Returner Vaval, QB Brown lead Bombers past Argos in season’s most complete effort

It was the loudest Princess Auto Stadium has been all season.

Moments after fumbling a fourth quarter punt that put the Toronto Argonauts in scoring range, Winnipeg Blue Bombers returner Trey Vaval bounced back in a big way.

Argos kicker Lirim Hajrullahu misfired on a 40-yard field goal with nine minutes remaining and Vaval made the visitors pay by racing 129 yards to the opposite end zone to boost the home side’s lead to 29-14.

Vaval, who had four return touchdowns in his sensational rookie campaign last year, entered the contest ranked first in the CFL in punt-return yards and second on kickoffs — the only thing he was missing was his first score.

Playing full 60 key to Bombers victory

Fourteen points isn’t going to cut it this week.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers (2-2) clash with the Toronto Argonauts’ (2-2) high-powered offence Friday night at 7:30 p.m.

The Bombers grinded out a 14-13 victory in Hamilton on Sunday in a game where both starting quarterbacks — Zach Collaros and Bo Levi Mitchell — left with injuries. Toronto’s previous outing couldn’t have been more different as the Argos were torched 58-36 by the Calgary Stampeders at McMahon Stadium.

With the Argos ranked second in scoring (37.5 points per game) and dead last in points allowed (38.3), the scoreboard operator could be busy for this one.

Bombers backup Brown takes the reins in clash against Argos

Mike O’Shea isn’t a big fan of letting reporters under the hood when it comes to how certain decisions get made.

Yet, as the head coach of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers was pressed for information on how he came to his final conclusion before naming Dru Brown his starting quarterback for Friday’s showdown with the Toronto Argonauts, O’Shea worked through a number of questions before revealing this decision eventually made itself.

“We brought Dru in for a reason. We brought Dru in for this reason,” said O’Shea, noting the final call wasn’t made until Thursday morning. “So, you execute the plan as it was laid out.”

Asked a follow-up question for clarification, O’Shea made it clear that he prefers not to deal with hypotheticals, even if precautions are made to cover all of the bases.

Star Bombers quarterback Collaros to miss game against visiting Argos

WINNIPEG - Winnipeg Blue Bombers star quarterback Zach Collaros will miss Friday's game against the visiting Toronto Argonauts with a neck injury.

Collaros sustained the injury in the second quarter of Winnipeg's 14-13 win at Hamilton on Sunday.

He was listed as questionable earlier this week and did not participate in the Blue Bombers' practice on Wednesday.

Dru Brown, who Winnipeg acquired in a trade with Ottawa last month, will start at quarterback Friday.

Bombers look to build on strong defence against high-powered Argos

Mike O’Shea is more likely to cough up his credit card information than share anything about an injured player.

That especially rings true when it comes to the quarterback position — and Zach Collaros.

The starting pivot for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (2-2) left Sunday’s 14-13 win in Hamilton on the first play of the second quarter after being strip-sacked from the blind side.

Collaros is on the injury report with a neck issue and is listed as questionable for Friday’s date with the visiting Toronto Argonauts (2-2).

Bombers-Ticats clash will be remembered for all the wrong reasons

There were no winners on Sunday night in Hamilton.

Sure, the end result saw the Winnipeg Blue Bombers improve to 2-2, but quarterback Zach Collaros went down in the process and the game will be remembered for all the wrong reasons.

A win is a win, but the only reason the Blue and Gold escaped with a 14-13 victory was because the Hamilton Tiger-Cats’ worst nightmare came true: superstar quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell was taken away in an ambulance in the third quarter after a sack left him with a serious ankle injury.

Then there’s the CFL, which had been heaped with praise for the excellent quarterback play across the board in the opening weeks, only for this to happen.

Bombers steal win on somber night

HAMILTON — It was supposed to be a showdown between two future Hall-of-Fame quarterbacks.

Instead, it ended up being a somber night for the CFL.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers starter Zach Collaros was ruled out for the contest with an upper body injury after being hit from the blindside on the first play of the second quarter.

And just when you thought nothing could possibly overshadow that, Bo Levi Mitchell — the face of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats who was playing some of the best football of his illustrious career this season — suffered what appeared to be a serious left ankle injury in the third quarter after being taken down by defensive lineman Jake Ceresna for a sack.

