Gotta move those chains

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 14/07/2011 (5174 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Defence wins championships, sure. But can only a defence win a championship?

The living, breathing experiment that is the 2011 Winnipeg Blue Bombers tested that hypothesis — albeit inadvertently — during the first two weeks of this young CFL season. And the earliest evidence — in a 24-16 win over the Tiger-Cats in Hamilton in Week 1 and then again last week in a 22-16 win over the Toronto Argonauts at home — is that, in fact, it is possible to win a football game relying almost entirely on your defence.

Two games in a row, actually. The Bombers’ offence scored precisely one touchdown against Hamilton and one touchdown against Toronto and yet came away with victories both times, thanks to a league-leading defence that has owned the run and a league-leading placekicker in Justin Palardy who has accounted for precisely one-half of the club’s points so far — 23 of 46.

The good news is the Bombers are 2-0 despite the sputtering offence. But the bad news is no one — least of all the men of the Bombers’ offence itself — thinks the winning is going to continue much longer unless the Winnipeg offence gets some traction.

And the toughest test so far this season comes at Canad Inns Stadium tonight against the Calgary Stampeders, the pre-season odds-on favourite to win the Grey Cup this November.

Bombers starting quarterback Buck Pierce was unequivocal on Wednesday when he was asked if his offence needs to become more productive. “Obviously, yeah we do,” said Pierce. “We’re facing a good team in Calgary. Their offence is high-powered as well, So we’re going to have to match that. We’re going to have to sustain drives and not make the mental mistakes we made last week.

“We’ve got to stay on the field and rest our defence. When they’re rested, they’re a pretty good group of guys.”

They’re a fine bunch when they’re not rested, too.

And they didn’t get much of that the first two weeks. The Bombers’ defence was dominant in two victories despite the fact Pierce has been the least productive — by far — of the starting quarterbacks in the CFL this season.

Pierce’s 316 yards total passing through two games are last in the league — and less than half the yardage accumulated by each of Montreal’s Anthony Calvillo, Edmonton’s Ricky Ray and B.C.’s Travis Lulay. Pierce’s 61.5 per cent efficiency rating is also dead-last, while his 55 per cent completion rate (33-60) is second-last, ahead only of Lulay’s 51 per cent.

Which is, understand, not to pick on Pierce.

He’s had at least five passes dropped by the Bombers’ receiving corps this season, including a pair of big gainers against Hamilton that rookie receiver Kito Poblah made a mess of. Pierce also withstood a devastating hit against Hamilton and a leg injury against Toronto and rose to the occasion in both games when the game was hanging in the balance in the fourth quarter.

All of which is to say the slumbers of the Bombers’ offence are not just about its quarterback. “We win as a team and we lose as a team,” said slotback Terrence Edwards. “We know we have to play better and we know we have to put up points when (the defence) gives us the ball… Our goal is to come out here and execute and we haven’t executed as well as would be to our liking.”

Part of that execution must involve getting the ball to running back Fred Reid more often tonight. Reid leads the league in rushing through two weeks with 150 yards on 35 carries, but the general consensus is the Bombers need to get Reid more involved on the ground to set up what’s been, let’s face it, an anemic passing attack so far.

Put me in coach, says Reid. “We’re going to get everything going this week, I think,” said Reid. “I don’t know how much you’ll see me — that’s up to the coaches — but I’m going to do everything I can to keep this team winning.”

Offensive co-ordinator Jamie Barresi says it feels to him like the offence is close to breaking out. “We’re getting down underneath the goalposts,” Barresi said, “but we need to get 7s instead of 3s.

“It’s a bit of a process and I wish it wasn’t taking so long to get it together, but I have a lot of faith.”

Faith is good, touchdowns are better.

paul.wiecek@freepress.mb.ca