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Blue Bombers jugger-not

After three straight victories, Winnipeg blows golden opportunity

By: Ed Tait

19/10/2009 1:00 AM | Comments: 15

Blue Bombers quarterback Michael Bishop watches the end of the play from ground level after taking a hit from the B.C. Lions' defence during Winnipeg's 24-21 defeat Sunday at Canad Inns Stadium.

TREVOR HAGAN / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Enlarge Image

Blue Bombers quarterback Michael Bishop watches the end of the play from ground level after taking a hit from the B.C. Lions' defence during Winnipeg's 24-21 defeat Sunday at Canad Inns Stadium.

Opportunity knocked. It banged on the door over and over again Sunday and it waited for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to scramble to their feet and answer.

Instead, the home side repeatedly tripped over their collective cleats, stumbled on the rug and did a face plant in a 24-21 loss to the B.C. Lions in front of 24,048 at Canad Inns Stadium in a result that could haunt them by season's end.

Indeed, if every game in a football season represents a chapter unto itself then Chapter 15 of the Bombers' 2009 campaign should be titled 'Opportunity Lost.'

"We're still in it. We let an opportunity get away, but it doesn't kill us," began head coach Mike Kelly. "I want these guys to swish around the bitterness, I want the coaching staff to swish it around and then maybe we'll all throw up and come back and be better next week."

Here's why this one stings: A number of stars had lined up right for the Bombers -- including Montreal knocking off Hamilton earlier in the day -- but the locals handled the gift as if it were coated in olive oil.

Among the developments that seemingly set up the Bombers perfectly:

"ö Lions starter Buck Pierce left the game in the first quarter after injuring his right shoulder and was replaced by rookie Travis Lulay, who had thrown all of 12 passes this year;

"ö The Bombers jumped to a 14-zip lead after the first quarter, but were outscored 24-7 the rest of the way;

"ö Winnipeg forced five turnovers, but managed just seven points off those Lion gaffes. At the same time, the Bombers spit up the ball four times -- all by Michael Bishop -- that led to 17 B.C. points.

"ö After falling behind 24-20 with 12:57 left the Bombers would get three more cracks at rallying -- two possessions starting at their own 41-yard line, the third at their 50 -- but saw Alexis Serna miss on a 47-yard field goal, Bishop throw the last of his three interceptions and then go two-and-out and punt the ball back to the Lions and hope their defence stiffened.

Instead, Lulay twice ran for first downs -- for 11 on a second-and-10 and for 26 yards on a second-and-11 -- to kill the clock.

"We're not going to scare anybody until we can take advantage of our opportunities," said Bombers defensive tackle Doug Brown. "You only get so many opportunities and if you don't take advantage of them you see what the end result is, right? Close game, hard-fought, but we're not a team that can give away a game like that with three remaining and playoff positioning on the line."

The loss ends the Bombers' modest three-game win streak and drops them to 6-9, tied for second with the Ticats, who fell 41-38 to the Als in Montreal. Winnipeg now has a home-and-home series with the Alouettes before finishing off the regular season with a date against Hamilton here in River City.

B.C. improved to 8-7 with their third straight victory and is now just one point behind the first-place Calgary Stampeders and Saskatchewan Roughriders at 8-6-1. Edmonton is still in the picture out West and in the crossover at 7-8.

"This one hurts, this one hurts bad," said linebacker Ike Charlton. "It was a chance for us to solidify things over here for playoff purposes. This hurts me. There's no way that team should have beat us. No way. But they came in here and they beat us, so hats off to them."

Bishop, after throwing for more than 300 yards three times in his last six games, struggled mightily and completed just 13 of 32 for 226 yards and missed a half dozen wide-open receivers. Lulay, meanwhile, was 13 of 24 for 177 yards with two picks and the game-winning score while running seven times for 92 yards.

Asked if he was going to kick himself for all the missed opportunities while watching the video evidence of the contest, Kelly said: "My dad told me, 'Never kick yourself in the ass because there's plenty of people lined up to do it.' If I haven't learned that lesson this year, I don't know if I've learned anything."

BLUE NOTES: LB Joe Lobendahn pulled up lame in the third quarter with a bum hamstring while trying to chase down A.J. Harris on the game-winning TD and did not finish the game.

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca

CFL standings

East Division

GP W L T Pts.

y-Montreal 15 13 2 0 26

Winnipeg 15 6 9 0 12

Hamilton 15 6 9 0 12

Toronto 15 3 12 0 6

 

West Division

GP W L T Pts.

