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A Winnipeg win in Montreal on Sunday would stick in the back of the Alouettes' minds come playoff time, said Bombers quarterback Michael Bishop. (WAYNE.GLOWACKI@FREEPRESS.MB.CA)

It doesn't show up in the standings and it doesn't, officially at least, impact the achievement. But it hovers nonetheless like an unanswered question.

'It' is an asterisk. And ask the around the Canadian Football League and the general consensus is the Winnipeg Blue Bombers' win over the Montreal Alouettes last week should come complete with a big, fat SDLq*" because of the absences of all-star quarterback Anthony Calvillo and defenders Shea Emry, Diamond Ferri and Davis Sanchez.

Now, while the Bombers have spent the last week saying all the right things about the return engagement this Sunday in Montreal -- how they were waltzing into a hornets' nest, blah, blah, blah -- a quiet rumbling from the locker-room is getting louder and louder as kickoff approaches. It's the bravado that comes with winning four of their last five and it's fuelled not only by the chase to lock down a playoff spot after a horrendous start to the season, but by the desire to prove so many of their critics wrong in the process.

It is, in essence, about gaining a measure of respect by beating the Alouettes in their own backyard -- with Calvillo & Co. back in the lineup.

"If we go in there and do what we did last week it would send a message not only to Montreal but to the rest of the league that we're for real," said cornerback Jovon Johnson. "Everybody's going to say, 'Oh, they didn't have Calvillo last week' or 'this guy didn't play and that guy didn't play.' But at the end of the day their defence had to play against our offence and the outcome was we won the battle.

"We look forward to having the same outcome this weekend."

Make no mistake, head coach Mike Kelly has sensed this bubbling anger among his troops and is using it as a motivational tool. It's like the 98-pound weakling who has had sand kicked in his face regrouping and then going all Charles Atlas on somebody -- anybody -- who gets in the way.

"The Alouettes can choose to think however they want to think," said Kelly. "For our guys... we still haven't garnered very much respect. I believe we're the team that's improving the most right now and that we're not an easy out. But the bottom line is we have to continue to win games in order to gain respect that we haven't really been shown yet.

"I've always got a theme and it always has to do with having a chip on your shoulder. That's how we approach every week. We understand that there's doubters out there still. And the only way you get those doubters to subside and then finally say. 'Maybe they are getting better and maybe they are a pretty good football team' is to keep winning games."

The result of Sunday's game won't dramatically alter either squad's place in the standings. The Als, at 13-3, will play host to the East Final on Nov. 22. And the Bombers know they will be scrapping for second spot in the East next Sunday at home in the regular-season finale against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

"If we go in there and do the job we need to do and get a win, then later on down the line in the playoffs if we had an opportunity to play them again I'm sure it would be in the back of their mind," said QB Michael Bishop.

"Right now a lot of teams have levelled off. We're a team that has set goals higher and is still rising to the top. In this league, the best situation is not how you start, it's how you finish. Right now, we're on pace to finish great. We've just got to stay humble and do the things we've been doing to get us where we are right now."

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca

Winnipeg Blue Bombers (7-9) at Montreal Alouettes (13-3)

WHEN: Sunday, noon.

WHERE: Percival Molson Stadium, Montreal.

TV/RADIO: TSN/RDS; CJOB.

BOMBERS IN MONTREAL: Winnipeg is 3-5 in its last eight visits and just 4-15 since the Alouettes returned to the league in 1996.

FIVE SUBPLOTS TO MONITOR:

Can Anthony Calvillo and the Als get their game back after last week's loss and a sloppy win over Hamilton?

Do Bomber rookie rush ends Odell Willis and Phillip Hunt have another four-sack game in them?

How much will Winnipeg's attack be hampered by the absence of receiver Adarius Bowman (knee)?

Can Fred Reid crank up his game against the Als -- he has just 30 carries for 117 yards in three games -- and catch Calgary's Joffrey Reynolds for the rushing title?

Does Jovon Johnson lock up the CFL Most Outstanding Special Teams Award with another dynamic performance returning kicks?

KEY MATCHUP: Bomber defensive ends Hunt and Willis vs. Alouette tackles Josh Bourke and Jeff Perrett. The youngsters were dominant last week in attacking off the edge against QB Adrian McPherson, but Calvillo gets rid of the ball much faster.

WORTH NOTING: Over the last two years, the Bombers are 10-4 after the Banjo Bowl. In games up to and including the Banjo Bowl they are 5-15.

-- Ed Tait

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition October 31, 2009 D1