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It sounds simple because it is but every year, every team in football has two goals. The first is to make the playoffs. The second is to win the championship. You can't become champions if you aren't in the tournament, which is the only reason there are two goals and not just one.

There are now two teams that are no longer in the running to achieve either one of those goals. The Ottawa Redblacks and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers are on the outside looking in. The Redblacks may be an expansion team, but considering they had veteran Henry Burris at the helm, they underachieved. It wasn't all his fault, but they should have won more than two games at this point with a former champion behind centre.

The Bombers surprised people early and have found their franchise player in Drew Willy, but when facing the top teams in the league, they quickly realized that they don't have the horses to be a true contender just yet.

Both teams fell short of the two goals this year and that is going to hurt until they kick it off again next season but the Bombers and Redblacks did a lot of good things. Ottawa was close in all but a couple of games; they were not the leagues doormats despite their record. In Winnipeg, it appears the culture has been changed in a positive way. They may not have enough talent yet, but they aren't far off. Proof of that is what happened this past week, where now every player will walk by the statue of the great Bud Grant every time they go to work, reminding them daily of the strong football tradition in Manitoba, which is part of that culture change.

Both teams are young and building and should have bright futures.

Having said that, football is a result-driven business, and these two teams did not get the results. When that happens, tough decisions must be made and players, coaches, and administrators must be held accountable. Over the next few months, both teams will do an autopsy on the season to determine the reason for the failures, and begin the process of improving.
 
However, that process doesn't have to be put on hold until the end of the season. What about the last few games? How should these teams approach the final couple of games when they mean nothing in the standings?

For both teams, the 2014 season is lost. However, what lies ahead over the next few weeks is a great opportunity. Michael O'Shea in Winnipeg, and Rick Campbell in Ottawa may be tempted to do the "we are playing our best players to try and win" speech. Like many coaches before them, they may say they want to finish on a good note, want to possibly upset a playoff team and take someone down with them, and play all their starters to try and send that type of message. However, to go the last few weeks of the season status quo would be a missed opportunity.
 
Trying to win is a given. Playing a back-up to evaluate him doesn't mean you're not trying to win. It means you are trying to win while building the foundation for the future. Remember, the only thing that matters in pro sports are those two goals - making the playoffs and winning a championship - and if those goals are no longer attainable this year, then every minute from the day you are eliminated to the day you kick it off next season should be dedicated to achieving those goals next year.

In Winnipeg, Drew Willy has proven he is the real deal. He is a natural leader, as tough as they come, and has all the tools in the tool box to be a star quarterback. Henry Burris in Ottawa still has gas left in the tank and can still get it done. He wants to play again next year, and given more help, can still lead a team to a championship. Both quarterbacks should go into the 2015 season as the team's franchise players, and both should be holding the clipboard for the final couple of games of this year's regular season.

Giving those last couple of games to Danny O'Brien in Ottawa and Robert Marve in Winnipeg is not conceding defeat. In fact, it is displaying just how important achieving those two main goals really is to both head coaches. And not just starting them, but announcing it early in the week and letting them deal with the pressures of being a starter through the entire work week.

Some may ask, what about a player's personal goals and or contract incentives, shouldn't he be able to play for that reason? To answer a question with a question, does allowing a player to finish the season as a starter to obtain a financial incentive help you make the playoffs and win a championship the next year? The answer is no! Whether Burris and Willy have incentives or not, the answer is no!

It may also be suggested that a starter like Drew Willy has earned the right to finish off the season. Some will say he has battled all year with his teammates, let him take the ball across the final goal-line. Again, will that help the Bombers get to the playoffs next year, and win a championship? Maybe Al Pacino can make that speech in a Hollywood movie, but the answer is no!

O'Shea and Campbell have a headstart on the 2015 season on all the other teams in the league. Winnipeg and Ottawa have two more games to see what they have in the stable, and not just at the quarterback position.

Training camps and the pre-season in the CFL are very short and don't give head coaches much time to evaluate talent. If a team has five quarterbacks in camp, including their incumbent, they only have eight quarters to see them play. If the Number 1 guy gets three quarters in pre-season games, that leaves four other quarterbacks on the roster to play in just five quarters. Not exactly a lot of time to show that you have the talent to make it at the next level.

Winnipeg finishes the season with a game in Calgary, and Ottawa finishes with a home game vs Hamilton and one in Toronto. For the Argos and Ticats, those games are huge, and for a different reason, very important for the Redblacks and Bombers.

Best case scenario for both O'Shea and Campbell is that they finish the season with wins, and O'Brien and Marve light it up. Then heading into training camp in 2015, that will put that much more pressure on Willy and Burris, which is good pressure. Worst case scenario for both head coaches is they lose out, and both back-up QB's look like back-up QB's. Then heading into the off-season, both coaches have a much greater sense of urgency when searching for depth at quarterback. They won't get an opportunity like this again, and they don't want it again, because it means they have missed the playoffs again. But it is their reality now, and it is also an opportunity.

Next year, the two goals will be the same; make the playoffs and win a championship. For Ottawa and Winnipeg, working to obtain those goals next year can start right now.