Bombers quarterback Drew Willy feeling “100 per cent” after season-ending injury

WINNIPEG – Drew Willy wouldn’t say his season-ending injury last August killed the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ chances to play in the Grey Cup game they were hosting.

But the starting quarterback did admit it hurt the team, which won just two games after the injury. Winnipeg went on to a 5-13 record that knocked it out of the CFL playoffs for a fourth straight season.

“I think it played a big part,” Willy said Thursday at a press conference setting up the team’s mini camp next week for offensive players. “Game by game you don’t know what it affects, but I think talking to a lot of the guys in the locker-room, when you battle with guys for so long and I’m trying to get healthy and they see me on crutches and stuff, it’s tough.

“It was tough for me just to be around and watch us struggle as a team. But at the same time, we were in a lot of those games and a play here or there could have changed the season or get (us) in the playoffs and you never know after that.”

Willy, 29, suffered a tibial plateau fracture and a partial posterior cruciate ligament tear in his right knee when Erik Harris hit him in an Aug. 9 loss to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

The four-year veteran said he’s “100 per cent” recovered and did a lot of throwing at his new home in Tampa, Fla., with CFL receivers such as Montreal’s S.J. Green and Kenny Stafford and former Bomber Nick Moore, who signed as a free agent with B.C. in February.

Willy has also been studying the playbook of new Bombers offensive co-ordinator Paul LaPolice and thinks the three-day mini camp in Winnipeg that starts Monday might be good with only offensive players.

He’s got to get familiar with some off-season acquisitions, including running back Andrew Harris and receivers Weston Dressler and Ryan Smith.

“I was kind of skeptical at first, just not having a defence out there,” Willy said. “It’ll be different because a lot of football’s reaction so you’re reacting to a defence. But after talking with coaches and other players that have done this before around the league, they were telling me it’s a good operation just because you’re able to concentrate on your own stuff as an offence.

“And you can really kind of fine-tune what you want to do on offence and really over-emphasize things that you want to get done so that way in (training) camp you’re not even thinking about the little things it takes to be successful.”

The Bombers haven’t enjoyed much success on offence over the last few years, with offensive co-ordinators hired and fired and little stability at the quarterback position.

Last year, the team scored a league-low 353 points.

But Willy is optimistic, especially if he can stay healthy the entire season.

“Sometimes you just have bad luck…” he said. “That was my first major injury.”

He said he plans to play smarter by throwing the ball quicker or handing it off to Harris to avoid being knocked around.

“At the end of the day, maybe it’s not taking that huge hit or maybe it’s getting rid of the ball and not trying to make as much happen, which is tough,” Willy said.

“As a competitor, you’re always trying to make a huge play and trying to do what you can for the team. But for me, it’s going to be making sure, game to game, I’m being smart but aggressive at the same time.”