CFL

Bomber Report

JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS FILES Winnipeg Blue Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea is not in favour of booing an American college marching band that will perform during Friday’s halftime show on Canadian Armed Forces Appreciation Night.

Bombers give would-be boo birds their marching orders

Taylor Allen 4 minute read Yesterday at 7:08 PM CDT

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are being criticized by some fans online for booking the University of North Dakota’s marching band for Friday’s game against Montreal.

With the current state of Canada-U.S. relations, and Friday being designated as Canadian Armed Forces Appreciation Night, many view the club’s decision to invite a band from a pro-Trump state as a puzzling one.

“I’m a very proud Canadian,” said Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea after Tuesday’s practice.

“But I don’t think politics enter into this entertainment realm when you’re dealing with university kids that are coming up here to put on a show.”

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Bomber Report

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS FILES Winnipeg Blue Bombers rookie defensive back Major Williams leads the league in pass knockdowns and nearly half of the balls thrown in his direction have resulted in incompletions.

Bombers rookie Williams a hidden gem in the club’s secondary

Taylor Allen 6 minute read Preview

Bombers rookie Williams a hidden gem in the club’s secondary

Taylor Allen 6 minute read Yesterday at 6:38 PM CDT

Major Williams was far from a lock to make the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

The rookie corner was one of many fresh faces brought in by the club during training camp to compete for an opening in the secondary.

But even though he was facing an uphill climb, Williams walked up to star halfback Evan Holm on Day 1 and told the veteran he was looking forward to being on the field with him this season.

“He just had a confidence about what he was going to come in and do,” recalled Holm after Tuesday’s practice. “And now he’s out there working with us.”

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Yesterday at 6:38 PM CDT

Bomber Report

Timothy Matwey / THE CANADIAN PRESS Edmonton Elks receiver T.J. Luther (right) breaks away from Jonathan Moxey’s tackle last Friday. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers corner said Monday that little details in tackling were what prevented the club from stopping the Elks’ game-winning drive.

Bombers late-game defensive errors boil down to technique

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Bombers late-game defensive errors boil down to technique

Taylor Allen 4 minute read Monday, Aug. 24, 2026

It feels silly to criticize the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ defence on their latest showing.

To go on the road, force three turnovers, and hold the No. 1-ranked team in the West Division to 22 points is an impressive feat that should be heaped with praise.

But in the final minute of the game, the unit needed to tackle better.

With the score tied 19-19, the Edmonton Elks faced a second and three from their own 46-yard line when running back Justin Rankin squeezed through three defenders for a 16-yard gain.

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Monday, Aug. 24, 2026

Bomber Report

Timothy Matwey / THE CANADIAN PRESS Edmonton Elks quarterback Cody Fajardo receives a snap during the first half against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in Edmonton on Friday.

Bombers offence stalls in 22-19 loss to Elks

Joshua Frey-Sam 8 minute read Preview

Bombers offence stalls in 22-19 loss to Elks

Joshua Frey-Sam 8 minute read Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026

It was a microcosm of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ season to this point: a first half that burned bright only to be dowsed in cold water.

The Bombers began the first leg of their mid-season gauntlet with a 22-19 loss to the Edmonton Elks at Commonwealth Stadium in the Alberta capital on Friday night.

Elks quarterback Cody Fajardo orchestrated an eight-play, 54-yard drive that set up a 40-yard game-winning field goal by Vincent Blanchard that snuck inside the left upright with zeros on the clock.

The drive, which was plagued by poor tackling by the Bombers defence, came after Bombers kicker Sergio Castillo tied the game at 19-19 on a 53-yard boot with 1:41 remaining in the contest.

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Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026

Bomber Report

John Woods / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES Winnipeg Blue Bombers linerbacker Tony Jones (right) sacks then Edmonton Elks quarterback Tre Ford last season. Jones knows Friday night’s game in Commonwealth Stadium will be a much harder test than recent year’s for Winnipeg.

