Pre-Game - Brady Oliveira 20 tunnel
A scene from the Winnipeg Blue Bombers locker room post 2023 Grey Cup loss that remains as vivid as the two championships in 2019 and 2021. There was running back Brady Oliveira, tears welling in his eyes, offering up his thoughts on the devastating one-point setback to the Toronto Argonauts while also foreshadowing what might be ahead for himself and his teammates.
“Look around this locker room,” began Oliveira inside a morose locker room at Mosaic Stadium on that Sunday last November. “You’re going to see a good majority of familiar faces who are going to be back next year. We know what we’ve got in this locker room. Guys want to come back and if we can keep these guys together that chemistry is already there, that confidence is already there, and it builds every season if there’s not a lot of turn around.
“We’ve got the best quarterback in the league. We’ve got the best offensive line in the league. We’ve got great players all around who want to be back next year and make another run for the Grey Cup next year. They just made one more play than us and you’ve got to give them credit. They won the Grey Cup and that’s great, but we’re going to use this as fuel to the fire. I know personally I’m going to attack this offseason. I hate this feeling.”
That feeling wasn’t unique to Oliveira and became one of the talking points in Bomberland – how to handle the Grey Cup loss and use it as fuel going forward – all offseason. It’s also a something we wanted to revisit as we look at the next installment in our Positional Preview series, this one focusing on the running backs and fullbacks.
It could be said that outside of receiver Dalton Schoen, no player on the Blue Bombers offence showed more growth during the 2022 CFL season than Oliveira – the 25-year-old Winnipegger.
Replacing an icon like Andrew Harris – a future hall of famer and also a Winnipegger – was going to be a daunting assignment for Oliveira, who entered last year with 15 CFL games to his name. That pressure mounted through the first six weeks, as he was averaging just 3.2 yards per carry and hearing/seeing it on social media from the fan base, even as the team rocketed to a 6-0 start.
But from a game in Edmonton in late July to the end of the season, and including the playoffs, Oliveira was an absolute beast with 956 yards rushing and a 5.9-yard average in posting the first 1,000-yard season of his career. That included a dominating 130 yards on 20 yards in the Western Final – adding five catches for 27 yards – and another 82 yards on 15 carries in the Grey Cup. His 1,001 yards ranked third in the CFL behind only Ka’Deem Carey of Calgary (1,088) and B.C.’s James Butler (1,060).
Oliveira will be pushed by veteran Johnny Augustine, who has seen spots starts in his four seasons and 57 games with the Blue Bombers and has a career 5.8-yards per carry average. Greg McCrae, the versatile tailback/receiver, is another option. There are also two intriguing new faces coming to camp in 2023 CFL seventh-round draft pick Jonathan Rosery of the the University of Alberta and import Ta’Zhawn Henry who comes to Winnipeg straight from a college career at Houston and Texas Tech.
The Blue Bombers don’t employ a fullback in their offensive sets often, but when they have the veteran Mike Miller available along with 2022 draft pick Konner Burtenshaw. Miller is the CFL’s all-time special teams tackler GOAT, with Burtenshaw earning his roster spot last year the same way.
Oliveira will be the workhorse, though, and based on his post-game Grey Cup comments – and his dedication and work habits — fans can expect a hungrier and more experienced ball carrier.
And that’s a frighteningly good combination for the Blue Bombers.
TRAINING CAMP 2023 PREVIEW
A LOOK AT THE RUNNING BACKS
The Returnees: RB Brady Oliveira*, RB Johnny Augustine*, Greg McCrae, FB Mike Miller*, Konner Burtenshaw*
Departed: None
2023 CFL Draft picks: Jonathan Rosery* (7th round, 62nd overall)
CFL newcomers: Ta’Zhawn Henry,
Keep an eye on: Greg McCrae
McCrae offers an enticing skillset, having racked up 21 carries for 164 yards last year (a 7.8-yard average) while pulling in 16 receptions for 164 yards and a TD. Finding him a roster spot, let alone touches in the offence, will be a challenge for the coaching staff. But McCrae has proven worthy.
Did you know?
A Blue Bombers player has led the league in rushing 17 times dating back to 1950. That’s tied for most over that span with Calgary. The Blue Bombers who have won rushing titles include Tom Casey (1950), Mack Herron (1972), Jim Washington (1976), Willard Reaves (1984-85, 1987), Robert Mimbs (1990-91), Michael Richardson (1992-93), Charles Roberts (2003, 2005-06), Fred Reid (2010) and Andrew Harris (2017-19)
Notable Number: 113.5
The Blue Bombers averaged 113.5 yards rushing per game last year, second only to Calgary’s 135.3.
The Blue Bombers open rookie camp on May 10th with main training camp following on May 14th. This is the third installment of our annual positional-preview series leading up to the first day.
