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Blue Bombers head coach Paul LaPolice should be used to being second-guessed by now. (WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS ARCHIVES) Photo Store

WINNIPEG head coach Paul LaPolice took a lot of online heat Friday night over his decision late in the fourth quarter to gamble on third down from the Montreal Alouettes' six-yard line instead of kicking a field goal.

The gamble failed when Blue Bombers QB Buck Pierce was promptly sacked and the Bombers came away with nothing in what was ultimately a 41-30 Winnipeg loss at Stade Molson.

Critics jumped all over LaPolice, saying the correct call in that instance was to kick the field goal.

But here's another perspective:

Down by 11 at that point, the Bombers were going to need a touchdown, two-point conversion and a field goal in the last five minutes to tie the game.

Given Winnipeg's failure to score in the Montreal red zone -- they'd been inside the 20-yard line three times previously and had to kick short field goals all three times -- you could make the case that a play from scrimmage from the six-yard line was probably going to be their last good chance to score a touchdown.

What's more, if you score the TD in that situation but miss the two-point conversion, you'd still get a second chance to win the game outright if you could later drive down the field for another TD.

But by kicking the field goal first, you'd likely get only one more chance to tie the game and you'd probably have to be perfect the first time -- marching down the field for the TD and then executing the two-point convert. Any other scenario and it would most likely be game over.

And one other thing -- two-point converts are all-or-nothing affairs where you have to get the ball into the end zone from the five-yard line. Which is basically exactly what LaPolice opted for when he elected to gamble from the six-yard line.

Make no mistake -- if the third-down gamble had been from the Montreal 20, the field goal's a no-brainer.

But the ball was on the six and there were a lot of other factors at play in LaPo's decision. It says here he made the right call.

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The Blue Bombers are now in a fight against the weight of history if they are going to go on this season to win the franchise's first Grey Cup since 1990:

No Bombers team has ever opened the regular season 0-2 and made it to the Grey Cup.

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It was just another day at the office for Bombers punt and kick returner Demond Washington, who was decidedly nonplussed Friday night when asked about his 82-yard punt return for a touchdown in the third quarter.

"We do this every day. This is our job -- just coming out to compete and have fun," said Washington. "I'm just doing my job."

By night's end, the job Washington did as a returner -- returning three punts for 90 yards and six kickoffs for 120 yards -- was not enough to put the Bombers over the top.

"We still came away with the 'L'," said Washington. "I'd take the win over the punt return any day. I don't feel good about it..."

Washington actually did double duty in the second half, continuing to run back kicks even after he had to also fill in at halfback for Alex Suber, who sustained a lower-leg injury in the first half and did not return.

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The newly configured -- yet again -- Bombers offensive line had a decent game in Montreal.

With veteran Glenn January back at left tackle and first-time centre Justin Sorenson snapping the ball, the line gave QBs Buck Pierce and Alex Brink decent protection all night while also clearing a path for tailback Bloi-Dei Dorzon to pick up 52 yards on just seven carries, including a 28-yarder.

"I was really pleased with the way we did things out there," said guard Steve Morley. "It's not perfect, but it was sure better than we did last week."

Expect to see Sorenson back at centre against the Edmonton Eskimos this Friday. Both LaPolice and Pierce were complimentary of his professional debut at centre.

The sweltering game conditions -- the humidex was 39 C at game time and still screaming at 37 C in the second half -- made the line of scrimmage a cosy place.

"It was hot out there," said Morley. "It was really hot out there. But we practise every day in it and can't use that as an excuse. They played in it, too."

paul.wiecek@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition July 8, 2012 B3