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Everything goes wrong as Bombers fall to Argos

Blue fall to 0-4 with 25-22 loss

By: Paul Wiecek

Posted: 07/18/2012 5:40 PM | Comments: 0 | Last Modified: 07/18/2012 11:19 PM | Updates

The ball slips from quarterback Alex Brink's hands as Argos' Brandon Isaac comes charging in during the second half Wednesday night at Rogers Centre. (MARK BLINCH / REUTERS)

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TORONTO — In a season in which nothing has gone right for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, on this night everything went wrong.

Where to begin? Seriously, take your pick.

Well, yeah, there’s the score of course — 25-22 for the Toronto Argonauts before an announced crowd of 22,000 and change at Rogers Centre. The loss drops the Bombers to 0-4 for the season, with the only silver lining remaining right now being the fact they will play the next four in a row at home, starting next Thursday against Edmonton.

But much more than the score, how about the six starters who, at one point or another, left the game with injuries Wednesday night— receivers Terrence Edwards and Chris Matthews, tailback Chad Simpson, linebacker Dustin Doe, safety Ian Logan and defensive tackle Brandon Collier. By night’s end, only three of those had returned — Doe, Simpson and Matthews.

The other three — Edwards and Logan (lower body) and Collier (shoulder) — join the six starters who were already out before last night to bring the number of injured Bombers starters to nine. Nine out of 24 starters, or 37.5 per cent of the starting lineup.

Then there was the play of Alex Brink, who was pressed into service as the Bombers’ starting quarterback after Buck Pierce went down this week.

Lots of Bombers faithful who’d grown tired of Pierce’s steady stream of injuries were hailing this as the moment the Bombers finally put Pierce behind them and turned the corner with the former Washington State star.

Not so much by night’s end. Brink was the personification of everything that went wrong for Winnipeg on this night, throwing just nine completed passes in 34 attempts while getting picked off twice.

It didn’t end there. Bombers head coach Paul LaPolice lost the use of his headset for much of the night, preventing him from communicating upstairs.

And on a night when his placekicker would go a perfect 5-5 on field goals, LaPolice didn’t use him for a 48-yard attempt in the first quarter, electing to punt instead. The difference — a potential three points — might have made all the difference in what turned out to be a three-point game.

Or maybe not. The fact remains that punter Mike Renaud did pin the Argos on the 1-yard line.

Want some reason to hope? The Bombers’ defence was better than they have been, keeping Winnipeg close on a night when the offence once again could not finish drives.

In a season in which Winnipeg had never led an opponent even once, the Bombers actually had two leads in this game — 13-11 near the end of the first half, then 22-18 near the end of the second half.

But even that wasn’t enough. With barely two minutes remaining in the game, Argos quarterback Ricky Ray — who had a huge night — found Jason Barnes in a seam between Doe and cornerback Jovon Johnson for a 38-yard touchdown strike that gave the Argos the lead for good.

"They called the perfect play at exactly the perfect time," said Johnson. "You’ve got to tip your hat to those guys. They found a way."

Brink lamented the one that got away. "We had opportunities. We hit some, we didn’t hit some. But the bottom line is I have to find a way to get it done for my team."

LaPolice said he never seriously considered lifting Brink for backup Joey Elliott. Asked if Brink would be his starter next week against Edmonton, LaPolice hedged and said he would have to assess the films before making any decisions.

paul.wiecek@freepress.mb.ca

History

Updated on Wednesday, July 18, 2012 at 7:18 PM CDT: Updates after first quarter

8:16 PM: Adds 2nd quarter

9:00 PM: Updates after three quarters

10:03 PM: Updates with final score

11:19 PM: Final wrap-up with quotes

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