Edmonton not the same old Elks as Bombers get ready for road clash

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Edmonton not the same old Elks as Bombers get ready for road clash

Taylor Allen 7 minute read Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026

Edmonton’s CFL team has been a complete, utter mess for the majority of the past decade.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers took full advantage of their once-prominent West Division foe falling on hard times by shellacking them time and time again.

Let’s take a trip down memory lane, shall we?

The Blue and Gold defeated the Elks three times in a span of five weeks in 2021 — including a 30-3 beatdown on Chancellor Matheson Road on Oct. 8.

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Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026

Bomber Report

JEFF MCINTOSH / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES Winnipeg Blue Bombers defensive lineman Jake Ceresna (right), chasing Calgary Stampeders quarterback Vernon Adams Jr., is tied for the CFL lead in sacks.

‘I wouldn’t change my journey’

Taylor Allen 6 minute read Preview

‘I wouldn’t change my journey’

Taylor Allen 6 minute read Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026

Jake Ceresna looks exactly how you’d imagine a professional football player would.

The 6-5, 290-pound defensive end for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers has a hulking, broad-shouldered frame built on a pair of tree-trunk legs.

But considering where he came from, it’s rather remarkable that he’s been giving opposing quarterbacks nightmares in the pros for a decade.

For starters, he hails from New Fairfield, Conn. The list of pro football players from the town of approximately 14,000 people starts and ends with Ceresna.

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Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026

Bomber Report

JOHN WOODS / THE CANADIAN PRESS B.C. Lions’ Keon Hatcher (4) and Zander Horvath (34) celebrate Horvath’s touchdown in front of Winnipeg Blue Bombers defensive back Deatrick Nichols Thursday night at Princess Auto Stadium.

Bombers defence still holds hope season can be turned around

Ken Wiebe 7 minute read Preview

Bombers defence still holds hope season can be turned around

Ken Wiebe 7 minute read Friday, Jul. 31, 2026

One solitary, one-syllable word was all Mike O’Shea needed to try and describe what he had just seen.

The head coach of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers had watched his defence get shredded for almost 400 yards in the rushing game alone in what was a 35-19 loss to the B.C. Lions on Thursday night before a stunned crowd of more than 31,000 at Princess Auto Stadium.

“Oof,” said O’Shea, before he explained things a bit further on the tactical side and provided some of the reasons things went sideways in such an important facet of the game.

It wasn’t that the description the head coach of the Bombers gave on that front wasn’t important, but the preamble to the soliloquy on how a series of errors and missed tackles wasn’t really necessary for anyone who had just witnessed this debacle.

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Friday, Jul. 31, 2026

Bomber Report

JOHN WOODS / THE CANADIAN PRESS Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ Tim White (12) attempts to make it to the end zone against the B.C. Lions during the first half Thursday at Princess Auto Stadium.

Brown goes down, so do Blue

Taylor Allen 7 minute read Preview

Brown goes down, so do Blue

Taylor Allen 7 minute read Friday, Jul. 31, 2026

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers suffered one of their most embarrassing and inexcusable losses in recent memory on Thursday night.

A one-win B.C. Lions team — featuring a rookie quarterback making his first career start, a rookie running back making his first career start and two backup offensive lineman in action — somehow, someway dealt the Blue and Gold a 35-19 defeat in front of 31,509 disgruntled fans at Princess Auto Stadium.

The Bombers, now 1-4 on home turf this season, have dropped back-to-back games to fall to 4-4. The Lions improved to 2-5.

“Shit wasn’t good enough. Offence, defence, special teams. Wasn’t good enough,” said defensive end Willie Jefferson.

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Friday, Jul. 31, 2026

Bomber Report

John Woods / THE CANADIAN PRESS Winnipeg Blue Bombers running back Brady Oliveira took the ball to the house on a career-long 45-yard touchdown against the Calgary Stampeders last week.

