Blue Bomber defence resists urge to panic

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This article was published 24/07/2011 (5221 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

TORONTO — There was no panic, no need to worry.

That’s how members of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers defence spoke after the 33-24 win over the Toronto Argonauts at Rogers Centre Saturday afternoon.

Down early in the game by a score of 17-3 in the first quarter, the Winnipeg defence was given a simple message at halftime: Play like you can play.

“We said at halftime we’re going to be the stronger team in the second half,” Bombers head coach Paul LaPolice said after the game. “And when we started to score, we told our defence to get faster, and they took the ball away. They did a very nice job.”

For a moment there, it looked like the Bombers’ calling card through the first three weeks of the season might abandon the club. Toronto QBs Cleo Lemon and Dalton Bell put up 221 yards in offence on the group, effortlessly moving the football and the Argos didn’t punt in the first half — a clear signal that their offence was effective.

“But we didn’t panic,” Bombers defensive end Odell Willis said. “We just needed to settle down and stay with what we’ve been doing this season.”

“Once we had that lead in the fourth quarter, we didn’t want to let that go and have that be on us,” defensive back Jonathan Hefney said. “We kept with it, which is what we need to do out there.

“We didn’t panic — they gave us a bunch of different formations that we never saw from them before — but once we figured it we were set.”

The Argos only managed 139 yards of offence in the second half.

Then there are the defensive numbers, to which Winnipeg keeps adding this year.

Two more sacks for the Bombers, giving them 15 on the season. Willis had one of those pivotal QB takedowns, forcing Bell to fumble with 1:43 left in the game (DT Dorian Smith recovered) and with the game still a one-score affair. DT Don Oramasionwu also had a sack and a forced fumble — again, late in the game.

Defensive back Brandon Stewart had an interception in the first half and so did Hefney — only his came in the fourth quarter with lots of time on the clock and the Bombers holding a 27-24 lead.

Going for the go-ahead TD, Bell shorted a pass to Spencer Watt, allowing Hefney to readjust and make the pick on the Bombers’ goal line.

“I dropped one earlier in the game, so I just wanted to make the catch,” Hefney said. “My eyes were so big on that one, I knew it was mine. Even on that first one I dropped, my eyes were huge.”

It wasn’t all good news for the Winnipeg defence.

After knocking Argos starting QB Lemon out of the game with a mouth injury in the first quarter — on what looked like a helmet-to-helmet hit — middle linebacker Joe Lobendahn had to leave the game in the second quarter with a foot injury.

He will be re-evaluated today.

Pierre-Luc Labbé replaced Lobendahn Saturday. He finished the game with three tackles and two special teams tackles..

adam.wazny@freepress.mb.ca