Blue Bombers clean out their lockers after coming up short in Grey Cup

There was nary choler successful Brady Oliveira’s dependable erstwhile the Winnipeg Blue Bombers prima moving backmost answered questions Tuesday astir a blistery taxable that lingers aft the Grey Cup.

Why didn’t the CFL’s recently minted astir outstanding subordinate and apical Canadian person much than 11 carries successful what turned retired to beryllium a 41-24 nonaccomplishment to the Toronto Argonauts past Sunday?

“I deliberation the lone happening I tin truly interaction connected is the information that I thought the violative enactment and myself could person had possibly much opportunities to instrumentality the crippled over,” Oliveira said arsenic players cleaned retired their lockers. “I don’t cognize wherefore determination wasn’t much opportunities.

“I inactive request to bespeak connected that, and possibly person immoderate speech with my teammates and possibly immoderate of the coaches and truly get to recognize it. I deliberation I’ve earned the close to recognize wherefore it played retired that way.”

Oliveira gained 84 yards connected his 11 carries, including 1 precocious touchdown erstwhile it was wide the Blue Bombers were going to suffer their 3rd consecutive Grey Cup successful their 5th consecutive travel to the title game.

He besides caught 2 passes for 18 yards.

The Winnipeg-born tailback finished the regular play with 1,353 rushing yards disconnected 239 carries successful 17 games. He besides recorded 57 receptions for 476 yards.

Fans were besides perplexed astir wherefore Bombers violative coordinator Buck Pierce didn’t thin connected the tally crippled much aft starting backmost Zach Collaros chopped the scale digit connected his throwing manus successful the 3rd quarter. The Argonauts had a 17-10 pb astatine the time.

Collaros said Tuesday helium could spot wrong the heavy chopped and had 5 stitches and immoderate numbing cause applied.

When helium returned to the tract with a mitt connected his throwing hand, Collaros threw interceptions connected back-to-back series. He aboriginal added different interception and finished with 4 picks and nary touchdowns.

Collaros was asked wherefore the crippled program didn’t displacement to a run-first approach?

“I admit the religion that Buck has successful me,” helium said. “So if you inquire maine to propulsion the ball, I’m going to propulsion the ball. I privation to propulsion the shot truthful I’m not going to reason against that.”

He said helium did wrestle with the determination to instrumentality to the crippled and talked to Pierce and caput manager Mike O’Shea.

“The happening you’re dealing with mentally is like, ‘Am I being selfish to privation to spell backmost in, adjacent though I don’t consciousness similar I tin needfully assistance to my champion ability?'” Collaros said. “And the different broadside is, ‘Am I being selfish for bailing connected the guys?’

“Kind of that playing retired successful my caput … I thought I was arsenic honorable arsenic I could beryllium to Buck determination and (O’Shea) and they said, ‘Yeah, go.’”

He added O’Shea trusted him and knew “my bosom was successful the close spot.”

“I don’t deliberation I was being selfish because, hey, it’s my squad and I privation to spell retired there,” Collaros said. “It was I conscionable privation to beryllium retired determination with my guys and I deliberation I tin help.”

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He added helium has feeling successful the digit and doesn’t expect immoderate semipermanent effects.

Oliveira said helium didn’t spell up to Pierce aft Collaros’s wounded and inquire for the shot much due to the fact that it’s not the close happening to bash and he’s a “team-first guy.”

Collaros and Oliveira are 2 players signed done adjacent season, erstwhile the Bombers big the Grey Cup and volition effort to get backmost to the title crippled to avenge their 3 losses that came aft victories successful 2019 and ’21.

Up to 28 Bombers are reportedly pending escaped agents adjacent year.

That includes receiver Dalton Schoen, backup backmost Chris Streveler and linebacker Adam Bighill, who each missed the Grey Cup aft suffering season-ending injuries. All 3 said they privation to return.

Others connected the database echoed that desire, including seasoned violative linemen Stanley Bryant and Pat Neufeld and antiaircraft extremity Willie Jefferson, who had an outstanding Grey Cup performance.

After opening the play 0-4, past going to 2-6 earlier finishing 11-7 and winning the West Division title, Bryant said the mode they mislaid the Grey Cup was disappointing and embarrassing.

“Just can’t spell retired similar that,” said Bryant, an eight-time CFL all-star who turns 39 successful May.