Tip of the cap: Former Bomber Kolankowski says fan response on his return was special

HAMILTON — Chris Kolankowski saw it coming.

He had a feeling he was going to be the odd man out after the Winnipeg Blue Bombers re-signed fellow veteran Canadian centre Tui Eli at the end of December.

“I heard what the details of that were and I was kind of concerned once I saw the numbers,” Kolankowski told the Free Press on Saturday.

Soon after, he got a call from head coach Mike O’Shea that confirmed his hunch.

Work keeps Bombers QB from attending Kelce-Swift wedding

You would think Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift would’ve looked at the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ schedule before locking in a date for their wedding.

A tale of two quarterbacks in Steeltown clash

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers need their A-game this weekend if they’re going to leave Steeltown with a win.

You could argue the club didn’t even have their B-game last month when the Hamilton Tiger-Cats invaded Princess Auto Stadium and spoiled the home opener by drubbing the Blue and Gold 37-27.

Now with a chance at revenge, the Bombers (1-2) head into enemy territory on a two-game losing streak after suffering a sloppy 23-18 loss to the visiting Edmonton Elks a week ago. Hamilton (2-1), meanwhile, is coming off a bye after winning back-to-back games.

The Ticats are 14-5 after bye weeks dating back to 2018.

Bombers get kick out of World Cup

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers would look very different today if a few of their standouts never ditched the pitch for the gridiron.

With the FIFA World Cup in full swing, several members of the Blue and Gold reminisced Wednesday about soccer careers that might have been.

Look no further than star running back Brady Oliveira, who excelled at footy until he was recruited to play football for the North Winnipeg Nomads at age 13.

His older brother Kyle played junior soccer in Brazil and was part of the Canadian national development program, while his younger sister Kallee played at the University of Winnipeg.

Bombers bench boss thrilled to have Brown back in Blue and Gold

Dru Brown wasn’t Ryan Dinwiddie’s guy.

Before he could even take a pre-season snap, the first-year Ottawa Redblacks head coach and general manager informed Brown the organization was handing the keys to Jake Maier.

“(Dinwiddie) said that it was just an arm strength thing, that’s what he told me. That’s his opinion, and he’s entitled to that, and he makes the calls over there,” Brown told reporters Tuesday after Winnipeg Blue Bombers practice at Fort Garry Lions Field.

“(Concerns over arm strength isn’t) something I’ve gotten before. That’s kind of how he saw it, but I’ve never really felt like that before, or (that) it’s ever held me back situationally in a game, being able to cut it loose.”

Strong effort from Bombers defence spoiled after again missing crucial late stop

There were goal line stands, critical stops and even a forced fumble that seemed to flip the script.

In many ways, the response by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ defence to an early hole was the main reason the team managed to stay close enough to both mount a comeback and take the lead late in the fourth quarter against the Edmonton Elks.

But the inability to get a critical stop for the third consecutive game proved costly as that 18-17 lead turned into a 23-18 loss that left the Bombers with a record of 1-2.

“I can think of a lot of key moments where they did make the difference,” Blue Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea said in the aftermath of a second consecutive defeat at Princess Auto Stadium.

No cause for panic after Week 4 loss, but Bombers slow start mind-boggling

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers had no excuse for coming out flat on Thursday night.

After getting punched in the mouth by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, the Blue and Gold entered a bye week which gave them plenty of time to rest, regroup and prepare for a home date with the Edmonton Elks.

The club was expected to come out flying from the opening kickoff. Instead, it looked half asleep, allowing the Elks to build a 17-0 lead in the second quarter en route to a 23-18 victory for the away team.

“We can’t wait to get punched to start fighting,” said Bombers safety Redha Kramdi.

Bomber comeback falls short

It was the kind of start that had fans in the stands facepalming.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers initially looked nothing like a group that had an extra week to prepare for Thursday night’s showdown at home with the Edmonton Elks.

Two fumbles, two missed field goals and more struggles on defence put the Blue and Gold in a 17-0 hole midway through the second quarter.

And while the second half was far from perfect, the Bombers showed signs of life — especially on defence — and miraculously grabbed an 18-17 lead with 8:34 remaining in the contest after running back Brady Oliveira dragged a defender to the front pilon of the end zone on a 14-yard catch and run.