Bombers Oliveira preaches collective unit to turn team’s offence around

Ken Wiebe 7 minute read Preview

Bombers Oliveira preaches collective unit to turn team’s offence around

Ken Wiebe 7 minute read Wednesday, Jul. 29, 2026

Brady Oliveira chose his words carefully — and you can be sure that was by design.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers running back was speaking to members of the media for the first time since his words on the CJOB post-game show about the search for the identity of the offence created a bit of a stir and unintentionally became a frequent topic of conversation going into Thursday’s game against the B.C. Lions.

Because Oliveira (knee) was held out of workouts on Monday and Tuesday, there was no time for further context on the subject until after Wednesday’s walkthrough and it sure sounded like the star tailback was asked to tone things down.

“We’ve got a lot of good guys on this offence – all across the board and we just want this thing to go around,” said Oliveira. “We want this thing to be successful. We want to go out there and make plays. Whatever it takes, understanding that it’s a collective unit that has to go out there and be on the same page and get it done. That’s kind of where I’ll stand with that.”

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Wednesday, Jul. 29, 2026

Bomber Report

RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS FILES Winnipeg Blue Bombers offensive lineman Micah Vanterpool took all the first-team reps in place of injured teammate Jarell Broxton at Monday’s practice.

All signs point to Vanterpool being called on

Taylor Allen 6 minute read Preview

All signs point to Vanterpool being called on

Taylor Allen 6 minute read Tuesday, Jul. 28, 2026

In a way, Micah Vanterpool’s brief stint as a Grade 3 teacher in his hometown of Tulsa, Okla., prepared him for life in the CFL.

The third-year offensive lineman for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers only has eight career games on his resumé as he has bounced around between the practice roster, starting lineup and injury report.

But thanks to his time in the classroom, he’s developed the patience that’s required by a young American trying to make a name for oneself in the three-down loop.

Vanterpool got into teaching after failing to make the New England Patriots in 2023. He said goodbye to the education profession the following year and took his talents up north to Winnipeg.

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Tuesday, Jul. 28, 2026

Bomber Report

Nick Iwanyshyn / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES Winnipeg Blue Bombers slotback Tim White came to the team in part because of its receiver depth, not in spite of it.

Blue Bombers receivers share the spotlight in balanced aerial attack

Joshua Frey-Sam 6 minute read Preview

Blue Bombers receivers share the spotlight in balanced aerial attack

Joshua Frey-Sam 6 minute read Wednesday, Jul. 22, 2026

Tim White knew exactly what he was getting into.

So when the former Hamilton Tiger-Cats receiver inked a one-year deal in the off-season to catch passes for a Winnipeg Blue Bombers team that already has a perennial 1,000-yard producer in Nic Demski, a one-time NFL-hopeful in Ontaria (Pokey) Wilson, and later, a highly respected safety blanket in Tommy Nield, there were no concerns about where White would fit and whether he would see enough volume in the passing attack.

Oddly enough, the club’s depth made it even more compelling for him to sign on the dotted line, and he hasn’t regretted it for a second.

“That was the major reason why I came here. And I felt like this was the best offer for me because of the pieces that were already in the room,” said White. “The leadership that was in the room, and then me being able to step in and just kind of add to it. For who I am, I felt like that would be a great fit.”

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Wednesday, Jul. 22, 2026

Bomber Report

John Woods / THE CANADIAN PRESS Blue Bombers linebacker Tony Jones pulls down Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly in Winnipeg on Friday.

Bombers’ D starting to show its teeth

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Bombers’ D starting to show its teeth

Taylor Allen 6 minute read Wednesday, Jul. 15, 2026

No one stood on a table and delivered a rah-rah speech.

The scheme wasn’t overhauled, and there were no major changes to the roster either.

And yet, after opening the season with three discouraging performances, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ defence has looked like a completely different unit of late.

