Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION
Als destroy Bombers
Final game against Hamilton for playoff spot
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.
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