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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Developing a six sense
Blue need more touchdowns; FGs not good enough
Paul Chiasson / the canadian press archives When the teams last met on July 6 in Montreal, Winnipeg slotback Clarence Denmark drew three pass interference calls. (CP)
You can't miss the end zones at Canad Inns Stadium. The turf is a bright blue with a giant 'W' in the middle and there are goalposts protruding out of the ground.
The Blue Bombers would like to frequent this territory tonight.
Winnipeg is the only team in the CFL that hasn't scored more than two touchdowns on offence in a game this year, a stat that should be in the mix when gathering up all the reasons for this 1-4 start. The Bombers have scored just eight touchdowns on offence through the first five weeks, one ahead of Edmonton's lowly attack and well back of the league leaders in Hamilton (17).
"We need to improve on finishing drives with touchdowns," Bombers quarterback Alex Brink said following the walk-through Thursday. "We're putting ourselves in tough situations at the end of games, having to rely on our defence to hold teams off because we're not scoring sevens. In all our games so far, if we score some touchdowns instead of kicking some field goals, we're a lot better than 1-4."
Not surprising, the red-zone offence is equally embarrassing for the Blue. Winnipeg's touchdown conversion rate when inside the 20-yard line is 42.9 per cent. Calgary (84.6), Montreal and Saskatchewan (both at 76.9) are leading the league in that category.
The need to find the end zone is magnified when one considers Winnipeg's opponent tonight (7:30 p.m., TSN, CJOB).
Despite Montreal's struggles this young season, they still boast the CFL's top passing quarterback in Anthony Calvillo (1,633 yards and 11 touchdowns) and one of the more potent offensive groups in the league. They may have experienced some turbulence in recent weeks (a two-game losing skid is noteworthy in that part of the country), but remember: This offence put up 41 points in a win over the Bombers in Week 2.
Receiver Clarence Denmark said the offence can't concern itself with Montreal's scoring.
"We need to just finish our own drives and not concern ourselves with what's going on on the other side," Denmark said. "We've been working on it. That is a big focus for us this week. We need to finish with touchdowns and not field goals."
This isn't a new issue in Bomberland; the urgency to score majors has been a major concern all season. The coaching staff does extra work in practice near the goal-line, they remind players how crippling mental mistakes and penalties are in the red zone, and they keep harping on the need for better execution.
That said, holding regular TD celebrations has proven difficult.
There is some good news in this: Kicker Justin Palardy has made 12 of his 13 field-goal attempts this season. So again, given his high-level production these days, it's not all terrible for Winnipeg.
But the offence has to score more touchdowns, and this need typically falls to the quarterback. Brink, who went 26-of-38 for 294 yards in the Bombers 23-22 victory over Edmonton last week, is brimming with confidence after his first true win as a starter, but he was diplomatic on the chances of hanging multiple touchdowns on the board against a Montreal defence that has been under fire through the first five weeks.
The Als have given up 162 points this year -- only Winnipeg (163) and Hamilton (167) have been leakier.
So it's agreed: There might not be a better time to get the offence going.
adam.wazny@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @wazoowazny
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition August 3, 2012 C2
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