Sask. 15 8 6 1 17

Calgary 15 8 6 1 17

B.C. 15 8 7 0 16

Edmonton 15 7 8 0 14

 

y - clinched first place in division

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition October 19, 2009 C1

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15 Commentscomment icon

If Travis Lulay had been in a blue and gold uniform, this forum would be hailing him as the second coming. Sure we had a bad game mainly because of MB's inaccuracy and recklessness, but let's give the rookie Lion some credit. Where does Wally Buono find these guys??

I don't think the better team won the game, which is what coach Kelly claimed in the post game presser. I do believe the better coached team won the game and evidence of that was our final two possessions of the ball. Facing second and long on two occasions in the final three minutes; down three points and we run the ball; give me a break. That is novice football. I truly believe its instances like this that have the bomber faithful continually questioning the captain of this ship. Ask yourself, if Montreal or Calgary given a similar situation would have done the same. I don't think so. I feel sorry for the defence that worked their butts off all day long. As I've said all along, Kelly must go.

Everyone remember Kelly telling us our saviour is the 4th string QB from Edmonton? What was his name? Sefan who? He stunk up the field.
Our coach / Director Player Personell (should be two people) does not have an eye for QB's. Clearly. Bauer should have also figured this out by now and done something, and so his head is on the block as well.
I don't blame Bishop. Nice guy. Strong arm. Just not consistent / good enough to play in the CFL.

I've had plenty to say this year about the team and mostly the coaching, but I think people need to ease up a little here. We aren't going to win every game and this one hurts more because we could have advanced on Hamilton. That said the loss does feel different in that its not hopeless.

Bishop didn't have a great game and missed a few open receivers. The one to Amey comes to mind, and the bad toss that gave BC the touchdown, but he did have a few guys drop catchable passes too.

At least we are competing now. Next weekend will be real interesting.

This game was not lost because of Mike Kelly's coaching or his game plan. It was lost simply because Michael Bishop does not have what it takes to be a winning quarterback in the CFL.

The guy would come second to a sack of hammers if you compared their intelligence, maybe even to a post - although I think he mght rank a bit higher than the post's hole. He has been Winnipeg's QB for 10 games and his performance yesterday was nothing less than abysmal. During the Hamilton game he threw 2 interceptions in the end zone that came close to costing the Bombers the game and in the game yesterday he simply extended that performance to a whole game. The guy is just too stupid to learn from his mistakes and his antics this year have shown why he was let go by Saskatchewan and by Toronto. Height, arm strength and legs do not a quarterback make; it takes a head as well. Michael Bishop is living proof of that.

The performance of Travis Lulay just emphasises Bishop's failings. Every year U.S. colleges graduate a couple of hundred quarterbacks that are every bit as good as Travis Lulay, Darrien Durrant, Paris Jackson, Henry Burris, Ricky Ray, Anthony Calvillo, et. al. I just wish the Bomber player personnel people could find one, because until they do the Bombers are going to be poster children for futility.

Agree with you 100% Al, the better "coached" team won yesterday.

sage: Kevin Glenn did what he always does. Lots of stats and still lost. Bishop runs hot and cold. Unfortunately, he was stone cold after the first drive.
I wonder if we'll get to the point where one of our backups can come off the bench and deliver. It would be nice to have the option.

Once BC put in Travis Lulay, the Bombers couldn't do anything. He was running around getting yards and passing. ..

Why can't Bishop throw short 7 or 8 yarders ? And why is he consistantly throwing too high ? Can't he throw @ the #s so the receivers can catch them ? Bishop is just not good enough ..

From the Mike Kelly post game video:
"I don't think the better team won today."
But perhaps the better coached team did.
Evidence:
1) Not covering Lulay's runs, his game style is a virtual carbon copy of Pierce, yet the Bombers didn't take his run game seriously enough at first.
2)Offensive play calling- first offensive play of the day for the Bombers was trying to run Ralph on an end around to the right side- didn't work, so later in the game when Bombers where in similar field position the play call was the same sweep to the left side- still no gain, and then followed up by a 2nd and long call with a Reid run into the middle of the line, for little gain. The run game was never established and did little.
3)Anybody see Bernard yesterday? With Reid gimpy, I was expecting to see him more (watching on TSN HD, which with all the replays it was evident the game plan was not working.)

The epitaph of the 2009 Bombers will read:
Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda.

It appears that sage forgot about last year . We had Glenn at that time. What happened?

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