Winnipeg Blue Bomber Report Record: 7–11–0

Bomber Report

Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

This is going to be a project

Bombers seem to have right parts, now must assemble them correctly

By: Ed Tait

4/07/2009 1:00 AM | Comments: 4

JIMMY JEONG / THE CANADIAN PRESS Enlarge Image

Blue Bombers’ running back Fred Reid runs the ball past Edmonton’s Mark Restelli for a touchdown during the second half on Thursday.

We saw some wrinkles, but hardly revolutionary innovations. We saw grit and desire, but also enough busted assignments to fill a full Football Follies episode.

But, in the end, the long-waited first real look at the 2009 Winnipeg Blue Bombers in Thursday night's 19-17 loss to the Edmonton Eskimos was a little like excitedly tearing open a Christmas gift only to discover a build-it-yourself project.

The finished product on the box may look all shiny and spiffy, but getting there is going to take some long hours of sweat and labour.

That, in a nutshell, was the consensus in the Bomber locker-room after the defeat. Despite the potential ticking time bomb that is the Derick Armstrong sideshow, this new outfit saw enough of itself to be encouraged, not discouraged.

And when you're 0-1 and still trying to remember the name of the new guy sitting at the locker beside you, that qualifies as a silver lining.

"A game like that, that's something to build on," said veteran guard Kelly Bates. "I mean, everyone in the world -- besides the 42 guys in this room -- had us as underdogs. Instead we came out and made a statement: we're going to be a team that battles every week.

"There's a lot of new guys and it's taking time to gel. But I think we're bringing it together a lot faster than anybody thought we could. Obviously, losing isn't acceptable to us. But that last drive (when they moved into position for a possible game-tying field goal) speaks to the men in this locker-room."

It also speaks of what they might have when they get defensive tackles Doug Brown and Tyrone Williams healthy; when Stefan LeFors and his receivers get on the same page and when the boss understands that a monsoon mixed with the always-slippery grass at Commonwealth Stadium means it's time to dump the fancy stuff on offence and start doing the smash-mouth thing.

"We wanted to show them a few things maybe they hadn't seen... maybe I got a little too cute for myself," admitted head coach Mike Kelly. "Now it's just a matter of continuing to play, believing in ourselves and just keep doing what we're doing. Don't deviate from anything right now because I think we're headed in the right direction."

Still, there were some other issues on full display against the Eskimos which aren't likely to be smoothed over when the Grey Cup champion Calgary Stampeders roll into town in a foul mood after dropping a stink bomb in their home-opening loss to the Montreal Alouettes.

And we'll start by jabbing a finger into an open wound: the special teams.

Look, when Mike Renaud finishes with 14 punts -- just two shy of a club record -- it not only hammers home some concerns about offensive ineptitude, but of the critical importance of field position. Renaud's average vs. Noel Prefontaine's (36.5-to-44) means the Bombers were giving up about seven yards a pop with each change of possession.

And while Shawn Gallant would score on a fumble recovery after a crushing hit by Joe Lobendahn -- he injured his shoulder later and may miss this week -- there was Alexis Serna's field-goal miss at the end of the game that would have sent it into overtime. Sure, attempting to hit a 47-yarder in those conditions -- twice -- may be a bit much, but worth asking here is this: would the Stamps' Sandro DeAngelis or Hamilton's Nick Setta have hit that? We think yes.

There was also the nightmare that was the kick-return game. Too many botched attempts, too often the return duo watched a ball bounce between them. Again, in a game decided by two points, that was monumental. Either these guys need more practise or this team needs new return candidates.

But it's Week 1 and we shouldn't be surprised in the least that, given all the changes this winter, the Bombers remain a work in progress with many unresolved issues.

Question is: can Mike Kelly & Co. put this whole thing together quickly?

As the old saying goes: any jackass can tear down a barn, but it takes a carpenter to build one.

'O' WOES: The Bomber offence finished with just five less yards total offence than the Eskimos (322 to 317) but was also on and off the field too quickly with eight two-and-out possessions.

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition July 4, 2009 D3

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4 Comments

Posted by: bobganason

July 5, 2009 at 8:47 PM

A good leader doesnot demand respect but he should know how to earn respect. The rate we are going there wont't be a single previous year player left on the roster. What is going on? Wake up and smarten up. Is this going to be a laughing stock? At least Berry took us to the Grey Cup before he was let go. At least the present coach should learn from the mistakes made by the previous coaches. I yet don't understand why Dave Ritchie was let go. He fared better than most of them. Some of the trades were good and some were bad and not warrented.

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Posted by: The Answer is Always Right

July 4, 2009 at 4:42 PM

2 main changes must happen to this team before it will improve. It needs an experienced quarterback, not Lefors. Only a fool would rely on Lefors. So that means fire the fool that made him a starter, and the fool that Hired Kelly. Kelly's high school based offence will not fool anyone out there. In fact watching lots of high school football here I have seen better plays and better run plays than what what I watched the other night. Hello Reinboldt, we're back.

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Posted by: Albertaclipper

July 4, 2009 at 11:30 AM

Ed, you probably wrote this article before watching the debacle in Regina last nite. I'll take what the Bombers did this week to anything I saw last nite.

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Posted by: Cal

July 4, 2009 at 11:30 AM

This team will be a joke. The Shmoes are the worst team in the West. Although you only have to beat Hamilton twice to make the playoffs, and from there, anything can happen RE 2007. That was the worst half of football I've seen in 20 years.