They’re the only team in the CFL to hold opponents to 21 points or fewer in its last two games. Fresh off a 30-21 home win over the Toronto Argonauts on Friday, the Bombers (3-2) rank second in the league in scoring defence, allowing 24.4 points per game.

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Wednesday, Jul. 15, 2026

Bomber Report

John Woods / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES Winnipeg Blue Bombers quarterback Dru Brown hands off to running back Brady Oliveira during the Bombers 30-21 victory over the Toronto Argonauts on Friday.

Blue Bombers’ Brown not bent on revenge

Taylor Allen 6 minute read Preview

Blue Bombers’ Brown not bent on revenge

Taylor Allen 6 minute read Tuesday, Jul. 14, 2026

It’s the kind of storyline you’d find in the wacky world of professional wrestling.

You know, the one where someone is disrespected and cast aside by their former alliance, only to get the chance to step into the squared circle and exact revenge.

While there won’t be any body slams or powerbombs, quarterback Dru Brown could find himself in a similar scenario — except on turf — on Sunday if he’s tasked with leading the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (3-2) into Ottawa to face the Redblacks (0-5).

Starting quarterback Zach Collaros (neck) was a limited participant at Tuesday’s practice, while Brown took reps with the first-team offence.

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Tuesday, Jul. 14, 2026

Bomber Report

Nick Iwanyshyn / The Canadian Press Winnipeg Blue Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros (right) is on the injury report with a neck issue and is listed as questionable for Friday’s date with the visiting Toronto Argonauts.

Bombers look to build on strong defence against high-powered Argos

Taylor Allen 6 minute read Preview

Bombers look to build on strong defence against high-powered Argos

Taylor Allen 6 minute read Wednesday, Jul. 8, 2026

Mike O’Shea is more likely to cough up his credit card information than share anything about an injured player.

That especially rings true when it comes to the quarterback position — and Zach Collaros.

The starting pivot for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (2-2) left Sunday’s 14-13 win in Hamilton on the first play of the second quarter after being strip-sacked from the blind side.

Collaros is on the injury report with a neck issue and is listed as questionable for Friday’s date with the visiting Toronto Argonauts (2-2).

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Wednesday, Jul. 8, 2026

Bomber Report

Bombers get kick out of World Cup

Bombers get kick out of World Cup

Taylor Allen 6 minute read Preview

Bombers get kick out of World Cup

Taylor Allen 6 minute read Thursday, Jul. 2, 2026

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers would look very different today if a few of their standouts never ditched the pitch for the gridiron.

With the FIFA World Cup in full swing, several members of the Blue and Gold reminisced Wednesday about soccer careers that might have been.

Look no further than star running back Brady Oliveira, who excelled at footy until he was recruited to play football for the North Winnipeg Nomads at age 13.

His older brother Kyle played junior soccer in Brazil and was part of the Canadian national development program, while his younger sister Kallee played at the University of Winnipeg.

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Thursday, Jul. 2, 2026

Bomber Report

JOHN WOODS / THE CANADIAN PRESS The Edmonton Elks’ Joel Dublanko and Noah Taylor celebrate sacking Winnipeg Blue Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros during the first half of the Elks 23-18 win in Winnipeg, Thursday.

Bomber comeback falls short

Taylor Allen 7 minute read Preview

Bomber comeback falls short

Taylor Allen 7 minute read Friday, Jun. 26, 2026

It was the kind of start that had fans in the stands facepalming.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers initially looked nothing like a group that had an extra week to prepare for Thursday night’s showdown at home with the Edmonton Elks.

Two fumbles, two missed field goals and more struggles on defence put the Blue and Gold in a 17-0 hole midway through the second quarter.

And while the second half was far from perfect, the Bombers showed signs of life — especially on defence — and miraculously grabbed an 18-17 lead with 8:34 remaining in the contest after running back Brady Oliveira dragged a defender to the front pilon of the end zone on a 14-yard catch and run.

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Friday, Jun. 26, 2026

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