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Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION

Als destroy Bombers

Final game against Hamilton for playoff spot

By: Ed Tait

1/11/2009 8:15 PM | Comments: 15

MONTREAL - The playoff picture couldn’t be any clearer for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers: it’s win or go home time.

The Bombers were absolutely pummelled by the Montreal Alouettes 48-13 in front of another sellout at Molson Stadium Sunday afternoon and, in the process, will now have to win their regular-season finale in order to qualify for the postseason.

The Bombers, now 7-10, play host to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Sunday at noon. A Bomber win would give them second place in the East Division, A loss sends them packing and preparing for 2010 with either the Edmonton Eskimos or B.C. Lions, currently both 8-9, qualifying under the crossover format.

"Oh, we’ll be ready. I promise you we’ll be ready," said Bomber head coach Mike Kelly. "We’ll be focused and we’ll get after it.

This is disappointing, obviously, but we have to put this away and we know we’ll be ready for the Tiger-Cats.

"I just told the team in there, ‘We seem to always be ready to rise to the challenge and whenever there’s adversity out there we find a way to over come it. Certainly we’ve put ourselves in a position where today if we win we would have been in the playoffs. Now we’re in a situation where it’s winner take all. So, here we go. Let’s stand in the middle of the ring and slug and it out and see what happens.’"

Anthony Calvillo, who missed last week’s game in Winnipeg — a 41-24 Bomber victory — returned to throw for two TD passes while Damon Duval kicked six field goals as part of the Alouettes’ dominating performance. Meanwhile, Larry Taylor finished with over 300 yards in kick returns, including a spectacular 115-yard effort for a TD, as Montreal finished with a perfect 9-0 home record.

"Every team’s goal is to be undefeated at home and have a winning record at home and that would get you to about 14-4, so we’re right on target," said Calvillo. "We’re excited about it because it’s something we haven’t done since I’ve been here.

"And we didn’t want to make them think they could beat us at home. Last week, they played well and give them credit for that, but we wanted to play the way we wanted, putting offence, defence and special teams together, and we did that and you saw the result."

The Bombers managed only seven first downs the entire day as the offence was horrific. Winnipeg’s only major came on a Michael Bishop-to-Titus Ryan score.

Bomber Most-Outstanding-Player candidate Jovon Johnson exited the game in the first half with a sore ankle; top rookie Jonathan Hefney also injured his ankle while special-teams ace Shawn Gallant hurt a knee and Bishop tweaked an-already tender hamstring. All three, along with receiver Adarius Bowman — who missed the game with a sore knee — are expected to suit up next week against the Ticats.

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca

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15 Commentscomment icon

Steve: what else does the box say?

Hey Steve, your ego is almost as big as the media's. You wouldn't know an intelligent comment if you read it. Go back to looking at yourself in the mirror.

There are some good posts here and some pretty lame ones. Everyone has different opinions some put intellegently some...not so much Whitey are you 8 or 9? I see you used 1 of your brain cells for your post why not exercise the other 2 and put up an intellegent post?

The Als have only 4 loses (one is from us already) and not a single one at home all season.

The Bombers are a rebuilding organization with a moderate record and fighting for a playoff berth. Further, they played without their top receiver and with a QB nursing a damaged hamstring.

Please tell me you’re all feigning shock at the loss on Sunday? Seriously, give the Bombers a break. The Als, especially at full strength and in their own backyard, are a perennial powerhouse.

We’re 4-2 in the last six games, with our only loses in a give-away to the Lions and a whupping by the league dominating Als. I’m not sure how anyone can call themselves a sports fan and be truly surprised or upset with that.

Good luck next week against Hamilton Bombers! Once you’re in the play-offs anything can happen.

Very puzzling, this team. I've watched a lot of games and this one had my head shaking. I love this team win or lose, but some kind of consistency needs to happen. We appear to have a Jekyl/Hyde performance attitude. Not so great for the nerves watching. Even the players are questioning who is showing up for the games! I would love for them to make the play offs...but it will depend on which characters show up next weekend. Go blue!
alwaysabluefan

Well for all you delusional ones that gave me a hard time about my " the blue bummers are so going to lose".... Well I told you so. Loyalty is a great thing but sooner or later reality has to come into the picture. The blue are a bad team with a bad coach The only wins are against bad teams(or 2nd stringers) So abuse my posts as much as you want with your delusional rants.Because I'm right and you are wrong and deep down (or maybe not deep at all) you know I am right.

As I've said before steelers 2008, nobody will miss you and your one friend if you still have one.

Congratulations to Coach Kelly for at least not coming off as an arrogant gasbag like he would have done in the past but I must disagree here. Sure, they have to rise to the challenge next week as Winnipeg fans would accept nothing less but Sunday's match was truly a stinker. It does become quite laughable when you see the other team Bomb (yes, close enough to a pun huh?) them and get soooo close to 50 points. If "held to fields goals" that's what, "16" of them and the Bombers had 4.1??? Yes for this season, they did in fact improve once in awhile and maybe they've had problems getting the players to work together as a whole unit but come on now, These kind of losses are truly pathetic. I don't think it's fair to blame the coach for every time these kinds stink it up so much but man, the team is now almost equal to what the weather was from spring '09 to now. The old saying "you don't deserve to win" applies to this team and a loss is only okay if you do happen to show great effort and keep it respectable, 48-13 is NOT! Even the home team fans were looking pretty bored because it was such a cakewalk and when it sucks this much, those who came out to see a head-to-head duke-it-out match are going home sadly disappointed.

Someone remind me what's so great about Lyle Bauer and "Community Ownership" again? If we're all part-owners of the Bombers, we should've been fired a decade ago!!

I've had it with Bomber of Cal Murphy....I'm hoping you're a close insider of the team with all this "going to the bar the night before" info. People who always blame the OC clearly don't know a thing about football. It doesn't matter what the play is if you can't execute. Here are points that I kept quiet for a whole week until today's game
1) Yes. Calvillo does make a difference. for all those boneheads who thought it didn't make a difference who was at QB last week...today's your proof.
2) You either have it/don't have it. Lafleur did the strip clubs, Gretzky had to be carried out of the bar and they were the best on the ice next morning.
3) I've watched Reid for 2 years now and he is definitely NOT Charles Roberts. Roberts made guys miss. Reid is only good if the O-line part the Defence like the red sea.
4) Luck is what is needed if we play Als in playoffs b/c they're class of the league.
5) CFL should have only 4 teams in the playoffs, why the hell can you be a bad team and make the playoffs is crazy to me.
6) I'm a realist... i'll still cheer for the BB b/c we have to support your team..if this were like soccer fans in europe, half of you would be shot for getting off/on the bandwagon so many times.
7) that's sports folks. there's bad teams/good teams and teams that sometimes show up to play. too bad we're the latter.

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