quick throws and we just didn’t adjust quick enough.”

And his reaction to the Philpot TD?

“Disgust. We talk about those things; we know his abilities. Sometimes you’re being too aggressive, sometimes you’re not being aggressive enough. You’ve got guys out there that know what they need to do to make a play; you can watch on film and say, ‘What should we do here, fellas?’ and they all know the answer.

“Again, it’s disgust because we let the offence down, we let the special teams down. Coming out of the half where we had some momentum and it’s still a tight game and we let him get away from us because of some decisions we made technique-wise and tactically that we didn’t need to make.”

4 Zach Collaros was at practice on Monday and throwing in the early part of the session, but not in a helmet or shoulder pads. He was also not listed on the daily injury report.

With that, Dru Brown remained at QB1 during the practice after Friday’s loss — his first since the trade that brought him from Ottawa and two wins in two starts. Brown finished Friday 24-of-40 for 249 yards with a TD strike to Nic Demski but four interceptions.

“Obviously, I’m disappointed in myself,” he said. “Just not good enough and definitely some decisions you want to have back. You look at it and, unfortunately, if you play long enough, you’re going to have some of those. It’s not an excuse it’s, ‘OK, let’s make sure we’re doing the things right play in and play out.’

“It’s all things that are correctable and a lot of it is whether it’s the decision or just the physical throw itself — those are all fixable things.”

Added O’Shea when asked about what he’s seen from Brown since his ‘subpar performance’:

“It was a subpar outing from everybody — everybody. It’s up to all of us… you pick a few things you need to learn from; you study it, you grow.

“I’ve said this about Dru specifically — he is highly emotionally intelligent; high EQ guy. So, the emotions aren’t going to get in the way for him, he’s going to stick to the process of learning from it, looking at the film.”

5 Lost in last Friday’s setback was a sensational ‘effort’ play by receiver Pokey Wilson, who intercepted a lateral after an interception.

We understand that might not make sense so, ICYMI, here is the video evidence:

“Great vision, great anticipation. One of the best plays I’ve seen,” said O’Shea. “I would say it’s got be whatever they do for play of the year — I don’t know what they do for that stuff — but it’s got to be up there. I mean, that was incredible. And right on time — refusing to let something negative take hole right away. You’re going to finish the play, and he absolutely finished it the best possible way you could — short of getting up and scoring a touchdown.

“That’s one of the great joys of coaching: you see something new all the time and that was fantastic.”

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